Inspired by Madeline Miller's Song of Achilles.

Prologue

The kingdom of Opus stood west of the Ithacan forest and east of a mineral-rich mountain. It was ruled by King Dino di Angelo and his queen Maria. The kingdom had been peaceful, even prosperous, until the royal healer discovered the queen was pregnant, in the middle of the king's two-year journey. The king had been suspicious upon his return, but refused to confront the queen in fear of upsetting her health.

After half a year, Maria gave birth to their first child, a girl who looked like her, tawny eyes and hair black as ebony, and nothing like the king. They named her Bianca, for white and fair, and the rift between the king and the queen deepened. The child is not his, the servants said, gossiping with each other as they scrubbed the hard, cold granite floors of the palace after dark.

Despite the whispers and stares that followed her, Bianca grew up strong and swift, like a huntress. Everyone thought that was the end of that, but on Bianca's thirteenth birthday, the kingdom was plunged in darkness. The people in the kingdom didn't see the sun shine for an entire week, and the elders declared it a bad omen, a sign of devastation to come. The rumours surrounding Bianca's conception resurfaced.

Around that time, the neighbouring kingdom of Knossos developed an imperial ambition to expand its territories, and soon Opus was under siege. In an attempt to gain the approval of the king, Bianca, despite her young age, volunteered to lead the counter-attack. The enemy forces retreated after merely two nights. Instead of being awed, the people were appalled. There was talk that at night, Bianca's forces transformed from soldiers to skeletons. Death follows her, they whispered as they made the sign against evil.

To make matters worse, the queen once again became pregnant. I have not lain with her, the king told the royal healer, who nodded and talked of spirits and ghosts and divinity, and how they must not be insulted. Thus, the king let the queen keep her baby.

The baby turned out to be a boy and the queen named him Nico. Nico grew up shy and quiet. He was very different from Bianca, but he loved her and looked up to her. In turn, she protected him from the malicious gossip of the servants and the cruelty of the nobles. They had no one to turn to, for their father had grown indifferent to them and their mother had been dethroned, living in the village like a peasant.

The night before Nico's thirteenth birthday, the king flew into a rage, convinced by the royal star-gazers that another catastrophe was to happen. Offer his mother's spirit to the Underworld, the star-gazers said. The king believed them. He had Maria dragged from her house in the village and hanged in the gallows.

Bianca and Nico were devastated and they shed no tears when the king died in his sleep that same night. The work of the lord of ghosts, the royal healer told them after she failed to identify the cause of his death. The kingdom quickly fell to ruin. It was constantly plagued by earthquakes and the nearby mountain refused to yield any more precious stones.

The king's brother stepped in as regent and looked for help, committing a grave mistake he never had the chance to correct. I am a legacy of Apollo, said the high priest brought in by the regent, his crazy, electric blue eyes set on Bianca. In a week, he stopped the earthquakes and made the mountain fruitful again, sacrificing animal after animal. In a month, the royal family was forgotten and he was made king.

In no time, he found out about the mystery of the children's parentage. There was no need for divination; he knew the truth and he used this to his advantage. He kept Nico hostage in his quarters, forcing Bianca to do his bidding. And do his bidding she did.

With her undead forces, she destroyed army upon army, bringing power and wealth to Octavian's name. The kingdom of Opus had an ally in the kingdom of Sparta and Bianca often led the sieges with Sparta's eldest princess, a daughter of Zeus with eyes like the sky and hair like midnight. They called her Thalia Grace.

Thalia Grace had a little brother older than Nico by a few years. Jason, they called him, had eyes like Thalia's and golden hair. Nico hated the wars, but he was happy whenever the Spartans came to offer their aid, because Jason would visit him in Opus and take care of him, bandaging his wounds, soothing him with words, giving him hope. For a couple of days every year, Nico knew what it felt like to be loved.

One day, Thalia disappeared, and the alliance with Sparta was no more. Jason no longer came to visit, and Nico forgot what the sun looked like.

This did not stop Octavian, and with every kingdom Bianca conquered, his greed grew and grew, until in his confidence, he ordered a siege on the kingdom protected by Poseidon, Phthia.

Bianca did not survive the counter-attack led by Phthia's prince, Percy Jackson. Upon hearing the news, Nico fell violently ill. Octavian didn't mind; he was too busy planning the kingdom's defense and searching for someone to replace Bianca. Then Nico started fading, like a shadow.

That captured Octavian's attention. He realized the siblings might have similar abilities, only the younger's had not awakened yet. Immediately he sent out a messenger to look for his trainer, the legacy of Orcus, Bryce Lawrence. It didn't matter to Octavian what Bryce did, as long as the man produced the desired results.

Without anyone or anything, and trapped in the dungeons below the castle, Nico di Angelo became a prisoner in his own kingdom.

Prologue

Fangirl-ing/ Fanboy-ing and criticisms are very welcome!