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miracleweaponhunt · 1 year ago

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Miracle Weapon Hunt Chapter 16: Temples, Legions, and Other Fun Things

Cassandra woke up after falling off the couch onto her head. Above the cold tiles of the apartment was a red carpet which thankfully broke her fall. She let out an audible groan as she stared at the white ceiling. She tried getting comfortable on the couch next to Julian, but he was rearranged in such a way that getting into a sleeping position that didn’t require straight up contortion was impossible.

She checked her phone. No weather forcing the grands to move and change the time, so it was still 5AM like she expected.

“Yo, Julian.” She whispered. No response. Sleeping Julian was little more than a handsome brick, same as usual.

She looked for paper, hoping that Dakarai didn’t already replace it with a calculator that leaves notes or some high-tech future crap like that. She found a bunch of paper, both new and balled up, by the wooden table in Dakarai’s dining room. So she left a note and placed it on Julian’s forehead.

‘going out, call me if you need me. Cass.’ With a little heart by the end for a dash of affectionate professionalism.

Cassandra stepped out into the Inariu morning. The housing platform near the top had a pleasant breeze surrounding it, and the sun was rising without a bad cloud in sight. It was going to be a good day. She checked the map looking to see if there was a church nearby, and luckily there was. Nearby the housing levels too. It was apparently an addition to main housing block three. She was on housing block four, so she walked across the small metal tunnel connecting the blocks, and then on the thin metal walkway connecting block 3 and the church.

It was a pretty small church. A stone building that looked like it was built by Gurut handymen a long time ago. Three pillars stood between her and the door, with a triangular yellow roof at the top. The perfect place for a roof.

She walked into the stone temple, where statues of the twelve Olympian gods lay, even if some were in worse condition than others. Aphrodite didn’t even have a head, for a start. And Poseidon was missing an arm. But the others only had a couple of scratches at most. Including Apollo, her favourite of the bunch.

“Apollo.” She whispered. “May your gift of prophecy guide us to a better future in these trying times.”

She also felt like offering a prayer to Artemis, but losing the most important bow in the world might make relations between the two a little iffy. But thinking of weapons, Zeus was there, all thundery. She could pray to him seeing as she had his powerset now.

“Zeus.” She whispered. “May you give us the strength to fight off our enemies.”

Inside herself, she felt relieved. She was a holy warrior of sorts now, so talking it out with some divine individuals made her feel a little better.

But just as she was about to walk out, a robed figure walked into the building. Then another. And more piled in until twelve hooded figures were in the building. And all of them seemed to be staring at her.

“Oh, hey.” Cassandra said calmly, taking a step back. “Have I…interrupted something? Because if so, I can totally just leave.”

She gave an awkward smile as she tried to walk out of the church. But just as she was about to leave, two of the larger members of the group walked in front of the door.

“Hey, mind explaining what I walked in on?” Cassandra asked, watching as the other members of the group surrounded her. One member stood between the two large members.

“State your name!” The one in the middle commanded, in a booming voice.

“It’s…Megan.” Cassandra replied slowly. The people in the circle kept their distance, not doing anything yet. But just letting them know her name seemed like a pretty bad idea.

“Lies!” The hooded figure yelled. “You’re the one working against the Legion!”

“Yeah? Why wouldn’t I?” She asked.

One of the members from behind her reached under her arms and held her. She kicked back, causing the person to let her go. She tried running out, only for one of the large people to punch her in the face, with another man dragging her to the ground.

“Tell me, miss.” The middle man began, removing his hood and revealing a scrawny looking black man underneath. “Why is it that you fight for the current weapon holders?”

“Because the Legion are terrorists!” Cassandra yelled, trying to get out of the man’s weight.

“And what of the Lucians?” He asked. “Are you aware of what they’re hiding?”

“I don’t know anything!” Cassandra screamed, getting out and standing up to meet him. “I just found the axe!”

“Listen, all you have to do is join the Legion. Once initiated, we’ll work to expose the-“

That was as far as he got before Cassandra punched him in the face. He fell to the ground with one punch, wheezing in agony. Another member tried approaching her from behind, but she managed to sidestep them and land a kick to their stomach. Another member revealed a set of claws and dug them into her back. She managed to stay upright, making another bolt towards the door. The larger member once again grabbed her and threw her back into the crowd. But just as she tried getting up again, a clanging noise was heard from behind the man. And then he fell forward.

Cassandra looked forward, and the girl revealed herself. It was the same girl who was in Dakarai’s waiting room.

“Cassandra?” She asked.

“Metal girl?” Cassandra replied.

“What’s going on here?” The girl asked, looking at the people surrounding her. She pressed a button on her arm, and it formed into a blunter form that looked like a baseball bat.

“I have no idea.” Cassandra replied.

“Well, I’ll help you with whatever it is.” She said calmly, swinging her hand into the second large man, knocking him out cold.

The other members seemed to look at each other through their hoods. Three of them tried to lunge towards Cassandra, who leapt out of the way. Cassandra dashed behind one and kicked them in the back, forcing them to the ground. One of the others kicked her as hard as they could in the stomach, forcing her to her knees. The girl ran up to the other two and bashed them in the heads with her bat. The others ran out of the church as soon as possible, with the largest remaining taking their leader with them.

“Gosh…thanks.” Cassandra said in between breaths, desperate to remind her insides how breathing worked.

“No problem.” The girl replied worryingly, looking to the walkway where all of them were running.

“We going after them?”

“They’ll disperse and try to blend into the crowd. I’ll report them later, but we should at least be fine for today.”

“Okay…cool.” Cassandra gasped, standing upright to make one final inhale to fix her lungs. “Thanks…I forgot your name.”

“Chizoba.” She replied.

“Cool. So, what brings you here?”

“Well, I’m just waiting for Dakarai to set up shop, so I decided to swing by here and see what was up.”

“Didn’t take you for the religious type.” Cassandra said.

“I’m not, the place just looked nice. Stonework is kinda rare around these parts, so I just wanted to see what it was.”

“It’s a temple to the Olympian gods. Pretty small and run down, but all the fan favourites are there.”

“Fan favourites?”

“The twelve main ones, anyway. If you got the time, I’ll guide you through them and show you the…”

She was cut off by her phone buzzing in her back pocket. She answered it and heard Ola’s voice on the other end.

“This is Cassandra, right?” She asked quickly.

“Yeah.” Cassandra replied.

“Okay, great.” Ola said just as quick. “If you want to try out one of the guns, come to my place on level one.”

“Yeah, sounds good.” Cassandra nodded as she left the call.

“Who was that?” Chizoba asked.

“Ola. She wants me to come over and test out the guns she’s got.”

“The new weapons the soldiers here have? Mind if I come?”

“You think she’ll let you in?”

“I mean, I feel the need to report what happened to her.”

“Right. I’ll vouch for you anyway, so let’s get going."

#my writing #writeblr #writing #creative writing #fantasy #webnovel #greek mythology #mythology and folklore

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superhero--imagines · 2 years ago

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A/N: I just love historical AU, I could also totally see Dick Grayson pulling something like this lol

The kingdom of Oceania spans approximately forty-four thousand, five hundred and eighty-two square miles, it’s main exports are saltwater pearls and sea salt, and houses a modest population of twenty-three million. And of those twenty-three million citizens, one of the most important public figures is currently resting his head in his arms on your desk, staring up at you with puppy dog eyes.

‘I wish he wouldn’t do stuff like this.’

“What can I help you with your highness?” You keep your eyes fixed on the paperwork on your desk, your ears trained on the scratching noise of your pen against paper.

“I told you not to call me that.” You allow yourself a quick glance, the frown on his face only curling down further.

“My sincerest apologies for my transgression, your majesty, third sun of the holy Kingdom of Oceania, Prince Perseus Jackson.” An impatient huff whistles past his lips, and you finally look away from the documents to meet his gaze. His mouth is creased in a fine line, link creeping onto his cheeks when you meet his famous ocean half-green-half-blue eyes.

“I told you to just call me Percy when it’s just the two of us.”

It’s true, he has urged you to call him by his nickname once or twice. Making the same exact expression he is right now when you continue to call him by his official title.

Perseus Jackson, second prince of the holy kingdom of Oceania, second in line for the throne, and the illegitimate son of king Poseidon and the daughter of a fallen noble in the countryside.

Six medals glitter on his uniform, one for every year he’s gone to war. That Perseus Jackson, the war hero, the commoner prince, the boy that burst into high society at thirteen years of age and won the hearts of every noble, is currently the cause of your mental gymnastics.

‘I’ve called him by his official title twice, and twice he’s insisted on being called his nickname. Either his etiquette lessons haven’t had any impact or he wants to get his way, so what’s the right thing to do in this situation?’

“Of course…Percy.” His nickname leaves in slow, halted syllables, but if he senses your inner turmoil he doesn’t let on. Instead a grin bright enough to blind someone spreads across his face.

“What can I help you with?” Your hands thread together on the table.

‘He probably needs a favor, probably something about the war he just came back from, he must have charmed some poor thing from the country and had his way with them and now he needs a political favor to cover it all—‘

“Would you have some tea with me?”

‘Huh?’

You watch this nineteen year old boy fidget slightly, averting his eyes from your confused gaze.

“W-we haven’t had much time to talk since I came back, I want to know how you’ve been.”

‘Is that really all?’

“I-I unfortunately cannot at the moment, I have to finish the paperwork for the war.” Even the mention of the stack of work in front of you is enough to get a long sigh to whistle past your lips. All anyone see when a war is over are the victory celebration, and who the ‘hero’ was—not much thought went into the logistics of war, even after a side won there was money to be paid as compensation for the deceased and injured, resources to be moved from one area to another, and reparations to damaged areas.

‘Which means I’ll probably be here all night organizing the rejuvenation efforts.’ You think, stifling a yawn.

“Is that why you’ve been so cold lately? Because you have all of this work because of me?” Percy asks, flashing you those puppy-dog eyes that might even bring Duke Ares to his knees.

‘I’m upset because everytime you show up, it feels like I’m getting a decades worth of etiquette exams in thirty minutes.’

“It’s not like I wanted to go, you know,” he huffs, leaning his arms on the front of your desk. “Triton insisted that someone from the royal family should go.”

‘Then the damn bastard should have gone himself.’

You can’t blame Triton, the crown prince, for becoming wary of Percy. Truthfully, if you had been in his place you may have felt the same.

‘Prince Percy has the uncanny ability to always exceed the expectations of those around him.’

You’re certain that Triton’s been hoping Percy wouldn’t return from one of the countless wars that rage against the kingdom, only to be shocked when Percy not only returned, but with tales of bravery and victory nipping at his feet. Still—

“You think he’d figure out after the first three wars it wasn’t working in his favor.” The words escape your mouth unintentionally, you and Percy share a startled look, your hand slamming over your mouth.

‘Well, it’s been a nice twenty years of life. But now that I’ve slandered the royal family I’ll be executed, looks like mother was right, my mouth really did end up killing me.’

Percy’s laugh break you out of your morose thoughts, your eyes widen when you look up to see him. The rosy tint of his cheek, the boyish tug of his smile, the golden aura of joy that radiates off of him—

‘You couldn’t ask for a more charismatic prince.’

“That’s what I’ve been saying.” He says, leaning back in his chair, a smirk twitching into his lips. “I don’t know why he’s so paranoid, I already told him I don’t want to be King.” You feel like you’ve traded one secret for another, you criticize a royal and in exchange Percy disparages the throne—both punishable actions.

“Hey, if I help you with this paperwork, you’ll be able to join me for tea won’t you? Well I guess it’ll be late…how about dinner instead?” You watch this prince, the most popular boy in all of Oceania, fuss over the paperwork stacked in his vassals office, a smile threatening to curl into your lips. It’s certainly not proper etiquette to let a prince help you with your work but…

“If you can handle the organization of revitalization in damaged areas, I can do the rest and we can make it in time for afternoon tea.”

‘Some mistakes are worth making.’

The smile he gives you is more than worth the possible punishment. The kingdom of Oceania spans approximately forty-four thousand, five hundred and eighty-two square miles, its main exports are saltwater pearls and sea salt, and houses a modest population of twenty-three million. And of those twenty-three million citizens, you seem to have a soft spot for the most important person out of all of them.

#percy jackson x you #percy jackson x y/n #percy jackson x reader #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson #percy jackson imagine #percy pjo #pjo #pjo x you #pjo x y/n #pjo x reader #superhero--imagines

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words-writ-in-starlight · 3 years ago

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day 6: "touch starved"

It was a strange thing to think about, that Poseidon could barely recognize his own brother. In a way, Aidoneus had been his only company for years in the dark, but this person—tall, sharp-featured, wrapped in white bandages staining iridescent gold with ichor—was a stranger. The only thing that Poseidon recognized was the coloring. He remembered, hazily, being envious of his father’s deep blue skin, flecked with stars. He had looked like a king. Like the king of time and everything that bowed to it.

Aidoneus didn’t look like a king, Poseidon thought privately as he hesitated in the half-open door of the small shelter that Metis had transformed into an infirmary. His blue skin was a softer shade than Kronos’, and his stars were an illusion, nothing but flecks of ichor dried into glittering flakes of gold in his long hair and on his exposed skin. Aidoneus just looked—tired, and hurt, and shockingly small despite his feet hanging off the mat beneath his back.

“Um,” Poseidon said, awkward. “Aidoneus?”

The one visible eye flickered open, and then squinted shut again, a painful-looking twitch running down the arm nearest to Poseidon. Poseidon hastily shut the door behind him. It was after sunset, but before full dark—he had been so delirious with glee over his first day of freedom that he nearly blinded himself for good, and Metis had started limiting him to wandering around near dawn and dusk, to acclimate himself to the light. Aidoneus, she had told him quietly when he asked to visit, couldn’t even bear that much light, not yet.

“Sorry,” Poseison said hastily. “Sorry. I’m, um. I’m Poseidon? I guess we haven’t really—met.”

Aidoneus blinked at him, a flicker of interest ghosting across the weary planes of his face. Poseidon tried his best to grin down at him, and hoped it looked right. He’d been trying to relearn the trick of—people, and Metis and Hera and Hestia were kind enough to let him blunder and fuck up and fix it, and Zeus was a whole other force of nature. Poseidon had figured out quickly enough that it didn’t really matter how uncomfortable he was with talking to people, when it came to Zeus. He could just stand back and let his younger brother carry the conversation, and Zeus would take any remotely positive engagement as his due, and ignore anything else. Poseidon knew that Metis worried about Zeus overtaxing him, but it was perversely relaxing.

He was nervous about talking to Aidoneus. He felt like he needed to get it right, with Aidoneus.

Aidoneus’ lips trembled for a moment as Poseidon hovered uneasily just inside the door, and then he swallowed and raised a hand—slowly, so stiffly that Poseidon’s own bones hurt just watching. Aidoneus touched his own face, just under his exposed eye, and his lips pressed together on a letter that he couldn’t quite form. He managed a faint hum, like he was trying to force his voice into cooperating, and tapped his cheek again, more forcefully.

“Oh! I mean,” Poseidon said, scratching a little sheepishly at his own cheek, beneath the bandages hiding his eye. “I guess we technically met then, yeah, but there wasn’t a lot of time for small talk, you know? You were in pretty bad shape, you probably remember, and I was in shock, or something, and you were also, you know, bleeding out, so maybe you don’t actually remember. I’m not an expert or anything but I figured it was a ‘if he lives, we can hang out under non-mandatory circumstances where we can both talk and see things’ kind of deal, at the time.”

Poseidon shut his mouth with a sharp click on the words, realizing that Aidoneus was watching him with a steady gaze. “Sorry,” Poseidon said again. A cool flush was rising on his cheeks, and he could feel his fins threatening to make an appearance under that dark red stare. “You probably don’t want to think about it. Um—I talk too much. Metis thinks it’s like you not being able to talk, except the other way around. If I say something that pisses you off, maybe just point to the door? And I’ll leave you alone.” He swallowed his next words, and forced himself to think, to take a breath before he spoke. The silence between his words was a living thing, making it hard to breathe. Poseidon hated silence. “Do you want me to leave? You can just nod or shake your head.”

For a moment, he thought that Aidoneus wasn’t going to do anything—that he was just going to sit there and stare Poseidon down until he left out of sheer discomfort. But then, a tiny movevment, careful. A shake of Aidoneus’ head.

Poseidon gestured at the floor next to Aidoneus’ sickbed and asked, “Can I sit?”

A nod, this time.

Poseidon took a deep breath, let it out, and walked around Aidoneus so that he was facing the door, then dropped himself down on the floor. He could see the end of the wounds, on this side, the bandages stopping just above Aidoneus’ left wrist, and without thinking, Poseidon reached out and grabbed his brother’s hand.

Aidoneus went tense, hissed in a breath through his teeth.

“Sorry!” Poseidon released him so quickly he heard the bone at the bend of Aidoneus’ wrist knock against the floor, and he clenched his hands in his lap for fear that he might make it worse. “I didn’t think—I just, I don’t really like the dark? And it’s getting dark out, and I’m not really tired, and I didn’t think.”

That clear red eye was back on him, and Poseidon bit his tongue to shut himself up.

He remembered what it had been like, when Zeus first yanked him into a hug. Poseidon had felt like his skin was on fire from the simple act of being touched, really touchedby another person, someone he could see and feel and talk to. Zeus had thumped him on the back, and then left an arm slung around Poseidon’s shoulder as they watched Metis direct the others through stopping the worst of Aidoneus’ bleeding. They had both still had ichor on their hands, from holding Aidoneus together until they could get him real help, and Poseidon was holding a pad of bandages over half his face, waiting quietly for someone to be free to look at his wound, and somehow the thing that had sent him into a boneless pile on the ground was his brother giving him a hug.

The thing Poseidon had missed the most, in the lonely dark, was being touched. He had lived in fear of Kronos, of course, but Rhea’s hands had been so kind, the rare, precious touch of her forehead against his so warm. He had missed many things about the world, but touch—it was so simple, so essential, so shattering to have it restored after so long. It had probably scared Zeus half to death, when Poseidon simply crumpled out from under his arm and started sobbing.

And Aidoneus had been alone in that darkness, with no one but Kronos for company, for thirteen years.

Just thinking about it made Poseidon feel sick in every fiber of his body.

Poseidon didn’t realize that his eye was closed tightly until he heard, for the first time in his life, his brother’s voice. It was rusty with disuse, a broken stutter with barely enough breath to be audible, but it was a whole word.

“Hhh-h-her-re.”

Poseidon opened his eye, and—

Aidoneus was holding his hand out again. It was trembling from the effort of holding his hand off the floor, but it was there.

“I’m not gonna hurt you, am I?” Poseidon asked, already reaching out. “I don’t want to be mean, but you look really bad.” Aidoneus shook his head, hand dipping as if he was already running out of strength to hold it up.

He flinched again, just a little, when Poseidon took his hand, but this time, Poseidon didn’t let go. It took a moment, but Aidoneus’ fingers slowly relaxed in his.

Aidoneus’ hand didn’t feel summer-wind-hot, like Zeus’ did. Instead, it was cool, only slightly warmer than Poseidon’s own chill. Poseidon told Aidoneus as much, and Aidoneus watched him with that same solemn, steady gaze.

“I guess it makes sense,” Poseidon said. “I never really thought about what wealthwas like as a domain. Like, the ocean is a place, right? But metal is cold, and rocks are cold unless you leave them out in the sun. Hey, once you can stand sunlight, we should see if you hold heat, it would be like one of Metis’ things. An experiment. Has she told you about those?”

A head-shake.

“Oh, she was telling me about one the last time I got my bandages changed. Do you want me to tell you about it? I could shut up if I’m being too loud. Sometimes everything is so loud, but also, I hate it when it’s quiet. Everyone else is on a bunch of errands, and I was supposed to be letting you sleep, but it was really—quiet. I hope you weren’t actually asleep when I came in. I just figured maybe you weren’t, and if you weren’t, I would feel a little less stupid talking to you than I would talking to myself, even if you didn’t talk back, and—”

A light tug on their joined hands interrupted Poseidon mid-thought, and he looked back down at Aidoneus, startled.

“T-t-e-ll m-m—” Aidoneus couldn’t seem to get past the start of the second word, his hand becoming a fist in Poseidon’s grip as his face creased with frustration.

“Tell you—about Metis? She said that the new salve for your wounds was an experiment, I didn’t really pay attention to most of the details but I can try,” Poseidon said gamely. Aidoneus’ features slowly relaxed, and he nodded again. “Okay, so,” Poseidon said, tucking his feet under him so that he was sitting cross-legged, with Aidoneus’ hand in his lap and his other hand free to gesture. “She was saying that she found some plant, she called it comfy—or, um, comfurry, or something like that…”

#whumptober 2021 #no.6 #touch starved #lore olympus #fic #starlight writes stuff #here! something moderately comfort-y instead of exclusively hurt-y for a change!#brought to you by me thinking about how absolutely bananas touch starved these two must have been #and also about how hades goes the 'selective mutism' route for managing this specific trauma #but 'physically incapable of dealing with silence at any cost' is a totally viable alternative #anyway the plant poseidon is failing to remember the name of at the end is called 'comfrey'#also commonly called 'boneknit' or 'boneset'!#THAT is brought to you exclusively by my vast and inane knowledge of medical history #[loony toons exit music]

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reushq · 3 years ago

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February 2130. Pandora Independent reporting from Pontius on the first day of the Kalavria Summit.

Those of us who have been around long enough know: where the sun may set for one domain within Gaia, it rises for another. As the festivities for Heteraidia come to a close elsewhere, Aegean Waters begins preparations for their first Kalavria Summit - an ambitious endeavor announced nearly years in advance. Touted as a tech and media conference for Gaia’s industry leaders, innovative creators, and invited press (yours truly included, thank you very much!), the Summit is rumored to be the first of its kind in terms of sheer size, scale, and amenities offered to those invited as Pontius (and its adjacent archipelago) opens up for its largest, most glamorous public hosted event yet.

The floating leviathan has been anchored off of the Aegean Archipelago, and attendees arrive by way of private air or sea travel. Poseidon Rhea has graciously arranged shuttle ferries for those who don’t have the means to arrive on their own, though those of that ilk may find it torturously slow - especially when flurries of private aircrafts swoop in above, and passing speedboats create a continuous wake on their way to dock at the distant silhouette carved into the horizon.

As arrivals are unloaded and attendees make their way up Pontius’ main glittering stairway, those who have never had the privilege of visiting prior will find the Helicon deck greeting them first. Already normally opulent and spilling with excess and leisure, attendees will pass through an open-air twenty-four-hour bar; the largest, swear-to-Chaos shimmering outdoor pool of mosaic and marble tiles the entirety of Gaia has ever seen (serviced, of course, by dutiful attendants); and the vast Basileus Stage outfitted just for the occasion, boasting rotating acts in between summit sessions - aerialists and acrobats and fire-eaters, a live orchestra playing grand and flourishing pieces with each major arrival, and set pieces that could nearly put Delos Studio to shame.

The heart of the summit will be on the Kalavria Deck, second to uppermost, where the majority of the guests will be staying throughout the two week duration. Notably, the deck plays host to a grand, spanning ballroom housing the conference’s tech showcases, demonstrations, and panels - if you were the least bit bewitched by The Agora at the Heteraidia Festival, this expo is for you. It spans thrice the space, and boasts enough in the realms of science and technology to make The Agora look like slim pickings. In a smaller hall across from the ballroom is a space designated for press conferences, a cordoned off area reserved only for reporters and journalists to reserve interviews with any of the illustrious attendees - should they choose to accept, of course. Aegean Waters has always boasted an emphasis on transparency and open forum with the public (though we’ll see if such earnestness backfires… even those of Pontius are not immune to scandal, as we’ve come to see!)

Presiding over this technological arms race is, as always, the Arcadian Quorum. There is hardly a pocket the council doesn’t reach into, or a promising venture they fail to oversee. This endless merchant road of legates and representatives is what ensures Arcadia’s economic prospects remain as triumphal as they have been for centuries. For the duration of the summit, the following trailblazers will represent the city-states’ political and financial interests alike… as well as supervise the legal proceedings. They are there to ensure everything is equitable and above board in the action market of Pontius’ four decks.

Such concerns, of course, are only scratching the surface. Beyond anything, their purpose is to ensure the Quorum will not miss any opportunity for investment, and that both the elective body and the individual states they represent will eat well, conquer plenty, and seize with both hands.

QM Briseis Krisia - Lyrnessus state representative in the Quorum, one of the youngest elected to serve in the council at a national level, rumored to be gunning for the first nomination of a diplomat into Tartarus.

COO Clytemnestra Tyndareus - HELE-N’s COO and head of business relations for the genome mapping company, scion of the renowned Tyndareus dynasty, ready to steal the biotechnology show from the get-go.

QM Diomedes Delyle - Aetolian state representative, often found working together in a lethal duo with their wiser, more jaded counterpart, QM Odysseus Laertes. Often called upon as a financial expert, but they are best known for their reckless (and yet nearly clairvoyant) investments.

