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poseidonsdaughterthesiren · 10 months ago

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The Daughter of Poseidon: Chapter Five

Chiron dismisses everyone to their cabins for the night. Piper looks like a hostage as she follows the Aphrodite cabin.

Soon it is just Della and Jason. Della glances up at Jason whose eyes are examining her.

“You sure you’re okay?” he asks. “You were pretty out of it earlier.”

Della smiles at him. “Yeah, I’m alright. I see I wasn’t far off with the Hercules bit…”

Jason laughs and runs a hand through her hair. Gods his laugh was a rich melody similar to the sea on a summer’s day. “Yeah, I suppose so…I guess that's what makes you Ariel?”

Della lets loose a cackle. “I’m surprised that made its way through the amnesia.”

Jason scratches the back of his head but his smile gets bigger.

“But I’ll let that nickname slide,” she giggles.

“And I’ll let Hercules slide,” Jason says. He holds a hand out to her.

“Deal,” They say in unison. Holy sea cows his eyes are spectacular.

Someone clears their throat in the distance. Annabeth stands with her arms across her chest and just a hint of a smirk across her features.

“Coming Beth!” she calls. She glances at Jason one more time. “Sorry, girl's night especially now that I’m leaving.”

“I get it,” he says, “have a good night.”

“You too Wonder Boy.” Della smiles and rushes off toward Annabeth.

Annabeth reaches a hand out to Della. The girls make their way towards the cabins. They reach Cabin Three and make their way inside. Della plops down on her bed and buries herself in her blankets. She lets out a content sigh.

Annabeth settles herself in Percy’s bunk across from her. She nestles in Percy’s blankets and takes a deep breath in. “So…how’re you feeling?” Annabeth asks.

“I told you I’m fine.” Della sighs. “I’m more worried about you.”

“I didn’t have a vision and almost die today.”

“Beth–”

“No, don’t even. Del, you slipped out of my grasp and smacked your head–and then Will said if he didn’t catch you, you might’ve actually drowned, you were so out of it.”

“I know–”

“And then,” Annabeth sucks in a breath, “and then if that weren’t enough, you said you could see Percy…what’d you mean by that?”

Della stills in her bed. What did she mean by that? “I don’t–I don’t really know. I don’t know if it was real or all in my head.”

“What do you mean?”

“It felt so real Beth, I could see him Riptide in hand and he was running, running by what looked like a freeway. Then–then…”

Annabeth seems to ponder her words for a moment. “Then what?”

“I-I had a “dream” of sorts. It started as a memory. A memory of the summer before Percy and I came to camp. Then Hera showed up–”

“Hera?”

“Yeah, she told me to “free her” again.” Della thinks about telling her that Hera revealed she took Percy. No, she won’t take that well. Besides she’s probably already put that together.

“Hmmm…and you’re sure you saw Percy?” Annabeth looks over at her. Concern glimmers in her eyes.

“I don’t know. I think so, but how is that possible?” Della feels tears prick her eyes.

Annabeth slips out of Percy’s bed and dips into Della’s and wraps her arms around her.

This is usually Percy’s job before they go on a quest. But Percy isn’t here to comfort her this time.

And just like that, Della can’t hold it in anymore and just sobs into Annabeth. She sobs for her missing brother. Sobs that she has to do this damned quest. Her first quest without Percy anywhere near her. She sobs because she’s terrified to do it by herself. And to make matters worse these three demigods will depend on her knowledge to survive.

“We’ll find him Del,” Annabeth whispers, “We have to.”

Della sniffles and begins to drift off to a (hopefully) nightmare-free sleep.

⬳

Voices and images swish around Della.

“Now, now guys. That’s what we’re here for. Welcome Percy, Della. Percy, you can have that spot on the floor over here, and Della you can take that corner.”

Luke? Gods, Della nearly forgot what he sounded like back then. He was handsome back then in her twelve-year-old mind. She’s whisked away from Luke.

“Not bad Heroes,” called Annabeth. She removed her Yankee’s cap and became visible again.

“Were you here the whole time?” asked Percy. His voice was so squeaky back then. Still sassy but squeaky.

“You were here the whole time and didn’t help us?” Past Della said. Disbelief is laced in her tone.

“Yes,” Beth said like it should be obvious.

Ah, yes the moments before Dad claimed them, moments before their lives changed forever.

Annabeth shoved them both into the lake. Her and Percy’s shouts are inaudible, but the symbol of Poseidon was clear.

Then Della is thrown forward once again.

“Peter and Danny Johson are here!” Mr. D?

Della warps once again.

“You shall be betrayed by one that calls you call friend,” Percy said, “The reason Clarisse is still here is because you never said anything to Chiron about her, did you?”

Della’s eyes widened in shock. It was Luke. Luke had stolen the masterbolt. “Luke….”

A ringing overtakes her senses. It’s a dream, Della, wake up. Della–

“You shall serve as their guide Daughter of Poseidon. Beware Eros’s sting for it might just be your undoing.” Hera…

The ringing fades away and is replaced with squawks. Seagulls. Della moves a hand to feel damp sand. She’s drifting in the ocean.

Where the hell is she? She sits up and glances around she’s–she’s at their cabin again.

“Hey,” says an all too familiar voice, “Hey, are you alright?” A sandy-haired boy emerges from the cabin. He rushes toward her.

“Percy?” she groans.

“Do I–I know you?” He tries to hide his bewilderment.

“Yeah, yeah I’m your–Della. My name is Della. We knew each other.” She tries to hold in the tears that he doesn’t recognize her.

“Della?” He rubs his chin for a moment, “I feel like I should know that name…do you know an Annabeth?”

He remembers–he remembers Annabeth? Now Della really tries not to cry. “Ummm…”

“Never mind,” he says. He clicks his pen revealing Riptide. “We gotta move.” Percy holds a hand out to her she reaches for it but her hand doesn’t actually make contact.

“Okay…that’s weird…are you like a ghost or something?” Percy says.

“Last time I checked, no. If I’m dead that’s news to me,” she quips back.

Della?!? Del, you need to wake up!

“Annabeth…” Della whispers.

“Annabeth, you know–”

Della’s vision spins until darkness takes over, and just like that Percy and the beach house are gone.

⬳

“Della! Wake up!”

Della sits up her hands grip at the blankets around her. Someone is screaming. Who’s screaming? Oh…oh it’s her, she’s screaming. Della slaps a hand over her mouth.

Silence spills in the cabin.

Annabeth is right next to her. Her eyes were wide and her chest heaving. “Was it–”

“No, it wasn’t my usual nightmare. What happened?” Della croaks. Her eyes are super dry and gross. She’s been crying…weird.

“You were talking in your sleep,” Annabeth says.

Okay, at least that’s normal. Percy drools in his sleep, and Della talks in hers.

“I woke up and you were thrashing around. Then…”

“Then?”

“You called out for Luke.”

Luke? Oh right, she was being thrown around like a ragdoll in her dream.

“It was a dream or a memory, I don’t know. It was when Percy and I realized that he stole the bolt.”

Annabeth nods, “Then you started crying and called out for Percy.”

Della nods. Should she tell Annabeth that she saw Percy for real? Well, maybe real, like she was in his vicinity and talked to him. Was that real? Regardless, he doesn’t remember Della but he remembers Beth. No, she’ll wait to see if this is a recurring thing or not.

“Are you sure you’re okay to go on this quest?” Annabeth asks. She places a hand on Della’s shoulder.

“I don’t have a choice,” Della sighs. She rubs at her crusty eyes. “The prophecy called for me to be the guide.”

Annabeth doesn’t say anything. She sighs. “You should get ready, it’s early, but you should pack and make sure you have everything.” Annabeth rises out of Della’s bunk. “Beth–”

“I also, need to get moving. Don’t worry I won’t leave until you do,” she calls. She’s at the door now. “See you in a bit.” With that, she exits and closes the door behind her.

Della sighs and rubs a hand down her face. What did Hera mean by “Beware Eros sting, it may just be your undoing?” What does the assistant to Aphrodite have anything to do with this damn quest?

She slips out of her sweat-stained covers. The cold floors meet her bare feet. Luckily, her shark slippers are right by her bunk. She slips her feet into the plush shoes and walks to her little dresser. Her backpack leans against it. She packs three days' worth of clothes, some leftover ambrosia, and an extra pair of sneakers (after Santa Monica she can never be too careful).

She pulls on a pair of light-washed Levi’s and a Little Mermaid crewneck. She swaps her slippers for her navy blue Converse and pulls on her tan Carhartt jacket. Della makes sure to pin her duck pin on her jacket. Backpack in hand she steps towards the door and pauses in the doorframe. She looks around the cabin, gods she hopes she survives this quest. She has to see her brother for real again.

The cool morning air hits Della’s face. She takes a deep breath in. Annabeth makes her way to Cabin Six. Weird she’d left a while ago.

Two Cabins down, a door opens. It’s Jason he looks over and sees her. He gives a little wave and walks towards her.

Della meets him halfway. “Morning Wonder Boy.” She shoots him a half smile.

“Morning Mermaid,” he says. He looks her up and down. “Even got the sweater and everything,” Jason laughs, “You ready?”

“No but it could be worse,” she jokes.

“How–” His words are cut off by a metallic screech.

The mechanical dragon they’d been trying to capture the last few days. It hovers above the cabins. The most startling bit, Leo. Leo sits atop it with a maniac’s smile.

“Leo?” calls Piper. She emerges with the rest of her cabin.

Older campers rush out of their cabins. The Apollo cabin has their arrows nocked pointing straight at the dragon. Some of the Aries Cabin have their swords and spears out.

Della unpins her duck brooch. She taps the beak and unleashes Leda, her double-ended sword, which like Jason’s weapon can be a sword or a spear. Though her weapon is not nearly as grand as Jason’s. It is an artifact of the hero Theseus. She calls it Leda because the duck head on the hilt reminds her of the legend of Leda and Swan.

Surprise paints Jason’s features at how her brooch just turned into a sword. Interesting coming from the guy who flips a coin and it is either a sword or projectile weapon.

“It’s cool don’t shoot,” Leo shouts.

The warriors back away, keeping their swords or spears at the ready. Hesitantly, the Apollo Cabin lowers their bows. Half the camp runs out in a mixture of pajamas and armor. Others hide behind the doors and windows of their cabins. No one is too anxious to get too close.

Della lowers her Water Bird just a tad.

“It’s beautiful,” Piper mutters. Everyone stares at her like she’s nuts. Della does agree with Piper but she’s still weary of it. She’s seen some of the creature's damage around camp.

The dragon rears its head and shoots a column of fire into the sky. Della jumps a bit and once again points Leda at it. She’s not alone. Other campers were on high alert again.

Leo calmly slides off the dragon’s back. He holds his hands up like he was surrendering, except he still had that crazy grin on his face.

“People of Earth, I come in peace!” he shouts.

He looks like he spent the night rolling in the remains of the campfire. His army coat and face are smeared in soot. His hands were grease-stained, and he now wears a toolbelt around his waist. His eyes are bloodshot, his curly hair resembles porcupine quills. And–and he smells strongly of Tobasco sauce.

But he looks absolutely delighted, “Festus is saying hello.”

“Stand down,” Jason says behind her. He shakes his head in amazement. “Leo, what have you done?”

“Found a ride! You said I could come if I found a ride. Well, I found a class-A flying bad boy!” Leo grins even wider.

Nyssa and Annabeth appear out of the crowd. Nyssa stares up at it in awe.

“It–it has wings.” Her jaw looks like it might drop off her face.

“Yeah! I found them and reattached them.”

“But it never had wings. Where did you find them?”

Leo hesitates, “In the woods.”

Della taps Leda’s beak again. She pins him back in place. That was not the whole story. He continues talking before anyone can question it.

“Repaired his circuits, too, mostly, so no more going haywire.”

“Mostly?” Nyssa asks.

The dragon’s head twitches. It lurches to one side, and a stream of black liquid, maybe oil–pours out of his ear, all over Leo.

“Just a few kinks to work out.”

“How did you survive? I mean, the fire breath…”

“I’m quick and lucky. Now am I on this quest or not?”

Jason still in shock, scratches the back of his head. “You named him Festus? You know in Latin that means ‘happy’?”

“Mmm, kind of cute actually,” Della admits.

“You want us to ride on the back of Happy the Dragon?”

The dragon twitches and shudders and flaps its wings.

“That’s a yes bro!” Leo exclaims. “Now I suggest we get going guys. I already picked up some supplies in the–um woods. And the welcoming committee is making Festus nervous.”

Jason frowns. “But we haven’t planned anything yet. We can’t just–”

“Go,” says Annabeth. She doesn’t look nervous. Not a bit. Her smile is sad, wistful. She, like Della, is thinking about old times.

“Yeah,” Della says, “This is certainly a good omen. Besides we’ve only got three days until the solstice. Let’s go.”

Jason smiles at her, Piper, and Leo. “You ready partners?”

“Absolutely,” Della smiles, “We’re burning daylight Wonder Boy.”

Piper’s smile falters at the nickname.

“Della,” Annabeth calls. She wraps her arms around her and whispers, “Good luck, be safe.”

“You too,” Della whispers back. She lets go and heads toward the others.

Jason, Piper, and Leo were all abroad Festus. Jason extends a hand out to her,

“Time to trade those gills for wings Jackson.”

#heroes of olympus #oc character #percy jackon and the olympians #percy and annabeth #percy jackson #percyjacksonxsister!reader #jason grace x jackson!reader #jason grace x reader #fanfic

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dandelion-blues · 8 months ago

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The Souls of Death

Intro:

Lord Death's soul fragment split in two. One was Death the Kid, and the other would become Percy Jackson after the twin fragment was taken from Death.

Death, though, won't rest until his other child is found. If only the fates didn't need a son of Poseidon to be born more powerful than just being a demigod would allow.

PJO x Soul Eater crossover fanfic

First - Next Chapter

Chapter 2: To Accept Death

Percy has always felt this itch in his skin like his body wasn't fully his.

It wasn't that he didn't like his body, that he minded being a boy or anything like that either. Though Percy wasn't sure if he would mind being a girl either. It was never really something he thought of, as such thoughts were repressed after all Gabe did to him.

Percy just barely even accepted that he liked both boys and girls. That his idolization of Luke when he was twelve was actually a crush. Of course that was long since burned to ashes when Luke tried to kill him. It hurt all the worse when the one he looked up to the most tried to throw him away like he was garbage!

Percy breathes in deeply, focus. He's thinking about how weird he feels in his body. Like there's something wrong.

Percy thought maybe it was just a demigod thing, that being close to divinity made their bodies feel too small, too miniscule, but apparently only Percy felt that way.

Even Thalia never expressed feeling in such a way. Sure Percy didn’t know Thalia that long, as it was another around half a year ago that she stopped being a pine tree, but Thalia and him become really close on the quest to save Artemis and Annabeth.

Still, Percy felt that he wouldn’t get the chance to ask again because the gods were voting to end his life.

