#bluefoxchild

[toasecretsanta]

When It Rains

Hello!! This is [ @returnofthemackles]’s Secret Santa gift for @bluefoxchild !!! I had fun writing this and I really hope you enjoy it! I combined two of the prompts you gave me for this piece: Two people in a cornfield at night. The darkness is not as empty as it seems to be, and Thunderstorms at night. I also really liked the third prompt you gave me but unfortunately I didn’t have the time to write a second piece to include that one. But! If I am ever able to articulate my idea enough and write something with it, I’ll be sure to tag you in it if I end up posting it! (Little fun fact: the “Clancy” that Will addresses is my friend’s child of Apollo OC, thought I’d give them a little cameo.)

Some quick content warnings for this piece: semi graphic descriptions of death, topics in death, grief, minor swearing/cursing, very brief mention of an ED. If there’s anything that I missed I apologize!

Without further ado, here it is! Happy holidays and please enjoy!! 

…

Nico had already known that Jason was dead. He didn’t have to be told; he simply knew. It wasn’t like the knowledge just popped into his head, it was more like a feeling. Or a series of feelings. He saw him in his dreams: glimpses of searing pain and blood stained clothes, cold surrounding every inch of his skin with rushing water roaring in his ears like drowning in the coldest, darkest parts of a winter ocean. Flashing images of a thunderstorm, a California beach, Jason’s face drained of all color, bringing out the shocking blue in his cold, dead eyes, wet sand stuck to his cheeks and in his hairline. His glasses were gone. He could hear the screaming voice of a girl, though everything sounded canned and distant. Nico hardly slept for days on end as these dreams haunted him every waking night. 

But the creeping suspicion of Jason’s death didn’t only come to him in the night. Even during the day, awake, just a passing thought of Jason, or the mere mention of his name sent a mind numbing ringing into his ears. It was a ringing he was all too familiar with: the ringing that occurred only when in the presence of death. When he would tell Will, his boyfriend, about everything he’d been seeing and experiencing, Will would try to reassure him that surely Jason was okay, that his anxiety was just getting the best of him, but they both knew that wasn’t true. They knew full well what came along with Nico being a son of Hades, and they knew that his powers were scary and accurate. His gut was never wrong. 

So when Apollo showed back up at Camp and told them of Jason’s fate, he was only confirming what Nico already knew to be true. 

He was beyond upset and frustrated. Jason was the closest thing Nico had ever had to a brother, and now he was gone. He didn’t blame Apollo or anyone else for Jason’s passing, no one except the psychopath who took his life. He knew better now than to hold pointless grudges over people who really had nothing to do with the situation. They did what they could, and Jason made the choices he did to save them. He was a hero. But that didn’t make Nico any less upset. 

There was always the option of summoning Jason’s spirit; getting to talk to him one last time and getting some closure on the situation, but he had only learned just how disrupting that could be to a person’s peace in death. As badly as he wanted to see Jason, he couldn’t do that to him. As hard as it was to sit idly by when he knew he had the power in his hands to do something, he knew he had to let the dead be dead. Jason deserved that at the very least. 

So he tried to carry on. And so is the life of a demigod. People die. You carry on. You have to. Or at least that’s the mentality that kept Nico from feeling like he was going insane on the daily. 

But one day, something changed. 

The weather was usually pretty temperate in Camp, that was a nice thing they had going. Never too cold, never too hot, it never rained or snowed, unless of course if Mr. D wanted it to, or if something else major was going on. 

This day started just like any other, but Nico could tell something was off. He woke to cabin 13 feeling particularly cold. There was a weird sort of static electricity in the air, leaving the hairs on his arms standing on end and a tingly feeling crawling across his skin. He went to flip the light switch in the bathroom, but as he touched it, a small shock zapped at his fingertips. He flipped the switch up and down a few times. Nothing. No power. Strange. He got ready in the dark, which his drowsy morning eyes didn’t particularly complain about, and headed out thereafter.

The sky was overcast and thunder rumbled in the distance. He could see dark storm clouds peeking out over the trees surrounding the valley, but they weren’t supposed to be able to cross over the border at Half Blood Hill. Emphasis on ‘supposed to.’

The day carried on and Nico noted the dark clouds rolling around the edges of the camp’s borders, like normal, but it almost seemed like they were building up: billowing and getting darker, thicker, behind an invisible wall. Campers were murmuring and looking up nervously at the sky throughout the day, but nothing out of the ordinary happened until around dinner time. Almost as though someone popped a hole through the barrier in the sky, the storm clouds broke through and started spilling over the top of the valley.

Some Apollo kids were standing at the edge of the dining pavilion, pointing and gawking at the sky as any last remaining glimpses of their father’s symbol in the sky disappeared behind the dark murk of the clouds.

“It’s just clouds, guys.” Will told them, a reassuring yet stern tone to his voice, “A little rain isn’t going to hurt you. Come back to the table and eat.”

“Should we be worried?” An Aphrodite kid asked, pointing their question at the head table all while attempting to pat the frizz out of their hair from the humidity. 

Chiron stood in his full centaur form near the head table, the gray sky reflecting in his eyes. He spoke in a calm tone, “I don’t see a reason for concern. Some healthy rain here and there shouldn’t be bad for our crops or our spirits. Unless Mr. D senses any issue on the matter?”

He cocked an eyebrow at the man sitting at the table next to him, his purple leopard print shirt seeming extra bright in the overcast lighting of the dining pavilion. The man, the god Dionysus, or as they knew him, ‘Mr. D,’ popped a plump grape into his mouth and gave an uninterested shrug followed by a distasteful grunt, “Seems fine to me. The old man in the sky is probably just grumpy about something or other. I wouldn’t get my tunic in a twist over it.” 

Surely enough before long it started to rain, starting as a drizzle, turning more steady, and by nightfall it had turned into a torrential downpour. All of the campers sought shelter in their cabins as thunder wracked across the valley, shaking the very floorboards of the cabins. 

Nico had become quite the regular in the Apollo cabin, what with him dating their head counselor, so they didn’t hesitate to let him in at any point during the day, and especially that night with the storm raging outside. Will knew especially how Nico could get in his own head on nights like these, but his siblings had also really accepted him as one of their own in the recent months. He didn’t hesitate to feel at home in their cabin anymore. 

“Alright, campers.” Will said in his best Chris McLean impersonation as he entered the room with a clipboard and a pen behind his ear, “With the storm being as bad as it is, Chiron has asked the head counselors to do a headcount tonight just to make sure everyone is safe and accounted for. So when I call your name please acknowledge your presence in the most obnoxious way possible.”

You see, Will took his role as head counselor very seriously. He cared for his siblings deeply and it showed, but he could also tell when their nerves were high, that was one thing that came naturally to him, which made it easy for him to know when he needed to try and lift their spirits. Nico appreciated that about him. 

“I know you’re here.” Will put a hand on Nico’s head and gave his hair a rustle, “Don’t go slinking in the shadows on me, di Angelo, I want you safe.” 

Nico rolled his eyes in the most dramatic way possible but Will just smirked at him. Eye rolling was a form of affection in this relationship. 

Will began calling names and his campers responded in their best and most obnoxious ways, just as he had asked. They all laughed together and the room began to seem a little brighter, even in the dim candlelight, as the power in all the cabins were still out. 

He got about halfway down the list before calling, “Kayla?”

No response.

His eyes flicked up from his clipboard, their blue seeming a tad darker than usual, “Kayla? Anyone seen Kayla? Austin?”

Austin looked up from the ukulele he was stringing on his bunk, “I haven’t seen her since dinner. She left with some Demeter kids.”

Will breathed and made a mark on his paper, “I’ll have to check in with Miranda then to make sure she’s not-”

Before he could finish speaking, the door to the Apollo cabin flew open, flashes of lightning filling the room as a thick gust of wind blanketed across them all, extinguishing all of the candles in the room. 

In the doorway stood Kayla Knowles, dripping wet from head to toe, her ginger and green hair plastered to her face. Her breaths were labored as though she had been running. She had her bow slung over her shoulder. 

