#original child of apollo

[starstwinkleplanetsshine]

Daughter of the Sea

This one is dedicated to @aswallowssong. Thanks for being the Cady to my Angie, and thanks for trusting me with your beloved daughter of Apollo. It's been a blast getting to know her <3

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Drachma for Your Thoughts (Read on AO3)

“Drachma for your thoughts?” 

Cady’s voice pulled me out of my swirling head and back to where we were sitting on the beach. It was well past curfew, but Percy had left earlier that evening with Nico to finally start the plan that the son of Hades had suggested almost a year ago now. A plan so dangerous, so insane, that the mere thought of my brother going through with it meant I had been on the verge of a total breakdown all day. So when I showed up to the infirmary well past midnight, my eyes bloodshot and my hands trembling, I didn’t argue when Cady suggested we take a walk to the beach. 

The harpies hadn’t been very active this summer, anyway. 

“I’m just thinking about how in a week all this will be over.” I kept my eyes on the dark waves in front of me, but I could feel that Cadys’ were trained on me. I wished I could just walk into the sea and run away from it all, but I knew things weren’t much better under the waves. 

“Four days until your birthday.” Her voice was more somber than I had ever heard it. What she should’ve said was “four days until Percy’s birthday.” It didn’t matter that we were twins. His was the one that counted. 

“Four days until the end of the world.” I was trying to make a joke, but Cady didn’t laugh. 

“Do you ever think about the mortals?” I asked after a couple minutes of the waves being the only sounds between us. 

“What?” 

“They have no idea their whole world is hanging in the balance right now. They have no idea what's going on, the war we’re fighting, the battle that will determine the fate of…everything. They have no clue what we’re about to do for them. They just think there’s some really bad storms.” My words spilled out and I didn't try to stop them. There was no point censoring myself with Cady. 

She was quiet again before chuckling lightly, which caught me by surprise. “I think about them all the time. I think…I think that’s who we’re really fighting for.” 

I finally turned my head towards her, and I could see a look of resolute determination on her face in the pale moonlight. 

“We have to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves,” she continued, “whether that’s the gods who are too busy or mortals who can't know the danger they’re in.” 

I let her words settle on me as a smile crept onto my face. I thought about how much older she looked in the shine of the silver moon, and how much she had taught me about the world we shared in the past year. So much of the half blood I was, or was becoming, was thanks to her, Percy and Annabeth. 

“That’s very heroic, Cady.” 

She shrugged, her expression unchanging. “It’s our job.” 

I had never thought of it that way before, but as soon as she said it, I knew it was true. If demigods had one purpose in the world, it was to span the gap between the gods and mortals—to fight both of their battles. It always had been. 

My gaze wandered from the waves to the sky above and I began absentmindedly searching for stories in the sky, the ones that Annabeth had taught me—anything to get my mind off everything that had happened that day. My eyes landed on a new constellation, the form of a hunter who seemed to be a little older than a girl—Zoë. Percy had told me about her, how she was a Huntress of Artemis who had died fighting the Titan Atlas while defending him and, ultimately, the gods. 

Her place was in the sky now, as Beckendorff’s was underground. Along with Lee Fletcher. And Castor. And so many others that had been lost in the past year. 

Would I, too, find my own place amongst them soon? Would I join my namesake in the sky with my brother close behind as our souls found their way, hopefully, to Elysium? 

“I only met her once.” Cady’s voice once again saved me from my thoughts. I peeled my eyes off the sky and turned to her. 

“The Hunter?” 

She nodded. “I saw you looking at her. She was strong, and brave, and very wise.”

“Do you think we’ll end up there someday?” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them, and Cady furrowed her brow. 

“Angie…”

“I guess there’s already an Andromeda constellation, so probably not—” 

“Angie!” Cady cut off my pathetic attempt to downplay my question. “Why would you say that?” 

I met her eyes and immediately wished I hadn't. Something about them made me drop the walls I always had up. Maybe it was because I was so close to the sea, which always made me feel more honest. Or maybe it was the inherent vulnerability of being under the night sky after midnight. Or maybe it was just because Cady had become the closest thing to a sister I had in the past year. 

But whatever it was didn’t matter as I let out a heavy sigh and took a deep breath. 

“I don’t think I’m walking away from this, Cady.” 

Her eyes got sad. 

“You’re gonna be okay.” 

I started getting flashbacks to my conversation with Percy just the night before that had sounded a lot like this. I heard his words echoed in my own.

“I wish I could trade places with him. Take what is supposed to be his.”

The words were a lot harder to say than I thought they would be. Cady was quiet, but I knew she understood who I was talking about.

“It should be me, anyways.” I finally got out. 

“Why would you say that?” 

“Can you imagine a world without Percy?” 

Her eyes fell to the sand and she took a deep breath before answering. “No.” 

I wondered if she was remembering those awful two weeks last summer like I was. The time we feared we had lost him for good. 

“Me neither. I don’t…I don’t think I’m supposed to live in a world without him. I don’t know how to explain it, but I just know. So if that means I give my life so he lives, it’s what I’ll do.” I had never been more sure of anything in my entire life. 

“Angie—“

“No, Cady. I’m serious.” I met the girl's eyes, and all I saw staring back at me was fear. And pain. And heaviness. Eyes that were usually as bright as the sun, kind and shining with her father’s light, were as cold and dark as the moon. 

“It should be me.” I kept talking in the heavy silence. “Percy’s the hero, he’s the one everyone needs. If he was gone, camp would never be the same. You know it’s true, you felt it last year. Everyone would be…lost.” 

Cady looked like she wanted to say something, but stopped herself. 

“No one needs me that way. Maybe…” tears filled my eyes as I started to verbalize the one thing I had known for so long, but could never utter, “maybe that’s why I was sent here so late. Maybe that’s my destiny. To save my brother, the real hero, so he can fulfill his purpose. Fulfill the prophecy. Maybe I’m supposed to be the spare. And—” my voice broke— ”maybe that’s not a bad thing.” 

“Angie, we’ve talked about this.” Cady’s eyes were filled with exhaustion. 

“I know! But this time…this time these thoughts aren’t coming from Kronos. It’s not because I don’t think I’m good enough. It’s because I think I am. Just maybe. Maybe I’m enough to save him. To give him a future. To give everyone a future.” I watched as Cady's eyes filled with tears, her shoulders slumping even more. She stayed silent, as if she could tell there was more I needed to say, and I took a deep breath. 

“For my whole life I never knew where my place was. It took me fourteen years to find it, to be shown it. And I know I haven’t been a part of this world for very long, but from the second that trident appeared over my head, I stepped into a shadow I didn’t even know was there. And I spent a long time resenting that shadow, even if I wouldn’t admit it. But the past few months, few weeks really, I realized—maybe that’s the point. Maybe if I can be a shield for Percy, somehow, that will be enough. Maybe I was brought here—“ 

“You weren’t brought to camp just to die.” Cady's words were sharp, cutting like the knives she loved to throw. 

