#i miss my child thalia

[wlntrsldler]

i. busy streets and busy lives, and all we know is touch and go. | luke castellan | state of grace

fourteen-year-old luke castellan develops a crush on the pretty girl who shows him a type of kindness he'd never experienced before.

athena!reader x luke castellan. not canon compliant, no betrayal. happy ending luke :)

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fourteen-year-old luke castellan was apprehensive to let go of annabeth’s hand. the small girl just healed from her injuries following their arrival to camp. she showed no sign that she was physically not okay, but luke could still feel her shaking. they’d both just lost thalia, a companion, a friend, who they faced the scariest things with, far greater than any of their imaginations could conjure up combined. luke didn’t think it was a good idea for her to be sent off to cabin 6 just yet, away from him. 

“s’kay, luke,” annabeth tugged on his hand. he looked down at her, finding no trace of nervousness on her features. instead, she had an eager smile on her face as mr. d and chiron waited for her to walk across the stone path to meet her siblings. “i’m not going far.” 

oh, luke realized. he was the one shaking. 

he put on his brave face, telling himself that he had to be strong for his sister, but he knew deep down, he probably needed annabeth more than she needed him. the girl looked excited to be with her real siblings, and luke was being selfish keeping her away from them. he’d just lost so much already; his childhood, his sanity, at one point, his mom, thalia, and letting go of beth’s hand felt like he was giving up. he just needed something to live for, something bigger than his survival. 

luke crouched down to get eye-level with her, smiling softly, “if you need anything, i’m just a few doors down, ‘kay? whatever you need, little beth.” 

“i know,” she giggled, innocence in her eyes. she didn’t quite understand why her brother was being dramatic about it. they were safe now. 

luke ruffled her hair, making her squeal, before getting up. he gave a courteous nod to chiron and mr. d, taking hold of beth’s hand again as he walked towards the two children of athena waiting across the way. 

luke didn’t miss the way annabeth’s eyes sparkled at the buildings around her. she pointed out the intricacies of the columns lining the exteriors of some of the cabins, marveling at the vines that engulfed the walls of cabin 4. luke wondered if he was ever this small, if he ever found the beauty in the small things the same way that annebeth did. perhaps, in memories that are lost and locked away in the back of his mind, he used to be like her. 

annabeth looked happy here, safe. luke let out a breath of relief that he didn’t know he was holding in. he’d given up on a life other than survival a long time ago. since he was nine, he’d been running from everything all on his own. then he met thalia and he didn’t feel so alone anymore. and meeting annabeth, well, he found a new reason to keep going after that. she was too young to have experienced all of this. if he couldn’t protect his own innocence, maybe he could protect hers as much as he possibly could. 

“you must be annabeth,” you smiled at her, crouching down to her height the same way luke just did. “i’m y/n. i’m so glad to have a new sister.” 

“yeah, i’m annabeth. nice to meet you,” annabeth removed her hand from luke’s grasp, reaching over to shake your hand. your eyebrows raised in surprise, pleased at her manners, and accepted her handshake. she pointed at luke, “this is my brother, luke.” 

the boy beside you, holding a clipboard, furrowed his eyebrows. he flipped through the notes he had on his board, “i was told there was only one child of athena.” 

“yeah, no, i- i’m a child of hermes,” luke shook his head, the name of his father tasted bitter on his tongue. he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, “she just means it like metaphorically? is that the word? we-we’re not actually related.” 

you stood up, eyes darting between him and beth. luke’s eyes met yours and he couldn’t help but flush under your stare. he’d seen pretty girls before; in line at a grocery store while he stuffed his pockets with stolen twinkies and chips, in the mall where he’d sit at sometimes to get away from the harsh weather outside, even on his way to see chiron and mr. d when he got a glimpse of aphrodite’s daughters, but he’d never seen anyone like you before. 

you had a commanding presence about you, like you had the answers to everyone’s questions and knew what was best for everyone, but it wasn’t intimidating at all. one look at you and luke knew you were a leader, one that led with grace and empathy and blessed with a face of an angel. you had soft features, kind eyes, high cheeks like you didn’t go a day without smiling, and hair that framed your face perfectly. he wouldn’t be surprised if people didn’t hesitate to follow you to the ends of the world if you asked them to. he was about ready to do that and he’d only just met you. 

you grinned at him, the crinkles by your eyes appearing, “but she’s your sister.” 

the smile that he returned to you was effortless. he glanced down at annabeth, nudging her, “but she’s my sister. annoying, but my sister, nonetheless.” 

“hey!” 

you and luke laughed at her harmless protest, sharing a look with each other that nobody else caught. the boy next to you, who unenthusiastically introduced himself as oliver, tucked his clipboard under his arm and motioned for all of you to start walking to the cabin. 

“luke,” oliver said, stopping his tracks, “we can take it from here. i’m sure you want to get some rest in your cabin after the 48 hours you just had.” 

luke wanted to say no. he didn’t want to leave annabeth yet. he would rather sit through long, droning minutes of learning about athena’s cabin, though he had no use for it since he won’t be living there, than retreat to the hermes cabin. but he also didn’t want to seem weak, clinging onto a seven-year-old girl when he should be perfectly fine on his own. annabeth said so herself, she wasn’t going far. 

you lived up to your angel-like demeanor when you spoke for him. you noticed the flash of panic in his eyes as he took in oliver’s words. you cleared your throat, “rest is for losers, oli. plus, the more the merrier. i say luke should come with us.” 

oliver huffed, but nodded, continuing his steps to cabin 6. you fell into a rhythm with him, conversing about camp activities that luke wasn’t too familiar with yet. annabeth trudged happily beside him, silent as she stared out into the view of camp. luke had to pull her by her shirt to stop her from running into things, her excitement getting the best of her. 

as oliver began his rant about some ares kid, you turned your head to sneak a glance at him and annabeth. luke felt his chest tighten when you smiled at him, all teeth and sunshine, before returning to your conversation with your brother. 

annabeth tapped luke’s hip, “i like her.” 

luke couldn’t hide the smile on his face as he looked down at her. his cheeks hurt from smiling so much, “me too.” 

luke wished he could say that the rest of his introduction to camp half-blood was as pleasant and nice as his interaction with you, but the rowdy cabin he was met with after he left annabeth in cabin 6 was something that he was not prepared for. unlike the athena cabin, where things were neat and put together, scrolls and books lining the walls, the hermes cabin was a mess. 

there were clothes thrown everywhere, makeshift beds in every corner of the cabin, and dozens of kids, claimed and unclaimed, running around. luke wanted to punch oliver across his face because how on earth was he supposed to get some “rest” with all of this going on? 

luke sighed, adjusting the bag on his shoulder as he searched for an empty bed. much to his dismay, the only bed available was the one right next to the entrance. he tried not to think about how little sleep he’d be getting with the door slamming open and shut with how many kids seemed to live in this place.

luke rolled his eyes, watching his siblings jump on the beds as they chased each other. none of them seemed to notice that he arrived, that he was new, but he learned from you earlier that too many half-bloods came and went in the hermes cabin. they were probably used to seeing unfamiliar faces and didn’t bother to introduce themselves anymore. 

with a silent groan, luke lay on his bed, trying to drown out the noise of laughter by pushing his thin pillow against his ears. the noise wasn’t unwelcomed, per se, but it was just foreign to him. he’d spent countless nights falling asleep to the sound of coos from animals in the woods and the sound of hushed echoes in the caves he called home. he’d slept through the roaring of the train tracks by his head and the sound of city noise outside his window when he managed to sneak into an empty motel room. he’d slept through the feeling of imminent danger, but never this. he doesn’t remember the last time he slept to the sounds of children laughing. 

he probably got a few minutes of rest before the cabin door swung open. the children quickly quieted down, which made luke get up from his position on his bed, ready to thank whoever it was that got his siblings to calm down. of course, luke wasn’t surprised when you were standing at the door, arms crossed over your chest. 

“come on, guys,” you tutted, shaking your head. “can’t you see someone is trying to rest? luke is new here and you’re not making a good first impression.” 

mumbles of apologies rang through the cabin before they all scurried out the door, all blushing in embarrassment as you sent them a look of faux disappointment. you walked over to luke, stopping at the foot of his bed. he sat up straighter, rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes. 

“sorry about them,” you grimaced, “they have too much energy for their own good sometimes, but you’ll grow to love them. i swear it.”

“yeah, they’re cute.” 

you couldn’t help but snort at the sarcasm in his voice. you motioned for the seat beside him on his bed and luke moved over to give you more space. you were so close to him that he could feel the heat of your skin radiating off you. “i take it your first day hasn’t been the best?” 

“it’s been… okay,” he trailed off, suddenly self-conscious. his curls were a mess on his head and he’s sure the pillow he had against his face left an imprint. “just a lot to take in, i guess.” 

“i get that,” you said, taking off your shoes to sit criss-cross on his bed. luke thought the cartoon owls on your socks were charming. “i remember my first day here and how chaotic it was. i would love to tell you that it stops being like that after a while, but i’d be lying and i don’t want to start off our relationship on a lie.”

luke knew that what you meant by “relationship” was platonic, with no romantic connotations, but he was a teenage boy developing a hopeless crush on a pretty girl, way out of his league, so so sue him for how his heartbeat increased ten-fold at the word.

he tugged on the neckline of his shirt, “do they always listen to you like this?” 

“i don’t know if “listen” is the right word,” you chuckled, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. “i’ve been here a while, so all the kids know me. i dunno, if i had to guess, i’d say they’re just used to me.” 

luke hummed. you were being modest. it was clear that all the kids liked you. on the way to the athena cabin, multiple campers greeted you as you passed by, completely ignoring oliver who was beside you and him and annabeth who were trailing not far behind. you had to make so many stops to engage in small conversations with the people you ran into, younger and older kids alike. he was shocked at how you remembered everyone’s names. he lost track after the third kid. 

luke’s stomach growled in hunger and he couldn’t even play it off because it was silent in the cabin. he shut his eyes, embarrassed, as he looked away from you, clutching his stomach, begging his body to be his friend for once. 

“perfect timing, luke,” you showed no sign of being affected by his embarrassment. you slipped your feet into your sneakers. luke noticed you tied the laces of your shoes loosely, making it easier to take them on and off. “lunch is in five minutes so we better get going. when the ares kids get there first, they massacre the food before any of us gets the chance to put anything on our plate. all that training makes them hungry.” 

luke followed you out the door as you explained the structure and schedule of camp half-blood. he was only half paying attention to you because he was too busy listening to the sound of your voice and watching your face light up when you talked about something you found particularly cool. 

as you approached the line for food, thankfully before the ares kids, you handed luke a tray. he began to scoop up some food, before turning to look at you, “don’t take this the wrong way, but shouldn’t the hermes head counselor be showing me around? not that i’m not enjoying this tour you’re giving me, but i figured each head counselor for each cabin would be doing this for their new siblings.” 

“typically, yeah,” you shrugged, “i’m not even the head counselor of cabin 6 yet.” 

luke’s eyebrows raised, “you’re not?”

“nope,” you replied, leading him over to an empty table. he sat across from you, waiting for you to continue. “oli is, but he’s leaving after this year. he got accepted to MIT. i’ll be taking over for him when he leaves.” 

“that’s cool,” luke nodded, taking a bite out of the chili mac on his plate. “who’s the head counselor for the hermes cabin?” 

a frown appeared on your face as you looked down at your plate. you used your fork to push around your food, “lettie used to be.” 

luke knew that tone– grief. it was the same tone he used to tell two apollo kids to be quiet when he overheard them talking about thalia when he and annabeth were still in the infirmary. that tone meant that it was something that shouldn’t be discussed. he changed the subject, “how’s little beth settling in?” 

your usual smile returned to your face at the mention of annabeth. luke was glad it was back. “she’s great! she’s brilliant, which i expected, but she’s incredible. truly, luke, she fits right in.” 

pride bloomed in his chest. of course beth was already impressing people. she was too smart for her own good and sometimes luke had trouble keeping up with her. at least now she had her siblings to talk to. “she is great, isn’t she?” 

you nodded, “polite, too. can’t say the same about some of these kids.” 

as if on cue, two kids started bickering with each other, using colorful language that luke was sure they probably shouldn’t be using at their age. they continued to spew insults at each other before an older camper marched over to them and scolded them. the interaction ended in the two kids muttering insincere apologies to each other.

you motioned to the scene with your fork, “see what i mean?” 

luke laughed, bringing his attention back to you. “how long have you been here?” 

“three years,” you pulled out the necklace from under your shirt, showing off the beads on the string. “i got here when i was 11. grover was my protector, too.” 

“how was–” he cleared his throat, swallowing the last bits of chili mac he had in his mouth. he usually didn’t care about how messily he ate, but you were so put together that he figured he shouldn’t scarf down his food like a heathen in front of you. beth used to make fun of him because he inhaled his food so fast that she wondered if he even chewed. “how was your life before all of this?” 

