#mount othyrs | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

toacollabevent · 2 years

Text

In Dreams

By: @m-arnie-xx (m_arnie)

In collaboration with: @fearlessinger (eleu)

Main inspiration: https://fearlessinger.tumblr.com/post/685990497282621440/who-wants-to-hear-a-conspiracy-theory-you-guys

Secondary inspiration (if you can spot which part, you get a gold star ⭐️): https://archiveofourown.org/works/27778300

——————

Zoe Nightshade did not get demigod dreams.

She knew, of course, about the recent (for her) development in the powers of those good-for-nothing half-bloods, that granted them the ability to glean bits and pieces of useful information for wars or quests every time they slipped into Morpheus’ realm. Scenes from the past and present and prophetic hints of the future alike, even in her Lady’s hunt, though more uncommon, there were cases of young Hunters knowing information they could not have possibly found out in regular ways, and tossing out a casual “I saw it in a dream” when asked how.

Still, Zoe was not a demigod, thank you very much.

And therefore, Zoe Nightshade did not get demigod dreams… until she did.

For two whole weeks now, every time she closed her eyes, allowed her mind and body to relax after an adrenaline filled hunt, Zoe found herself standing at the base of Mount Othyrs, looking up to where the mountain’s peak should have been, if only there wasn’t a storm of black clouds swirling around the whole place, thick plumes of… clouds? smoke? …billowing up towards the sky, blocking the sun’s rays.

That was the extent of it. Nothing more, and nothing less. She would have been almost inclined to dismiss the dreams all together, ignore them and write the whole thing off as her brain suddenly becoming fixated on the mountain for reasons that eluded her, if it hadn’t been for two things:

One: the persistent frequency of the dreams.

Two: the sort of… heaviness that would settle over her every time she stood there, staring up at the mountain with an annoyance that grew as the days passed.

Why am I seeing this? she would think.

And that presence, that heavy blanket of something, would settle over her like a warning.

Pay attention, it seemed to say, if an oddly-familiar presence could speak that was. Pay attention. Pay attention. Pay attention.

——

The night after Lady Artemis left her Hunters at Camp Half-Blood, the dream changed.

It started off the same way it did every night — base of the mountain, black clouds, pay attention — but then something shifted: Zoe became unfixed from where she stood, rooted to the ground, and something began to pull her up the mountain, closer and closer towards the smoke-storm.

And there, between the clouds, a silvery glow. A shape. A… figure? Zoe squinted. Yes, a figure shining silver with an almost divine glow.

No, not almost.

It was kneeling. Lady Artemis was kneeling.

And with a growing suspicion that was slowly sinking in her stomach, Zoe realised. Her lady must be in trouble, and that was why Zoe had been getting all these dreams.

Lady Artemis was in trouble, and it was up to Zoe and the other hunters to save her, even if it cost them their lives.

Above where she stood, the black clouds parted slightly to let a single beam of sunlight shine down upon her like a spotlight. Almost as if the sun itself was confirming her guess.

Almost as if Lord Apollo himself was confirming her guess.

——

(Zoe did not like Lord Apollo. He was too arrogant, too vain, and flirted with her and her fellow hunters incessantly. He always appeared in their camp at the most inconvenient times, offering archery tips that no one wanted and being a persistent source of annoyance to Lady Artemis near constantly.

Zoe did not like Lord Apollo, but she did not hate him either. He was too arrogant, but any time a Hunter was injured beyond Lady Artemis’ own powers of healing, it was Lord Apollo who she would call for, and who’d always come no matter what. He was too vain, but Dorothy had confided in her once, while they tracked a monster through the woods, how her father visited the dreams of her and her siblings at least a couple times per month, something practically unheard of for a godly parent, according to Lady Artemis’ many rants on the subject.

Zoe did not like Lord Apollo, but she never forgot that it was Dorothy who’d been the first Hunter to develop the ability to glean useful information from her dreams, saving a group of Hunters from a surprise monster attack, even if they had written it off as latent prophecy powers inherited from Lord Apollo at the time.

…Sometimes, when Zoe asked a Hunter how they knew something they couldn’t have possibly found out by themselves, and they told her about their dream, she would look up at the sun, and she would wonder…)

——

‘Sun West Line’ was a bit on the nose, but Zoe wasn’t going to start complaining about the free transportation any time soon.

Boarding the freight train, she headed up to the top deck of cars, as far away from Thalia Grace, the satyr, and the boy as possible. Bianca followed behind, and they found a leather-seat Lexus to settle down in for the night; the younger Hunter fell asleep almost immediately, the earlier fight against the skeletons clearly having taken a lot out of her, and Zoe followed suit not long after.

For the first time in over two weeks, however, Zoe did not slip into Morpheus’ realm to be met with the sight of Mount Othyrs.

Instead, she found herself somewhere in the Yellowstone National Park, standing in the middle of an empty clearing. A million stars shone overhead. A cool breeze rustled through the branches of the pinus contora that surrounded her, and lifted a few dead leaves off the ground to swirl around Zoe herself.

“I thought you might be more comfortable here,” a voice said behind her. Zoe stiffened. She knew that melodic, honey-sweet voice. “As opposed to my palace on Olympus, or an urban coffee shop.”

Zoe did not turn.

“Lord Apollo.” It was not a question. “Why hast thou brought me here?”

“Artemis.”

From her peripherals, Zoe saw Lord Apollo step beside her, hands in pockets and staring straight ahead. She turned her head ever so slightly to get a better look at his face. His eyes flicked towards her, then up to the night sky.

“Lady Artemis is on Mount Othyrs, isn’t she?” asked Zoe. “Wherever that might now be located in America. My fath-” she stopped, then shook her head. “Atlas has taken my Lady, kidnapped her.”

Apollo’s jaw tightened. “Yes. Atlas has taken Artemis.” He turned to face Zoe entirely, and continued, “She has been one of the most outspoken against my father’s decision to ignore the obvious war looming on the horizon, so no doubt it is Atlas’ plan to keep Artemis until after the Solstice has passed. By that point, the vote will have gone in both Atlas and Zeus’ favour, and we gods will not be allowed to help against any attacks. You see, then, why Atlas would want to take her.”

“Thou could simply disobey Lord Zeus’ orders,” Zoe pointed out, but Apollo shook his head.

“No, we can’t. You know that Zoe. You know I can’t.”

A second passed in silence. Two. Three.

Zoe turned to face Apollo. “I swear on the River Styx that I will rescue Lady Artemis,” she promised. “And if I must die to do so, then so be it.”

Above them, the sky rumbled. The solemn weight of her promise draped itself over Zoe like one of Hephaestus’ nets – unbreakable, inescapable, indestructible. She shivered, and wrapped her arms around herself.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Apollo warned. “Oaths made on the Styx are bind-.”

Zoe interrupted him, saying: “Atlas is going to kill me.” Once more, it was not a question. “My father… I shall perish by his hand.”

“Zoe…”

Apollo made to reach his hands forward, perhaps to hug and comfort her, or maybe in an attempt to physically block the words she had spoken from ever reaching him. Then, he seemed to think better of it and withdrew his hands back to his pockets.

“Thou is the god of truth. Do not lie to me.”

“You would order a god around?”

“Please, I walked this Earth long before thou was born.”

Apollo closed his eyes.

“Zoe…” he said again, and there was a note in the harmony of his voice that sounded almost like pleading.

“Apollo…”

(Zoe did not like Lord Apollo. He was too arrogant, too vain, and flirted with her and her fellow hunters incessantly. He always appeared in their camp at the most inconvenient times, offering archery tips no one wanted and being a persistent source of annoyance to Lady Artemis near constantly.)

“What would you have me say?”

(Zoe did not like Lord Apollo, but she did not hate him either.)

“The truth.” Zoe said. “Thou is also the god of prophecy. Surely thou must know.”

(Zoe did not like Lord Apollo, but she never forgot that it was Dorothy who’d been the first Hunter to develop the ability to glean useful information from her dreams.)

“Yes,” Apollo said at last.

(Zoe did not like Lord Apollo, but when Dorothy died, and Lady Artemis had broken the news to her brother, Zoe had seen the devastation flood his face. )

“It is you that the prophecy speaks of.”

(Had heard him sob that he should have done more, should have warned his daughter earlier.)

For a moment, Apollo seemed at a loss for words. Zoe wondered how many others he had seen die before their death, known their fate long before they passed and been powerless to stop it. She wondered if Apollo ever regretted making prophecy one of his domains, the day he slew Python and claimed Delphi for his own.

(And that… that was when Zoe began to wonder.)

Apollo whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Zoe breathed in. Breathed out. Breathed in again, and nodded slowly.

“Okay.”

Apollo opened his eyes. “Okay? That’s it?”

“I swore on the Styx that I would do anything to rescue my Lady, even if anything means dying. If this is my fate, then so be it.”

Apollo did not seem to understand her calm acceptance, or maybe he did, but did not want to admit as such. He told her: “I would have wished to change your fate if it was in my power.”