Percy sighs, he wished he would have been able to find out what made him feel so different, so wrong. But he guesses it’s too late for that.

Thankfully, Thalia was safe and even joined the Hunters of Artemis. And the prophecy about a half-blood of the eldest gods could wait for someone better and more needed to fulfill the prophecy.

At least in this, Percy could be relieved, for only his life was at risk. It was really for the best.

Percy knew the majority wouldn’t vote in his favor. Sure, his dad, Artemis, and maybe Hermes and Apollo would, but he couldn’t see anyone else really caring. Percy just wished he could tell his mom goodbye.

The dread grew in his heart, and his body felt heavy like he was carrying the weight of the sky once again. His body ached, his bones creaked, but his resolve remained strong. Percy’s been ready to die since he was young. After he let Bianca die on this quest, after he though his brother Tyson died, after he thought he failed all the people up on the Arch when he couldn’t kill the Chimera, after Gabe beat him itches from his life.

Percy didn’t want to see how the gods voted for his life, but he couldn’t find it in himself to look away. He saw the gods towering over him in their godly forms, sitting high and mighty as they voted to end his life. His father and Artemis instantly raised their hands to spare his life. Apollo and Hermes soon followed after.

The air held tension, for it wasn’t nearly enough to spare Percy’s life.

Except, another god surprisingly raised their hand. One Percy would have never guessed, for all Percy’s antagonized him, Dionysus voted to save his life in the end.

However, it wasn’t enough, and Zeus smiled evilly. He was in a celebratory mood, and Zeus spread his hands, “And so the gods have voted. Percy Jackson shall die.”

“Brother-,” Hestia calls from her hearth.

“Silence!” Zeus thundered, and Hestia’s hearth became mere embers.

Percy gave her a small, thankful smile, but she just watched him with sad brown eyes, and so Percy prayed one last time to his father, tell my mom I love her.

Percy looked at his father, and just this once, the seas in his eyes didn’t hold untold emotions. They held a war of sadness, grief, anger, and pride.

I will, Poseidon told his son, his voice a promise echoing in Percy’s mind so he could finally die in peace.

Then, Percy looked at Thalia, Annabeth, and Grover one last time.

He saw them try to run to him, screaming his name. All Percy could do was smile, not watching as Zeus raised his master bolt and fired it at Percy.

It was supposed to be instant and all-encompassing. Lightning searing through his veins. His molecules vaporized, and then Percy would be no more.

At least that’s what it looked like when Zeus stuck and Percy was gone.

Poseidon was raging, the seas and storms never letting a moment of peace. Artemis and Apollo and Hermes were furious for the one they were seeing as a friend, for one who has already done untold good.

Hestia felt deep sadness, and the warmth in her heart was cold.

This was how they rewarded their heroes?!

Dionysus showed indifference, but his heart broke for the little boy that he didn’t get to see fully grow up, wishing more than ever he could drink to drown his sorrows again.

But none of the gods could hope to fight against the cruel voting, lest they wished to join Percy in his demise.

All they could hope was that he rightfully reached Elysium as he deserved and could finally be at peace.

The mortals, however, saw no bittersweet ending for Percy to finally rest. They felt all consuming sadness and bitterness and rage start to fill their hearts.

Annabeth and Thalia were sobbing in each other’s arms. Grover collapsed on the ground in great sobs, not even realizing that the link between him and his best friend meant he should have been dead.

Then, as Zeus, Hera, Ares, and Athena were cheering in victory and the other gods were either indifferent or distraught, all the gods went unnaturally still as eerie laughter filled the throne room. The laughter seemed to echo from all around.

“Hahahahahah,” feminine voices laughed.

“Hahahahahah,” their laughter increased, coming closer and closer.

The gods prepared to fight as a bright searing light encompassed the throne room.

Finally, the gods paled, seeing who the laughter belonged to. The sisters of fate. The all-knowing. The weavers are all who live.

The fates laughed, their voices like the wails of dying men, “You just doomed all your chances to live.”

Zeus, especially, went pale, but then his face reddened in anger, “How dare you threaten me!”

Atropos smiled her toothless grin, her voice like a groan in the wind, “It’s not a threat, it’s your fate.”

“I am your King, so change my fate!” Zeus thundered.

“No,” the three sisters laughed, their laugh echoing around and sending shivers down everyone's spine.

“Perseus was the hero who would save your sorry asses, but now it’s time for this world and the gods to end.” Clotho said smiling, her dark eyes glinting with the promise of these awful gods finally dying. They were amusing for a while, but then their cruelty just became a never-ending cycle of annoying repetition. Never changing, never growing. It’s rather boring, really.

All the gods, except those who voted in Percy’s favor, lunged the fates, but chains made them kneel before the sisters.

How stupid are they?

The fates laughed, and the middle sister said one last thing to the gods postering at their heels. Lachesis' hands gripped Zeus’s chin, and whispered a promise in his ears, her voice making even the god's ears bleed, “When the King willingly kneels before mortals, will be when the world finally turns over.”

The fates laughed and laughed and commanded their chains to wrap around the gods’ neck, while the mortals and other gods still on their thrones just watched on indifferently and sadly or even happily as the other’s screamed in pain as the chains marked their skin red.

The gods passed out from pain, scars permanently on their necks. Poseidon, Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, and Dionysus left them there and took the mortals back to Camp Half-Blood.

Hestia, though, still so kind and good, did her best to heal her broken family.

There was nothing anyone could do.

Poseidon swore to tell Sally their son’s last words. While Hermes would go to inform Hades of the terrible news and also ask to speed up Percy’s judgment into Elysium. The kid deserved at least that much after everything.

Hades, who was supposed to be there for the Winter Solstice, but finally gave up on their family, and Hermes understood more than he wished he did. He just gave up too. This injustice was the final thing that broke the camel’s back. Percy didn’t deserve to die, and now they've doomed all their chances to stay alive. To think that the gods were doomed to die.

While Percy has already saved them countless times. He was 14! He was too young, too good, and he was dead all the same as many demigods before him.

And so the gods started to do more as they pleased, not caring for the King’s orders. They were already going to die. They might as well spend it with their kids and loved ones before their world comes to an end.

<><><>

Awareness came in incomplete patches. Darkness and light warring together in the mind.

Finally, he gasped, his eyes shooting open.

“W-what?” Percy whispered. Where was he?

Percy breathed. What? He could still breathe?

Percy stilled, and he felt his heart thudding in his chest. He was alive?

Okay, that’s… something.

Percy looks around. The sky is pink and purple with the moon? already in the sky, signaling that it’s dusk.

Percy does a double take at the moon and the setting sun. They seem to be breathing and have mouths! The moon even has blood dripping down its? grin.

Percy starts laughing hysterically. He’s gone crazy hasn’t he? Or maybe this is his eternal torture that’s been set up for him by Hades.

After Percy stops laughing, he plops down in the desert sand. Percy digs into the still warm sand to try and ground himself.

Deep breathes in…

Deep breathes out…

Okay, Percy looks up again and does his best to ignore the weird sun and moon, and he gasps as he sees in the distance that there appears to be glowing lights of a city.

Percy feels his heart racing with something akin to hope. Even as he has no idea where he is, hopefully he’ll be able to at least make it to the city and will get some answers.

Percy shakes off the sand from his still quest-ridden clothes.

Percy grimaces, he also really wants to take a shower. If he's alive he might as well have good hygiene. His mom taught him that much at least.

Mom, Percy chokes up. Hopefully she’ll be okay.

For now, though, all Percy has to do is make it to the city.

Hours pass. Hours! The sky is now dark, and a splattering of stars are in the sky.

It’s beautiful, Percy thinks - aside from the creepy moon.

Finally, though, Percy has reached the edge of the town, but when he takes another step forward it’s like he’s passed through some kind of barrier.

It doesn't slow Percy down, nor is it visible to him, but it reminds Percy of the Camp Half-blood, sending a similar electric buzz down his spine.

Except before Percy can process that this barrier feels alive somehow, all Percy feels is pain.

It sears through his blood and nerves. He doesn't even notice that he is screaming and that his vision is beginning to darken.

Percy doesn't know how long he screams as he feels unimaginable pain. Everything hurts, and he feels like he’s bursting.

Finally, after so much pain, Percy begins falling unconscious, and the last thing Percy feels is someone catching him in their arms, and his pain starts to alleviate, and he somehow feels safe in their arms.

<><><>

Death looked up from his work. It was another long day again at the DWMA. Death makes a show of stretching his old bones like a human, and even gives an animated sigh of relief.

Death sighs, though, to himself in his death room. Death has felt lonely since Kid’s been gone. Death knows that Kid's just on a mission to Egypt and that he’ll be fine, but still Death worries (though he does not fear).

Death was about to retire to his mirror dimension for the night, when at the very barrier of his soul that encompasses his city, he felt someone enter.

Death normally wouldn’t think much of it unless it was a kishan or witch soul, but as soon as the soul entered, the soul started freaking out and was in pain.

Death instantly went through his mirror to travel vastly through the city and go closer to the soul.

Except Death recognizes this soul. He would always recognize it.

As Death's youngest child was in pain, a barrier was torn off their soul. Death never hurried as much as he did right now.

Just as he reached out from the mirror and into the shadows, he saw a young boy like Kid screaming in pain. His once pure black hair glowed now with three white lines of sanzo on the opposite side of Kid’s.

Death hurried towards his son, not having a moment to feel the pure joy of having his other child back. Fury in Death’s heart, how dare those hags seal his child’s very soul? His other son, who had once pure sea green eyes, now shot through with gold.

Death knew that the boy was in too much pain to see him, but still as he reached him and held him close, just as his son was collapsing from pain and into unconsciousness, Death hoped that he could give his child some a kind of comfort and reprieve from the pain, as he resonated their souls.

Here, Death held his other boy close, his son limb in his grasp, but his soul latching on to his father's to heal, as a child would that was still tethered to their mother.

Death still feels fury racing in his very being, but he also feels pure immense happiness as he finally has his son in his grasp.

Death takes them both into the mirror to heal and to stay safely alone. Of course Death doesn’t make the mistake again to let go of his child.

No, Death holds his other kiddo in his grasp, soothing him as he still whimpers and grabs from pain.

“Shush, it's alright my son. I've got you,” Death whispers aloud and in the resonance of their souls.

Death cradles his young son in his arms and in his soul, trying to ease his pain.

Death studies his youngest son immortalizing his face for the first time.

His youngest son is the same age as Kid, but his soul is just hours younger. His body looks so different from Kid's, but there is still a likeness they both share. For one, the pure black hair but with parallel white lines of sanzo, even as his youngest hair curls at his shoulders while Kid's is straight and is short. Also, Death may have only seen it briefly, but his youngest now has the same ring of gold on his outer eye while the inner is green.

Both Death’s sons are still so young and haven't reached their growth spurt for their mortal-like bodies. Both sons seem to hold a favor for more what society considered feminine features as well. Though his youngest seems to have a natural tan, while Kid has naturally pale skin.

Death doesn't know what those hags did to his youngest son or why they sealed his soul? Or why his son is back now? But Death still has revenge set in his very soul.

After all, Death saw the scars marking his skin. Scars that shouldn't exist on a shinigami's skin. He saw how bruised his son's body was and how torn and old his clothes were, as if he's just fought recently and a lot.

Death saw those grey strands on a portion of his son's hair. Grey hair on his fourteen year old's immortal son's head!

Death vowed that the hags would feel his fury, but for now, he needs to care for his youngest son and make sure there aren't any injuries or scars he's missed.

Notes:

Percy finally unsealed his soul!

Also, Death is furious! Things are going to go down!

First - Next Chapter

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clockworksteel · 2 years ago

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Since Hades II seems to be centered around a Titan, I thought I'd search the first game's lua scripts for the word "Titan" to see what we know about them. I didn’t find anything super interesting and I imagine most of this has already come up in groups speculating about Hades II, but it was a nice review of the lore for me.

These are from NPCData.lua

AchillesMiscMeeting04 Achilles: "The sealed weapons by your chambers; your father won't observe their absence, I don't think. They remind him of a time he stood together with his brothers and sisters. He wants nothing more to do with any of that. I think it's fitting you've inherited their power." Zagreus: "A power that once sealed away the Titans... maybe it's a power that can break me out of here. Thank you for helping me, Achilles."

The Titans here are referred to as "sealed away". Some other conversations act like they're actually dead.

AchillesAboutSuperLockKeys01 Zagreus: "Achilles, sir? I got a relic of some sort out there... a globule of ancient blood, which formed after I fought with Megaera. Is this really the Titans' blood I found?" Achilles: "As far as I know, yes, lad. That it is. Though whose, exactly, I'm not so sure. You'd best hang onto it, and keep it safe. Your weapons... they shall thirst for it and drink it up. Not yet, perhaps, but soon."

About Titan Blood and the Infernal Arms.

DusaWithMegaera04 Meg: "...We got off on the wrong foot from the start. Just what happens when you're born of Titan blood, I guess. It's for the best we haven't crossed paths much since."

I'm not sure when she says "born of Titan blood" if she means the furies literally just crawled out of a pool of blood or if she's referring metaphorically to lineage. Looking over Wikipedia, though, it seems one possible origin myth (of course there are multiple) is the literal interpretation of that statement, though.

From EnemyData.lua

LordHadesMiscEncounter04 Hades: "My brothers and my sisters and myself. We, too, wanted to slay our parents. The Titans. Bastards. And worse." Zagreus: "And you succeeded. Chopped up some of them into many tiny bits, and sprinkled them throughout the pits of Tartarus so that they can't regenerate! Or so I hear. Inspiring, really!" Hades: "We had no recourse at the time, save to collaborate. Developed a specific plan, and saw it through. And, the Titans...? You think me cruel, yet know nothing of cruelty. But, here, you want something to hate, then have it!"

The current location and state of the Titans as of the first game. I imagine if the pieces were brought together they could regenerate.

From LootData.lua

DemeterAboutFather01 Demeter: "We all are willful children, are we not? I'm daughter to Hyperion, you know; a Titan so obscure and hated that Lord Zeus, he started calling me his birth-sister, so much did he dislike this bit of truth! And to get a rise out of me, too."

Since Demeter was one of the six that stood against the Titans I can't imagine she was interested in helping them, but this was still interesting.

From the Codex

I didn't search it in its entirety because I didn't find a convenient text file for that, but I checked all the infernal arms to verify who used which against the Titans. I mostly wasn’t sure if Eris or Hestia used the gun.

Stygius the Blade of the Underworld: "Back when the six elder gods sealed the Titans in the deepest recesses of Tartarus, that blade evidently played no small role in their success. It must have been Lord Poseidon who brandished that blade before he opted for that trident he so likes."

Varatha the Eternal Spear: "It must have been a sight when Lord Hades wielded Varatha the Eternal Spear versus the Titans, driving back those fiends into the depths, together with the help of his Olympian brothers and sisters."