“nothing special, really. my dad tried his best to raise me, but he didn’t really know what he was doing. a single dad raising a daughter on his own is hard enough, and adding that your kid is a demigod would surely have anyone raising a white flag.” luke nodded in understanding, too familiar with the pressures of that from what he could remember about his mom. you continued, “but life was good before camp half-blood, normal. i grew up in a small town in connecticut so there wasn’t much to do.” 

luke’s eyebrows raised in surprise, “where in connecticut? i grew up in westport.” 

your jaw dropped, eyes lighting up in glee. you dropped your fork on your tray, leaning over to grab his shoulders from across the table, “no way! i’m from south wilton!” 

the name sounded familiar. he recalls seeing the name on a road sign when he first left connecticut, but he couldn’t remember exactly where it was. a lot of the places he used to go to as a kid blurred together into one giant mush over the years, but with how excited you were to find out he was from westport, he figured you guys lived relatively close to each other. 

luke thought about it; a different life where he probably met you under a different circumstance. maybe you guys ended up at the same high school, both terrified little freshmen, hoping that the older kids would take it easy on you on your first day. or maybe you met earlier than that; perhaps luke was sent off to another middle school, no doubt after getting expelled because of his shenanigans like he always did, and you’d be a student there. there were so many other ways you could’ve met each other, but something in his heart told him that the ending would be the same. 

you’d still be the nice, pretty girl sitting in front of him at the lunch tables, showing him the ropes of life, showing him the type of kindness he never experienced before. though, he’d probably be eating the smushed pb & j sandwich that he forgot in the bottom of his book bag that his mom packed him for lunch instead of chili mac and you’d both be normal kids, excitedly talking about recess activities instead of swapping war stories about hellhounds and monsters. 

“what a small world,” you commented, sitting back down on your seat. luke missed the feeling of your hands on his shoulders. he liked how touchy you were. it was like your emotions were so intense that you had to grab onto someone to keep you grounded. you looked up to the roof, wondering, “i wonder how many times we almost met each other. south wilton is only ten minutes away from westport.”

“probably not many times,” luke replied, off-handedly. he wiped his greasy fingers on the napkin beside him. he didn’t know he still managed to get messy even though he tried his best to eat proper, but you didn’t seem to mind. “i didn’t really go out a lot, i don’t think. always had to stay home with my mom.” 

maybe it was because you were the daughter of athena and you were blessed with heightened emotional intelligence, but you sensed that there was something deeper to luke’s words that he seemed to not want to share. 

luke lived with the unfortunate ability to only remember the bad things that happened in his life. he attributes it to his knack for survival; if he remembers the things that could get him caught in a sticky situation, then he won’t put himself in that predicament again. dodging death left and right for five years meant that his brain was filled with a step-by-step guide on how not to die, which left little to no space for happy memories. the things that he does remember from his childhood were things like turning the stove off because his mom forgot she was in the middle of making dinner or remembering to close the window in the fall or else the house gets too cold because his mom forgot to pay the electric bill for the heater. 

not really the best memories to have of his childhood, but it taught him a lot. it kept him alive. 

“that’s okay,” you took a bite out of the strawberry on your tray, red juice slipping from the corner of your mouth. you wiped it away with your forearm, giving him a wide grin, “we met each other here so it doesn’t really matter, does it?” 

before he could answer, annabeth came racing to the table, out of breath. she was grinning like a fool, already talking luke’s ear off about how great the athena cabin was. luke pushed his tray away, turning to face the girl, nodding happily as she animatedly explained all the new things she’d learned. he couldn’t get a word in to respond because she kept talking and talking, but luke didn’t mind. 

he stole a glance at you as annabeth took a break to take a sip of water. you watched the two of them fondly, chin propped up on your hand, listening to the girl’s stories as if you weren’t there when it all happened. 

he thought of your question. no, he decided, it doesn’t really matter. he was here with you now.

[keerysfreckles]

omg i just rewatched mamma mia. what about luke as sam and the reader (child of apollo) as donna. like luke doesn’t turn to kronos but him and the reader break up so she disappears off the face of the earth (aka she runs off to greece). thalia’s tree somehow gets poisoned and the oracle sends luke, percy, and annabeth to go look for the camp’s former best healer. they reach a remote greek island and find the reader there, working as the local nurse/healer (and if you want, they also find out she has a little baby girl, sophia aka sophie 🤭 lmao luke and reader as teen parents). so much angst lol

the name of the game — luke castellan

pairing: luke castellan x apollo fem!reader

warnings: use of y/n and she/her pronouns, HEAVILY based on mamma mia (my fav movie ever), angst angst angst!!!!!!

a/n: i literally watched mamma mia here we go again today i love both movies with all my heart ALSO THE PJO SZN FINALE???????? HELLO?????????????

masterlist !

꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱

y/n l/n didn't plan on leaving camp half-blood.

she didn't plan on leaving her siblings and close friends, and her boyfriend. well, now ex boyfriend.

that was too complicated for her to even understand. one moment luke wanted everything to do with her. he wanted to be around her 24/7, and show how much he appreciated her. but recently he got distant, and wouldn't explain why.

y/n hated confrontation, so she decided to just ditch camp all together after the couple officially split less than 24 hours ago. she doubted anyone would go looking for her.

oh how wrong she was.

annabeth chase and percy jackson were on a hunt for luke castellan.

they were given direct orders from chiron to find the child of hermes. neither of them dared to question the centaur, making them search for luke as quick as they could.

annabeth's shoudlers dropped in relief once they came across luke. he was practicing his sword work against a dummy made out of hay and old fabric.

"do you have any idea why chiron would send us looking for you?" annabeth was straight to the point. percy was standing beside her, just as determined to get answers.

luke shrugs, "is there another new camper?"

percy shakes his head, "he seemed pretty urgent about it. you might want to follow us back to the big house."

the trio walked in silence back through the woods and through the cabins until they got to the big house. chiron was waiting for them anxiously at the end of the steps.

"thank you percy, annabeth," chiron thanks them for finding luke. "i'm not sure if you three are aware, the camp may be in danger. thalia's tree has been poisened. we aren't sure how or why, but all we need is the solution. a healer."

chiron looked towards luke when he finished his statement.

"again, i'm not sure if you're aware that y/n of apollo cabin has been missing since late last night."

all three have different expressions of shock on their face. luke however is mostly hurt. he couldn't believe y/n would just run off like that. he wondered if it was from the argument they had.

"i'm sending you three to go find her, and bring her back safely in order for her to save the tree and the camp," chiron instructs.

"we don't even know where she went," luke points out.

"yeah, she could be anywhere in the world," percy adds.

annabeth looks between the two boys, "wasn't she saying how if she could get away for the weekend she'd go to greece?" she ends her observation while looking at luke.

the boy quickly nods, "yes. she always loved the idea of," he pauses and his voice gets quieter, "running away to greece together."

after a moment, chiron speaks again. "so it's settled. you three will go search for y/n, daughter of apollo, and bring her back to camp to heal thalia's tree and save the camp. good luck to you all."

—

"we've been in this boat for hours," percy groans.

annabeth stops steering the large boat as luke stops tying a rope. they both turn to him.

"we've been on the water for maybe twenty minutes seaweed brain," annabeth teases.

"wait," luke walks closer to the younger campers, "if your dad's poseidon, why can't you just push us all under water through like an air bubble?"

"it would look a little suspicious if three teenagers showed up to an island with no boat and dry clothes," annabeth mentions, making luke's idea sink to the bottom of the ocean.

luke speaks up again, "what if y/n doesn't come back to camp with us?"

annabeth and percy don't have an exact answer for luke. that only makes him worried this quest won't work out in their favor.

"we'll cross that bridge when we get there," annabeth responds. "right now we just have to get to greece."

—

after docking their own boat at the port of athens, the trio was quick to buy three tickets for the local ferry. annabeth grabbed a map as luke and percy were trying to figure out the best method for finding y/n.

they agreed to search all the islands as quick as humanly possible. they'd ask locals if they knew of a strong healer, and if any of them were given an answer that resembled the idea of y/n living there, they'd know to check that island.

after searching through three and a half different islands, getting on and off multiple ferries, and still with no luck of finding the apollo girl, the trio was debating on giving up. until annabeth looked at the map again. she mentioned to luke and percy about one more island where y/n might be. it was much smaller so they could search more thoroughly.

it was almost sunset once they reach the island, meaning they had maybe an hour or two to find y/n in the daylight.

the trio split up as soon as they stepped foot onto the dock. percy searched the perimeter near the edges of the water. annabeth searched through the bundles of shops and hotels. while luke searched through abandoned looking buildings.

as all hope was feeling lost, luke noticed a building of to the side of the commotion. there was a dirt path leading up to it, with no shops or houses surrounding it.

he could only hope and pray that y/n would be inside.

the inside of the building did not match its exterior. the outside looked as if it was going to fall apart at any gust of wind. however the inside was much more lively than luke expected it to be. there were people inside rushing to get past one another. it seemed as if they were all rushing to get to the same person.

luke pushed through the small crowd, and all the air left his lungs when he saw y/n. she was helping someone from the island, who seemed to have a deep cut on his leg. luke could finally guess this was the hospital on the island.

"y/n," luke spoke up, making the commotion in the room subside.

y/n and luke's eyes locked. neither of them were sure what to do.

y/n excuses herself and drags luke outside by his wrist.

"what on earth do you think you're doing here?"

"i had to come and find you," luke tried to explain but y/n only cut him off.

"so you just followed me? i seriously don't want to be around you luke. i thought running away from you and camp would've gotten that through your head."

"y/n i didn't chase after you to try and fix this," he gestures between the two of them, "there's a serious problem at camp."

y/n chuckles, "what? did peter fall off the climbing wall and scrape his elbow again? or did sophie run into a tree for the fifth time this week?"

"y/n this is serious," luke tries to tell her.

"you can't be serious. you dragged annabeth and percy with you?" y/n gestures to the pair walking towards them with urge in their steps.

"i didn't drag them here, please you have to come back to camp," luke tries again.

"is he telling the truth?" she asks percy.

he nods, "thalia's tree is in danger, and so is the camp."

"why didn't you start with that idiot," y/n hits luke's arm before running back inside. she was quick to grab her things. she kind of threw everything into one bag that she might need at camp. most of her healing equipment and a change of clothes.

—

the boat ride back to long island was awkward, to say the least. percy and annabeth were both asleep in the downstairs area of the boat, while luke and y/n were dealing with directing the boat back to camp.

luke was steering, while y/n was sitting beside him. an awkward silence filled the air.

"what made you go to greece?" luke asks, not expecting the girl to answer.

"i just needed to get away," she busies herself with her rings on her fingers.

"from me?"

"from all of it. i just needed a break."

silence falls upon the two again. y/n only moves over to lean her head against luke's shoulder, instantly catching him off gaurd.

"i'm sorry i left," y/n admits, her voice as quiet as a mouse.

"you had your reasons. it just caught us off gaurd, that's all."

another beat of silence passes.

"that night, of our argument, i found something out. about us," y/n turns to face luke. he does the same to her, not caring about steering the boat at this very moment.

"i don't even know how to tell you," y/n rubs her hands over her face. luke simply takes her shaking hands into his, and runs his thumbs over her knuckles.

"i'm pregnant."

luke's world stopped. maybe he thought he was just hearing things. the waves probably distorted y/n's words.

after luke still didn't respond, y/n started explaining herself.

"i was worried you wouldn't react too well to it. so i figured not telling you would be the easiest thing to do. and coming here, to greece, was the best bet."

y/n's heart broke as she watched luke stand. he silently put the steering wheel in it's locked position, before going down the stairs where the four twin beds were.

y/n knew she fucked up. she didn't know how to fix it. or if it could even be fixed.

[penny-anna]

OK in advance of tonight's other episode, couple of thoughts on the Percy Jackson tv show's adaptational choices:

i haven't actually seen anyone flag this one up yet (it's a fairly subtle change and i know a lot of ppl haven't read the first book in like 15 years so maybe everyone just forgot?) but in the book the reveal that Percy's mother is still alive drops a lot later in the narrative. book!Percy heads out on his quest fully intending to bring her back from the dead. which imo is a stronger narrative beat & it makes the reveal that she's still alive and he was right to think he could rescue her that much more satisfying.

on reflection agree w the comments i've seen re the other kids should have knelt to Percy after he was claimed. actually saw complaints about this before reading the book so was surprised at how fleeting a moment it was but it really does serve to accentuate both what a big deal a Forbidden Child is and that Percy is an outsider even at Camp Halfblood

as per previous post yes it is explicitly stated in the book that Chiron suspect Percy was the son of Poseidon and i think omitting that was a mistake given the number of ppl i've seen picking up on it

in 2 minds about the omission of the hellhound bcos it is a pretty important plot beat and a cool scene but i can see why they wouldn't want to do a CGI monster fight that was technically extraneous

ALSO Annabeth having mistakenly concluded that Percy was a child of Zeus was a good character beat in terms of her being smart enough to figure out he was a forbidden child but not infallible. and maybe also biased due to her previous relationship w Thalia.

that said i enjoyed her shoving Percy in a lake too much to really complain.

changes i think are for the better:

i think having sending Medusa's head to Olympus have actual Consequences was a good move 👍 unless im missing something due to not having read the rest of the series. i was surprised reading the book that in spite of Percy getting warned not to do it there wasn't any fall out.

i don't think the scene w Percy petrifying one of the furies was in the book either? cool moment!