Menelaus Mycenae - Agamemon’s estranged sibling, most famous ‘professional’ actor of their generation and four time Pallantium Award winner, recently gone off the rails and running their mouth about all kinds of peculiar ventures their brother is getting into.

QM Odysseus Laertes - Ithaca state representative, former tech prodigy abandoning the industry in order to enter politics and propose a stronger tech corporate regulation reform, with notable criticism done in partnership with Nemean News and Zeus and Athena Rhea; Circe’s age-old university rival.

Orion Hyria - One of the most renowned movie directors of the past decades, worked with Artemis for a brief stint before personal divergences pulled them apart (and Zeus pulled the strings to deadlock all their most enterprising projects), now they are a creative consultant working with the Quorum’s not-so-subtle propaganda machine.

Agamemnon ‘Amon’ Mycenae (NPC) - CEO & founder of HELE-N, former protege and personal investment of Cronus Rhea, went off the grid after the magnate’s death and resurfaced under Tyndareus’ protection two decades ago.

And of course: those from Olympe and Tartarus are in attendance, with their own agendas in mind. Both visiting kings surely have their reasons for wanting to scope out the newest and biggest in tech to bring back to their respective domains, but who knows if there is something bigger that pulls all of them within the same territory yet again. Members from both factions have been invited to speak on topics relevant to their domains and industries.

Some new arrivals we’re keeping an extra eye out for this week:

SCALPEL: One event you’ll not want to miss is the demonstration by recent Aegean acquisition Scalpel, presided over by POSEIDON himself. The controversial company first made waves when its entire founding team was expelled from GemTech in one fell swoop, and has only continued to shock and scandalize ever since. Supposedly, Scalpel has been pushing the boundaries of what was previously believed possible for facial and body augmentations to newer and greater heights– though rumor has it that there is not enough data on their product’s side-effects or long-term outcomes, and that the company has a track record of prioritizing flashy developments over human safety. Whatever the truth, there’s no question that their product has been surrounded by its fair share of hype and mystery, so be sure to get your seat early!

HELE-N: One of the most buzzed about demos is surely that of HELE-N’s, conducted by AGAMEMNON. For those who may not be in the know, HELE-N is a global tech company that has stolen the spotlight as of late for pushing their industry one step past what the late Cronus Rhea pioneered, claiming the next step in age extension. Analysts are predicting immortality is within reach of HELE-N's tech - though it remains to be seen if it is more than just a rumor, it is no surprise their booth flaunts the highest crowds. Little is known about the team currently working on its development, and the mother-company seems to rotate with every report. Independently-owned, no one knows when the product is going to hit public markets, but the Three Kings are keeping their bids close to their chest - and conducting their own investigations.

Additionally, your darling Pandora lackeys have managed to snag a snapshot of the itinerary for this two-week event:

ITINERARY FOR WEEK 1

Opening Keynote Speech & Introduction to Kalavria - presented by POSEIDON

News & Tech in 2130 - a conversation between APHRODITE and ZEUS

Innovation & Invention: A Glimpse into Aegean Waters’ Future - presented by CIRCE & HEPHAESTUS

Scalpel Demonstration - hosted by POSEIDON

The Chaos Ball - Mini-event to be conducted in the IC Discord server, March 19th - 25th. A masquerade party themed around the divine power, celebrating the end of the first week. Attendees are encouraged to dress according to their interpretation of the theme, and the ball is to be held atop Helicon.

ITINERARY FOR WEEK 2

Governance & Tech in Gaia - moderated by ATHENA, panelists include ICARUS & ODYSSEUS

HELE-N Demonstration - hosted by AGAMEMNON

Talaria & Social Design - presented by HERMES

Tech & Tourism Panel - moderated by ARIADNE, panelists include HADES, NYX & BRISEIS

Final Night Festivities - Mini-event to be conducted in the IC Discord server, April 9th - 15th. Drinks by candlelight on Helicon, along with a selection of rafts and private boats, finishing off with fireworks shot under the Aegean stars.

ONGOING: LEISURE

Helicopter and glass-bottom boat tours off the coast of the archipelago

Whale-watching, snorkeling and diving around the local reef

Boat and jetski races between small local islands

Various ocean sports, including spearfishing and waterskiing

Hands-on demonstrations, notably in the realm of augmentations

Tours of the greenhouses and production facilities on Isthmia deck

Unlimited access to the spas on Kalavria deck, and hot springs on the local islands

ADMIN NOTE

Welcome to our second event, a two week summit aboard Pontius which takes place from March 5 - April 15th in real time! Feel free to set your threads anywhere on Pontius, so long as they loosely follow the guidelines of the itinerary for each in-game week. Also, remember you are encouraged to suggest locations and mini-events to the mods even if your character is not a part of the Pontius faction! Make sure you mention the date, location and general place in the itinerary at the beginning of your starters if you can (where applicable).

As you may have seen, we have peppered a few names through our event description! Besides the NPC Agamemnon Mycenae, CEO of HELE-N and a key player in the financial and political games taking place at the summit, we have also introduced six Arcadian newcomers. Their skeletons will be released in the following days, with more updates on when we start taking applications to come at the beginning of next week.

An important mention, here: due to popular request (and valid concerns) we were asked what measures we will put in place to make sure new applicants receive the same attention & equal chances as old members, who have had plenty of time to familiarize themselves with the plot and worldbuilding. Our best solution for this at the moment is to leave the skeletons exclusively available for applications by new people only. Current members who want to take a second character (or, pending admin permission, a third) are invited to apply for OCs. Updates on this OC format and guidelines will be released once all the skeletons are posted!

Additionally, players may now write ‘home base’ threads set during the two weeks between events, within their respective domains, granted they are necessary for plotting reasons– as most threads should focus on the current event!

#reusevent #ev: the hour of the leviathan #reusnotice

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toffrox · 4 years ago

Text

The Nico di Angelo Protection Squad

Read on Ao3

Summary:

Will must have known what Jason was doing, Jason was certain.

But at every move Jason made, Will simply took it in his stride. Sometimes he even had an understanding look in his eye like 'it's ok, I'm hitting on your little brother, I get it' or he'd back off for a little while with an easy shrug like 'whatever, I'm not relying on this one moment to make my move, I respect Nico's friend time'.

Jason wasn't sure whether to be infuriated or impressed.

He tried to explain this to Percy.

"Oh, no." Percy shook his head. "We are not backing down this easy." He grinned and held up a single golden drachma. "Time to call in an intimidation expert."

When rumours about Nico and Will start to spread around camp, Percy and Jason attempt to intimidate him. It doesn't go as planned.

Percy

It wasn't long after the end of the war against Gaia when the rumours started. Maybe two weeks, or three, at the most.

Even to Percy, oblivious as he usually was, they did not come as a surprise.

He was in the Athena cabin, dropping by to steal Annabeth away for a few hours, when he first heard them.

Jess and Daniel were sitting on the front steps, deep in the last couple of moves of a chess match when Percy entered the cabin. By the time he and Annabeth were leaving, they were resetting the board and gossiping idly.

"-no way they have a chance with Solace," Jess was saying. "He's totally got it bad for Nico."

"Nico?" Daniel said skeptically. "di Angelo?"

"Obviously." Jess huffed. "What other Nico is there at camp? Besides, have you seen those two together? They're as bad as-"

Annabeth tugged impatiently on Percy's hand, jerking his attention away. He threw her an incredulous glance as they stumbled across the green together, heading to the beach.

"Did you hear that?" Percy asked.

"Hear what?" said Annabeth, not looking back, still pulling him along.

"What Jess said. About Nico and Will Solace!"

"Not really. Was she saying that they need to hurry up and make out already?"

Percy spluttered in response.

"What? Are you surprised?" Annabeth shot him a look over her shoulder like, surely he couldn't be that stupid. Percy rolled his eyes.

"Well, no! Obviously not." Percy clarified. "Of course they would be adorable together. I just didn't realise it was like - camp gossip, already."

Annabeth shrugged. "The rumour mill works fast."

Percy sped up to a jog for a couple of steps so that they were walking towards the sea side by side.

"Should we be worried?" he asked.

Annabeth frowned at him, half amused, half puzzled.

"Why would we be worried?"

"I dunno, I just…" Percy scratched the back of his neck. "Nico doesn't really like being the centre of attention and like… Don't you think it's a little soon for them to be getting into a relationship?"

Annabeth barked out a laugh. "That is so none of our business, Seaweed Brain."

"What do you mean?" Percy complained. "I'm just looking out for him!"

Annabeth smirked and gave his hand another little tug. "You worry too much, Jackson. Leave the poor kid alone."

As she spoke, she reached up to tug her hair out of its ponytail, probably knowing that would distract him. It was irritatingly effective. She stopped walking for a moment to lean up and press her lips to his jaw.

Maybe she was right. He should stop worrying.

Except that a few days later, the worry crept back.

He and Nico were sitting at the Hades table together. Jason had already had breakfast since he'd been up early to go for a run, so it was just the two of them eating.

They were midway through the meal when a pair of Aphrodite campers breezed passed them. They were chattering excitedly, probably unaware of how loud they were being.

"Did you see them practicing archery together yesterday?" one of them was saying. "So. Cute."

"Oh my Gods, you have no idea. He is always finding excuses to ask for help in the infirmary just so they can spend more time together."

Percy watched Nico's shoulders stiffen and his eyes widen as they both realised who the Aphrodite kids were talking about.

Nico's head snapped up and he met Percy's eyes with something like panic. Percy tried to act casual, even as the blush overtook Nico's cheeks.

"It has been pretty busy in the infirmary lately." Percy blurted, attempting to absolve Nico of some of his mortification.

Instead, Nico's blush only deepened and he scowled down at his breakfast. He scoffed down the rest of his meal as hastily as he could and then stormed back to the Hades cabin without another word.

Percy's stomach sank.

"I just think that maybe we should talk to him, is all!" Percy was saying later that day. He was sat on one of the unused bunks in Cabin One, arms spread out in front of him as he tried to talk Jason onto his side. Jason sat on his chair, which he'd flipped around so his forearms were resting on the back.

"And say what?" Jason asked. "It's not his fault Aphrodite campers gossip."

"Duh." Percy agreed. "But like, don't you think we should be making sure that he knows that this kind of thing might freak Nico out? He probably doesn't realise that Nico's not ready for a relationship."

"Dude. What are you talking about? How do you even know that?"

"I just-" Percy sputtered helplessly. "I dunno. I just think we should say something!"

"Percy." Jason sighed. "We are not giving Will Solace a shovel talk. You are being ridiculous."

Percy huffed.

Looks like this is going to be a solo endeavour, then.

He had been so sure that Jason would be on his side.

Will

It was late in the summer and a slow week for camp injuries. Will pattered around the infirmary, making beds. He was the only one on duty that afternoon.

At around 3o'clock, he got an unexpected visitor.

"Oh, hey Percy." He called, smiling up at the son of Poseidon.

Percy stood in the infirmary doorway. He had a strange look on his face, like he was mad about something. His black hair was getting shaggy and his sea green eyes were darker than usual. He wore a raggedy looking camp t-shirt and swim trunks and Riptide was hanging at his waist in sword form.

Sword form? That was odd.

Will's smile turned curious.

"Hello, Will." Percy returned his greeting, oddly formal.

"How's it going?" Will asked cheerily and Percy's eyes narrowed in suspicion. There was a pause. "Are… you alright?"

He kept his tone light, waiting patiently for Percy to find his words.

"I'm fine." Percy shrugged dismissively. "I just came by to…" He glanced around the infirmary, shoulders relaxing when he found it was only the two of them. "I actually came by to talk to you about something…" Percy made his way into the room, gaining confidence. "About Nico."

"Oh."

Will felt a thrill of nerves run through him.

Not out of any kind of guilt. Instead he found himself trying not to blush at the way his heart thudded at the mention of Nico's name.

Oh Gods. Percy knew about Will's feelings for Nico. Or he'd heard the rumours and was coming here to tell him Nico wasn't interested.

The tips of Will's fingers burned with mortification at the thought.

Calm down. The rational part of his brain cut over his rapidly spiralling train of thought. If you freak out and he doesn't actually know about your massive, embarrassing crush then the fact that you're having a panic attack about it will make it super freaking obvious.

He forced his limbs to stay casual and hopped up onto the bed he had just fixed up.

"Sure." He said, voice still as breezy as he could manage. He gestured for the bed opposite him. "We can talk."

Percy kept his eyes narrowed as he glanced at the bed and then back to Will. He took a seat.

There was a long silence.

"Sooo, what about Nico did you want to talk about?" Will asked. He hoped that didn't come out too snarky.

Percy raised one eyebrow and then seemed to psych himself up. He straightened his back and adjusted his sword, looking broader than he usually did.

"Well." Percy cleared his throat. "I've been hearing some rumours about you guys."

"Right." Will said carefully. He waited for Percy to clarify. This seemed to annoy Percy a little. Will smiled, hoping to ease the tension.

"Right. And er- I guess I just wondered… if there's any truth to them? To the rumours, I mean."

Percy watched Will's face so intently that Will couldn't help but feel a silent laugh tug at the corner of his mouth.

"What rumours are you talking about exactly?" He asked, still ever so casual.

Percy looked irritated.

Ok, don't overdo it, Solace.

"If you mean the ones about us being a couple then-" Will shrugged. "We're just friends."

"Right." Percy said again. "But do you maybe wish that you were more than friends?"

Will's heart thudded.

Casual. Keep it casual.

"Sure." Will smiled. "I mean, Nico's awesome. Right?"

Percy remained suspicious. Will wasn't deterred.

"I wasn't planning on making any moves though."

"You weren't?" Percy blinked.

Will laughed. "Of course not. I don't think he'd be comfortable with that considering how much other campers have been gossiping about it." As he spoke Will raised one pointed eyebrow. Percy had the decency to look embarrassed.

"Right. Ok." He said. He nodded himself, like he was trying to reassure himself of something, then puffed himself up like he had done at the start of the conversation and put one hand on Riptide again. "Well. Good. I agree."

Will's eyes rested on Percy's sword hand for a second. He smirked.

There was another silence, in which Percy attempted to stare him down. Will just tilted his head in a question.

"Is that all?" He asked.

"Um." Percy jumped up, looking a little deflated. "Yeah. Sure. That's all."

Will grinned and jumped to his feet too.

"Ok, cool. Well, see you round, Percy." He reached out to clap Percy on the shoulder and then turned his back, heading to the infirmary storage to get another set of fresh sheets.

Once he finally he heard Percy leave behind him, he let out a long breath and ran a hand through his hair.

Ok, so Percy Jackson knows about your crush on Nico di Angelo. It's not that big of a deal.

He tried to get his heartbeat under control as he snatched up a pile of linen and returned to the infirmary floor. He tried not to think about how nothing Percy said implied that Nico might feel the same way. He tried to feel relieved that at least Percy hadn't told him that Nico was sick of spending time in the infirmary.

He felt a shy smile creep onto his face as he thought about Nico. He thought about how embarrassed Nico got whenever another camper made a comment about them. He thought about the cute way his eyebrows knit together in confusion when someone complimented him. He thought about silky ink-black hair and shattered glass eyes.

He sighed wistfully into the empty infirmary.

Gods, Solace. You need to get a grip.

Jason

Percy barged into Cabin One, Riptide in one hand and the other hand carding through his hair in frustration.

"Impossible! He is the worst!"

Jason glanced up from where he was laying on his bunk, letting the book he was reading fall closed onto his chest.

"What?" He frowned at Percy, who was now pacing distractedly around his cabin.

Jason checked the statue of Zeus warily, hoping the sudden appearance of an enraged son of Poseidon wouldn't result in another indoor thunderstorm.

"That guy is impossible!" Percy said through gritted teeth.

"What guy? What are we talking about?" Jason asked, sitting up.

"Will Solace!" Percy cried out right at the moment he pivoted, still pacing. "I went to the infirmary to tell him he needed to quit flirting with Nico-"

"You did what?!" Jason's eyebrows flew up.

"-But then I couldn't even get the proper words out because he was so friendly and reasonable!"

Percy capped Riptide back into ballpoint pen and shoved it in his pocket, looking thoroughly pissed off that Will Solace had had the nerve to be a decent person. Jason stared at him, nonplussed.

"Percy, you do realise you sound insane right now, right?" Jason said dryly.

Percy glared at him.

"What did you even say to him?" Jason asked.

"Well I asked him if the rumours about him having a thing for Nico was true." Percy said, ignoring Jason's eye roll. "And he said yes. But then before I could say anything else he said he wasn't planning on making any moves because he knows that the rumours make Nico uncomfortable and he thinks Nico is awesome."

Jason couldn't help but smirk at the utterly disgusted look on Percy's face as he recounted Will's words. This earned him another glare from Percy.

"Hey, don't laugh!" He complained. Jason tried his best not to.

"Why don't you ask Annabeth to talk to him?" Jason suggested.

Both he and Percy knew that Annabeth was the most feared person at camp.

"She won't talk to me about it." Percy grumbled. "Says it's none of my business."

"It is none of your business." Jason agreed. Percy glared at him again.

"But she also says she doesn't need to talk to him, because she says he's smart enough not to be an idiot about a camp rumour!"

"She's right about that too." said Jason. "Look, I told you not to talk to him. Will's a nice guy. Everyone likes him. I don't get why you're so worried."

Percy's eyes narrowed.

"I'm telling you, man. This is not a good thing." He insisted. "I went in there trying to express how I was worried about Nico, and instead he just laughed at me and I looked like a total dork."

"I mean, in Will's defence, you are a total dork." Jason pointed out.

Percy simply shook his head gravely.

"You wait. This can only mean bad things for us."

Over the next couple of weeks, as summer wound to a close, Jason continued to be unworried both by the rumours swirling around Will and Nico, and Percy's suspicious glances.

Every time Will and Nico arrived at the dining pavilion together, prompting heads to duck together and whispers to erupt at the Apollo and Aphrodite tables. Every time Nico blushed when Will waved at him at the campfire or called to him across the green in the mornings. Jason always heard a voice in his head, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Piper that said 'Will's a decent guy. And Nico can handle himself' or, 'This is cute. Nico deserves a friend like Will'.

It wasn't until after most of the summer campers had gone back to school and the Fall year-rounder season began that Jason began to see exactly where Percy was coming from.

Percy and Annabeth had returned to the city for school, both staying with Sally and Paul. Piper and Jason were staying at camp for a couple more weeks before heading out to search for Leo together.

In the quiet of the Fall season at camp, Nico and Jason had formed a daily routine together.

Jason woke up, went on a run, showered. Then he dropped by Cabin Thirteen and if Nico was awake they went to breakfast together. They trained together with the Ares cabin and whoever else wanted spar practice for most of the morning. Then lunch. Then, in the afternoon they'd split off for some kind of camp activity. Jason usually used that time to do research for his temples. Nico often hung out with Piper or helped the Athena cabin run mythology class. Lately, he'd been spending that time in the infirmary instead, helping the Apollo kids on duty.

And Will Solace was always on duty.

It was around the third or fourth day in a row that Nico arrived at dinner with Will and ate with Jason only to promptly leave the Zeus table and rejoin Will to spend the whole evening in the Apollo cabin that Jason started to realise that maybe this whole rumour thing wasn't just a rumour anymore. And that maybe Will's promise to Percy that he wasn't going to make a move had been forgotten.

Sometimes Piper noticed Jason watching the two of them walking together or planning a project on the deck of the Apollo cabin or sitting together at the campfire. She rolled her eyes at him, but never said anything.

One night, Jason was walking back to his cabin after an evening catch up with Thalia at the Iris cabin fountain when he spotted Will and Nico walking across the green together. Jason paused where he stood, in the shadow of the Hypnos cabin, so they wouldn't see him. It looked like Will was walking Nico back to his cabin for the night.

When they arrived at the steps to Cabin Thirteen, Jason noted how close together they were standing. At one point, Will reached out and put his hand on Nico's arm and Jason was shocked that Nico didn't pull back.

Nico leaned forward slightly to say something and Will tilted his head inward to listen, then threw it back in a laugh. Nico was grinning.

Jason saw Will give Nico a hug goodnight and then retreat across the green to Cabin Seven. Nico hesitated in the doorway of his cabin, watching Will leave.

Jason stood in the shadow of the Hypnos cabin, blinking dumbly for several minutes after Nico had disappeared behind the Hades cabin door.

His rational brain warred with a familiar protective instinct.

Nico seemed so smitten with Will. But why hadn't he said anything to Jason? Or talked about it with Piper, even? Why did he always change the subject whenever Will came up, even in the most innocent context?

Will clearly still had feelings for Nico, as he had confessed to Percy several weeks ago now. But why was he walking Nico home at night and inviting him to come and help in the infirmary all the time if he wasn't planning on acting on his crush?

Jason knew Nico could take care of himself. And he knew Will was a nice guy. And he knew that Nico deserved to be happy and loved.

And yet he couldn't shake the feeling that this was a risk.

'I'm telling you. This can only mean bad things.' Percy's words rang in Jason's ear.

From that moment, Jason resolved to be more attentive and more firm whenever he was around Will.

The next morning, Jason passed Will on his morning run. Will was just coming back from a hike with his siblings, fresh-faced and sunny as always.

As Jason passed the three Apollo kids he threw Will his best wolf-glare. Will raised his hand in a cheery wave, as if he hadn't even noticed.

At breakfast, Jason stared Will down across the pavilion. He was laughing and chatting with Kayla about something. He didn't look up once.

"Are you ok?" Nico asked. Jason nodded grumpily.

At the end of the meal Will jogged over and to chat with Nico. Nico's face lit up as they talked. Before he left, Will threw Jason a friendly grin.

"Hey, Jason." he said, before inviting Nico to hang in the infirmary with him that night.

At the next campfire, Jason made sure to be there early. He tugged Piper along to sit with Nico, taking Will's usual spot. Piper eyed him suspiciously.

When Will arrived, Jason watched him carefully, searching for a sign of disappointment that his seat had been taken.

Instead, Will barely seemed to notice. He gave Jason and Piper a breezy smile, then took up a seat beside Cecil and Connor, chatting with them. When Nico craned round to look for Will, he flashed him a quick smile too but didn't stop his conversation with the Hermes campers.

For some reason this comparative lack of attention to Nico made Jason even madder than the constant attention.

At Friday's head counsellor meeting, Jason was irritable. He shot down Will's admittedly good ideas for a new rota on music and archery training.

Jason could hear the pettiness in his voice as he spoke, but instead of arguing, Will just shrugged.

"Fair enough." He said easily.

Like it was no big deal at all.

That afternoon, Percy arrived at camp. He was planning to stay the night.

When he, Jason and Nico hit the arena to spar together, Jason noticed that Will dropped by to watch. He noticed how Will paid more attention to the matches Nico was in and cheered whenever Nico won.

Percy locked eyes with Jason at one point and Jason realised that Percy had noticed it too.

"You were totally right!" Jason said at dinner that night. Nico had left already with Will and the rest of the Apollo cabin for a music night in their cabin.

Percy looked at Jason in surprise.

"About what?"

"About Will!" Jason cried. "I've been trying to intimidate him all week because it seems like he's totally going to make a move on Nico, but it's like he's just ignoring me!"

Percy's mouth dropped open.

"I knew it!" He gasped. "See, I told you!"

"I know, I know." Jason dropped his head in his hands. "I just didn't get it when you said."

The thing was, Jason knew deep down that his actions to try and intimidate Will were immature. Especially without having talked to Nico about it. Except that Will's reaction didn't match up that way.

When Will grinned or waved at him after Jason glared or snapped, it wasn't malicious and it wasn't taunting. It wasn't ignorant either. Will must know what Jason was doing, Jason was certain. But at every move Jason made, Will simply took it in his stride. Sometimes he even had an understanding look in his eye like 'it's ok, I'm hitting on your little brother, I get it' or he'd back off for a little while with an easy shrug like 'whatever, I'm not relying on this one moment to make my move, I respect Nico's friend time'.

Jason wasn't sure whether to be infuriated or impressed.

He tried to explain this to Percy. Percy shook his head.

"Oh, no." Percy insisted. "We are not backing down this easy."

A curious gleam appeared in Percy's eyes. Determined and mischievous.

"So what do we do?" Jason asked.

Percy withdrew something from his pocket and held it up for Jason to see. It was a golden drachma. Percy grinned.

"We consult an intimidation expert."

Reyna

Reyna was hanging out in the Praetor's rec room when the Iris message came through.

Jason and Percy were sat on what looked like a bunk in the Poseidon cabin, their arms crossed and expressions serious.

Reyna straightened up immediately and frowned at them, alert and ready. "Hey guys. What's going on?"

"We need your advice." Percy said without preamble. Jason nodded.

"It's about Nico." Jason added.

Reyna quirked an eyebrow. Her battle instincts relaxed somewhat and she eased herself into a bean bag chair.