“The pegasi,” She wheezed as rain poured sideways into the cabin from the jarred door, “They got out of their stables. They’re freaking out, we’re trying to round them up, but the storm is only getting worse.” 

Will immediately ditched his clipboard and moved into action, barking orders at his campers, “Clancy, go get Chiron. Austin, grab some apples and sugar cubes from the kitchens. Nico, come with me.”

Everyone responded to his commands in a flash. Nico grabbed his jacket and threw it on, and they ran out the door into the pouring rain. 

Kayla led them through the dark across camp, and it took less than ten seconds for both Nico and Will to become soaked to the bone. The only thing protecting Nico was the leather of his jacket, but that could only do so much. 

They made it to the pegasi stables, where they found multiple Demeter campers running around frantically, trying desperately to wrangle about six very riled up pegasi. The ground was littered with wet feathers plastered into the mud. 

Will skittered to a halt next to Miranda Gardiner, who had managed to get a lead around the neck of one of the pegasi. He managed to shout over the roaring rain, “What happened? How did they get out?!” 

She spit rain water out of her mouth as her Pegasi reared onto its hind legs, “Woah girl! Calm down, it's okay! I don’t know! It's almost as though someone let them out! I could’ve sworn they were all locked up when I left before the rain started!”

Will took another step forward, arms outstretched Jurassic World style. He spoke in that calm, healing voice he used when soothing one of his patients, “There there Starla, it’s okay. No need to panic, it’s just a little thunderstorm.”

He managed to place a hand softly on the pegasi, Starla’s, neck. She flicked her head anxiously as he brushed his fingertips of his other hand along her muzzle. Even from several feet behind him, Nico could feel the warm, calming energy just oozing off of him. The warmth of the sun in the middle of a cold storm.

Starla exhaled from her nose as she leaned into Will’s touch, relaxing by the second.

“‘Atta girl.” Will smiled as he secured the lead around her neck. At that moment, both he and Starla had seemed to have forgotten about the storm that still raged around them.

“I’ll never understand how you do that.” Miranda breathed.

“You can thank my dad.” Will gave her a wink, “But let’s get her back inside.”

Nico took a step forward, “What do we do about-”

As soon as he spoke, Starla’s eyes went wild once again, as she let out a distraught cry and reared back onto her hind legs, yanking Miranda off her feet and into the mud. 

“Will, get him out of here!” Miranda yelped, grasping desperately for Starla’s lead, “He’s only going to scare them!”

Nico took a step back, taken aback by what she had just said. He had gotten so comfortable here, he had really started to feel welcome for the first time in his life. He saw these people as his family. Because of all of that, he had almost forgotten who he was. Of course they’d be scared of him. 

“I’m sorry, Nico.” Miranda said to him, pushing dripping strands of blonde hair from her face, “It’s nothing personal, but you know how it is.”

He did. He did know.

“He’s fine.” Will said in a stern tone, “She’s just spooked, any sudden movement will scare her.”

He turned to face Nico, his blue eyes almost glowing in the darkness. He seemed to read Nico’s mind, “You’re okay. Stay. Help. I need you here.”

Before he could speak, there was an extra bright flash of lightning, accompanied with an earth shaking crack of thunder, seemingly right on top of them. 

They all spun around as a camper screamed. Standing before them was a pegasus much larger than the others. No wait, it wasn’t a pegasus. A horse, a regular horse. A massive black stallion, its mane so wild it almost seemed like it was a part of the storm itself. It was as though the rain poured heavier around its silhouette, making it almost hard to look distinctly at it. It definitely wasn’t there before.

“Demon!” One of the campers shrieked. 

“It’s not a demon!” Miranda croaked as she struggled to stay on her feet with a panicking Starla, “It’s just a horse! Someone do something about it, please!”

The stallion planted a hoof in the mud, misty clouds billowing up around its ankles. At that moment, it looked directly into Nico’s eyes. Or he could’ve sworn it had. As it did, he felt a tingle shoot up his spine, and under the leather of his jacket sleeves he could’ve sworn every single one of his hairs was standing on end. The longer they locked eyes, the more Nico saw. Lightning flickered throughout the horse’s body, like bombs flashing behind smoke.

“That’s not a horse.” He announced, not even shifting his eyes. 

Flashes of his past dreams sparked across his mind. A different storm. Sand. Empty, soulless, dead blue eyes. The ringing in his ears. He became aware of just how cold he was, standing soaked to the bone in the dead of the night. 

A name came to his mind. He wasn’t sure how he knew it. Maybe it had been told to him before, he wasn’t sure, but he spoke it without thinking, “Tempest.”

“The Gray Sister?” He heard Will’s voice somewhere behind him. He hadn’t realized he had gotten closer to the stallion. 

“No, the ventus.” He took another step closer, the stallion unwavering.

“This isn’t Kingdom Hearts!” Will shouted, “Nico, do you know this horse?”

“Solace, will you stop being a nerd for two seconds?!” Nico shouted back to him, still not looking back and away from the billowing figure before him, “A ventus is a storm spirit. This one is just choosing to take the form of a horse.”

It was almost as though his eyes were locked in place. He couldn’t look away, and he found himself inching closer to the spirit, slowly taking one step after the other. He could feel Will’s presence somewhere close behind him, not letting Nico get too far from him; Will had that kind of aura about him, Nico could always feel him when he was near. There was something about this ventus, the way it was looking at him, the way it was just standing there. It was like it was beckoning him, telling him to come closer. He knew he had the mental willpower to fight whatever the spirit -Tempest- was putting over him, but something in his mind told him not to. He did not sense any sort of malicious intent coming from it. It was as if it knew him.

“Nico, I don’t like this.” He could hear the caution in Will’s voice, “Something doesn’t feel right.”

“It’s okay, I know him.” Nico said, outstretching a hand towards the stallion. He didn’t, he didn’t know him, so he wasn’t sure why he said that, yet he didn’t feel like he was lying. He wouldn’t lie to Will, but there was something familiar in Tempest’s eyes. If he didn’t know this horse, then someone he did know must’ve sent him. That at least had to be true. 

Nico was hardly noticing the frantic campers still scrambling around, trying to wrangle the pegasi, or even the rain still dumping buckets over their heads. It was all white noise at that moment. 

He was right in front of Tempest now. With his outstretched hand he was close enough to touch his muzzle. He hesitated, just for a moment, as Tempest placed one hoof forward and let out a puff of air from his nose. A puff of a cloud released from his nostrils, static electricity crackling within it. It was as if he was sending a message: it’s okay. 

Even in the cold of the storm, Nico felt the warmth of certainty creeping through his veins. He didn’t feel an ounce of fear. He had to do this.

With a decisive inhale, he took a final step forward and placed a hand on Tempest’s muzzle. As he did, several things conspired in about half a second, all playing in slow motion that lasted an eternity. The sky lit up so bright he could’ve sworn Apollo was gracing them with his presence. He felt a bolt of electricity streak across not only his body, but he could feel it transcending into his soul, across his entire being. Every vein, blood vessel, and cell in his body lit up like a Christmas tree, lighting a fiery pain under his skin that he couldn’t even begin to describe with words. 

This is how it ends, huh? His brain asked him in a moment of panic, You got electrocuted by a horse. Good job, bud.

As all of this was happening, he thought maybe he felt his soul leap out of his body. He had spent a lot of time around dead people: spirits without bodies, bodies without spirits. He had felt his own body nearly melt into the shadows themselves, but he’d never experienced the sensation of his soul leaving his body. It was always others: those he commanded. He’d seen it, he’d felt other people’s deaths countless times, but feeling his own existence split at that moment was maybe one of the most mind shattering things he’d ever experienced. 

But he still didn’t feel a lick of fear. Especially once he felt Will’s arms around him.

He heard Will’s voice shouting his name somewhere behind him, but there was a delay. It was like when you’re watching fireworks, and you see the explosion before you hear it. Like a sonic boom on a jet. His soul, outside of his body, yet still attached to it, was perceiving everything a half a second later than his body was. But he felt Will’s arms wrap around him. It was like every other embrace he’d ever given him, but as he felt the warmth of Will’s body collide with his own, it continued farther, reaching out past his body, into the ether, and around his soul. He felt Will touch his essence itself, the very existence of his soul. Like torn paper being ripped from a book, his soul left his body, and then once again in reverse, he slammed back into himself, colliding into his own body with such force, he could feel his brain rattling against his skull. 