Coronacht the Heart-Seeking Bow: "...the finest bow ever conceived, and wielded once by none other than Mistress Hera, who stood side by side with Zeus, on better terms back then, as they drove back the Titans under a storm of arrows and thunder."

Aegis the Shield of Chaos: "...the Lord of Thunder defended his brothers and sisters using that very shield when, together, they conspired to drive the Titans back into the lowest reaches of the Underworld. The shield was shattered, yet a burning effigy remains, its power still intact. A power sealed within the visage of a monstrous entity even the titans feared."

Twin Fists of Malphon: "It is said even the Olympians hesitated to embrace the Twin Fists, until Lady Demeter, her hands accustomed to tilling the land, stepped forward and accepted the gift. The Titans recoiled from Malphon's relentless attacks, overwhelmed by its fury, unable to defend against it as one might a spear or blade. The Titan Hyperion suffered the worst of it, his undying body pulverized to such an extent that even his legacy was destroyed."

Adamant Rail: "Least known among the gods who stood together to depose the Titans is the Lady Hestia, reclusive goddess of the hearth, and one-time wielder of Exagryph, the Rail of Adamant" and also "For now, its secrets remain trapped within the darkest regions of the Underworld, along with the remains of the Titans defeated by it. Someday, however, I imagine it shall break free from this place; for any weapon once possessed by Eris, Lady Strife herself, becomes possessed of an eternal hunger to destroy."

Other mentions I skipped over earlier

For completeness, the word "Titan" also came up in these conversations but there was little to learn about them that wasn't elsewhere: NPCData.lua

HadesShrineProgress02 (Zagreus says he used "your discarded Titan-slaying weapons", among other things, to overcome the Pact of Punishment.)

AchillesAboutLuciferAspect01 (Achilles speculates that maybe Lucifer's rebellion was before the Olympains rose up against the Titans, but he doesn't know.)

MegaeraAboutSisters01 (Another confirmation that the Titans were cut up and scattered in Tartarus)

OrpheusTallTale04 (Zagreus is outright lying about stuff.)

PersephoneMeeting06 (She compares a possible war with the Olympians to the war against the Titans. We already knew the Gods slew the Titans.)

PersephoneAboutHades01 (In a conversation about whether he hates Hades, Zagreus mentions hearing about the Olympians "rending their immortal Titan parents to bits" and that he doesn't feel that way. We already knew the Titans were in pieces.)

EnemyData.lua

SkellyAboutSuperLockKeys01 (Just about earning Titan Blood. No new lore.)

SkellyAboutSuperLockKeys02 (Just a hint about how Titan Blood is used. No new lore.)

SkellyAboutWeaponEnchantments01 (Skelly acknowledges Aspects have unlocked. No new lore. Although Zagreus saying "Calm down, Skelly. I'm sure whatever it is is perfectly normal for a legendary semi-sentient Titan-slaying weapon from the dawn of time." is kinda funny.)

LordHadesHasGuanYuAspect01 (Hades comments on Varatha having changed form, which Zagreus says is from Titan Blood. Also Hades' current spear is called Gigaros, which he says is "the mightier weapon, with none of the treacherous past".)

LordHadesExtremeMeasures02 "You wish to test yourself against the full extent of my wrath, then very well. You have earned that right. Besides yourself, only the Titans have."

LordHadesExtremeMeasures03 "You vanquished me... even when I threw everything I had at you, and more. I fought you as I fought the Titans themselves, and still I failed."

LordHadesHasWeaponUpgrade01 (Another mention of the Titans being chopped up with the Infernal Arms. Hades muses "Perhaps the Fates decided that its wielders ought to all eventually wind up on its receiving end. Come, then! Let us see what the great Achilles has taught you.")

LootData.lua

ZeusBackstory03 "My brothers Hades and Poseidon once fought bravely by my side, you know that, don't you, Nephew? We prevailed against the Titans and established law upon the earth. Your father then descended to the land of death, and we've not seen much of each other since."

ZeusHasWeapon01 "You fight your father's legions with Varatha, the Eternal Spear? The irony must not escape him, for he long ago stood by my side against the Titans, with that thing in hand!"

AresAboutWar03 "Do you ever think to yourself that you were born a bit too late, my kin? For my part, I wish that I could have been there myself when my father and the others waged ferocious war against the Titans. Ah, it must have been a sight!"

AresHasWeapon02 "Ah, you wield Coronacht, the Heart-Seeker. It pierced three Titans in one shot back in the war amongst our kind. Please do take care of it!"

DemeterPostGiftPickup02 "My, but you're as determined as my foster-brothers were, when my sisters and I stood with them 'gainst the Titans way back when."

DemeterAboutFather02 "As seasons give to one another, so do generations, I suppose. Hyperion, my father? He'd not a one redeeming quality. My sisters and my foster-brothers and myself; this world owes us a debt for ridding it of him and his kind."

ChaosAboutHades01 "Your father and his brothers, when they sealed the Titans in the darkest reaches of this world, that was the last they saw of me, as well. You are dissimilar from them, and I feel safe communicating thus with you."

ZeusWithDemeter01 (Zeus mentions Demeter isn't actually his sister. She's not impressed. Her reaction includes "Almost as though you felt compelled to speak the truth only whilst I'm directly within earshot.")

#hades

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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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antiloreolympus · 3 years ago

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8 Anti LO Asks

1. It doesn’t really make sense for a long term comic such as LO to have such a drastic change in the artstyle, and even more you can’t really call it an improvement when all the interesting parts of the art style are now gone and all that it is now it’s just some basic same-face and body art style with barely any backgrounds. RS is incredibly talented for illustrative artwork and it’s really a shame she’s not doing that anymore and instead has left it to her team, with leaving them very messy sketches. The artstyle in the beginning had life and glamour and now it’s just very dull and boring. That’s not an improvement

2. I genuinely can’t think of any man in LO that’s even half way decent. Poseidon maybe? Hephaestus? Those are the only two I can manage, meanwhile the rest are either Rachel purposely ruining them because of her own biases (Zeus, Apollo, Thanatos to an extent) or are “good” men who are just creeps who disrespect all the women around them and are super creepy and obsessed over a literal teenager who acts like a child (Hades, Ares, Hermee, Eros, etc). The women aren’t much better either.

3. About Perse making Hades childish: (this is no way defending him, just some speculation, and tbh I doubt that RS has thought this through haha) I wonder if he becomes a horny teenager around her because she’s a goddess of fertility? Would that have any affect on him? Doesn’t excuse his creepy ass behavior, but could explain it a bit, I guess?

4. Okay so I'll be honest I dont really see any reason to 'simp' over Any of the LO characters?

Also, not to start sh*t, but - I think part of the reason why some of the LO fandom does not like Zeus (and perhaps gives Hera more leeway - at least in terms of cheating) is because:

Mythologically Zeus is a known cheater / rapist (Io for example, or Semele)

They see Hera cheating a Zeus as okay (its not) because he's been known to cheat on her in the past / fans see Hera cheating on Zeus with Hades as 'justified revenge' for what he's (Zeus) put her through

I'll be honest I dont really see Zeus (or Hades for that matter) as good rulers because

Despite other deities (like Eros) doing 'acts of wrath' - they get away with it because they often have someone to back them up (like Aphrodite offering to sleep with Zeus to get her son out of trouble) - but the one time Persephone does something wrong (an act of wrath) - Zeus wants to give her the Prometheus treatment - mainly so he can feel like an in control king whos subjects respect him

The reason this sound so odd is because of RS writing choices. Zeus is a grade A d*ck who is willing to destroy a 'young girls promising career' because she made 1 mistake that one time. But at the same time the act of wrath is framed oddly because Demeter doesn't want her daughter to get in trouble so she covers it up (its like the equivalent of hiding a murder from the cops).

Zeus wanting to Prometheus Kore seems overly harsh because she is a Child. (Well a teenager) - so it adds to the "Zeus is a d*ck" card, because she doesnt have the life experience to "get away with" stuff like the other deities because she is young AND sheltered.

Like again, the whole concept of Human Laws applying to Gods is so confusing:

Would Zeus have been this harsh if Demeter had simply come forward in the first place about Persephone's murder rampage? Why did she blackmail / get other deities involved to cover it up? Is Zeus THAT much of a d*ck in Demeters eyes that she knows he would harshly punish a child for something "she didnt mean to do" (killed mortals based on a feeling?)

Why is there a motherf*cking trial in the first place? Do All the other deities get the right to a fair trial or is this a special case? (Like can any deity just offer to sleep with Zeus and he'll let them off the hook?). If the other deities had commited the same crime would the trial / punishment be the same or does Zeus just have a rage boner because he was lied to? If thats the case then why are the other deities taking Persephones side during the trial? (Ares I can maybe understand cause hes the God of War and stuff but everyone else is taking Perse's side because their either her personal friend or family member (Hecate, Hermes, Demeter, Hades etc).

Why are there certain laws like "Zeus cant get to Persephone because she has clemency in the underworld" but other deities - including Leto, Demeter and others (like Perse's nymph family) can just stroll into Hades house? Why is Hermes still on house arrest? Why are Hades + Persephone throwing a house party when shes on trial for scythe crimes??!!!

Why are the gods bound by such petty squabbles?

The way RS set up the governing "laws" in universe just doesnt make a whole lotta sense. Also, sorry this got ramblely.

5. Tbh i don’t think that Hades acting differently when he’s with Persephone is a bad thing, as a concept. But there are many issues with this such as the fact that Persephone is barely legal and Hades act like an actual child around her. Obviously when you’re with someone they are going to act different than they do when they are at work. The problem is that Hades essentially goes from the “cold-scary king” to a 17 year old hormonal boy when he’s with Persephone. And him making out with her in a middle of a store or them golfing with diamonds or him making out with Persephone again in front of his workplace is not exactly acceptable behaviour from a king. If Hades acts all lovey-dovey with Persephone when their at their home together it’s different, but when they’re at a public place they can’t really do that. I would say that he has to keep a status about him but from what we’ve seen all the citizens of the underworld hate him and don’t respect him at all, from yelling at him to actually fighting with him, so idk how much status there is actually attached to him

6. I swear, the majority of the “cute” HxP moments in LO just seem like a single father dealing with his hyperactive 8 year old over the supposed future intimidating rulers who Rachel is obsessed about talking and drawing their sex life. Is it really that hard to depict Persephone even acting like a smart teenager at the very least, as opposed to an airhead grade schooler? It doesn’t scream cute to me, it seems more like a father/daughter relationship. It’s just weird.

7. i mean, i have a LO oc who's persephone's brother (fertility god) between demeter and zeus. dude got thrown into tartyrus to cover up the affair and now serves cronus. he was the god of summer, and my reasoning was demeter's seasons/harvest + summer thunderstorms. wrote a whole minific i will never post about him and persephone realizing everyone around them are assholes and healing together. so the mistress-of-zeus oc isnt that weird.

8. I’m not a Zeus stan by any means, but I do find him one of the most interesting characters, and one that RS has, in her attempts to make him be the worst ever to make Hades look better, actually way more interesting and compelling than the majority of the cast. He doesn’t lie or whine to the audience he’s some good person like Hades when he’s not, he owns that he’s a dick and doesn’t bullshit the audience into thinking he’s someone he’s not. RS tries to show us he’s a “bad” king, yet we see no proof it beyond what, he wants to uphold the law P broke and doesnt kiss Hades’ butt? That’s not a bad king, it’s a good one that he doesn’t let family ties or lust cloud his judgement, unlike Hades or Hera, for example. I don’t condone his cheating either, but it’s not fair to hate him for it, but love it that Hades cheated on Minthe so he could get into a teenager’s skirt and praise Hera for sleeping with her brother in law while punishing Zeus’ mistresses because she’s being a fake “loyal” wife. Just because he’s a deeply flawed, even a bad person doesn’t make him a bad character. Hades and Hera and even Persephone are awful people who do worse than Zeus, yet they’re loved and praised for it, all while being written with the depth of a puddle.

#anti lo #anti lore olympus #lore olympus critical #lo critical

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swisssadge · 4 years ago

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Illogicalities in Saint Seiya

Prepare for a longish post. n.n

But I guess I just need to get this out. Because some of these are just so god-awful frustrating.As much as I love Saint Seiya - some blaring logic mistakes just HURT. And it hurts because the original series could have been so much more if so incredibly much potential hadn’t been wasted. Not every bad writing or mistake is because it is a child of its time (80s anime and their damsels in distres *glances at Saori*).

So, as you’ll unsurprisingly notice, most points are from the original series. Because the spin-offs don’t suffer from the same amount of logic mistakes and do quite a lot things waaay better. And should I find even more things during a rewatch - prepare for part 2. n.n I hope to hear your opinion on what I wrote, and whether you agree or not.

- What is wrong with the people in Sanctuary? There are two instances I can remember right now: How totally racist they are in the classic saga, and how mean they were the Sisyphus in the gaiden, blaming him to only have received the Sagittarius Cloth because of his brother Ilias’s state as a hero. In the classic saga, I can kinda understand because Saga is at the helm. But in Lost Canvas, Sage is Pope. Why did any of the higher-ups allow such mean people enter the service and Sanctuary of Athena – goddess of wisdom and justice? WHY?! I mean, yeah, the soldiers and Saints are just humans, and humans make mistakes, but come on. They should be at least better than that. Else, I don’t think they deserve to even be in Sanctuary.

- So, the ages… Saint Seiya really got a problem with those. Firstly, 10-year old Shura doesn’t look like 10-year old Shura in that flashback of his fight against Aiolos. Next, I have checked Marin’s age; she’s supposed to be 16 at the beginnig of the series. And she trained Seiya for 6 years…? Dammit, she does look even close to 10 in that flashback when Seiya was brought to her! Besides, she never has the air of a 16-year old in the entire series. And who in their right mind would make a 10-year old teacher to anybody? Then, even though I don’t like it, I have to mention the Crystal Saint. So, Camus is 20 in the anime. Firstly, the Crystal Saint looks so old, that he probably had been older than Camus when he had been his student. Shame we don’t have confirmation of his age. Anyways, I guess Camus must have been thirteen to fifteen at least when teaching him. Geez… what the hell is it with young kids teaching even younger kids? No wonder Sanctuary was crumbling.

- Remember that episode in which the new gruesome training is shown, where people even die? It really questions the Gold Saints‘ intelligence, if they by then don’t wonder if something might be wrong in Sanctuary. And they don’t. It needs the real Athena and five Bronze Saints to open their eyes. -.- Who's high and mighty now, Shaka?