"Ok. I'm listening." she said.

The two boys exchanged a look, as if they hadn't thought this far ahead. After some kind of silent conversation, Jason took the lead.

"So we think that Nico might have a crush. On one of the campers here." He began.

Reyna blinked.

Ok. So that was… not what she was expecting.

Her mind ran quickly over the last couple of catch ups she'd had with Nico, scanning their interactions for new names Nico might have mentioned.

"It's Will Solace." Percy said, before she could land on that answer herself. "He's the head of the Apollo cabin."

"Right. That makes sense." Reyna said. When Jason and Percy looked at her quizzically, Reyna shrugged. "Nico never shuts up about him."

"Really?" Jason appeared momentarily distracted from his explanation of the problem. He leaned forward eagerly. "What does he say?"

Reyna narrowed her eyes at them. "Are you two trying to get gossip out of me? I didn't realise I was on the phone to two sons of Venus."

Jason and Percy exchanged highly insulted looks, which Reyna generously decided she would never mention to Piper.

"Why is Nico's crush on Will Solace a problem?" Reyna asked. "Does he not like Nico back?"

Reyna's stomach twisted uncomfortably at the thought. From the stuff Nico had told her about how great Will was and the time they had started spending together, it certainly didn't sound like this crush was unreciprocated. But then again, Reyna had seen Nico's memories of his crush on Percy, and those early days had been plenty filled with romantic daydreams too. She hated to think that Nico might be in for another long stint of falling for a friend who didn't love him back.

Her uncertainty didn't last long however. Percy had scoffed at her suggestion and Jason was shaking his head.

"Oh no, he likes Nico. He likes Nico a lot. If anything we have the opposite problem." He said gravely.

"Your problem is… Nico has a crush on someone… and he likes Nico back?" she said slowly.

Percy nodded. "Exactly."

Reyna found her eyebrow quirking up once more. "I don't see the issue here."

Jason rubbed his palm against his face, knocking his glances askew and looking even more frazzled by whatever it is that was worrying him.

"The issue is that Will Solace is impossible!" He cried out in exasperation. Percy nodded again and threw himself onto his back on the bunk behind them in commiseration. Reyna tried not to laugh. She was still intensely confused.

"I thought that Will was pretty popular at camp?" She said. Her own memories of Will were positive. She remembered a warm smile and expert commanding of both the Greek and Roman medics, seamlessly coordinating the end of the battle against Gaia into a healing and rescue operation. She'd spent a bit of time with Frank in the infirmary after the battle and remembered being impressed with how calm and cheerful he had been with his patients, even though he must have been dead on his feet.

She also knew that Annabeth spoke very highly of him. That and Nico practically gushed about how nice he was whenever it came up.

Percy and Jason either did not seem to have these memories, or they did have them and they were somehow making all of this worse. Percy scowled and Jason's mouth twisted in distaste.

"He is popular." Percy growled out. "Obviously. He's impossible not to like!"

"Ok, so why is that a bad thing?" Reyna asked.

"Because he's been flirting with Nico!" Jason burst out, finally getting to the heart of the problem. "And everyone at camp is like egging them on which obviously makes Nico super uncomfortable, but then when we've tried to talk to Will about it he just ends up acting all reasonable."

Reyna frowned. Again.

"Reasonable." She repeated.

"Yeah!" Percy said, as if being reasonable was the very worst thing you could be.

"So uh… What exactly did you need my help with?" Reyna questioned.

Jason scooted forwards on his chair, all business.

"We need you to help us try and intimidate him." He said, clasping his hands together.

"Intimidate him?"

"Yes." Percy said eagerly. "We need someone to get through to him. Who better than Nico's toughest and most scary friend?"

"Thanks?" Reyna quipped.

"You're welcome." Percy said sincerely.

"You guys, why would I need to intimidate someone who is universally liked and who Nico also likes?"

"Because." Jason said, shaking one finger slightly manically in the manner of someone about to explain a conspiracy theory. "Because Nico is our friend. And he's been through a lot. Especially when it comes to his crushes-" He paused here to throw Percy a look, at which Percy had the decency to look guilty, "- and Will doesn't know that. And he said that he wasn't going to make a move on Nico when he clearly is!"

"Yeah!" Percy chipped in. "And we care about him so we need to warn him that if he does anything to hurt Nico we are going to kick his ass!"

It took a lot of physical restraint for Reyna to not roll her eyes.

"Jason, Nico is just as powerful as either of you. And way more powerful than me." She said. "Couldn't he just kick Will's ass himself?"

Jason shook his head and wagged his finger at her again. "Would he, though?" he said.

Reyna's first instinct was to laugh. But then she thought about it properly.

When Nico got hurt by monsters, or by assholes like Bryce Lawrence or Octavian, then sure, his tendency was to kick some ass…

But when Nico got hurt by people he cared about, well… He tended to blame himself. If Will Solace hurt him, it didn't seem all that unlikely that Nico might convince himself that he deserved to be treated that way.

After all, that's what he had convinced himself of in the past. That's what he was still trying to un-convince himself of…

Percy and Jason must have seen the shift of attitude in her face because they were both straightening up hopefully.

"Ok." She said slowly. "Ok, I see your problem. So what's so difficult about talking to Will about it?"

Percy leaned in eagerly. "Seriously, Reyna, this guy is literally impossible to psych out. Every time we've tried he either ignores us or laughs it off. He's like a wizard." Percy shook his head with a kind of starstruck look that Reyna had only seen on him when talking about Annabeth in combat. She fought another urge to laugh.

Jason wasn't laughing. He looked at Reyna through the Iris message with startling earnestness. Reyna pictured Will Solace in her mind and tried to conjure up everything she knew about him and other people she knew like him.

"Ok." She said, deep in thought. "Ok. Let me think on it. And the next time there's a visit from Camp Half Blood, I'll help you."

The next visit from Camp Half Blood turned out to be only ten days later.

Reyna, Frank and Hazel stood at the entrance to Camp Jupiter ready to greet them. When Hazel cried out and ran forward to wrap Nico in a hug, Reyna's eyes zeroed in on the blond kid who stood just behind Nico.

He didn't seem as relaxed as he usually did, which Reyna took as a good sign. But it could just be that this was his first visit to a new place.

Reyna and Frank greeted Chiron and the other campers. Almost all the year rounders were here, along with Percy and Annabeth who had tagged along to have their monthly Argo II reunion.

The trip had been arranged with Chiron to show the Greeks how things worked at Camp Jupiter, so for much of the first half of the day, Reyna found herself stuck firmly in Praetor mode. She and Frank sat with Chiron, Annabeth and Grover (the East coast's designated leader figures) at the welcome feast in the mess hall. Then, they led the entire camp on a highlights tour around Camp Jupiter.

The whole time, Reyna had one eye on Nico. He was usually wedged in at either Hazel or Will's side. In both cases he seemed relaxed and happy. Reyna did not miss the stolen smiles that Will kept throwing Nico's way, or the way he almost glowed whenever Nico laughed. At one of these moments, Reyna looked up to see Jason catching her eye. He nodded gravely.

Reyna knew she should be happy to see Nico so happy. And she was. Really...

But she couldn't get Jason's words from their chat ten days ago out of her head.

She watched the way that Will bantered with Hazel over the feast, making Hazel throw her head back with laughter, utterly charmed. She watched the way this made Nico grin dopily at Will over his cup. On Nico's other side, Percy narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

It should have been funny. And honestly, Reyna really did like Will. She fully intended for them to be good friends, eventually. But she needed to have a more serious conversation with him first.

After the camp tour, Frank announced that he'd be conducting a more thorough tour of the barracks and armoury. The Ares kids eagerly agreed and Kayla bounced along at Frank's side, enquiring hopefully if he could include a swing-by of the archery range.

Reyna turned to Will then, locking eyes with Jason and sharing a knowing glance before she did so.

"Will, would you like to see our infirmary set up?" She asked.

If her overly formal tone bothered Will, he didn't show it. His eyes lit up at the suggestion.

"Definitely!" He agreed.

"I'll come." Nico piped up from beside him.

"No, Nico, you should go with Jason." Reyna said firmly. "He said he'd show the others Temple Hill."

Nico frowned. "But I've already seen Temple Hill."

Reyna scrambled for a reasonable excuse to give him.

"I uhhh, wanted your opinion on the placement of some new Underworld God shrines." Jason cut in hastily.

Nico's frown deepened. Reyna forced a fake smile which prompted him to throw her a deeply suspicious look.

"Right, well we'll meet you at the gates to the city later then!" She said in a falsely authoritative tone. Nico scowled.

Reyna turned to Will, who looked perplexed.

"Ready, Solace?"

Will, bless him, smiled at her. "Sure." He shrugged.

In the infirmary, Reyna found it tricky to maintain her resolve.

As Annabeth, Percy, Jason, Piper and of course Nico had all pointed out to her, Will Solace was infuriatingly nice.

Will's smile was like sunshine personified. Which, she supposed, he basically was.

When they arrived, Will greeted his Roman half-siblings warmly. Rather than attempt to maintain the authority he had commanded in the Camp Half Blood infirmary, he quickly shifted into a polite and inquisitive guest, asking lots of intelligent questions and complimenting their storage systems.

He was excited to meet Pranjal again, the son of Asclepius and the head of Camp Jupiter's infirmary. Pranjal explained to Reyna that Will had been told by Apollo that he shared many of the powers of Asclepius, which was quite rare for a child of Apollo.

"Had to be some benefits to completely missing out on any music or archery talents." Will quipped.

Annoyingly, Reyna suspected that even this comment was simply Will being humble. At one point when one of the Apollo legacies threw a bottle of unicorn draught over for Will to inspect, he caught it in one hand effortlessly and later threw it back across the room without even looking. His aim was perfect.

He chatted to the Apollo and Asclepius children and legacies about Apollo himself and whether anyone had heard from him. When he talked about his father, Reyna saw genuine worry and care in his eyes. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen from a demigod towards their godly parent.

When Will spoke to Reyna he was cheery and unaffected by her military posture or Praetor's regalia.

Usually Reyna liked it when campers treated her like everyone else, rather than revering her in her position. But she couldn't help but think that in this particular scenario a little reverence would have been to her advantage.

They walked up the road to New Rome together, just the two of them, and Reyna picked her moment.

"Listen, Will." She said sternly. She drew herself up to her full height and straightened her cloak. Will was walking beside her, completely at ease. His body language did not change when Reyna adjusted her tone. "I was talking to Jason over Iris message last week." She began.

"Ah, is this about Nico?" Will asked. His eyes sparkled knowingly. He reminded Reyna of one of the older legacies that ran an intro to self-defence class for new campers: always one step ahead of everyone, but never flaunting his power.

"I-" Reyna scowled at him. "Yeah. It is actually."

Will laughed, though Reyna didn't miss his blush.

"Jason's been giving me his wolf stare for like a month now. I figured he'd maybe talk to you about it." Will spoke as if he was talking about the weather, or a camp chore schedule. "It's ok." Will chuckled. "Go ahead and give me the speech."

Reyna opened and closed her mouth, then steeled her resolve, refocusing. She wasn't going to let him psych her out.

"Look, I know you're not an idiot, Solace." She said brusquely. "And neither is Percy or Jason. They know you've been messing with them."

Will had the nerve to look curious at that.

"But I am not messing around here." She pressed on. "Nico is the bravest kid I know. Possibly one of the bravest demigods ever."

She glared full force at Will, daring him to respond. Will's face remained smooth and calm.

"I agree." He said softly, eyes not leaving Reyna's face.

"He doesn't trust easily." Reyna continued. "But you, with all your healing and diplomacy, have convinced him to trust you. And, I'm not saying you're not trustworthy. Obviously, the kids at Camp Half Blood all respect you. And I'm not saying that Nico can't make his own decisions, because we both know what he'd do to us if either of us tried to suggest that to him." Here, Will let slip an amused smile, looking a little lovesick in a way that further sharpened Reyna's focus. "But Solace, listen."

She stopped walking and grabbed Will's shoulder with one hand. Will was strong but Reyna turned him around to face her easily. She took a step closer. She was taller than him, just, and used the full weight of her Praetor authority as she locked eyes with him.

"You don't understand yet how much it means to have Nico di Angelo trust you. But if you're lucky, one day you will."

Will seemed to let that sink in. He still didn't look intimidated, though he was listening intently.

"Now, I'm not telling you what to do, Solace. But I am telling you this." Reyna ramped up the ferocity in her stare, channeling her training with Lupa as best as she could. "If you do anything- if you make one move that proves to me that you're not deserving of that trust. If you make one mistake and you hurt him, then Nico won't be the only one with an intimate knowledge of the Underworld. You got that?"

Will's eyes widened as she spoke. He leaned away ever so slightly. And for one glorious moment, Reyna thought she had succeeded.

And then, that sunshine sparkle returned to his clear blue eyes.

And Will Solace laughed.

The way he was was smiling at her… He looked almost fond.

"I can see why Nico likes you." He said warmly. His arm and shoulder was relaxed in Reyna's grip.

Reyna's jaw dropped even as she tried to scowl at him.

"You think this is funny, Solace?" She growled.

Will shook his head, still laughing. "No, no, of course not." He assured her. "I believe that you'll hurt me. I just really don't think you've got anything to worry about."

He looked so sure, so innocent, so smitten with Nico. It pissed Reyna off.

She glared at him again and stuck out one foot, pushing against the back of Will's calf and knocking him off balance. He cried out but Reyna maintained her grip on his arm so he didn't tumble to the ground with too much force.

Even so, he was on the ground. He looked around, disoriented, from his newfound horizontal position. Reyna towered over him.

"I told you I wasn't messing around." She said, one hand on her dagger hilt. Will instantly raised his hands in surrender, though his smile did not waver.

"I know, I know, I believe you!" He said quickly. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, but let Reyna maintain her position standing over him. His grin slowly softened. "Listen, you're a really good friend. But I promise, I'm not messing with you."

Reyna maintained her glare. Will remained unaffected.

"Seriously, Reyna. The last thing in the world I would ever do is hurt Nico. Swear it on the Styx and everything. Or on the Tiber, or whatever body of water it is that you make oaths to over here." His mouth twitched at the joke.

Reyna's resolve was slipping, though she was still annoyed that her intimidation tactic was proving so ineffective.

Will seemed to understand her dilemma. He leaned backwards, giving Reyna even more height on him, and held out one hand in a truce.

"I'll make you a deal." He said confidently. "If I ever hurt Nico, I'll report straight to you to get what's coming to me. I'll even swing by Hazel, Percy and Jason afterwards too, as a bonus."

Infuriatingly, he winked.

Despite it all, Reyna felt her frustration reluctantly ebb away. She leant forward to clasp Will's hand, hauling him up to his feet as she did so.

"Throw in a report to Annabeth, Solace, and you've got yourself a deal." She smirked.

At that, a kind of worry passed ever so briefly over Will's face. Reyna felt a brief stab of competitiveness.

Damn you, Chase.

Before she could think on that any further, the moment had gone. Will was smiling his sunny grin at her and firmly shaking their clasped hands.

Later that day, Percy and Jason joined Reyna where she was sitting with a mug of her favourite hot chocolate.

"How'd it go?" Jason asked quietly. He glanced surreptitiously around them to make sure no one was watching.

Reyna let out a sigh. Together, they watched Nico and Will chatting animatedly, walking alongside a thoroughly bemused Frank Zhang.

"I think it's time we gave it up, boys." She said, finally admitting defeat. "You were right. Will Solace is impossible not to like."

#super long oneshot #FanFiction WIP #headcanon #Nico di Angelo protection squad #Nico di Angelo #Will solace #Pining #will solace pining #solangelo #will and nico #nico and reyna friendship #nico and percy friendship #jason and percy friendship #jercy vibes though i won't lie #nico and jason friendship #will solace is a sweetheart #nico has good friends

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for-i-am-dying-of-such-love · 4 years ago

Text

a prelude (...the wanting comes in waves...)

Happy Valentine’s Day my loves! I’ve been working on this fic for a week or two now, and I was hoping it would be finished in time for today. Only, it’s not quite there yet. Buuuuuuuuuuuut, I was really tied to the idea of sharing something with you, so I’m going to post the first half of it here for you to enjoy while there’s still some Valentine’s Day left on the clock (at least here in the EST time zone).

This isn’t on AO3 yet, but it will be once it’s complete. In the meantime, you can read some of it below the cut.

Thanks to @moddieeee and @tunemyart for filling my brain with all of the WFC feels. I love you both dearly; you inspire me in so many ways. Smooches!

UPDATE: you can now read this on AO3!

a prelude (...the wanting comes in waves...)

It’s a curiosity at first. After the curtain call, before the reception. The single red rose that falls at her feet. Tossed in a soft arc from the balcony of the Imperial Box. From the hands of the Empress, no less. Gabrielle is careful to retrieve the lady’s favour from the stage, in clear view of the woman who was so moved to offer it. Bends low with delicate fingers to scoop it up to join the bouquet already nestled under one arm. Gaze intent on the keen eyes that cut through the distance between them, because, she tells herself, it would be impolite to look away. Adds the bloom to the others - nonchalant now, attention elsewhere - as if it were just another token bestowed upon her by any other appreciative fan. But even as she tucks it away, her fingers wind around the long, smooth stem and linger there, like the peculiar feeling that suddenly creeps across her chest and down her spine to settle in the dangerous spaces behind her knees.

She thinks she hears her name, a whisper dancing on the shell of her ear, a voice most familiar though she’s sure she’s never heard it. She scans the faces in the audience, listens behind the sounds for the murmur that is so close and yet so impossibly far, but is met with generous applause and nothing else. Except that peculiar feeling again. This time pulling her attention upwards once more. To that gaze, those eyes, only this time when her own eyes sweep the balcony she finds it empty. It’s something like grief that washes over her then, as her fingers tighten of their own accord around the Empress’ rose, and she prays to Aphrodite for the crowd to give her leave. They clap on instead.

When, at last, she steps backstage after the final round of bows, someone from her troupe offers helpfully to take the flowers from her. To put them away in the cozy dressing room she’s made into her writing space during her stay in Rome - so she can go on ahead to the splashy little soiree Caesar’s people have too loudly announced is in her honour for it to be anything other than just an excuse for the city’s most vapid and ambitious hangers-on to primp and preen and be seen by the Emperor. But Gabrielle declines the stagehand’s offer, hugs the roses a little closer to her chest, hopes no one notices the protective embrace, and makes some private joke about needing a few quiet moments to herself before being thrown to the wolves. There’s a shared chuckle, and then she’s making her way through the din and disarray of actors - unencumbered by further professional obligations and hungry for Rome’s after-dark delights - planning their evening’s exploits as they go about packing up for the night.

And it isn’t a lie - her excuse for wanting to hang back a while - at least not exactly. It’s no secret among her players that she hates these types of events - the lavish parties; the vanity for vanity’s sake; but maybe most of all, the prideful, boastful, gilded arrogance of self-important men and their mistresses (never their wives) as they condescend her intelligence with feigned interest in her plays and their insipid conversation. No, she’d much prefer to while away her free nights in whatever seedy-looking tavern she stumbled upon, with its day-old stew and watered-down port, trading bawdy jokes with the locals and flirting with the busty barmaids. Until a drunken fight cleared out the place. Or the sun peaked above the horizon. Whichever came first - though, Gabrielle always, not-so-secretly, hoped for a fight.

There was something oddly nostalgic, unusually comforting about the back-alley watering holes she’d wander into, though she could never reason why. She almost never visited the same establishment twice. Hadn’t even set foot in one until she found her way to Athens. Fresh-faced and hellbent on making a name for herself with her stories. Fuelled by a dewy-eyed confidence born from leaving behind - by way of an open window in the middle of the night on the eve of her wedding - the lonely, unfulfilling life she’d endured in the small, farming village of her youth. Mostly, though, it seemed her favourite spots were dimly lit; smelled of stale ale and horseshit and someone’s stomach’s misplaced dinner; and were almost always the preferred refuge of at least one soused lout with a lecherous grin and a pair of wandering hands. But they reminded her of the strange and fantastic adventures she once dreamt of having - back when she was still a slip of a girl who looked for pictures in the stars, and wished on the falling ones for someone special to share her secrets with - so she kept finding her way back to them, watching the door between rounds, waiting.

There would be no tawdry tales to tell from the underbelly of Rome tonight - at least not from her lips. Because, as it turns out, even the most sought-after wordsmiths - yes, even those summoned to Rome at the behest of the Imperial Court - have bills to pay. And stuffy parties - no matter how dull, or overflowing with pompous pissants - sparkle with the promise of patronage, enough to pay the bills and then some, when Gabrielle plays her part well. After all, what good are her words and the lessons they teach if no one ever hears them? So, she had long ago learned to smile obligingly, and swallow the impertinence on her tongue with the sip of her wine.

She just needs a moment to centre herself first. A few deep breaths and a head-start on the wine - just a quaff or two or three - reinforcements for the long night ahead. Nothing unusual there. Nothing except the red hot flush at the back of her neck; the bloom of curious wonder in her belly. She picks her way through the whorl of bodies and props and cloth in the theatre’s back of house, the peal of laughter, the good-natured ribbing being tossed in her direction as she passes. Her mind is leagues removed from its routine musings about the tedium in store for her this evening. She can’t seem to shake the Empress from her thoughts, and it prickles at her senses - some portent of danger? A spell to stupefy her? Indigestion from too much garum splashed on her supper?

She sighs, and pushes the fascination from her mind as she pushes aside the heavy curtain to her makeshift workspace. But images of the Empress - impressive and alluring in her height and bearing, draped in diaphanous gold silk and completely disarming with her patrician beauty - slip back into her thoughts as easily as she slips into the quiet of the small room. And, those eyes. The way they cut to the quick of her. She searches her memory for their exact shade, but can’t quite see beyond the shadows cast over the balcony by flickering lamplight. Remembers, only, that they reminded her of the sea under a new moon - so deep and dangerous in their pull that even Poseidon would be powerless to help anyone caught up in the eddy of her gaze.

And even now, nearly half a candlemark later, Gabrielle can still feel the Empress’ eyes on her, as surely as she can feel the Empress’ rose in her hand - pressing up against the flat of her palm - as surely as she feels the bite of imaginary thorns as they dig into her flesh. She knows the stem is bare but the sting is real, and when she looks down at her clasped hand, she still half expects to see a trickle of blood peeking out from between her fingers, stark against her fair skin.

She sighs again, and with the shake of her head, moves with quick, purposeful strides to the water jug on her writing desk. It’s only half-full, and the roses will make it a little top-heavy, but there’s no time to look for something else, and the flowers are much too beautiful to let go to waste, so it will have to do for now. Her hands shake in time with her nervous breath as she slips the bouquet into the carafe, though she’s careful to lay the one from the Empress aside. She’s confused by it - the power it seems to hold over her - but also by the Empress’ arresting stare; the swell of curious feelings that she just can’t escape; the fact that she should even be in Rome in the first place. A farmer’s daughter who stole away in the middle of the night to chase after stories and… love.

She decides she needs a drink.

So, she turns to the decanter of brandy left out by her hosts, pours a generous swig into a finely-etched glass snifter, throws it back in one quick swallow, then repeats the process for good measure. The brandy’s thick and just barely sweet, and it licks a delicious trail down her throat to warm her insides. It’s a slow and delicate burn and it reminds her of the sting she still feels against her palm from the rose that now lays on the desk in front of her. Gabrielle sets the glass down and turns her palms over to inspect them more carefully, to see if the Empress has, by some magic or dark art, left her mark upon her. But there are no scratches, no smear of bright red blood, no brand seared into the flesh there - her hands are fine. Calloused and maybe a little sweaty, but unmarred.

“Have I gone mad?”, she asks in a breathless whisper, decanter in hand once more.

The trickle of brandy spilling into her snifter doesn't propose an answer, but she finds the sound of it reassuring all the same. She brings the glass to her mouth, then moves to put some distance between herself and the desk, as if that might somehow break the spell; clear her thoughts. She makes it three steps before she’s back. Her resolve eclipsed by her curiosity. She trades her glass for the rose. Twirls the stem between her first two fingers and her thumb as she takes to pacing. Watches closely, the play of light from the oil lamp nearby, as it caresses the delicate folds of the flower. Runs the pads of her fingertips along the petals’ edges and is lost completely in the softness she finds there.

Her feet drift across the mosaic floor, as her thoughts drift back to the Empress.

“Maybe they’re green? Or blue? Or black?”

And, her eyes. Of course.

Their pull is irresistible. Gabrielle is helpless to it. And to the mystery of the way the Empress looked at her. The way her own heartbeat skipped in the moment. The peculiar flood of feeling that danced along her every nerve, like a static shock and a lover’s kiss all rolled into one. And then, all orderly thought abandons her. And she wonders why she’s even holding the Empress’ rose. Wonders if it had been genuine admiration or just polite courtesy that had inspired the Empress’ gesture to toss it at her feet.

Wonders if, maybe, she herself had been the...