They fell backwards, and as their butts hit the ground, everything played back into real time. The lightning flash that lit up the sky finished with a crack of thunder. And like they had entered a vacuum chamber, the rain was sucked back up into the sky, sealing with a pop. And they were slammed back into reality. Or so Nico thought.

When he opened his eyes, they were in a different place. The rain had stopped completely, though he still heard the far away sound of thunder rumbling in the distance. There was a cold, sharp breeze blowing through his hair, miraculously dry, and biting the skin on his face. It was dark: the kind of darkness you only see in your nightmares. The smell of what he could only determine to be farmland lingered on the breeze. Lightning crackled across the murky sky just barely enough to give him a sense of the environment around. They were in the middle of a corn field.

He was on his behind in the dirt, and he could still feel his boyfriend’s arms around him. He was practically in Will’s lap with the way they’d fallen. He probably would’ve hit the ground harder had Will not broken his fall. 

Will let out a disgruntled groan, “What happened? Where are we?”

“I’m not sure.” Nico’s eyes darted around them. He grabbed Will’s hands and unwrapped his arms from around him. He hauled himself to his feet and offered a hand to Will, who took it and pulled himself up. 

Nico was very hyper aware of every physical sensation he was feeling. Everything felt so much more present and real after having that out-of-body experience. It had been so mind boggling he had to double check just to make sure he was in fact in his own body.

“Is that what doing drugs feels like?” He asked out loud, “If so, I am never doing drugs.”

“Not on my watch, you’re not.” Will huffed, wiping the dirt from his shorts, “What were you thinking? You could’ve gotten yourself killed, death boy!”

“I’m not sure I didn’t.” Nico remarked, scanning his surroundings, “And don’t call me death boy.” 

“Right, sorry.”

Will had begun to glow like a human glow stick, a trait that Nico deeply admired, though he knew Will was self conscious about it at times. It gave enough light to the surrounding area that they weren’t completely submersed in inky darkness any longer, though the farther reaches of the cornfield that Will’s light couldn’t touch still remained hidden in shadows. 

Tempest was gone, along with all of the other campers who had previously been present. The only sound was the wind whistling, and rustling the corn stalks around them. 

“Either way, I’m glad you’re okay now.” Will added, “Don’t scare me like that, Nico. I’m not trying to lose you.”

“I don’t plan on going anywhere.” Nico reassured him, giving his hand a squeeze. He wasn’t much of an affectionate guy, but he loved Will and understood that he needed to be comforted sometimes, “The only place I want to go is out of this corn-”

Before he could finish his sentence, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. 

He spun around, putting an arm out in front of Will. He went to draw his sword, only to realize he didn’t have it. He simply held a hand out towards the darkness.

“Who’s there?” He called out.

There was no response.

“There’s no one there.” Will whispered after a moment of silence, “I’m not sensing any other life near us.”

Will had some weird abilities as a healer son of Apollo, but Nico had never known him to be able to sense life like that without physically touching someone. Maybe there were still things he didn’t know about his boyfriend. 

Nico closed his eyes and reached out into the darkness with his mind. If there was someone lurking somewhere in the shadows, he would know. He would be able to feel their presence. His consciousness raced through the aisles of corn, to the outer reaches of the field. It was endless. It was like an infinite maze of corn, stretching further than even he was able to sense. 

As far as he could tell, he and Will were the only living things in this field.

“There’s no one here, but we’re not alone.” He announced, opening his eyes.

“Yes thank you, babe, that makes a whole lot of sense.” Will said, sarcasm dripping off of his voice. He was in a defensive stance, and Nico realized how silly they probably looked at that moment. They were both standing defensively with their arms out, trying to protect each other. Neither of them had weapons. 

“I mean,” Nico continued, “There’s no one alive here. But darkness is never as empty as it seems. I know better than that. And I definitely saw something.”

Will’s eyes darted around, the blue in them looking almost like a neon sign as he shone from his internal light source, “Well I can’t see shit, cap’n. This is your scene, you lead the way.”

There was an ever so sudden wave of uncertainty in Nico. It was gone as soon as it had come. Nico thought he could hide it well, but there was no hiding things like that from Will. As soon as there was any moment of tension from him, Will would pick up on it.

“It’s okay.” Will said in a soothing tone, “I’m right behind you. You’re not alone.”

Calm washed over him.

They were quite a funny duo. A son of Apollo who could calm anyone with a touch, and literally could harness the power of the sun to make himself glow. And a son of Hades, dark and touch starved, having command over the shadows themselves, who had developed a fear of the dark. Will was like Nico’s own personal nightlight. Metaphorically and literally.

“Tempest brought us here for a reason.” Nico said after taking a moment to center himself, “So I’m thinking maybe we’re not supposed to be finding the exit of this corn field.”

“There’s something in the corn field we’re supposed to find?” Will finished his thought. 

“Yes, that or-” Nico began, but then cut himself off. That’s when he heard it. He thought it had been just an after effect from his little out-of-body experience, from being thrown into this alternate plane of existence or wherever they were, so he hadn’t paid much mind to it. But it was still there, lingering, persistent. The ever slightest ringing in his ears. He was very familiar with ringing in his ears, and it was never a good thing. But in this case, it was the answer to their question.

“Or someone.” He finished. He spun around and slowly turned his head to one side, turning and listening, waiting for the direction where the ringing was the strongest. As soon as he found it, he pointed. 

“This way. Let’s go.”

He grabbed Will’s hand and took off into the corn. Lightning crackled here and there, illuminating the sky, but Will’s light alone was enough to lead the way. They weaved past endless stalks of corn. Every so often, Nico would stop, listen, then take off in another direction, redirecting himself to follow his mental GPS.

“Where are we going?!” Will shouted, his voice thumping with every step as he ran.

“To be completely honest, I don’t know!” Nico shouted back.

“That’s very reassuring!”

“Just trust me!”

“I do!”

As he ran, the ringing got louder and louder, until it was so loud he could no longer hear the wind howling in his ears, or their shoes smacking in the dirt. He thought maybe Will was talking to him, but he couldn’t hear it. 

Finally, after running for who knows how long, they finally broke into a clearing, and Nico halted to a stop. Will nearly slammed into him, but they managed to stay on their feet. 

They both took a second to catch their breath before taking in what they saw before them. In the clearing stood the figure of a large stallion. Now that it wasn’t raining, it was more evident that Tempest really was a storm spirit. Instead of the sleek coat of a regular horse, his body was formed with swirling clouds filled with flickering lightning. Rain poured out from underneath him, spurring up billowing mist around his hooves. His eyes were dark and foreboding. He let out a whiny as he turned, revealing the figure of a person standing behind him.

Nico’s voice caught in his throat as he stared forward. He thought he might’ve cried if he spoke.

He swallowed hard and took a shaky breath, “Jason?”

Jason smiled at him. He had a hand on Tempest’s neck. He wore an old worn sweatshirt, much like one Nico had seen him wearing before. He was wearing his glasses. It was such a relieving sight, not only to see him here, but to see him how Nico had always known him. Not as the way he’d been seeing him the past couple months in his nightmares. With blood stained clothes, no color in his face, glasses gone, cold, dead eyes. He was dead, Nico knew he was dead, but there he was, standing right in front of him, and he didn’t look dead. 

“Hey Nico.” He said, real casual-like, “I see Tempest found you. I’ve been trying to reach you about your car’s extended warranty.”

Will snorted from behind him, but Nico just raised an eyebrow in confusion, “I- what?”

“It’s- you know,” Jason laughed and shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck, “It was a joke, sorry. Probably not a good way to start this conversation. You’re probably confused.”

Will raised his hand like a student in class, “I can say I am in fact very confused.”

“What’s going on?” Nico asked, taking a step forward, “Jason, I… Apollo told me what happened to you.”