Zoe frowned. “Why? We are not friends.”

“You are my sister’s closest companion. Her chosen Lieutenant of the Hunt.” Apollo’s eyes made contact with Zoe’s. “I could not have picked a better person to lead the search for Artemis, but that does not mean I am not sorry you will die for it.”

And with that, Zoe received the final confirmation of her suspicions from all those years ago.

(Zoe did not like Lord Apollo, but she could never hate someone who risked their father’s wrath to give Hunters and demigods alike a chance against the enemies they faced because of their parent or patronage.)

“Does my Lady know that it is you who has been sending prophetic dreams to help demigods and Hunters in their quests and battles?”

A flicker of surprise passed over Apollo’s face, but then, for the first time since their conversation began, he smiled. “I should have guessed that it would be you who would first discover my little secret,” he said. “And no, she doesn’t.”

“Why not?” Zoe said, offence on her Lady’s behalf flaring up inside her. “Do you not trust even your own twin sister?”

It was Apollo’s turn to look offended. “Of course I do. But what I do goes against the Ancient Laws. If word got out to the others…” he paused, then shook his head. “No, it’s better this way. Let them all remain oblivious.”

“Why?” Zoe was confused, not that she would admit it outloud. Gods did not go out of their way to help demigods. It was a fact, a truth, ingrained in the stone of millenia’s worth of dead children. Apollo may have claimed all his children the second they reached Camp Half-Blood or joined the Hunt, but this was bigger than that.

“Why what?” asked Apollo.

“Why hast thou send such dreams? Why risk the wrath of Ze-”

“Don’t, Zoe. Names have power, remember? Be careful whose you speak.”

“Of your father then. It is still the same question whatever name I say.”

Apollo took a moment to consider her question. Since, as far as she knew, Zoe was the only person, except perhaps his children, to know that it was Apollo behind the dreams, she doubted anyone had asked him this question before now. Finally, the god said slowly:

“I am the protector of youth. Once, I set up Camp Half-Blood to be a safe haven, but now it is out of my control. I cannot interfere with quests without risking the wrath and punishment that my father might bring down upon those I helped. But I am also the god of prophecy and knowledge. This, at least, I can do.”

Zoe digested this slowly. She wondered how it must feel to be a god, to have unimaginable power, and to be powerless to use it.

(Once, Zoe had not liked Apollo. Now, all she felt was pity.)

“Thou hast not made a single haiku since we have begun to converse,” Zoe noted.

“I thought you didn’t like them,” said Apollo. “I can compose one if you want.”

Hurriedly, Zoe reassured him, “There is no need. I was not complaining about their absence.”

Apollo chuckled. “Yeah, fair enough.”

There was a pause. In the distance, the first rays of sunlight began to peak over the horizon, signalling the dawn of a new day, even though it felt like Zoe had only been talking to Apollo for an hour or so. And even though it was only the two of them in the forest, Zoe could have sworn she could hear the sound of footsteps approaching, quiet, for the person was still far away, but harsh, as if they were walking not on mossy grass, but on a metal floor.

“You have to go now,” Apollo said. “Someone comes to speak to you. It is almost daytime.”

A shiver ran down Zoe’s spine. She turned her head away to face the sunrise. Somehow, inexplicably, she knew that it would be the last one she would see. The Winter Solstice was not until tomorrow, but one way or another, everything would end today.

“Apollo…” Zoe began. The god looked questioningly at her. She stopped, unsure if she wanted to know the answer, but Zoe Nightshade was not a Hunter of Artemis for nothing. She asked, “How will I die?”

A sigh. “Honestly? I don’t know. Even as the god of prophecy, there are some things clouded from me. The location of Mount Othrys, for starters. How you will die, too, is something the Fates have not allowed me to see.”

Zoe tried not to feel disappointed. Maybe it was better this way, not knowing how she would die in advance. It was a dangerous thing to know the future, after all.

“I can tell you one thing though,” Apollo said. Zoe turned to face him again. “My sister will put you in the stars after you die. She will not forget you. You gave up your immortality for Heracles, but Artemis will immortalise you in another way.” He looked at her with uncertainty. “Does that help? Maybe not. Music, art, and poems I can do, but comforting people is not my forte.”

“I think thou hast done a good job.” Above them, the sun’s rays hit the leaves of the trees they stood beneath, illuminating the leaves in all shades of red, orange, and brown. The footsteps grew louder. “But thou is right. I must go. I must keep my promise.”

“You are far braver than I could ever be,” Apollo admitted candidly. “I could never go to my death so easily.”

Zoe shrugged elegantly. “I would die if it meant saving my Lady. For me, it is an easy choice to make.”

Something like understanding shone in Apollo’s eyes.

“Goodbye Zoe,” he said.

“Farewell,” she replied.

He placed a hand on her forehead, and at the same time, the scenery around them began to fade away. Zoe caught her last glimpse of Yellowstone National Park, and her Lady’s twin, Apollo, standing there in the centre of it all, before she was in the Lexus once more, sat in the front seat with her head resting against the window.

——

As a constellation, Zoe could watch over those down below with ease.

She watched as her fellow questers accompanied Lady Artemis to Olympus, as the gods voted against killing Perseus, and Thalia became the new Lieutenant of the Hunt (a fine choice: Thalia would do well in her new role, and from the stars above, Zoe wished her good luck in it).

She watched the following years leading up to Kronos’ defeat, the Battle of the Labyrinth and a year later, the Battle of Manhattan.

She watched as Hera put Perseus and Jason (Thalia’s brother!) to sleep, and took their memories; she watched the rise of the giants, their defeat, and the fall of Gaea.

She watched as Lord Apollo was blamed for the war, drained of his immortality and powers, and sent down to Earth as punishment.

She watched as his children were kidnapped, as he rescued them, and as Meg betrayed him. She watched as Nero was revealed to be the force behind it all, and then Commodus, and then Caligula.

She watched Jason Grace die. She watched her Lady save Apollo from a fate worse than death. She watched as Reyna Ramirez-Arellano was sworn into the Hunt, and as Apollo and Meg left to travel back across the United States of America to confront Nero (and for Apollo, Python) in one last, final battle.

The night before the pair reached Washington, Apollo took first watch. He often did that, Zoe had noticed, and then conveniently ‘forgot’ to wake Meg up until long after the four hours they had agreed per shift had passed. Considering they had a digital clock on the truck’s display board, she highly doubted this was accidental.

The former god rested his head against the side window of the truck. From his pocket, he pulled out an art gallery postcard and began to trace the outline of the figures on it softly. Zoe remembered Apollo picking it up to look after he and Meg had been chased into an art gallery by a manticore; after defeating it with the power of a dozen arrows, a rose bush, and some 12th century pottery, they had decided to take a break from driving to look around for a few hours.

Zoe knew what picture was on that postcard.

She knew it was of a painting that depicted Apollo’s triumph over Python all those years ago.

“Oh us,” Apollo murmured. “How am I ever to do it? How could I? I am mortal. Curse you father, Python is bigger than your punishment. If I fail…”

His voice broke. Shaking fingers tucked the postcard away again. Apollo twisted in his seat to look at Meg as she slept, then raised his head upwards.

“Zoe.” A jolt went down Zoe’s non-existent spine. “I know you can’t hear me right now, but I just wanted to tell you that I understand now. Your acceptance of your death, I get it.”

Unable to reply, all Zoe could do was watch in silence; Apollo resumed his original position in his seat and stared out into the dark of the night.

Hours passed.

Eventually, Meg McCaffrey woke. Too used to Apollo’s forgetful tendencies, she did not bother to protest the extra four hours of sleep she had been given. Instead, she grabbed a granola bar out of the glove box and began to take bites out of it, in between the quiet conversation Apollo struck up with her.

Zoe had no desire to eavesdrop on them, so she took the moment to check up on Apollo’s kids back at Camp Half-Blood, as she had been doing for the past few months. She did not know why she felt such a desire to do so – after all, even if Zoe did see something bad happening to one of them, she would not have been able to do anything – but she did as such anyway. By the time she had assured herself they were all safe, tucked away safely in Cabin Seven and fast asleep, and looked back at where Reyna’s old pickup truck was parked, Apollo too was in Hypnos’ realm.

And as she looked down at him, Zoe came to a decision she had been mulling over for weeks now. She was going to speak to Apollo, just as he had, three and a half years ago.

Zoe was no goddess of dreams, but Apollo was not the god of them either, and he was behind the ‘standard demigod ability’ that saved so many lives. Dreams were a power all immortals shared, and once, Zoe had been a Hesperide, the daughter of the Titan Atlas. Even now, Artemis had placed her soul in the stars, immortalising her forever, albeit in a different way.

Trees and rocks began to form around Zoe as she concentrated hard. Mossy grass grew from nothing beneath her feet, and once more, she found herself standing in the Yellowstone National Park, this time with Apollo standing opposite her, not behind her, and with a confused expression adorning his face.