She doesn’t let herself finish that thought.

“This is ridiculous.” Another incredulous shake of the head, hands thrown up in exasperation.

And then she’s standing in front of the makeshift vase trying to tuck the rose in amongst the others, as if it was just another token bestowed upon her by any other appreciative fan. As if she could ever lose sight of it, even surrounded by a dozen or more just like it. As if her mind hadn’t already mapped every one of its fine details into her memory.

Her clumsy, unwilling fingers are mid-jab when she is interrupted by the scuff of sturdy leather boot soles against stone, the brush of heavy fabric being pushed aside, the gentle clink of shifting metal settling again. Her hand stills, but she waits for the polite cough from her doorway before she turns her head to acknowledge the stranger she finds standing there.

She lifts an inquisitive brow at his intrusion, a question as much as an appraisal. He is handsome, she supposes, in a rugged sort of way. Not that she cares about ruggedly handsome men. Or, men in general. Or, men who are generals, and this man is a general - she is certain of it - the polished armour gives him away immediately; the red velvet cloak affixed to his cuirass. Even without the obvious signs of his rank Gabrielle would know it. Sandy-haired, square jawed, broad shouldered, compact - a fine son of Rome - he wears his station in his manner and his air, and he is here now on business. She lets her brow arch a little higher.

“My apologies for the interruption,” his head bows slightly, gracious, conciliatory, “but, the Emperor asked that I might escort you to the reception.”

She keeps her gaze fixed impassively on the man in the doorway, but doesn’t speak a word in return. She had long-ago discovered that the quickest way to useful information was to keep quiet. So many people found silence uncomfortable, and in the face of it would trip over their own tongues trying to fill the void it seemed to create. She watched her escort shift in his place, swallow around a dry throat, and she smiled knowingly to herself - even Roman strongmen were immune to the effects of careful, exacting scrutiny.

“That is, if you’re ready to go.” He seems caught between impatience and fluster.

She lets the corner of her mouth tug upwards, slips into the indulgent smile she’s picked out for the evening, like it was just another pretty peplos to be donned for a special occasion. But, she doesn’t turn to face him fully. Doesn’t move from what she is doing.

“How lovely,” Gabrielle says, and the cheer she injects into each syllable isn’t nearly as put upon as her smile, recalling, then, with sudden and vivid detail what - who - might await her at the party. This time the softness in her expression is genuine.

“It’s just that you’ve found me in the middle of something.” She tilts her head in the direction of her hand, still raised mid motion, rose resting between her fingers, its stem half buried within the bouquet. His eyes track briefly over her work before finding hers again, and the tension in his posture relaxes when she explains, “I’m nearly done. I only need a moment or two more, is that ok?”

Her heart has suddenly taken up a noisy hammering in her chest, and she can feel a violent blush creeping into her cheeks. She feels exposed, her hand on the Empress’ rose, thoughts of the woman’s commanding beauty circling the edges of her mind, threatening to steal the last of her concentration and betray her all the same. Not that her Roman general has a single clue what he’s witnessing. Still, she holds her breath.

“Of course,” he says, and Gabrielle feels her insides let loose. “I’ll just be outside,” and he gestures towards the curtain. “Please, take your time.”

She tries to keep the relief she feels from creeping into her voice.

“Thank you….,” she says, letting her tone indicate there’s a request in her statement as well.

“Brutus,” he supplies, in understanding.

“Thank you, Brutus. I’ll be along shortly, I promise.” Her hand, still on the rose.

He bows, gently, at the shoulders, and with a small smile turns on his heel to disappear through the fabric door, all cold, brusque efficiency; the only sound of his exit the whisper of his velvet cloak caressing his leather lappets, the brush of the curtain falling back into place.

She waits - a heartbeat. Then, another. Lets her breath push past her lips, slow and shaky. Her eyes drop back to the scene in front of her, fingers still engaged in trying to rearrange the roses packed into the water jug, trying to hide away the evidence of her preoccupation, the source of her growing fervour. Her brows knit together, bewildered, vexed. She has never been so unnerved by something as inconsequential as a flower. She should just toss it aside and be done with it.

And if Gabrielle had any good sense, any resolve left she would. She would absolutely pick it up and, and… A sigh. Instead, she watches as her traitorous body spurns whatever reason remains, and her hand moves, lifts, the rose with it, to bring the bloom to her face. Oh, sweet Aphrodite, how easily she breaks! How soft she’s gone for the memory of the Empress’ gaze, so open and unguarded; the pierce of it. The petals brush against her cheeks, nose, and she smiles at the feel; lets the flower rest a spell against the curve of her upper lip, inhales the delicate perfume. It tugs her eyes closed, and she imagines the smell of rosewater on the Empress’ skin, warm under her touch, and aching.

And it’s like a thousand-thousand tiny explosions up and down her spine, like Greek fire in her veins. Her head spins and her knees buckle and she’s grabbing at the table’s edge to keep her legs beneath her. And somewhere from the depths of her mind’s eye she sees it, a vision - of the Empress, but not the Empress - so familiar and clear, like unlocking a memory, only how could it be? Long shadows and the golden glow of firelight; long ebony hair fanned out on a pillow of furs; long, lean limbs with their long, hungry reach, searching, gripping, pulling closer and closer and harder and closer still; long, graceful arc of a strong back pushing off the ground, hips angling desperately, as fingers push deeper. Gabrielle’s mouth at the valley between her breasts, tongue tracing the same word over and over again: mine mine mine mine. And the flash of the clearest, brightest blue.

Her eyes fly open, and with them a flurry of thoughts blossom in her mind, wild and crazed. She clutches at the stem, wanton with misplaced desperation, feels it ready to give beneath her fingers, such a delicate thing. Like her sanity, surely. Her mind possessed by two insistent, competing thoughts. To tuck away this precious thing - the Empress’ favour - to keep it soft and safe and secret; for her eyes only, in the deep of night; the brush of it against her lips, and the raging, pulsing thrill of possibility in her blood. And then, all the more ludicrous, dangerous, the rush to pin it to her breast and walk into that reception - for all to see and know and whisper about - an audacious declaration, unequivocal in her intent, her offer; to see the Empress turn her way, a shrewd and feral glint in her eye.

But before she can register what’s happening - or do anything so foolish and provocative as to imperil her safety- her free hand is reaching for the latch on the writing box arranged neat and unsuspecting atop the corner of her desk; tossing aside a few extra scrolls, a quill or two, to make room. And then she’s gently placing the Empress’ rose inside and knocking back the rest of her brandy and smoothing down the front of her dress.

She turns on her heel, and feels dizzy; wonders briefly if the drink has gone to her head so soon. But the delightful shiver of anticipation that creeps along her warm skin seems to settle and curl around her belly, and she knows explicitly that she’s not woozy from the brandy wine.

“Utter madness,” she whispers, headed for the curtained door, thumb rubbing aimless circles against her unblemished palm, round and round and up and down, chasing away the lingering sting. She squares her shoulders, brushes an errant curl behind her ear; wishes she could brush off these lingering thoughts of the Empress as easily, but they’ve settled deep within her, like raindrops caught within the folds of a rose. And so, Gabrielle thinks as she slips into the hall, and on to Brutus’ waiting arm, it would seem - rose or not - the Empress has marked me just the same.

#xena #xena warrior princess #xena and gabrielle #gabrielle #wfc au #S06E18 When Fates Collide #when fates collide #a lovewornheart fanfic #wip #otp: for I am dying of such love #this is going to be a slow burn for the time being #the yearning #the wanting #i want High Romance #because they're idiots in love and deserve it

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jarienn972 · 4 years ago

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La Sirena - Chapter Nine

Captain Swan Supernatural Summer

We're nearly to the completion of this little @cssns tale but we’re not quite there yet. This chapter started to get really long so I decided to break it up and create a bonus epilogue chapter that will wrap everything up! Writing my first complete AU has been quite the challenge, as well as quite a learning experience. Thank you, @kmomof4 for all of your encouragement and beta assistance along the way! And thank you, @courtorderedcake for the beautiful artwork that has graced every chapter.

So here we are at huge turning point. Poseidon sided with Emma and intervened to stop Regina's evil "test" but is there a future for our heroes or did rescue come too late for Killian this time? Catch up from the beginning at AO3 or FF.net or on Tumblr: One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight

*********

The immediate threats may have gone away, but Emma knew the ordeal was still far from over. Regina's menacing presence no longer lingered over the bay as a pleasant breeze ushered away the remaining dark clouds and the dulcet melodies of the songbirds returned to the trees, yet she couldn't relax. She scarcely noticed the school of colorful fish darting to and fro around her as she swam for the shore. Her attention was singularly focused.

Gentle waves lapped at Killian's motionless form as he lay prone in the damp sand. Morphing back to human legs, Emma clambered awkwardly out of the shallows, crawling her way up to the shore to reach the injured human. Her eyes were welling up with tears as she feared her efforts may have been for naught.

Please, let him be alive, was the only thought on her mind as she reached for his arm, tenderly caressing bare skin exposed beneath the torn black silk. Angry red welts covered his upper arm where the kraken's suckers had latched onto their victim, and while Emma was apprehensive about moving him, she also feared that if he were still breathing, he'd suffocate if she didn't turn him over.

She placed her right hand behind his head and gently cradled it against her palm as she used her left hand to lift his torso slightly and roll his limp body toward her, allowing his back to rest upon her knees. His eyes were closed and barely fluttered when she brushed away the sand that marred his face, noting quickly that the sand was covering up the bloody evidence of his reopened head wound.

"Stay with me," she pleaded. "Stay with me, Killian…"

A weak moan and a dribble of sea water escaped his throat, reviving her hopes as she lowered her head over Killian's and pressed her lips against his bloodstained cheek. Her golden tresses draped across his face as if to shield him from the world as she momentarily forgot that they were being watched by the god of the seas.

"Can you save him?" she implored the deity who'd remained offshore. "Please don't allow all of this to be in vain! Please don't allow Regina's hatred to win!"

"Emma, my realm is the sea, you know this," Poseidon reluctantly reminded her. "Nothing I do can save the life of a human if it is their time. Only my brothers, Hades, ruler of the underworld, and Zeus, supreme ruler of Olympus, could intervene, but I am fairly certain that neither is likely to be interested in the fate of a single human."

A despondent Emma wasn't about to take his deference as an answer.

"But it is not fair! If not for Regina's interference, Killian would have been fine. He would have survived and…"

"And?" Poseidon interrupted her. "He would have survived to be trapped here on this cove with you. How long before he longed for his own world again? Would he have felt imprisoned here with only an immortal siren for companionship? I'm not trying to be unkind, but truthfully, what is best for this young man?"

"Certainly not death," Emma rebutted angrily, her emerald eyes staring intently at Killian's unconscious visage as she challenged the deity. She didn't understand why this one human's fate was so important to her, why he held such a tight hold on her after so short a time… "Why would he be allowed to escape the sirens only to die from Regina's awful conduct?"

The god sighed and shook his head as he lowered his trident to his flank. "Ah, Emma… You remind me so much of my Ursula…" He tread a little further into the shallows before pushing himself up atop a large boulder, curling his glistening platinum tail around the rock and scratching at his beard as he formed his next words inside his head. "Like you, she possessed a compassion towards the human race that I failed to understand for many centuries. It wasn't until that fateful day that the first human sailed beyond the isle of the sirens that I ever had reason to converse with one. I confronted that man, trying to determine what ruse he'd employed to get past my protections and what I discovered was a young man who was simply trying to return home to his ailing mother.

"That man had fought through attacking enemy ships and fierce sea creatures until he was the sole survivor on his vessel. He'd tried in vain to return to his homeland, but he wasn't yet a skilled sailor and had navigated himself in circles before crossing into our realm. He knew who I was the moment I appeared before him, and I could sense his fear and reverence. He was a humble man with a good heart, and it was that humble, pure intentioned heart that my daughter sensed and eventually fell in love with. She urged me to aid the man's return to his land but after being gone so long, there was little left for him to return to. He banded with a few survivors and formed a new village on an island near our realm, eventually marrying my daughter.

"The reason I'm telling you all of this, Emma, is that you clearly felt that same compassion because, like Ursula, you sensed this man's good heart. I never believed it would be possible for a siren to sense such emotion, but from the day you separated yourself from the council, I have known that you were different. A creature birthed to enchant and entice humans to their death wasn't intended to possess compassion - let alone the emotion you're feeling right now."

"And what might that be?" she asked with a sniffle while shifting her position ever so slightly so that she could see Poseidon's face.

"You've fallen in love, Emma, and that is a most powerful emotion."

"Love?"

"It's what is driving you to want to protect him. It may perhaps be part of the instinct that compelled you to rescue him in the first place. But I say that with the warning that I can not promise whether the emotion is reciprocated. Only he can answer that question."

"Is that the reason for these tears? Are sirens even able to cry?"

"You may be the first."

"Is love the reason I feel like a piece of myself may die with him?" she questioned as her fingers unconsciously laced through the matted, scraggly dark hair at the nape of Killian's neck. "If Regina's treachery has taken him from me, I swear, I will find her and…"

Poseidon cut her off before her anger overshadowed her present dilemma. "I promise you, Regina will be dealt with, swiftly and surely. Once I determine my brother's role in this debacle, Regina will likely be stripped of her powers and if I see fit, banished to the Forbidden Isles."

"Banishment to the Forbidden Isles seems harsh, even for what Regina did…" Emma sighed, hugging Killian even closer to her breast until she recalled the damage the kraken had presumably inflicted upon the man she loved and loosened her embrace. "If I am to be truthful, all I really want is whatever is in Killian's best interest."

"If only all sirens were blessed with your wisdom," Poseidon smiled. "Perhaps it is time to grant all of your kind the full range of emotions?"

"Or perhaps it is simply time for us to mend our ways? All humans are not evil, and some of them out there are still your descendants - maybe even Killian here."

"It has been so many generations since I've kept track of my descendants," the deity lamented. "I'm afraid that there is so little trace of my lineage left that it would be nearly impossible to determine. Being a descendant of an Olympian god doesn't necessarily grant that good heart that makes a man immune to the siren song either. Many of my grandchildren's grandchildren succumbed to greed, avarice and other sins of humanity, but as you've said, there are many good ones out there. Perhaps you are right that it is time for the gods to amend our perception of humanity, but I fear the likelihood of that happening is negligible."

"I was afraid of that," Emma responded as her gaze cast downward.

"However," Poseidon continued, "while I cannot directly heal this human, I do have an idea that could expedite his return to his own ship, where he belongs."

"May I go with him?" Emma asked impulsively, her query catching the god off-guard as she raised expectant eyes to meet the god's gaze.

"Emma, are you certain?" the flabbergasted Poseidon inquired.

"I am quite certain. If there is a way to return Killian to his ship and to his family, I wish to go with him."

"To do so, you would have to give up your immortality and all of your magic," he explained.

"Lord Poseidon, I have spent centuries alone. I never desired any companionship until I spoke to Killian. If there is a way to save him and for me to accompany him, I will gladly surrender my immortality."

"I can arrange that, but I do remind you that I cannot guarantee that your emotions will be returned by him. There is no way to make someone love you…"

"It is a chance I will happily take, Your Majesty. My instincts are telling me that he shares my feelings and I can no longer imagine spending an eternity here without him. If he is to return to the land where he belongs, then I know I belong there at his side."

Poseidon nodded as he raised the trident, pointing it skyward. "Then so it shall be," he stated as clouds gathered once again above the bay, swirling into a mighty vortex before the god vanished in a blinding flash of lightning.

*********

A warm, tropical breeze tickled his cheek as Killian shifted his aching body. He could feel the sun on his back as he felt around, grasping and then releasing a fistful of sand. His memory was sketchy as he struggled to lift his head and force his eyes open, not yet certain if he was alive or dead. Maybe somewhere in between?

His head was throbbing too much to hold up so he slid his forearm beneath it and just let it rest there. The simple act of drawing breath was agonizing. Did the dead still experience pain in the afterlife or was this his purgatory? Left broken and abandoned on a deserted beach with the sea just beyond his reach?

Bits and pieces of memories (or maybe, hallucinations) came and went when his eyes would fall closed. Pirates and sinking ships. Palm trees and some subterranean lagoon. A mermaid with long, golden hair and a tail that shimmered like pearls in the sunlight. A huge sea beast with tentacles that were as long as the Jewel from bow to stern. He even pictured a gigantic trident reaching out of the waves.

How hard had he struck his head? he wondered as the fingers on his left hand gingerly touched the open laceration at his scalp, noting the crimson stains on his skin as his hand fell away. Sucking in a deep breath that he immediately regretted, he almost wanted to laugh at his unbelievable situation. What a fine mess you've gotten yourself into, Killian Jones, he thought.

His gaze drifted back to the bay, staring out at the horizon as his vision began to blur and he found himself fighting to remain conscious. He squinted in an attempt to make out a faint blob off in the distance and assumed he was imagining the peal of a ship's bell and approaching voices when he succumbed to the pain-free peace of the darkness.

*********

The familiar bob and sway of the sea was a welcome sensation as Killian began to come around. Breathing was still a chore but even before his eyelids began to part, he knew something was different. The recognizable scents of musty books and linens filled his nostrils along with some sort of strong alcohol - although definitely not the drinking kind. The creaks and squeaks of wood battered by wind and waves was a familiar reverberation in his ear.

He threw his eyelids open and lurched upright, only to be halted and eased back onto the bunk by a large, calloused hand adorned with a single, hefty, carved silver ring.

A ring that even in his discombobulated state, he noticed and identified instantly.

"Liam?" he choked out, his throat dry and burning as though he'd swallowed much of the sand back on that beach.

"Aye, little brother," Liam smiled broadly as Killian's eyes finally focused on his elder brother's bearded and clearly anguished face. Liam's typically perfectly pressed uniform was rumpled, wrinkled and as deeply creased as his face, but Killian didn't yet know that it was the product of days searching for, and then worrying over his younger brother. "Now, will you please lie back down? Doc says you still need a lot of rest to recuperate."

"Liam, I can't believe it is really you. It has been an eternity, it seems… I thought I'd never see you again…," Killian excitedly babbled as clarity slowly returned. The comforting sight of his own first officer's cabin, paltry as it might be, helped him relax as he settled back into the pile of feather-stuffed pillows propped against the stateroom wall. Scratchy as it was, Killian didn't even protest as Liam draped the Royal Navy-issued charcoal grey, woolen blanket over top of his heavily bruised chest. "It is really you, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is really me, brother," Liam replied as he fretted with the bedding, trying to make the narrow bunk as comfortable as possible for his only sibling who had seemingly just returned from the dead. "I was warned you might be a little out of sorts for a couple of days from your injuries, but yes, I am really here and yes, I am beyond happy that we located you alive. It took us days to locate you on that tiny island. You were bloody lucky that the other survivor was one of the prisoners and not one of those pirates."

"Prisoner?" Killian repeated with his face scrunched in confusion and obvious discomfort.

"You really need your rest, Killian, and I need to go make my rounds. We can talk more later…"

"Brother, I don't understand… There was no survivor from that ship, save for myself." Killian became increasingly agitated and shook his head at the wrongness of it all. That motion, of course, only made his achy skull hurt more and loosened some of the bandages Doc had wrapped around his cranium to cover the jagged wound and the uneven stitches he'd used to hold it closed. "I was the only one who survived… I failed all of our men…" Killian squeezed his eyes closed as his wavering voice cracked with melancholy. "I'm so sorry, Liam, but I'm hardly fit to be your First Mate…"

"Brother, please just rest. You're spouting such nonsense. I'll send Doc right in to examine you. Your head injury must have been far worse than he thought to have affected your memory so severely."

"My memory is fine," Killian stated bluntly. "Far better than my performance as an officer…"

"For allowing yourself to be captured so your wounded crew could escape? That's hardly a failure, brother. I recommended you for a commendation for your bravery and I truly feared I would never have the opportunity to pin that medal on your uniform myself."

Liam's words made no sense. No one awards a commendation to a man who failed his mission and lost his entire landing team. He knew he must be dead and this purgatory was a cruel end to his fantastical journey.

"I'm sorry, I've been such a failure, Liam. You do not need to cover for my sins. I am only alive today through the mercy of the gods who sent down an angel to rescue me…"

"Bloody hell, Killian…," an exasperated Liam sighed. "Whatever are you rambling on about? I sincerely hope that either Doc or the lass can talk some sense into you…" Liam snatched up his plumed uniform hat from the writing table as he rose from his chair at his brother's bedside, doing his best to straighten his overcoat to look proper and authoritative, as a Captain should be.

"Lass?" Killian asked in bewilderment. What lass? He could only picture one lovely lass with flowing, blonde hair and emerald green eyes, but she could hardly have followed him here…

"The other former prisoner of those cowardly pirates that we rescued from the island with you, you git," Liam muttered, flopping his hat back atop his head as he shoved aside the heavy canvas curtain that provided Killian's quarters a semblance of privacy from the rest of the crew berths lining the narrow corridor that dissected this deck. It was far more crowded and noisy than his own quarters which were a deck above, spanning the width of the stern, not that he had occupied them for the past few days.

Liam's footsteps resounded heavily on the oak planks beneath his feet as he lumbered down the passageway and rapped on the wall outside of another curtained compartment. The ship's doctor, who's face looked nearly as haggard as the Captain's, drew the curtain open and immediately straightened his posture at the sight of his superior officer.

"At ease," Liam grumbled, letting the doctor know with a casual wave of his hand that military decorum wasn't necessary.

"Sorry, Cap'n. Taking a break from your vigil over the young Lieutenant Jones?"

"More like taking a break from Killian in general."

"Has he awakened?"

"A short time ago - yes. He isn't making a bloody lick of sense, babbling on about being a horrible officer who failed his crew and was saved by some mythical angel. How severe was the injury to his head?"

"How wonderful to hear that he's come around, but his head injury appeared largely superficial. I'll happily give him another once over now that he's awake. Maybe those pirates poisoned him or something that is affecting his mental state?"

"I hope it is something easily remedied or I fear his career may be in danger. I'm going to go fetch the lass we rescued along with him. Perhaps hearing her tale will help sort his head out…"

"Sounds like a very good idea, sir," the doctor responded as his troubled captain departed without another word, trudging tiredly towards the ladder to the upper deck.

*********

The visit by the ship's doctor only left Killian more irritable and baffled by their blatant dismissal of his miscarriage of his duties. They must all be daft, Killian thought. Or they think I am? Maybe he was merely imagining all of this?

Had any of this been real?

As the doctor had replaced bandages and prodded him in every tormenting and unpleasant place imaginable, Killian saw the very real evidence of his injuries. He was peppered with cuts, scrapes and contusions in various stages of healing. Some of the more painful ones were deep purplish while others had begun yellowing. There were red welts on his arms and across his torso that Doc couldn't identify, suggesting they might be burns or some manner of rash, but Killian's mind recalled a vastly different source. He'd been quickly shushed at the mere mention of encountering a kraken.

Doc offered him medicine to ease his discomfort which Killian knew meant the potion they'd sourced in the Far Eastern realm. He didn't know much about the substance, but he declined, preferring to keep what remained of his wits about him. The exasperated doctor muttered something unintelligible under his breath and shook his head at the young lieutenant's stubbornness, but Killian did overhear him mention that Liam had gone to fetch the supposed other prisoner from the pirate ship before departing Killian's quarters.

Killian knew with absolute certainty that no one else had escaped that ship with him, whatever had led to its sinking. Whomever this mysterious woman was that Liam had mentioned, she must be the key to unraveling this insanity. He was anxious to meet her, although he was also embarrassed to have a lady see him in such a disheveled state.

He also couldn't get the image of an ethereal presence to depart his head - one with flowing, pale blonde hair, porcelain skin that nearly glowed in her state of undress, and a supple, shimmery tail fin that playfully flicked water towards him.

No, he scolded himself. She didn't exist. Just a dreamy figment of his overactive imagination…

The sound of hushed voices in the corridor beyond the curtain snapped his attention back and Killian strained to hear what they were saying.

"Seems to be healing well, but his head's a bit out of sort…" Killian heard Doc telling someone that he soon realized was Liam when he heard his brother respond.

"It's unorthodox…," he heard Liam say, but he could only make out portions of the rest. "Doesn't remember… Miss Swan, we're hoping… We realize this is a highly unusual request, but given your time together…"

Miss Swan? Killian knew no one by such name, but why would Liam bring a stranger to visit him in his convalescence? Perhaps he should just pretend to be asleep and they'll go away, not that the ruse had ever worked to fool Liam. He closed his eyelids anyway as he heard the rattle and squeak of the curtain being drawn, determined to ignore his unwanted guests anyway.

"Should I return when he isn't asleep?" a feminine voice asked shyly.

"I swear, he was awake a moment ago, Capt'n," Doc said with an echo of concern in his voice, although Killian wasn't certain if it was directed toward him or if Doc feared the Captain's ire.

