Ballad of the Sun Prince

Notes: I decided to change the name "Hyrule" into "Olympia" to give it a more PJO feel, but the terms "Hylian" will still be used in place of "human" etc., instead of "Olympian", since it basically refers to the PJO gods. Decided to post this a few days early to get a big chunk of exposition out of the way! The exposition speech was a little difficult not to go off word for word, since there's literally so much infodump in that scene, but I tried to play around with it.


The Great Plateau

Temple of Time, Present Day

[o]

"Up here!"

Nico lifted his head up at the night sky, mouth dropping open in surprise when he saw the man waving at him from the crumbling temple rooftop. In the days that had passed, the man's dark clothing was still without a splotch of dirt, whereas Nico was aching to change out of his grimy clothing. Now that the man knew he had Nico's attention, he indicated for him to climb up before he walked towards the broken structure that must have once been the belfry, now sans bell with one side of the wall blown off. The man looked like he didn't have a care in the world while he sauntered through the intact pieces of the roof, even though a misstep could have easily sent him plummeting to his death.

That is, if he wasn't already dead, Nico thought to himself.

He had just finished with his trial in the fourth shrine at the top of the snowy mountain when the man appeared outside the shrine, like he had been waiting there the whole time. Then, the man had asked him to meet him at the temple before completing dissolving into thin air, leaving a stunned Nico behind who had no choice but to follow his instructions.

Nico was tempted to draw his sword now, unsure if he was facing a friend or a foe. The man had seemed friendly enough so far. When Nico had found his small logger's hut to the south almost a week ago, the man had graciously offered him a place to rest and taught him a few recipes for meals. He couldn't imagine that the same man was going to lure him up to the top of the temple and push him off.

Shaking off his unease, Nico surveyed the perimeters of the temple for a way up, coming across a sturdy ladder on the side that had remained intact even while the temple declined. The climbing came easily after days of hoisting himself up smaller mountain ranges, and he made it to the top within a minute.

From there, he carefully inched his way over to the belfry, hoping that the platform was sturdier than it looked. Looking down at the places where the roof had collapsed only served to make him feel dizzy. Far below, the remnants of the roof laid in pieces on the ground amongst the shattered columns, worn down by the rain and time. The inside of the temple was now overrun by grass and wildflowers from years of neglect. At the far end, he could see the abandoned stone statue of the deity on top of a small pedestal, watching over the weathered temple with nothing but a serene smile. The mechanical monsters that Nico had run into at the Eastern Abbey hung at all corners of the temple, thankfully devoid of life as far as he could tell. Their six long spindly legs gripped on the walls and through the half-shattered windows, like someone had switched them off before they could finish the total destruction of the temple.

Looking at the devastation of the once holy place sent an unbidden shiver down Nico's back, and he focused on maneuvering his way to the belfry without breaking his neck. It was only until he made it to where the man was standing that he released the breath that he was holding.

"Took you long enough," the man commented in the same flippant tone, turning around from the broken windows to look at Nico with a mischievous grin under the hood he always wore. "I guess a promise is a promise," he sighed, reaching a hand behind his back. Nico tensed up only to scold himself when the man pulled out the paraglider and held it out between them like an offering.

Nico took the item in his hands gingerly. He ran his fingers up and down the rippling fabric; it was surprising light for something that had the ability to suspend him hundreds of feet up in the air. He hoped that the man wasn't duping him with a fake.

"But I didn't return with any treasure," Nico said, even while he held the paraglider. "That was part of the agreement."

The man paused, and Nico tried not to squirm under his sharp scrutiny. A sense of foreboding was gathering, and he had to clench his hands into fists to stop himself from trembling. There was something tickling at the back of his mind, jumping just out of reach when he tried to grab it. He shifted his weight uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"Haven't you already figured it out yet, boy?"

The image of the man seemed to flicker for a second, and Nico blinked a few times, taking a step backwards. There were two forms, fading in and out so rapidly that Nico couldn't tell what he was seeing. "I – just who are you?"

The man sighed dramatically, lifting both hands high up in the air. "I guess it's finally time to tell you the truth. Well, at least I had fun while it lasted."

Then, he clapped his hands together and a golden light flashed from where he stood. Nico covered his eyes from the blinding light, wincing at the radiance. There was a faint ringing in Nico's ears, and when the light finally dimmed, Nico got his first real look at the man who had accompanied his journey from the sidelines.

Gone were the loose dark clothing, now replaced by brilliant long white fabric, etched in gold with elaborate designs and patterns. Now that he was no longer wearing a hood, Nico could now see the man's features. It was like looking directly into the sun: he was so beautiful that it almost hurt to look at him. His golden locks of hair perfectly framed his proud, chiselled face, and were tucked neatly behind his delicate pointed ears. Even so, Nico couldn't help staring at the man in awe. He was truly handsome in every sense of the word.