“Wha- what?” he muttered. “This is Yellowstone, but-”

He noticed Zoe. All the tension seemed to drain out of his body, only to be replaced by a new apprehension.

“Zoe Nightshade.” It was not a question. “What am I doing here? Did… did you bring me here?”

A strong sense of deja-vu washed over Zoe, and it was a couple of seconds before she had recovered enough to say: “Yes. It was I.”

“Why? How? You’re dead.”

Really, Zoe thought sardonically, I had no idea.

“Thou art not the only person in this world who can speak to people in dreams,” was what she said instead. “As for why… I am not sure. I suppose I just wanted to be able to reply to thee when thou talks to me.”

Apollo’s face took on a pinkish tinge. “You heard me.”

“I have been watching thee throughout thy quest. Of course I did.”

This did not seem to help. “Oh,” said Apollo.

“Thou has not been the only one I have observed though,” Zoe said, by way of reassurance. “I watch over the Hunt too, and thy children.”

Apollo blinked in shock. “My children?” He took several steps forwards, pressing Zoe for answers urgently. “How are they? Will? Austin? Kayla? Are they okay? What-”

“They are all fine. Three more of thy children have made it to Camp Half-Blood too – Yan, Gracie, and Jerry, I believe are their names.”

Relieved by Zoe’s words, but now evidently worried for a different reason, Apollo asked, “Have they been claimed yet? I enchanted the borders of Camp Half-Blood to do so as soon as a child of mine crossed over but…”

“Yes, they have all been claimed. It did cause a debate as to how exactly they were, since thou art currently a mortal, but they all reside in Cabin Seven and are sleeping there peacefully as we speak.”

“Good,” Apollo murmured. “Good. I wouldn’t want them to have to sleep on the floor of the Hermes cabin, or think I didn’t care.”

“I’m sure they know thou cares,” Zoe said; she asked: “How art thou?”

Apollo laughed brittlely. “Good, awful, scared, and restless with anticipation all at once. Nero draws closer every day, and P- him too, and I have no idea how I’m supposed to defeat them. And even after that, after everything, my father might not deign to give me back my immortality, and everything will have been for nothing.”

“Not nothing,” Zoe said quietly. “Thou hast not only fought this war to regain thy godhood, not for a long time. Perhaps never.”

“You give me far too much credit, Zoe.”

“No, I do not.”

They stood in silence for a while. Apollo seemed to have realised something, and was trying to bring himself to voice it with some difficulty, so Zoe searched for her own constellation in the night sky above him to give some privacy while she waited.

“Am I going to die?”

The question was quiet, barely a whisper. Rushed, as if Apollo wanted to get the words out as quickly as possible. For all his earlier declaration that he understood Zoe’s calm acceptance of her upcoming death, the possibility of his own seemed to scare him still, which Zoe understood completely.

She may have accepted her death if it meant her Lady’s rescue, but she had not gone to it without fear.

Zoe asked, “What do you mean?”

“Am I going to die?” repeated Apollo. “Is that why you’ve called me here? When I spoke to you last time, it was to warn you of your own upcoming death.”

“I don’t know.”

“Zoe please…” Before, Zoe had only heard Apollo beg once, to ask her to stop questioning him if she would be the one to perish as the prophecy foretold. She had heard him twice now. “If I am going to die, I want…” Apollo’s voice broke. He closed his eyes. Breathed in, breathed out. Opened them again. “I want to know.”

“Truly, Lord Apollo, I do not know. That was not why I called thee here.”

Apollo tried for a smile, though it came out more like a grimace. “Please, call me Apollo. We are long beyond titles like ‘Lord’.”

“Apollo then. But truly, I do not know. I am sorry,” she said apologetically. “Prophecy is not within my power.”

“Currently, it’s not within anyone except Python’s,” Apollo pointed out dryly.

Zoe bit her lip, the question that had been at the back of her mind, ever since Apollo had declared to his son Trophonius that he would die to save Meg McCaffrey, burning more fiercely than ever. She debated with herself whether or not to ask for a few seconds, before deciding that she had nothing to lose from doing so.

She asked: “Would thee mind?”

“What?”

“If thou was fated to die, never to reascend to Olympus, would thee mind?”

“Of course I would mind,” said Apollo, a vaguely offended look adorning his face.

“But if it meant the downfall of Nero,” Zoe pressed. She wasn’t quite sure why the answer meant so much to her, but still she pressed on. “Or if it meant the downfall of Python, would thou accept thy death and make thy peace with it?”

(The day Jason Grace died, to give his friends a chance at escape, Apollo stabbed himself in the chest with the intention of death.)

“Yes.” Apollo said, without a shred of uncertainty. “Yes, I would die if my death brought down Nero or Python with me.” He paused, then chuckled grimly. “Oh us, I’ve really changed a lot, haven’t I?”

(And maybe he had known that Medea would heal him, for that was what the desperate plan hinged on in the first place, but that was never really the point, was it?)

“No. I don’t think thou hast changed at all.”

“What do you mean?” Apollo frowned.

Zoe thought of the way Apollo had taken in Chiron as a baby and raised him like a son. She thought of the story Lady Artemis had told her once of the day she and her brother had woken to discover they were the new celestial gods – in her Lady, the mortals saw protection, a guiding light through the darkness of the night; in Apollo, they saw brilliance, gold and warm and shining. She thought of Anius(1), and Asclepius, and Dorothy. She remembered the way Apollo had been so ready and willing to give his life to save his kids, only a mere couple of hours after death had become a much more real possibility for him.

“I think that Phoebus is a very fitting epithet for thee,” she said at last. “The shining one. The mortals began to associate thou with the sun for a reason. Thou art annoyingly shiny, overbearingly bright, but warm.” Zoe did not know what she was saying, or why she felt the need to reassure Apollo that he was not as bad as he thought he was, but she had known him for over three millennia now. She may have disliked her Lady’s twin, but it was never because he was cruel or heartless. Zoe did not want him to die. “Thou burns hot enough to scorch, but would never hurt thy friends with thy heat.”

By the end of Zoe’s small speech, Apollo looked utterly dumbstruck. “Why are you being so nice to me?” he asked. “You hate me, but now you’re saying I’m… what did you call me? Warm? Yes, that was it. What’s changed?”

Zoe said simply, “I never hated thee. I did not like thee, but I have never hated thee.”

“You could’ve fooled me.”

“I did not like thee because thou… hits on me and my fellow Hunters. I believe that is the modern phrase for it, no? Hits on, flirts with, even after we told thee it is unwanted. And,” Zoe added on, a little defensive now, “thine mere presence is of great annoyance to my Lady, with thine awful haikus and all. On her behalf, too, I do not like you.”

Apollo ignored the second part, with only a stiffening of his shoulders to even show that he’d heard, to guiltily focus on the first. He opened his mouth, at a loss for the right words, before settling with a simple: “I’m sorry.” He met Zoe’s steady gaze unflinchingly. “Truly, I am. I… it was wrong of me. I can see that now. And if I survive this, I promise you now, I will apologise to your fellow Hunters too, and do my utmost best to make it up to them as best as I can.”

Once, Zoe would not have accepted such an apology and been done with the matter. Now, she just nodded.

All of a sudden, she felt very old and very tired.

“I accept thine apology. And I rescind what I said earlier about thine mere presence being only an annoyance to my Lady. It was unfair and untrue. Most of the time thou is a great irritation, yes, but I have not just been watching over Meg and thee. I have seen the way my Lady has worried over thee these past few months. Thou is not just an annoyance to her.”

Apollo smiled gratefully. The stiffness in his shoulders relaxed. “Thank you Zoe. I appreciate your words.”

“Thou had better not die though.” Zoe threatened. “If thou does, I swear I will come down from Ouranos myself to resurrect thee and kill thee all over again. Thy death would break my Lady.”

“Would that not be a little counterproductive? Apollo laughed. “To kill me for the crime of dying in the first place.” After a few moments however, he sobered up. “You know I can’t promise you my survival,” he said, “but I promise that I will try. I will try my hardest to return to my sister. I swear it.”

Despite everything, despite what they were discussing, a smile tugged at the corners of Zoe’s mouth. “Thou do not want to swear thy promise on the River Styx? Have I, by mistake, summoned the wrong Apollo?”

“What?” Apollo frowned, then his expression cleared with a stunned laugh. “You’re… you’re joking. That was a joke.” He shook his head. “Zoe Nightshade teasing me? I really must be dreaming.”

“Thou is a massive hypocrite by the way. I distinctly remember thou telling me that to swear on the Styx is a dangerous thing, did thou not?”

Apollo rubbed the back of his neck. “Yes, well, I…” He trailed off sheepishly. “Oops?”

(Zoe did not like Apollo.)

She smiled at Apollo, which, for her, was the equivalent of a full belly laugh. He returned the smile with one of his own. In the distance, the first rays of sunlight began to peak over the horizon.