"I apologize, Miss Swan," Liam muttered with an audible sigh. "I thought it would do him good to see you - that it would aid his recollection, but he's a stubborn arse…"

"No apology necessary, Captain," the woman replied. Her voice was tantalizingly familiar to Killian, but he couldn't place why. He almost wanted to secret an eye open to catch a glimpse but he didn't dare. "Would it be alright if I sat with him for a spell?"

Oh, bloody hell, no! Killian screamed internally. Liam would never permit such a thing. Having a woman onboard was scandalous enough…

"I'm hesitant to allow that since this deck is less secure than my quarters, milady," Liam answered, only Killian could hear the but coming. "But since this is an unusual situation, I'll allow it. I'm sure I can find enough chores to keep my crew occupied for a bit and keep them away from this deck."

"Thank you, Captain," she responded and Killian could hear her smile in her voice. He was disappointed in his brother and was nearly betrayed by the frown he fought from forming on his own lips.

"I shall check back in a short time, lest my brother or any other sailor here attempt to take advantage of you."

"I am sure your brother will be a perfect gentleman, as he was while we were awaiting rescue. He could scarcely glance at me without blushing…"

Wait… What did she just say? Killian's brain was swirling with new questions as Liam bid the mystery woman farewell for the moment. He wanted so much to look upon her face, but he must wait until he heard Liam's heavy footsteps trailing away.

Could this really be…?

#cssns #captain swan supernatural summer #cssns20 #cs ff #cs au ff #siren emma #sorry to break it there #but there was a reason for that

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bikkinibottom · 5 years ago

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Can’t Walk Without You

Here’s a little something I wrote to celebrate 100 followers! I got the idea based off of this post here.

This is my first time writing fanfic so I’d love for some feedback! Hope you all enjoy it!

Summary: It’s the 90’s and Percy makes mixtapes for Annabeth. She listens to them when she misses him.

She took it with her everywhere now, constantly listening to whichever song that played through the Walkman. It got to the point where even if she was having a conversation or in a meeting, the headphones rested around her neck playing music just loud enough for her to still hear and whoever happened to be right next to her. Some may call it rude, but people knew to never question Annabeth, especially with everything going on now.

Annabeth remembers the first mixtape Percy had made for her when they were fourteen. It was not too long after the battle on Mount Othrys where Percy and the group had rescued her and the goddess Artemis from Luke’s imprisonment. She smiles fondly too herself as she remembers the encounter with Percy:

Christmas was just around the corner and Annabeth begrudgingly decided to spend the holiday with her family in San Francisco. Percy and she had agreed to meet up to exchange gifts at Half-Blood Hill before she left. She stood near the Big House, which was adorned in colorful holiday lights, waiting for him. Behind her led to where the cabins were, the hearth at the center of the U-shaped formation seemed to glow brighter than ever, warm and inviting just like a fireplace at Christmas-time should be. The sky was clear save for a few clouds, the constellations piercing and bright. Fresh snow lay all over camp, some of the year-rounders just beginning to take advantage of the fresh snowfall. She looked up to see Percy approaching her, his ears looked pink without a hat on from what she could tell in the dim light.

‘Seaweed Brain’ she thought, thinking of the winter hat she knit him for his gift. It was a simple beanie that was baby blue, with one black stripe cutting across.

“Took you long enough. I got a flight to catch tomorrow, Seaweed Brain,” she jokingly said to him.

Clearly something else was occupying his mind because the scowl he attempted to make wasn’t sincere and looked more like fond exasperation. Annabeth tried not to look too into it.

He stopped walking and begun to turn around dramatically.

“Well if you’re gonna have that attitude about it I’ll just be on my-” but Annabeth cut him off with a laugh and shoved his arm.

“Come on, Percy. I’ve been waiting for this,” she told him with a bit of mock irritation in her voice.

“You have?” the boy before her asked timidly. And for the first time that night, Annabeth noticed Percy actually looked anxious for whichever reason she could not figure out yet. His eyes looked more of a golden from the reflection of the Christmas lights shining off the Big House.

Annabeth looked away from his eyes as she casually said, “Duh, we’re exchanging gifts. It’s like the best part of the holiday season,” though she wasn’t too sure of her response seeing the gloomy expression take over his face.

Percy looked away as he let out a simple, “Right.”

Not wishing to dampen the mood on what was supposed to be a pleasant occasion, Annabeth quickly asks, “Do you want to go first?”

“Uh, I- no. You go first,” he responded quickly as well.

Annabeth presented him with his gift bag filled with sea-green tissue paper and he dug around in it until he pulled out the gift card she had gotten him. He flipped it over to see what it was for and he smiled appreciatively.

“That’s the skate store you go to a lot right? The one by your apartment?” she asked just to double-check and make sure.

“Yeah! I- Thanks Annabeth,” he told her genuinely then paused. “Uh, how much is on it?”

“A hundred dollars,” she replied.

His eyes seemed to pop out of his head before he stuttered for the next few seconds. Annabeth just looked at him with a confused but amused smile on her face.

“This- this is more than enough for a whole new skateboard. I- I don’t think I can accept this,” he blurted out in shock.

“Skateboards are expensive. I thought that was a good amount,” she said matter-of-factly. Annabeth had briefly forgotten that Percy and his mom didn’t have a whole lot, meanwhile, her family was more than well off and Annabeth could afford to splurge on her friends.

“There’s another gift in the bag,” she pointed out.

He gave her an incredulous look before digging around in the bag. He pulled out the beanie wrapped in a layer of tissue paper and unwrapped it. He held out the hat in front of him with a neutral expression.

“You hardly ever wear a hat, let alone own a proper winter one so I figured you could use a nice one. I made it myself,” she said, her voice laced with pride. It had taken her a couple of tries to knit a hat before she managed to perfect it. Athena wasn’t the goddess of crafts for nothing. Annabeth was proud of her handiwork.

“You made this?” he asked softly. The tender look in his eyes made Annabeth’s face a little warm but she nodded genuinely.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Annabeth said. “It’s your turn.”

“O- oh. Right.” Percy cleared his throat and placed the gift bag on the snowy ground with his presents inside. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a card with a smaller rectangular box attached to it. Annabeth didn’t know what the box could be seeing as it was wrapped but she opened the card and read it to herself first.

The card itself didn’t have many words and with the low-lighting, she couldn’t exactly make it out with her dyslexia. But underneath the message of the card, she noticed Percy’s chicken scratch hand-writing where he wrote out in Ancient Greek, ‘Hope you have a good new year. Merry Christmas, Wise Girl. Your friend, Percy’.

She smiled up at him and gave him a sweet thank you.

“Um, the uh, the gift. I made it myself. I don’t know if you’ll like it but um, if you give it back I understand. It’s kind of lame, actually-” Percy stammered out, and she could tell the red on his face wasn’t coming from the Christmas lights. With a roll of her eyes, she tore open the wrapping and was presented with a cassette player. Written on one side in Percy’s hand-writing it said: ‘Songs I Think You’ll Like (vol. 1)’.

“It’s a mixtape,” Percy blurted out, “I was thinking about how we’ve barely ever talked about music so I put a bunch of songs I figured you’d like. You can listen to it whenever you want.”

Annabeth was at a loss for words. Picturing Percy in his room toiling with the radio on, waiting for hours for the right song to come on to record, or maybe using some of Sally’s old records to record music from... It was a little too much for Annabeth.

Impulsively she jumped towards Percy, wrapping her arms around his neck in a quick hug. Backing away she looked him in the eyes.

“Thank you, I love it,” she told him. At that point, she didn’t need a mirror to know that both their faces were red now.

“Really?” he asked, relief in his voice and body language.

“Yes, I can’t wait to listen to it,” she answered genuinely.

A goofy smile broke out onto his face and Annabeth felt herself smiling as well. After talking for a bit more, they eventually said their goodbyes and parted ways.

As Annabeth boarded the plane the next morning, she had a brand new Walkman stuffed in her pocket that she had bought as soon as she left the campgrounds last night. She couldn’t wait to listen to it on the plane.

Recalling the memory brought a melancholy smile to her face, but it was very dim. Annabeth remembers how nearly every month after that she received a mixtape from Percy in the mail, each with a different purpose but all equally good. When they had started dating, the music became a lot more romantic and he would gift her one at each monthly anniversary. She would’ve received a new mixtape soon for their five-month anniversary, but now he was missing and Annabeth wasn’t sure if she’d ever get to hear it. The thought made her chest ache painfully, and she blinked back tears.

Rolling onto her back in her bunk, Annabeth thought back to the events of the day and let out a frustrated sigh. Just when she finally had some type of lead to where her boyfriend might be, she was met with three demigods at the Grand Canyon with more questions than answers. Not to mention her least favorite goddess seemed to be involved in all of this somehow. Realizing she needed to get actual sleep tonight if she was going to leave early in the morning to search for Percy, the daughter of Athena put on her invisibility cap, grabbed her Walkman, and snuck out of Cabin 6 to head over to Cabin 3.

Inhaling the ocean scent that Poseidon’s cabin had, Annabeth made her way over to Percy’s dresser, where he always kept extra clothes. Grabbing one of his hoodies, she put it on and laid down in Percy’s bunk. It wasn’t the biggest secret amongst her siblings that she would often sneak out to his cabin at night but since he went missing she made it her new unassigned sleeping quarters.

If the bed weren’t cold, Annabeth could almost imagine Percy there with her. Surrounding herself in his ocean breeze scent helped put her to sleep but there was some dull ache lingering inside her tonight. It was as if there was nothing inside her; her heart, her lungs, everything just- gone. Instead, a dark void seemed to eat at her from the inside out, and all of her senses felt numb.

Putting on her headphones and pressing play on the Walkman, her favorite cassette plays out. Once they’d started dating, Percy gave her this one and told her the songs sounded a bit like the one they had danced to on Olympus all those years ago. She recalls Percy telling her that to him the song sounded a bit sad, but a little hopeful too.

Annabeth cries herself to sleep that night.

#i didn't say it was gonna be happy LOL #not sorry #i've had this stuck in my head for a while #my writing #percabeth fic #percabeth #oneshot #pjo #hoo #ttc #tlh #percy jackson #annabeth chase #fanfiction #erica writes

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guardianofjunmyeon · 4 years ago

Text

Finding Atlantis (part 10)

Genre: Action/Adventure, Enemies to Lovers, PirateAU

Description: 20 years ago the seas became angry. Unruly and unkind to any sailor, to any ship that dared venture too far out in her waters. Many a man has heard the tales of Atlantis, the lost city, the key the ocean. But fewer men know the tale of it’s missing child. The key to the ocean, the key to Atlantis but a lost little one. The power one would hold should they find this child would be nearly that of Poseidon himself. Thus, the hunt began.

A/N: these chapters are always so long i am so sorry !!! I love krystal and sulli don’t let the way i wrote them trick you into thinking i dont

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18

“MAN OVERBOARD! JUNMYEON HAS FALLEN OVER BOARD.” You stomp over to the edge of the ship and look back where you last saw Junmyeon. You left him behind.

You left Junmyeon behind.

“They bleed blue,” you murmur to yourself. “They bleed blue!” you shout to your crew. “If you have any doubt about whether someone is real or not, shoot first and apologize later,” you command. “Stop the ship now. I need two people with me to go rescue Junmyeon.” You secure your gun in its holster and make your way towards the dinghies secured off the side of the ship. “They’ve seen half of our faces so no one is safe from being assumed an imposter.” You pull your gun back out of its holster and add two more bullets to its chamber.

“Can I come with you?” Jongin places his hand on your shoulder and you tense at the touch. When you look into his eyes, for a second you feel calmed.

“Yes, but we need at least one more person. Have you had to fight a siren before?” you ask him as you make a mental note of what weapons you have on your person.

Jongin shakes his head. “The last time we were here we never left the ship, but I think that Chanyeol would be best to accompany us.”

“Bring him then. We don’t have any more time to waste.” Jongin bounds off to find the other pirate and you take quick steps towards Yixing who has reappeared back on deck crouched next to the body of the siren. “I’m leaving the ship in your hands. Jongin and Chanyeol are going with me. Double check that everyone else is accounted for and actually who they seem to be while we go after Junmyeon.”

“Are you sure you should do this? What if that wasn’t him?”

“Have you seen Junmyeon anywhere on the ship in the last 10 minutes?”

He closes his mouth at the question. You set your lips in a grim line.

“Like I said, we’re going after him. If we aren’t back in a reasonable amount of time, you know what to do.”

Yixing nods and stands up from his position near the ground. “Be safe,” he says gently.

You can’t promise him that you will, so you break eye contact and look towards the rocks that make up the island. There’s no way for you to know what you will face, and you’ll do whatever it takes to get Junmyeon back to safety. Your safety in all of that isn’t your priority.

“Captain, Chanyeol and I are ready when you are,” Jongin says, stepping into your line of vision with Chanyeol close behind.

“We’ll be back,” is all you can assure Yixing. Luckily he accepts it as he watches you set off towards the water.

Once the boat is lowered, Jongin takes charge of rowing in the direction that you point him towards. The ride is silent.

Silent?

“Do you guys hear any singing?” you question.

Chanyeol’s head tilts to the side curiously before his eyes widen. “No…I don’t think I’ve heard anything in the last few minutes.”

“I haven’t heard anything since the screeching…” Jongin adds.

You wonder if the screech was a warning sound to the others. Perhaps they have stopped singing all together to hide –now that one of them has been killed.

“Chanyeol, how often are sirens killed?”

He scratches the top of his head. “I don’t know. Not often. People don’t ever get close enough to be able to kill them.”

“Then they’re probably not very happy that we killed the one that made it on the ship, huh?”

“No duh,” Jongin huffs out.

It’s their own fault for climbing aboard your ship. You wouldn’t have been able to kill it had it not been right there next to you.

Laughter floats from the trees and you feel everyone aboard the little boat stiffen. You catch a glimpse of blonde hair in your periphery. It’s gone in a flash, lost in the trees along with the laughter, but you know that you caught sight of it.

“I’ve always fucking hated sirens,” Chanyeol grumbles out.

You have to say that you are beginning to feel the same.

“Jongin wait, take us to the left. I see something over that way,” Chanyeol points out a spot on the bank of the water where there seems to be signs of a recent disturbance. It’s wet with a trail large enough to be that of someone pulling themselves out of the water.

It looks like it could be where Junmyeon was able to pull himself on land.

Unless he was being pulled down, you know for a fact that Junmyeon could get himself to land. Outside of Yixing, he’s the strongest swimmer on your crew.

The only sounds that fill your ears are the tinkling of the waterfalls and the sound of the paddles hitting water and bringing you closer to shore. The hairs on your body stand at attention. Every sense on alert as you step out of the boat and look around the land.

Chanyeol squats down where the trail is located and touches it with careful fingers. Jongin hefts the boat far enough on land that it won’t be pulled back out to sea. You hear shuffling in the bushes to your right and reach for your gun. You feel itchy to kill something. Whether this be siren or some wild animal, you don’t think that you care. So long as you can shoot and release some of this pent up anxious energy.

Your arm loses all of the tension that had built up –eager to pull out your pistol- and falls limply to your side when Junmyeon comes stumbling out of the trees.

He’s limping and gripping at his arm as if in pain, his clothes are still soaked and he looks dirty and tired, but when his eyes meet yours he smiles.

“Captain,” he rasps.

Your nose burns immediately at the threat of tears. You make it one step towards him before you’re stopped and pulled back. You whip your head around to find Jongin grabbing your bicep with a look of desperation in his eyes. He shakes his head almost imperceptibly.

You don’t even get the chance to question him when the sound of a gunshot rings through the air. Jongin winces, and his grip on your arm loosens enough for you to slip out and turn back to find Junmyeon bleeding from the injured arm he’d been holding earlier.

His blood gushes out blue.

You stand frozen in your spot as the siren sneers and contorts Junmyeon’s face in a horrifyingly angry expression. It screeches shrilly and tries to limp back into the trees, but it seems as though its limp was genuine and that slows it down greatly. Jongin is tackling it to the ground while Chanyeol is busy putting another bullet into his pistol. Your mind whirs back to life and you run towards the siren and hold down its thrashing legs while Jongin controls its arms. It gets a solid kick to your shoulder before you’re able to hold it down.

Despite the dirt covering its body, you notice now that it isn’t bleeding anywhere outside of where it was hurt by Chanyeol. You wonder if they are unable to replicate human blood.

The siren writhes and you grit your teeth trying to hold it still.

“Where did you take him?!” you shout over the rustling of the brush from its squirming.

It laughs loudly and its back arches high enough off the ground that you briefly think it will start levitating. You and Jongin put more of your weight on it to keep it restrained.

“Where is the man you’re disguised as?” Chanyeol tries. He cocks the gun. The siren cackles wildly, nearly to tears, but makes no move to answer either of your questions.

“I don’t think it’s going to talk,” Jongin murmurs.

As if to agree with his words, the siren leans up as much as it can, looks straight into your eyes, and bites off its own tongue.

It spits it out right at Chanyeol’s feet. The once pink tip turns long, slimy and deep blue as it hits the ground. You feel sick at the sight of –what looks like Junmyeon bleeding blue from the mouth with a vile smile across his face. The three of you look at the tongue in surprise.

“No more questions then I assume?” Chanyeol asks you. He points his gun to the sirens head. Despite knowing that it’s just a monster, you don't think you’ll be able to watch someone kill, what looks like, Junmyeon. You close your eyes and turn your head away from him.

You nod your head and screw your eyes tighter together. You hear the single shot and feel the way the body stiffens and freezes beneath your hands. You only open your eyes when you feel a hand on your shoulder.

Chanyeol looks down at you sympathetically, and you let go of a breath that was trapped in your throat. When you look down at your hands where they are still holding down the siren, you see the grey skin beneath your palms and realize that you no longer feel wet clothing but the moist scaly skin of the dead siren.

It’s no longer Junmyeon.

You jerk your hands away and frown down at the body. Despite this being the third siren you’ve seen in its true form, you have yet to grow comfortable with just how horrid they look.

They cannot be something of nature. You wonder what made them into the creatures they are. Perhaps they angered one of the Gods and were cursed.

Whatever the reason may be, it’s none of your concern why they are the way that they are. They’re evil and have potentially hurt Junmyeon.

That's all that you dare care about right now.

“Let’s go,” you grunt out and stand to your feet. If you weren’t in a bad mood before, the sirens are doing a spectacular job of putting you in one.

Unsheathing your sword, you march towards the trees and slice through branches and vines with more force than needed to cut down the weak foliage that hangs down in your way. For a full five minutes you take your anger out on the nature that surrounds you as you walk forward with no plan.

“C-Captain-”

You freeze in your tracks at the tentative timbre of Jongin’s voice and realize in your stillness that your arms are shaking. You clench your fist tighter around the hilt of your blade.

“What?” you bite out, trying your hardest not to let your frustration appear in your voice.

You’re frustrated with yourself –extremely. The sirens have tricked you twice now, three times if you count being fooled into thinking that when you saw Junmyeon in the water that it was fake. The constant trickery makes you feel as though you aren’t competent enough to handle this mission. You are a seasoned pirate, you should be able to think rationally and not be tricked by silly deceptions like these.

You’re the god damned Captain of the Storm Chaser.

A Captain who has been fooled thrice now by illusions and lost a member of their crew in the middle of another trial. You're sick of losing members of your crew, sick of these trials, and especially sick of these god damned mother fucking death mermaids.

“Maybe one of us should lead? You seem a bit…tired,” Jongin finishes cautiously and looks over to Chanyeol.

“No. You seem like you’re on the verge of a fucking breakdown,” Chanyeol corrects easily. Jongin frowns and smacks the taller on the arm. Chanyeol is unfazed and offers nothing but a short shrug. “You do.”

You inhale and close your eyes. When you exhale you try to release the tension that has accumulated in your muscles. It only lessens slightly.

“I’m fine,” you start. You open your eyes and feel a fresh wave of awareness wash over you. You mind feels more cleared than it has in the last hour –even if it is only by a small margin. “I’m fine now. Just…let’s find Junmyeon and get as far away from this cursed fucking island as we can as fast as possible.” You grimace. “And let’s try not to get distracted,” you say more for your own sake.

Even with your head a bit more clear, you think that it may be a better idea for someone else to lead for a while. Wordlessly, you motion Chanyeol ahead of you in an unspoken command. He nods and takes out his own sword so that he can cut through the foliage.

As he trudges forward and you fall behind him, Jongin falls behind as well.

“Are you doing okay, Cap’n?” Jongin whispers. “You seem overwhelmed.”

“I am overwhelmed,” you state bluntly. Leaves and branches crunch under your boots. “This new situation with sirens and being tricked three times is wearing on my mind.” You glance from Chanyeol’s back to Jongin at your side. An empathetic pout rests on his face. You hold in the urge to pinch his lips to make him stop. “If it wasn’t stressing me out, then it wouldn’t be a trial now would it?” You try to make light of it. Jongin doesn’t seem moved by your attempt, so you set your lips in a line and focus back on the sweat dripping down the back of Chanyeol’s nape and into the soaking wet neckline of his blouse.

If you feel stressed, you can’t imagine what Junmyeon is experiencing. These are trials meant to test his commitment to getting home. You know that that must be weighing on him in a way you couldn’t even begin to imagine. This could be the last chance he has to return home and if this fails then it will crush him.

Determination flaring, you turn your attention to your surrounds to look for any signs that Junmyeon has been in the area. You have to finish this for him. Find him. Recuperate. Get him home. Not just for your or his sake. But for the sake of the ocean. Things are much bigger than you.

You have to.

Minutes pass before you finally catch sight of something out of the ordinary. Something glimmers excitedly in your periphery. “Chanyeol wait. Do you guys see that?”

You point in the direction you see the shining object. Chanyeol and Jongin squint towards it; Jongin gasps.

“Is that a sword?” he walks forward unexpectedly, steps eager, and you and Chanyeol rush after him once the shock of him abruptly walking towards it has passed. A vine smacks you in your face; you pull it down with an unnecessary amount of strength.

You are sick of this fucking island.

As your group approaches the object, it becomes clear that it is in fact a sword. The sword is driven into the dirt –nearly to the hilt- and the sun rays that are able to break through the trees above shine down and illuminate the metal. The sword looks like Junmyeon’s at first glance, and the emblem of a water drop etched into the bottom of the blade confirms it.

Jongin walks over and pulls it from the ground. You don’t even have a moment to consider that it may be a trap.

And then everything happens at once.

From the hole left in the ground where the sword was once buried, green mist sprays into the air. It’s light in color and smells floral –a bit like lavender. It fills the air quickly. Jongin drops the sword as if burned; you don’t see the body in the trees until it’s dropping down onto his back, tackling him to the ground.

Before you can call out, you’re knocked to the ground from the weight of a body landing on your back. Adrenaline pumps frantically and you muster the strength to toss the body off of you. “IT’S A TRAP!” you shout frantically, as if the words alone will save you at this point. With the words you take in a huge breath of the green mist and you feel your muscles weaken immediately. Laughter fills your ears as your eyes get heavier.

Poisonous gas.

The mist becomes thicker, and you can no longer find Chanyeol or Jongin among the fog.