“But what if I was?”

Cady just sighed. “What aren’t you telling me?” 

“What?”

“I can see it in your eyes. There’s something you’re not saying”

I took a deep breath, wondering if I was that bad at hiding my feelings or if she was just that good at reading them. 

“Hestia visited me this afternoon.” 

“Hestia?”

“Ya, like the goddess.” 

“I know who Hestia is. But why did she visit?” 

“She…” Now that I had to put it into words, I was having a hard time making sense of it. Between helping Percy prepare to leave, and feeling the need to be strong for the other counselors and younger campers after Beckendorff’s funeral, I hadn’t had much time to process her words. I told Cady everything the goddess said—the parallels between the original Andromeda and myself, the way that the fates of my brother and I were tied just as Perseus and Andromeda’s had been. I told her about the warning she gave me, how I shouldn’t fight Percy's battles. 

“She said that learning to yield is powerful, and sometimes more important than fighting.” She was quiet for a while, probably trying to untie all the words I had laid in a tangled mess at her feet. 

“What does that even mean?” 

“I have no idea.” I began tracing my fingers in the sand, doodling seashells that didn’t hold their shape. 

“There’s more, isn’t there?”

I let out a sigh—keeping any secrets around Cady was hopeless. 

“I told you she warned me. But what that warning was…I’m really scared, Cady.” 

My best friend's eyebrows pulled together as a concerned frown grew on her face. She reached a hand over and gripped mine tightly, the feeling grounding me and giving me the strength to continue. 

“She said that I needed to learn to control myself, learn to yield, or I would ‘doom us all.’ Those are the words she used. ‘Doom us all.’” 

“That’s encouraging.” 

Cady’s words were so dry, I burst into laughter. She quickly joined me, both of us unraveling as we howled into the night. It must’ve been a ridiculous sight—and we were getting too loud, I knew it. Soon the harpies would find us, but we didn’t stop. We laughed until tears pooled in our eyes and our sides hurt. 

It felt strange. There was nothing to be laughing at, really. Percy was gone. We were at war. The titans were getting closer by the day. But even so, we were laughing. It was almost as if we could forget it all, even just for a moment. 

But then that moment ended. 

Our laughter died and soon the sound of the waves was once again the only thing between us. The air grew heavier, and with it, my heart. The lightness the laughter had brought flew away on the wind, and we were left alone in the black night once again. 

“I wish I knew what she meant.” 

“I think…” Cady hesitated, as if she was afraid to keep going. “I think she was pretty clear, actually.” She turned to face me again, and her eyes were that mixture of gentle and serious that I had only ever seen her pull off. “You can’t fight Percy’s battles for him. When the time comes…maybe you step aside.”

I shook my head. “I can’t do that. Maybe…Maybe that’s not what she means.” 

Her eyes got sad. “You need to realize that you’re not Percy.” Those words would’ve been harsh coming from anyone else. “You don’t need to be Percy. You said it yourself—ever since you got here, you’ve been living in his shadow, a shadow you didn’t even know was drowning you. And sometimes I wonder if you stay there because you think you have to. Because you think you’re not worthy of the sun.” 

Tears rushed to my eyes quickly as her words knocked the air out of my lungs. 

“But believe me when I say this, Angie—everyone is deserving of their place in the sun.” She managed a smile, and I swear the stars shined brighter. “You don’t have to live in Percy’s shadow. It’s like the myth—your destinies are intertwined, Percy’s success is yours. That means that you can do different things, be different people, and still stay connected. You don’t need to stay in his shadow for that.” 

“But what if—” my voice caught and I couldn’t stop the tears from falling onto my cheeks. “What if I don’t do enough, and he dies. What if I don’t try and protect him, and we lose him.” 

Cady took a deep breath as if the very thought pained her. “If Percy is…fated to die, there’s little we can do. But we don’t know that. Prophecies are tricky, and hard to understand. And the more we try and change them, or work against them, the quicker we make them come true.” She looked into the sky before continuing. “What if you interfere and that ends up causing more harm?” 

A sense of hopelessness washed over me. “I don’t want to live without him.” 

I saw a tear streak down Cady's cheek. “I know. But someone has to keep on living when others die.” 

I felt my eyebrows pull together as a terrifying thought crossed my mind. I had never considered that I would live past this week, past my sixteenth birthday. I had made up my mind that Percy was the one walking away from this, not me, and I was determined to do anything I could to make that happen. 

I hadn’t considered other people might be thinking the same thing, might be making those choices, too—regardless of what other people wanted. 

“You don’t think you’re walking out of this either, do you?” 

Cady dropped her head, staring at the sand. “I know I’m not.” 

“Cady—” 

“You’re not the only one who wants to protect people.” Her head snapped up, and I saw a harshness in her eyes. “This is what I’ve been trained for. My siblings walk away from this. You walk away from this. Gods willing, Percy walks away from this. But not me. Not if I can save them.” 

My head felt like it was spinning. No no no, it screamed. This isn’t right. It as to be me, it has to—

“They need you, Cady.” 

She shook her head. “Nobody needs me. They'll miss me, sure. But they’ll be alright. They’re strong.” 

“I need you.” Desperation and fear were swelling in my chest as I choked back a sob. “I can’t do this alone.” 

“You’re not alone, Angie. You never have been. And even when I go, you never will be.” 

Her words weren’t making sense to me, and panic rose in my stomach as I thought about the very real possibility of losing Cady and Percy within the next week. And Annabeth. And Rosie. And—

I was about to break into hysterics when I felt Cady's hand on my arm, with it the familiar feeling of her magic spreading across my nervous system. Usually I didn’t like when Cady used her gifts on me without asking, but in this moment, I was glad. I couldn’t go down that spiral. I would be falling and falling into the darkness for days—that was a bottomless pit I knew I would never be able to climb out of. 

“Thanks, Cades.” I breathed out as her healing touch calmed my anxiety. I took a deep breath, my first one all day, and met her burdened eyes. 

“You’re gonna be okay, Angie. We don’t know what’s going to happen. Maybe we all walk away from this.” But I could tell she didn’t believe her words. “But even if we don’t, you’ll still be okay. Maybe staying behind is what you were sent for—if there’s still a Camp Half Blood in the next week, they’ll need someone to turn to. They’ll need a leader. They’ll need you.” 

I shook my head instinctively. “I’m not—” 

“But you are, Andromeda. You’re Percy’s sister. You’re Poseidon’s daughter. Whether you like it or not, that power is already within you. Everyone else sees it. It’s about time you start seeing it, too.” 

It was all too much. I clenched my eyes shut and forced myself to listen to the waves, to think of nothing else but the sound as they crashed onto the shore. No more wars, or battles, or prophecies, or doomed brothers, or self-sacrificing best friends. No more gods and titans and doomsdays. Just the sand under my fingers and the sea in front of me. 