(But in another life, they could have been friends.)

Zoe could tell the moment Apollo noticed, because it was then that something heavy settled between them. Their smiles faded, the almost camaraderie between them was replaced once more with a cordial, but more distant, relationship, and Zoe knew what she had to do.

“I have to go now,” she said. “And thou must wake. It is almost daytime.”

For a moment, fear flickered across Apollo’s visage.

Then, it was replaced with the face of someone who knows his fate, accepts it, and goes to it with courage and resolution.

(It was replaced by the face of a real hero.)

Apollo tentatively reached out and placed a hand on Zoe’s upper arm. With her opposite hand, Zoe reached over to cover his with hers.

“Goodbye Zoe,” Apollo said. “I never got to say so before, properly, but it seems I have been given another chance. Farewell my friend.”

Slowly, Zoe removed Apollo’s hand from her arm. She let it go, and his hand fell to his side.

“Goodbye Apollo,” she said.

“If it had been in my power, I really would have changed your fate, you know. You didn’t deserve to die.”

“I know.” Zoe gave him one last half-smile, and this time there was a hint of melancholy in it. “I know you would have.”

Apollo closed his eyes. “I am ready now,” he said. “I am ready to wake up.”

Zoe placed a hand on his forehead. “Then I bid you farewell, my friend…”

The figure of Apollo began to shimmer, dissolving like dust into the night air, a mirror echo of Zoe all those years before.

“…and good luck.”

——

Far down below, in the driver’s seat of an old pickup truck two inches away from breaking to bits, Lester Papadopoulos began to stir.

The morning sun began to stream through the windows; illuminated by the light, his hair looked as if it were spun from shining gold.

———————

Author’s note:

So, what do you think? 5818 words including title and footnote, it’s one of the longest things I think I’ve ever written, both in length and in time spent between the start and finish, which is technically over three weeks (in my defence, I was on a no-phones summer camp and then my Silver DofE expedition for like, half of that time). I’ve truly loved being a part of this collab, and would like to that this moment to thank Tsari most sincerely for organising the whole thing. Can’t wait to see every else’s submissions! (Only 23 hours, as of right now, to go!)

(1) For those unfamiliar with the myth, Anius was the son Apollo had with Hemithea (Emmie)’s sister, Rhoeo. After his mother abandoned him soon after birth, Apollo raised Anius himself. He also later became King of Delos, a position he no doubt secured thanks to his dad! I figured that Zoe would be more likely to know this particular story, considering Anius’ familial link to Hemithea, compared to another one of Apollo’s children, which is why she thinks of him second as an example of Apollo caring for others (even when he was a god), after Chiron.

#submission #toacollabevent2022 #trials of apollo #trials of apollo fanfiction #riordanverse #riordanverse fanfic #zoe nightshade #pjo apollo #m-arnie-xx #fearlessinger

67 notes · View notes

rickriordanmistakes · 3 years

Text

Mount Etna or Mount Othrys?

The Lightning Thief, Chapter 9

“Zeus’s master bolt,” Chiron said, getting worked up now. “The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers.”

Isn’t it Mount Othrys that Zeus’ master bolt had sheared* the top off?

The Lightning Thief, Chapter 21

Poseidon gripped his trident. “In the First War, Percy, Zeus cut our father Kronos into a thousand pieces, just as Kronos had done to his own father, Ouranos. Zeus cast Kronos’s remains into the darkest pit of Tartarus. The Titan army was scattered, their mountain fortress on Etna destroyed, their monstrous allies driven to the farthest corners of the earth.

Mount Othrys is their mountain fortress or base, not Etna.

The Lightning Thief, Chapter 9

“The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe.

Mount Etna is one of the places where celestial bronze is forged.

Also, I’m a bit confused by the term Rick used: sheered the top off. Isn’t it supposed to be sheared* the top off? To sheer off means to change direction suddenly. While to shear off means to remove something with great force. I think shear off’s definition is closer to what Rick was supposed to mean. Correct me if I’m wrong, please.

@rickriordanmistakes comment: You are absolutely correct! In Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods it says that Kronos built his palace on Mount Othrys:

They had spent all their time in the abyss learning how to forge metal and build with stone (I guess that’s pretty much all there was to do), so in gratitude for their freedom, they constructed a massive palace for Kronos on top of Mount Othrys, which back then was the tallest mountain in Greece.

Mount Etna is the mountain that Zeus threw on top of Typhon. This excerpt is also from Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods:

“EAT ETNA!” Zeus bellowed. (Because that was the name of the mountain.) He smashed Typhoeus under the weight of Mount Etna, and the storm giant has been trapped there ever since, rumbling beneath megatons of rock and occasionally causing volcanic explosions.

Maybe there’s a conflict in the myths?

As for the word usage, it’s possible that was an error. Even I didn’t know the difference! :)

#rickriordanmistakes #rick riordan #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #the lighting thief #mount etna #mount othyrs #zeus #poseidon #kronos #chiron #submission

29 notes · View notes

anotherpjofan · 2 years

Text

Watch me become absolutely feral when there is a Nico and Bianca cameo in the lightning thief, a Hylla and Reyna cameo in Sea of Monsters and maybe even a reference to Mount Othyrs where the campers wonder who is going to guard that area

#like the possiblities ok #pjo #percy jackson #pjo disney plus #pjo headcanon #hoo #Heroes of Olympus #Nico di Angelo #bianca di angelo #reyna avila ramirez arellano #jason grace #pjo adaptation #pjo hcs #percy jackson headcanon #percy jackson hcs #pjo funny #pjo textpost #pjo memes #pjo incorrect

3K notes · View notes

nevermind-its-okay · 3 years

Text

Heroes of Olympus Rewrite Concept (Part 1: Piper)

So, I recently realized how much I dislike Piper's arc, backstory, and general characterization in HoO, so I wanted to tweak it. . . a lot.

So, starting off in the beginning, I think The Lost Hero is good, but it fails as a follow up the PJO series in a couple of ways. The universe feels smaller and very disjointed compared to the original series. Ideally, a good sequel should expand the universe and make lasting changes to the world. I think we should see new perspectives and the aftermath of the war, rather than everyoneh having a slight variation on what Percy thinks.

Everyone should have a different relationships with their parents and the idea of the Olympians in general.

So, without further ado, may I present to you: Titan Army Piper

Imagine: Piper is scouted by a member of the Titan Army from her latest boarding school. Given her background, I think Piper would be against the gods from the onset, especially when her view of it is molded by people who have very valid reasons to dislike them. Piper isn't violent, and she isn't much of a fighter (yet) but they put her to work.

Piper loves being useful and needed, and they feed into that desire. Silena isn't a charmspeaker, but she teaches Piper how to harness her gift to pursuade minor gods, spirits, and other unclaimed demigods to join the cause. The demigods in the Titan Army are humanized, and the motivations are a lot clearer than they were in PJO. It's about more than abandoment. It's about freeing themselves from constant fear and manipulation. The Titans are just a stepping stone to what they actually want: a complete overhaul, where there's no one ruling over them.

Piper is at Mount Othyrs when the legion attacks. She has no combat experience, and its clear the Titan's side is falling apart quickly. When she almost gets mauled by a harpy whose supposed to be on her side, her life is saved by a Roman legionnaire. He tells her to get out while she still can, and she listens. She escapes on a pegasus, and goes back to Los Angeles.

She's doesn't think she'll have a place at either camp, and she's terrified of what the gods will do if they find her. She's also racked by guilt for abandoning the cause in the eleventh hour, and doesn't know what's become of her friends.

In the fall, she returns to school like nothing happened. She hopes she can be one of those demigods who can pretend like they aren't any different, but that goes out the window when the roman shows up in the back of her school bus with no idea who he is.

(This is Part 1. It's already really long, so I think I'll do Part 1B for her since I didn't cover everything I wanted to.)

#Piper McLean #Jason Grace #Leo Valdez #heroes of olymus #percy jackson #annabeth chase #heroes of olympus #titan army

27 notes · View notes

catalysisrp · 3 years

Text

Hello, Catalysts!

It's a Monday, which isn't great -- but it's also time for another preview, so it's not all bad either!

First off, the obligatory reminder that we now have three different challenges open for participation as a means of acquiring an early reserve: the intro form, and two different dev challenges -- one for your own characters, and one for somebody else's!

(For those of you who don't like this sort of thing, we'll open general reserves later this week -- but you'll only get two, as opposed to the challenge participants, who can claim up to three total!)

Another two previews for you today, both our member groups and our first two subplots! There will be further subplots rolled out after site open, each built with the intention of being open to a variety of character groups and individual ideas. Enrollment is optional and relatively open, so no need to worry about reserving slots or being unable to participate!

As always, feel free to drop us an ask or hit us up on discord if you have any questions or concerns.

Previews included below the cut for mobile users!