PLUS having Athena be petty enough to pull that shit was like. very on point for a Greek god flkghfdkj

really enjoyed Echidna getting introduced earlier. amped up the tension in a big way AND kept me on my toes, i was there like ohh is this a different monster? are they moving her fight scene to the train? what's going to happen here - OH NO

Echidna bringing up that the gods and the 'monsters' are all a single family was also 👌great scene all round

likewise Percy & Annabeth BOTH trying to sacrifice themselves for the group loved that. don't think this was necessarily an improvement as the book scene was good in a different way but really good moment

*slow hand clap* consensus!!

[persevereforahappyending]

Maybe in Another Life |4|

Pairing: Clarisse La Rue x Hunter of Artemis!Reader

Summary: You are a Hunter of Artemis, but you start to question what you truly want when you meet Clarisse and get to know her.

Warnings: Slight Titans Curse Spoilers

Word Count: 2.6k+

Main Masterlist | Series Masterlist

ch. 1 | ch. 2 | ch. 3 | ch. 4 | ch. 5 | ch. 6 | ch. 7 | ch. 8 | ch. 9 | ch. 10 | ch. 11 | ch. 12 | ch. 13 | ch. 14

“Just let me come,” you whisper yelled at Zoe. The sun had just started to come up and though all the Hunters were awake, the rest of the camp wasn’t.

“No,” Zoe whispered back harshly. “We went over this. You are needed here; you are in charge when Artemis and I aren’t around.”

“That was before Phoebe got sick,” you pointed to the bed where the other Hunters were taking care of Phoebe. The shirt the campers had gifted her had been laced with something making her sick and it was going to take to long for her to recover, the others needed to leave for the quest now.

“This doesn’t change anything. We’ll just do it with four.”

“The quest demands five.” You crossed your arms, daring Zoe to argue with you. The prophecy said five and though prophecies could be miss leading the one thing they tended to get right was the number of people involved. Trying to defy a prophecy tended to not work out.

“I need you here and I’m not taking anyone else. Now, we have to go.” Zoe nodded at Bianca who quickly grabbed her bag and went out the door to wait.

“Zoe-”

“My decision is final,” Zoe snapped. “Am I clear?” she stepped closer, looking up at you. You were taller, you were older, but that didn’t change the fact that Zoe was in charge.

“Understood,” you said.

With that Zoe swung her bag over her shoulder and marched out the door. You unclenched your jaw and slowly breathed out through your nose before following after her. You might not have been allowed to go on the quest but that didn’t mean you weren’t still going to see them off like you always did. You were silently hoping the dread you had been feeling ever since Artemis left on her mission was you just being paranoid and now with Zoe you wanted to write it off as being petty about not being able to go on the quest yourself.

As a daughter of Nike you desired victory, almost above all else, it was an issue many times. You had gotten better since joining the Hunters and Artemis helped show you victory wasn’t everything, though you still desired to win and be on top at the end of the day. Winning wasn’t the only thing being a child of Nike gave you though, you also could usually judge who would come out victorious in certain situations.

Whether it be watching a game, a sparing session, or watching two sides fight a war, Nike was always there. Nike could sense which side would come out on top. It’s one of the reasons, while Nike was seen with both Ares and Athena, she was usually more connected with being at Athena’s side. Ares loved a good fight and though he enjoyed winning, he didn’t really care one way or another, as long as the fight was good. Athena, however, was all about strategy and that usually led to her victory. Nike chose whose side to be at based on who was more likely guaranteed victory, she could sense it.

With this quest, a feeling had brewed inside you and had since stayed there. If you were to focus on it, you would find that you were sure that the quest would be a success. You could sense that the group would be victorious in their mission. However, you knew the victory, like most victories in time of war, would come at a great cost. Winning was usually everything, but there was something tugging at the back of your mind telling you that this time, despite the victory that loomed ahead, you’d rather take the lost, for you did not want to pay the price of this victory.

You followed Zoe and Bianca up to the entrance of Camp Half-Blood, seeing Thalia standing next to the tree she once was. “Reminiscing about old times?” you snarked unable to help yourself.

Thalia turned, taking her hand away from the tree it had been resting on. She only offered a glare before dismissing you and solely looking at Zoe. “Are we ready?” she asked, her arms crossed.

“Yes,” Zoe answered.

Zoe turned to you, ready to say something, but you were looking around at the group before you. “Aren’t you missing-”

“I’m here!” Grover yelled, running up to all of you as he struggled getting his bag over his shoulder. “I’m here,” he said again. He rested his hands on his hips as he began taking deep breaths after running all the way from wherever he had come from.

Zoe looked down at the wheezing satyr. You were starting to think maybe you were lucky for not going on the quest. “Let’s move,” Zoe said, turning on her heel and already marching off without the others.

“Zoe!” you called out. She turned, looking up at you from where she stood on the hill. You stared at her, trying to find the words you wanted to say. You ended up not needing to say anything, Zoe already knowing what you wanted to say gave you a nod.

You stood at the top of the hill, watching them set off until they disappeared from your line of sight once they hit the woods. You let out a sigh before turning and making your way back down the hill into camp. You didn’t bother going back to the cabin, you already knew you wouldn’t be any help to Phoebe so you might as well stay out of the way. Besides, you needed a distraction, your mind was already spiraling with what could potentially happen on the quest, what might happen to Zoe, and what Artemis must be going through.

You made your way to the training area, picking out a dummy on the far end. You unsheathed your sword and swung, nailing the dummy in the neck. You dealt blow after blow onto the poor training dummy, the wood was beginning to splinter.

“So, they left for the quest,” a voice interrupted your training dummy demolishing. You spun around, slashing the blade down onto the dummy’s neck causing a crack to echo throughout the still sleeping camp. With your sword still in hand you turned to see Percy standing there. He had wide eyes as he looked behind you at the nearly decapitated dummy. “Chiron won’t be happy.”

You rolled your eyes, the last thing you cared about was what Chiron thought. “It’s a training dummy, it’s literally what it’s meant for.” Percy didn’t say anything, he just stood there shifting from one foot to another. “What are you doing here? It’s barely morning.” You gestured around to the still dark sky; the sun was just beginning to peak up over the horizon.

“Look, I get you’re a Hunter,” he said defensively, waving his hands around, “and you hate all men.” You rested the hand still holding the sword on your hip as you raised an eyebrow at him. “But, you don’t even know me! We’ve never even had a real conversation. I don’t think it’s fair to judge me based on-”

“Have you ever considered,” you interrupted him. “That I don’t hate all men and me not liking you, is solely to do with you?”

Percy opened and closed his mouth a few times before settling on a frown. He looked up at you with wide eyes as he pouted. You rolled your eyes; it wasn’t like you were going to take it back or apologize. Percy was a tad annoying when you first met him and then the other day, he had the audacity to question your shooting skills, he might as well be an enemy for life after that.

“Not everyone likes you,” another voice interrupted the two of you. You looked up while Percy whipped around, nearly tripping over his own feet. “You should be used to that by now,” Clarisse looked Percy up and down as she approached you.

You looked at Percy as he just stood there staring at Clarisse, pouting. You raised an eyebrow wondering if he would get the hint, but you got the impression he was rather oblivious. Clarisse crossed her arms and continued to glare at him. “Why are you still here?” she snapped, causing Percy to jump from the sudden outburst. “Bye!” she gestured away with her hand which Percy took as his cue and ran off back towards the cabins.

It was still dark, the sun taking its time to rise. Percy never managed to answer you as to why he was wandering around so early. You didn’t really care; you wouldn’t be surprised if Percy had been intending to sneak off. He was bummed, he couldn’t go on the quest and the only thing on his mind seemed to be rescuing his friend.

Clarisse glanced over your shoulder at your mostly decapitated dummy. “Not bad,” she shrugged. “But a training dummy isn’t exactly a moving target.”

“Is that a challenge?” you questioned, your eyes lighting up with excitement. A fun and intense sparring session is exactly the kind of thing that could get you to stop thinking about Zoe and the quest.

She cocked her head to the side with a smirk. “Think you can keep up? This isn’t going to be some fun little,” she wiggled her hand, “bow and arrow trick.”

You chuckled, knowing she had no idea what she was getting herself into. “I thought you would have learned your lesson during capture the flag, guess not,” you sighed. “I’ll even give you an advantage,” you smirked. “You can choose the weapons.”

Clarisse clenched her jaw; you wouldn’t be surprised if she was grinding her teeth. You awaited her response with a smirk. “Swords,” she finally said through gritted teeth.

You silently laughed. “Okay.” You gestured for her to lead the way and you followed behind her. You were surprised she didn’t argue with you about you kicking her ass the day before. You were going to take it as her knowing you were right.

When you got to the sparring ring Clarisse walked to one side while you walked to the other. You watched as she pulled out her sword, examining it and twirling around in her hand. You looked down at your own sword, extending your arm as you played with the balance until Clarisse was ready. You turned to check on her to see she was turning to face you. You both stood across from each other at opposite ends before you each took a step into the ring at the same time.

You and Clarisse circled each other in the sparring ring. You twirled the sword in your hand as you watched her movements carefully. Just because it was sparring didn’t mean you’d let her win. A bow and arrow might have been the preferred weapon of Artemis and her Hunters but all of you were skilled in a variety of weapons. You might not have remembered much about your time before you became a Hunter, but you did remember the first weapon you ever picked up, the first weapon you ever killed a monster with was a sword. The bow and arrow was an extension of yourself now, a second arm, but picking up a sword was like greeting an old friend.

Your sword was one of the only things you carried from mortal life to your immortal one. You left everything behind, only taking the sword you now currently held in your hands. The sword was a relatively simple thing, well simple compared to something like Percy’s, yours didn’t turn into a pen at your convenience or reappear in your pocket no matter where you seemingly lost it. The blade was celestial bronze, like most demigod weapons, the hilt was steel, with a golden laurel wreath on each side of the pommel. You had it specially made from a blacksmith or maybe it was a child of Hephaestus, you couldn’t really remember, it had been a thousand years after all. Whoever forged it, you had them place laurel wreaths to represent your mother, to represent your impending victory.

You knew you wouldn’t have to wait long, children of Ares were impatient, as well as cocky and arrogant. Clarisse would make her first move and that would set your eventual victory into motion. As if on cue Clarisse swung her sword, you smirked as you brought your sword up, your blade meeting hers in a loud clash. You gripped your sword tightly before pushing back, forcing Clarisse to step back. She glared at you before making her next move.

Clarisse swung, you blocked. She swung at you, you blocked again. The two of you fell into a dance of slashing and blocking each other. You eventually gave in, swinging at her occasionally, you didn’t always play the defensive. You knew Clarisse was good in a fight, she had a powerful swing, but you were curious if she was just as good at defending herself. Being good in a fight was meaningless if you couldn’t protect yourself. You could be the best fighter in the world, but it didn’t matter if you couldn’t block a simple attack.

“How long have you guys been out here?” a feminine voice asked.

You and Clarisse just clashed swords, holding them against each other as both of you turned to see Silena approaching you. You and Clarisse each released your hold and turned to fully greet Silena. You and her had apparently been at it for a while, the sun had fully risen and there were other campers beginning to walk about around camp. You glanced at Clarisse to see she seemed just as shocked, neither of you had been aware of the passing time, the two of you were so engaged in your sparring match.

“It’s time for breakfast,” Silena said. “And you have to eat something,” she pointed an accusatory finger at Clarisse.

Clarisse rolled her eyes but nodded, nonetheless. She had her sword resting at her side as she tried to catch her breath. You didn’t realize how exhausted you were until the two of you stopped. You looked over at the daughter of Ares then down at yourself seeing that both of you were dripping in sweat.

“Uh oh, someone’s in trouble with the girlfriend,” you joked, not able to help but take another shot at her.

Clarisse flicked a glare at you. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

“You too!” Silena moved her accusatory finger towards you. “Breakfast important! And she is not my girlfriend,” she looked at Clarisse as if the idea of dating the girl horrified her.

“Yeah, cause she’s to busy being in love with Beckendorf,” Clarisse teased, smirking at her friend’s reddening face.

“I told you that in confidence,” Silena stepped forward, slapping Clarisse in the arm. There wasn’t enough force in the slap to hurt Clarisse, but she did stumble back, but not without laughing at Silena’s antics. “Let’s go,” she demanded. “And you’re joining us,” she pointed at you, narrowing her eyes so you knew there would be arguing or getting out of it.

You and Clarisse both shared a look, having the same thought about Silena. Regardless the two of you followed Silena to the dining pavilion. All of you gathered up breakfast on your plates, making your offering to the gods before taking a seat at one of the tables. It was still early enough that the pavilion wasn’t filled with campers. It almost felt weird how normal it felt sitting at a table other than the one designated for Hunters of Artemis. You had planned to sit quietly as Clarisse and Silena talked but Silena kept including you in the conversation until the three of you eased into a discussion, both of them asking about your travels with your goddess, the adventures you’d been on, and all the monsters you’ve slayed.