“Get…help…” you murmur. The gas seeps into your lungs, into your pores, into any entry point that it can and paralyzes you. First your muscles, then your nerves, and then finally your brain. You slip into darkness without even being given the chance to put up a fight.

~~~

The recognizable sound of a rushing waterfall startles you awake. With a gasp your eyes fly open.

You can clearly remember the green mist and being tackled to the ground. Whatever was in the cloud that numbed you must have been some kind of a sleeping agent.

Everything is dark around you and stars speckle the sky above.

Hours must have passed since you were ambushed.

Though the sky is dark, the ground is alight with life. Bioluminescent mushrooms and plants speckle the dirt around you and are placed deliberately to your left and create a path towards the waterfall. Your shoulders are tense from the amount of time you’ve spent with your arms tied behind your back and crushed against what feels like a dead body. You wiggle your fingers to make sure that you can feel your hands with your wrists bound. The rope around your middle, securing you to the other mass, is tight and digs painfully into your abdomen.

You crane your neck to the side to see who exactly you’re tied to. Their neck is crooked in what has to be an extremely uncomfortable position, but they’re definitely breathing and just sleeping at your side. If you had to guess from the neck and shirt that you can just barely see, you’d guess that this body is Chanyeol. When you look to your other side you see what has to be Jongin hunched over the rope asleep and tugging you and Chanyeol’s bodies in his direction. You struggle to sit up and alleviate the strain being put on your body trying to accommodate Jongin’s position.

“Fuck, why’d they tie us together like this?” you hiss under your breath. The rush of the waterfall is loud and you feel droplets of water reaching your skin even from where you’re tied up a ways away. No matter how you try to twist your hands you can't loosen the hold of the rope.

Jongin and Chanyeol remain asleep.

The three of you are going to die here.

You are ready to accept that fate, but you continue to search for any way to escape. You might die, but not without some kind of a struggle.

In the middle of you rubbing your wrists bloody and raw from pulling and scraping against the rope, the waterfall begins to split down the middle. It parts like a crystalline curtain to reveal what appears to be a cave hidden in the rock face. Jewels twinkle inside of it. Through the cascading curtains out steps a figure that has become oh-too-familiar to you. You scowl and tense in defense.

The blonde siren smiles when she finds you awake and staring her way. She looks relaxed in her gown of water, illuminated by the greenish glow of the plants and fungi around you. She looks as if she has not a single care in the world. After neutralizing you and your men, you suppose she doesn’t.

Languidly she struts towards you, almost like she’s gliding on air. Her hair billows behind her even with the distinct lack of wind blowing. She looks ethereal.

“Our first riser,” she coos. Her skin is as smooth as porcelain and you can see now that even when she smiles, there is not a single eye crinkle or smile line. Clasping her hands behind her back she leans to each side of you to take a look at each of the still sleeping crewmen you’re tied to. “You must not have inhaled as much as they did. Interesting,” she comments offhandedly –as if making an observation to use later in further research after an experiment.

You can’t stop yourself from asking, “Who are you?”

The smile doesn’t leave her lips.

“I know you’ve been watching us. Are you the one who planned our ambush? The one who had my crewman fall off the ship?”

“You’re an inquisitive one, aren’t you?” She chuckles. A hand with immaculately decorated nails reaches out to stroke your cheek. Her nails shine like freshly cut diamonds in the dark. “Not quite as dumb as you look either. I was almost sure that first illusion of your little friend would be enough to distract you from the prince falling into the water.”

You flinch at her touch and feel anger at the insinuation that a single conversation with Baekhyun would mean more to you than Junmyeon’s life.

“Ah, but your question,” she yawns and stretches out long slim limbs. The crack of her bones is loud, unnatural. “I suppose I could spare you an explanation. You are to die here, so it would be kind to allow you the privilege to understand why you have met this fate, no?”

You decide not to respond. She continues on.

“I am the leader of this island, the head siren –a queen if you desire a more relatable title. I have led those who inhabit this island for centuries. We have seen many ships come and even fewer go, but you…strange one, are the first to kill multiple of my subjects.” There is a flash of rage in her eyes before cold indifference settles back in them.

“Wouldn’t have happened if you'd stayed off my ship and left my crew alone,” you say curtly.

She rolls her eyes. “Where’s the fun in that?”

You pull against the ropes again. The knot is tied too well. You won’t be able to escape unless you cut it. Your jostling seems to wake Jongin –if the groggy groan from him is anything to go by.

“Where’s Junmyeon?”

“The prince?” she waves a hand in the air dismissively. “Do not worry. He is safe. We do not plan to hurt him yet. He is too useful.”

“Useful?”

“His father. That cursed man,” she hisses. Insanity swirls in her eyes. “We were all beautiful, you know? Me and my subjects. Our beauty was coveted by everyone, but that damned God Poseidon turned us into- into this.” She stands to her full height and the illusion of a beautiful maiden changes into that of the monstrous figure that matches all of the other sirens you’ve encountered. Bile immediately rises in your throat. “He turned us into these disgusting creatures all because we let a single ship escape our island unsunk.” She laughs bitterly, but in her natural state it comes out gravelly and deep.

Jongin moans again at your side. The siren’s eyes flicker towards him in anger. “One ship of men got away and now we are doomed to live out our days as disgusting fish creatures. The prince will be our way back to beauty.” Her eyes slide back to you. She seems less unhinged as she continues on. “He will guarantee that we are restored to normal.”

Understanding hits you like a brick. “You’re going to use him as bait to get to Poseidon…”

You almost want to laugh at the ridiculousness of it. If his father cared about him, he would have stepped in long ago. Junmyeon has told you about his estranged father and knowing what you’ve been told, you’d be truly astounded if he bothered to step in to save a single demigod son when he has tens of other ones. Especially not one who isn’t even in line to be king of Atlantis.

“Good fucking luck with that,” you scoff out.

A displeased grumble emits from her throat before she transforms back into the blonde maiden.

“Krystal!” She turns around at the new voice.

Another woman comes bounding out of the cave –her hair black, lips plump and a similar (almost translucent) complexion. “Krystal,” she says again. “There is trouble on the eastern side of the island.”

“Thank you Sulli. I will be there shortly,” the blonde siren, Krystal, says to the other. You hope whatever the trouble is kills at least half of them.

The siren Sulli nods after the acknowledgement from her queen and then runs back off without a single glance in your direction. You’d be annoyed if you weren’t already completely done with this entire situation.

“Looks like it’s about time that we kill you and your friends. Pity, I would have liked you to join us,” she looks beyond you and you feel a tug in the rope.

Jongin is awake. He doesn’t speak but the noise of discomfort he makes at her comment towards him is enough of a response you think.

“I think he’ll pass,” you say mockingly.

“Quite the mouth on you.”

“I’d like to think it’s my charm,” you smile, all teeth, without any emotion. It’s as empty as you feel.

Her lip turns down in discomfort. Done humoring you after your comment, she turns back around and walks towards the waterfall.

Rude.

You watch her receding figure until the water closes behind her –naturally, as if never disturbed.

When you turn back around, you knock your head into Jongin’s. “What the fuck-”

“Sorry I was…watching her,” he explains. He moves back into his space and you both squirm uncomfortably against your restraints, surrounded only by the rumble of the waterfall.

Minutes pass of nothing.

What is there to say?

You know that it’s been far longer than a “reasonable amount of time” that you’ve all been missing. The protocol that Yixing should be following is to search for you all for a total of 12 hours and then leave you behind if there is no sign of you all. It’s been at least 8 since you left the ship and from the way the sirens were able to trick you all, you think that making it seem like you’ve all vanished or are dead for another 4 will be an easy enough scene to conjure up.

After all you still have no idea where they’re keeping Junmyeon.

At the very least, you hope that they find him and get out and continue the mission.

“So…” Jongin flinches hard next to you at the sudden sound of Chanyeol’s voice. You aren’t as shocked to find him suddenly awake. “We’re gonna die here, huh?”

You take in a large breath and pull at your sore wrists again only to be met with the same amount of resistance. “Yeah…looks like it,” you mutter tiredly. Jongin lets out a whine from the back of his throat.

“Any last minute confessions before we die?” Chanyeol throws out. “Anyone in love with me? Now is your last chance to say it, unfortunately I will have to reject you.”

You’re too tired to snort in annoyance. You settle for an exasperated exhale.

“I put shoe polish on my lips once because I thought it was lip balm,” Jongin rushes out in a single breath –as if the confession winds him.

There’s a pause of silence.

Chanyeol giggles. You blink dumbly.

“You what???” You ask.

“We’re about to die, I can’t confess without judgment? I thought it was lip balm okay?!”

“I once stole one of Kyungsoo’s swords and blamed it on you Jongin.” Chanyeol’s confession comes next in an equally nervous rush of words.

“That was you?!” Jongin asks Chanyeol incredulously. The rope pulls as he strains to look at Chanyeol. “Kyungsoo was pissed at me for weeks! When we get out of here I am telling-”

“YOU CAN’T! IF WE DON’T DIE HERE THEN HE’LL KILL ME!” He lowers his voice in embarrassment. “You know I like him-”

“YEAH WELL TOUGH SHIT YOU DESERVE IT!”

“WELL I KNOW YOU LIED TO SEHUN AND TOLD HIM THAT THE DOG HE HAD FOR A MONTH RIPPED HIS FAVORITE PANTS BUT IT WAS REALLY YOU AND I’LL TELL AND THEN WE’LL ALL FUCKING DIE!”

Jongin nearly screeches. You barely follow the conversation since this seems to be stuff that happened from before they joined your crew. You listen to the two of them go back and forth whining and complaining for longer than you’d think they could keep up an argument as you contemplate sharing your own secret.

The Chanyeol liking Kyungsoo thing is news to you, but you aren’t all that shocked by it. If the way Chanyeol seems to all but live in the kitchens when he’s not needed in the artillery is anything to go by.

His confession makes you feel a bit braver about voicing your own. It feels like acid sitting on your tongue, but knowing that this could be your last night alive, you feel the urge to just say it. Aloud. You’ve been thinking it over for a few days and you may be dumb and stubborn but you are anything but stupid.

Jongin and Chanyeol are still going at each other and Jongin’s whining is almost teary as Chanyeol switches to lightly bullying the younger instead.

“I like Baekhyun.” You whisper the words to yourself, so soft that the crashing of the waterfall can drown it out. When neither of them acknowledge your nearly silent words, you sag forward in relief. You feel a bit lighter having said it and even more at ease knowing that you went unheard by the two men tied to you who are still arguing childishly.

“Shut up I don’t actually hate you, big cry baby.” Chanyeol huffs out.

“Really?” Jongin sniffles.

“Yes really, dumbass.” Chanyeol’s head turns as far in your direction as he can given your positions. “Wait what did you say Captain?”

You’re quick to try and brush it off. “Nothing-”

“That she likes Captain Baekhyun but everyone already knows that. That’s not a confession,” Jongin warbles out before just flat out collapsing forward in another wave of sobs. You have no idea how he’s able to have a full on breakdown but still angrily complain about your words. You’re so stunned by his crying that you can’t even try and deflect or defend yourself.

“Jongin…are you…okay?” you ask tentatively.

“No! Chanyeol is mean and you’re dumb and so is Baekhyun and we’re gonna die and no one is going to be happy!” He manages to whine out.

“He’s fine he just gets emotional easily,” Chanyeol whispers to you loudly (read: not at all). “It’s okay Jongin. I still love you even though when you cry you get extra cranky at everyone because we get to see how ugly you look with snot on your face.”

“Fuck you!”

The outrageousness of your situation makes you start to laugh so loudly that you startle yourself. There’s so much going on, you’re laughing more from the fact that you cannot believe where you are and what is going on rather than you finding a single thing happening funny. Tears fall from your eyes as the laughs keep bubbling out of your chest.

“She’s officially lost it,” Chanyeol grumbles. “It was only a matter of time. You’re crying and she’s laughing. This is not how I imagined I’d spend my last night alive.”

“For people tied up, you all sound like you’re having a lot of fun.”

“Holy shit! Where’d you come from?” You can’t see who Chanyeol is talking to, but you know the voice well enough to place it even in a thousand voices.

You try to crush the happiness that blossoms in your chest at being found.

At Baekhyun being here to save you.

You would retch at your reaction to him if there was any food in your stomach to throw up.

It’s not like he would leave Jongin and Chanyeol behind to die, you should have expected that he would come after them.

You close your eyes to try and squeeze away the last of the tears that had sprung to your eyes during your fit of uncontrolled laughter. The rope around your torso loosens and falls to your lap and you can finally take in a full breath for the first time in hours. Once the rope around your wrist is cut free you open your eyes and bring your hands up to your face to take in the crusted blood encircling your hands.

You’re hefted off the ground by your upper arms.

Spots dot your vision and you wobble dizzily on your feet. When you blink them away you come face to face with Baekhyun. If you weren’t exhausted and seeing stars, you’d think that you might see relief in his eyes. Fingers come up to wipe away the last of the hysterical tears lingering below your eyelashes. He’s shaking a bit.

There’s blood on his face. A mix of blue and red.

He’s real.

You fall forward to hug him before you can stop yourself. You feel him tense in surprise but he doesn’t shove you away the way you anticipated. Before he can reciprocate or even process what you’ve done, you let go and move away. You realize that Baekhyun hadn’t come alone when you see Kyungsoo being crushed in Chanyeol’s embrace and Jongin sandwiching him in. Jongin is crying into Kyungsoo’s sweat soaked back.

“How’d you guys find us?” you ask.

Kyungsoo forcefully pushes his way out of Chanyeol and Jongin’s arms. He acts annoyed, but you see the signs of happiness on his face. “We-”

Baekhyun jumps in to cut Kyungsoo off. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just get out of here.”

“We can’t leave without Junmyeon.”

“Minseok and Seulgi have gone after him. They’re going to meet us by the dinghies,” Kyungsoo supplies. You notice now that he is also covered in blue and red blood. He’s real too.

You look down at the red blood crusting over your wrists and find matching cuffs of blood around Chanyeol and Jongin’s.

“They can’t fake human blood,” you tell Kyungsoo and Baekhyun.

“We know. We figured that out after we killed a couple of them,” Baekhyun says. You wobble again on your feet but catch yourself. “We should get you guys back to the ship. You need medical attention.”

“I don't know what was in the gas they used on us, but I know that I’m going to pass out if I don’t get food and water soon,” Jongin says.

You nod in agreement and your knees buckle.

“Kyungsoo, carry me back I can’t feel my legs,” Chanyeol whines dramatically before draping himself over the shorter. Kyungsoo sighs but doesn’t put up much of a fight outside of grabbing a handful of Chanyeol’s hair and yanking it hard enough to pull a shout out of the taller.

Jongin shakes his head but a smile graces his lips as he follows behind them.

“Can you walk?” Baekhyun asks you.

You look away from the receding figures of the others to look at him. “I’m fine,” you murmur. He cocks an unbelieving eyebrow. Stubbornly you take a step forward.

And your knees nearly give in.

Baekhyun catches you before you can fall and laughs one of his stupid laughs where it fades off and he sounds like he’s swallowing a load of his own saliva. You let him toss your arm over his shoulder and hobble beside him like a newborn with little use of their legs.

His arm around your waist is secure and he’s patient as he leads you out the way he and Kyungsoo came in.

“Thank you,” you start quietly. “For coming back for us.”

“We couldn’t just let you die,” he scoffs out. “Yixing would have probably had me and my men killed without you and Junmyeon there as insurance to show we’re needed.”

You doubt that. Yixing wouldn’t do that. Minseok maybe, but not Yixing. But you keep that to yourself.

For now, you’ll just enjoy being given the chance to live another day. And if you also indulgently enjoy the warmth of Baekhyun at your side holding you up…well, no one has to know about that.

#exo #exo fanfiction #exo fanfics #exo story #exo imagine #exo pirate au #baekhyun #byun baekhyun #baekhyun story #baekhyun imagine #baekhyun fanfiction #baekhyun fanfic #baekhyun pirate au

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stygicniron · 3 years ago

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@freedmfighter asked:

can u do a drabble about nicos thoughts when percy and him went to the river styx

A Dip in the River Styx

Putting most of the skeletons in the House of Hades to sleep did a number on him. Granted, commanding spirits to rest wasn’t as tiring as, say, shadow traveling across country, but it definitely wasn’t easy, and he could barely keep himself upright as he and Percy finally arrived at the edge of the River Styx. He wouldn’t have made the journey if not for Mrs. O’Leary shuttling them most of the way across the Underworld, and even then he still needed an ambrosia square to keep him from taking an urgent nap.

It almost made him forget that Percy hated him now. Almost. He wanted to keep protesting that he didn’t know what his father had in mind, that Nico tried to make his father promise that Percy wouldn’t come to any harm, but he knew deep down that those were lies. Nico wanted to find out what happened to his mother, who she was, and he had let Hades use that knowledge to convince him that Percy would be fine. Nico really was a dumb as Hades said, and the bitter taste of the knowledge danced on the back of his tongue along with the weird sensation in his chest whenever he thought about Percy.

Sorry, Achilles, Nico mentally apologized to the spirit as the ghost appeared to warn away Percy. He was pretty sure the Greek hero made the same speech before to Luke, although obviously he hadn’t seen it for himself, and the guy looked heartbroken when Percy refused to listen too. Nico liked Achilles, he’d mellowed since he fought during the Trojan War, and Nico licked his lips uncertainly. If Achilles was worried...

“Percy, maybe he’s right.” “This was your idea.” “I know, but now that we’re here--”

But Nico burned through any kind of advice-following that Percy might have believed long ago, probably right about the same time the Furies appeared to take them to the House of Hades.

Either way, Percy plunged into the River Styx, and the rushing of the water filled Nico ears, his breath choking in his throat. Gods above and below, he killed Percy, Nico thought frantically, rushing to the edge of the river only as the water seemed to buckle and hiss, a wave reaching up to almost hit his face if he hadn’t thrown himself away from the edge. Oh gods, oh gods, he couldn’t even see Percy anymore, the demigod’s outline going vague underneath the frothing river, and Nico’s thoughts swirled just as rapidly and horribly around his mind. What had he done?

A cold thudding in his chest, a dread seizing his soul that he had killed the son of Poseidon just like his father wanted gripped his core. He would have to save the world, he would have to face Kronos. He would have to face all the other demigods for what he’d done. He’d killed Percy. The last thought was the bitterest of all, the sensation in his chest throbbing with each beat of his heart. He’d killed a hero, a good person, someone meant for so much bigger things than drowning in the Styx. Someone who only hated him now.

But time unlocked and Percy burst from the water, his skin raw like it had been burned, and Nico scrambled to his feet, gaping at the demigod, stuttering something about his damaged skin. “Do you feel stronger?” he managed to ask, thankful that at least his mouth was working even as his mind spun. Percy was alive! He was alive after a dip in the Styx! Which meant--

Only for Nico’s father to reappear at the worst possible moment, fully armed with a ghostly Roman legion cohort and British musketeers. Hardly having time to even protest before Hades called the attack, Nico watched in first horror and then amazement as the ghosts dissolved under Percy’s blade. The musket balls had to have hit him, right? Nico knew the weapons weren’t accurate, but Percy was at point blank range, and yet Nico didn’t see a scratch on his skin.

Percy was a true hero now, a voice in the back of Nico’s mind rattled, one that still played Mythomagic and kept an encyclopedic memory of all the cards, and he was going to save us. Percy even pinned Hades in the fight only for the god to disappear from his grip.

“Go back to your father. Tell him he owes me for letting him go.”

Percy wanted Nico to stay in the Underworld and he might as well have punched him in the gut. Percy didn’t trust Nico anymore, that was the end of it. He might have said it was to try to convince Hades to join the fight against Kronos, but Nico knew that wasn’t the case. His throat twisted cruelly and he bit the inside of his cheek to keep his emotions contained. Fine, he would stay back. It wasn’t like any of the other demigods trusted him either. And maybe he could just keep living on the false hope of finding out more about his mother. He didn’t have anything else to look forward to anyway.

#freedmfighter #drabbles #☠ ▌ ａｎｄｔｈｅｏｌｙｍｐｉａｎｓ ( pjo. )#visit to the River Styx #=']#i reread the relevant portions of tlo for this #and oof #thank you for the prompt though ahhhhhh

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btsslowburnfic · 4 years ago

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Chthonic Love Chapter 3

Series Summary: Greek AU Yoongi/Hades x You/Persephone. The Olympic Lord, Namjoon kidnaps you as a "gift" for his brother, ruler of the Underworld. Lord of Death: Yoongi.

Previous Chapter: Chapter 2

“Dear Hoseok,

I am sure you are quite worried about me and so I firstly want you to know that, all things considered, I am ok. Zeus brought me to the Underworld and Lord Yoongi has been a very gracious host. I’ve heard you lost a bet? I need to know what in Olympus happened so I can disentangle myself from any terms you have entered me into. Maybe now you’ll listen to me when I tell you to stop messing with the Olympians.

--Persephone”

You folded the letter and looked around for an envelope. You didn’t see any on the desk so you left and walked over to the door. You opened it and poked your head out to see if Yoongi was out there, but he wasn't. Feeling disappointed and not really wanting to go back to your cold, boring chamber, you turned back into the office. It was much warmer there than the rest of the castle. You appraised the room once more; you tried to remember what all you had heard about Lord Yoongi before today and you realized: not a whole lot. He seemed nice enough, just lightly annoyed that you were here. But if someone had dropped a person off in your house unexpectedly you would also be irritated.

You walked along one of the many bookcases and pulled out a few different books, perusing their covers. Some seem to be journals and you put those back, not wanting to be rude. A few of them have musical notes written in them, you turned your head towards the back of the office, noticing the Lyre and Harpsicord one again. Yoongi must play at least one of them. You continue to browse the shelves, finally finding a small book labeled, “Underworld Compendium.” You take it over to the pile of furs you had made earlier and settle in for some reading.

In the beginning there was Darkness. Before the brothers were Kings of the Realm, they were slaves to their father: Cronus. Cronus, not wanting to share any of his power, swallowed each of his sons, keeping them in interminable darkness and pain. Finally, their mother was able to spare a child: Zeus. Zeus led the charge against Cronus and the other Titans, and in his surprise, the enslaved children were accidentally released. The Titan Wars were waged for decades: Olympians versus Titans. Finally, Cronus was destroyed. The realms were divided amongst those sons who fought in the Titan Wars. Namjoon, who the mortals worship as Zeus, wanted Olympus and ascended to his throne with great fanfare and a feast that lasted for 40 days and 40 nights. Jin, Poseidon, enjoyed splashing in the waves and playing with the animals of the sea. Yoongi, Hades, traveled down from Olympus, through the Earth, Through the sea, and arrived at the Underworld.

GEOGRAPHY

The Underworld is comprised of many subsections. At the center of it lies the Obsidian Palace. Hewn into the very core of the Underworld, it is a sight to behold, visible from Erebos all the way to Oceanus. Surrounding the Obsidian Palace is the Desert of Sorrow, bordered by the Stygian Sea to the South….

You yawned and sat the book facedown on the furs. You found the book interesting, you really did, but between the warm fire and the crying earlier, your eyelids grew heavy. You decided to lay down for just a moment and before you knew it, Hypnos was proverbially knocking on your door.

------------

Yoongi had left you to write your letter in private. He’d deliver it to Charon either tonight or tomorrow. To his surprise, he wasn’t as annoyed by your presence as he thought he would be. He started to wonder when the last time he had talked to a person? He occasionally would speak to Penthos, but considering every day was the same, there wasn’t really much to say.

He walked down the hallway and heard voices speaking in a hushed tone.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m sure she’ll be leaving soon. She seems so nice. I don’t know what your problem is.” It was Lethe.

“She just walks in and acts like she owns the damned place,” Yoongi heard Penthos harshly retort.

Lethe laughed, “She’s a Goddess. The fact she didn’t disembowel you for speaking to her without being spoken to is really something. It’s clear you've never served in any other courts before. While Lord Yoongi is a quiet God, he’s a million times better than most of them.”

Penthos sighed, “I suppose you’re right about that. I’ll see you later.”

Yoongi waited a few seconds and then rounded the corner, he put his hands on his hips, “Lethe, Just the person I wanted to see.”

Lethe froze at first, clearly surprised. After a few seconds, she turned around, bowing slightly, “Yes, my Lord?”

“What room did you end up taking Lady Persephone to?”

“Uh…” she faltered for a moment, wringing her hands.

“I know you didn’t actually put her out in the furthest corner of the palace. It’s fine.”

She let out a deep breath, “She’s staying in the room with the quicksilver door. And I’m sorry she wandered around the castle. I didn’t know if she was supposed to stay in her room or if I was supposed to lock her up. Even though I don’t have a key. I really should have asked first but I didn’t,” Lethe rambled.

“Lethe, it's OK . She’s not a prisoner here, it’s fine.” Yoongi gave a rare smile to reassure her.

“Ok, thank you sir.” she visibly relaxed. “Do you need anything?”

“Just make sure Lady Persephone is comfortable while she is staying here. I’m not sure how long she will be staying, but consider yourself her attendant while she is here.”

Lethe was visibly surprised, “Yes, m’lord.”

This is what I get for complaining that things were too boring. He thought to himself.I’m just glad she’s calmed down. Crying women terrify me. Yoongi continued down the hallway to the furthest wing of the castle. He approached a large set of Enchanted doors. He raised his hands to the sigils and unlocked them. You can’t be too careful. He crossed the antechamber, twisting through another hallway, and finally down a staircase he hadn’t used in decades. He conjured a blue flame to light his path. The air had turned heavy and acrid in the absence of any fresh air. He continued until he arrived at the bottom of the staircase where the floor was dirt. He took a few steps into the small room which connected to the catacombs through various tunnels. He waited several moments before he heard the scratching sound begin against the wall. The sound came closer, accompanied by a clicking noise.

A voice that sounded like something being stretched uncomfortably over a wringer called out in the darkness. “Lord Yoongi. It’s been so long. What does the Lord of the Underworld require?”

Yoongi looked almost bored as the creature climbed closer; its hundreds of black eyes reflected his blue flame.