Member Groups

PROMETHIUM ( #C98951 )

The discoverers proposed the name “promethium”, derived from Prometheus, the Titan in Greek mythology who stole fire from Mount Olympus and brought it down to gift to foolish, mortal humans. Its name symbolizes “both the daring and the possible misuse of mankind’s intellect”. All of its isotopes are radioactive and it is rare. This is the membergroup for characters with abilities.

COBALT ( #4774A8 )

Cobalt is found in the Earth’s crust only in a chemically combined form, save for small deposits found in alloys of natural meteoric iron. It is used to make powerful magnets. Transplants drawn to the dusty and decaying roads of Perdition fall into this membergroup. Are you new here? Did you find your way to Perdition or just get lost on the long, lonely road?

TANTALUM ( #7E9945 )

The name tantalum was derived from the name of Tantalus in Greek mythology. According to myth, he was punished after death by being planted in knee deep water with the branches of impossibly tempting fruit hanging overhead. Attempts to bend and drink were met with an ever-receding waterline; grasping hands reaching up for the fruit were ever denied, always falling short. Locals without abilities, local government, and local law enforcement are assigned to this membergroup. They live here in a constant state of in-between; Perdition is the space between failure and prosperity, it’s on the road to somewhere but not a destination, between catalysis and decay.

FLOURINE ( #A84771 )

It is the most electronegative element and the lightest halogen. It exists at standard conditions as wildly toxic. It is a gas so reactive it will ignite anything it touches. Initial studies on fluorine were so dangerous that several 19th-century experimenters were dubbed “fluorine martyrs” after gruesome accidents with hydrofluoric acid. The influential and powerful comprise this membergroup: employees of the ATLAS branch, Perot mine leadership, and members of Perdition’s toxic high society fall into this membergroup.

Subplots

Titanomachy

For behold, He will come down and tread on the high places of the earth. The mountains will melt under Him and the valleys will be split, like wax before the fire, like water poured down a steep place. Micah 1:3-4

A clash of gods in the valley, and Perdition, trapped between two mountains: Titanomachy, the war between the old gods, the Titans, and the new Olympians. They fight for control of their universe, for who will reign in the valley, the lives of the average caught beneath trembling boots.

Perdition is a small town, ringed by a crown of mountainous thorns, and only the truly loyal or the truly trapped have remained as its economy has withered, as the rest of the world spun on around it. It is protected by a small but gritty force of officers and city workers, locals who have been local for generations and generations, or in some cases, newcomers that have stumbled in and fallen in love with the sharp edges of the place.

The infestation of the Olympians, wearing federal ATLAS uniforms, driving desert-dusted humvees, building an ominous compound standing ugly on the edge of town, has not been welcome.

Tension was immediate. Local law enforcement has never been fond of the interference of federal power, especially not out in the boonies of the Battleborn state, out in the west that has, in so many desolate corners, remained wild. They are suspicious of ATLAS's closed-door and classified nature, of the high number of their missing neighbors, and the question of what are they doing here? It's not just geological surveying, that's for sure.

Even worse, within Perdition's police department, there is an officer or two on the take. In City Hall, there are clerks and townsfolk more than willing to accept a blank check from ATLAS for their clandestine assistance.

The war is quiet, for now, but the push-and-pull has already begun. There is thunder in the distance, muting the whispering in the mines: Down from Othyrs, down from Olympus they come, into the low, dry valley.

He has rays flashing from His hand, and there is the hiding of His power. Before Him goes pestilence, and plague comes after Him. Habakkuk 3:3-6

Members

Below are some character ideas or possible subplot positions related to the Titanomachy subplot! It's not limited to what is listed here, so if you have an idea just reach out to the admins!

The Titans

The loyalists: police and cityworkers going toe-to-toe with Atlas

On the take: the traitors in the departments, lifting evidence or stalling FOI requests

The local dispatcher on the fence

The double crosser

EMTs suspicious of strange things they're seeing on calls

The Olympians

ATLAS Directors

Scientists & field geologists

PIs working for ATLAS to get dirt on their local detractors

ATLAS security forces

The skeezy lawyer

Xenos

Xenos /Greek: ξένος, xénos, plural xenoi/ is a word used in the Greek language from Homer onwards. The most standard definition is "stranger". However, the word, itself, can be interpreted to mean different things based upon context, such as a more hostile interpretation: enemy.

The truth is out there. The truth is here. The strangers that rolled into town on convoys of military vehicles and humvees, subsidized by a government that tells its people nothing, they know. They definitely know something, and Perdition stands in the dark.

For years, certain internet sleuths and conspiracy theorists have long suspected something strange is happening in Perdition. At first, it was simply a gathering of intensely fixated Redditors and forum users, a small subset of generally strange and typically youthful true believers who spent a lot of time watching X-Files and scouring the night sky for unknown phenomenon. They try, and fail, to capture pictures and video of the strange animals around Perdition. They hunt bigfoot through the steppes and Pahroc range. They collect sunburns and live tweet about the haunted, desiccated buildings in Delamar.

In 2015, ATLAS arrived. The federal government deploying (as one internet personality described it) 'jack-booted thugs' on the very edge of town stirred up more interest in the once-niche supernaturally curious internet group, Xenos.

A variety of more adjusted locals began to show interest in the group meetings held in the community center, sipping bad coffee and clutching paper napkins. Relatives of families destroyed by various illnesses, families of the missing, who have lost loved ones to the expanse of desert. People looking for answers to unanswerable tragedies.

Xenos meets irregularly and is rather disorganized. Some groups within the group are more concerned with alien encounters and UFOs. Some are of the ghost-hunting variety, traveling to ghost towns and trying to wiggle into abandoned mines. What they have in common: they don't trust ATLAS, they don't trust local law enforcement, and they all believe strange things happen in Perdition.

Members

Below are some character ideas or possible subplot positions related to the Xenos subplot! It's not limited to what is listed here, so if you have an idea just reach out to the admins!

Xenos Cryptid Hunters

The fearless leader

Videographer

Peppy and bubblegum-sweet-excited vlogger

Local vet with supernatural pastime

Haunting the Haunted

Local with retrocognition

Photographer

The one in it for the lols

Nevada history buff specializing in ghost towns

Anti-ATLAS

The doomsday prepper who lives in an Airstream outside of town

Reddit sleuth

Pirate radio host

Family of the missing

Disgruntled ex-employee who never got higher than low-level security clearance

#catalysisrp #update

1 note · View note

mochideleche · 4 years

Text

can’t keep away from fate | CH9

Pairing : Percy jackson x demigod!reader

summary : The daughter of destiny- literally, along with inevitability, compulsion and necessity. Being the child of a primordial goddess doesn’t really assure you a quiet, calm life but when you return to new york after five years of being shipped off to boarding school, your once mundane life says goodbye.

A/N thank you all for all the lovely support and messages, they honestly make my day uwu. Also! i’m so sorry for keeping you waiting but im giving myself a break from school work so here you go!

contents page

Normally percy would hate sleeping. As much as he needed it - which he found was very often these days, the nightmares were nothing to look forward to.

However these day, percy found a little enjoyment in them.

Sometimes he’d dream of kronos and his army, luke’s golden eyes, camp half blood but now he saw dreams of you.

It had been a few months since he’d seen you, since he kissed you- percy always relived the moment, snapping back to reality to find himself smiling like an idiot and flushing red, but his dreams were the only way he could see you.

Undoubtedly, Percy tried to iris message you, but to no avail, you’d never be reached or the line would go black every time it went through.

That worried him.

He’d brought it up to chiron the first time it happened, but chiron suggested that you were probably cutting the line of yourself- if luke had somehow got to interfere with the iris messages he’d figure out what you were doing.

Sometimes when percy made visits to camp he’d see new faces along with hearing about the heroic journeys the children had taken to get to camp along your side.

“She was so cool!” one of the kids who percy had asked about their arrival (obviously wanting to hear about you), “She fought off this army of half dog half seal men with just waving her hands!”

You had acquired a new nickname, ‘the guardian angel’ seeming the way you delivered demigod kids safely to camp so stealthily that they wouldn’t even had known it until the children popped up on half blood hill. Then you were gone without a trace again, off to find other demigods. It sometimes pained percy that you were frequently within reachable bounds to camp but he never got to see even a glimpse of you.

There were also rumours, which were most definitely true, about how luke’s ranks were decreasing in number- random disappearances, as nico di angelo had described them as, of your doing.

“I sensed her presence when i was in the forests of new jersey,” nico explained to the counsellors during one of their meetings, “along with about 2 dozen laistrygonian giants and by the time that i got there-” he clicked his fingers and scrunched his eyebrows in confusion “they were both gone”

Gosh somehow it made percy feel bad that all he could do was sit back and wait whilst you were out there surviving on your own and fighting monsters and saving children.

What a hero he was.

Yes, he was fated to fight with the titan lord but right now, he was busy fighting his math homework.

Percy stared dejectedly at his unfinished work, gods he missed you.

The way you’d laugh when he did something stupid, the way you smelt like magnolias, the way you would place your hands on his to comfort him and the way you seemed like nothing bothered you and how you say everything would always turn out right.