- I really can’t believe none of the Bronze Saints knew of the existence of the Gold Saints. After all, Hyoga (yes, I ignore anime-only Crystal Saint, who may be a chill guy but who only complicates matters and throws logic out the window) and Shiryu were trained by two of them. I can’t imagine their teachers not telling them. Plus, Seiya trained in Sanctuary itself. He’s bound to know, especially considering his friendship with Aiolia. And even worse, do you remember that one or two instances in the anime in which is hinted not even the Gold Saints themselves knew of each other’s existence? How fake Pope Saga acts all surprised and stating in an asking tone that Aiolia is a Gold Saint. And all while freaking Milo is kneeling in front of him in his Gold Cloth. And even Milo acts surprised after the rest of the Gold Cloths are revealed. HOW??? Yeah, thanks for nothing, anime. At least the manga and the new Episode Zero confirm that the twelve Gold Saints grew up together and that they all earned their Cloths prior to Aiolos‘ death.

- Seika and Marin. Seiya’s sister and mentor. There are some issues I have with how several people seemed to suspect Marin being really Seika. Firstly. When would Seika have had the time to become a fully-fledged Silver Saint? She wasn’t even training back in the Kido mansion. Plus, she was still at the Kido mansion the day Seiya was taken to Greece. Remember that scene where she runs after the car taking him away. Oh, not to forget that Seika apparently vanished ONE WHOLE YEAR after Seiya left for Greece. And Marin is already a Silver Saint by the time he arrives there. Seika would have needed to have been in two places at the same time. Also, if Seika was in Rodorio village the entire time: Shouldn’t Seiya have encountered her by chance in the course of several years? I can’t imagine she stayed inside all the time.

- Uhm, in the Asgard arc, Shiryu got buried by the same avalanche as Fenrir. So why did Fenrir die and Shiryu not? Shiryu even was beaten up by his fight with Fenrir, while Fenrir didn’t even have a scratch!

- Um… in Omega… why are there already children of five to seven years training WITH CLOTHS??? I don’t get it. I seriously don’t get it. Where did they get those Cloths from? I mean, I can understand Ryuho, having inherited it from his father Shiryu. But the others? That Lynx Saint friend of Ryuho’s? And weren’t there a little Yuna and a little Soma too – in their Cloths? WHERE THE HELL DID THEY GET THEM FROM??? I seriously cannot imagine any child already earning a Cloth! Seiya had to defeat ten opponents to get his (and was about thirteen at the time). Sisyphus had to land at least one blow against Lugonis wearing the Pisces Cloth, as was probably fifteen-ish to seventeen-ish at that time. So why are suddenly children running around in Cloths?! Isn’t it enough that it is already claimed that the Classic Gold Saints became Saints around the age of 7? Sheesh. I like the idea Teshirogi brought in Lost Canvas far more. Sisyphus was about fourteen or fifteen, maybe sixteen by the time he fought Lugonis for his Gold Cloth. And he was the first, meaning that Aspros and Hasgard were even a little older when they got their Cloths. I don’t get it… I simply don’t get it. Well, at least, in the flashback of his training with Aiolos, Aiolia didn’t seem to have earned the Leo Cloth, and he seems to be six to eight years old back then. Though, duh, it contradicts official statements.

- While writing a fanfic, a strange notion occured to me… Seiya and Cassios were both living with their masters, Marin and Shaina, right? And female Saints are required to never show their faces to any male, right? So… how the hell did they eat? I mean, didn’t they eat together? Because to eat, Marin and Shaina would have to put away their masks. Did they eat first or did they wait until their students had finished? But even so, the cabin’s are small… Seiya and Cassios would have had to look away the entire time their masters were having their meal. Gee… I don’t get it at all. What a shitty image that they shouldn’t eat together. I mean, they do have a bond as masters and students. And eating is part of the package, especially if said master and student live in the same cabin.

- So, in the manga all of the bronze boys are siblings, sons of Mitsumasa Kido. That would mean, Seika is his daughter too. And we know that Kido fathered all those children so that Athena would have Saints at her side. My question: Why did Seika never train? Her being a girl is no excuse to me, because, well, Shaina and Marin. Unless Mitsumasa couldn't bring himself to send girls too. Still… with one hundred children, there are bound to be girls too. And if only the boys were sent, then they used that number rather loosely. Because then there wouldn't have been 100 children attempting to earn Cloths, but perhaps like what, 90, 80, maybe even only 70 or 60? Unless he fathered waaaay more than 100 children and kept going until he had 100 boys. Which would be, frankly, disturbing.

- So, why did Aiolos have to fight any of the normal guards of Sanctuary in the first place? Gold Saints are said to move at the speed of light. And that speed should not be hindered by the barrier over Sanctuary, which only prevents teleportation. So, technically, shouldn't Aiolos have been even well out of Sanctuary before the other Gold Saints had even been alerted?

- So, how did Aphrodite and Shura in Episode Zero already know Aiolos was a traitor? None of the guards could have been able to reach Pisces or Capricorn before Aiolos. Deathmask I do understand – after all, Aiolos had to go through Aphrodite, Shura, and had to patch himself up in Sagittarius. But Aphrodite and Shura? It would make sense if Saga had sent a telepathic message, but: 1., wouldn't that have given his identity away? And 2.: We never see him doing it, only dispatch some guards. So to me, he never did it in the first place.

- We learn from several sources, the latest one being Episode Zero, that Saga was sent on a mission to keep an eye on Poseidon and his activities. That he kinda vanished while doing that. But then he turns up on Star Hill to kill Shion. I ask – how? How was he able to get into Sanctuary without anyone seeing or noticing him? ESPECIALLY if he needed to cross the Twelve Houses. Yes, according to Episode Zero, most of the Gold Saints were absent on their special training. But come on. At least Shura would have been suspicious. Plus, how the hell did nobody notice the explosion of Cosmos when he killed Shion? Unless it is canon that he killed Shion with a punch through the chest. If not, then I don't believe nobody noticed.

- How is it that after the Silver Saint arc, we see nobody train for any Cloth anymore? You should think that with so many Silvers gone, Athena would seek successors. I mean, the war against Hades was drawing close! How on earth did NOBODY think of stocking up their ranks? Not Athena, not the Gold Saints, not even freaking Dohko, who after Shion's passing should be the most experienced one of the bunch. Yes, yes, focus could have remained on the protagonists. But at least a little something? Like one of the Gold Saints traveling around, finding possible new recruits? Some of the Bronzes perhaps helping with training possible future Bronze Saints? Marin and Shaina spar with some Silver Saint trainees? Also, some unused constellations would have made for quite some interesting Cloths and abilities.

- That said – even after all the arcs, at least a couple of other Saints should be alive to fight against Hades and its forces. Right? So why are the only ones we see the ten Bronzes, the Gold Saints, Marin and Shaina? The only answer would implicate Shion has done a real bad job at maintaining Sanctuary, if after all the deaths in the Silver Saint arc, major part of its fighting force is gone.

- And… h-how the hell is Hyoga DRIVING A FREAKING CAR?! At his age?!

P.S.: I think the two most painful points for me are the one with Seika, how she absolutely cannot be Marin, but people still think she might be, and the one where the existence of the rest of the Gold Saints is revealed as this big secret, when it should be known by everyone. Those two blunders... they just hurt. They really do.

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alyrae13 · 4 years ago

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Alright, time to explain my weeb ass! As promised, I’m gonna tell the reasons why I like each Gold Saint and why I see them as the way I do. Keep in mind, I’ll also may have to make this into two parts because of how long this would be in one single post, so please bare with me! Anyway, onward ho!!!

Libra Dohko

Starting off simple! Being a Libra myself, it’s easy to see that I would like this cool madafaka; He’s basically a better, more sensible version of Yoda. The reason I don’t feel very attracted to him is because I see him as the badass grandfather type, like the cool Chinese grandfather that could teach you how to kick ass while also being chill enough to unwind during tea time. 100% Dope Grandpa through and through.

Taurus Aldebaran

Now for the other one! Alde is a man who’s sweet as sugar cane yet as powerful as a raging bull. Despite his height, he’s a kind man when off the battle field and ready to fight for Athena when on said battle field. He’s not a character I’m attracted to because I see him as a strong yet sweet uncle figure who’s ready to stand alongside ya in both normal life and when fighting. He’s a tender giant of a man who supports those around him. Gentle Giant Uncle 100%.

Capricorn Shura

Now we go on to the tricky stuff. Shura, dear god do I love him. His character ideology is just so interesting due to the differences between the manga and anime. Wielder of the holy sword Excalibur, he could cut you to bits and think nothing of it. There’s also a possible angst hanging over him; He was the one sent to kill off Aiolos, knowing well how it would have affected little Aiolia. Imagine the amount of guilt he had for killing someone’s only family member? Even worse when you take the consideration of him realizing that he was willing to kill an innocent man without knowing about it, meaning he now knows he just tore a family apart and cause so much pain in vain. And please don’t get me even started on the Hades Saga and Soul of Gold. His character is just so great to me and I’m glad he was able to get on good terms with Aiolia in Soul of Gold. Plus, he’s a sexy Spanish man who’s super loyal, so why wouldn’t I love him?

Aquarius Camus

Camus, oh boy... Camus is someone who just gives me a whole array of emotions despite him not openly expressing them himself. On the surface, he is rather cold and distant due to not wanting to draw people into despair by showing exasperation, yet he’s still in control of his emotions rather than just suppressing them. His willing to fight for his ideals and for what he believes as correct (Soul of Gold anybody?), and although his way of teaching Hyoga is questionable at best, his only doing what he thinks will make Hyoga stronger as a saint. Despite being a man who appears uncaring and emotionless, he really isn’t. After all, we’re taking about the same man who one stated about hating people who mourn over the past yet also deeply cares for his pupil and about being true to his word to an old friend. Camus is a man who truly cares for those around him despite him appearing otherwise. He’s also a Frenchman, and who doesn’t love a beautiful French?

Gemini Saga and Kanon

Oh good grief this will be a long explanation. For the sake of respect and love for these two, I’ll be going over them individually because why not make this post into a full on essay?

Frist of all, Saga, poor Saga. Dear lord the amount of trauma this man had to go through is just heartbreaking. A man with an undying loyalty to Athena with an evil split personality... A more tragic version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Not only was he forced to see his evil side kill Pope Shion and take over his identity, he had to see him try to kill baby Athena and send another saint to kill Aiolos; And he had to endure that fact for thirteen years. By the time he was finally free of his evil half, he was practically begging his beloved goddess to forgive him for all the hurt he caused. A powerful yet tragic man indeed. Then there is his relationship with Kanon (of who we’ll talk about in a moment), because it’s also a little sad. Kanon was definitely, a bit of a traitorous prick in the beginning and it was his imprisonment that led to Saga’s split personality in the first place. Yet you could still say that they at least cared for each other despite all the bullshit they must’ve gone through whilst growing up, because Saga was definitely happy in the Hades arc when he found his brother fighting for Athena.

Now for Kanon, fucking Kanon who despite starting out as an infidel of a man, then became a great character in the same vain as his brother Saga. Dude wanted to overthrow the Pope and kill baby Athena but ended up getting his butt locked in Cape Sounion. Now we know what happens there; Finds trident, get’s Poseidon half awakened, poses as the Sea Dragon and yada yada. It’s only when fighting Ikki does he end up changing because it’s then when Ikki told him the only reason he’s even alive is because of Athena’s Cosmo. So, plans in scrambles and now possibly gripped with an overwhelming sense of guilt, he goes over to Athena and without skipping a beat, becomes a shield against Poseidon‘s trident and begs Athena to forgive him before falling unconscious. And of course, we know about everything in Hades arc.

In the end, both men are equally cherished characters of mine and I won’t have it any other way. Also their handsome Greek men who need hugs and kisses and need to be told that they are loved and appreciated, so...

Cancer Deathmask

Oh Deathmask, you beautiful bastard you... Now Deathmask is more of an asshole than Kanon for reasons we all know at this point but I’m guessing his behavior could be explain simply due to the fact he is literally surrounded by death everyday. Like seriously, is it really a surprise that he’s like this when he’s constantly exposed to seeing the souls of the living fall right into practically hell? Nobody would be the same if they had to endure that, especially since most likely he started training to become a saint at a very early age. Now, this is when Soul of Gold comes into play, because god damn it how they wrote his character is just something. Firstly, he’s shown to be an gambling addict and an alcoholic, clearly unhealthy coping mechanisms for not being able to use his cloth and you know, being exposed to death at an early age and onwards for most of his life. Then we have Helena; Now, I’m not gonna lie, the whole ‘Changed better because of love’ trope is very much old at this point but it’s kinda ok because it shows us ‘Hey, even he has the opportunity to change and become a good man’. Deathmask, despite all the things he’s done against mankind, still has the potential to become an honorable Gold Saint and a decent human being; Plus his a sexy Italian who can rock the goatee look, so yay for the crab.

Pisces Aphrodite

Ah yes, the beloved fish boi. Honestly, I love his character simply because he breaks so many boundaries that it would be hard for me not to like him. He plays into the whole ‘appearances can be deceiving’ stick so well; He looks feminine yet his personally is quite the opposite (to some extent). His personality is something that’s interesting to me as well; Despite being so god damn beautiful, he doesn’t act narcissistic at all and doesn’t even care about having his appearance messed up in battle. HIs belief that power and strength are the most beautiful things in the world speaks fucking volumes to me and explains why he was willing to follow the False Pope’s orders. His character in Soul of Gold was just great as well! Like, to see his abilities and power being fully used to it’s full potential was simply badass and I doubt others won’t disagree with me on that one; He was definitely key in the story despite showing little of him. That’s way I love him so much; He’s a gorgeous Swede who can kick your ass and think little of it. He’s the type of man who will look damn good beating you up while shrugging off any damage to his figure like a frickin’ boss... He’s just that dope.

OK, that’s the first part of this really long post; Honestly this took me nearly an entire day to write, like, really. I had to take a break and ended up taking a nap before finishing this, it was that long. Hope many of you agree with my reasons for loving these characters so far and if not, that’s ok! Opinions are fine as long as no one gets hurt, so it’s fine if you don’t like them like I do! Anyway, I’m just gonna rest now because my fingers are killing me. Have a great day guys!

#saint seiya #gold saint #soul of gold #capricorn shura #aquarius camus #gemini saga #sea dragon kanon #cancer deathmask #pisces aphrodite #libra dohko #taurus aldebaran #anime #favourites #knights of the zodiac

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zenalios · 3 years ago

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Untamed Seas; 4 - Enalios, β

Index (R18+)

Summary

Amphitrite, sea goddess, and daughter of Nereus, is less than willing to marry an Olympian, let alone Poseidon, the very god who overthrew her father. She does so nevertheless, in a desperate move to protect her sisters following Nereus’ absence.

The marriage is beneficial to them both: Poseidon gains legitimacy through a union with her, effectively solidifying his control over the seas, and Amphitrite guarantees her sisters' safety, along with all prestige due her status as queen.

The catch? She finds his domineering personality utterly insufferable, and he, the most fearsome god, resents being stuffed into an unwelcome marriage.

They have all eternity to make it work.

TW // Abuse - Verbal and Physical ; Abusive Relationship ; Forced Marriage

A sharp slap echoed through the kitchen.