It didn’t work. 

“I’m not who everyone thinks I am. I can’t be what everyone needs me to be.” 

I was on my feet and sprinting away from the water before Cady had time to call my name, and I didn’t stop running until the door to Cabin 3 was slammed shut behind me.

[the-young-hecate-kid]

{open starter} that's what happened

(TW child death, child abuse, death)

*you saw Mary so you went close to her, but you got transported into a memory you were in the body of Mary. You as Mary were walking through the forest of camp half-blood, you were in the middle closer to the edge to the mortal world. Someone walked up to you, he had blonde hair and brown eyes, "You lost?" He asked you shake your head "Well let's go to your parents anyways" and before you could explain he grabbed your arm. You felt scared as you tried to pull away but his grip was strong. He ran a knife around your neck drawing blood. Then he stabbed you in the shoulder/arm. You fell to the floor and you were going in and out of consciousness as you thought you were going to die someone tried to help you but it was too late. You just stared at Mary now that your back in the normal time realizing that she had to deal with that and that's how she died.*

What do you do?

(tags @acezinspace @emdabitchass @urbestestwindgod @cloak-of-ares @least-favorite-hades-kid @penelope-is-waiting @odysseus-of-ithaca-is-lost @aura-of-the-winds @lucifermorningstar-official @the-speedster-god @lethia-not-athena @the-god-ofwar @seleneandheliosog @mother-of-trust @princess-of-jade @notesbyaphrodite @justice-bringer @god-of-smithing-and-cozy-vibes @amber-the-unknown @apollo-ask-blog @least-favorite-ares-kid @that-roman-arsonist @thomasofithaka @the-great-emperor-commodus @/anyone )

(my master list)

(tell me if you want to be added or remove)

[sibbydoo]

[⚔️🏹] CAMP HALF-BLOOD

It’s been a while since I’ve drawn my Camp Half-blood OCs! Meet Danny, Cherra, and Zeno <3 there’s more info on them below the cut +my first proper sketches of their redesigns from last year!

CHERRA [❄️🎸] — Child of Boreas

“I don’t think we really stop being afraid. We learn to be braver about it, though! No one ever tells you that.”

Cherra is not a half-blood, but more an actual spawn of Boreas, the Greek god of the north wind, and of winter. Her father is known for his cruelty. Tangled between a curse that Boreas plans to unleash into the world, and being made as the catalyst to make that happen, Cherra did the only thing she could think of: she fell from the sky, and away from her father’s domain. No one in Camp is sure how she ends up a few miles from the borders, but she awakens with no memory of the fall, nor the destiny that was forced upon her. Will an eternal winter come for the world after all?

ZENO ADARES [🌊🏹] — Child of Apollo

“The sun’s gonna explode at some point, but it won’t happen tomorrow. Breathe. Think of now—whad’ya wanna do?”

Growing up a surfer kid and being an absolute geek about all-things-ocean, literally everyone thought that Zee was Poseidon’s kid before he revealed the god that claimed him. Zeno is a charming, sprightly young demigod who stayed in Camp since he was eleven, and in the years since he proven himself to be good at many things; mainly being a great archer, an even better, and being, I quote, “Camp’s Best Brother”. To those who hated the sun, he had a way of getting to you. Kinda like sunbeams peeking through a heavy curtain. Heck! Not even Hecate’s kids are safe from the guy’s…weird ability.

DANIEL FALLON [🌙🔮] — Child of Hecate

“Oh, please. The cards only tell me what’s ahead. But my choices? All mine. These cards’ got nothing on how I choose my future.”

From a long line of witches came this fella, with his stacks of weathered books, cool cards, and a resting bitch face that could…possibly rival Ares’. Children of Hecate tend to follow a ‘trifecta’ of knowledge, possibly due to the trio nature of their mother goddess: Maiden-Mother-Crone, Three torches, Three moons. Daniel leans toward divination, the Mist, and necromancy. He has a cat who can talk—well, more like he can hear her. It was an accident involving communing with the dead, and now a spirit possessed her. Her name is Sabrina.

SOME SKETCHES FROM LAST YEAR:

[yonemurishiroku]

child of jercy is made a living symbol of peace between the Romans and the Greeks.

And then there are their two dads bickering like children in the background. Years of marriage and they seem to only take their banters up the notch.

Okok but just imagine Zeus/Jupiter and Poseidon have been in this feud for like. thousands of years. and then their grandchild is hailed the symbol of peace with the sounds of Juno's cheering in the background. Oh and the fact that Hera did help Poseidon plot to usurp her husband back in the days. The family gathering would be absolutely a circus.

[aimonnova]

— ₊˚⌗ ’🕷️ ° ᯓ★ * Dorian Álvarez

he / him ENTP son of apollo latino t-boy professional yapper chaotic neutral avid reader wanna-be punk needs to dye his hair 24/7 says he hates school but is a secret nerd artist guitarist

[dreamdropsystem]

4 child OC/paras. Koffie and Apollo, both are dead. Koffie was a dead angel killed by.. wdk what yet. Apollo was drowned by his bullies. Ava and Eva are mischievous young demons! they are alive. evil twins.

[witchyleehibernates-fics]

Well, We're All In The Mood For A Melody (And You've Got Us Feelin' Alright)

Summary:

“Come on Will, that’s not fair!” Lily cried out, but when she had stopped talking, she was also humming. She was pouting, but there was a light of happiness in the seven year old's eyes. Jake was also humming, and though the 13 year old was glaring at Will, he was also fighting his own smile, Will noted. Half of the cabin was quietly humming, and Will wondered who was going to break first. “My nanna says I have traveling feet-” Of course it was Carmen, Will glanced over at the eight year old. “Traveling feet, traveling feet. Slippers for princesses don’t fit me, but I dance to my own drum, bright and bold, and my traveling feet always get me home.” Will smiled at her encouragingly. Carmen loved to sing, however she was a quiet voice that was easily overshadowed. 𖤓𖤓𖤓 Title from: 'Piano Man' by Billy Joel

Content Warning's/Trigger Warnings: Fluff!

Characters: Will Solace, Austin Lake, Kayla Knowles, Original Child(ren) of Apollo

Chapters: 1/1

Words: 1,272

Status: Complete

Fanfic Links:

|| Ao3 || Fanfiction Net ||

......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... .........

Will smirked as he glanced at Austin and Kayla, a dance of mischief in his eyes. His smirk got just a tad bigger when he saw the matching mischief dancing in Austin and Kayla’s eyes. He glanced around and noted that most of their siblings were in the cabin. The only ones not in the cabin were the toddlers that had been left at camp, which saddened him but he understood the parents of them.

He took a breath and began to hum.