“Hello Arachne. How are the catacombs?”

“Such a kind Lord. Asking Arachne about the catacombs. This is why you’re my favorite.”

“The catacombs?”

“Fine my Lord. You know we keep the others down here. Its is our privilege to serve the Underworld.” she replies in her raspy voice. Dozens of smaller spiders have started to enter the chamber. Arachne’s children crawl over the walls, eager to catch a rare glimpse of the ruler of the underworld.

Yoongi turned his gaze back to Arachne’s eyes, “Clothes, Arachne. I need dresses. Nice ones, suitable for a Lady.”

The creature let out a cacophonous sound like gnashing teeth. “Oh? Is there a Lady of the Underworld now? I haven’t sewn a wedding dress in centuries.”

Yoongi sighed. He hated dealing with Arachne. Being a gossip is what caused Athena to turn her into a spider in the first place. “No Arachne. Just a visiting Lady who didn’t pack enough. A few normal dresses. No wedding dresses.”

He heard a small wailing sound and watched her pincers quiver, “But I want to make beautiful clothes again. The Underworld needs a Lady for me to dress, and then children to dress. I’ve taught my children to sew, did you know that?” Arachne sounds almost human again as she becomes increasingly excited.

“No. No.” he holds his hand up, glad the darkness is hiding his red cheeks, a mixture of embarrassment and anger coloring his face. He’s becoming sick of others telling him he needs a companion. “Just normal dresses. That’s all”

He heard a collective whining sound from all the spiders, “Very well Lord Yoongi, what colors should they be.”

Yoongi was already turning around and walking towards the door, “You’re the stylist not me. Nice normal dresses Arachne!” He went back up the stairs and straightened his jacket once he arrived on the other side of the locked doors. Arachne would have those clothes done in no time. The poor Spider-Woman had nothing else to do, just decorating the Underworld’s cave system with things people would never see. Yoongi had invited her to come up to the main part of the palace when she first arrived, but she had balked saying it was “too bright” and that “nobody wanted to see a monster.”

He wondered what you were up to. He imagined you had probably finished your letter and were poking your head around the castle some more. He found himself smiling as he walked up the staircase to his office. He opened the door and saw you fast asleep in front of the fireplace. He brought his hand to his mouth and entered the room as quietly as possible, not wanting this moment to end. He tried to decide if he should stay or leave. Instead he found himself just staring at you. You were very pretty. Not in an unnatural way like the other Goddesses he had met, just pretty. He walked across the room and saw You were clutching a book. He knelt down to see what book you had ended up with. Yoongi gently removed it from beneath your arm and ran a finger down the spine. “Underworld Compendium.” A good book. He should know, he wrote it. He grabbed a scrap of paper and marked where you had it open and sat it down next to you.

He walked over to his desk and saw the letter you had written your brother. He imagines that it said “Please come rescue me, I’m being forced to stay with a monster and pretend to be nice to him.” He really wanted to look but knew he shouldn’t. He heard you stir a little and watched you throw an arm over your eyes. Yoongi raised a hand towards the flames, dimming the lights in the room. He looked at the letter again and decided to read it. He took a breath and flipped it open. He read it quickly. It’s a very short letter. He propped his elbows on his desk and held his head in his hands for a moment. He was also eager to see what your brother’s response would be. He thought about writing his own letter but somehow “you fucked up and now I own your sister,” seemed like a bad idea. His nose twitched. He smelled a faint floral scent and looked up. Flowers had started to bloom in a bowl on his desk.

“What the hell is this?” he asked. He heard a faint moaning come from in front of the fireplace, another flower bud appeared. Yoongi felt his face grow warm. He tapped on his Hourglass, watching the sand swirl.

He pulled out one of his journals and began to write in it. He became lost in his own thoughts for a while, the crackling of the fireplace and your light breathing the only sounds. It was soothing in a way he had never felt before.

When he looked up again his desk was covered in flowers. He laughed lightly and heard you start to awaken.

You stretched your arms above your head. Where were you again? You felt the warm fire on your back and slowly opened your eyes. You saw Lord Yoongi sitting at his desk. His eyes flicked over towards you and you suddenly felt very embarrassed. “Sorry. I meant to just rest my eyes,” you said as you sat up. “I hope I didn’t snore too much.”

To your shock he laughs, his deep voice echoing. “Just a little bit. You did make quite the garden here though,” he gestures to his desk which is covered in chrysanthemums.

You blush “Sorry, it happens sometimes. My powers sometimes do their own thing when I'm sleeping or sick. Fortunately, other than making people sneeze, it’s not that bad.” He clearly doesn’t know the meaning behind flowers and you hope he doesn’t look it up any time soon.

You stood up, rubbing your hands up and down your arms at the loss of direct heat from the fireplace.

"it's fine I uh," he runs his tongue along his lower lip, "just didn't know flowers could bloom in the underworld. I've never seen them here."

You laugh a little, "Well apparently they can when the Goddess of Spring is here. Speaking of, when is the next time Charon will be arriving?"

Yoongi moved the hourglass on his desk and looked into it. To you it appeared as though nothing was happening, the sand suspended in between the top and bottom, but he appraised it carefully as though he was reading it.

"Soon," he stood up, pulling his shirt down straight. He pulled an envelope out of the desk drawer and placed your letter inside.

You walked over to the desk to gather the flowers. “Sorry, I’ll just--”

"No. Leave them." he said

You thought maybe he would say more about it but he doesn't. He walked to the back corner of the room and grabbed a cloak.

"Can I come with you?" you asked him

"You don't trust me to deliver it?" he responded harshly.

You feel sad that that's what he thought, your gaze traveled to the floor, "No. I just saw the sea earlier and it looked pretty. And I really don't want to be alone in this giant Palace."

His features immediately softened. "Oh. Ok. Hmm. Hold on." he walks over to you with his cloak and puts it around you, carefully fastening it below your neck. "Here. It's colder out there than it looks."

"Won't you be cold?" you asked in disbelief at how quickly his moods could change.

He shrugged and picked up your letter. "I'm used to it. Don't worry about me."

"I can just stay here…"

"No, let's go." he said and opened the door, motioning for you to go through it.

NEXT CHAPTER

#bts fanfic #bts fanfction #bts yoongi x reader #bts suga x you #bts au fanfic #bts fluff

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lofitojii · 4 years ago

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Admiration [Final]

Summary: He’s the son of Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty. He was everything as described, handsome, cunning, admirable. You, the daughter of Poseidon, god of waters, knows that it’s against the rules to fall for such a man. Demigods aren’t allowed to be romantically involved with one another. But it’s hard to stay away.

Warning: swearing

Word Count: 3.8k

Admiration Masterlist

The Day You Met.

It felt like so long ago, like you had known Baekhyun and the others longer than what the reality was. You had grown a special type of bond with the people you trained with, lived with, grew up with. You were 15, just before your 16th birthday.

“Why don’t you let them put your things away,” your father said, taking the hanger from your hands and placing it down on your bed. You shook your head, picking it right back up.

“It’s okay, father. I don’t mind helping them,” you replied. You were excited to check out the rest of the area but you had felt bad leaving your work to the house staff. Your father shook his head, knowing there was no way he could change your mind.

“Poseidon?” You looked over to your door way, seeing Athena standing there in the door frame. She was so beautiful, you had always thought that. Plus you had known her since you were little, but never her son. “Sorry to bother you both but we have a meeting to get to. Why don’t you let my son and his friends show her around.” Your father looked over at you, annoyance plastered across his face. You knew he didn’t want to go, but it was technically his job.

“Don’t worry,” you looked over to see a very tall boy standing in front of Athena now, his hair white, figure broad. You hadn’t even started training yet but you could tell he had come prepared. “I’ll show her around. Hi, I’m Chanyeol.”

“He’s the son of Selene,” your father leaned down and whispered in your ear. “You’ll like him.” He stood up straight, bowing to both you and the boy named Chanyeol before exiting with Athena. You were left in your room with the random boy who had tagged along, and the staff who were basically done putting together your room.

“Well then,” Chanyeol awkwardly scratched the back of his head. “Would you like me to show you around?” You nodded, following him out of your room and down the long hallway that would soon lead to a long staircase that would take you either up to the higher floors or down towards the main level. “What’s your name?” Chanyeol broke the silence as you two walked down the busy hall.

“Y/n,” you replied.

“Well nice to meet you Y/n. My mom talks a lot about you and your father. Always really good things actually. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

You felt embarrassed that your father hadn’t told you about him. His own mother hadn’t even said anything about him when you had met her not too long ago. “I’m sorry this is kind of awkward but neither of them have mentioned you before.”

“To be honest, they’re not supposed to. They don’t want information getting back in case one of us ends up blabbering about each other to the human world, so don’t feel uncomfortable.” He was smiling down at you, his smile so genuine and… happy. You couldn’t help but smile back up at him. “Have you met anyone else yet?”

“Nope just you and Athena so far. Only people we’ve run into were the staff when we got here.” Chanyeol seemed excited by your answer, enthusiastic even as you started to make your way down the stairs.

“Let me introduce you to the others.” He grabbed your hand, leading you out the main doors, taking a sharp left down a dirt trail. You followed closely behind him, his hand still gripping yours as he tugged you along the trail. You soon came up to a small cottage that was placed on the other side of the lake.

“Wait, aren’t we going to get into trouble for going into buildings we don’t have permission to?”

“It’s okay. This place belongs to one of the guys.” You were rather confused as to what was happening but you trusted Chanyeol. He gave off a trusting aura, something that made you feel comfortable and safe. You always had pretty good intuition about first impressions.

Chanyeol walked up to the door, knocking in a specific pattern before you heard rustling come from behind the walls from the outside. The door swung open, being met with the smiling face of someone you had yet to encounter. “Yeol! You’re back.” He raised his eyebrow, looking over Chanyeol’s shoulder, making eye contact with you. “A new face?” He pushed Chanyeol to the side, reaching his hand out for you to shake. “Nice to meet you! I’m Jongin.”

“I’m Y/n,” you replied, giving his hand a firm shake. He smiled at your grip then pulled you into a hug.

“Guys she’s strong! This is awesome!” He pulled you into the small cottage, Chanyeol closing the door behind him. There were two others in the room, one tall like Chanyeol, black hair, serious face.

“Daughter of Poseidon,” the other tall one replied. He gave off such a stressful aura, but nothing hostile. “I’m Sehun and this guy right here is Baekhyun.” The other boy looked up from his desk, placing the pencil down to get up and greet you. He reached out his hand, letting you grip it with yours. His hand was warm, soft to the touch, gentle. You looked up at him, being met with a charming smile.

“Nice to meet you Y/n.”

You had no idea that you would slowly fall in love with him. You knew the rules even before you had moved to Olympia. You tried so hard to push your feelings down, trying to convince yourself it was a petty crush that would soon pass. But it never did. So many nights filled with secret affairs, love, anxiety in fear you would get caught. When you were with him, everything just felt right, like you were meant to be there. It went on for years, behind the back of all the higher ups, behind all your friends who had eventually caught on due to negligence in keeping it a secret.

You had thought about this moment as you tried your best to sneak around the empty halls of the prisoners dungeon. Chanyeol had really grown into himself, filling in every bit of himself. Same with Jongin, Sehun, and Baekhyun. You all weren’t the same kids you were before.

“This way,” you whispered, signaling for Chanyeol to follow you across a side entrance. Trailing down the hall, you passed empty cells, trying to avoid the more crowded areas where guards would be posted. You were surprised to see Jongin’s cell unguarded as you approached the locked door. Chanyeol held his orb out in front of the lock. He inhaled deeply, letting out a deep breath while blowing directly on the lock. You heard the lock click, signaling that his method had worked.

“Jongin,” you crept down, placing your hand on his shoulder. His eyes slowly fluttered open, pain ridden across his face. He turned his head the other way, turning his back towards you. “Are you hurt at all? I can help.”

“There’s no use,” he sighed. “We lost.” You were taken back by his sudden discouragement. Junmyeon must’ve beaten something into him.

“Why would you say that?” You questioned, trying to stay calm within the thick negative energy swarming around you. “Listen Jongin, I don’t know if it will work or not but Hera gave me a letter and I need to give it to Zeus. I need your help. Please don’t give up on us yet.” You were pleading with your whole being, trying your best to choke back the threatening tears. Jongin just laid there, beaten and bruised, his will power drained. “Can I least heal you?” Again, no response, so you decided to go along with it anyways.

You hung your orb over his fragile body, doing your best to focus on your breathing. The orb lit up with the familiar blue aura, transferring its energy to Jongin. This caused him to sit straight up, flexing his arms, feeling his face. He looked over at you, pure shock and amusement plastered across his face. “Y/n… I didn’t know you could heal…”

“I didn’t either until I tried it on Chanyeol.” You reached your hand out in hopes Jongin would accept your encouragement. He shook his head, gripping your hand tight with his.

The three of you sat in Jongin’s cell, trying to come up with the best option on how to enter the main meeting hall without getting caught. You still had the transferring papers but you didn’t want there to be a chance of appearing in the middle of guards or even worse, in front of Junmyeon and his team.

“I say we take the staff hallways. Most of them are working on the main levels so we’re less likely to run into anyone through those halls,” Jongin suggested, drawing out a map of the passageways and hidden doors that lead to the staff tunnels into the dirt. It was the best idea you three had come up with and time was slowly ticking by.

You had no idea what was to come from giving Zeus the letter. You had no intentions of reading what Hera had wrote but she mentioned it might help your cause. The only thing you were truly concerned about was Baekhyun. You had asked Jongin where he was placed since he was the one with him when they were captured. He shrugged his shoulders, not knowing the location. The only information he received was that he was taken back to Aphrodite, which is not good for your situation.

You followed Jongin through the staff halls which were placed mainly under the structure of the main house. He had told you that this was how he would sneak around to see Plum when she was here so he had a pretty good understanding of the area.

You thought you were going to be able to make it up without trouble but as soon as you were spotted, the alarms set off, alerting the entire area of Olympia that we had escaped the prison cells. Jongin quickly changed directions, coming up to several charmed guards. He was quick to react, forming a sword with his orb. “Y/n, Yeol, take the door on the left and follow those stairs to the top level. I’ll try to meet you there after I finish these bastards off!” He charged in, slashing his sword across on of the guards causing it to dissolve into gold dust. Junmyeon’s guards.

You trusted Jongin, knowing he had refueled his passion when you healed him. You were relying on him to slow down whatever obstacle was to come from the alarms. Chanyeol followed closely behind, keeping a small distance between the two of you. You reached the top floor, slowly opening the door to reveal on of the bedroom levels.

“Do you guys need help?” You were taken back by the sudden outburst from behind you. Sehun stood there, trying to keep his snickers to a minimum, knowing how serious the situation actually was. Jongdae was by his side, along with Kyungsoo.

“What.. What are you guys doing here?” you asked, referring to the two men who weren’t students here.

“You need our help,” Kungsoo answered.

“We got your back. We’ll do our best to slow down things here on our end. Kungsoo will take the main floor with Jongdae. You guys just try to get to Zeus,” Sehun ordered, forming a sword from his orb just as Jongin did. You were taken back by the sudden support you were receiving from your allies. They were willing to put their life on the line to help you and your love be together. It made you think that maybe they were fighting for their own reasons.

“You’re too late.” It was the last person you were hoping to run into, just the sound of her voice enraged you. Chanyeol placed a hand on your shoulder, giving you a tight, reassuring squeeze that it was okay for you to say what you needed to. You turned around, seeing Alice standing in the doorway of her room. She looked beautiful and you hated to admit it. Her hair was twisted up, gems randomly placed. Her makeup contrasted with her white dress. She was stunning. It made you sick.

“What do you want Alice?” You pressed, crossing your arms over your chest.

“You’re too late! Times up Y/n. Baekhyun is mine. You lost. How can I be more clear?”

“You’re wrong.”

“Am I?” She was laughing. Laughing even though her victory hadn’t come, even though you were still fighting, she stood there, confident in her words. You inhaled deeply, trying your best to remain calm and focus on your breathing. You’ve wanted to tell her off ever since you met her but you have learned to hold your tongue, but not anymore.

“Tell me Alice,” you started, fist clenched as you tried to muster up the courage you felt you had been lacking since you met her. “Do you love him?” She just snuffed, shaking her head.

“You’re funny. You really think his mother cares about whether or not we are in love with each other? If that was the case, I wouldn’t be here. I’m here to continue on their line and their money. To be honest, the best part about all of this is seeing you suffer knowing it was because of me.”

“You bitch…” You cursed, clenching your fists tighter. Your knuckles were white, the feeling drained, more like numb due to your anger. She raised an eyebrow, silent to your insult. “How can you be okay with that? Marrying someone who doesn’t love you, let alone marrying someone you don’t love. He is the son of the goddess of love and whether you care to admit or not, it’s killing him inside that he’s being forced to commit to something that isn’t real!” You approached Alice, your breathing heavy from your outburst. You stood inches from her face, her reaction showing she was a little scared with how forward you were being. “You haven’t won anything yet.”

You turned around, walking away from the speechless woman. It felt nice to be able to release energy you had built up against her. You felt more confident knowing you had had the last word with her.

“Proud of you,” Chanyeol winked, giving you a thumbs up.

Before long, you were standing in front of the double doors that lead into the main hall. Beyond this door was the higher up’s of the council, the ones who hold the power to banish you, strip you of your powers. You looked down at the letter, letting out a deep exhale.

This was it.

Without a second thought, you bursted through the doors. You were surprised to see only the higher ups sitting in their usual spots. No guards, no Junmyeon. All eyes were on you, the way the demeanor in the room changed as soon as the door was opened.

Remember what you’re here for.

“I have something to give you.” You slowly walked up the steps, holding your breath the closer you got. Zeus got up from his spot and made his way towards you. He had slowly shrunk his size yet he still towered over you. He reached his hand out for you to hand him the letter but you hesitated. “Before I give this to you, can I say something?”

“Go ahead,” he nodded.

“I did what I did because I’m in love. I didn’t do it because I wanted to go against the rules or to upset anyone. I did what I felt I needed to do. Love isn’t a bad thing, especially when you know it’s real. I know you’ve been hurt and I’m sorry but that shouldn’t mean you should take out your anger on those around you.” You placed the letter in his hand, taking a step back while he opened it.

Your heart was beating out of your chest, your body aching from the amount of anxiety you were feeling. The room was silent while Zeus read the letter from Hera. This was it. This was all you could do. Your fate was now lying within the hands of the council, the situation you had so desperately tried to avoid.

Zeus just stared down at the letter, facial expression unreadable. “Guards!” And just like that, you were cuffed together with charmed locks. You were taken back by the sudden outburst, being surrounded by Junmyeon and his team. They stood behind you, trapping you in between them and Zeus. You dropped to your knees, knowing there was nothing more you could do.

You had lost.

“This letter means nothing to me. I banished her out of hatred due to her negligent actions.” His words stung as they pierced through your ears. “I make the rules, I put them in place for a reason.”

“You put them in place because you’re fucking selfish.” One of the guards standing behind you was quick to shut you up, his fist colliding with your cheek. You had been beaten, bruised, turned away, left alone. You could feel the rage grow inside of you, something you couldn’t control. You spit out the blood from the hit on the floor in front of Zeus, groaning in pain as you lifted your head again to look at him. “You’re… a fucking.. coward.” Your statement caused for you to be hit again, more painful than the last.

Zeus just observed as you took hit after hit, being beaten down to the point where you didn’t care anymore. You wanted the pain to stop. You wanted to leave, to never return. Death sounded better than what you were going through.

You wanted it all to just stop.

“I’m sorry father,” you thought to yourself, tears forming in your eyes as you thought of all those who had put their life on the line to save you, protect you. “I’m sorry guys, Yeol, Jongin.” Your heart ached at the loss of all things good in life. You had followed your gut and it lead you to loss and heartache. You felt defeated by yourself. “I’m sorry Baekhyun.”

The room spun, the blows from each hit were getting more harsh as they repeatedly struck you . You felt helpless, weak, truly feeling every perception of defeat.

“STOP!!” the room became still, the guards looking up from you to where the sudden outburst came. “GET OFF OF HER!!”

“Son please,” it was the voice of Aphrodite, you could tell by the subtle rasp in her voice.

“You stand up there as the leader of this council yet you are not a leader. You are a coward who sits behind his guards, letting them take care of your dirty work. You’re pathetic even!! You let a heartbreak control your entire life, right down to the gods and goddess who look to you for guidance and protection.” You looked over through your swollen eyes, seeing Baekhyun running towards your direction. He was quick to push the men off of you, leaning down caressing your bruised face. “All of this… Because you let your ego consume you. You’re heartless! A fucking dictator!”

Baekhyun looked down at you, pulling your fragile body onto his legs. Even with feeling nothing but the physical pain on the outside, you cried for him. All you could think of was how you failed both him and you. “I’m… sorry…” You groaned. Baekhyun hushed you, pressing his forehead to yours.

“I’m not leaving here without you. I will die with you if I have to. I’m not leaving you again Y/n.” The two of you sobbed softly in each others arms. If this is how you died, in the arms of Baekhyun, then maybe dying didn’t sound too bad.

You could feel his tears drip onto your cheek, sliding down onto your neck. You shut your eyes, wanting the savor every last bit of this moment you had with him. For all you knew, this was the last time you would be able to be held by him. Suddenly, that familiar burning sensation overtook your body. It felt so natural, a feeling you had missed, that you had craved for so long. You couldn’t feel the pain anymore, as if his kiss had healed your physical state. Which is exactly what happened.

You could hear Aphrodite’s gasp, assuming it was from the kiss Baekhyun had so suddenly given you. “True loves kiss….” She whispered to herself.

Baekhyun pulled away, looking down at you with his eyes filled with tears. “I love you Y/n.”

“I love you, Baekhyun.” And in that moment, the life you had so desperately wanted to live with him flashed images in your mind. Everything you had fought so hard for had slipped away from you, leaving you with this moment, being held by the love of your life.

“You are free to leave.” Looking up, you could see Zeus walking away from you, making his way back to his seat. “You are no longer a part of our council but you are not banished. You are free to live your godly lives the way you wish away from Olympia.”

You looked back up at Baekhyun, quick to react to Zeus’ words by wrapping your hands around his neck as soon as they your cuff vanished into gold dust. He mimicked my actions, wrapping his arms around your waist. You didn’t want to waste anymore time, taking Baekhyun’s reached out hand and getting to your feet. You looked over at the council, bowing in their direction. “Thank you.” You didn’t care of an explanation or why he had changed his mind.

Baekhyun took your hand, taking off towards the doors that lead to the exit. As you followed closely behind, you couldn’t help but think about how you had lost all hope at one point. You were so ready to give up, just letting yourself be defeated.

In that moment, you made a promise to yourself, to never lose whatever hope might be out there. Fate works in mysterious ways, ways you couldn’t imagine on your own. And for that, your heart was filled with admiration for the a word that had no physical meaning.

“So what now?” Chanyeol stood outside waiting with the rest of your friends. They all greeted the two of you by pulling you into their arms. It was a group hug you needed, that you all needed. You couldn’t help but cry out to them, letting them know you loved them. They had all worked so hard for you to get here, none of it being possible without them.

“I’m going to marry her,” Baekhyun replied. He took your hand in his, bringing it up to his lips for a gentle kiss. You couldn’t help but admire the man you had fallen in love with. This was your life now, he was your life.

That’s all you’ve ever wanted.

To be able to love Baekhyun and be in love with him. The way you wanted to.

#byun baekhyun #baekhyun fic #baekhyun x reader #baekhyun x female reader #exo fanfic #exo x reader #exo

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buoyantsaturn · 4 years ago

Text

Bring On The Monsters (3/?)

chapter title: Nico is Given a Quest

word count: 3,617

read on ao3

After their claiming, Bianca and Nico were shunned by the rest of camp - ignored, for the most part, though some chose to give them dirty looks and whisper just loud enough behind their backs that they could hear the insults. The already over-crowded Hermes cabin was even worse when some campers decided that they would prefer to lay practically on top of each other just to avoid sitting too close to either child of Hades.

They had been told that as soon as they were claimed, they would be able to move out of the Hermes cabin and into a slightly less crowded space - hopefully one with two open beds so that they wouldn’t have to sleep on the floor anymore. Now, though, being children of one of the non-Olympian gods, they were still stuck in cabin eleven, and felt even more out of place than before. Their cabin mates refused to sleep near them, eat near them, train with them, or participate in any other camp activity with either Bianca or Nico. They couldn’t even talk to anyone but each other.

After about a week of this treatment, Bianca went to Chiron and begged for another place to sleep. Even if they still had to sit at the Hermes table during mealtimes and participate in activities with the rest of the campers, they could at least have peace while they slept. She pointed out the many empty cabins - Zeus and Poseidon were their uncles and Hera their aunt, couldn’t they sleep in one of those cabins instead? - but at the mention of their names, Chiron flinched and thunder rumbled across the sky. Nico thought he only agreed to stop Bianca from saying the names of the most powerful gods.