“What were you thinking?!”

The Nereid held a hand to her smarting cheek as her mother continued to lecture her. Escaping Zeus had seemed like a great idea until her sisters had returned in hysterics, crying about how the new king of the gods took Erato away before everyone’s eyes. Amphitrite could not bring herself to look at them now since it actually was her fault for walking right into Zeus’s trap. But she hadn’t told them exactly why she had run from the Olympian.

She had only confessed to offending Zeus, and to being the reason Erato was missing —at which Doris grew even more agitated since she had been led to understand that Zeus would not attend.

“His attendance may have been pure coincidence altogether, how you even managed to offend him is beyond me,” Doris ranted at her and to her family and nobody else in particular, throwing up her hands as she spoke. “Gaia above, Nereus, just look at the sort of degenerate your daughter has become!”

A tongue clicked at that.

“Doris,” Tethys, their grandmother, chided. “I’m sure there must be some reason behind it.”

The titaness turned to Amphitrite, her algae veil gently floating along in the sea nymph’s direction. “Isn’t there, Phi?”

Amphitrite bowed her head to stare at the smooth pebbles lining the floor under her feet, “I—”

She truly did not know what to say. Perhaps if it had been her grandmother alone who had asked, she might have told her the truth already: that Zeus asked her to marry Poseidon, her response being to run away. Her vision blurred. It was no use, her mother would not listen anyways.

As if evidencing that fact, a sharp pain suddenly pulled at the back of her skull. Amphitrite yelped, clawing at the hands that had once nurtured her, this time begging for nothing but reprieve. “Give me back my daughter!” Doris seethed.

“Enough!” Tethys roared, rising to her feet, the force of her voice causing Doris to let go. Amphitrite landed on her hands and knees. At once, she scrambled out of her mother’s reach.

Tethys snapped, “She is your daughter too.”

The Oceanid scoffed, “She’s not. She’s his daughter, not mine.”

Amphitrite pressed the edge of her palm to her scalp in an attempt to ease the throbbing. Her first time hearing those words had been painful; after that she had simply learnt to accept the fact that her mother coped with grief through denial and anger, all of which she took out on her eldest daughter. It was futile to argue with Doris, anyways —there was no point trying to convince a lunatic who didn’t want to believe who was and who wasn’t her child.

At that moment, someone burst into the cave.

It was one of Tethys’s sons, Amnisos, who lived on Crete where Mt. Zas had been. “Yes, brother?” Doris snapped at the river god, ignoring the stare her own mother gave her. “Have you come to bring more ill-tidings to us now?”

Amnisos was bent over at the hips, gasping for breath.

“No,” He wheezed, “No, I brought Zeus himself.”

At once a mass of grey hair arose from its place in the corner. The progenitor of all rivers had been sitting quietly, listening and watching all as he always did. “Zeus has come for an apology?”

“I’m not sure.” Amnisos straightened himself. “But he did ask to speak with her before he returns Erato.”

Doris practically jumped for joy upon hearing the name. Now Amphitrite found herself being yanked from her place on the floor, and towards the entrance, the older nymph’s nails biting into her arm.

“Then go already, you wretched thing!” Doris cried, throwing Amphitrite forward into her uncle’s arms, who then steadied her.

Amphitrite nodded gratefully at him. As if I am not also your daughter, Amphitrite thought bitterly. Then again, it would be hypocritical to say that only Doris favoured Erato above all —so did Amphitrite herself, though she doubted Doris would ever let her near the child again.

“Amphitrite.” Her uncle nudged his head at the entrance he had come from. Amphitrite swallowed visibly. “Alright.”

Zeus was seated in a nearby glade she and her sisters had used to conjure up stories for their uncles and aunts. Her heart sank. “Oh, hello, Phi.” Amphitrite cringed at the strange look her uncle gave her —now that was valid cause for concern, she thought sardonically. Outside of family, only lovers used that name, of which Zeus was as of yet neither, and would never be the latter.

“Now, where was I…?” The god trailed off, then slapped his thigh as if he had only just remembered what he’d come here for. “Ah, yes!”

Such a sinister smile. Amphitrite turned away, wishing to see no more of it than she already had at last night’s party. “You. Marry. Poseidon. When?” Zeus dropped each word carefully, as though she were but a child incapable of understanding concepts beyond her years. She tightened her jaw, feeling the shame burn through her cheeks. Behind her, Amnisos sputtered.

Amphitrite grit her teeth. “If my father were here—" She began, only to find herself cut off by the king of the gods. “Yes, yes,” One hand waved dismissively at her; the other prodded at his ear, wriggling his pinky around the hole, and sniffing at the appendage after. Amphitrite wrinkled her nose in disgust. “If your father were here, he would give you a choice.”

“But!” Zeus exclaimed suddenly, leaning towards her as one would when speaking to a child, “Nereus isn’t here anymore, is he?” And whose fault is that?! The young goddess’ fingers curled and uncurled with sheer agony at the way Zeus so casually spoke of her father, his flippant expression causing even Amnisos to look indignant.

“Listen up, Am-phi-tri-te.”

Against her better judgement and folded arms, a heavy shudder tore through her body at the croaking voice that placed emphasis on each syllable of her name, so ominous it seemed to violate her very spirit and leave a crawling sensation behind on her skin. “There are fifty of you Nereids.” He pointed at her.

“You are the oldest, but you’re not the prettiest.”

Her breath halted. Subconsciously, her gaze flickered towards her uncle, where it was met with an equally dumbfounded countenance, if not more so. The Nereid twitched ever so slightly. After everything he’d spouted from his filthy mouth, she did not want to guess what he would say next. Zeus chortled. “Your sister Erato, on the other hand.”

A hand stroked at his short white beard. “She’s very lovely —and so young too.”

“You bastard!” Amphitrite snarled, aggravated enough to lunge at Zeus the same way she had done the night before. Only this time, she was filled with murderous intent. She had moved no further than a step before a pair of arms wound themselves about her, “Amphitrite!”

She faintly registered her uncle’s voice —it was him who held her back, but before she knew it, she had brought her foot down upon his.

“Your Majesty!” His pained voice betrayed a cry of reproach.

Zeus waved his hand at the river god. “Shut up before I remove you from my council."

“Maybe I should make it a point to attend her consummation.” Zeus added, a vicious smile growing again on his features. “Maybe my brother will even let me participate.”

To add insult to injury, he slowly began to form a little circle with his left thumb and index finger, drawing a finger through—

“I’ll do it.”

Amphitrite choked out then. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling hot tears spill down her cheeks, blazing a trail of molten gold over her cheeks, her sobs hidden only because she had bit down on her lip to keep them in. Her uncle’s arms around her did nothing for the situation; in fact, it made things worse, now that there was one more person to witness her suffering. She flinched at the large hand that clamped down on her shoulder.

“Good.” Zeus said all too cheerfully. “It will be in a weeks’ time then. My wife and sisters will make preparations on your behalf.” The hand tightened briefly. “And I will be coming personally to fetch you, Phi.”

She collapsed to the ground after he left.

Not even the great river father could help her this time. Amphitrite was born of the sea, and now she would belong to the sea, only its depths were no longer on her side.

3 - Enalios, α ; 5 - Shadowed

#untamed seas #ari writes #snv #shuumatsu no valkyrie #record of ragnarok #snv poseidon #snv zeus #poseidon record of ragnarok #zeus record of ragnarok #poseidon x oc #poseidon x amphitrite #tw abuse #tw abusive parent #tw innuendo mention

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spaghetwardhoezier · 4 years ago

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‘Erase this please’ - Percico secret santa fanfic

@duchessmb (MidnightBunnyy) , I am your Percico Secret Santa, bringing you fluffy & angsty flustered boys after Christmas has long passed but i still got my Christmas tree up so you can’t kill my spirit!

I want to start by saying: Happy late Christmas and Happy New Year! I dearly hope this year brings you and the rest of us some better memories. That being said, i want to apologize for posting my gift on the very last day of the event but, hey! At least it’s in time! (unlike all of my school projects :’) ) I hope it doesn’t seem too rushed. I wrote something, read it, hated it and decided to rewrite everything in the last three days. Also, i hope it doesn’t contain many grammar mistakes. I’ll proof read it the morning but if you see it until then, just know that i’m not actually illiterate, just tired. Now that you know how much of a dumbass i am, let’s go on with the story! Hope you enjoy!

This...

Nico stared down at his arm, eyes almost piercing trough the new-found initial that marked the skin from right near his elbow.

Is so confusing...

... a sturdy ‘P’ stood proudly, as if laughing at the son’s of Hades suffering.

P could come from many things! It can come from... Patrick... Paul... Phineas...

What kind of name is Phineas even, Nico?

The boy sighed deeply, his mind stubbornly struggling to remain attached to the same name it has been focused on since he’s seen his soulmark...

The most beautiful name on his list, the one he’s been dreading to say so badly...

Percy Jackson

But that name isn’t supposed to come out of his mouth, to glide between his two lips... That name isn’t supposed to even stroll so casually around his mind every single goddamn day.

Why? Because the thought of Percy Jackson was stuffed so deeply inside of Nico that it now felt like part of him; it was almost painful. Oh, the thought of him was very close and reachable alright..., but Percy Jackson himself was excruciatingly far away.

Nico would stare helplessly... His heart will scream and his mind would struggle to find a coherent thought, one that didn’t scream ‘you’re alone’ or ‘you’re pathetic’. And in spite of all that, he could imagine... was Percy in the arms of his future lover whose face didn’t reasamble Nico’s in any shape or form. He’d imagine them sneaking out in the middle of the night to go and count the stars from the black abyss of the dark sky, the only light accompanying them being each other’s love and company.

... Why couldn’t Nico have that?

...Why did Percy’s future... seemed like one he could never be part of?

Love was for lucky people. He guessed that he just wasn’t the guy.

The dim sounds of flowing water from the well known Styx river the demigod was currently standing close to grew quieter as Nico's eardrums were filled with the obnoxious sounds of his own consuming thoughts. No. He must not pay attention to that mark. To him, the soulmark had to be no longer. It didn't exist to him.

And yet, for the next following weeks, the only place his eyes seemed to want and glance towards as he roamed around his father's kingdom was that idiotic mark. Not even the hopeless whispers of the dead could distract him from it. Truth be told, he felt just as hopeless then.

''Boy.'' Hades's cold voice dared to soften just a dime as he tried to catch his son's attention. Nico remained still by the Styx river in the not so far away distance, eyes lost and heart seemingly sinking alongside the dozens of sticks and rocks from the acid water. ''Boy!'' he bellowed once again, steps becoming bigger as he kept advancing towards the shore.

Nico's head turned suddenly, black eyes harmoniously meeting black eyes. The bond wasn't kept for long, the teenage boy immediately starting to glare back at the water. ''What do you want, father?'' his voice was distant and lost, as if it tried to show itself off as threatening and furious but gave up amid the way.

Hades cleared his throat. ''I want to see your mark.''

Nico's eyes widened. The demigod tried to control his panic before opening his mouth again. ''What mark?''

''Your soulmark.''

''I don't have it.''

''Well, i think you do!''

Hades rushed forward, grabbing his son's arms and bringing back the sleeves. Nico stood up and struggled as tried to escape his father's firm grip with no succes.

''A 'P'... Ah, i see...'' the god spat as if utterly unsatisfied with his own statement. His fingers unclenched from around the demigod's wrists and the poor boy grunted as he stumbled back.

''...I told you, i don't have any soulmark.'' his eyes looked up to meet his father's for a second time. He was speaking through gritted teeth, voice stubborn and decisive. ''It's meaningless to me.''

''Too bad it's not meaningless to me then. As much as i hate that it starts with... that boy's name and i dearly hope it's not him... you are still going to go find said person.''

''That boy?''

''Poseidon's brat!''

Hades sighed and closed his eyes, trying to regain his patience. It didn't work much as his voice trembled with annoyance as the god began speaking once again. "Don't play with me. Don't disagree with me. If going to that... cursed camp is what it takes for you to be happy, then so be it.'' He said the world 'camp' with a tone that revealed worse despise than when he'd talk about one of his brothers.

Nico's eyes widened in confusion. ''Happiness...? Going to camp...? What in Hades are you saying?''

''Soulmarks are made by Aphrodite and Hestia, you idiotic child. Yeah, sure, Aphrodite often goes on and on about the drama and chaos that must take place in a romantic relationship for it to be entertaining enough for her, but Hestia, on the other hand... she doesn't let explosions go off and burst when soulmarks are involved. She doesn't let the chaos lay a finger on that. As much as i hate my family sometimes... soulmarks are a good thing. You are not going to remain alone and pouting. Go to camp. Now.''

Nico followed his father's words, but they simply wouldnt clench around his brain. Now is when his father showed care out of all times? Now? When Nico's heart kept yelling 'no' with an unshaken vigor?

''No.''

''Now!'' Hades spoke again and his words were conclusive. With a simple hand gesture, Nico was sent to the one place he currently dreaded most.

A girl's hand wrapped around Percy's wrist and, to him, it felt almost like a betrayal. The mark was right there, staring back at him. It looked like it was gaping up and shaking its head, perhaps mumbling a 'you idiot, wrong soulmate, wrong hand to hold.'. He tried imagining the exact voice a hundred of times. It sounded more pissed off than his french teacher from fifth grade when he'd raise his hand during class to ask if he could go to the bathroom. 'But can't you say it in french, s'il te plait?'

...

Why couldn't Percy listen?

''Let's catch lunch before it's over!'' Naomi from Aphrodite's cabin said sweetly as if trying to lure him in. It felt wrong. Why did he keep following her?

''About the mark...''

''Percy...'' the daughter of the love goddess spoke clearly even as Percy tried to replay the memory in his head. Her voice was sweet and lucid, her vocabulary was rich and her intelligence was definitely blossomed and visible, especially when compared to the other children of Aphrodite's. And yet... he's never been attracted. ''It's an 'N', right?'

Percy stared down at his arm as if he expected the mark to grow legs and run away any following second. "..yes."

"So why not give it a try? When mine will appear, we'll know for sure if we are meant to be or not. Do you have any other guesses...? Please, Percy...?'' her smile was bright, hopeful.

'But it doesn't feel right.' his heart said. Percy didn't say that.

Instead, he smiled back, drowning all of his other thoughts with a simple 'we'll see. we'll see...'

'It's been two months.' his mind kept repeating now.

'I know. But now we'll see soon.'

'You even kissed.'

'...We are basically in a relationship.'

'Did you even agree to that?'

'In a way.'

'Why did you even agree to that?'

What could you expect from a dude that's arguing with himself...

"Percy?"

...

"Percy...!'' a hand tapped his shoulder and he finally woke up, in spite of the fact that his eyes have never been closed. "You've been weirdly staring at your shoe laces. If you were Grover, i'd be sure you were about to eat them up.''

"...Sorry. I'm fine."

Naomi smiled again.