Jason had a somber look on his face as he stroked Tempest’s stormy mane, “I know, I’m sorry.”

Nico shook his head, “Don’t apologize, you have nothing to be sorry for. I miss you, we all miss you, but… You died a hero, Jason. You never have to be sorry that you died.”

“Funny,” Jason gave a small laugh, “As I was dying, I was actually worried about you.”

Nico pointed at himself, “Me?”

“Yeah,” Jason started, “I know it’s hard for you to open up to people, and you opened yourself to me. I was honored to be your friend, but I know you’ve lost a lot of people. So knowing that when I died, you lost another person, I felt pretty shitty.” 

Nico couldn’t help but laugh, “You were literally dying and you were worrying about me? I wasn’t even there.”

Jason scratched his head, “Yeah… But I took solace in knowing that I was protecting my friends. That, and not to toot my own horn or whatever, but I knew I’d be going to Elysium, which meant that I’d get to see Leo again. But when I got there…”

Nico had a realization, “He wasn’t there.”

Jason nodded sadly, “I just don’t understand, why wouldn’t he have gone to Elysium? He should be there.”

“You don’t know.” Will gasped, stepping up next to Nico.

Jason looked up at them, “What do you mean? What don’t I know?”

“Jason,” Nico said, “Leo’s alive.”

Jason’s eyes got wide, shock and confusion on his face, then he exhaled and put a hand on his chest, “That’s such a relief. I might cry right now, seriously. I thought that goof got himself sent to Asphodel somehow. I knew The Fates were cruel, but he doesn’t deserve that.”

“No, no.” Nico shook his head, “He’s alive and fine. And he got Calypso off of her island.”

Jason smiled a large grin, “Really? That’s awesome! Man, I’m so happy for him.”

“Eh, their relationship is questionable, to be honest.” Will remarked, “I’m glad she got off that island and all, but… I won’t get into all of that. But anyway, I stand by my comment about being confused. Can someone please explain what in Hades is going on here?”

“Right.” Jason snapped his fingers, “I sent Tempest to find you, Nico.”

“But…” Nico rubbed his temples, “How? You said you were in Elysium? What is this place? This cornfield? This isn’t exactly how I imagined Elysium.”

Jason laughed, “Right. This isn’t Elysium. I found this place kind of by accident. I think, maybe it’s because I’m a son of Jupiter and all, but I could tell even in the underworld when it was storming in the mortal world. I accidentally stumbled into this weird plane of existence one day while there was a storm up above. I think it’s some kind of in between place? It’s in between the land of the dead and the land of the living. It doesn’t always look like a corn field, this is just how it’s presenting today for whatever reason. Kind of spooky if you ask me. But, I thought if anyone on the living side would be able to enter this place, it would be you, Nico. So I managed to contact Tempest through the storm and sent him to find you. Though, I see you brought a plus-one with you.”

Will gave a casual wave and a lazy grin, “Hi.”

Jason nodded at him, “Hi, Will, it’s nice to see you.”

“It’s nice to see you too.” Will told him, “Kinda weird if I’m being honest, considering, well, that you’re dead and all.”

They both laughed.

“But why did you summon me here?” Nico asked.

“Can’t I want to see my friend?” Jason suggested.

“I- well-”

“Don’t strain your brain thinking about that.” Jason waved his hand, “I know it’s a hard concept to grasp. But I just wanted to talk to you.”

He took a step around Tempest. Nico went to step closer as well, but Jason held out his hand, “Don’t get too close, I don’t want to risk breaking the connection.”

“Right.” Nico took a step back.

“Now don’t fight me on this.” Jason started, “Just let me talk, okay?”

Nico hesitated, then nodded.

Jason gave him a soft look, “I know you struggle, Nico. I know you’ve been through a lot, I know you’ve lost a lot. I can’t say that I can begin to understand how my death affected you, or how anything else you’ve been through has affected you. One of the last times I saw you, and I’m being brutally honest here, Nico, so I’m sorry, but you looked like ass. You were skin and bones, you had no color in your skin. You were sick. I was worried we’d end up losing you even though the war was over. But look at you now! You look great, healthy even. I don’t know what you’ve been through since I’ve been gone, but I can only hope you’ve been getting better. I know it’s an uphill battle sometimes, but I wanted you to know that I believe in you.”

Nico couldn’t help but smile, “I… I think I’m healing. It’s a slow process, but I can feel it happening. All thanks to someone.”

He shot a glance at Will.

Will puts his hands up, “I can’t take any credit for this one, this is all you, sunshine. I’m just here to make sure you’re not doing it alone. Being alone makes pulling yourself out of a hole that much harder. I’m just your alarm clock that doesn’t let you sleep until noon every day and reminds you to take your meds.”

“Which I appreciate.” Nico added.

“I appreciate you too, Will.” Jason butted in, “Thank you for taking care of him. I can tell you make him happy.”

Will kicked the dirt with his shoe, “Aw shucks. It’s my pleasure. Whether he wants to believe it or not, I enjoy his company.”

Jason’s eyes turned to the sky, still rumbling with thunder and lightning. He took a deep, slow breath, “I can feel the storm breaking, we’re running out of time.”

“But there’s so much I want to say to you.” Nico took a step forward before remembering, then leaned back on his heels.

“It’s okay.” Jason reassured him, “You’ll see me again someday. I’m sure of it.”

Nico thought about his sister, Bianca. He had thought he’d get to see her again someday, but after she died, she had decided to be reborn into her next life. It was a guarantee that he would never see her again. He didn’t want the same to happen with Jason.

“Don’t worry about that.” Jason spoke, seeming to be reading Nico’s mind, “I’m not going anywhere. I’ve thought about it, but I think I’ve decided to wait to be reborn. There’s too many people I want to see again. I have to see Piper, I have to introduce her to all the cute girls I’ve met here. I have to see Leo, that jerk, making us think he was dead. He’s actually going to die one day and when he does, he’s getting a piece of my mind. Not before I hug him of course, and thank him for saving my life. And I have to see Reyna too… I know things were weird between us but she was my best friend for so long, she’ll always have a place in my heart. Then there’s Frank, Percy, Hazel, Annabeth… all of them, the list goes on and on. And you of course. So… I think I can chill in Elysium for a while. It’s pretty nice here.”

That was a relief to hear. Nico felt selfish for feeling that way, but he was relieved that Jason was deciding to wait. Of course, he would try not to be upset with him if he decided to move on, he went through all that grief with Bianca, and he knew he had grown beyond that. He couldn’t withhold Jason or anyone else from their peace. That was a choice a person had to make themselves, for themselves. 

“Just remember,” Jason continued, “I may be dead, but I’m not gone. When it rains, I’m there with you. When you go outside and you feel the electricity in the air, or when you grab a doorknob and it shocks you, just think of it as me, saying hello. I will always be with you. Death isn’t the end of the line. You of all people should know that.”

Nico wouldn’t admit it, but he could feel tears welling up in his eyes. It was weird to him to know that people cared about him, but it was a realization that he was slowly making. Yes, he was a son of Hades. Yes he was dark and foreboding and creepy sometimes. Yes, he lingered in the shadows and managed to convince himself that he was not welcome anywhere or with anyone, but he was slowly learning that he was very wrong. People liked him for who he was. He remembered Miranda’s words: I’m sorry Nico, but you know how it is. He did know how it was. He was allowed to exist and take up space. He was still trying to convince himself of that, but deep down he knew it to be true. And he didn’t have to do anything alone anymore. 

Lightning streaked across the sky, and thunder shook the ground beneath their feet.

“It’s time for me to go.” Jason announced, “I’m glad things are working out for you. And I’m glad I got to see you one last time. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I hope it’s a long time before I see you again. Not because I don’t want to see you, but because I hope you’re able to live a long, prosperous life. You’re still so young, I’d hate for you to have the same fate I did.”

“I understand.” Nico told him, “But don’t feel like you have to wait for me. When you feel like it’s your time… do what your heart tells you to do.”

“I don’t feel that way. I know it’s my choice and no one else can make that for me.” Jason gave him a smile, “But my choice is to wait for now.”