Taglist: @cxcilla

[losergender]

pjo / hoo headcanons i have collected since my hyperfix came back

ignore the huge amount of nico and will. six years after reading the series i'm still obsessed with them </3

nico helps cabin 11 steal candy from the infirmary because everyone knows will can't stay mad at him for longer than 5 minutes

the apollo kids gifted nico a bunch of mythomagic packages after learning he had burnt his collection so he could start a new one. he thought it would not be as exciting but turns out he really really missed collecting them from zero because he had gotten used to getting doubles all the time

on the same note, cabin 7 (and specially will) try to learn to play so he has someone to play with. will and him always exchange doubles and sometimes he sacrifices good cards for mid ones just so will doesn't have a mid deck

nico once got a double perseus card and gifted it to percy

the first times nico played his favorite music to hazel she was flabbergasted by the emo genre but didn't want to be mean so she smiled and said it was "very cute"

leo calls will "güerito"

connor stoll owns a nintendo switch that used to be his and travis' (mostly travis') until he accidentally almost destroyed it and it became only his (the screen has a sepia filter to it, one of the joysticks needs adhesive tape to stay in place, it works slowly and the screen has cracks on it). when he can't sleep (because who in camp half-blood can sleep properly?) he plays pokémon until he falls asleep. he is also a big fortnite and minecraft fan.

lou ellen knows how to do balloon modelling

nico once asked chiara about what has italy been doing the past century and she showed him winx club like it was the most important thing italians did (and it is)

percy and will love teen beach movie

austin lake takes it upon himself to show nico all the music he missed during the past decades + the reason cabin 7 learns nico doesn't know any song from after 1942 is that they invite him to play a letter association game and he opts out because of this (the game is forgotten right after because having him listen to the classics is more important). no one suspected he didn't listen to modern music because 99% of his clothes are band shirts he got from percy and thalia.

will was obsessed with hannah montana / miley cyrus as a child (the climb is his favorite song)

connor didn't go to college with travis because he doesn't know what to study yet but instead he spent the year getting his driver's license

each cabin gets a "call home" day every other few days (initiative promoted by the iris cabin)

children of tyche's fatal flaw is impostor syndrome because they are constantly afraid everything they have is undeserved and just a product of their godly heritage

will's favorite dessert is texan sheet cake , nico's is panna cotta

the aphrodite cabin didn't like that nico was the only one with a personalized camp shirt (they are so done with the color orange...) so they started an initiative to get every cabin personalizes shirts with a representative color voted by the head counselors and their cabins number.

the iris and hermes cabins got together to start a camp half-blood magazine released monthly for year-rounders. they do a gossip section about couples at camp (for which they "hired" a child of aphrodite as their correspondent), interviews to the seven or to popular campers, the athena cabin added a crossword section...

[starlightshadowsworld]

THL but Percy doesn't go anywhere.

He and Annabeth are patrolling the Camp boundaries and hear something.

They go to inspect it, hear a roar and that silence.

Jason stumbles towards them, terrified.

He looks like he's been running for days, his clothes are wrecked, he's littered with injuries.

And he's missing his shoes.

He reaches out to them in panic and says something neither understand.

Before blacking out.

Waking up in the infirmary with no memory of how he got here.

Nor any memory of who he is.

He struggles to speak and manages to clumsily write "Jason" on a notebook but that's all.

Piper and Leo came to camp around 2 months ago are getting to know this crazy world and their new lives.

Piper, not content with how the Aphrodite cabin is being looked down on.

And no one wanting to teach her how to fight.

And it being Clarisse of all people who ends up mentoring her.

Some say its out of respect for her old friend, some say its because Piper reminds her of her.

Leo, getting to know his new siblings but he tries and fails to keep them at arms length.

He refuses to use his fire.

And has not told anyone about it's existence. For the fear it will ruin everything like it always does.

But it's getting harder to keep it a secret.

And maybe part of him... Wants to believe it's a blessing and not a curse.

Their paths cross when Jason starts to have dreams about a woman calling for his aid.

Because he's not the only one having them.

Cue Percy cursing in the corner.

Jason while he can speak he sometimes struggling with his words.

And sometimes makes barking noises.

Grover thinks he could be of the wild but has no idea what or how.

Because while Jason doesn't have a strong scent, it's definitely of a demigod.

Perhaps he was blessed? Not that Grover can see it.

But it's not the biggest thing to worry about.

Though he has sent like... 3 people to the infirmary from biting them.

They startled him.

... So there's that.

Piper and Leo are trying to figure out their dreams together with Jason.

But he's having other other ones they aren't getting.

A wolf calling out to him.

Saying that the God's have stolen her pup and she will have him returned.

Jason doesn't know who she is but she feels familiar.

They manage to piece togrther that the woman is Hera.

Annabeth calmly gets up and punches a hole in the wall.

Because... Of course it's Hera.

When the, annoyance somewhat fades away Percy wonders why no one from Olympus has said anything.

They ask Mr D but he has no idea what they are talking about.

Jason can't help but feel the wolf in his dreams seems familiar.

And he feels the same way when the hunters of Artemis show up and the eyes of their lieutenant fall on him.

Thalia knows it's him.

She tells Annabeth as much.

"It's him, it's Jason."

"Thalia..."

"I know it's crazy, I know it's insane but it's him... Its him..."

"Okay, if you say it's him."

She doesn't get to confront him on it until during Capture the flag.

"Jason! Jason please, it's me?"

"I'm sorry I don't..."

Thalia wants to scream but she doesn't, she needs to be calm.

It's him.

She knows it's him.

Their attacked by campers and from being distracted she's knocked down.

A rage fills Jason that he hasn't felt before.

... He knows her...

Lighting bursts from his body in all directions, shocking the now scared campers away from Thalia.

"GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER!"

He rushes past, helping her up.

"Thalia?"

"You.. You remember me?"

"A little... I'm sorry... I'm sorry I forgot."

She makes a sound that's a mix of a sob and a laugh and pulls him into a hug.

He hides his face in Thalia's shoulder not liking the attention. When he realises everyone is looking at him.

Or rather above him.

At the lighting bolt above him.

"All hail, Jason Grace. Son of Zeus, King of Olympus, Lord of the Sky. God of Thunder, Lightning, Kingship, Honor and Justice. All hail Jason Grace, son of the Lighting God."

Everyone's talking about what?! Zeus had another child?!

The chatter dies down when Rachel, who upon seeing Jason, glows bright green and da da da daaaa the oracle has entered the building.

Child of lighting

Beware the earth.

The earth giants revenge the seven shall birth.

The dove and the forge will break the cage.

And death unleash through Hera's rage.

Quest plays out and Jason gets his memories back.

Remembers that he's the son of Jupiter

Returns to camp.

And a lighting bolt appears overhead, this time with a numeral beside it.

For 1.

Chiron smiles sadly, taking it as acceptance to share the truth.

Tells the story of the Roman and Greek demigods.

"And our Jason, is not the son of Zeus but his Roman counterpart Jupiter."

Everyone reels taking in this information.

And while many are suspicious of the Romans, Jason has become a good friend and ally to them.

"Lupa said... That I must return... Maybe that's the next step?" Says Jason, standing tall. "Woah, hey we're not gonna let you alone." Says Percy, "agreed" Says Annabeth, Piper and Leo nods.

"I'm not losing you again." Says Thalia.

Not happy by Hera's explanation of having to keep them seperated.

Jason smiles warmly "than we shall go. To Camp Jupiter, together."

"Togrther!"

[alexalessandro]

Frederick is not what you think

I saw a lot of people take umbrage with Frederick's new characterization in the train cart scene, but this is setting us up for either misdirect or a deeper nuanced take on Frederick's character.

Remember, they're setting up a parallel between the love Percy knows and understands and the love Annabeth has come to accept.

Percy is our voice for unconditional love. It's why he loves and trusts so fiercely; loyalty is his fatal flaw. He hasn't received much love from the world, but he will hang on with dear life to the love of the few people in his life. He will sacrifice himself for Grover and Annabeth. He will lay down his life on a quest he didn't want for the slight chance it could bring his mom back. He is loyal and stubborn, and he can't, and won't, accept the gods' definition of love and family.

"This is the kind of family the gods are to each other..."

"But at least with the gods you know the rules"

Annabeth is our proxy for every child demigod at camp, for all the campers that drunk down the Kool-Aid camp half-blood and the gods are feeding them. Most of these kids didn't have a Sally in their life. They didn't have someone who loved them and stayed in their corner no matter what. "All that matters is that you're safe... I told him I believe my kid, it was a very short call".

Annabeth has fully bought into the fact that love is conditional, that to be the pride of Athena's offspring, she has to be perfect.

"A monument to perfection... that's how you show Athena your love"

Now... Frederick.

From the train cart scene, we understand that Annabeth felt loved by Frederick and that she was "treated as a gift", but even gifts can be returned.

To argue in favor of Frederick for a second here, the way children of Athena come into this world is extremely jarring for their mortal parent. In the case of most other gods that have normal relations with humans, at least both parties are in favor during the act (one can only hope) or can expect a child as an outcome. With Athena, a child just plops on your doorstep after a nice conversation you had with a woman once and surprise surprise! You're a parent now! Congratulations! No, we do not take receipts.

This doesn't set up the relationship between the kid and the parent to be amazing (just another way that gods keep being inconsiderate of mortals and their children), to Frederick's merit, at least he tries with Annabeth in the series.

Their situation is neither of their fault he knows that, so he reframes Annabeth's arrival as a gift (prompting her to idolize her mom even before she knew she was a half-blood). He tries to be a good parent to Annabeth, but if there's anything that Annabeth's story and the fact that he didn't even try to look for her in the 5 years she's been missing tells us that he wasn't all that grateful for Athena's gift. Yet again, the only instance of love Annabeth has ever known has been conditional. I'll love you until I start a proper family of my own. I'll love you until it becomes inconvenient to go after you.

This leaves Annabeth with only Luke... Even Thalia had her "prove herself".

Thalia was most likely worried about Annabeth's chances of survival if she traveled with her. Annabeth was 7, untrained, traveling with a forbidden child of Zeus, with Hades actively trying to kill them. It makes sense she would try to keep Annabeth at arm's length at first, for both their sakes.

TLDR: In the end, I believe the series is setting up Frederick to be more of a nuanced character. He tried with Annabeth but he let her run away, proving his love to be conditional. I think the series is setting up Annabeth and Percy to be mirrors of each other in the way they perceive and understand love, all to make it all the sweeter and more painful once they discover the traitor's motivations because Percy gets it, but Annabeth won't understand. Annabeth perceiving Frederick's love as genuine and unconditional even though he didn't look for her is essential to set up her worldview of the gods and parental love.

[audreyscribes]

CARRY ON MY WAYWARD CHILD [PART 3]

Ω PJO IMAGINE Ω

PROMPT: When a dream makes the reader unable to settle, they decide to take a walk, converting their dream to reality.

Reader encounters Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth on the run when they have a dream that makes them go out and see a sick Annabeth with a tired, injured Luke and Thalia. They take them in, saving them, and encounters them years later when they remembered a kind stranger.

a/n: Reader is neutral; no specific pronouns or descriptions used. Referred to as Y/N. Roughly college/university age. [AO3 LINK] | [1] [2] [3] [4] ___________________________________________________

Rationalizing that you had definitely lived in your aunt’s house for way too long to start thinking about gods and goddesses, and demigods, you decided to push the thought the kids you brought into your house were demigods.

They were just kids who you so happened to find in the place you dreamed about and that you decided to be a respectable person and keep these kids safe in your house, and you were going to be a good host until they decided to slip away to run to their haven from whatever they were running from.

‘whatever they were running from? To their haven’ you thought oddly, as you swept up the shards and dropped food. ‘How the hell did I know that?’

Your brain stalled once more as you stood up with the swept up contents, and almost dropped it again in fright as you saw the three kids staring at you wide-eyed from the threshold of the living room.

“OH GEEZE” you yelled, hand shaking to not drop the dustpan and scatter more, but you did drop the broom to place a hand on your beating heart.

“Ah, sorry!” said Luke as he held up his hands, “We just...we heard the plate crash and then we really didn’t hear anything so we just wanted to see what was wrong-”

You took a deep breath to continue but before you could dismiss their worry, you heard Annabeth gasp as she was standing in front of the weapon that brought you your latest revelation.

“Wait, why do you have that?” asked Thalia, giving you a curious look.

“Well...I did mention my aunt was pagan. I think she used that for some rituals on very special circumstances” you explained, dumping the dustpan contents into a nearby trashcan.

“But it looks like its made out of celestial bronze! Like our own weapons-” muttered Annabeth intrigued before Luke shushed her.

“Celestial bronze? Wait hold up, you guys really have weapons-” you felt the air in your lung leave you. The ringing in your ears were going off as you felt a heavy feeling in your gut.

Like a storm that was brewing and the pressure was building, waiting to snap-

“Y’know what, I just remembered. I need to check on your sister’s temperature to see if her fever has gotten any better” you said, changing the subject. You didn’t miss the three kids look at each other with a silent communication but you ignored it to get the thermometer.

You found the kids hadn’t moved from the living room, looking at all the stuff your aunt had collected over the years. As you began to Annabeth’s temperature, you found your eyes staring at her gray eyes, that seemed to study you. Deconstructing you and made you feel vulnerable and on edge.

You looked from the corner of your eyes to see Thalia watching you steely with her electric blue eyes. There was something in her eyes that radiated warmth and longing but you recognized those eyes as something as weariness. She was a teenager if you had to ballpark it, but you also know she was tired yet guarded, as if she had to grow up in more ways then one.

You then glanced back at Luke who was also watching you but was doing his best not to make it obvious. You saw something akin to envy and relief in his eyes, watching as you looked over at Annabeth, but you also saw him looking all possible exit points; as if any moment they needed to bolt.

