This is just a one-shot I wrote a long time ago and wanted to share with you all! I wrote this as a non-fic story at first, then I decided to turn it into one. The characters were originally going to be Nico and his sister, but I just felt like I needed to make it Leo and his mom. This story is sad and doesn't have a happy ending, so be forewarned. Character death! As I said, this was not a PJO fic at first. I think I got all the name changes but in case I didn't. Alexander = Leo Elohine = Esperanza And if he refers to his sister, that is referring to his mom. But I think it should be okay! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own ANY CHARACTERS! But the amazing plot is all me! If I owned PJO, I wouldn't be sitting in an old chair, on an ancient computer writing this!
The Shadow
The Shadow lurks in the wood
Awaiting your soul
Ready to devour it whole
In a dark time of demons and despair, there lived a Shadow, a horrid creature which fed on sorrow, hatred, and terror. The Shadow's appearance was the souls of those it devoured, frozen in eternal torment. Once in a thousand years its hunger grew to such extremes, it could not contain it. The demon crawled down from the mountain in which it lived. It caused mayhem across the land in which a peaceful race lived, the race of Men. They fought and died to stop the creature that caused them so much sorrow.
They fought for one hundred days and one hundred nights, keeping the Shadow at bay. Until a man, the King of Men, had had enough of the vile creature. He was a kind man who cared for his people, and in turn, they respected him. One day, he took his final stand to destroy the Shadow. The battle went on with the Shadow, and the King fought through the days and nights, but he never tired. He was doing this for his kingdom, and for that, he would never back down. He slayed the Shadow on the third night, but not all was well. He died that night at the feast prepared in his honor. He died because, he felt guilt. Just as the creature was dying, he saw a light, a hope for peace. He saw that the creature, the thing that had killed so many, had once been peaceful. The Shadow had once helped and healed. It was a god, of life and prosperity. Though what once was, is now gone. The god turned, and became full of malice and hate. The Shadow had been corrupted by greed. Its mind was clouded by its lust for power.
When he killed the creature he felt the guilt and sorrow fill his veins, the very thing the creature once fed on, had entered the king's mind. He died and the kingdom fell into a time of peace and sadness. Without the Shadow to torture them, the town had prospered, but was always haunted by the death and memories of their once beloved king. The kingdom grew more and more each year, but they never forgot the king that had fought and died for their freedom.
But, not all was well. The Shadow had been killed yes, but the Shadow's soul was immortal. It is a cursed creature. If there is sorrow in the land, then there is something the Shadow can feed and grow on.
The people of the kingdom were deep in mourning. Children no longer played in the streets, vendors stayed closed. The people barely kept themselves alive. This went on for many years. One thing stayed the same though, the prayers. The people kept on praying to their gods; and the gods were listening. Zeus, the home-ruler, the king of the gods, listened intently. He knew that there was no way to permanently kill the Shadow. He could only delay the inevitable. He called upon the council of the gods. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, came up with the plan. She proposed that there be a hero, someone who would be the savior of the world. So they created a warrior. The warrior was not perfect though, as not even the gods are perfect. The warrior was sent down to the land, unaware of who he was and what his purpose was in his life.
Leo was his name. He grew up and lived as anyone would. He worked as a blacksmith, making the swords he was made to wield. No-one thought of him as a knight. He was only the blacksmith of the town.
The throne was once again taken by the king's son, after his father's death. Luke Castellan was a selfish ruler, not at all loved by the people of the kingdom. He took everyone's money, homes, and family if they could not pay the taxes he placed on all the goods made and bought in the kingdom. They did not imagine life could get any worse, they were hopelessly deceived.
With the anger, fear, and sadness spreading across the land, something awoke; something that should have never been disturbed again, the Shadow.
It started to feed on all the terrible feelings in the kingdom. It grew every day, and for the next year it waited. The Shadow was clever, and it knew how to wait. While the Shadow feasted on the land, the hero grew up into a man. Leo was the first to notice the Shadow was rising.
When the Shadow started to rise again, it was small things, like livestock going missing. There was no sign of a struggle or bones and blood. The people were starting to get suspicious, and then it was them who went missing. The Shadow knew how to wreak havoc and spread fear. A month passed after the villagers started going missing, and Leo decided to find out what was happening. That was his last mistake. He waited outside the main hall, to see who was coming in the kingdom. Then he saw it, and when he did he realized what he was meant to do.
When he spotted the shadow he instantly regretted wanting to know. Though he knew what he had to do now, even if it meant sacrificing himself. He drew the sword that he had made himself and slowly crept towards the creature. He dared not make a sound, for the Shadow would hear him and devour his soul like it had the villagers. As he crept the Shadow went into the house of the kingdom's tailor, he heard a brief, muddled scream and then silence. The Shadow had devoured his soul and body, leaving no trace.
Leo followed the Shadow out of the kingdom and into its hidden lair in the mountains. He silently prayed to Hestia, the goddess of the home and hearth, that he would return to his family. With that, he followed the Shadow into the mountain cave.