Another crack of thunder and lightning. Like a switch, a heavy, thick sheet of rain began to pour onto them. The corn around them shook with the weight of the storm.

“Goodbye, guys!” Jason shouted over the rain, “It was nice to see you both! If only for a few minutes! And Nico! Please don’t forget to eat!”

“Jason, wait!” Nico shielded his eyes from the rain.

“I agree, Will is definitely more your type than Percy!” Jason waved at them, “Don’t tell him I said that, though! You know what, actually do tell him I said that!”

“Jason, I-!”

Suddenly the wind picked up, and the rain turned sideways, and with it so did the world. Nico fell backwards, reaching out and desperately grabbing for Will, who was also now falling. They found each other’s arms as Jason’s feet stayed firm on the ground. Tempest reared as lightning streaked across his body. Rain was pouring straight down onto Nico’s face and soaking his clothes once again. 

Jason waved one last time as the world began to warp around them. Things moved into slow motion once again, Jason became further and further away, the rain forming a sort of wind tunnel around them. Things slowed to the point of feeling like a video, moving frame by frame. Nico and Will were both screaming, but they could no longer hear themselves as the rain roared louder and louder. The ringing in Nico’s ears became so loud, he felt like his mind was being split with an ice pick. 

Until it all stopped.

Nico woke with a start, frantically trying to regain his bearings.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, “Hey, it’s okay! You’re safe.”

He turned to see Will next to him, concern in his eyes. He had straw sticking out of his hair.

Nico took a moment to breathe and take in his surroundings. It was daytime, and they were on the ground in what he realized was the pegasi stables at Camp. Their clothes were damp from the rain, but dry enough to make it seem like they’d been laying there for hours. All of the pegasi were in their stalls, looking at the two of them like they were a nuisance for being in their house so early in the morning.

“That was real, right?” Nico asked Will, grabbing his arms, making sure he was really there, “Tell me I didn’t just dream all of that.”

“It wasn’t a dream.” Will seemed unsure, “I don’t think? Whatever it was, it happened. We saw Jason.”

Nico was relieved to hear WIll acknowledge out loud that he’d experienced the same thing and that Nico’s mind hadn’t just made it up. They had really seen Jason. Talked to him, even.

Nico felt some sort of peace at that moment. He felt as though he could lay to rest his lament over Jason’s death. Would he still miss him? Of course. But something was different now.

“We should get back into camp.” Will said, pulling himself to his feet. His butt was covered in dust from the wooden floor of the stables, “Everyone has probably been wondering where we’ve been.”

“”I’ve been wondering where we’ve been.” Nico muttered. Will offered him a hand and he took it, managing to get back onto his own feet. 

“Yeah, that was kinda freaky.” Will agreed, “But kinda awesome at the same time?”

“Tell me about it.” Nico shook his head, “Come on, sunshine, let’s go home.”

They walked to the doors of the stables. As Nico’s fingers touched the handle, a small shock zapped at his fingertips.

He smiled, “Hello to you too, Jason.”

And with that, they left, probably on their way to a week’s worth of dish duty.

#toasecretsanta #returnofthemackles #bluefoxchild #nico di angelo #will solace #jason grace #pjo tempest #solangelo #trials of apollo #toa #riordanverse #trials of apollo fanfic #toa fanfic #riordanverse fanfic #character death

[toasecretsanta]

A gift (2/2) for @m-arnie-xx from @bluefoxchild based on the prompt “One of the characters from TOA (Meg, Jo, etc.) find out about Zeus’ abuse towards Apollo”

Warnings for abuse mention

The sun had set about an hour ago. Dark clouds covered the nightly sky. Not even a single star could be seen. Instead, the sleeping city got illuminated by bright white flashes of lightning, followed immediately by roaring thunder. Emmie imagined she could feel the old brick wall of the way station vibrate every time.

She turned her attention away from the window back to the dish Calypso handed her to dry. The sorceress seemed just as far away mentally as the former hunter. Emmie worried about her, her and Leo’s relationship had, now that they were really out of danger, started to slowly break apart. Emmie loved both of them like her own children and seeing them hurt like that broke her heart.

Another lightning. The rumbling of thunder. The lights flickered.

Calypso hesitated for a moment.

“Wasn’t the weather supposed to be good? Georgina was looking forward to watch shooting stars tonight.” she questioned before returning to cleaning her current plate.

Emmie put away a glass.

“There was definitely no thunderstorm like this announced.” She replied. “Are all windows closed?” She then asked louder.

Two bricks clicked together as the way station gave its confirmation.

The lights flickered again.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen a storm like this…” Calypso mumbled.

“Let’s hope it’s no reason to worry.”

The two women continued to was the dishes in silence, only hesitating when the lights flickered again. With so many inhabitants washing the dishes was not exactly a small job and the two were busy for almost an hour before Calypso finally raised the final cup in triumph.

“Last one!” She exclaimed, a proud grin on her lips.

In this very moment lightning struck again and the vibration of the following thunder shook the way station. Calypso yelped with surprise and her grip on the cup loosened.

It shattered on the ground. Shards of glass flew everywhere.

Emmie was just as startled as the former immortal sorceress. She had never in all her tome at the way-station seen thunder strong enough to shake the building. Whatever was going on was definitely not good.

Calypso was just about to pick ip the larger glass shards as a rumbling from somewhere outside the kitchen made her stop.

Emmie stared at the door. It was probably just one of the way-stations other inhabitants, there was no reason to worry, she tried to convince herself.

But the footsteps that followed the rumbling told her something else. Emmie had left the hunt some time ago, but her senses had remained sharp, even with age. And so she knew everyone’s unique walking patterns.

And whoever was walking around outside was definitely not one of them. But still… the pattern seemed somewhat familiar…

Emmie carefully walked towards the door. She knew that the way-station wouldn’t just let someone with hostile intentions enter, but she would rather be careful now than pay later.

Calypso followed behind her.

Emmie opened the door.

The hallway was dark. But even in the dim light Emmie could make out a silhouette at the other end. The figure seemed to be leaning heavy against the wall. The old hunter knew that whoever was there posed no threat to them. She was just about to ask for light as the way-station started to move.

And then, with a rustling of bricks on the ceiling, the way-station created a set of lamps and within seconds, the entire hallway was brightly illuminated.

“Apollo?” Emmie asked with surprise. She took a few steps towards him and wondered how she had managed to miss the presence of a god so close.

But something about Apollo was off. And Emmie wasn’t thinking about the fact that, even though he had regained his immortality months ago, he had taken a form that was still very similar to his Lester form.

Something about him was off. Although he was grinning at them Emmie thought that he seemed somehow distraught. The way he leaned against the wall or fiddled with the fabric of his t-shirt reminded Emmie way to much of Georgina when she had woken up from one of her nightmares caused by the oracle.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I hope- I’m sure you don’t mind me stopping by?” His voice was almost enough to convince Emmie that everything was alright if it hadn’t been for the small crack in his voice.

“Oh no, of course we don’t. Although most already went to bed. But I can offer you some tea?” she replied. As much as she wanted to ask right away, she knew it was pointless right now. The nervous energy Apollo was radiating got stronger by the second.

Behind Emmie, Calypso mumbled something about even more dishes. Emmie ignored the comment and invited Apollo to follow back into the kitchen.

As the three entered the glass shards still littered the floor.

“Did I scare you that much?” Apollo asked jokingly as he pointed at the glass.

Emmie had to give credit where it was due. If really something was going on, an she was sure there was, Apollo did a good job at hiding it.

“You wish. No, but the thunder crashed so strongly that the entire way-station was shaking.”

Calypso sighed as she started to clean up the shards again. Emmie noticed how Apollo stiffened as the sorceress mentioned the thunder. But she left it uncommented. There would be more then enough time later to talk about that.

Cooking tea didn’t take long. While the three were in the kitchen, they chattered about mindless things. Emmie talked about Georgina’s improving art skills, Calypso about her new sorcery skills and Apollo about some news from Meg and Camp Jupiter.

Emmie noticed how Apollo started to ease up more, but the exhausted look in his eyes still worried her.