“No!” Jake jumped up, pointing at Will with wide eyes. “No! Not again!” Will only continued to hum as Kayla and Austin gave in and also began to hum. It was near instinct in children of Apollo to harmonize when other children of Apollo were humming, whistling or singing. Sure, a child of Apollo could fight the instinct, but it was then a battle of wills. And Cabin Counselor’s had to have a… strength to make sure they could keep their siblings in line. It was why Lee was such a good cabin counselor, and then Micheal. Will learned from them and he would honor their strength with his own.

“Come on Will, that’s not fair!” Lily cried out, but when she had stopped talking, she was also humming. She was pouting, but there was a light of happiness in the seven year old's eyes. Jake was also humming, and though the 13 year old was glaring at Will, he was also fighting his own smile, Will noted. Half of the cabin was quietly humming, and Will wondered who was going to break first.

“My nanna says I have traveling feet-” Of course it was Carmen, Will glanced over at the eight year old. “Traveling feet, traveling feet. Slippers for princesses don’t fit me, but I dance to my own drum, bright and bold, and my traveling feet always get me home.” Will smiled at her encouragingly. Carmen loved to sing, however she was a quiet voice that was easily overshadowed.

“I’m a map of the world and the one’s before, one foot in sea and one on shore. Every step, every hope flung high.” Kayla continued when Carmen’s voice filtered out. A smile on her eyes as she motioned for Carmen to finish the verse.

“I’m a map of them all with my Irish eyes.” Carmen was smiling as she jumped down from her bed and ran over to Kayla. All the while, the children of Apollo hummed.

“There’s a tear in your eye and I’m wondering why, For it never should be there at all.” Mark sang quietly. “With such pow’r in your smile, sure a stone you’d beguile, So there’s never a tear-drop should fall.”

“When your sweet lilting laughter’s like some fairy song, And your eyes twinkle bright as can be.” Amelia added, a laugh in her voice as she kicked her feet idly. Behind her, Mary was doing her hair with Cody itching to help, it looked. “You should laugh all the while and all other times, smile.”

“And now smile a smile for me.” Cody finished. Will smiled, raising his hum up just a little louder. Not in volume, but making it a different pitch. Automatically, everyone humming shifted to either match, or add in melody or harmony.

“When Irish eyes are smiling, Sure it’s like a morn in Spring.” Kayla sang, swaying gently as Carmen sat on her lap. Kayla was holding her carefully, making sure that she wasn’t going to fall at any point.

“In the lilt of Irish laughter, You can hear the angels sing.” Austin continued smirking as Jacob, only four years old, grabbed onto his pant leg. He clearly wanted to be picked up, but Austin’s hands were full of blankets. Cleaning days were always done in parts.

“When Irish hearts are happy, All the world seems bright and gay.” Will stuck his tongue out at Kayla who made a playfully teasing expression towards him. Will crouched down and motioned for Jacob to come to him, smiling when the four year old ran towards him, giggling lightly before continuing to hum. Will lifted him up, and smiled at Carmen.

“And when Irish eyes are smiling, Sure, they steal your heart away.” Carmen clapped her hands lightly, starting another instinct. Will placed Jacob on his arm, beginning to clap along with Carmen, a smile on his face as everyone in the cabin slowly began to clap along. It reminded him of a movie that was recently released; a woman singing and everyone dancing, clapping and having fun as they existed together.

“For your smile is a part of the love in your heart, And it makes even sunshine more bright.” Jake cracked, a smile falling onto his face as he clapped. “Like the linnet’s sweet song, crooning all the day long, Comes your laughter so tender and light.”

“For the spring-time of life is the sweetest of all, There is ne’er a real care or regret.” Mary voiced, with Cody clapping beside her, just enough to soothe her own instinct to join in as she worked on Amelia’s hair.

“And while spring-time is ours throughout all of youth’s hours, Let us smile each chance we get.” Ameila and Carmen sang together and Will smiled. He loved when his siblings were able to smile, laugh, and sing with one another. Just because they needed the kick in the ass to get started, didn’t mean that they would always need it.

“When Irish eyes are smiling, Sure it’s like a morn in Spring.”

“In the lilt of Irish laughter.” Maria sang, she was new to camp, only 12 years old, and was settling in amazingly. “You can hear the angels sing.”

“When Irish hearts are happy,” Austin sang, smiling at her as he finished making his own bed. The bunk above his was Kayla’s, and she had a particular way about her sheets, which were thankfully done that morning. Will didn’t think he could stomach another argument between the two.

“All the world seems bright and gay,” Will rolled his eyes as Austin playfully teased him with his own form of expression. His siblings had a habit of teasing him whenever the topic of ‘gay’ or ‘bi’ or even ‘sexuality’ was brought up, despite half of them being of the various mentioned. He was the first that had ever openly had a relationship, so they took teasing to a whole new level, even Lee and Micheal had never had a relationship that they were quite so open about. “And when Irish eyes are smiling.”

“Sure, they steal your heart away.” Carmen finished the song off, and Will relented. The humming teetered out and Jake cheered as he collapsed back onto his bed… and proceeded to miss and hit the ground.

“Ow!”

“Jake, you okay?” Will asked, amusement coloring his voice.

“I hate that you can do that, you know.” Jake muttered, and Will chuckled as the rest of the cabin began to laugh and giggle as they all resumed making their designated areas clean again. Art supplies were put back in their bins under the beds, all sorted to how the child prefers, and journals were back on the shelves. Instruments were also all carefully placed back on their stands or in their cases, all placed in bins under their beds.

“I’m well aware, Jake, but it helps us… bring harmony to the cabin, don’t you think?” Will snickered as Kayla and Austin groaned.

“Not with the music puns of you I beg.” Austin told him, pointing a finger at him before turning and helping little Emily sort her stuffed animals.

[badwritingbadwriter]

A soul is torn from the precipice of destruction.

A domino effect of right and wrong creeping in the mind, a battle with itself.

The desperation of a drowning man running his hands through water in vain, for he would never reach the surface and pull in the air his lungs so desperately need.

S.A.E

[almoststedytimetravel]

Sorry I can't come to the function I'm analysing the colour schemes and expressions of my blorbo's under a microscope. Maybe next time.

[quailfence]

[Image description: Text backlog from Spirit of Justice:

Apollo: (Discipline? Coming from her, I don't like the sound of that at all... Wait... Ga'ran didn't do something to her, did she?) End description.]

Ohhh shit

[gift-of-prophecy]

feeling kinda weird and crazy about my warden again, how her mother was banished from the dalish clan and before her mother could educate her properly on their history, she was taken away to a circle. how she never got vallaslin but knew it was customary of their people and had another circle mage elf give her “vallaslin” which in turn was just random face tattoos that were reminiscent of the typical designs. how she basically bore tattoos that were deemed “hers” because most humans were too ignorant to realize they were not of the evanuris and when she saved fereldan, city elves were inspired by it. hnrrggg silvina u will always be famous to me

[starstwinkleplanetsshine]

Daughter of the Sea

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Conversation Canoe (Read on AO3 here)

But before long, dim lights appeared on the horizon and I knew it was time. 