The Shadow went into a deep dreamless sleep, to conserve its energy for what it was planning. Leo crept towards the creature and raised his sword silently. Sadly, it was too late. The Shadow awoke to the sound of Leo's footsteps and the Shadow shifted away from his swinging sword. Leo's sword clattered against the floor of the cave. Barely phased, he picked his sword right back up and charges the Shadow once again. Perhaps if he had known what was to happen, he would have fled. The gods watched, as they knew what was to come. They silently sent strength and courage to their warrior for his final blow.
The battle went on for a long time, with near misses and grave injuries, for they both were exceptional fighters. The Shadow dissolved every time Leo lunged at him, and came up from behind him. But Leo was quick to dodge. The Shadow fought with dark magic, chanting spells in its deep, angry voice. After many hours of fighting, they were both tired and angry, wishing it would end. The battle raged on, until the sun broke over the mountain in which the Shadow and Leo were fighting. The Shadow writhed in the light of dawn, for it was a creature born of darkness, and Leo took this moment to lunge at the Shadow. His sword came down in a deadly arc, slicing through the Shadow's black body. The Shadow's form dissipated, and the hero rejoiced. He thought he had won. But the Shadow was clever, too clever.
As Leo started to leave the mountain, the fog swirled and gathered around him. His visibility clouded, and with that he started to panic. Fear welled inside him, as he was starting to get worried. The Shadow fed and grew from this fear as he turned it into power. Unaware that the Shadow was reforming right around him, Leo continued to trek through the compact and dangerous fog. Meanwhile, the Shadow was lurking slowly feeding and starting to pulse with his new found source of power.
When the outskirts of the kingdom drew near, the hero started to gain hope. He saw his mother, Esperanza, waiting for his return. She was worried but confident. The Shadow knew this was the time to strike. He knew he would not get any more power from confidence and hope. He slowly gathered himself, readying himself just out of sight of the growing crowd, but Esperanza saw him. She screamed in terror. Watching his mother tremble in fear, he started to run towards her, to ease her fear, but it was too late. The Shadow lunged, encasing the body of the hero who had almost killed him. As Leo was encased by the darkness of the Shadow, he began to lose himself; he was in a standstill in his own mind. All he saw was darkness, his mind still filled with terror, and his body still reaching to save his beloved mother. He suddenly felt an agonizing pain inside his skull. He screamed out into the darkness, voice filled with agony and fear. Leo looked up to see a wraith, a creature that caused terror and pain, and consumed everything good in your soul. The wraith stared down at him, his face hidden by a dark, tattered cloak. Leo knew there was no going back now. He resigned himself to an eternity of torture, knowing that the wraith would never let his soul go. He sat back and let the agony consume him.
The Shadow left Leo's body to be tormented by the wraith inside his mind. The Shadow needed his body for a greater cause. Then the sun came out fully, and the Shadow writhed in pain and sought refuge in the dense woods.
The Shadow didn't destroy the body of the hero, but only because he was saving it for something. He saved the body for the purpose of causing fear across the land, for that was always his goal.
Gasping, Esperanza ran towards her son's body. She pulled him onto her lap and prayed to the gods to bring him back. He was too young to die, him being at the age of only 17, he was too young to die such a horrid death. She brought his body to the house in which they had lived; she had brought him so she could give him a proper burial. The undertaker came and went, preparing for the burial ceremony. But not all was well.
He waited to strike until there was calm once again in the kingdom. He slid under the door of the undertaker's shop and entered the lifeless body of the hero that lay unattended on a table. Leo opened his eyes, but they were not his own, they were the demon eyes of the Shadow, seeing everything in blood and terror. The Shadow slowly stood, taking in the feel of his new, solid form. He walked outside, breathing in the fumes of the recent deaths. He sauntered into the main square and a small woman that ran a street vendor, screamed in terror of him, for she knew what he was.
She ran to Esperanza, who was praying to the gods in a nearby church, to tell her the news of her son. When Esperanza heard of the news, she quickly ran to the square to greet her son. She could barely contain her excitement, but it was soon put out when she noticed that something was wrong. Instead of the sweet brown eyes that Leo had once had, the Shadow's eyes were stained with blood and hatred.
She screamed out for help, but her scream was quickly cut off. The Shadow had approached her calmly and caressed her neck, then broke it. He then left her lifeless body on the ground in the middle of the square for all to see. The people wondered who would be next. They soon took her body to give her a proper burial. Soon enough, the graveyard was full with the bodies of the villagers. The Shadow had killed them every living soul in the kingdom. After only six months the land was empty, and it was never touched again. The Shadow had nothing left to feed on for many years. Some say it died. Others say it is laying in wait, for new prey. No-one ever crossed the abandoned kingdom ever again, it was said to be cursed. Not even the weary merchants that passed it by dared to stop. They say the wails of the dead villagers can still be heard, crying for mercy. No-one knows if the Shadow will ever return to the land; many fear it will. After the Shadow pillaged the land, it went into a deep slumber, possibly to never wake again. Though, who is to say what foolishness people will do in the future; for the future is still unwritten.