As the tea was finished, they took their cups and settled on the couch in the living room. The whole room was only dimly lit, Emmie didn’t want to risk waking anyone up by making too much light or sound.

As the three had sat down, they remained silent for a while. Calypso watched the pouring rain outside and Apollo stared mindlessly at the hot cup in his hands.

Emmie was about to ask why Apollo had chosen this time of the day for his visit, when Calypso did that job for her.

“So, why’d you decide to show up in the middle of the night?”

Apollo flinched a little as she suddenly broke the silence. He hesitated for a second before answering 

“Well it’s not the middle of the night, only late evening so…”

Emmie sighed. “If there is something troubling you, you can tell us. We are your friends after all.”

“It really wasn’t much. I’m not- it wasn’t that bad. I just had a little conflict with my father. Nothing to be really upset about.” He then replied.

“Well I call bs. People don’t just randomly appear in the middle of the night somewhere because of a ‘little conflict’ and have you even looked outside? That’s a lot of lightning for a ‘little conflict’. So, what happened?” Calypso stated boldly.

“Calypso please.” Emmie warned her. She had thought the same things but Emmie believed that there was a way to word it more …careful.

“But she has a point. So, Apollo, you can talk to us. What happened?”

Apollo grabbed his cup tighter. Then he laughed sadly.

“I just- we talked about Jason. And it somehow ended in a discussion. No, not really. More a fight. It was a fight. And if my father doesn’t feel like talking anymore, his lightning bolt is his last argument. That’s just how it is.”

Calypso’s eyes widened. Emmie looked at him, eyes filled with sadness.

“Oh dear, I am so sorry. That is a cruel and wrong thing to do. And you deserve better” she said softly. Calypso nodded.

“What’s right and wrong doesn’t really matter to him though” Apollo replied with bitterness in his voice.

Emmie’s heart ached as she saw him like that.

“Maybe you’re right.” Calypso replied. “Maybe it really doesn’t. But you can do better. I’m pretty sure as a father you have already surpassed him. And you have a lot of friends that care about you. If he wants to be an ass, let him be an ass alone on his mountain and spend time with us instead.”

Apollo laughed softly.

“Calypso is right. There isn’t much we can do about him, but we are always here for you. And if you need to get away from everything in the middle of the night than I still have a lot of tea left. You’re not alone Apollo. Stay away from him as much as you can and remember that we are there for you.” Emmie added with a kind smile.

The dim lights made it hard to make out one’s features, but Emmie was sure she could see a tears welling up in the god’s eyes. She opened her arms to offer a hug.

Apollo accepted and even after their hug ended, and Emmie was sure he had cried a little, they kept sitting together for a while, enjoying the company.

#toasecretsanta #bluefoxchild #m-arnie-xx #toa emmie #pjo calypso #pjo apollo #trials of apollo #toa #riordanverse #trials of apollo fanfic #toa fanfic #riordanverse fanfic

[toasecretsanta]

A gift (1/2) for @m-arnie-xx from @bluefoxchild based on the prompt “If Diana didn’t come during TTT, so Apollo uses his own godly power to destroy Tarquin”

Warnings for character death and fire

Listen dear reader, I swear I never wanted this to happen. I swear on the river styx, on my sad and pathetic mortal live and if there is any chance it’ll make me sound more believable on my divinity as well. Although I’m not sure whether I’ll ever get it back. Or even want it back. If I should have it back. After what happened it might be better if I just… I don’t know, stay mortal and powerless forever. Yeah, I’d deserve that.

But you have to believe me, I am so so so incredibly sorry. And I know I should go apologize or something even though seeing me around is probably the last thing camp Jupiter wants. Also, an apology seems way to small as well. After all the only thing I’ve brought was death.

First Jason and now… by the gods why do I have to be forced to write that down. Why?!

But let me start at the beginning of my probably worst failure in history.

My mouth clamped shut as Meg ordered me to stop revealing important information to Tarquin. Sadly, my demigod master had been to late, I had already told him about Ella, Tyson and the tattoos.

Tarquin tilted his skull. “The chair in the back room… Yes. Yes, I see now. Ingenious! I will have to keep this harpy alive and watch her practice her art. Prophecies on flesh? I can work with that!”

“You’ll never leave that place,” Hazel growled “My troops are cleaning up the last of the invaders. It’s just us now. And you’re about to rest in pieces.”

Tarquin hissed a laugh “Oh, my dear. Did you think that was the invasion? These troops were just my skirmishers, tasked with keeping you all divided and confused while I came here to secure the books. Now I know where they are, which means the city can be properly pillaged! The rest of my army should be coming through the your sewers right about” -he snapped his bone fingers- “now.”

That’s when all hades broke loose. Suddenly the sounds of battle picked up outside the bookstore. Roaring cries of the undead echoed through the streets.

My wound throbbed painfully as the malicious grin on Tarquin’s face widened, twisting his rotten features in a grotesque way. His purple eyes glowed as they settled on me.

“See Apollo, there is nothing you can do anymore. I will take control over this city. I will turn every single person in here in one of my servants. And I will finally get my hands on what is rightfully mine, the books!”

Hazel howled with a rage I had never seen from her before. She shot froward, trying to land a hit on the undead king but before she could reach him, one of his zombie minions jumped into action to protect its king.

Now, I have to say, being able to grab swords with your bare hands is a really unfair advantage in a world where swords are the main weapons.

So naturally, out enemies could do exactly that. The zombie reached out and blocked Hazel’s strike with his bare, clawed hands.

The sudden stop made Hazel stumble dangerously, but she caught herself just in time to doge a strike from the zombie.

On the other side of the book store Meg was fending of another zombie and a ghoul, his oily feathers shimmering dangerously in the lights of the bookstore.

“It is time! Flesh!” It cried as it lunged forward to land a hit on Meg, but she was faster.

Tarquin just stood on the sidelines, watching the battle with interest and still grinning.

I wanted to help my friends. I wanted to jump into action like a superhero, completely destroy the army of the undead and save the day. If only I could get a burst of godly strength now. It would be a really good point in time. But because good things never come when you need them, at least not in the world of demigods, I did the only thing I could think of.

I pulled an arrow out of my quiver and was just getting ready to aim at Tarquin as the projectile began to buzz in my hand.

Wait… a buzzing arrow? Why  do I own such a thing?

Oh right, the Arrow of Dodona. How could I forget that? My brain felt like it was slowly turning into mush.

“HOLDEST THOU ON AOLLO, YIELDETH THYSELF NOT TO THE UNDEAD KING!” Its voice pierced the fog of pain and confusion in my head. But it also made me notice the darkening of my vision in the corner of my eyes.

“Oh, a pep talk from an arrow… that’s fun.” I giggled. In this moment it felt like one of the most hilarious joke I had ever heard.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash somewhere behind me. But I really didn’t feel like turning around to look. Instead I just dropped to the ground, still laughing about the projectile.

“OH NO APOLLO, THY JOB IS NOT DONE YET! YOU HAVE TO THINKETH OF SOMETHING!”

It took me a few seconds to actually process what the arrow had said.

“But I’m so tired… I’ll take a nap now and think later…” I mumbled, ready to close my eyes and just fall asleep (and probably die and become a Zombie) in the bookstore.

“And- Oh look, my skin is turning grey.” I giggled again as I noticed the grey slowly spreading from my ankles up my legs. Somewhere deep inside me I had a feeling that grey skin was not something to giggle about but I was too exhausted to follow that thought. Instead I just stared down in fascination.

“NO THOU MUST-“ the strange loud voice in my head suddenly vanished. I looked around in confusion. But everything was way to blurry to make out anything more that colored silhouettes . I noticed a flash of green somewhere on my right.

I think I knew who that was…

Yeah, I had definitely met them before..

the name…

something with an M…

Micheal Jackson? No, had nothing to do with green.

M…

Meg! That’s right, her name was Meg!

Remembering her name was like a wake up call. I remembered again why we where in that bookstore. The ritual. I guess I failed that. The zombies. Oh an I was turning into one as well. Oops. Although my thoughts had been cleared a little they were still not entirely clear. I’m sure by now you are aware of that, dear reader.