The thermometer beeped and you withdrew it, checking her temperature. You grinned, “A bit on the high side by a couple of points, but you’re better then before! Just got to be careful, get some more medicine, food in you and rest, then you’re good to go.”

You took the alcohol wipe to clean the thermometer and busied yourself cleaning, but you smiled privately as Luke and Thalia physically relaxed at your news.

“Uh,” you turned and saw Thalia looking sheepish. “Thanks, for...everything and sorry too.”

You blinked in surprise but you gave a smirk, and shrugged. “Hey don’t worry about it. I swore on the river styx didn’t I?” you looked away to put away the medicine kit to the side, though aware of Thalia rubbing her arm in embarrassment.

“Besides, putting aside of being a good host, I’m doing what needs to be done. Don’t worry about it.” you nodded your head to her other siblings, “I’ll take of you guys, and you’ll be able to take care of each other right?”

Thalia looked at you with something akin to understanding and nodded. “Yeah, we take care of each other.”

You grinned but somewhere in the back of your mind, you could feel someone, or something, peering at you from the corner of the darkness.

After that day, things seemed to progress. You let the kids have more free reign in the house seeing as they would be around for a bit longer. You showed them where the books, toys, and board games were to keep themselves entertained while you still had to face your reality as an adult.

Which was the damn paper and your college classes.

It was nice, having them around. It made the house less lonely and it seemed to motivate you. But when you got absorbed in your class work and your classes, in between, you started to notice somethings. While on the outside, they seemed to relax and finally settle back into being kids, there was just something off.

That was something wasn’t right.

The first time you were conscious of it was when you were coming back from one of your college classes. You had to attend an evening class that lasted 4 hours straight, followed by a post-lecture class, and you had to stay behind with your fellow classmates to get some stuff done. So by the time you returned home, you were dragging your legs numbly through the barely illuminated street, carrying your book bag and some cold, leftover take out.

As you got closer to your home with its fenced off barriers, you placed your hand on the gate when you felt that preying look. It made your skin crawl, becoming clammy yet numb. You turned your head to look and you could see a figure across the street, standing there, facing your home. It was dark but even if you wanted to chalk it up to the midnight hour, you suspected it was inhuman.

You walked through the gate, making sure the latch was closed. You felt eyes on the back of your head, but it wasn’t dangerous. You turned and saw one of the kids, taking position at the window, staring across the street towards the figure…

Your spine shivered, with your hair rising at the realization. You speedwalked up to your home, stabbed your key inside and swung the door open, before promptly closing it in one smooth motion, before you stalked to the living room where one of the kids were.

You reached for the window curtain, closing it shut before the kid could question you as you turned to see whichever the kid it was.

It was Luke and he was clutching the dagger.

He looked wide-eyed up at you as you spoke with a shaky grin. “Came down for some late night snack? Want some leftover takeout?” you asked, holding up the very cold takeout.

The boy nodded numbly at you and the next thing you knew, the two of your were in the kitchen, eating some microwaved takeout.

It was a bit awkward eating the takeout but it was something. You felt safer that the kid was in the kitchen, away from whatever was making your senses go off. Somehow you knew, in this hearth, you had some power.

“So…” you started, taking a sip of your drink. “...Why are you really up?”

His hand stopped midway through and you politely took another sip to give him a second to gather his words.

“I...well, we...we’ve been taking turns keeping watch” admitted Luke, glancing at his dagger that was on the counter.

“Huh?”

There was a bite to the lip, his eyes dimmed before he gave a sigh. “We’re really thankful that you’re letting us stay here (y/n), even when Annabeth’s fever is long gone. To the tell truth, we should’ve been on our way a while ago but...we wanted to see how long we could stay here.”

You paused, finding the words that you once prepared gone. You mulled over his words as you spoke softly. “It’s not me is it?”

“No, but….we’ve been followed, in a way, but since you let us stay in your house, we’ve been safe in a way we haven’t been in a very long time. And we haven’t been safe...before.”

You took another moment to gather your words. This wasn’t the first time you’ve caught the kids taking watch. Between your odd hours and working between your work at home, you’ve caught the kids making what was perimeter watches. As if someone or something was going to break through to hurt them.

You then remember another memory that took place in this very house.

“Why keeps you awake, little one?” asked your aunt as she sat by your bed.

You squeezed yourself under the safety of the covers, glancing up at your aunt with scared eyes.

“I’m scared” you whispered finally.

“Scared of what?”

“The monsters...” you rasped, feeling your limbs turn heavy and cold. “The ones that hide underneath the bed and in the closet.”

Your aunt stared at you before cackling. She didn’t laugh in a way that was at you or the notion, but it was at the monsters themselves.

“You worry over nothing little one” reassured your aunt as she tucked you into bed. “There are charms and protections everywhere on my home and hearth. No monsters or any harm will fall on you or any of us.”

“Really?” you whispered as if you breathed out of the water.

“Yes. Long ago, our ancestors knew the way of the gods. We passed our knowledge down and we even use it to protect ourselves. We may be mortals, but we may never know. Especially in the way of the gods and monsters.”

Somehow you felt comforted and the relief begun to lull you to sleep. Your aunt smiled as she patted the top of the blanket and hummed a lullaby. “Just for tonight, I will watch over you sleep. Rest little one.”

Your eyes begun to close and darkness took over. You were lulled in it and the lullaby and warmth before you slept-

You smiled as you felt a burst of warmth spread from your chest. Luke stared at you oddly as you chuckled.

“Well, if you’re afraid of monsters like the ones under your bed or the boogeyman, I used to have the same worries too,” you started to say and you knew the way Luke was going to say by the way he opened his mouth, “But, you don’t have to worry any harm coming to you. As my aunt once said a long time ago, our ancestors knew the way of the gods and monsters. As long you are my guests, you are guaranteed safety.”

Luke gave you a look of doubt and worry as you smiled. “You might not believe it, but what’s wrong in believing something good, even if it’s just for a moment?”

And for just a moment, Luke gave you a soft smile.

After that night, it wasn’t as if they stopped taking nightly watches but they tapered out to every once in a while. You sometimes found one of them taking watch but they didn’t protest when you guided them back to bed. But there were nights that seemed to keep one of them awake anyways, then you would do what you could.

You were going to put whatever they were doing as a symptom of being on the run but it wasn’t until one night, you saw Thalia holding her canister tightly as something came close to the fence of your home. It didn’t touch the fence (as if it couldn’t) but you did notice something edging the parameters, as if waiting for an opening.

Something dreadful sat in your stomach but then it turned into fire. “You stay here, and watch your siblings. There’s a backdoor into a forest if anything happens, it’ll give you some time” you said to Thalia as you went to the front door.

You heard Thalia sputtering out some excuse to prevent you from going out, but you got distracted by something glinting in the corner of your eye. With what little light you were carrying, your eyes fell upon the greek tool that hung on the wall.

The Kopis.

You paused and then you grabbed your fingers around the handle, and lifted it. You weighed it and it brought a sense of strength in you. You found yourself out of the door and stalked towards the open gate towards the mysterious figure and pointed the Kopis at the being.

Your heart was beating wildly and while anger was fueling you, you weren’t sure what your next steps were. Words seemed to filtered from your mind to your mouth.

“Take my warning and do not approach any closer to my home and hearth. You will not harm me or those under my care.”

The being paused and you saw its inhuman mouth grin. “You know not what you house mortal”

The voice made your skin crawl, “They are my guests and as their host, I will not let harm befall on them. Lest even children.”

It tilted its head to contemplate. “Perhaps, you will not let any harm befall on them, but what about you?”

“Are you threatening me?”

“No, I can’t but someone else will” it grinned. It begun to mutter something that sounded like another language, in a way that sounded familiar. It was You heard bells ringing in your ear as you realized it sounded like what your aunt chanted, and you felt your hand swing the kopis. The being disappeared into nothingness before the blade could even touch.

You stared at where the being...no monster disappeared to and felt something ominous looming over you.

And when you turned back? You saw the cool and tough facade that Thalia always carried replaced with fear.

That same night you encouraged Thalia to go back, reassuring her that everything was going to fine. She didn’t believe it. You didn’t believe it. You both knew it wasn’t going to be fine. As you checked the other kids, tucking them into bed for good measure, you kept your eye on them as you closed the door.

When the door clicked shut, you took a few steps before you slid your back down on the nearest surface. Fingers clutched the kopis close to your chest while your eyes looked back at the windows to see if the monster was lurking outside. There was the quiet reassurance that whatever protection your aunt reassured you with, if it was even real, would hold but you didn’t like how the thing seemed to know a loophole.

While the children slept, you didn’t.

As you continued to find yourself awake still, you begun doing god knows what in the mean time. The previous events still replayed in your mind as you went through the events to have an idea what may have transpired.

Every time you blinked as you looked towards the windows, the sky changed until it was early morning. Routine kicked in as you haphazardly made your bed and made your way out of your room, down the stairway-You just smiled as the kids came down and for a moment, you let them believe it was going to be another regular day.

Then it came the nightmares.

Thalia begun to get nightmares to the point Luke and Annabeth weren’t able to sleep. Luke couldn’t stop doing night watches, seemingly taking them every night to not only cover his but also Thalia. Annabeth went back and forth between Luke and Thalia, who seemed to deeply trapped in her dreams. And when you all did manage to wake her up, she stayed up awake and kept nodding off.

The sleepless nights were all getting to you, until it’s final night.

That night, Thalia seemed tossing and turning. You got up from your desk at midnight to check on the kids and saw Luke and Annabeth tiredly and sadly watching over Thalia.

You had enough.

“Hey,” you called out to them as the two kids turned to you, long acquainted with your presence. “Come on, let’s go downstairs” you said.

Reluctantly, they followed you, trudging behind you. You went to the living room and got them to sit down on the couch. They looked at you confused as you went to the fireplace, feeling a greater chill seep into the house.

You started the fire, watching it roar to life and provide warmth and light to the room. You watched the fire dance for a moment before getting up to go to the kitchen.

It wasn’t long till you broke out the hot chocolate, marshmallows, and other goodies. Annabeth hummed with giggles at the hot chocolate and floating marshmallows as Luke carefully sipped his, wrapping his hands around the cup while the two of them were bundled in the thick fluffy blankets. You entertained them with stories from books and your own, watching them nod off as they listened to your voice.

You smiled as they nodded had finally gotten to sleep on the couch, as you stood with your back to the fire. The crackling of the fire and the warmth it emitted comforted you, as you lazily looked at all the lanterns from the fire litter across the room. You sipped your drink and let out a sigh, and was about to do a victory dance at the fact you got 2/3 kids to sleep-

A scream pierced the air and in shock, you dropped the cup. It shattered across the floor but upon instinct, Luke was already vaulting over the couch to their room as you ran after him. Annabeth’s smaller footsteps behind you. She pushed past you to go into the room as you saw Thalia thrashing more violently then before on the bed, screaming. Luke was shouting and shaking Thalia awake but was also keeping her down.

Annabeth was on the verge of tears and was also trying to get Thalia to wake up but there was little progress.

Luke turned to you and you saw the vulnerability on his face. How scared he was and how helpless he turned to you. “Y/N, help” he said with a broken voice, more lost then ever.

You pushed past as Thalia was scratching at herself and you wrapped your arms around her, blankets and all, and hugged her to yourself.

“Shhhh, it’s okay, everything is going to be okay! Your safe, everyone’s safe. It’s just a dream, you have to wake up-” you said in a mantra as you kept her tight.

The chill was getting stronger and then suddenly, Thalia’s eyes snapped open crackling energy before you felt something shock you immensely. You let out a yell of pain and your limbs went numb at the shock as you fell off the bed.

You let out a hiss and swore, as the pain went through your arms and body. You could feel your skin also burning like you just touched a hot pan by accident and you looked at your hands, seeing they were slightly red and were trembling. You couldn’t control your nerves, as you saw electricity sparking off Thalia who looked at you with terrorized eyes.

Realization was in her eyes and then regret. “I...I’m so sorry, I-I didn’t-” she stammered.

Your fingers and arms twitched at the electric pulse but you pushed yourself off, as you went to reassure her. “It’s okay, it’s fine. You’re safe, it’s not your fault-”

your words got caught short when a piercing howl went through the air. All three kids stiffened with wide eyes as you turned to the source of the sound.

“No” you whispered as you sped down to the foyer, and you could see from the window the mysterious figure from before grinning at you with its inhuman feature and the other monsters surrounding him. You heard the kids chasing after you and gasped as you all watched the figure take a step forward through the threshold and the monsters were coming.

You could feel the house pulsing with an energy that was growing weaker. Your stomach dropped like it was plummeting into a pit, the speed making you queasy.

You turned to the kids, seeing Annabeth weakly holding up and onto Thalia who seemed utterly lost. Luke looked wide eyed, betrayed but also lost as well. Your mind was racing-

“Luke, get your stuff! Now-”

“But-”

“NOW!”

The barrier was weakening.

You turned to Thalia and Annabeth for a moment before you went to the living room. You grabbed the kopis, weighing it in your hand for a moment. As you did, you saw a glint and saw the fire roaring to life and the lanterns.

You barely stopped to think what you were doing before you slid your knees towards the fireplace, grabbing one of the metal laterns. If you were thinking clearly, you would’ve noticed your hand thrusting into the fire, barely feeling anything as you grabbed a flaming coal to put into the lantern.