“That’s camp.” I said to the others. The hippocampi got as close to the shore as they could, and after we all said our goodbyes and I thanked them for their help, we swam the rest of the way to shore. I emerged from the water completely dry, but the rest of my friends were soaked and shivering. We made our way to the Big House as quickly and quietly as we could, not wanting to alert the camp harpies. When we stepped onto the glowing porch, the door swung open. There stood Chiron, and as soon as he saw us, relief flooded his face. 

“Thank the gods!” he shouted, and then he saw the state my friends were in. “Oh dear! Come in, come in. Sit by the fire, I’ll get blankets, and then we’ll discuss.” We listened to him, and I followed down the hallway to help him with the blankets. As soon as I got to the living room, I collapsed on the couch. Now out of the water, a wave of exhaustion crashed over me, and I felt like I could sleep for days. 

“Tell me what you learned.” The centaur said. Cady began to fill him in on what happened, with Rosie and Evan interjecting to add anything they saw. I stayed silent. When my friends were done talking, Chiron was quiet for a few long moments before he looked at me. 

“Anything to add, Angie?” 

My friends shifted and stared at me. 

“I…umm…I saw Kronos.” 

The centaurs' eyes went wide. 

“You saw him?” 

“And talked to him.” 

“Oh.” He was trying very hard to not look nervous, but he was failing. His tail swished. “What did the Titan Lord say to you?” 

“He wanted me to join him. I said I wasn’t interested, and then I hit his ship with a giant wave.” I was trying to seem unaffected, but my voice was shaky. Again, Cady gave me a look like she knew there was more to the conversation. Chiron gave me the same one. 

“Anything else you should let me know?” 

I shook my head quickly. “No. Well, he already knew who I was. That was creepy.” 

Chiron nodded. “I’m sure most people in our world do. The second forbidden child of Poseidon in the last few years. Word gets around.” 

The second. The words rang in my ears. 

“Well, congratulations on a successful mission.” Chiron continued. “We’ll have another meeting tomorrow to go over the details of what you discovered. But for tonight, return to your cabins and get some sleep. I’m very proud of you all.” He made eye contact with all of us and smiled, and I squirmed under his gaze. “Oh!” He held up four golden rods that looked like rulers. “Don’t forget your hall passes, don’t want any of you getting eaten by harpies!” 

I opened the door to Cabin 3 slowly, not wanting to wake Percy if he had made it back to camp. I wasn’t sure what time it was exactly, but I knew it was past midnight. 

I had barely closed the door when I felt arms wrap around me and lift me into the air. 

“Thank the gods!” I heard the voice of my brother cry as he buried his head in my neck. “When I got back to camp Chiron told me about your mission. I’ve been worried sick all day!” 

I laughed and hugged Percy back just as tight. “Worried about me? I’ve been worried about you for a week!” 

He finally put me down and let go of the hug, but kept his hands on my arms. “My little sister going on her first big mission without me? Of course I was a wreck!” I wasn’t used to seeing Percy so shaken up, and now that I was getting a better look at his face, he did look rough. I guessed his mission had been pretty taxing, and I made a mental note to ask about it tomorrow. 

“I’m hardly your little sister. We’re the same age!”  

“I’m older than you!” 

“By nineteen minutes!” 

Percy shrugged and laughed. “It counts.” 

I knew he was joking, like we always did about this subject, but after what Kronos had said to me earlier something about his words stung. I had always been second to Percy, even in birth. My smile fell, and he noticed. 

“What’s wrong?” His face was suddenly deeply concerned. 

“Nothing!” I tried to lighten up. “Just tired, that’s all.” 

He gave me a look like he didn’t believe me, but didn’t push it. “Alright, let’s go to bed. But I want a full report on your mission tomorrow, every little detail!” He tried to ruffle my hair, but I dodged his hand. 

I smiled at him as I made my way to my bed, not even bothering to change into pajamas. My clothes weren’t wet, anyways. 

I looked over to where he stood in the middle of the room and held up my hands, ready for our nightly rock-paper-scissors ritual. “Ready?” 

He smiled and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, I got the lights.” 

I broke into a wide smile as he sent the room into darkness. I think it was the first time Percy had turned the lights off in months. 

“Goodnight, Percy.” I said as I heard him climbing into his bed. “Thanks for waiting up for me.” 

“Of course, Ange. I love you.” 

“I love you too.” 

Camp was buzzing the next day. With Percy and Annabeth returning from their super-secret mission and us coming back from ours all within 24 hours, the other campers couldn’t help but ask a million questions. Questions we couldn’t answer, of course, but everyone was glad to see us all come back safely and mostly unharmed. I tried to put on a smile and seem grateful to be back, but those closest to me could tell something was wrong, and they spent all day trying to get it out of me. 

Cady asked to go canoeing with me during free time, and I knew it was just because she wanted to get me alone. Cady didn’t like being anywhere near the water, let alone on it, but she knew it was my favorite place to be. Despite myself, I agreed and soon enough we were paddling out on the gentle waves. 

We were drifting in the middle, me waving and gossiping with some of the naiads, when Cady cleared her throat. 

“Are you okay, Angie?” 

I kept my eyes on the blue, leaning over the side of the canoe. 

“Of course I am.” I tried to sound chipper, but it just came off as fake. I could practically feel Cady rolling her eyes behind me. 

“Ever since we left the Princess Andromeda yesterday, you’ve been off. And don't pretend you’re not, because I can see through you.” 

I finally sat up and looked at her face. It was full of care and concern. Everything in me was screaming to lie and keep my defenses up, to not let her in. 

I decided to come clean. 

“Yeah, okay. I’m not alright.” 

“What happened on that boat?” 

“It’s a ship, actually—” 

“Oh whatever! You and Percy are the worst about that.” 

I cracked a smile at her and she cracked one back before getting serious again. “But really, what happened?” 

I took a deep breath, trying to figure out where to start. “Well, Kronos said some stuff that kind of got to me.” 

She nodded, giving me space to keep going. 

“He wanted me to join him, and gave some…interesting reasons.” 

“What did he say to you?” Her eyes were murderous. 

“He said…he said I could be the greatest demigod to ever live. That I could be more powerful than Percy, that I should be more powerful than Percy, but my father abandoned me. That Poseidon chose my brother instead and gave him the life I deserved. That I’m worthless in the eyes of the gods, but to him I could be great. He told me to turn my back on them, like they turned their back on me. He said that if I joined him, I would be able to become who I’m meant to be.” 

She looked at me for a long moment, like she was studying me. Then she broke her silence with a sigh. “I don’t know about ‘meant to be.’ I know I should put more stock in the Fates, but when you see what I see, I’ve learned it’s less about what's meant to be and more about what is. And what isn’t.” She looked out to the waves and then back at me. “Is that what you want? To become great? Is that what you believe?” 