"Then all it's fine. Let's go eat.''

"Your name is Pollicem? Doesn't that mean, like, big toe in latin?"

"You asked for my name, kid!" the angry satyr bellowed. "I ain't asked for no judgement!"

"Right, right, sorry..." Nico cleared his throat, straightening his back before speaking again. "What's your soulmark's initial? Is it an 'N'?"

"It's a 'D' and i definitely haven't found the chosen one by going around and asking other people about their love life. It doesn't work like that...," he sniffled the dark haired boy and crunched his nose up in disgust. "..., offspring of Hades. Bleh, you always smell like dead grass and corpses."

He was right. Nico was just stupid. Why would he even search for his chosen one, after all? Not even the Gods of Love could make him desirable. Love has brought anything but happiness to him up until now. Why would things change?

"Say kid, do you fancy anybody?"

"Huh?!" Nico's breath got caught up into his throat, the boy getting mildly startled.

''I see... So, in that case, that person is your soulmate.''

''Impossible.''

''You've got your soulmark today, offspring of Hades?''

''I did.''

''The initial matched your loved one's name?''

''...it did.''

''You still love that person?''

Nico bit down on his lip, self-hatred and anger spilling from his gaze. ''What's this about?'' he mumbled.

''If you still love them, then the gods of love approve. You've found your other half. If that wasn't your case, the affection you held for them would start fading by now.''

''I don't believe that.''

''Stop believing so much in the fact that any child of Hades's destiny is lonliness and isolation. Why do you think soulmarks even exist, kid? To form arguments, envy? No. They are supposed to bring peace. Each person with their designed lover. That way, love is clear and true, unbreakable.''

''I've been assigned... a lover?''

I've been assigned... Percy Jackson... as a lover?

Nico's heartbeat started to freak. ''How am i supposed to believe that?''

''Just like that, demigod. You're currently talking to somebody with two hooves instead of feet and yet you can't believe in love?''

Nico looked back at the other half-bloods from camp, their silhouettes blurry and gray under the dim light of the afternoon. They were all laughing, raising their sleeves and proclaiming that 'look, there's somebody out there for me too' and yet Nico couldn't see himself fitting into the scenery.

''That mark holds a lot of power within you.'' the satyr spoke again. ''I can feel it. Don't be afraid of closure, kid, don't be afraid of vulnerability.'' and off he went into the dark forest, leaving Nico alone.

The way Percy stood alone at his table, peacefully eating his usual all blue food plate. The way his lips would slowly, leisurely turn upwards at unexpected times, perhaps thinking about something so weird and stupid that he felt like laughing at himself. So unnoticable... so pretty.

Nico watched in silence. Like always, truth be told... But this time, the moment itself seemed more intense, adrenaline and dread rushing up his veins as a familiar warmth settled in his stomach.

A girl makes her way to the Poseidon tabel.

...What?

That's an intruder. An intruder into this portrait that's been meant to only focus on one single person, on Nico's favourite person.

Her fingers laced around his arm. He looked up. Eyes met. The girl smiled. Her eyes sparkled. She leaned in. She pecked his cheek.

No...

That was not his cheek.

Those were his lips.

Those from between which Percy has said so many stupid, dumb words that somehow Nico didn't find dumb at all. Those that would open and scream in triumph after he'd win yet another battle. Those that were always curving up, forming that beautiful smile.

Nico has always found looking at Percy painful. But now's the moment when the pain did no longer feel good at all.

His eyes filled with hatred. It’s almost funny how the soulmark could turn as meaningless as before oh so easily. He turned around, but that's when he's finally spotted.

"Nico!" Grover yelled with excitement from near a tree, letting a chewed piece of plastic drop out of his mouth.

...stupid satyr

"Nico?" another voice called him from behind. He turned around. He shouldn't have turned around.

Sea blue eyes were staring back at him. How did Percy even get here so fast?

"You've come to visit!" his eyes expressed joy. That felt like a punch in the stomach.

"Like you care." he spat, voice annoyed and hateful.

The glint of joy was dipped in hurt. That felt like another punch in the stomach.

Percy looked him up and down, a sudden act that flustered and startled Nico, who covered it up with even more anger.

"What the hell do you want?"

"You've got musclar.''

...

W-what?

Percy's eyes were glued to Nico's biceps. "Stop staring, weirdo! What the heck...?! What do you want?!''

The taller demigod finally brought his gaze up, looking into the child of Hades's black orbs. They seemed more intense to him this time, mysterious, endering... Percy felt weird.

"What's your soulmark?"

"What?!"

Nico seemed surprised. Percy was surprised, too. He didn't know why he asked. He felt pushed too, interested.

"...It's none of your business." the boy replied.

It felt like his business.

Nico perhaps felt suffocated by Percy's fixed stare because he soon spoke again. "I didn't even get it yet.''

Black and green eyes were locked together still. There was a lot of tension. Dozens of words seemed to be hanging in the air. A sudden realization washed over Percy, but he remained silent. When he tried to open his mouth again, he realized that Nico has already left.

''You what?" Percy almost staggered as he listened to Annabeth's words. They were on their morning walk. From what the demigod has heard, Nico came back and stayed at camp over night but Percy didn't get the chance to see his face a second time.

"You gain feelings for your soulmate immediately after you get your mark, as well as loose feelings for anybody else you have previously fallen for." Annabeth explained again. "An organized system through which the gods make sure there are no third parties involved in soulmark work."

"Then Naomi's..." 

"...not the one." she finished his thoughts. He's been saying that same goddamn sentence in his mind over and over again, but saying it out loud... it finally felt real, believable.

"You didn't tell me this before?!"

"I'm surprised you didn't know. But i did always think you dated Naomi out of kindness. ...I still think that."

"Maybe you were too scared that i'd finally come to the conclusion that Nemo's my soulmate." 

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but her smile was playful. "A fish can't be your soulmate, seaweed brain."

They sank in a comfortable silence for about a minute or two. Then the girl started speaking again.

"But... suddenly finding somebody attractive that you didn't before, feeling the need to see somebody else's soulmark, the sudden feeling that you're deeply connected to someone, emotionally and mentally, are all signs that said person is your soulmate."

The odd interaction with Nico from yesterday was the first thing he thought off.

He stopped in his tracks, sweat covering his forehead and eyes opened wide.

Wait a damn minute-

"I'm sorry, Percy."

Huh...?

The girl that stood in front of him - his ex, i suppose you could say - had tears straining her cheeks. Whether the cause of them was guilt of sadness, he didn't know. But they left soft, unnoticable traces down her skin, which were glowing vividly in the summer sun as if they tried showing off hope and relief rather than regret.

"My mark appeared today... It's not a 'P'."

"I know." Percy said softly and the girl looked up in confusion. The male demigod was the one who smiled sweetly this time. "And you've probably talked with somebody else today. And you've probably felt reborned in a way, like you've suddenly found a long lost part of you, a piece of puzzle that didn't fit you before but for some reason it now embraces you so perfectly."

"Percy, how-"

"I know the feeling. And it's alright. I've found him too."

Waking up in the morning...

'What a bother' Nico'd say if you were to ask him.

Rolling right and left underneath the covers, the demigod realized that the blanket couldn't even provide him warmth. He's never felt colder.

Knock Knock

"Leave."

Knock Knock

"Leave, god dammit!"

The door creaked open. Nico got up with a snarl.

"Why the f-"

The words got caught up into his throat. A whimper softly slided from between his lips as Percy stepped closer.

"Stay back!" Nico took the stygian sword from near his bed and brought it in front of him to keep the distance. The other demigod raised his arms in surrender and then Nico cursed himself for paying so close attention to his lips as the boy started talking.

"What's your soulmark?"

"I told you i don't have it."

"...liar" Percy mumbled.

"What the fuck is your problem?! I told you i-" he yelped as Poseidon's stupid son kneeled down and rushed forward, avoiding the sword as arms came around Nico's legs and brought him up on his shoulders. The sword fell down on the floor with a quiet thud and the smaller male started cursing and yelling in protest.

"Dumbass! Wait, wait-"

Percy brough him down on the bed, caging the boy and struggling to bring one of his sleeve's down. Nico shoved a fist into his left shoulder, throwing the boy off the bed. The son of Poseidon still had his hand clenched around one of the black-eyed male's wrist, therefore they ended up rolling toghether onto the dusty floor, fighting to be the one on top. They stopped spinning when they hit the wall and Nico still remained the one trapped under Percy's dominating figure. The green haired male reached down and finally managed to work with the other's sleeve and see his bare, naked wrist.

A proud 'P' stood glinting under the pale bedroom lights.

"...why didn't you tell me?"

Nico didn't speak. He looked scared, he looked ashamed.

Percy released the boy's wrist and showed off his own. The 'N' no longer felt wrong. It felt like it's finally found its part, its continuation, its home.

There was some strange tension in the room, hidden from the human eye yet touchable and itchy. It felt as if the air was trying to suffocate them. The boys' limbs felt numb and cold, searching for alleviation. The whole atmosphere around the boys was pushing them together, uniting their souls, their bodies... And not even a demigod could do anything but kneel down in front of such a mighty power.

The next few seconds were so intense and brimmed with emotions and sensations that it almost felt like a lucid dream: blurry and vague but real. Percy leaned down while Nico brought his chin up. The son of Poseidon allowed his arms to find their place around the other's hips, pressing their foreheads together while rubbing the tip of their noses in an ardent manner. Nico's breath was hot against his lips. Without being certain of who started the following act (perhaps it was both of them at the same time), their mouths clashed together, speaking the words and feelings which the two demigods haven't got the courage to say yet. Percy's soft, moisturized lips were gently scratched by Nico's dry ones, moving in perfect sync. It felt as if they've completed that one abberant puzzle that they've been working at for decades, twisting the pieces and always wondering why things didn't fit, why things didn't feel right.

Well, finally... things felt right.

They eventually parted and Percy's lips suddenly felt so empty and full of sorrow that he attempted to dive right back into the affectionate act. Nico's index finger stopped him on the way.

"Your shitty girlfriend..."

"It's no longer."

"You got more explaining to do than that."

"I know- i know... I will... But for now, can't we just enjoy this?"

Who was Nico to complain?

While their lips reconnected, tingling with a newfound passion and desire, while their limbs began tangling toghether, focusing on nothing else except the other's warmth and soft skin, Nico could be heard mumbling one single thing against Percy's parted lips:

"My dad's going to kill me."

#percico #percico secret santa 2020 #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson #Heroes of Olympus #nico di angelo

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theartofimaginaryfriends · 4 years ago

Note

Hello! May I have a reader/percy fic where Reader is bisexual but is scared to come out to Percy? It can be either romantic or platonic, but I'd like their ages to be between 10-15 if thats possible? Reader's pronouns are she/her, and hurt/comfort, please!

Acceptance

Premise: Y/N is scared to come out to her brother, Percy.

Content Warnings: biphobia, homophobia

Masterlist

A/N: Shoutout to that really basic title! I promise the fic is better than that XD I’m currently on vacation in Jasper (we drove, I live five hours away, and there hasn’t been a single case in the resort we’re staying at so don’t @ me on this), so I managed to find the time to write since this is literally just a relax and do nothing type of vacation. So it’s kind of stated in the fic, but this takes place in The Titan’s Curse, and the reader is a year younger than Percy (so like 12???). As well, I decided on making the reader his little sister because I haven’t done a sibling fic before and thought it would fit. Hope you enjoy :)

Y/N's mortal family already hated her for being a demigod. When she found the courage to come out as bisexual to them, they wrote it off. Not that she expected much, but Y/N didn't think she'd get written off as a lesbian when she began dating a girl. They were even worse about that, ultimately causing Y/N to become a year rounder at Camp Half-Blood.

The school year was lonely, being the only member of the Poseidon cabin. She wished her brothers were there to distract her from her anxiety, and to comfort her when she couldn't sleep. The rest of the campers were kind to her, but it wasn't the same. Percy and Tyson were the two she trusted the most.

That being said, Y/N couldn't find herself able to come out to Percy. When he arrived at camp during winter break, she immediately felt nervous when she saw him. He was upset that Annabeth was captured, and no one seemed to take it as seriously as he did. Y/N felt as though this wasn't a good time to say anything to him, especially because she wasn't prepared for the possible biphobia from her brother.

It kept her up nearly every night for the whole break. She Iris Messaged Tyson to come out to him, who was accepting once she explained to him what it meant, but she was still scared to come out to Percy. Especially with her knowing this young, she wasn’t sure how he'd react to that. Y/N wasn't prepared to hear "it's just a phase" by someone she deeply admired and loved.

When Percy came back, her insomnia worsened. It had gotten to the point where she couldn't find a comfortable position in bed and kept tossing and turning hopelessly. It wasn't until she started crying from frustration one night that Percy got out of his bed and sat on the edge of her own. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," she shifted so she faced away from her brother.

"You haven't slept in days, Y/N," he said, keeping his voice even. "From what I know, not even an impending war can keep you lying awake all night multiple nights in a row."

"It's about my mortal family." She explained, too tired to fight with him. "It's bad enough they hate me for being a demigod."

"What did they do?" Percy's jaw tightened. Y/N stayed silent, clutching the comforter tightly. She wasn't sure what to say, or even how to word it. Percy was stubborn, and Y/N knew that he wouldn't leave her alone until she talked to him about everything.

He put a comforting hand on her shoulder, hoping that it would help ease whatever anxieties she felt. Percy was worried about his sister, and he hated seeing her this upset. One thing he knew was that he had to wait for her talk because she wouldn't speak to him for days if he pushed her to open up.

Y/N took a shaky breath before sitting up to face her brother, and before she knew it she was recalling everything that happened in the past few months. She skirted around her sexuality, not wanting to get into that at one in the morning. Unfortunately for Y/N, Percy could tell she wasn't telling him the full story. Some things didn't add up.

He had a good guess of what she left out and asked her to be sure. "Y/N, are you bi?"

She nodded as tears streamed down her face. Percy held her close as she let out all the bottled up emotions, terrified to look at him in the eye. Because it was so late, she didn't process Percy trying to comfort her as she cried. All Y/N could think was that Percy hated her and that he wished she wasn't his sibling. That she must be one or the other, and can't like both genders.

To her surprise, his reaction was the exact opposite. Once the tears stopped, she finally realized the hug he wrapped her in and pulled away to look at him in the face. His sea-green eyes glowed in the moonlight that streamed through the windows, and they were filled with empathy. "Wait... you don't hate me?"

"No one chooses who they love," Percy told her. "I'm bi, too. I know how scary it is to come out. I was extremely worried about my Mom not accepting me but when I finally had the courage to say something, she told me it didn't matter."

"She's pretty smart," Y/N let out a relieved laugh, wiping the tears from her face.

"Yeah, she is," Percy smiled. "And hey, if anyone gives you flack for being bisexual, they’ll have to answer to me."

"I can take care of myself." Y/N grumbled.