Percy definitely needed to be told that right now.

------

Whenever percy felt like he was done for, he’d think about you. Even if he did just see one of his friends sacrifice his life, had an arrow shot through his leg and was falling 20 feet towards a huge mass of water- he was able to keep himself just that little bit more hopeful by just thinking about you.

I need to see her again, Percy thought as he his collided with the water.

He blacked out and was immediately pulled into a dream.

He found himself on top of Mount Othrys in a greek pavilion of black marble that seemed to blend in with the shadows. Through the darkness he was able to make out two giant figures : one seemed to glow against the black walls of the building and the other seemed to melt into them.

“Quite an explosion” one remarked.

“it doesn’t matter, our army shall rise again to destroy the gods” the other snided.

“hm, quite so,” the other agreed calmly, “but the demigods are becoming more, diligent. First the disappearances of our troops and now the explosion, right in front of kronos’ nose, ha”

Percy’s heart dropped, he knew what was causing those disappearances- it was you. What if they find out it was you? what would they do? would they try and track you down? kidnap you?-

“This would have not happened if you would let me fight!” a voice shouted and percy realised that there were in fact three giants there, crouched below in the centre of the room under what percy thought to be a statue was the titan atlas.

he struggled under the weight of the sky, a swirling funnel cloud, but still managed to strain his voice to argue, “let me out! take my place!”

But before Percy could watch any further his dream shifted. The voices became quiet- they were distant, he was no longer standing in the greek pavilion but about 20 feet away, standing behind one of the supporting columns and beside nico di angelo.

The boy faced him, “You see percy, we’re running out of time, do you really think we can win without my plan?”

The fact that nico had seen him shocked percy enough but his message was more than enough to shake percy to try and wake himself up from his dream.

But the image began to fade and he found himself off of mount Othyrs and in a more flattened out land.

At first he thought he was in the forests of long island but he noticed the trees here were thicker, Their branches coming down lower than the ones around camp and the air was more chilly. This was not New York.

Percy tried to take in his surrounds then caught his breath.

There standing behind a large oak tree was a petite girl with her long hair flowing down her back, wearing an army jacket and black ripped jeans and holding out two long drakon bone swords.

You looked distressed. Your face was pulled into a slight scowl as you peered around the tree and into the forest behind you. Percy knew you were in some sort of trouble but he couldn’t help but smile.

But the smile quickly disappeared when an arrow shot out of nowhere and embedded itself in the oak tree you were standing behind.

You broke out into a run and percy followed in suit.

Unknowingly, percy reached into his pocket and pulled out riptide, his first instinct was to fight whatever wanted to hurt you but he quickly realised that there wasn’t much he could do so could only keep up pace beside you.

Most dreams you were in seemed heavenly to percy, but this was a nightmare.

Seeing you need his help but not being able to do anything killed percy. Of course he had no doubt that you could handle anything by yourself, but then again, you wouldn’t be running away if you could.

Despite not actually running percy found that he was becoming short of breath, you were an awfully fast runner.

“Percy you’ve done so well, but I think it’s time you woke up”

Percy’s head snapped towards you. you were staring right at him.

You glanced away momentarily to keep track of where you were going before placing your gaze on him again, “I miss you”

Percy was at a lost for words. Months he’s spent trying to contact you, dreamt of you, trying to reach out to you and now, when time was limited, you had answered him and not only that, you were telling him to go away.

“Y/N-” but the scene began to fade and percy panicked, why of all times he had to start waking up now?

He felt himself began to slip into consciousness but he stubbornly did his best to try to go back to sleep.

but alas, your soft smile disappeared along with the dream as percy’s eyes shot open.

----

Percy didn’t think things would go so downhill. If anyone told him that the highlight of his week would be a midnight panic with a goddess, the son of hades and a hell hound, he’d pretty much expect it.

As he sat down by the magical fire, he got some time to think.

After being told that he’d end up dying either way and committing to a plan that would probably speed up the process, he was pretty miserable.

“things will only turn out that way if you think they will”

Your voice echoed in percy’s head, it had become a sort of habit every time he found himself thinking negatively.

Yeah but it’s in the prophecy princess, i die no matter how positively I think.

Then a sudden pain stabbed percy in the heart, If he didn’t survive nico’s plan he wasn’t going to see you again.

He was hoping some how you’d turn up in the next few days, (after nico assured him that you in fact were still alive and he had not felt your death- but that only gave percy temporary relief) He knew there just had to be a way he would see you before his destined fight, you were the daughter of fate after all- maybe you had to like... force great prophecies like this...? it was ridiculous but thoughts like this made percy hopeful.

“you are distressed” Hesita commented and percy was worried that she could read his thoughts.

“the time will come and you will know what the right decision is” the goddess said vaguely

“Uh, thanks” Percy nodded, not knowing what else to say and the goddess return to attending the hearth, why couldn’t gods ever speak plain english?

----

Percy had been to the underworld when he was 12. It was a long, tiring trip that took them to los Angeles and had nearly killed him bout 7 times. And only now did he find out about an entrance to hell which was literally 20 minutes away from his house- brilliant.

the stairs to hell were exactly how percy imagined them, dark, slippery and narrow. The only way he could actually see was by the light of his sword and the fact that mrs o’leary bounding down the stairs noisily reassured him that the stairs didn't end in a great drop to an endless pit to Tartarus.

Nico lagged behind, a look of doubt evident of his face.

“You alright?” percy dared to ask, hoping the boy wouldn't become defensive at the question.

Nico nodded, but opened his mouth to say something, “i saw her you know”

Percy stopped, saw who? he thought for a quick second then immediately knew nico meant you.

By this point nico had caught up with percy and stood just two steps behind him, “ She- when we first met she offered me the keys to her apartment”

“She what?” Percy interrupted, too surprised not to. he knew that you owned an apartment in Queens- a gift from your father for when you stayed in New York, and he knew that whatever you and nico had talked about had stayed between the two of you, but this? Why didn’t he get keys to your apartment?

Nico turned away to avoid eye contact, percy realised he must have been staring at him hard and tried to change his expression

“She told me that i could stay there anytime if i needed it. I wasn’t going to step near that place at all. But one night i got into an argument with my father and had nowhere else to go...”

Nico trailed off and percy was worried that he was beginning to back track on himself and regret ever saying anything to Percy, but thankfully after a deep inhale of breath, he continued.

“I was only planning to stay there for a few hours, but it just so happened she was there too. She was asleep but it seemed like she was having a bad dream. kept murmuring things-”

Nico shuddered, “I woke her up in the end and asked her about it but she shook it off. Moved the subject onto the fact that i had actually taken up her offer and decided to make me dinner. What she said though- it, it seemed important”

“What did she say?” percy asked, if nico was scared then he knew this was serious.

“Something about to storm or fire the world must fall”

Percy looked up at nico’s face, he seemed as disturbed as he was back at mrs castellan’s house. Panic rose up within percy.

“It’s probably nothing though” nico shrugged but percy could tell that he didn’t mean it at all, but despite that nico walked past percy and continued down the stairs, “we should hurry up, we’re losing valuable time”

Percy had no other option but to follow and wonder, why did nico chose to bring this up now?

.....

“Percy!”

before he was fully awake, percy had reached out and pinned nico to the floor with his sword pressed against his neck.

“we-have-to-get-out-of-here” nico struggled.

“Oh yeah? and why should i trust you?” percy growled, pressing down harder.

“No-other-choice?”

Percy rolled his eyes, he really did have no other choice.

He stood up as nico curled to the side and retched up for air. Percy would’ve almost felt sorry for him if he hadn’t just betrayed him to his father.

“Does your dad want to ‘talk’ again?” Percy seethed and nico sat himself up.

“honestly percy i had no idea, he tricked me!”

“You know what your dad is like!”

“Yeah but-” nico paused and stood up, quickly realising that there was no point in reasoning, “If we don't hurry, we’ll never get out”

Percy nodded once and allowed nico to take the lead as they plunged into darkness.

by the time the two of them had reached an exit via the palace kitchen, percy was half dragging, half carrying nico who spent every other minute pointing at skeleton guards or zombie servants and knocking them out before they could think about stopping the two escape.

Problem was, nico was going to be knocked out pretty soon too.

“Stop that” Percy said, “your power drains you too much”

by this time nicos legs stopped working all together and percy had no choice but to swing the younger boy over his shoulder.

“With great power,” nico said drowsily, “comes great need to take a nap”

Then the sound of a great gong echoed throughout the building.

“Alarms” nico said drowsily from behind percy, “Mrs O’leary”

“Right” percy said, and whistled.

Mrs O’leary came bounding across the fields of asphodel, probably excited to be back in her own grounds, and circled percy who desperately tired to throw nico onto her back.

“Hey, girl, think you can get us to the river styx?” Percy asked as calmly as possible, despite the sounds of a thousand skeletons footsteps coming their way.