Words came to you easily as you whispered to the flame. “Flame of the hearth, let the flames of Hestia bless and watch over those who carry the flame to those weary souls” you prayed as the fire grew brighter.

“I got them!” said Luke as he rushed down the stairs just as the banging on the door grew more and more intense, with a nail being bounced off.

You rushed towards the kids, holding the bright flame in the lantern as you pointed to the back of the house. “Go to the back! There’s an exit!” you said as you pushed them out. You looked back as the door was almost being torn out of the hinges from the force of impact.

You pushed the kids out and grabbed the emergency pack that you left in the kitchen on the way out, before taking them to the back of the house. You opened the door and pointed to the backyard, where there was a small hidden gate behind an overgrown bush that would take them to a line of trees, hopefully it would be enough.

You gave the emergency pack to them as you took a quick glance back to see how much time you have.

“Alright, make a break straight forward. There’s a gate hidden by that mistletoe bush and it’ll lead you straight to those line of trees that hopefully delay them. Whatever happens, just keep running and don’t look back” you instructed as you pushed the kids out.

“But, Y/N what about you?” stammered Luke, looking at you for answers.

You looked at them all and saw that they were just kids. Your eyes softened as you looked at each one of them. You held out the metal lantern to Annabeth who took it carefully.

“Take this lantern. May the coal of this flame protect you all and light your way. Never forget there is light and warmth in times of darkness” you said as you reached out and patted Annabeth’s head. You turned to the other two, pressing a hand onto each of them.

“You’ll all be fine” you said before you heard the door crack in the distance. You readied your kopis, heart thudding against your chest as you pointed the way forward.

“Go! I’ll hold them off as long as you can” you said, before any of them could protest you turned towards the inside of the house, your back to them. You heard more protests before you heard Luke tell them they had to go now and their disappearing footsteps. You took a glance back and saw the light of the lantern growing smaller and smaller.

When you turned back, you saw the mysterious figure from before standing before you with monsters backing it. You held up your weapon as you shuffled to cover the door as much as you could.

The mysterious, definitely a monster, tilted its head at you. “Step aside mortal, we have no qualms against you.”

“No, not when you’re about to definitely go after these kids and hurt them” you said, raising your weapon.

“Yes, but they are demigods and we are monsters. It is their destiny to be chased after and be killed by us.” then it grinned, “Besides, why protect those who have harmed you?”

You heard the gloating tone in its words as you cursed. “That’s how you guys broke in” you said.

It hummed. “Well for a mere mortal, you’ve managed to protect them long enough, I’ll give you that. But yes, we can’t harm you directly but once those demigods have, then the rule of hospitality no longer applies to them.”

You could smell ozone and you were reminded of Thalia.

“It was an honest mistake” you said.

“Nonetheless, the rules were broken. Your protections are strong, but not unbreakable. Step aside mortal or you’ll be another nameless figure sacrificed for these heroes.”

You felt your limbs go weak for a moment. Your resolve wavering. You could feel yourself wanting to protect yourself in pure instinct, and your fingers loosened on your weapon.

But as you were about to step aside, you remembered the kids. How happy and relived they were to finally have a safe place to rest. How scared and broken they looked at their safety ripped away. You licked your lips and the faint taste of the hot chocolate you just had with them reminded you of them.

They may be heroes. They may be demigods. They may die an unnatural death but-

they were just kids and just because it was their fate, doesn’t mean they deserved to suffer unfortunately at every turn.

You gripped your kopis, feeling strength well up in you as you raised your kopis and growled.

“No, over my dead body” you said.

“Well, if you say so” said the figure and charged.

You slashed your kopis and swiped the first monsters appeared from the back. It disappeared in powder of gold at the merest touch and you moved, as if someone was taking over your body to fight for you.

You heard the mysterious figure yell out commands but you could see faintly something working in the background covering your bases but it was being tested.

Words filtered to you as you remember the flames around the home.

“Flames of the hearth, ruled over by Hestia, heed my call. Flames of the hearth, may your flames burn away the evil in my home and purify thy space-”

You heard a curse among them but everywhere went alight as flames took over through the hallways, sweeping through every space. You heard the monsters yowling before the flames burn them away, their golden dust mixing with the flames and disappearing. You felt the flame wash over you like a warm blanket, not harming you in the slightest as you closed your eyes and hoped the kids got away.

As you watch through the open doorway, watching the sky turn its hues from dusk to dawn, your mind and body seemingly at peace. The world around you was quiet. The house was quiet, almost hauntingly as the echoes of inhabitants you shared with were now gone.

The sun peaked through as you sat on the stairs, with one dumb thought.

‘Well shit, they still have my ID’

[Ao3 LINK]| [PART 4]

[letters-from-dekarios]

(I really love this idea!! I hope you'd allow me to indulge in sending my ask as my storm sorc/tempest cleric tav who gained a bit of a crush on our favorite wizard after the Weave scene!!)

To Gale,

Firstly, I am not avoiding you. It is a pure coincidence that we so happen to miss each other quite often lately, and that is why I am sending this letter. I am definitely not embarrassed by our connection in the Weave and what you could have felt from it.

Now that that matter has been dealt with, I would love to hear about your experiences growing up learning about the arcane arts. After spending that night with you, I am ashamed to admit I have never felt that same amount of fondness, passion, and understanding you have for the Weave. While I 'know' that what's flowing through my veins is raw, powerful magic, I have never really taken the time to 'understand' it - like how one can be aware of being alive, but not how to properly live. I hope that makes sense.

I would love to hear more about your thoughts and experiences with the Weave, and with your permission, I hope to learn more about the Weave from you. Perhaps by learning and understanding you and your magic, I can understand and better appreciate myself and the power I have been blessed with my whole life.

Your loyal companion,

Thalia

Dearest Thalia,

Please know it is with utmost respect that I feel honored my guidance in your manipulation of the Weave would make you feel such a way. It’s not every day that one captures the feeling the Weave brings like you did. I’m privileged that you felt so comfortable with me as to share that.

And, do know, that I take no offense to your taking time to yourself. My first interaction with the Weave and its magic, as you know, was when I was a mere child. Even then, the feeling had me almost bashful! The warmth felt within Mystra’s embrace is quite the overwhelming spirit. You have no need to apologize.

As aforementioned, my beginnings with the Weave were… complicated. I began to sense the magic as a young child, and by the time I was eight, I was beginning to practice fully-fledged spells. You may recall having mentioned a man named Elminster, both a dear friend and my mentor. Given that Mystra had a brief respite from the mortal world, it was he who guided me through the Weave, with the help of Mystra’s remnants in the magic world, and taught me much of what I know now.

I took to the teachings rather quickly. One might say I was a prodigy, and I think it’s quite a fitting title. At just ten, I had conjured my very own Tressym! Tara, my beloved feline friend, was one of my first complete conjurings who managed to stay longer than a few moments. Perhaps it was out of pure spite for my mother not allowing me to adopt a kitten, I shall never know why Tara stuck around with me.

Amidst it all, the overall feeling was one of overwhelming power. I did not start with the understanding I have of it now. I’ll be the first to admit my beginnings with the Weave were awkward. I, more than once, destroyed my mother’s fine items and was made to repair them. It was chaotic— a surge of all sorts of emotions each time I used the magic bestowed upon me. It was as if, with just a flick of the wrist or a word spoken just right, I could destroy everything around me.

It took time and quite a bit of effort to grasp the Weave by its reins and tame it to my liking. This is what drew Mystra to selecting me as one of her chosen as she grew to restoring her full power.

With growing older, entangling my soul with the magic I possessed became easier and easier. Soon enough, I needed no teacher at all. The conceptualization of the Weave and its intertwining in all magic takes getting used to. I would be more than happy to elaborate on other spells with you if you’d let me.

It’s hard to put into words how the Weave makes a person feel. You experienced it, what it’s like within the moment, trying to describe that without the visualization or the emotion behind it can become confusing. Especially for those who have not or have rarely touched the Weave.

Please, visit with me whenever you would like. I would be more than delighted to guide you as best as I can in mastering the concepts of your magic that I do understand.

From the desk of,

𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒌𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒔

text reads: gale dekarios

p.s. it took me a solid hour trying to find information on gale and mystra and the timeline with elminster (and what his relationship with elminster really was like). at some point i said ‘screw it, i’m interpreting this how i like’ so while i try to be accurate, as best i can, im just doing what my little head tells me to ~ kore

[happyk44]

Nico who doesn't let Percy leave without him. Nico who makes Percy bring him along. Nico who misses his sister so fiercely he walks into a shadow and appears right at her side. Nico who follows them and refuses to go back without her.

And he's so insistent. And she's so angry that he followed them. Percy, who refuses to take Nico back, so focused on wanting to save Annabeth, rushes in between them because Nico is about to start crying and Bianca looks so devastated and frustrated and Grover pulls Nico away to calm down and Percy asks her why she's so reluctant to be around him, he's her brother, yeah he's a little annoying, but he's just a kid and she stares at him.

"My grandfather said so," she says. She peeks at Nico, pulled into himself and sorting through acorns with Grover. Thalia and Zoe look bewildered behind them. "He said if I stayed with him, he would die."

Percy pauses. This grandfather sounds insane. "I thought you said you didn't know your family."

She scratches the back of her neck. She won't stop watching Nico. "He comes to me in my dreams." She shakes her head. "I know it's crazy, but you have to believe me. I know he's telling the truth."

Percy is baffled. He wants to argue. Wants to question. It doesn't make sense. He whispers about it to the others. They don't know what to make of it either. But Nico refuses to leave. Every time they try to ditch him, he shows up, tired but untouched. No one knows how he's doing it. He just says he's walking. But there's no way that's true. It's too late.

Then the junkyard. Nico exclaims when he finds the Hades figurine. He wants to take it. Everyone says no. He picks it up anyway, just to get a closer look. He's never seen the Hades one before. The robot awakens. It bats Nico away like a bug on the ground.

He dies.

Bianca screams. Darkness explodes out of her like a bomb. The night sky seems to swell and move with her anger. The stars disappear. The robot is torn apart by ghosts, skeletons, shadow-like hands.

"I TOLD YOU," she screeches. "I TOLD YOU HE WASN'T LYING."

Oh, Percy thinks. That grandfather.

Bianca is clutching Nico close. Darkness pools around her and dissipates slowly across the edges. She's sobbing. No one moves.

And then her sobs soften. They quiet. The silence of the night is damning.

Then, "You promise?"

Her voice is small. Nearly hidden. Shadows crawl up her legs, across Nico's frame. There's no response, but she's hearing someone they cannot, being spoken to by a figure long dead, so far beneath the earth only a child of the Underworld can make out the words.

"Okay," she whispers as darkness pulls across her face. Her angry raging eyes are the last thing Percy sees before she disappears. "I'll do it."

[william-solace-aaaaa]

Riordanverse RP Canon Demigods&Stuff

To join the RP go to:

Percy: @that-dam-son-of-poseidon Annabeth: @annabeth-in-your-chase

Hazel: @hazel-is-confused

Frank: @frank-zhang-skreee

Jason: @jason-graceeeeee

Piper: @piper-mclean-raaa

Leo: @leo-valdez-graaa

Will: @will-solace-aaaaa

Nico: @nico-the-ghost-king /@nico-di-angelo-aaaaa /@nico-son-of-hades

Naomi: @miss-naomi-solace

Magnus: @magnus-falafelking

Alex: @alex-fierro-pr-nightmare

Kayla: @kaylaknowles-yaaaaaaaaaaaaaa /@apollos-favorite-child

Thalia: @best-dam-huntress /@thalia-grace-aaaaaa

Clarisse: @everyone-is-a-punk

Silena: @silena-styles /@silena-beauregard-official

Connor: @the-better-stoll-brother Travis: @travis-stollllllllll

Octavian: @askoctavianhoo

Bianca: @that-one-dead-sister

Zoe: @zoe-can-see-the-stars-again

Sally: @percys-blue-food-vendor

Samirah: @that-hijabi-loki-spawn

Katie: @lovely-katie-gardner

Charles: @explodes-cutely Chris: @whooptheregoesmysanity

Reyna: @bow-down-to-rara Ethan: @that-avenging-demigod

Rachel: @badass-bitch-with-blue-hairbrush

Sadie: @isises-specialist-girl Walt/

Anubis: @normal-teen-and-mummy-godahhhhh

Meg: @apollo-is-my-servant

Clovis: @the-eeper-yippee

Ellis: @ellis--wakefield

Lavinia: @i-tap-dance

Dakota: @never-too-much-kool-aid

Rachel: @rachel-elizabeth-dareeeee /@rachel-dare-aaaaaaa

Feilix: @penguin-in-a-pharaoh-mask

Estelle: @estelle-blofis-jackson

Miranda: @miranda-gardiner

[sn0wp1anets]

been having marauders pjo thoughts and just indulge me for a second

I CANT DECIDE SIRIUS' GODLY PARENT

(this is kind of long so )

ive seen dionysus/aphrodite used for sirius' godly parent alot which i can understand its just not my personal hc i think while d + a are very powerful i dont think their characteristics? fit sirius that well idk

to me sirius seems closer to either a big 3 or athena kid but im kind of in between them and i havent fully decided

reasoning for zeus:

zeus is associated with having quite a strong sense of justice and honour- which i view as kind of a big characteristic of sirius' . hes also very naturally powerful which comes with being a big 3 kid. sirius is also prideful and stubborn which also aligns with my view of zeus. this isnt very relevant but zeus' children in the pjo series tend to have something kind of ironic about them? like thalia and her fear of heights. and i think contradicting nature vs nurture is very sirius, which is another reason i kinda like zeus for his godly parent. in myth, zeus' children are often vengeful to those who have dishonoured their loved ones, and do rash things for them: (e.g perseus to polydectes) and this reminds me of how he would literally kill for james, how he risked his life for harry, the prank, etc.

however zeus' children are also associated with leadership, while i dont think sirius is incapable of being a leader (hes very competent, intelligent and certainly could be), leadership does not feel to me like something he actively seeks or takes on. also to mesirius feels less flashy, more subtle than what you'd expect of one of zeus' children. idk tho!

reasoning for poseidon:

as the god of the sea naturally most people associate poseidon's actions and power as unpredictable and reckless- which is how many perceive sirius. and this is also evident sometimes in his actions. in the riordanverse, (in my personal opinion) poseidon's demigod children are probably one of if not the most powerful (or maybe its just percy...) which makes sense for sirius too. poseidon's children are described to be 'both noble and unbelievably cruel' which to me IS sirius. he is aware of his cruelty and harshness when he purposely hurts others , yet he is also very noble in some aspects. also im hesitant to liken sirius to theseus due to his very problematic actions and treatment of women but they are similar in many ways: being extraordinarily brave, having a sense of justice, strong yet spiteful at times.