He gave them a bedroom in the Big House on the main floor, just down the hall from the entrance to the infirmary. They were invited to eat at the head table with Chiron and Mr. D during meals, and Chiron offered to make them a new activities schedule. They would still have to tag along with other cabins, but he would try to put them with different cabins each day so that they weren’t stuck with the same group of campers, all day every day.

Hearing that, Nico was suddenly struck with the hope that he could see Will again, but that hope was immediately squashed by the memory of Will’s fearful expression at Nico’s claiming. He probably thought Nico was a monster, and wouldn’t want anything to do with him.

Their first activity away from the Hermes cabin was Arts and Crafts with the Hephaestus cabin. It was the first time either child of Hades had stepped into the camp forge, and Bianca wouldn’t let Nico out of arm’s reach. There were too many campers there that didn’t like them, and too many dangerous tools and weapons that could be used against them.

They both shied away when the cabin’s counsellor approached them. He seemed to notice their apprehension, and kept his distance, showing his hands to let them know he was unarmed. “Bianca and Nico, right?” he asked. “I’m Beckendorf, head counsellor of the Hephaestus cabin. I know you’re both probably pretty wary of everybody right now, but you should know that to me, you two are just a couple of campers. I mean, you only just learned who your dad is, right? So it’s not like you had anything to do with what happened on Olympus during the solstice. You’re cool by me, so if any of my siblings give you any problems, just let me know, okay?”

Bianca nodded, though she didn’t loosen her grip on Nico’s arm. Nico wasn’t so quick to agree with everything he said. “What happened on the solstice?”

Beckendorf’s eyes widened, like he’d let slip some huge secret. “Uh, Chiron didn’t tell you? I thought he would’ve, considering, you know, what your dad did and everything…”

Nico’s head tilted in confusion. “What did he do?”

“You know, if Chiron didn’t tell you, then I probably shouldn’t either,” Beckendorf hurried to say, waving the topic off entirely. “So, anyway, a couple of powerful demigods like you two are gonna become, you’re going to need some equally powerful weapons. What do you say, want me to help you forge something?”

Any apprehension Nico felt faded away in favor of excitement. “Yeah!” he exclaimed, practically bouncing in place already.

Beckendorf grinned at him, then turned to Bianca. “What about you?”

She hesitated before responding, “Maybe another time. I’ll help with Nico’s for now.”

Beckendorf shrugged. “Suit yourself. Follow me over here, kiddo.”

Nico started spending whatever free time he had with Beckendorf to make a three-foot-long Celestial bronze sword that Bianca was certain would be impossible for Nico to wield. Beckendorf really must have been a master blacksmith, though, because Nico was easily able to lift the almost-finished weapon, despite the fact that it was nearly as long as he was tall.

Bianca was finally starting to let her guard down around the Hephaestus cabin, too. Most of the cabin had warmed up to the two children of Hades, and Beckendorf had proven himself trustworthy in her eyes by treating Nico so well. He’d almost won her over completely, but decided to teach Nico how to sharpen the blade of his new sword, which resulted in the near loss of one of Nico’s fingers. To anyone else, it would have clearly been an accident, with no one really to blame, but Bianca was still jumpy, and immediately started pointing fingers as she rushed Nico to the infirmary.

The Apollo cabin hadn’t won over her trust, either, but Chiron had assured her once before that they took their job as healers very seriously, and never showed favor to one cabin over another - they prioritized according to the severity of the injury, and nothing else.

Still, Bianca kept a close eye on Lee as he healed Nico’s hand, and stayed close as Will wrapped a bandage around the tiny remaining scratch across Nico’s palm.

“How’d you get hurt?” Will asked, looking like he was concentrating a little too hard on a simple bandage.

Nico huffed. “Are you just asking because you’re in doctor training?”

Will looked up at him and pouted in confusion. “No, I’m asking because you’re my friend.”

Nico’s head shot up in surprise. “We’re still friends?”

“I thought so. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, it’s okay,” Nico said, glancing across the room as his cheeks colored from embarrassment. “I just thought… When I got claimed, you looked…scared, like everybody else. I thought you were afraid of me.”

“No way, I think you’re even cooler now. And!” Will held up Nico’s now overly-bandaged hand. “Now you have you first battle scar! Super cool! So, how’d it happen?”

“Well, Beckendorf is helping me make a sword, and—“

“Woah, really? That’s so cool! Charlie is the coolest person ever! He helped me make a dagger when I first came to camp, and sometimes, even before I got claimed, he lets me try to heal him whenever he gets hurt! I mean, it was usually just, like, giving him ambrosia and bandaging his hands like I just did for you, but still!”

Nico’s head tilted. “You call him Charlie? Is that his name?”

“Oh!” Nico watched as Will’s cheeks grew pink, and his gaze dropped to the roll of bandages in his hands, his fingers picking at one fraying edge. “Um. Well, his name is Charles, but he told me that I could call him Charlie, but I think that’s probably supposed to be when it’s just me and him. Um. Don’t tell him I told you that, okay?”

Nico nodded. “Yeah, okay. Can I see the dagger you made?”

Will grinned at him. “Only if I can see your sword!”

Nico had been having trouble sleeping in the Big House. He’d gotten used to falling asleep to the sounds of snoring in the Hermes cabin, and Bianca was a silent sleeper. He could hear every creak of the house as it settled during the night, and each sound startled him out of whatever semi-asleep state he had been in.

He’d managed to convince himself one night that the house wasn’t simply settling, but that someone was wandering around where they shouldn’t be, and took his new sword with him to investigate. That was the point of his training, wasn’t it? So that he could fight off monsters and intruders before they could hurt him or his sister?

Nico took a lap around the main floor of the house, but there wasn’t a single light on inside, nor any person or creature that he could see. He went up to the second floor, and still found nothing, and again on the third floor. Still, he thought he heard something shifting above him, despite the fact that he couldn’t find another staircase leading up. Finally, at the end of a hallway, Nico noticed a rope hanging from the ceiling, and tugged on it. He pulled open a trap door in the ceiling, and a ladder descended.

He looked around the dark hallway to make sure no one had seen him before he climbed the ladder. At first, he couldn’t see much of anything in the attic, but after a quick glance around the room, he noticed a faint green glow peeking out from around shelves upon shelves of different knick knacks. Nico picked his way around the room, careful not to make too much noise and alert anyone else in the house to what he was doing, until he found the source of the glow.

He almost jumped when he saw the figure sitting on her tripod stool, her tie-dyed dress moving in psychedelic waves of colors as luminescent fog moved around her. Nico couldn’t make out any distinct features on the figure in the dark, though she never seemed to move - only the fog around her did that, seeming to reach out for him, wrapping around him, nearly choking him.

Her voice seemed to come from all directions.

“You shall go west and face the god who has turned,

You shall find what was stolen and see it safely returned,

You will be betrayed by one who calls you friend,

Your journey shall be for naught in the end.”

As soon as her words stopped echoing in his head, the fog and glow dissipated, and Nico fell to his knees coughing. He didn’t hear the trapdoor opening again behind him, only barely noticed the yellow light coming up from the hallway below. Nico scrambled to hide as someone climbed the ladder into the attic, but as soon as he heard the familiar sound of one particular god clearing his throat, Nico came out of hiding.

Mr. D, somehow managing to look even more unhappy than usual, was glaring at Nico with his arms crossed. “I was trying to stay out of Zeus’s business, kid, but you just had to screw me over on that one, huh?”

“I’m sorry!” Nico said immediately. “I didn’t mean to sneak around, but I heard a noise and—“

“What did you hear?” Mr. D asked with more patience than Nico had ever heard from him.

Nico couldn’t remember. “Just…just noises, like—“

“No, not in the house. What did you hear from her?” he tried again, nodding toward the figure on the stool.

Nico turned, and barely held back a shout at the sight of the figure. Now illuminated, Nico could see a corpse on that stool, dried out like some kind of mummy. “She’s dead!” Nico exclaimed. “How can she talk if she’s dead?”

“You tell me, Underworld spawn. Try to repeat her exact phrasing; it’s important how things are phrased.”

Nico tried his best to repeat the poem word for word, stumbling once or twice, though he was surprised at how well he was actually able to remember it.

Mr. D allowed himself a moment to absorb Nico’s words, then he nodded. “Yep, that’s a prophecy alright.”

“A prophecy?” Nico repeated. “Like, the future?”

“Loosely, yes.” Mr. D turned on his heel and started back toward the trapdoor. “C’mon, kid, you’ll need to tell Chiron everything.”

Nico hesitated. “Am I in trouble?”

“No.” Mr. D descended the ladder, then, after a second, his head popped back up through the trapdoor. “Well, not in any sense of the word that you’re familiar with. Hurry up, I don’t have all century.”

Nico didn’t think he’d ever understand what was happening. As soon as Nico told Chiron what had happened, Chiron called an emergency meeting of the head counsellors, which led to a gathering of some of the oldest demigods at camp - plus Annabeth Chase, the eleven-year-old counsellor of the Athena cabin - along with Nico and Bianca, all in their pajamas. They all sat around a ping pong table in the rec room, looking like the grumpiest slumber party on the Long Island Sound.

Many of the campers were grumbling to each other as they waited for the final arrivals, and Chiron finally started the meeting with a few clops of his hoof. When the noise died down, he announced, “A quest has been issued.”

Annabeth slammed her palms down on the table and spluttered, “What? To who?”

“The Oracle spoke to Nico di Angelo and spoke a new prophecy. I know you have wanted to partake in a quest, Annabeth, and while it wouldn’t be your own, this may be your only opportunity. That is, if Nico chooses you as one of his companions,” Chiron explained.

“I’m going,” Bianca said suddenly. “I…don’t really know what’s going on, but Nico won’t be going anywhere without me.”

“A quest with two kids of the Big Three?” Annabeth scoffed. “Sounds like a death sentence to me, no thanks.”

Luke elbowed Annabeth, muttering something that sounded like a reminder to be nice, and Annabeth mumbled an apology as she slouched back in her seat with her arms crossed.

Chiron cleared his throat. “This quest will be very dangerous, yes, just as all quests are. Before we discuss who will be the third on this quest, I believe we should try to decipher the prophecy and determine the best course of action for the di Angelos to take. Nico, if you could please recite the prophecy once more.”

Nico did, his voice shaky from nerves, though he tried not to focus on having so many eyes on him as he spoke.

“Go west and face the god who has turned,” Clarisse repeated. “Obviously that’s talking about Hades.” A few demigods shot her a look like, don’t bad-mouth their dad in front of them! “What? The entrance to the Underworld is way out west, right? That’s why demigods aren’t supposed to go too far west. And I think we all know he turned against Zeus. Who else could it be?”

“They’ll find the bolt, which Hades stole, and return it to Zeus,” Annabeth said, nodding along. “Sounds right to me.”

Nico and Bianca shared a confused look, then turned to Chiron, as if hoping for an explanation, though he didn’t seem to notice them.

Beckendorf cleared his throat. “Uh, I think we all need to be a little less vague. Bianca and Nico have no idea what happened during the solstice.”

Chiron sighed. “Of course.” He turned to Nico and Bianca and started to explain. “On the solstices each year, once in summer and once in winter, the twelve gods gather on Olympus. Only during the winter solstice is Hades allowed to join them. This past winter, the gods allowed some of the year-round campers to take a sort of…field trip to Olympus to witness their council. Sometime, during the night, Zeus’s master lightning bolt went missing, and has yet to turn up. He has taken to blaming his brothers, Poseidon and Hades, as he tends to do, but seeing as Hades has recently claimed you two as his children, Zeus may take your claiming as another admission of guilt.”

Bianca frowned. “What do you mean, another?”

“The Big Three made a pact,” Lee piped in. “After World War Two, they agreed to never have children again, because their kids are too powerful. Zeus and Poseidon have already broken it once, but now Hades is admitting to have broken it twice.”

“On top of that,” Katie Gardner said, “he’s probably trying to use you two as some kind of scapegoat.”

“Or to try to prove his innocence,” Silena Beauregard cut in. The demigods slowly devolved into arguments over Hades’s guilt or innocence.

Chiron cleared his throat. “To get back on topic,” he called, and waited for the room to quiet around him. He turned back to Nico and Bianca. “Do you understand, now? I believe that the focus of this quest will be to return Zeus’s master bolt to Olympus, and if we are to trust our interpretation of the prophecy, you will both need to travel to the Underworld and face your father in order to do so.”

“But what about the last two lines?” Bianca asked. “We’ll be betrayed by a friend, and the journey will be for nothing?”

Chiron looked uneasy. “Prophecies can mean…many things. It’s nearly impossible to determine what a prophecy truly means until after the quest is complete. It’s best not to worry about these things too much.”

Bianca didn’t seem convinced.

“Unless anyone has anything else they’d like to bring up, then I think we can bring this meeting to an end,” Chiron continued. “If the di Angelos are able to find a third member of their party, then we shall send them off after breakfast in the morning.”

Nico scanned the faces of each of the counsellors, but they all seemed to be avoiding his gaze - much like they had right after he’d been claimed.

After a moment, everyone stood from their seats and made to leave. Nico jumped up and blocked Beckendorf before he could make it out the door. “Beckendorf, will you come with us? Please?”

It looked like it pained him to say no. “I have to stay here to watch over my siblings, kiddo. If I wasn’t the head of my cabin, I’d go with you in a heartbeat. Tell you what, though, I’ll make sure your sword is finished before you leave in the morning, and I’ll make sure it’s sharp enough for you to cut any monster in half in a single swing.” He grinned and patted Nico on the shoulder, like a sharp sword was somehow better than an experienced demigod chaperone. He left the room, and soon, Nico and Bianca were the only two remaining.

Bianca wrapped her arms around Nico, and felt like she was being sent off to her death.

Nico didn’t feel like he could really enjoy breakfast the next morning - it felt like a prisoner’s last meal on death row. He still hadn’t found a third member for the quest, and Bianca wasn’t being any help. She was acting like the entire camp had already given up on them. Everyone seemed to be avoiding their eyes at the pavilion, as well.

When Nico went to turn his plate in, Will stopped in front of him. He held a backpack out to Nico and said, “Lee asked me to give this to you. It’s got a first aid kit, and some nectar and ambrosia, and a few snacks, and a little bit of demigod money and mortal money, just in case.”

Nico took the backpack from him and slung the straps over his shoulders. “Thanks, Will.”

“And, um. Good luck on your quest,” Will continued. “It’ll be weird being at camp without you after so long, but Chiron says you should be back by the solstice, so I guess that’s not too long.”

Nico’s head tilted. “Why does he think we’ll be back by then?”

Will frowned. “Because…it’s the solstice. Zeus and Poseidon are both gonna be back on Olympus at the same time, and if Zeus is still in a bad mood, then he’ll either try to start a war against Poseidon or Hades, which will both be bad. It’s best to just get the bolt back to Zeus before the solstice to avoid all that.”

Nico didn’t know if he wanted to scream or cry. Why did everybody know more about his quest than he did? Why wouldn’t they tell him anything? It was like they wanted him to fail!

“Woah, what’s wrong?” Will asked, his eyes widening in something like a mix of surprise and fear. “What is something I said? I’m sorry, please don’t cry!”

Nico furiously wiped at his eyes and felt wetness on his cheeks. “Why doesn’t anybody tell me anything?” Nico exclaimed. “You know more about my quest than I do! Why doesn’t somebody else go on this quest instead of me? I’m just gonna mess everything up!”

Will still looked a little panicked. “I’ll go with you!”

Nico froze. “You…will?”

“Yeah!” Will tried for a grin, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “It’ll be fun! You still need a third, right? I’ll be a great third! I…know stuff, and I’m a healer…kind of. And besides, we’re friends, right? It’ll all work out just fine!”

The third line of the prophecy rang through Nico’s head at Will’s words: You will be betrayed by one who calls you friend.

He tried to ignore it. Chiron was right, worrying about it wouldn’t do anybody any good. Instead, Nico threw himself forward and wrapped his arms around Will. “Thank you, Will.”

thanks for reading!

buy me a coffee

#solangelo #will solace #nico di angelo #my writing #mine #botm

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mrsbhandari · 5 years ago

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A/N: HERE IT IS!! MY FIGHTING OLIVER TENSION FIC!! I hope yall enjoy and I also hope that yall know: getting asks and requests brightens my day EVERY SINGLE TIME it happens!! I never mind writing fics for yall or talking to yall or saying yall five times in every sentence. u know how it is. the pirates get ye, I get yall. thems the rules.

words: 2k

warnings: HEAVY SMUT like jfc idk how I can live with myself fklsjdfkj, language, swords

Summary: A training session with Oliver gets heated.

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“You’re sure you can handle this, Eden?” Oliver took a sword off the wall and tossed it to his new sparring partner, who caught it easily by the hilt. “Training can get...intense.” His smoldering gaze turned to her, making his implication obvious.

“You forget I’ve learned the basics. I held off against your men, remember?” Raising an eyebrow, she swung the blade around with obvious practiced skill, getting used to the weight and natural movement quickly. He smiled fondly, but there was just a hint of arrogance touching his lips. The sword whooshed close to his ear, making him jolt away and drop his look. “Scared, Lieutenant?” After joining his crew, she was still desperate to prove that she deserved to be there, that she wasn’t a pirate spy. Oliver always regarded her coolly and cautiously, but figured the best way to test loyalty was to give her a weapon and see to it that she didn’t kill him (on purpose, at least).

“More nervous. You’re dangerous, you know.” He widened his stance, preparing to begin, and she modeled her foot placement after his.

“I know.” Giving a brief wink, they began the classic dance of battle, always moving and waiting for the other to strike first. As they looked at each other, there was a palpable tension stretching across the wide circle they created, connecting them like a taut string just begging to be broken by the swing of a sharp blade. Oliver was the first to attack, showing mercy on his partner with an easily blocked slash. To her, the sound of their swords clashing together in midair was jolting, but she did well to hide it and brush his blade off hers; he had gotten used to the sound over the years and showed no hints of anxiety, making him seem like a robot designed for fighting.

“Don’t go easy on me,” she commanded, sending a glare across the circle they’d created once again, shifting feet and hard breaths the only sounds in the small room they were using for training. She wasn’t sure about Oliver, but her hard breaths were coming more from how she would rather be exercising another way, involving a lot more sweat and a lot less clothes. The thought fleetingly took her focus, but she shook her head to wipe her mind; the split second was enough for him to catch her off guard.

He lunged forward, but his eyes gave his next move away: a swipe from the right, easily parried as she stepped over and let him fall a little too far forward with too much momentum for him to easily regain his balance. She took advantage of his vulnerability and hit the hilt of her blade into the small of his back, sending him to the floor with a grunt. That grunt definitely didn’t help the mental images already running through her mind, so she elected to back away, letting him scramble to his feet.

Oliver was sweating, and she found herself preoccupied by the droplets running down his skin. His hair was in a ponytail when they started, but the strands were messy now and sticking to his flesh in crazy patterns that decorated his temples and cheeks. Running a hand through it, he noticed her distracted state and yet again moved forward, lightning on his feet as he quickly disarmed her and grabbed her sword. Unable to defend herself, he walked her back with a sword at her neck until her back hit the wall.

The blade was cold, but he pressed the flat of it to her skin so as to give the illusion of threat. Eden didn’t really care. Her eyes drifted from part to part of his face, studying the way his breath came out, the way his fingers twitched as if holding back, the way he pressed his body far closer to hers than he needed to. He was tall and could barely resist the way her face looked as she had to tilt her head back to see him; her lips were parted slightly and she bit the bottom one, already plump and red and tempting. He could feel his pants growing tighter, a physical representation of the siren’s effect on his body, making his thoughts run every which way, following a constantly changing current. He realized he had been leaning down this entire time, target locked on those kissable lips that made him lose his mind, before he thought more of the consequences. He changed his path at the last second, head landing next to hers with his forehead against the wall.

“You’re dead.” Before he could think, she ripped the swords out of his hands and tossed them to the floor. “Wha--?” She landed a steel foot on his boot, drawing out a yelp that quickly morphed into a gasp as she jolted her knee into his stomach, knocking any air out. She pushed him off, sticking a foot out behind his when he stepped back to send him to the ground once again. Falling to her knees, she straddled his hips and pinned his wrists, leaning low to whisper in his ear.

“You’re dead.”

Unable to take it anymore, Oliver turned his head and kissed her, pouring every second of torturous want that he’d lived through into it. His hands curled into fists, but she continued to hold them to the ground, unwilling to relinquish her control. For a minute, he thought they were just going to stay like this: her on top of him and kissing him like she needed his lips and tongue to live. Then, her hips were grinding down into his and her teeth were sinking into his bottom lip and her lips were moving down his jaw and he was losing his breath at the overwhelming sensations of and and and.

“Eden...” he gasped, letting out a shuddering groan when her teeth grazed his earlobe.

“Lieutenant.” He was fully hard now and he knew she could feel through his trousers, but she continued teasing him with little nips and random grinding that kept him on his toes. The worst pain he was feeling was in his wrists as her nails dug in, tattooing crescents that he was sure to run his fingers over when this was all over. “Tell me what you want, Oliver.” He whimpered, drowning in the feeling of Eden everywhere on him. A swift bite to his collarbone pulled him out of his daze just enough to answer.

“More,” he groaned. She hummed, loosening her grip on his wrists. They shot up to her breasts, lightly squeezing them over her thin linen shirt, sighing at the pretty sounds falling from her pretty lips. His fingertips meandered down to her hips where he gripped the skin revealed between her shirt and pants, tugging her body down to gain the barest hint of friction, moaning loudly once he acquired it and felt his vision go fuzzy. Then she was kissing him again and the world was tilting around him and he felt like he was falling, lost in Eden. He was adrift, unanchored, loose.

It was the most exhilarating thing he had felt in a long time.

The cold air of the room bit into his skin when he looked down to find his chest exposed. She had unbuttoned and threw his shirt open, sitting back to admire the broad plans and sharp lines of muscles, honed by years of training and exercise to ensure he was in the best shape for the Navy. Eden’s eyes were hungry, predatory while they bounced from his abs to his collarbone to his face, flushed and wanting. It was then that Oliver recognized just how powerful she was in this position, and he flipped her to even the score.

“Getting bold now, are we?” she taunted, tapping at his resolve to see how thick the boundary was.

“You shouldn’t get to have all the fun. Plus,” He ran a fingertip from the valley of her breasts to the waistband of her pants, “you look so beautiful like this.” It was her turn to blush as she tried covering her face, but he imitated her by pulling and pinning her wrists to the floor above her. “You’re not getting away from me that easily.” He attached his lips to her neck, listening for the breathy moans she released while straining her arms, aching to get her hands on him.

“Oliver, please,” she whispered, flexing her hands underneath his grip.

“Tell me what you want, Eden,” he said, recalling her own words from minutes before.

“I want to touch you, Oliver. I want you to make me scream your name so loud that the Poseidon’s Revenge can hear. Please.” Her unwavering confidence took him by surprise and he loosened his grip, groaning when she used her newfound freedom to tug sharply on his hair, now fully out of the ponytail. His hips bucked at the rough treatment. “You like that? You’re a naughty lieutenant, sir.”

His eyes darkened and he climbed back off her to sit up on his knees. His hands returned to her hips, pinching lightly before moving to her thighs and forcefully tugging her hips to meet his. Wrapping her legs around his waist, they were closer than ever, and he almost couldn’t stand it.

“Undress,” he commanded, throwing his shirt off, pushing his own pants down, and fishing his cock out. She returned to her position completely naked, trembling with excitement. His hands drifted to her breasts once again, pinching and rolling her nipples between his fingers. “Good girl.” His deep voice only made her wetter for him, feeling her juices run down her thighs. “So ready for me, yeah?”

She could do nothing but nod, and he decided to let it go because he was just so desperate to feel her heat wrapped around him, to feel her shake beneath his touch at her peak, to feel her writhe under his touch as he sank himself into her and made her climax. His hands remained on her thighs when he thrusted into her entrance, letting a groan escape his throat. He was drowned out by her animalistic scream, her nails digging into the floor beneath them and leaving small scratches in the grain.

“So perfect for me,” he murmured, swallowing her moan and thrusting roughly into her. He set a cutthroat pace that left him close with just a few movements, but he wanted to hold out for her. For all his dominance and arrogance, his only desire was to pleasure her.

Well, he also wanted her to claw at his back until he bled.

His hands found themselves under her flexed shoulder blades and her arched back, pulling her up until they were pressed chest-to-chest once again. Eden’s fingernails raked his skin, most likely leaving deep scratches to heal in a week or so. It wasn’t a matter to him; Oliver knew that he was going to have new ones to replace these before that.

“Lieutenant…” she gasped, pressing her face into his neck, but he took one hand and pushed her out so he could see her, leaving one arm wrapped around her so he could hold her up.

“I want to watch you, Eden.” His tender tone and sexy words sent her over the edge, shaking in his arms as he continued to fuck into her, following her into orgasm. Their moans mixed into a sensual harmony, pure bliss washing over the couple on the floor of the training room. They both barely caught their breaths, making it harder for themselves by kissing lazily, Oliver still buried inside her.

“How’s that for training?”

Oliver let out a laugh, holding her closer and ignoring the sticky sweat covering them and the cum dribbling out of her. His response was another kiss to take the place of a promise for more.

#distant shores oliver #oliver distant shores #oliver x mc #Oliver #distant shores #distant shores choices #choices distant shores #choices #playchoices distant shores #playchoices #fanfic #fiction #fanfiction #ns*fw text #n*sfw

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