But where had the arrow of Dodona gone to..? I looked around. Above me towered a dark silhouette. I couldn’t make out any features but the purple glow where the eyes should have been gave the undead king away.

He grinned down at me, in his boney finger the arrow.

“That’s a nice thing you got there… Tell me, what’s up with that arrow?” he questioned. Unlike the arrows voice previously I had no trouble understanding Tarquin. And the words formed in my mind all by themselves, I didn’t even have to think about them all that much.

I was about to tell him everything about the arrow as an ear piercing cry stopped me. Against everything that told me to keep on focusing on the king’s purple eyes I turned around.

Hazel kneeled on the ground, clutching her arm. Her sword laid abandoned a few feet away from her and over her stood one of the ghouls, blood dripping from his talons. Hazel stared up at the thing, eyes still full of rage and pain. But it was obvious that the battle was over for her. Her visible skin was littered with countless minor injuries and the ghoul scratch sealed her fate.

Meg had managed to stay uninjured so far, but she had ben pushed into a corner by five zombies. She still fought them off viciously but I could see the exhaustion setting in. She would not last much longer either.

Through the fog in my brain the realization slowly settled in. We had lost. The ritual had failed. We would not get any godly support.

I could feel my mortal heart slowly getting weaker and weaker. But at least I could think almost straight again. What cruel irony. I had been incapable of doing anything when we still stood a chance and now I could just watch my friends meet their impending doom. The bookstore felt unbearably cold.

Above me, Tarquin laughed. His rough voice echoed in my head.

“Yes, watch it Apollo. All your precious friends will soon be mine. Hazel has already been affected, now only Meg is left… but not for long. Feast on her flesh my loyal servants!” He called out.

The five Zombies jumped at Meg.

No.

No.

No!

This could not happen. It couldn’t end like this. We were supposed to fight Nero together and I would regain my godhood by defeating Python. We couldn’t die now to Tarquin.

Something inside me awakened. I would not let it end like this. We would survive. Somehow. I would make it possible. I will make it possible. And if I had to fight Zeus and the Fates myself. Meg would not die here today and neither would I. Tarquin could not turn the entire city into minions for his kingdom of undead and he would also not get his hands on Tyson or Ella.

No matter the price, I could not let that happen.

A strange feeling started to rise in my chest. At first it was only warm. But then it got hotter and hotter. It spread through my veins. It spread until it had reached my fingers and toes.

Pure power rushed through me. It was a weird feeling but in that moment it felt good and right. That’s how I’m supposed to be like. That’s the power I was supposed to have.

The burning got almost unbearably. The Sybil’s chains were nothing compared to the powerful heat coursing through me.

I could feel it concentrating around my fingers. I questioned for a second whether my puny Lester form could actually handle that kind of power but I had no time for that now. As long as I had my powers, I had to use it to get rid of the undead within the city. And I had to save Meg. And make sure Tarquin could not reach Tyson and Ella.

I could do it.

I don’t exactly know what happened next. I only remember how a ray of divine light bursting from my body. Everything around me vanished into such a bright white it hurt my mortal eyes and for a second I thought I had gone blind myself, before I fell into a black void.

The first thing I noticed after I woke up was the smoke. It filled my lungs with every breath I took. My eyes were burning. And I hadn’t even opened them yet.

Laying there on the ground surrounded by smoke I started to giggle again for some reason. I can’t exactly remember why I did that though. My giggling soon turned into a violent coughing from all all the smoke I inhaled.

And then reality caught up to me. The battle of the bookstore. Tarquin. The Sybellin books. Meg and Hazel. My zombie poisoning.

I should be dead by now. But dead people (and zombies probably) could not suffer so much from a bit of smoke… Also, when the fight had started, there had been no smoke, so what happened?

And then I remembered my burst of godly strength. And also looking back how strong it had been, fueled by my hatred after the deaths of Jason, Frank and all the other brave legionaries, my desire to protect Meg and my wish to stop Tarquin and not let him get to Ella and Tyson, a horrible feeling started to form in my chest.

I sat up abruptly. The smoke was so thick it was almost impossible to see anything. I now also noticed the heat and my pain. And I would have almost passed out again.

If you want to have any idea in how much pain I was at the moment, imagine you have to run through fire. But with no skin. That’s how I felt. At least I assume that’s what it would feel like.

I covered my mouth and nose with what used to be my shirt but was now just a torn and burned piece of fabric to create a make shift mask to protect myself against the smoke. I doubted it would help much anymore.

“Meg!” I called into the grey clouds before me after I had carefully managed to get on my feet again.

A new wave of coughs almost forced me to my knees again but I stumbled further into the smoke. I had to find Meg.

My eyes were tearing but I wasn’t sure whether that was from the smoke or my own desperation. Sweat ran down my forehead. I had completely lost every orientation.

“Meg!” I called again.

I stumbled, fell to the ground and got up again. I had to find Meg. The wound on my stomach throbbed. But as far as I could see within the heavy smoke, the purple lines of infection had vanished. That just had to be a good sign. Tarquin had to be dead and his Zombies with him. I just had to believe it.

Suddenly, I managed to make out a silhouette of something on the ground in front of me. At first it only looked like a lump of fabric but as I got closer I noticed the vaguely humanoid form.

My chances were small. But as I got closer I could see a faint green color. If I hadn’t already cried from all the smoke I would have started crying now.

“Meg” I let myself fall to the ground besides her.

Her page boy haircut was disheveled and her clothes littered with burns and covered in ash. But aside from a few minor injuries and scratches she seemed remarkably fine.

I grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

“Meg, Meg wake up!”

But she didn’t move. I started to panic. I tried to feel her pulse but my hands were trembling too badly.

Okay, I had to calm down now. Taking deep breaths was for obvious reasons off the table but I just had to find a way to calm down.

The only thing that mattered now was to get Meg out of… well were even were we? The bookstore had been so cramped before, how could I not have run into something when looking for Meg? With my Lester-Luck knocking my little toe against one of the heavy bookshelf would have probably happened at least once.

I had to worry about that later.

I had to focus now.

This time, I could make out a faint pulse. I prayed to every deity I had ever known that it was not just my imagination. But now I stood in front of an even bigger problem. How was I supposed to get her anywhere? I could barely stand myself and Meg was not responding.

But I had to try anyways. I grabbed her and tried to lift her up but my strength was not great enough anymore and so I ended up half carrying her half dragging her in a direction I hoped would lead away from the smoke.

My lungs burned from exhaustion and I started to feel dizzy. I had no free hand anymore to cover my mouth and nose. I just had to hope I could make it time.

One step after the other.

Of course I knew it was impossible, but it felt like Meg hot heavier and heavier with every step I took. The heat was unbearable.

After what felt like twice as long as my entire (divine) life, I reached an area where the smoke started to clear. Maybe the universe had seen me in my pitiful state and decided ‘hey, we make this guy suffer so much, how about we grant him something nice for once?’ or I had just been lucky. I didn’t care. Because above me I could finally see the sky again.

Breathing air without the smoke was the best feeling I’ve had in forever. Finally seeing further ahead then just a few feet felt like a true blessing.

I collapsed to the ground and Meg fell down with me.

I realized we were somewhere in the outskirts of new Rome, probably close to the border.

Then next to me Meg started to stir. At first only a little, then she shot up and started coughing violently. I tried to reassure her that we were save now, that Tarquin was dead but to my surprise the moment she heard my voice she scrambled backwards, away from me. I knew it couldn’t be true but right this instant it looked like Meg was sacred. Of me. Then she stared at something behind me.

I recognized what was going on behind me from the reflection in her cat eye glasses. And every last bit of relief I had felt previously vanished and made place for pure dread.  

I swallowed dryly, the taste of ash and smoke still in my mouth. Then I turned around slowly towards the center of New Rome.

Columns of smoke were rising into the sky. Raging flames were devouring buildings and casting an orange light over the entire city. I couldn’t see it but I instinctively knew where the center of that inferno was.

I knew it was the bookstore.

I could feel my hand starting to tremble again.