(also fun fact cygnus was one of poseidon's children!)

i actually really like poseidon for sirius' godly parent i just feel like theres something missing that im not really sure abt LMAO

hades reasoning:

one of the most interesting parts of sirius' character is his innate potential for darkness and how he actively rejects it- this would be very interesting in a hades' child context because sirius is again born into the association of darkness and evil. another interesting part is that the perception of hades as evil is just? kind of off? he is the death god except not really- he's the god of the dead he kind of just rules over that realm he doesn't actually kill people thats thanatos. which is again something that would be super interesting for sirius.

on the other hand hades feels too stern and restricted for sirius- and yes i understand that demigods dont have the same personalities as their parents its just something im kind of concerned about. sirius seems a bit more carefree- like a poseidon child would be rather than hades. also i dont love the whole black family automatically being associated with hades thing i think its a bit too surface level.

athena reasoning:

i mean obviously sirius is one of the smartest characters in the series. this is evident in many many instances throughout his childhood and adult life. its also very effortless for him and i just cant imagine a sirius who intelligence doesnt come effortlessly to. hes quick, sharp and notices details and remembers things with clarity and can easily analyse situations he and other people are in and come up with logical and successful solutions- all of which make sense for an athena kid. also him being unafraid of conflict and combat is also very athena of him- i think too often athena is reduced to just being the smart goddess but she is a war goddess too which is so sirius. sirius enjoys being smart and uses it well- animagus+map. his intelligence is also used not just in a school+grades context which is also perfect for athena kids- they are not school nerds they are intelligent in many ways.

BUT i wanna be self indulgent and just let sirius embrace his full main character energy with a big 3 god 😭😭 like i dont actually have a valid reason for not making it athena im just...

[shellibisshe]

–oc tag game

tagged by @corvosattano @jackiesarch @marivenah @nuclearstorms @leviiackrman @nightbloodbix @chuckhansen and @queennymeria thank you all!

i think this has made it's rounds but tagging @loriane-elmuerto @jendoe @florbelles​ @unholymilf @denerims @risingsh0t @indorilnerevarine @lizzywizzy @ladysanjo @teamhawkeye @benwishaw @ghostfvcker and anyone else!

buckle up yall im going to get sappy. also super ungodly long post under the cut IM SAPPY

– favorite oc.

spencer clarke [the quarry]

i say it a lot but. she is me i am her. like actually, spencer has only been an oc for like a week and she has taken such a tight hold on my brain. I pour a lot of myself into my ocs, but i think spencer is the oc that has really gotten the most. she is the closest to a self insert i think out of all of them, she shares a lot of my behaviors and such. but she is just so fun for me to talk about (im sorry to lori and aj) and figuring her out has been such a blast.

amara owens [infamous: second son]

MISS AMARA CELESTE OWENS. I've had her for as long as i've had the fc5 clowns, or maybe even longer. Amara is an oc that makes me really happy. for a while, i never knew where i wanted to put her; i tried making her a multifandom oc but it just didn't feel right. then i played infamous: second son and it felt like everything just clicked with her. she's one of my most important ocs, no one else have i played the same game 6 times for.

marian ramos de-león [red dead redemption 2]

ms marian is also one of my oldest ocs, she's a little younger than the fc5 clowns, but she's also one of my favorites. she's another really fun character for me to think about. it was so fun to play the game and know exactly where she would be and what she would say. while i haven't done much with her canon or sadie au, making this new, spooky au for her was some of the most fun i've ever had with an oc. using concepts that i've always been a fan of but never really used has been so fun and it all clicks so well with marian

sylvie green [call of duty: modern warfare 2019]

my child whom i share custody of with lori. she has been one of my favorites for almost a year now, another one that has helped me figure out some stuff about myself, and like spencer she truly did grab onto my brain and has not let go. i never thought i'd make an oc for cod, let alone like,,,22 including side characters. half the fun has been getting to bounce ideas off of lori, and sylvie is absolutely one of those ideas. most things about her-- her name, her face, her backstory, even her ship-- are all lori's amazing ideas and i am so happy to have both of them in my life.

honorable mentions: elenore parker, hanan shepard, iseul jeong, corinne sorrell

– newest oc.

spencer clarke [the quarry]

like i said! i've only had spencer for like,,,4 days i think atp. but i love her a lot. with it being summer time here, i started thinking about the quarry again and jacob those that have been here u know i see a himbo i have to make a partner for them and decided it might be fun to make an oc for a horror game for a change! and i'm really happy i did.

jackie castillo [marvel]

more of lori's influence, seeing them talk about Asra and the rest of their marvel ocs made me want to make my own. Jackie is still a bit of a wip, but i love her all the same and i really do need to do some development on her.

blake liu [marvel]

my other marvel girlie. even more of lori's influence. Riri's roommate turned fellow kidnappee turned girlfriend. Asra's adopted daughter. Blake is so many things but everything clicks so well for her. another one i need to develop more, but i am so happy to have her as well.

thalia [assassin's creed: odyssey/origins]

thalia's some kind of phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes deal, but in a like, i scrapped one oc and made her. when i was overhauling Amara, i decided her assassin's creed au didn't really work, but i wanted an oc for odyssey so bad; so enter Thalia. she's one of my more stick in the mud characters but i still love her a lot.

honorable mentions: daphne palmer, silas kane, noah callaghan, andy kwan, rhea dawn

– oldest oc. (also; the favorites pt.2)

elenore parker [far cry 5]

you all knew she'd be here. the blueprint. the very first clown. the batshit insane queen herself. the reason i made this blog. Elle has been through a lot. and i've been through a lot at the same time. she's been there for me as a creative outlet through a lot of bullshit and i am so thankful for her. making her let me deal with some of my own trauma in a way. she's one of the only ocs that i shove into different ships and aus, and every one just works so well for her. she's gotten a bit of an overhaul recently and i'm even more happy with her now.

emily parker [far cry 5]

i can't talk about Elle without Emily. Emily is also a very self inserty character but she's also someone i wish i could be somehow. I don't lean on her as much as i lean on Elle, but i enjoy messing with her every time i do. she's an older oc, but there's still things that are up in the air about her namely if i will ever commit to shipping her with Wheaty.

margo seed [far cry 5]

Margaret Elizabeth Seed, the only oc i have argued with someone about. she was the very first ship kid, such a commanding presence; ever since making her it almost felt like she made herself if that made sense? another one that things just really clicked with; she's also my first aroace oc, and that has become very important to me. she stands on her own, she's another one that i want to be like when i grow up.

daniel seed [far cry 5]

the second ship kid. Daniel almost didn't exist, but i decided Margo could benefit from a narrative foil of sorts. he was a bit of a hassle, he was my first male oc and as such i couldn't land on a face claim for the longest time which was really frustrating for me. he and Margo are both such fun characters to write for, i love how i've managed to make them so similar and so different at the same time.

warren armstrong [far cry 5]

Warren was made at the same time, or close to the same time, as Daniel. he's the first oc that I have actually come up with a family for though, and that has become somewhat of a trend because of him. Warren took a second to really figure out, but he fits in so well with the twins and their shenanigans once i did. I don't talk about him nearly as much as i should, but he is also one of my favorites.

honorable mentions: fern solace, ashlee burrell, katherine boyer, judith burch, kennedy ryder, amara owens

– meanest oc.

ines cousland [dragon age origins]

I have a lot of violent or manipulative ocs (i think, at least), but none of them are on the level that Ines is. Ines walks around with a sort of chip on her shoulder about the world she lives in. she's composed and calculating and power hungry. she makes a lot of cruel and sort of impulsive decisions as a warden, but she is always one step ahead of those that challenge her. she knows she has enemies and she will stop at nothing to ruin their lives just for the fun of it. she's also incredibly ambitious as well; she wanted to be one of, if not the most, powerful people in Thedas, and she would stop at nothing to get herself there.

rhea dawn [fullmetal alchemist: brotherhood]

Rhea is not nearly as malicious as Ines is but she has her moments. she's not technically a villain, but she's also not really going out of her way to help the heroes either. she's never really had any second thoughts about her actions, she will take her own side before anyone else's. she knows she's one of the most powerful alchemists in the world, and if that inspires some fear then so be it.

levi choi [call of duty: modern warfare 2019]

he has to be here, but he's not really that mean compared to the two above. Levi's that friend that is always brutally honest, the one that you just want to fight sometimes because of it. he's not afraid to say what he thinks, he never writes a check that his ass can't cash, and you will hear about it if you piss him or his friends off.

honorable mentions: raina hawke, scott ryder, morgan brooks, noah callaghan, althea elowen, minerva siobhan, katherine boyer, shannon turner

– softest oc.

melanie vargas [the last of us]

Mel is another oc that got somewhat of an overhaul. when hbo tlou came out, i decided i didn't like the direction i went with her, so i scrapped it and started over. she turned out a lot softer this time, being reworked to be one of the friendliest faces of Jackson now. she is a bit more of a background character now because of her role in the universe, but i think that works out better for her.

amara owens [infamous: second son]

my favorite daughter here once again. Amara is one of the softer characters in the main cast of second son but that's not to say she's a pushover either. she would do anything for her friends, she would give anything to help a stranger. she's just one of those ocs that radiates a lot of positive energy and light.

kennedy ryder [mass effect: andromeda]

another one that's soft but is not a pushover. Kennedy would do anything to help anyone in need, but she will not let her kindness be taken advantage of by anyone. she's seen a lot, she's been through a lot, but she doesn't let it get to her. she's also the resident optimist of the gang, which can be a blessing and a curse.

nettie hayes [red dead redemption 2]

nettie, however, is too soft for her own good. maybe. she's the most optimistic oc of mine, always has her rose colored glasses on. in her mind, her world is a lot more idyllic than it is. she is a bit of a pushover as well; she can recognize when she's being screwed over but she won't do anything about it. she wears her heart on her sleeve and is probably the most sensitive of my ocs

honorable mentions: veris lavellan, bea morgan, daphne palmer, taylor ross, daniel seed

– most aloof/standofish oc.

arden [potion permit]

she's quiet, she keeps to herself, she doesn't say much. Arden's not like this because of something that's happened to her, i think you could say; moreso, it's her line of work that made her like this. Arden tries to not get attached because she knows most people she deals with will only be in her life a short period of time. most people, not all of them.

honorable mentions: rhea dawn, spencer clarke, thalia, katherine boyer, ines cousland, nadine hayek

– dumbest (affectionate) oc.

veris lavellan [dragon age: inquisition]

Veris Rila, my first inquisitor, one of the dimmest lightbulbs in my chandler but she still shines. she is the very definition of 'just trying her best.' she's smart in her own way, one that does not make sense to anyone but herself. she's also impulsive, almost out of spite at this point.

honorable mentions: daniel seed, margo seed, blythe trevelyan, silas kane

– smartest oc.

gwen khoury [uncharted]

Dr. Gwendolyn Mila Khoury, Ph.D. Gwen learns shit just for the fun of it honestly, and she will spout off if given the chance. she is incredibly, and sometimes annoyingly, curious. Gwen will pick up a new language or skill just to learn something new.

hanan shepard [mass effect]

another knowledge sponge, Hanan loves to learn about anything she can get her hands on. ship engineering, biotics, alien languages-- Hanan will find something new to learn whenever she can. and she will not hesitate to info dump on the nearest person.

andy kwan [tomb raider]

Andy! another incredibly bright mind. she's working on her masters in ecosystems ecology for much of the tomb raider shenanigans, and she uses these trips for her own personal research. she's not quite on the 'learning something new just for shits and gigs,' but that does not stop her from constantly taking in some knowledge somehow

honorable mentions: amara owens, ethan moreno, taylor ross, spencer clarke, emily parker, iseul jeong, daphne palmer, nadine hayek, alicia rossi, jules rossi, blake liu, arden

– oc you'd be friends with irl.

spencer clarke [the quarry]

we're ending where we started. i put spence in this category because i really do mean it when i said she is me. her behavior and personality is so similar to my own. she's another oc that is really someone i wish i could be like.

honorable mentions: daniel seed, taylor ross, ethan moreno, veris lavellan, blythe trevelyan, amara owens, blake liu, kennedy ryder, bea morgan

[johnconstantinesdick]

Op your post and tags about Artemis doing damage control is absolutely delightful.