"Yes, and?" He laughed at his sister. "Aren't big siblings supposed to protect the younger ones no matter what?"

"Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes. Y/N yawned involuntarily and flopped back onto her bed so she was laying down. Suddenly she felt significantly more comfortable and nestled into the sheets. "Go back to bed, we'll talk more in the morning."

"Goodnight, Y/N," Percy stood up and got back into his bunk. "I love you."

"You're okay."

#percy jackson #Percy Jackon and the Olympians #percy jackson & sister!reader #pjo #percy jackson fanfiction

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percabeth4life · 5 years ago

Text

The Prince of the Sea

First Chapter || Previous Chapter || Next Chapter || AO3

Triton heard the rumors from the fish. The whispers of a child controlling the water in the river. A child that smelled strangely mortal and yet a layer of the sea clung stubbornly to them.

Triton eventually went to see this child, perhaps a child of a minor god was learning how to use their powers?

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

The child was so much more than a child of a minor sea god.

Triton watched him manipulate the water better than half the students of Atlantis’s elite academy. He watched him freeze it.

The amount of skill that took was ridiculous. Ice does not come easy to those of the mid seas. The northern most and southern most were skilled in it, but this child was definitely not of those.

The eye’s gave him away.

They were the same eye’s Triton had. The same eye’s that every child of Poseidon ever had.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

He watched his half-brother for a time.

He wasn’t sure what he was doing at the start, but it seemed he was cleaning the river?

Did he lose something in it?

Triton watched though, he watched as the boy learned to raise the water, learned to make waves, spoke with the fish, studied some of the harder magics of the sea, seemingly without even realizing.

He spoke with an eel named Elli a lot.

Triton did not understand this spawn of his father’s. How was his scent so weak when he obviously knows his heritage? His presence only felt faintly of immortal power. It was strange.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

His name was Percy.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

He knows nothing of his heritage.

He has no idea of the gods and no idea who Triton is.

Triton was… confused.

He called his control of the water, waterbending. Triton would allow it for now.

Triton studied him more though, he was cleaning in the middle of winter. That was a dangerous time for mortals even today. He was young, he shouldn’t be risking his health like that.

Triton wasn’t sure he approved of a foolishly reckless half-brother, even if it was to help the river.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

His half-brother asked if he was named after… himself. Triton had to hold back a laugh.

His brother was powerful yet ignorant, a dangerous combination. But right now, one that kept him hidden. Triton would not destroy that protection yet, he was not needlessly cruel.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Triton hid his knowledge of Percy from his father. He was good at keeping a straight face.

Triton also didn’t tell his mother though, she may not be vengeful but she would be rightfully angry with Poseidon. And that would give it away.

Poseidon didn’t seem to check on Percy often, perhaps because he didn’t want Amphitrite or Triton to know about him.

Jokes on him, Triton was already interacting with Percy.

He was careful not to visit him on days that Poseidon wasn’t busy though, no need to make it easy for him to find out about their meetings.

He wondered if his father had noticed Percy training his Hydrokinesis? (Or Triton supposed it was actually his Thermomancy, seeing how he wasn’t only controlling water. Ice control was extremely difficult for his heritage, perhaps he was able to do it so easily because he was emulating this water bending he spoke of.)

He doubted Father had noticed yet, his father cared but he would be too afraid to check often. It would not just be to keep Triton and Amphitrite from knowing but also to prevent any other immortal from noticing him checking on someone so often and investigating.

That would reveal Percy quicker than anything else.

It didn’t matter though, right now it worked in Triton’s favor.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Triton told off those two river god’s who’d been spying on his half-brother so much.

They had better things to do, maybe they could clean their own damn rivers instead of letting a child do it.

Truly shames to water immortals.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Triton decided that his half-brother should learn to use a trident.

It was the weapon of their family, and he would dishonor them to not learn it.

Percy was determined to prove himself more skilled than Triton expected. He made a trident out of ice. He wasn’t even trying to show off, but it was impressive.

Sure, it was brittle, but he could make actual shapes now, and they held for a short time.

He would be strong one day.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Triton could not believe his half-brother got expelled for doing as he was told.

So, what if they got dropped in a shark tank? Sharks weren’t dangerous anyways. They were absolute sweethearts as long as you didn’t try to hurt them. He’d had a dozen pet sharks over the years!

Honestly that guide should get fired.

Perhaps he should introduce them to a true dangerous sea creature…

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Triton decided he’d let Percy play around long enough, plus there were some incidents in the sea that were taking more of his attention.

If he’d been raised in the sea, he would already know the basics of sea law and culture. He could not remain ignorant there, not if he was to be a prince of the sea.

Thankfully, Triton didn’t need to worry about that weakening the protections around his interesting half-brother. Percy was convinced there was an underwater society. Triton could work with that.

He gave him books, just a few. It would be a good base for future lessons.

He also had to give him a dictionary for the Halmaheran language apparently, he didn’t know it. What did land dwellers teach anyways?

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Triton was not pleased that he’d had to go away, sure he’d expected to be busier with the incidents happening, but this was far worse than he’d expected.

There was a massive oil spill.

It required all hands-on-deck to try and save as many lives as possible, and to try and relocate all the coral.

It was a massive undertaking with a lot of merfolk and sea beings involved.

Triton was working overtime both in his duties as a prince to reassure the people and work with the rescue crews to show that he was willing to help, and also in his duties as a messenger and ruler of the tides.

He barely had time to breathe for over two months.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

He finally had the time to check on Percy again.

He needed to be sure he’d been doing his reading and practicing the Halmaheran language.

He only spoke to Percy in Halmaheran, make sure he could get used to it. Percy actually did pretty good.

The river seemed dirtier than the last time he was there though.

His eyes narrowed, that was suspicious.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

His half-brother just called him a great friend.

Were they friends?

Triton hadn’t had a real friend in a long time.

His last few… they hadn’t made it to the current day.

And then there was Athena.

He supposed he would accept his half-brother calling him a friend.

It certainly meant nothing to Triton, he was an immortal, he was not attached to his mortal brother.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

He couldn’t believe the little brat didn’t tell him about his birthday!

Birthday’s were extremely important for children!

This would not stand.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

He gave Percy his presents, and almost turned to hunt down this mortal ‘Smelly Gabe’ who apparently wouldn’t allow his brother to properly celebrate his birthday.

How dare he.

He held his anger in though, watching Percy find the sand dollars he’d spent a week carefully compressing and shaping, along with the bracelet that he’d made for Percy.

The coral conch shell charm on it would keep him updated to Percy’s health.

He had a feeling he’d want that in the future.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

I don’t get my brother’s obsession with going beyond in his thermomancy.

It’s a powerful magic, but he’s doing well so far. He should focus on using weapons now as well. He was able to make a solid trident that didn’t break so easily now, why did he need to work on drawing water from plants at his age?

Thermomancy was a dangerous magic, he was doing excellent at it but going too far to harm his source of power, the power he inherited from father. I tried to distract him from it.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

So apparently, Percy learned how to draw water from plants.

Well, if his brother wanted to work so much on that then Triton supposed he could humor him, at least then he would know when his brother was practicing.

Triton assigned him homework on drawing moisture from other sources, ones that shouldn’t be too hard with his base of skill.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Triton was touched by the gift Percy had gotten him.

It was clearly hand-made, it still radiated Percy’s power.

The bracelet fit his color theme, and the charm was a sparkling version of his trident. It was very well made.

He wasn’t sure his trident charm in return was as good, but Percy seemed happy, so Triton simply decided to get better presents for him in the future.

This one was practical, and something Poseidon should’ve done if he wasn’t off pretending Percy didn’t exist.

Maybe Triton was a little bitter on Percy’s behalf.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Triton added assignments for Percy to do.

Things that he should’ve been raised learning, Triton would fix his father’s failings.

He made sure to quiz Percy often, making sure that he was up to date on current events and knew about the different forms of magic he may face.

He made sure he knew the territories to avoid and how to identify them.

He made sure his brother could be the perfect prince when needed.

Triton would make sure he knew his heritage.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Triton couldn’t help being impressed.

He’d guessed already which magics Percy would probably be best at.

Thermomancy for one, but that was common in children of the sea (or at least Hydrokinesis was). Though Percy seemed to have a special knack for it.

He had the potential for Siren’s song, but that would have to be trained. It had some instinctual parts yes, but to really unlock it’s power you had to focus it. Percy would require a lot of time before he was truly skilled at it.

But what Percy had shown a subconscious skill for was Purification.

It wasn’t considered a dangerous magic at all, but it is powerful. And it was extremely useful these day’s with all the pollution around.

Percy had a clear talent for it, cleansing the water around him even without meaning to.

It seemed he’d started practicing some of it, though being him, he’d immediately jumped to one of the more advanced forms.

Sand dollars are extremely valuable when made by a Purifier (someone skilled in Purification). Triton could make some of course, and he was rather good at purification magic out of necessity, but Percy had an instinctive knack for it that was rare.

Triton needed to encourage that.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Of course, another of his brother’s schools were run by complete imbeciles.

Expelling him because an exhibit collapsed, how idiotic. He was not pleased.

But he gave Percy more work, distracting him from the expulsion.

He gave him more history to study, he decided to work with him with other weapons. A sword would be a good weapon for now. Perhaps knives next.

He still worked with him on the trident though, that was the weapon of the sea and the one he must know.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Those filthy idiotic immortal pieces of trash told Percy that he was a demigod.

How dare they, they ruined all the work Triton had put into keeping Percy untouched from the immortal world.

Percy had questions, Triton would have to be careful about answering them, less he reveal too much and completely destroy his little brother’s protections.

But first, he paid a visit to those minor river gods.

No one would miss them.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

He played along in court, he needed to see Percy, but his father had requested his presence. So, he went to his father.

Playing the prince was tiring right now, he just wanted to talk to Percy about what he’d learned.

His only reassurance was the conch shell pin that was connected to Percy’s charm. It showed that Percy was safe.

He should give Percy a way to escape from danger.

Just in case.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Explaining the history to his little brother was… difficult.

He had to be careful, he couldn’t tell him about certain things, things that may lead to him understanding and accepting the immortal world around him.

Him accepting the sea was one thing, that didn’t damage his protection, but for him to accept the immortal world as his… that couldn’t be allowed. Not yet.

So, Triton made sure to explain it, made sure to tell him he would be in danger, because he would not allow his brother to be harmed.

Percy is his brother.

The sea protects its own.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Percy was getting better at purification magic. Triton was glad.

Percy’s gift was impressive, he kept it in his room.

The purifying stone probably wouldn’t work long. But it would last a few weeks probably. Triton liked it regardless.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Triton made sure his brother had an escape route now. The pearl would bring him straight to Triton if he was in danger.

Hopefully he would never need it.

He also gave him a book on the Siren’s Song.

It was one of the most basic though, just describing it in detail and explaining some of the most basic exercises to train it.

It wouldn’t help him much yet, not without an instrument to practice putting his power through first.

Using your voice was both the easiest and the hardest way, it was the most powerful, but the hardest to control once you’d unlocked it. It was always best to start with an instrument.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Percy was attracting monsters now.

He was very lucky it was a young, weak, empousai, the younger ones tend to reform slowly. He should be safe for a while from other monsters hearing about it.

He needs to get better at fighting with water though if it’s going to be his go to. Exploding the pipes was extreme, but if he was going to turn to the ocean first, then he would need to improve on controlling it in a fight.

Triton started drilling him in it.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Triton couldn’t help but be pleased, Percy had a large interest in the sea magics.

He seemed to have a strong affinity for some of them.

That usually came with drawbacks in other areas though.

Percy was young now, so it was hard to tell. Perhaps his mortal half would balance it?

Nonetheless, he was more than willing to help Percy learn more.

Even if it meant he had to go learn more, he’d never paid a huge amount of attention in those classes. His skills lay more in other areas.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Triton spent a lot of time studying sea magics, so he could teach Percy more.

His father was pleased that Triton was showing an interest at last.

Ugh.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

So maybe Triton assigned a Cyclops to watch over Percy this year.

It didn’t do any good it seems.

He was not pleased that the school was just as idiotic as the last five.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Triton got Percy a Rainbow stone.

Making them is ridiculously hard, but he was able to convince (read: bribe) Natia, one of the strongest in enchantments that he knew, to make it.

He added the protections himself though, he didn’t trust her to not try to tap into it.

The Rainbow stone’s were almost shaped like gems, made of a pale white stone that seemed flecked with rainbow glitter. Channeling a little power into it would make a rainbow form.

He also made sure his brothers had drachmas to pay for it if he needed to.

He was touched by the hair pin his brother made for him. He quite liked it, it matched his trident well.

The sand dollars though, those were very impressive. He was already matching the skills of mer’s Triton knew that had practiced for many years.

Percy may be skilled in his Thermomancy, but his purification was where he truly shined.

Father was confused as to where he was getting the small presents.

Triton didn’t tell him.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Triton was annoyed that his little brother’s school didn’t accommodate his differences. He was of the sea not the land, yet they expected him to learn through land methods?

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

The Cyclops didn’t succeed in keeping Percy out of trouble, despite literally being an alibi, somehow they failed to get Percy out of trouble.

How troublesome.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

There was a small event coming up, between some of the younger high-ranking merfolk.

Normally he wouldn’t attend those, but it would be a good introduction for Percy.

He could make up a backstory for him and did.

They wouldn’t suspect much, Triton had helped do introductions before, usually because he was ordered to or as a favor, but they didn’t know that.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Making the stone to give Percy the tails he would have if he were changed to a merman was amusing.

His little brother was delighted by it.

It was… adorable.

He was determined to keep his little brother out of the mess that the prophecy would cause. He wouldn’t let this one go. Percy was his brother, he would protect him at all costs.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

He was extremely pleased with how Percy handled the little event.

He showed he was strong, he showed he was polite, and he showed that he knew how to stand up for himself too.

Triton of course took over when the one brat thought that they could speak out of turn in his presence, but otherwise he let Percy learn.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Triton took Percy to a few events after that. He wanted to be sure that Percy could handle the politics that come with being high ranking in the sea.

He was doing well and had made some friends.

He found it every so amusing that Percy didn’t quite understand yet that the brighter and more visible you were in the sea, the more dangerous you generally were.

Percy’s tail glittered, even in the dark of the sea depths. It’s blues of many shades shone, the flowy additions almost glowing in the dark.

Percy was befriending quite dangerous merfolk to match.

Samoa was all white, though that wasn’t natural, she’d created a magic dye that lasted for a few years. Her hair was naturally a brown. She just wanted to seem scarier. She was very good at making sand dollars though. Her and Percy were bonding over that.

She was probably the least dangerous of his friends.

Elei was dangerous, but not in magic. She was the daughter of one of the generals of father’s army. She was trained as such too. Though she was young, and thus had little experience, she was still a good sparring partner for Percy. She usually won. Her hair and tail was a deep red, though it seemed green in the dark of the ocean. Her tail was also one of the sleekest he’d seen, a sign that she had zero skill in magic.