I shook my head. “I don’t know.” I had never felt more lost in my life, and that was saying a lot. “I don’t think it is.” 

“Well, what do you think about all that?” 

I took a long moment to think, letting my hand trail in the water. I glanced down at the naiads, one of them taking my hand and using it to spin themselves like they were dancing. I smiled down at them, reminded of everything I had been given by this crazy family at camp. Everything I had been given by my father, all the wonderful things from his world. 

But at the same time, the sting of the abandonment I tried to push away persisted. There were also awful things that came from this world, horrible burdens I had no choice but to carry. I had tried to bury those thoughts for a year now, but hearing Kronos say them out loud tore open old wounds. I took another shaky breath and spoke. 

“I believe in my friends. I know that much. Deep down, if I’m honest with myself, I did feel abandoned. Sometimes I still do. My dad explained to me why he did what he did, assured me that he loves me and was trying to protect me. He tells me I have a great destiny ahead, and all my struggles are necessary in order to reach it. And all that’s great, but it doesn't take away all those years of feeling different and alone.” Tears were filling my eyes and spilling out faster than I could stop them. I sat in the canoe and let my sobs erupt out of me, not caring what anyone else thought. I had been holding in so much for so long, that once the floodgates were open, there was no closing them again. After a while I calmed down, and took another shaky breath. 

“I don’t know if the gods care about me.” I continued. “I don’t know if they care about any of us. I think they do. I want them to. But I know we are who we are because of them. And I know we care about each other. And I know that I never want to turn my back on this family.

“His voice has just been in my head all day, and I can’t shut him up.” I finally choked out. I felt so drained, and hopeless, and tired. I had never been that open with anyone in my life, and it left me feeling vulnerable, but strangely strong. Like something about sharing had made me feel a little less alone, regardless of if Cady understood me or not. It felt good to have someone else I could be honest with. 

Cady reached forward and took my hands, and I let her. Usually I pulled away from physical affection from anyone except Percy, since he was the only person I ever let see me struggle, the only person I let comfort me. But Cady and I had been through so much—she was there with me on my very first day of this journey. If anything made me believe in the Fates, it was her. 

She squeezed my hand gently until I looked up at her, only love and gentleness in her eyes. 

"Everyone here is going to tell you that the gods love us,” Cady began, “and that they do things we don't understand because they know more than we do. And that they're busy, but they’re watching us. And they're going to tell you about destiny, and prophecies, and struggle. And Kleos."

She shrugged and looked up to the sky, as if thinking of what to say next. When her eyes met mine, I had never seen them look so certain.

"And that's fine. And maybe it's true. I don't know about anyone else's parents, but I can tell you that I know for sure that my dad loves me. And he loved Lee, and when we saw them all at the winter solstice, and things were tense and horrible, he made a point to find me and Will and Michael and tell us that he cared, and he was watching. You know your dad loves you, don’t you? And he loves Percy. You can feel it.” 

I nodded, a tear rolling down my cheek. She was right, I did know that. 

She squeezed my hand again. 

"Replace Kronos’ voice, his awful voice, with one you know. With your dad’s, your mom’s, Percy’s. Telling you that you are strong, and capable, and powerful, but not because you were meant to be, in another life, but because you are. In this one.” 

I managed a smile, and then leaned forward and wrapped my arms around her. I held her tightly, not knowing how else to show my gratitude. 

“It’s just so hard sometimes. I don’t feel very strong.” 

“I know.” she said simply, holding me tightly. “But you don’t have to feel something all the time to know that it’s true.” 

We stayed there for a long while, just holding each other, until the dinner conch rang. We paddled back in silence and walked to the dining pavilion hand in hand. When we walked up the steps, I felt someone ruffle my hair from behind me, and I knew there was only one person alive who would dare to do that. 

“Where have you two been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere—” 

I whipped around and threw my arms around my brother, squeezing him tight. A few of the campers passing by gave us strange looks—usually the only time people saw me make physical contact with someone else was when I was pushing them down during sword sparring—but I didn’t care. 

“Whoa! What's this about?” Percy asked while laughing. 

“No reason.” He gave me a strange look, and then noticed how red and puffy my eyes were. I could never hide when I had been crying. 

“What's going on? Are you okay?” 

“I am now.” I shot a smile to Cady. “I’ll tell you tonight, don’t worry about it.” 

He raised an eyebrow, but let it go, slinging an arm around me and leading me over to our table. We ordered blue soda from the magical goblets and got in line to make our offerings. When it was my turn, I scraped the biggest, ripest strawberry on my plate into the fire. 

“To Poseidon. And Hestia. Thanks for everything.” 

The air around me smelled of salt and a breeze rustled my hair. I looked down into the flames and saw a face smiling back at me. 

The uneasiness in the pit of my stomach was still there, the words of not good enough and second-place and worthless still rung in my head, but I told them to shut up. I pushed them away. A part of me knew the pain of it all would never fade completely, but I could choose to not let it control me anymore. At least a little, day by day. 

As I was walking back to the table I heard a voice in my head, a familiar one I hadn't heard since my fifteenth birthday. A man’s voice, deep yet kind. Like an old sailors. 

“I love you, my daughter. And I’m very proud of you. Never forget that.” 

If anyone saw the tear that rolled down my cheek, no one said anything about it.

[redwineconversation]

Happy birthday, Apollo!

[acid-ixx]

if you guys are interested, send in an ask or comment!

will anybody be willing to hear out neglected child reader who was another one of zeus's bastard children. you're out there chasing for your stepmother (hera's attention), whilst zeus just lets you run around without his care, clearly too wrapped up in his affairs. your other siblings aren't as good to you, too, thinking another half-deity isn't worth their time—

so you'd give up, pretty much choosing to bestow the mortal world with your presence instead; because if you can't be loved by your own family, then let yourself be worshipped by passionate mortals instead.

how about romancing telemachus? what if you both learn what it's like navigating through his godly favor with athena, and you with your own powers? what if you have odysseus and penelope be the actual parent-figures you always wanted? their overprotectiveness skyrockets every time you propose to being elsewhere in ithaca, to the point you forget that it's you who has the godly powers to oppose, but how could you when a darker side of them appears every time you allow yourself to be disrespected within their palace?

how about in another place? what are you to many of the great warriors, if not for a forgotten, yet mysterious and whimsical deity? why is your name muttered in all the regions? surely, with just how much you deny your god-like origins, but still manage to capture the hearts of hundreds of suitors, you'd gain quite the infamous name despite your closed-off attitude.

imagine enough attention was garnered on your presence, that that's what was needed for them to finally notice you? but you're not quite the same child who used to pull on their robes, or look at them as brightly as the sun— no, now you deny them of any of your love. your mother, hera, finally sees you and urges you to return to olympus away from the prying eyes of many suitors and back into the domain of safety. she calls you her baby, fuzzing over you even when you openly and spitefully try to rip her hands away from fixing your 'messy' robes. zeus isn't any better, now he calls you sweet names and pretend like he hadn't actively bashed on you for your weakness back when you were begging on his throne for just a sliver of attention? he wants you to sit in between his throne and hera's? you're significantly smaller than him, he's gigantic in nature, and it doesn't help that he treats you like you could be easily squashed by him (which is every damn right possible, and it's intimidating and makes you want to cry).