Mrs o’leary barked in response and bounded off into the fields.

On approaching the river bank, Percy force fed Nico some ambrosia. He was scared that he had given him too much but the boy was knocked out pretty good. But after a few shakes of his head, nico was steady enough to stand on his own two feet.

the two boys slid off Mrs O’Leary’s back and ran towards the river.

“Percy you need to prepare yourself” nico said cautiously, causing percy’s stride to slow.

“How do I do that?” Percy asked and nico shook his head.

“You know I don’t think this is a good idea-”

“What?! this was your plan in the first place!”

“Yeah but-” nico seemed to struggle for words but exhaled as if he was angry and shook off his previous statement, “Think of a point on your body which will tie you back to reality and don't stop thinking about it otherwise the river will burn you to ashes, okay?”

“You know what maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all-”

“Percy!”

“Right right,” percy defended, inching closer towards the river.

at first when he nico had proposed the idea, percy had a long think of where the point would be. Somewhere difficult to reach during combat, maybe his armpit? but then he decided he wanted it to be somewhere more dignified.

he hadn’t thought on the matter since then, which was pretty stupid since the decision could possibly end or save his life but as his foot touched the river he knew exactly where he wanted it.

Percy wanted to walk cooly into the river, but as soon as the water touched his legs, his muscles went numb and he fell face flat into the water.

Then he stopped breathing.

It was terrible, this was the first time he struggled to breath underwater and the thought terrified him. images from the past few days flashed before his eyes in the darkness, beckendorf, rachel, grover and even lukes golden eyes.

instead of resulting to panic, percy kept thinking of that point, the one point where his life would end in a single blow, thinking about how that was his connection to the living world.

“You alright?” you said suddenly as you came to stand next to percy.

Percy jumped, he hadn’t heard you or sensed you coming up behind him, (although you were getting better at hiding you presence) and he flashed you a smile, “Yeah, just thinking”

“About what?” you asked calmly.

He stared at your face, it was always so stoic, as if you couldn’t care less about what he said but he knew that you genuinely cared for his happiness as much as your own.

“You”

Your eyes widened as you turned away but percy was able to catch that small flash of blush before you did, “shut up”

percy laughed, a genuine laugh that came from his stomach, you were just so damn cute.

he wasn’t exactly thinking of you, so to say, he was thinking about you amongst other things such as how to kill kronos, how to become better at sword fighting, how to do question five on his trig homework.

He faced the river again so that you would turn back towards him, which worked- of course.

“Stop being so sad all the time will you?” you said light heartedly as you tapped percy on the small of his back, “you being sad makes me sad too just so you know, so stop it” and you began to jog past him towards the surf.

percy struggled, trying to win the fight against the current but there was no use. He felt his arms and legs disintegrating and his soul felt like it was being ripped from his body.

he thrashed around in the coldness trying to reach for the surface and trying his best to keep thinking of his mortal point,

percy was on his last class of the day, he had set them a few drills to practice for the second half of the hour and was watching them with tired eyes. all he wanted to do was sleep.

suddenly he felt a little poke on his back, at the bottom of his spine.

“They’re doing well, aren't they?”

Percy craned his neck to face you, your head tilted slightly to be able to see past his shoulders, your hands still rested just above his hips.

“of course, i taught them” percy scoffed

“and so did i” you countered, “and just for your information, they enjoy my lessons better”

“Who says?” percy laughed, uncrossing his arms and fully turning his body to face you.

“I do” you smiled, making percy’s knees go weak.

Percy tried to push his way to the surface but it was no use, the more he moved, the faster he sunk. This is it, he thought, i’m going to burn alive in hell.

“Sleeping again jackson?”

immediately your fingers tapped the small of percy’s back and he peeled open one eye to see your figure silhouetted against the shine of the sun.

He had taken a nap on the deck, laying on his stomach, one arm under his face and the other hanging off the edge of the deck, and you were currently crouched down with a mocking smile on your face.

“yes, and you're disturbing me” he slurred out and he turned his face to the other side.

“Oh i wouldn’t say this is distracting” you joked, “this is”

And you pushed percy into the water.

Suddenly percy felt a tug at the bottom of his spine and he began to make his way to the surface. it was as if there was a bungee cord attached to the small of his back, pulling him back to the shore. he ignored the searing pain in his lungs, arms and legs and kept his focus on his mortal point.

think of the small of your back, small of your back, small of your back...

he did his best to look up and through the darkness he could make an outline of a hand, reaching in to help him out.

“oh gods i’m so sorry, i didn’t know you’d be that off guard! now take my hand you idiot”

percy reached out to grab your hand.

He sputtered as air returned its way back into his lungs and he landed on the shore of the beach, but the sand felt more solid, oddly shaped, just like-

“Percy get off me! you’re heavy!”

Percy pushed himself up and stared down at nico who was red in the face and soaking wet too,

“S-sorry dude-” Percy stuttered, did he really just imagine nico was you?

He got to his feet then held his hand out to nico who ignored it and pushed himself up, was he really that angry that percy had squashed him?

“Uh- did it work?” Percy asked tentatively, scared that nico was more than just pissed.

“I have no idea” nico responded, sounding surprisingly bitter, “feel different?”

“Not really” percy said slowly, but before he could apologise again for landing on nico a harsh voice shouted in the distance “THERE!”

The two boys’ head snapped to the top of the hill where about a hundred skeleton soldiers stood, weapons raised and all- eyes? they didn’t have eyes, all heads, faced towards them.

Hades stood in his chariot, dressed in battle gear, his nightmare horses skittering on the ground as if they were eager to stampede over percy’s body, “You will not escape this time jackson, DESTROY HIM”

“father no!” nico exclaimed but a line of british red coat skeletons charged with their rifles aimed.

Mrs o’leary did not hesitate to pounce at them and that tiggered percy.

He didn’t want his dog getting hurt just because hades was being a dick, and he charged without any other thought.

If he was going to die, he wanted to die fighting.

Percy was reckless, but this? this was a whole other level, damn- even another building. He charged straight through their lines, slashing his sword, not even thinking about where to strike but just did.

Bullets? didn't hit him. Swords? couldn’t cut him. Clubs? couldn’t even get an inch near him. (Hotel? Trivago.)

He’d successfully tore his way through the ranks and pounced right over hades’ horses and grabbed the god by his collar and pinned him to the ground.

Silence.

Percy was expecting skeletal hands to come down on him but as he looked around, there was nothing there- they were all gone.

“listen here jackson...” the god said.

“No you listen!” percy growled, “tell me about the trap!”

but the god just snarled and melted into darkness, leaving percy’s hands closed around nothing.

“You killed them all...” nico said dazed, breaking percy out of his cursing spree.

Percy stopped and looked around him, there was nothing apart from the three of them, a bunch of bones and a variety of weapons.

“I guess it worked then” percy offered.

“Oh gee” nico said sarcastically, “you think?”

the two of them stood silent momentarily and percy stared at nico.

He’d come a long way from where he began, and percy still felt like that it was his fault that nico became so bitter.

“You should go back to your father” percy started.

Nico looked shocked to hear this, “no, I want to fight-”

“You’ll be better off down here” Percy said, the harshness in his voice surprising even him.

the look of hurt on nicos face made him feel guilty, “I mean, we need your father to fight on our side, you’re the only one who can convince him” percy continued, trying to sound kinder.

“You don’t trust me anymore, do you?” nico said dejectedly.

Percy was shocked, did he trust him?

“Work on him. I know you can do it”

Percy couldn’t help but notice how nicos face lit up slightly after hearing him, “thanks but don't get your hopes up”

“Okay, I’ll see you for the battle, me and Mrs O’leary will head up now” Percy said, waving over his hell hound.

“Where are you going?” nico asked, tilting his head as percy jumped on Mrs O’leary’s back.

Percy smirked, “to start a war”

#Percy #percy jackson #PERCY JACKSON SERIES #percy jackson fanfiction #percy fanfiction #The Heroes of Olympus #percy jackson and the heroes of olympus #the heroes of olympus fan fic #Percy Jackson imagine #percy jackson fandom #percy jackson fanfic

50 notes · View notes

firesofdainix · 5 years

Text

all my wolves begin to howl, oh wake me up the time is now

Fragments of Jason's life before The Lost Hero.

His mother told him that she would be back, but it has been hours since he had last seen her and Thalia. He calls for them as he crawls through the Wolf House with his hands and feet. Then he starts to cry, and he feels his ordinary life, from his sister, his mother, tearing itself apart inside of him. As if his childhood is finally done, and a new life is ahead of him.

But still, Jason wishes to hold on, to hope that his mother and sister would come back for him. That fades when a lone howl pierces through his baby ears, and a figure steps out from the shadows.

Sadly, Jason wasn't afraid.

Sadly, Jason Grace was taken away from his old home to a new one with the wolves.

And the cycle continues.

Life with the wolves had been fun. Frolicking in the house where his mother and sister left him, spending the day in the woods trying to catch prey.