Masina was a rising expert in controlling the ocean currents. They could weave them in ways that most trained for years couldn’t even begin to imagine. And they were only a little older than Percy. Their tail was a blend of blues and yellows, some dashes of pinks mixed in as well. It was bright and very flowy, like Percy’s. They tried teaching Percy how to use the currents, but he definitely did not have an affinity for the currents.

He said he felt he would lose himself to them. That’s alright, it was a sign that the current’s just weren’t for him.

Triton couldn’t help but find it amusing.

Fetu and Lagi were twins, both were skilled in different magics.

Fetu had an unnatural talent for the Siren’s song, and many were wary of him for it. Lagi was one of the best healers around. Both were rarer talents, but their parents had been powerful themselves, so it made sense. Their tails were matching yellows, bits of orange shining through them, and they were flowy, though not quite as much as Percy’s. Their hair was obnoxiously bright yellow, a real sign of the danger they posed.

Triton was glad Percy was making such powerful friends, they would be great help to him should he need it.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

The summer solstice was nice.

Percy had given him a box made of ice.

Percy seemed to like ice a lot. The runes were carved well, he was pleased with it.

He also liked the sand dollars. They were very well made.

Percy had clearly improved a lot, they now drew in power like they were supposed to. They weren’t quite perfect, drawing in the power far slower than a proper sand dollar, but he was improving.

He gave Percy a hair pin that he’d had made for him.

His hair was getting long after all, he needed it out of his face for battles.

Also, it may or may not be enchanted to keep him safe from poisons. Not many would be able to affect him with his Purification skills, but better safe than sorry.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Getting an enchanted waterskin for Percy’s birthday required a bit of work.

He could make one, but that would clearly have his signature on it. That wasn’t something easy to hide.

He ended up managing to get one when they had to go to a… dinner…. With Oceanus. His grandfather.

His mother didn’t want them to fight too much, but father was always very tense when they interacted with him.

The important thing was that Oceanus let him take one of his old waterskins (the proper name for this one was Oceanskin, but Percy probably wouldn’t care).

They were useful when on land, but Oceanus hadn’t left the sea in ages. It was one of the few that just felt like the sea in general, not a specific signature.

Percy was delighted with it, so it was worth the curious gleam in Oceanus’s eye when he left.

Hopefully Oceanus didn’t try to investigate.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Percy was back at school, and apparently had gained a sense for curses.

It wasn’t that surprising, he probably had the ability sooner, just hadn’t been around anything cursed.

It was a useful skill to have, very valuable. Father always had a skilled Purifier to check over any gifts given to those at the courts.

Nonetheless, Triton got him more books on Purification. He supposed it was time for Percy to branch out more.

Curse breaking was where purifiers really shone. Though none were skilled enough to break the great curses, perhaps one day.

He was curious how quickly Percy would get the hang of it.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Percy got him a variety of foods for the fall equinox.

Really that wasn’t good, Triton liked them a lot, and Percy had infected him with a matching love of blue food.

It was hard to explain to father.

He wondered how father didn’t know about Triton interacting with Percy yet.

He wasn’t exactly hiding it anymore.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Triton had worked hard to get Percy some clothes fit for a prince for the winter solstice.

It was hard because he’d never needed to buy them. Everyone was confused and interested in his sudden interest.

Father made a comment about him finding a lover.

Disgusting, as if any land dwellers were worth his interest except for Percy.

Honestly merfolk were so nosy.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Percy’s teacher was annoying. Triton didn’t like them at all.

He suggested Percy use school to practice his “princely” skills. Might as well, it would be good practice when away from the sea.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

The stone horse Percy had enchanted was impressive. They were obviously done by a novice, but he could see the work his little brother put into it, he approved.

He kept it in his room, it made it feel just a little safer.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

He loved the equinox, Percy got him a sunflower preserved in ice, they were really pretty flowers.

Poseidon had finally noticed that something was up, as had Amphitrite.

Apparently the three years of disappearing a lot to talk with Percy, and the last few months of literally bringing Percy down here didn’t give them a hint. But him bringing home a sunflower did.

Go figure.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Triton got Percy a star stone. They were one of his favorite things when he was a child. To see the stars underwater, he thought his little brother would appreciate it.

It was after all, something his father had failed to give Percy.

The stone could project the stars around, but otherwise it was almost like those snowglobes Percy had told him about, except with stars.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

So perhaps Percy’s latest school flooding had been his fault. But the school deserved it.

That pathetic excuse of a teacher expelling Percy just because he had been kicked out of schools in the past.

She was trash.

On another note, he got Percy more books on purification magic. It made sense that he failed to fully release the curse when Triton finally met this “Guinea pig”, though now it was a fish.

Circe was too powerful for Percy’s current level. His attempt to release the curse simply morphed it, changing it to more sea based instead.

It was a pretty good first attempt though.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Triton got Percy more new clothes. He needed to be sure Percy had a full wardrobe by the time he went to camp. That would be when Poseidon would notice.

Triton was perhaps being a little petty, but he wanted to rub it in his fathers face a little that he had been the one to raise Percy, he had been the one to teach him of his heritage.

Poseidon had done nothing for Percy, it had all been Triton.

He also got Percy an Ocarina, it was a good starting instrument for Siren’s Song. It would help Percy improve his curse breaking to mix Purification and Siren’s Song.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Triton liked the geode snow globe Percy made him. It was sparkly and rather unique.

It also matched his tail.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

He thought it was hilarious that Percy’s mom didn’t approve of the hair dye. The hair dye was brilliant. It was made by Samoa after all, and her dye wouldn’t come out or let any of the original color show even at the roots for a long time. It was magic dye after all.

Those of the sea rarely had plain colored hair, there’s a reason Samoa created the dye.

Father was one of the few to have straight black hair, even Triton’s own was simply a very dark blue.

He quite liked Percy’s hair.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

He decided that Percy needed something to keep his belongings safe now.

He was growing older and would likely be going to camp soon.

Triton gave him a bag made by the Cyclops’s. It wouldn’t let anyone, but Percy, take things out of the bag, and would protect the contents from outside forces.

Percy seemed delighted, he was glad. His little brother needed more people looking out for him. He just hoped his gifts were enough to help.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Percy was going to a boarding school.

Triton was a lot less pleased than he let on.

Percy would be away, harder to reach, harder to talk to.

He was glad he’d given him the rainbow stone because otherwise he might have to influence Percy’s mom away from that school.

And that would be hard to explain.

Still though, he worried, Percy would be alone for the year.

But surely Percy would be alright for the year, it’s not like he’d be going back.

Nothing too horrible could happen in the space of one year.

Right?

#percy jackson #pjo aus #Avatar the legend of percy #avatar: the legend of percy #avatar fan percy #percy jackson fanfiction #pjo fanfic #pjo fanfiction #percy figures out how to control water young #percy calls himself a waterbender #waterbender percy #Triton #triton percy friendship #triton is a good big brother #triton is there #pjo triton

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fantasticfangirl21 · 4 years ago

Text

Shimmer in the Sea

Roman II

Summary: Roman and Virgil finally get a chance to talk and Virgil informs Roman of some important events that he had previously forgotten happened... traumatic events that may have been better left repressed...Romans memory continues to come more into the light, will that be a good thing? Or a bad one? Roman- 1788 “I promise I'll answer your questions if you answer mine but first,” Virgil takes his sword back quickly. “We have to go- now.” He says firmly as he takes my hand in his free one and swims swiftly for the caves with me. “Wait- but-” I try to speak as I'm dragged behind him through the water. “No time for questions Princy we have to move.” he cuts me off swimming into a maze of caves. Princy? I think to myself, something in me sparks again, like how it did when I first saw him a few hours ago. “Come on come come on pwincy! We haf to go see the pwetty lights!” a four year old purple tailed merchild draggs a tired Roman down the palace hall to see out the window at the newly installed lights in the kingdom. Roman rubs his eyes sleepily.

“Virgey why are we up this earlyyyy I didn't get my beauty sleepppp” he mumbles as virgil lets go of his hand and points at the lights leaning against the window. “Lookie Pwincy lookie!” he says ignoring the prince's complaints. Roman looks over at his overly excited friend as he points outside, his eyes wide in awe as he watches them, Roman smiles and looks over at the lights too. “I guess they are really pretty.” Roman says with a soft smile laying his head on his friends shoulder and gazing sleepily up at the lights. I snap out of my flash back as he stops, we are kind of far into the cave, I'm about to ask again but he clamps a hand over my mouth before I can. “Shhhhh” he says, listening for a moment, most likely making sure we weren't followed. He lets my mouth go after about a minute. “Okay now you can talk.”

“I- Who are you? Why do I recognize you? Why did you think I was dead? How do you know magic- why do you live out here? Where did you get that sword-? What are you wearin-” he covers my mouth again. “Slow down. Gods Poseidon, That is a lot of questions.” he takes a deep breath. “How about this you can ask a question then I'll ask a question, okay?” I nod and he takes my hand off my mouth once more. “Who are you?” I ask the moment he removes his hand. “Virgil,” He answers, there's that spark of familiarity in me again. In my flash back I called him Virgey. “Virgil…” I repeat softly looking down at his tail again. “Yes, Virgil, now how are you alive?” He asks quickly and I look up confused, what kind of question is that? “What do you mean…?” “I mean how- you- the shark attack when we were kids? I saw you it looked like you were…” his eyes search my face finding only confusion. “You don't remember me…?” he asks softly watching me as if waiting on me to explain to him I simply didn't understand the question and that I really do remember him. “I- I don't know who you are… but your name, and your tail, your voice… it's all- it's all familiar. You have to tell me how I know you, I rarely remember things from before I was eight, my parents said I just have a bad memory but I remember you- so that means something right?” I ask, nearly cringing from how desperate I sound. His face remains analytical but his eyes betray his hurt, he looks down at his hands wringing them anxiously. “Yeah that means something…” He pauses and I watch him think for a moment, he sinks down to the ground and I do the same beside him, we both have our backs to the wall he looks back up. “Okay so… I guess I should explain what I'm talking about, umm…” I watch as he fiddles with his scales on his tale for a moment nervously before continuing. “So when we were eight- er- well first off I guess I should explain how I know you-” he takes a deep breath before speaking in a bit of a timid rush. “So- well, I was the son of two of the palace workers, E-emile and Remy um, they were my mom and dad.

My mom, Emile, well she was the head baker and my dad, Remy, was your personal guard. Um, you were usually alone and so was I so we hung out a lot, and our older brother-” he pauses hesitantly before continuing “er- um, your older brother Remus would come play with us sometimes, most of the time he did his own thing though. We were pretty close until…” he glances at my tail, his lavender eyes tracing the white designs on it that my parents call birthmarks. “Until the shar- until your eighth birthday.” he stops as he notices my hand pressed to my head. “A-are you okay princy- er Roman?” I nod but that just causes my headache to get a bit worse “Yeah I'm fine, give me a second-” I say quietly as my head continues to throb in pain, “So… We have been friends since we were kids. Your parents Mrs. Emile and Mr. Remy worked for my parents. Remus… he wasn't distant? Not all the time at least? He mostly ignored me recently before he… well before he died.” I notice Virgil's tail twitch beside me and look up to meet his eyes, “Virgil?” “...Yeah?” He answers, avoiding my gaze by continuing to examine the caves wall. “Oh I mean yeah, like yes, he was close with us, he would play games with us and stuff um but sometimes he would go to be by himself.” I notice his fidgeting has increased since I brought up Remus, it's making him uncomfortable for some reason, it's probably best if I move past it and continue. My head throbs again. My memory is triggered pretty much every time he mentions something. His parents' names, brought up some foggy pictures of people in my head, a woman with a pastel pink tail and tan hair, long tan hair, holding cupcakes with a bright smile. And a man, a black tail, palace blue armor like I recently escaped from and a black trident to match his tail. He wears a smirk rather than a smile. “Okay… so what happened on my eighth birthday?” I ask hesitantly. It's clear he doesn't want to really talk about it and he has seemingly noticed my headache. Upon my inquiry though he jumps on the topic quickly, I must have been right about the topic of Remus making him uncomfortable. “Well um, so I was baking the cake with my mother and you were being watched by my father. You and Remus share a birthday, he was turning fourteen, so the party was pretty big. It had people from neighboring kingdoms and things like that. Me and my mom served the cake and stuff and you opened presents. After that the people from other kingdoms started to move back into the palace to change for the banquet later that night. Remus had already ducked out of his party to go mess with some of the palace guests, he liked to play pranks on them. W-we were playing and you fell into a table, and well one of the plates you hit when you fell broke and cut you. It wasn't a big cut or anything but the kings were upset and came to help you, King Patton held you while King Logan cleaned it for you. But um… well… your blood was already in the water. Usually blood in water is not a problem but, well the festivities of the entire kingdom celebrating and things like that had drawn the attention of some s-s-sharks…” I watch intently as he takes a shaky deep breath, as he recounts the events I get flashes, I see the cake, the party, some guests, my parents, Remus. “The kings had helped with your cut and had gotten called inside for some kind of business, me and my mom were cleaning up and you were bored so you were helping, a few of the guards were still outside by the doors. W-w were on the opposite side, you and dad were at a table in the left corner and me and mom were packing up the cake. M-my m-mom s-she saw s-something and t-tucked me under a t-table and yelled a-at my dad to g-get you o-out of there. S-she was t-torn away b-before she could f-finish. I w-watched the sharks r-rip her apart-” he stops and turns away from me as his voice cracks on ‘apart’. When he starts talking again the emotion is gone… “My dad grabbed you and swam toward the door but he was too far away, both of you got ripped backwards and I watched you both get attacked. The guards swam in just a second late, I was frozen the whole time but when the guards came I swam away, hid in one of these caves for a few days… I mean I watched everyone I cared about get killed, some other guards died too. I didn't care much about them though…” he finishes numbly, his eyes trained on my tail blankly. “I thought you died…” he says, his voice barely a whisper. I watch him quietly. That was a lot of information to take in. Now the light marks on my tail make sense, their shark bites, lots, and lots, and lots of shark bites. I don't know how I could even believe that they were birthmarks like my father Logan said, or just a “unique design” like my dad Patton always said. Why would they lie to me? Why would they lie about something so important? My eyes stay on the ground between me and Virgil absentmindedly. I notice his hands have stopped fidgeting now they're just shaking, I place my hand on his. I can tell he hasn't talked about this in awhile, or maybe at all after the incident. He looks so fragile, like maybe touching him would make him shatter. I feel so bad for asking about it. I shouldn't have brought this up but I had to know. Especially so soon after a shark encounter? His reaction to the shark earlier makes sense now... “I'm so glad you're alive.” he says quietly, I was too lost in thought to notice he’s now looking at me, his eyes tracing my features again. “Even if you don't remember me.” His voice cracks on “me” cracking my heart with it… without even thinking about it I pull him into a hug.

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