and there's the issue with the others, too. so many of them used to deny you in favor of focusing on their own domains. now apollo wants to carry you off in one of his chariots to ride off the skies with him while he plays his lyre to you? artemis wants to teach you the way of the hunt under the dark, gloomy skies you used to wish under for a moment of their time? aphrodite used to spitefully shut you out of her own doors, but now she invites you in her room to gossip and play pretend while she coos and braids your hair?

and all the other gods, now wanting to take you away from the underserving - as they say it - mortal realm? that the people who built sculptures of you, who held you more lovingly more than those you grew up with, aren't worthy of your divine presence?

what a joy to be a being looming between the lines of mortal and divine, right?

a/n: this concept is better off and more coherent in my head i swear. now i don't often diverge from my main fandom, but the similarities between this and the yan! batfam is quite hilarious to me that ngl i want to make a crossover of it. and yes, this is me coping with the stress of having to deal with the sudden influx of hate in the yan! dc community, so i'm taking a short break from it to focus on this.

[ma1dita]

partners in crime

luke castellan x fem!dionysus!reader [the trouble!verse]

MAIN SERIES MASTERPOST [COMPLETED]

summary: few things are certain in this life as a demigod, but one thing is for sure— you can’t fight fate when it pulls you and luke castellan together, over and over again. two young people who hate the gods are more like them than they think, for better or worse. annoyances to best friends to lovers

things to know: dionysus!reader's nickname is trouble & mostly canon-compliant (mostly.)

here's a playlist (spotify & apple music links now available!)

child of dionysus headcanons!

trouble!verse moodboard 1 & moodboard 2 & college!trouble by the lovely @24kmar

deleted scenes from a different universe (AUs)

play the extended cuts (blurbs from in-between)

character study: luke castellan & trouble

any works, updates, thoughts, musings, etc about this series will be tagged under #trouble!verse !

key: fluff - ☼ angst - ☽ smut - ☆ jo's favorites - ᥫ᭡

[rewind to before] pre-established relationship

trouble always finds me (trouble!reader origin story) 1.7k ☼

The one where he could tell you were trouble from the day he met you. (You're an annoyance, but not an enemy)

entropy 3.6k☼

The one where you both blur the lines between annoyance and admiration. (the promise of becoming partners in crime)

buddy system 4.2k ☼

The one where he comes with you to rescue your younger twin brothers, Pollux & Castor. (this is as close to a real quest that Mr. D will give you--might as well take someone you trust!)

somebody's angel 4.4k ☽

The one where you convince him he’s pretty, even with a scar. (songfic - Die Alone - Finneas)

feed the fire 1.2k ☼

The one where his focus is not on spilled food, but on you. (Luke realizes this is more than playful banter)

bedtime stories 2.4k ☼

The one where night shift with him runs late, but you don’t mind at all. (the both of you have feelings you want to admit, but duty calls!)

crazy little thing 3.4k ☼

The one where he uses all his drachmas to make you smile on Valentine's Day. (the Apollo kids are better matchmakers than Aphrodite, sometimes)

anything you want 1.6k ☼

The one where you and him have your first kiss. (You've always loved teaching the story of Orpheus and Eurydice; except when your Orpheus runs away from you)

said he likes crazy 2.1k ☼ ☽

The one where only he can help you with a bad day, even if he's avoided you since your first kiss. (For being a son of Hermes, he has a way of calming your nerves)

[pause and remember us like this] established relationship

play pretend 5.1k ☼

The one where Mr. D catches you two in the act, but you and him aren’t exactly together yet. (Drunk words are sober thoughts. Your dad just wishes Luke told you instead of him)

a wish your heart makes 1.4k ☼ ☽

The one where you share dreams, burn cookies, and it still reminds him of home. (The dryads will probably ban you from the kitchen after this)

star crossing 4k ☼

The one where both your dreams come to life for a night (Crossing the stars for love is easier said than done)

to see the chaos through 4k ☼☽

The one where he remembers he was never a good guy, just yours. (Luke makes the ultimate deal with the devil in order to save you)

not your goddess 8k ☽

The one where you both know the best of days eventually have to come to an end. (songfic - Goddess - Laufey)

don't blame the kids 7.6k ☼

The one where you both chaperone a trip to Mount Olympus. (the Olympians are bigger gossips than you thought they'd be)

trouble's coming for you 3.7k ☼

The one where Percy meets his two favorite counselors at Camp Half-Blood. (three times Percy is oblivious (and in the way) and the time he realizes you and Luke are in love)

now that we're older 3.5k ☼

The one where he asks if you can stay the night even if all of cabin 11 makes fun of him. (Luke is tired of the routine. He just needs his girl)

if you need to be mean (be mean to me) 1.5k☽

The one where he leaves before you wake up. (songfic - I Don't Smoke - Mitski )

[fast forward until we meet again] post-tlt

lovers, or partners in crime 2.1k ☽

The one where Annabeth and Percy think you’re guilty too. (the last day leading up to Luke's betrayal)

love like a blister: the five stages of loving losing luke 4.7k ☽

The one where you learn to mourn someone even if they’re still alive. (the five stages of grief after facing a loss)

to catch a thief 3.7k ☼ ☽

The one where duty calls at Camp Half-Blood. Again. (Your reunion with Luke isn't quite what you expected.)

solipsism 5.3k ☽

The one where you finally pray to Hestia to keep your home safe, even if he's also trying to destroy it. (the four times Luke uses Backbiter to visit you during college ft. the first time you trust a god to help you)

forever falling: luke castellan & his four great loves 4.3k ☼ ☽

The one where he falls from grace and still thinks of you. (the four great loves of Luke Castellan’s life and how it will end up killing him)

love me dry 4.5k ☼ ☽

The one where he meets you at his mother's house, though both of you didn't expect the other to be there. (a glimpse into May Castellan's idea of a perfect day)

when the curtains close 5.3k☽

The one where you lose two people in the Labyrinth that day. All strings are cut. (Annabeth and Pollux find out the biggest difference between you and Luke.)

asking for trouble 7.8k ☽

The one where Luke's final wish is to see you. (He's himself again, and all he wants is to find out if the trouble was worth it all)

as above, so below 10.4k ☽☼

The one where you plead your case with the gods of Olympus. (The one thing the fates didn't expect was how much you'd both be like your fathers; in a way, you and Luke didn't see it coming either)

roll the credits [ a tribute through webweaving]

[witchyleehibernates-fics]

Sunny Days In Spring (Are Perfect for a Picnic)

Summary:

“Thank you darlin’,” Will smiled at him cheekily as Nico flushed bright red. He pulled his knees back to his chest and hid his face in his arms as Will laughed lightly and ran off. Nico both loved and hated that Will knew him so well, because his heart couldn’t take it when Will purposefully leaned into his accent. It was unfair, in Nico’s opinion. “Your brother is a menace, Macy.” Nico muttered, laying out and stretching out again as Macy blinked tiredly at him. She wouldn’t respond, but that was okay. He brushed her hair out of her face, and noted that she seemed more comfortable on her stomach for the day, some days she couldn’t stand to be on her stomach. Though Nico wondered if it was because she was so tired, with it being around the time she typically woke up from a nap that she hadn’t yet taken.