“What have you done?”

Her voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper. I couldn’t muster the strength to turn around and face Meg. I didn’t even know how to answer her. Because I had no idea what I had done. I only knew that it was my fault.

But I had to say something, right? I mean I owed her some sort of explanation for what had happened. I desperately tried to make sense of everything. My memories of the bookstore were to blurry. Had it been an accident? On purpose? But there was no way I would’ve done that. It must’ve been an accident. Maybe I had lost control over my godly powers? That would make sense…

I ripped away my gaze from the raging inferno and turned around slowly.

“I- I don’t-“ before I could finish my sentence,  another wave of coughs mage me topple over and in all my burned and ash-covered glory I vomited on the ground.

I tried to ignore the disgusting taste in my mouth and find a new explanation, I was the god of poetry if anyone would find the right words it should be me. But before I could try to speak another word, the world around me suddenly got blurry again and before I realized what was happening around me I fell unconscious again.

My dreams were strange. Faceless figures appeared in the black void around me, mumbling incoherent words and reaching out for me, but before they could touch me the vanished again, their bodies dissolving into nothing but grayish mist.

I wanted to scream. But the black nothing swallowed every sound.

I had no idea how long I was drifting in that void, trying to get a hold on the somehow familiar figures and have them dissolving just before I could reach them. But after a while my dreamscape shifted. The void formed a solid ground.

I stood in a dark room, a muted grey light barely illuminated it. But there was no light source to be seen. Clouds of mist drifted lazily over the ground.

A strange feeling started to rise in my chest. I felt scared. On one hand. Something was demanding my respect within the black void. But I was also aware that I was in no immediate danger.  

It’s like looking at a hurricane after it has already destroyed your palace. Well, you probably never experienced a hurricane destroying your palace, think of your home instead.

Then three shapes started to emerge from somewhere in the darkness. They were covered in dark fabrics which seemed strangely solid and liquid at the same time.

They were too far away from me to actually see details, but I could definitely see the golden string swirling and twisting around them. I could barely resist the urge to cower in fear. Who would’ve guessed that the scariest thing in the universe are three old ladies.

“A call by fate has to be answered. There are no excuses to be made, otherwise the outcome will be more than regrettable.”

They spoke all at once, their voices echoing within the walls somewhere in the darkness beyond me.

“H-Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?! I have done everything you asked of me, I have followed every one of your prophecies! Why do you punish me now? That’s just unfair!”

Now dear reader, please, should you ever meet the fates, don’t do what I just did. Screaming at them will in no way make your situation any better. I was just really done in that moment.

But they ignored me. Just like they had appeared out of black nothing, they dissolved again. For a little longer I just stood there, within the grey light and started at the spot the three had just disappeared.

What had they meant when telling me to follow prophecies? I really had done everything I could. In my mind I went over the lines of the prophecy again but could simply not find a line which I had not tried to fulfill properly.

Just… the realization hit me like a truck hitting a deer frozen in the headlights. I had not failed the ritual. I had reached Artemis. But something had stopped her from coming to our aid. And there certainly was reason to assume that that something was in fact a someone.

But then why did Camp Jupiter have to suffer for it? That was just not fair. I wanted to cry. Again.

And because I was never granted anything in my mortal life, I was not given any time to process that my father might have doomed my quest, woke up.

The next time I woke up I was not laying on the hard ground anymore and there was also no smoke. I wish I could believe it had just been a nightmare sent by Tarquin into my zombie-infested brain but the burns along my arms told a different story.

I didn’t dare to open my eyes. I didn’t want to. I was scared of what I would have to face. Of learning the hard facts about… well everything.

Pathetic, I know but I really wasn’t sure how much more tragedy I could take. Jason had chosen his death. He had known he was going to die and willing accompanied us on our trip and I still had blamed myself, had thought about what I could’ve done to prevent that. Now…

I opened my eyes anyways. Because what else was I supposed to do. There just had to be a way to fix everything.

I was already thinking about ways to explain myself when every word I had prepared vanished out of my head. Again.

Because Frank stared down at me. Something seemed a little off about his face but it was definitely the same adorable demigod who’d believed to be my son a long time ago. So if Frank was here and I was here…

“… am I dead?”

It took me a few tries to speak coherently. And even though the words now were understandable, my voice still sounded incredibly raw and my lungs hurt.

Strange. I always thought the pain would vanish once you died.

“N-“ he started before I interrupted him.

“Your eyebrows are gone” I stated. I don’t know why, it just came over me. Remember one thing, never criticize someones eyebrows. For some reason that’s a very vulnerable spot for most people. Don’t ask how I learned that.

“The healers said you might still be a bit off once you wake up, the amount of smoke you inhaled almost killed you. But somehow you made it out alive.”

For a second there was an uncomfortable silence between us.

“What happened to Meg?” I asked, the look she had given me after I had carried her away from the bookstore flashing in my memory.

“She will be okay. Like you she inhaled a lot of smoke but… well we’re still trying to figure it out but it seems like she somehow managed to filter the air by using plants.”

I nodded with relief. I had no idea what I would’ve done if anything had happened to her.

There was silence again.

“Apollo… what the hell happened?” Frank’s voice was still calm. But I could sense the desperation for an answer.

“That looked like a targeted attack! The bookstore, the temple of Jupiter and of Diana were completely burned to the ground, not even the foundation is still there and they were all build with stone. The buildings around were damaged but compared to the force of whatever destroyed those three it’s nothing.”

The Fates’ word appeared back in my mind.

“There are no excuses to be made, otherwise the outcome will be more than regrettable.” I murmured, still trying to process what Frank had just told me.

“Look man, I really like you but we need answers. Two important temples were just incinerated and I won’t sugarcoat it, many were too close and just vaporized from the heat. The people are asking questions Apollo. Is this city in danger? Do we need to prepare sacrifices or…? We don’t have any idea what happened and now you’re sitting here mumbling something about no excuses?”

There was no missing the desperation now. I had always seen Frank as a strong but kind leader. But right now he just looked …done.

“And where is Hazel?”

The question hung in the air for a while as I remembered her kneeling on the ground, clutching her injured arm and blood dyeing her clothes red.

Tears gathered in my eyes.

And then I told Frank what had happened. From the bookstore battle to the failed ritual and the fragments I still remembered from my godly burst and finally to my dream of the fates. But I kept my suspicion about the reason for the issue to myself. If I was actually correct, Frank would figure it out himself. Otherwise I was maybe just trying to shift the blame on someone that was not me.

Frank sighed as he leaned heavily against the wall. For a second he didn’t say anything at all. Then he looked up again, his eyes void of any emotion, an expression I had never seen from him before.

“You said they said something about ‘not answering calls’. To me that doesn’t sound like the ritual failed…”

He looked up at the ceiling. We both knew he wasn’t looking for the ceiling.

“This… I don’t- I mean what is this? A declaration of war by the fates to the gods? The other way round? Just a warning?”

I wish I could’ve answered him.

He took a deep breath.

“Okay. We have to rebuild the city first. And not just physically. Until then the circumstances of the fire will be declared unknown but probably a failed plan by Tarquin. Once everything has settled we’ll discuss further steps with the senate.”

He was pacing through the room and seemed to explain his plan more to himself then to me.

I felt pathetic. I had to do something to help. Fix things somehow.

“And then… we will have to announce the loss of the sybellin books.” There was so incredible much pain in his voice.

The realization hit me seconds later. Tyson and Ella had been waiting at Diana’s Temple. Like Hazel they had probably still been inside when it happened.

“No…” I whispered so quietly, not even Frank could hear me.

“I have to go, the Legion needs me. But one more thing” he looked at me again, “it wasn’t your fault. You were just a Tool to pass on their anger.”

And with that he left. I just felt numb.

The silence within the huge room was deafening.

“you should’ve just let me go…”

#toasecretsanta #bluefoxchild #m-arnie-xx #pjo apollo #lester papadopoulos #meg mccaffrey #hazel levesque #frank zhang #toa tarquin #trials of apollo #toa #riordanverse #trials of apollo fanfic #toa fanfic #riordanverse fanfic #character death