Lupa is quite a mother wolf, a strict one, but still a mother whom he barely remembers.

Finally, after months of training, Jason Grace at age three is now ready to face on the cruel world to find Camp Jupiter.

To say he didn't look back was not true. He did look back, to see another kid older than him being taught by the same wolves he considered as a family.

His family of wolves seem to have moved on like the family he barely remembered as a child.

They all look up at him, Jason Grace.

Jason Grace.

Son of Jupiter.

Jason Grace.

The King of the God's son, everyone says.

The son of a no good Dad, he wishes to say, but those words were stuck in his throat, refusing to come out.

He wonders if he'll just become like his father, which is his worst nightmare.

Instead of joining the First Cohort like everyone expected him to be, he joins the Fifth Cohort, filled with what they say, the sea of nobodies.

It's good to be a nobody.

The first time he got his mark, it hurts like Hades. There was a brilliant flash of light... and it's there now.

The eagle, symbolizing his father, the SPQR, and a line representing his first year.

The others say he'll get used to the pain.

He already did.

He just chooses to feel numb.

Being marked was supposed to be the most special time. It means that he is fully accepted into the legion, into the arms of the cohorts. He isn't a probatio anymore; he never is treated as one.

They try to make him join their cohorts.

Anything other than the Fifth Cohort.

And he just glares, because he knows they're not being any fair to the members of the Fifth Cohort.

Bigots.

Bullies. He hates them. He hates them all.

They think they're so high and mighty, picking on the younger probatios, but just one glare from Jason Grace and they'll be running another way.

Jason's just a kid.

A six year old.

Ten year olds run away from him.

Jason Grace tries to become a blank slate one time, resulting in him hearing most of the conversation of the bullies he had driven away.

"The Fifth Cohort thinks they're so powerful, just because Jason Grace is with them", one says.

"Just wait until Jason Grace realizes what he's done wrong and leave the Fifth Cohort", another one says.

Fury engulfs Jason. He didn't know what he was doing, unaware.

He didn't know he summoned lightning and killed three people on the spot.

He isn't a blank slate anymore.

Therapists are common in New Rome, of course. Some descendants of the gods had been involved in wars or had been put through many traumatizing moments throughout their life.

Jason thinks he doesn't count as any of those people.

He doesn't even know what war is supposed to be like.

No one here knows how much damage a war will cost.

"All right Jason", the therapist says in a warm voice, just like all the other therapists before her. "I want you to tell me what you have learned the past year in Camp Jupiter."

It was such a simple question. Jason didn't know where every thing went wrong.

"That the Fifth Cohort is the best cohort anyone has ever seen", Jason says nonchalantly.

The therapist nods slowly. Sooner or later she'll give up on him, like all the others. "Anything else."

"Everyone who tries to say other wise are bigots."

"Mister Grace, your language."

"What is even the point of this? To see if you think I regret killing those assholes a year ago."

The therapist nods. "Yes. You should be ashamed of yourself. We would've sentenced you to death-"

"But you don't want to, since I'm a son of Jupiter, is that right?"

The therapist doesn't reply.

It was his eighth birthday today, and everyone from all cohorts gave him a simple phrase of Happy Birthday.

No one asked him if he was fine.

No one dared ask him what happened in the ward.

He just wants to talk to someone, anyone.

He was elevated to a centurion of the Fifth Cohort, along with Dakota.

Together they kill bassilisks in the temples, and lead the war games with their comrades.

Jason is the reason why sometimes, the Fifth Cohort always win in the war games.

Twelfth Legion doesn't bring pride to Jason at all.

He has no idea to why everyone would be okay to be called 'the twelfth best legion'.

Now that he's a centurion, maybe he can change the minds of the campers of Camp Jupiter.

Rename it to First Legion, he says.

They're hesitant.

He knows why.

Only Octavian stands in the way.

He has no Roman pride.

He only has pride within himself.

Octavian was handpicked as the augur and it made Jason's blood boil.

How could he become an augur? Why had their praetors done this? Do they know how much political power and blackmail Octavian has?

Maybe that's why.

The praetors were also scared by his absolute power.

Jason cannot let him be a praetor given a time.

Then a marvelous and life threatening idea looms over his head.

Yes.

That's how it's going to be.

Jason is standing over Octavian's lying body, blankets covering most of it.

Jason was holding his ILVIS sword, tightly too.

He's going to kill Octavian.

He's going to do it.

He trudges over the legacy of Apollo's bed, but something stops him.

Jason regrets stopping because after that Octavian yells something about murder.

He jumps off the window and into the night.

Fuck you hesitation.

Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano.

That's her name.

A daughter of the war goddess Bellona.

That's nice.

She loves Diocletian as much as he does, and they'd stare at portraits everyday while getting lost at the subject of history.

That's good.

She's also his first friend.

That's the best news.

Reyna's been acting strange lately.

After that little quest, their relationship was never the same.

What did that woman do to Reyna?

Sure, they were still talking, but Reyna seems to be distant, as if thinking of something.

Being wary around Jason Grace.

But Jason tries not to give up, trying to still rebuild their friendship.

"So, you're Bryce Lawrence." Jason looks at the boy with the mix of disgust and indignance.

This-this no good son of Orcus really thinks that a little murder is entertainment.

He should've been dead, but his family is one of the most influential families in all of New Rome.

They can't just execute him and face his angry relatives.

But he was a goddamn psychopath.

Gods, Jason already hates him.

A lot of Roman campers have been missing lately.

The praetors said that they were rewarded a quest by the augur.

But they don't come back after a week.

Jason sighs as he flips his coin, transforming it to a sword.

He's going to find those campers and bring them back here.

Jason didn't know what got into him.

One moment, he was fighting a dracaena and another moment he was fighting one of his own kin, a demigod.

But the demigod isn't Roman.

He said he was a son of Hermes.

And he looks a lot like him.

Who is he?

And how could he do this to his Roman kind?

"Join me, Jason", he says.

Luke.

His name is Luke.

"Together we can tear Olympus apart stone by stone!"

Jason shoots lightning at him, but he seems unharmed.

At the end of the day, he fed the traitor Romans to the sharks.

Nico.

Nico di Angelo.

That was the Ambassador of Pluto's name.

People were wary of him.

Jason? He wasn't wary of Nico.

Finally, a cousin.

He seems secretive, but that's alright.

Jason has a lot of secrets.

And one day Nico brings Hazel, also a child of Pluto.

He cherishes them both.

There's a battle.

And he's in it.

Everyone is in it.

Against the Titan Kronos who has escaped from Tartarus.

He didn't tell anyone about that Greek demigod.

But before they go to New York, they have to face Krios first in Mount Othyrs.

It's going to be a long battle.

Their praetors are dead, and many are wounded.

Everyone is panicking, and Jason and Reyna tries to stop them from that.

Reyna comes up with battle tactics, and Jason is quite proud of her.

They march into Krios' domain, where they're faced with a dragon and the Hesperides.

Reyna kills them singlehandedly as the legion descends into battle.

Jason reaches Krios, and that is where it gets messy.

Hand-to-hand combat.

Why is Jason so impulsive?

His face burns.

His legs are tiring.

His right arm is broken.

And the entire legion is watching them, weapons ready.

They want to see if he lives or dies.

He looks up at the sky as he finally kneels for what felt like years, exhaling.

His lungs are burning.

His heart is beating too fast for his own good.

He feels blood on his face, and his eyes hurt.

He finally prays to his dad for the first time in his life.

And he's overcome with strength he had when he and the Romans scaled Mount Othyrs.

Krios is disintegrating, slowly but surely. He growls, but Jason just kicks him in the face.

"Who even are you?", Krios spits out.

Jason smirks. "I'm Jason fucking Grace bitch. And you'll remember me for centuries."

He watches Krios fully disintegrate with a self satisfied smirk.

And he faces his comrades, all full of amazement or intimidation.

Reyna starts to clap.

Sooner or later everyone starts clapping.

They made him and Reyna praetors of the first legion.

He dreams.

He dreams of his achievements, of his mother and sister, of his family.

But something is still missing.

In all his life, he never called anything a 'home', or a 'family'.

Even in Camp Jupiter, where it was supposed to feel at home, he never feels like it.

He finds Juno staring at him with a smile.

No.

He cannot be used as a pawn ever again.

Juno chuckles.

"It is your time now, little hero. Your destiny awaits."

No.

NEVER AGAIN.

Who is he again?

Where is he?

What is he doing here in a bus, in the middle of wilderness?

He feels something warm on his hand, and he looks over to see-

The most beautiful girl he's ever met.

And, suddenly, he feels a pang of hope, that maybe, just maybe, he will find a home and family.

Maybe is a strong word.

"Jason? Are you alright?"

#mine #fanfic #Heroes of Olympus #jason grace #I LOVE JASON GRACE #dark! jason #like i love that concept #some grimdark stuff here

16 notes · View notes