I mean, from Titan's curse we know Artemis was trying to get the council to prepare for the war, recognizing what was happening, even before the war gods actively acted.

Also Apollo getting a ping when a new possible child of the prophecy gets born actually makes sense. He knew how old Thalia was, he's also a god of truth besides just prophecy and during the years of the Hunt functioning I doubt the only big three kids to join are Bianca and Thalia. The chances are really small for that to happen.

It could also be Roman demigods, since literally anyone can join and it's better to be safe than sorry. And since it was 'child of the eldest gods' and not specifically the big three, she might have even counted in children of Demeter, since Hestia and Hera don't have (in Hera's case demigod) children.

About anon that Artemis acted predatory: bestie do you want the prophecy to happen? Do you want to risk Olympus falling?

And the average life expectancy of a Greek demigod is like 13 years old, were it not for them, the squad at Westover would have little chances of survival at the age they were at. Also statistically, the Hunt even helps to get demigods the chance to reach the camp by killing the monsters.

In conclusion: was it sketchy? Sure. Was she lying tho? Not at all.

From the few Hunters we got the chance to meet, sure, Bianca was really young when she died, but Phoebe and Zoë were thousands of years old. Let's do the math. If Zoë had been with the Hunt for let's say 3 000 years, and Phoebe for 2 500. Bianca died at 13 I think? Even these three on their own puts the average life expectancy of a Hunter to 1 838 years. And that's a bit higher than the chances of Greek demigods.

Artemis literally is doing the absolute most of a damage control.

(also personal headcanon that Artemis sends the Hunters to the camp instead of being on their own so they were safe from Orion since he usually targets them when they're alone, and being without Artemis who even got stolen and physically cannot help would be quite a chance to miss)

I love your username!

It always interests me how out of all of the gods Artemis is the most involved in the everyday lives of demigods. Mr. D helps run the camp, but she spends her time with her hunters, fighting with them and forging relationships. She’s notable in TTC because when the gang is fighting Atlas with her, she feels like a comrade more than a capricious god.

She’s not above criticism, but even taking my Great Prophecy Damage Control read out of the situation, she does more to directly help demigods than like. Any other god. So when I see wild criticism of her like “if Artemis hadn’t recruited the girl who admitted she might have destroyed Olympus if allowed to age then Hera wouldn’t have targeted Thalia so much. She was really just mad Thalia foreswore her only family in Jason. Isn’t Artemis so bad and evil???” It’s kind of like. Why are you bending over backwards to vilify one of the only gods consistently fighting and advocating for our heroes.

(Btw yes that is an actual take I saw in a fic.)

And you’re right on the Hunters ages!! Like we have several girls that have been around for thousands of years!!!! We have like five named Greek demigods that have lived to the age of eighteen in the original series, and over half of them proceeded to die anyway. Artemis is obviously doing something right to keep her girls alive this long.

With the fic idea… I may just have to write it when I get a chance. If I remember right, I don’t think the Romans were in line for the first Great Prophecy anyway, but it would be so funny if Artemis was like… fuck that. If I have to keep cleaning up my dad and uncle’s messes then I’m going to clean up all of them and get more hunters out of it.

Anyway thank you for the ask! I had fun making the post but then the anons I got kind of soured it :\ so I’m glad you like my thoughts!

[dapperbasil]

OC Kiss Week: Day 4

Manor de Sorrez. Spring, 1213.

Despite the consequences awaiting them, a terrible wrong has been righted in the eyes of Lady Thalia de Sorrez. Now the biggest question on her mind is how to deal with the familiar knight with a stranger's face.

Thalia/Tulio belongs to @mountainashfae! I've been super excited for this one all week, I hope you enjoy :3

At first, the Lord of the manor was confused. “What do you mean he hasn’t returned?” The question was posed to his servants when he was informed that his knight was nowhere to be found. He had been sent on a simple delivery hours prior, the ghoul should have returned long ago. “Clearly you simply did not check everywhere he could be. Check everywhere, the gardens, the Guard captain’s quarters, failure will not be tolerated. I need to speak with him.” As the hours passed and sunlight began to peek over the horizon, Tulio’s confusion turned to worry upon hearing from numerous sources that they never were seen returning to the estate and they were nowhere to be seen.

Nights passed, and there was no sign of the ghoul. His delivery had arrived that very same night, and the shop keep remembered seeing the knight but not where he had gone afterward. Every possible lead went to a dead end, and to say the Lord was distraught was an understatement, though he did not allow it to show. It was almost as if their knight had disappeared without a trace. There were those in the early nights who suggested that the ghoul could have run away, but the noble considered such words slander against their knight and themselves, which was dutifully punished. He knew better, something must have happened to their most devoted servant.

Only after the Lady’s sire insisted on her resting from the search after an entire month had passed did they begin to relent. There was no way that her knight had survived this long, especially without being fed by now. Antonio may have been correct but that did not stop her from holding out hope and praying for their safe return, even if she wasn’t sure what kind of merciful God would take their knight from them so suddenly. There never was an answer and eventually she simply had to move on with her unlife, with or without him.

It had been three years since the night her most trusted ghoul went missing. Thalia stared across the room at the figure knelt by the door, unease permeating the silence. It was so different to what she remembered of them. Short chestnut hair replaced with ash brown locks far down their back. The marks and scars that adorned their skin were no longer there, replaced by one notably recognizable scar down the center of their face. Their physique had even changed but Thalia could still recognize the knight despite the years having changed so much. The voice she had only heard cry and sob after the Elysium, it was the same as it always had been. Those eyes as well, beautiful brown eyes that once matched the knight’s hair.

“Come to us, childe. We wish to take a look at you.” Thalia straightened her back as she watched the figure walk forward with tender steps. The childe’s eyes did not leave the floor as they approached, only daring to glance upward towards the Lady once they stood before her. There was no doubt in Thalia’s mind and heart, her knight had finally been returned to her, clan Toreador be damned. She took her time examining them, taking in the differences, wondering what exactly had happened to her ghoul in those three years. Though she yearned for the answers, they were in no shape to answer. Her hands rested on their cheeks, rubbing away at the dried blood stained there from tears. “My knight… My dearest-” Thalia was cut off before she could truly address them, taking her by surprise.

The knight spoke for the first time since Elysium, a tremble in their voice. “Please, milady. Do not refer to me by that name I once held. If you are merciful, I will never hear that word cross your lips again.” Thalia gave a solemn nod, pulling the once proud knight into her arms and holding them close to her. A request from them was rare, and one so earnest she could not help but oblige.

“If that is all you ask of us, then we will never speak that name again.” Her fingers began trailing through their hair, shushing and soothing the former ghoul for as long as it took her to choke down her own emotions. She peppered kisses into their hair and tilted their head up once more to take a better look. The night had been a whirlwind for both of them, and Thalia had a feeling it would take both of them quite some time to adjust to what would be their new normal. That was alright with her, they had all of eternity for it, after all. “We thought we had lost you, mi corazon.” Thalia left one final kiss on the forehead of her knight before clearing her throat and pulling away from them. She stared down at them as they stepped back, bowing their head in reverence of their Lady. “Consider this an order, my knight. You are to stay with us, until final death. We will not accept anything less.”

[miramilocamimira]

The Very Real and Accurate Tales of Ypirétes tou Zínona as Documented by Stamatia

Beryl Grace

————

Beryl’s story in The Skies hold secrets from long ago

————

Imagine gaining the attention of a king. Beryl certainly wouldn’t have been able to until now. Zeus, king of gods.

They spend the night together. It’s like a dream.

Then morning hits.

“Aphrodite.” She hears him hiss out the morning after.

She ends up pregnant. He says he will stay to help for as long as he can. Beryl can only think about how a lifetime of beauty will be worth a couple months without whiskey.

—

A couple months in and she’s meeting a raven-haired woman. Zeus pestered until she gave in, she wonders how why this other chick was important.

”My name is Hera.” The woman says and Beryl nearly scoffs. She tries to be as polite as she can be to the goddess but from the look in the elder’s eyes, she thinks there might be something she’s missing.

They meet twice more.

Zeus’s visits lessen.

He’s more adamant in his refusal to take her to Olympus. Sometimes she wants to ask for immortality or eternal beauty. But she has to wait.

———-

She miscarries. She is miserable and drunk and he leaves not even a month later. Or maybe it was. It all blurs.

She’s missed her chance.

—————-

Nearly a year later, there’s a woman with electric blue eyes and black hair. Immediately, Beryl knows who it is. She’s stared into those eyes often enough. “Zeus?”

——

She has another chance. If she raises the child that was to be born, giving it a good life, Zeus would give her a wish. Anything within his power.

“Of course, I will stay for as long as I can.” Her now female lover says. Beryl is grinning as she agrees. A contract is written and signed. She doesn’t know who sired the kid but she does know that it’s hers now.

Hers and Zeus’s. She takes a swig of the bottle and hums. The wish is only for as long as the kid is happy.

That’s fine. The kid will be plenty happy with someone as pretty as her watching over them.

-

A week later, December 23rd, Zeus brings his day old baby over. Hera came with.

Thalia Grace. She smirks, finishes what was in her cup, and goes to hold her new daughter. Zeus hesitates but agrees when she insists.

It’s cute. Really! It’s just… hurts. In her chest as she thinks that this is what her twins could have looked like.

The goddess makes a comment on her home and Beryl complains to Zeus.

He doesn’t take her side but he doesn’t take his wife’s either.

——-

She starts drinking less. Acts her best. Is always charming and gorgeous.

He still hasn’t touched her. She convinces him to go out on dates disguised as family trips.

Nothing.

——

She asks to go to Olympus. No.

She asks to remain beautiful for the rest of her life. No.

She asks for immortality. No.

Not until Thalia is ready to enter the camp.

Thalia, Thalia, Thalia. The kid always need this or that and she’s all Zeus ever talks about.

——-

Just as the second year ends, Zeus says he has to go. That he’s stayed far too long. He picks up the toddler and places a kiss to her forehead. He starts whispering things she can’t hear.

Hera stands beside her, watching with pity. “Rarely does he stay past this point.” The queen tells her. “It hurts him more, I think.”

”Did he only come back for her?” Beryl asks. If so, why come back at all. Why not for her instead of a brat that can’t even read. Hera nods. “What about me?”

”What do you even want?” A question with a question. For a Queen, she’s rude. Whatever though. Beryl has nothing to hide.

”To be beautiful forever.”

Hera tells Zeus that they need to leave soon. Or that their brothers will get suspicious.

She loathes the fact that his eyes don’t even look away from the child as he says he knows. The warmth and sadness in his eyes aren’t aimed at her. When she’s the one who’s saddled with parenthood.

————-

She remembers that he said he wished he could do more for his children once. When Beryl asked what he meant, the god responded that everyone has a part to play and that she shouldn’t worry.

Maybe if she had, he would have stayed.

————

She starts drinking again. Her ratings drop a bit and the media eats it up for a week. She rides the high for another and then she does something else to catch their attention.

And it continues like that until Thalia’s six and all she can think about is Zeus and Jupiter. And yeah, she read up on all that shit. Thalia keeps managing to look more and more like the form Zeus took to carry her.

She keeps drinking. She also dives further into Roman myths and history than she ever has of the Greek’s.

In June she runs into a pregnant woman and a familiar voice barks out that she should watch where she’s going.

Hera.

Then that means…. Beryl looks up into the eyes that she’s been thinking of. “Jupiter.” She says.

—————-

Turns out that the gods have two forms besides the regular shapeshifting she’s seen.

She convinces them to let her take it in. They make changes to the contract.

—————

On July first, Jason Grace is born. She hates the name but Jupiter won’t budge.

She cleans up her act. They play the parts of a happy family.

Thalia loves him even if she doesn’t know who he is. She can see as Jason’s first year ends that he doesn’t want to go. She has to do it now.

”Wouldn’t it be nice to be like this forever?” Beryl asks and he stiffens. “You could raise them, finally be what they want and need.” She gets up close. Is he going to cry? She thinks as she watches those blue eyes fill with pain.

———

He doesn’t make her immortal. Not yet at least.

———

It ends up being a month later that Juno shows up.

They talk separately. He leaves as she requests. The deity then looks back at her, fury transparent.

”How dare you?” Juno roars and Beryl flinches back. “You signed the contract. You made the choice! We would have found another if you weren’t willing!” Beryl tries to speak up but the Queen continues, “You should be fucking thankful that it’s that very contract that keeps us from dealing with you properly.��

The goddess leaves and she falls to the ground.

——-

She drinks again. This time her career will never recover.

On Jason’s second summer they go on a trip. She tries to appease her lover’s wife. She has Thalia go get a basket.

——-

When she’s done she pulls out the contract and sees it’s writing glow. The papers burn themselves, not even leaving ashes or dust behind. She falls to her knees and cries.

”Jason is as good as dead.” She tells Thalia and her daughter’s eyes flash green. Her vision must be blurry from tears though because the electric blue is all she sees when she looks again.