Content Warning's/Trigger Warnings: Fluff!

Characters: Nico di Angelo, Will Solace, Original Child(ren) of Apollo

Chapters: 1/1

Words: 1,253

Status: Complete

Fanfic Links:

|| Ao3 || Fanfiction Net ||

......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... .........

Nico had a small smile as he pulled his knees up to his chest. His arms were crossed and resting on his knee, with his head resting on his arms as he stared at Will who was playing with one of his baby siblings. Apollo had brought her to camp with the information that her mother had vehemently not wanted her, and Will had taken to almost parenting her. It made his heart clench lightly every time he looked and happened to see Will with her, which was sweet if he would stop fantasizing about starting a family with Will.

“Nico! Macy wants to lay next to you for a nap, is that good with you?” Nico blinked as he stared at his boyfriend before nodding. Originally the three of them had been having a picnic before Macy had decided she wanted to play in the flowers. Nico was sitting on the left side of the blanket, and his drawing things were spread out in front of him, so beside him was perfectly open.

“Yeah, sure, do we have her blanket and stuffie with us?” Nico asked, stretching out as he looked for the basket that they had used to bring everything with them. Macy giggled, apparently uncaring about anything else at the moment as she understood that she had permission to sleep next to Nico, and was working on crawling her way over with tired eyes. She was very clearly exhausted, and Nico smiled at her as she made it to the blanket. “Hi sweetheart,” Nico murmured, getting a gummy smile from her.

“I can run back to the cabin and get them, I don’t think we expected to be out here this long,” Will admitted as he watched Macy fall onto the blanket, done with crawling. He had checked the basket and must not have found them. And ‘out here’ was a reference to the fact there in the woods, specifically a clearing that Nico had found that typically was filled with flowers and typically had baby animals in it too. With the demigods there the animals were not, but it was a beautiful clearing with a pond in it too.

“Go, I got her,” Nico assured, reaching over and smoothing down the fluffy light brown hair that Macy had. Nico was sure that Will had cried once, because it reminded him of Lee and Micheal, who also had darker hair. It was typically unusual for a child of Apollo, but it did happen every so often.

“Thank you darlin’,” Will smiled at him cheekily as Nico flushed bright red. He pulled his knees back to his chest and hid his face in his arms as Will laughed lightly and ran off. Nico both loved and hated that Will knew him so well, because his heart couldn’t take it when Will purposefully leaned into his accent. It was unfair, in Nico’s opinion.

“Your brother is a menace, Macy.” Nico muttered, laying out and stretching out again as Macy blinked tiredly at him. She wouldn’t respond, but that was okay. He brushed her hair out of her face, and noted that she seemed more comfortable on her stomach for the day, some days she couldn’t stand to be on her stomach. Though Nico wondered if it was because she was so tired, with it being around the time she typically woke up from a nap that she hadn’t yet taken.

Nico hummed as Macy grabbed towards him, her chubby little hands falling short and just laying on the blanket in between them. She made a small sound, her hand clenching as if she was trying to make grabby hands towards Nico. There was a moment of hesitation as Nico processed that she wanted him to hold her, but he eventually smiled and nodded.

“Okay, one sec sweetheart.” Nico murmured, pushing himself up and reaching over to pick her up. He cradled her towards his chest, smiling as she nuzzled closer towards him, and used one hand to grip his shirt tightly in one hand. “There we go, comfortable?” Nico asked quietly, gently rubbing her side as her eyes fluttered closed. He found himself smiling as he gently rocked her, his sketching supplies forgotten as he let himself imagine for a moment.

His head snapped up, himself freezing as something snapped from off towards the side. It took him a moment to relax as he saw Will with a guilty expression on his face.

“Sorry, sorry,” Will murmured, jogging over and sitting on the blanket beside him. “Didn’t mean to startle ya’,” he added as he passed Nico the fluffy blanket, white with a sun stitched on one of the corners, and a stitched pattern outlining the entire blanket in yellow. Nico accepted it and gently, carefully, wrapped it around Macy who made a noise of happiness. Will smiled as he passed over the duck plushie that Macy absolutely adored. The sound of happiness made Nico smile fondly as he rubbed her side again and resumed his rocking.

“You’re good with kids,” Nico flushed as Will leaned his head against Nico’s shoulder. Will gently rocked with Nico and Macy, not at all bothered by the movement as his eyes closed. He didn’t bother to respond as he tried to ignore how warm his face felt. No doubt if Jason or Percy were here, he’d be getting teased to hell and back. “It’s adorable.”

Had it been three years ago, heck, maybe even just last summer, Nico would have responded with something about being the Son of Hades, he wasn’t adorable. But now he only bit his lip as Will hummed lightly. He let Will wrap his arms around Nico, adding to Macy’s support as he pulled Nico back against his chest. They just sat there, holding Macy under the sunlight. It was slightly warmer around them, a perfect temperature for what was currently the perfect day. Nico supposed he had Apollo to thank for that.

“You’d make a good dad,” Nico wasn’t sure that Will knew what he was saying. He spluttered, eyes widening as he turned his head to stare at the fluff of blonde hair on his shoulder. Nico was going to retort, with what he didn’t quite know, but then Macy shifted in his arms and Nico was automatically shifting to keep her comfortable, which left him resting his head on Will’s own. “You’re also an amazing artist.”

“I’ve… been practicing.” Nico winced, and Will only kissed his shoulder. Nico accepting praise and compliments was still a much heavy work in progress. It made him uncomfortable, but it was so much easier to accept them from Will, who literally can’t lie. “Rachel is an amazing teacher.” Will only hummed, a smile on his face as he reached over and smoothed down Macy’s hair again. Nico closed his eyes as Will shifted, and Nico was leaning entirely on Will, who was sitting up a bit further to support them both. Nico’s eyes closed as he basked in just existing with his boyfriend, and his boyfriend’s baby sister.

He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but he’d still been struggling to sleep at night, and was still tired and it was so perfectly warm. He only knew he had fallen asleep when he woke up, only momentarily, in the Hades cabin. Will was curled against him, and there was a crib that told Nico that Macy was with them too. He only smiled as he snuggled closer to Will and had fallen asleep.