But that wasn't the only reason why Nico was staring.

"Do you remember me?"

Though the man's presence was enough to light up the entire room, Nico couldn't miss the way the shadows clung in wisps to the edges of his body. This man was a ghost.

"I don't," Nico replied. His head was buzzing at the revelation. He had his suspicions since the man pulled his disappearing act, but to come face to face with the truth was another thing. And though Nico was caught off guard, he found that he wasn't surprised to meet a ghost, and that implication made him shiver. Nico had to wonder just who he was before his memories were erased.

The man nodded once, and though his facial expression was carefully blank, Nico thought he detected a faint hint of sorrow behind his eyes.

"Then let me introduce myself one final time," he said with an empty smile. "My name is Apollo Olympia Solace, and I was the last king of Olympia."

"Olympia…," Nico said to himself, testing the name on his lips. He'd heard it before when he asked Apollo about the name of the place.

A sardonic grin twisted on Apollo's lips. "Yes. At least, that was before Olympia fell, one hundred years ago."

Again, there was that feeling writhing in Nico's stomach, like something had gone horribly wrong and he was the one to blame. He clamped his mouth shut, afraid that if he said anything, he would out himself as the perpetrator of a crime he didn't realize he played a part in.

"The impossible happened," Apollo said, turning to look out the broken window into the distance where the dark castle loomed, looking deep in thought, "and we lost everything." His hands clenched into fists. He turned back to look at Nico, and he realized with shock that the dark wisps were crawling all over Apollo's translucent body, smothering his vivid light into nothing more but a weak flame. "Would you like to hear about it?"

He got the feeling that he didn't have a say in the matter, but he replied anyway. "Tell me."

The fading ghost fixed his gaze on the castle once again, a dark scar amongst the peaceful landscape. "In the stories and tales passed down in Olympia, there is always a central figure of hatred and fury: Gaea, our mother earth. Angered at the other goddesses for allowing lifeform to walk across her creation, she has returned through the ages again and again, seeking to destroy Olympia and all its inhabitants and stopped only with the dual power of the sun's heir and the appointed knight.

"Though they were just fairy tales, we received a prophecy that Gaea would return within our lifetime, and we made haste to find our solution. From dust the Earth rises. Salvation lies within her domain. We began to excavate underneath the ground and eventually, we found massive mechanical structures left behind by our ancestors. We called them Divine Beasts. We also discovered autonomous machines that fought for us – the Guardians."

Guardians. The word rang familiar to Nico's ears, and he looked at the rusty six-legged machines that surrounded the temple. Yes, he remembered what these were: Guardian Stalkers, machines with the ability to hunt and stalk its enemies until it achieved the goal of complete elimination. He thought back to his encounter with one at the Eastern Abbey, shuddering.

"With our arsenal, we prepared ourselves for Gaea's awakening. We selected four champions from the reaches of Olympia to pilot the Divine Beasts when the time came, alongside of the fifth appointed knight to stand beside the prince. But we…I didn't think that Gaea would turn our own weapons against us.

"When she woke, she took control of the Divine Beasts and the Guardians from us and destroyed Olympia from the inside. It was that day that I and the champions fell in battle along with many others in the castle. We never saw it coming.

"But the prince and his knight managed to escape," Apollo said, finally looking at him, and Nico found himself frozen at the absolute look of devastation in Apollo's eyes. "But unfortunately, the knight too succumbed to his wounds, leaving the prince as the sole survivor. He returned to the castle, believing his duty was not yet finished."

Apollo pointed out into the distance, where Nico could see the dark mass swirling around castle. "My son, Will, is fighting alone against Gaea," he said. When Nico turned back to look at him, he could see the regret and pain of a dead man written across his features, and Nico had to swallow something down at the mention of the prince's name: a gurgling of painful feelings that were unfamiliar to him. He looked at the ruined castle again, surrounded by cheerful green meadows, and suddenly, he felt very, very alone. "He is keeping her at bay for now, but his power will not last long. When she breaks free, she'll finally lay waste to all of Olympia."

Nico found his voice. "What do you want me to do?" He was just a kid in dirty clothes with someone else's sword on his back. He knew how to fight, yes, but he wasn't sure if he could wrest back a fallen kingdom from a centuries old deity. To ask that of him when he didn't know who he was – he didn't want to say it out loud, but it felt unfair.

He almost regretted the question when Apollo looked at him strangely, but he made his stand, taking a step forward. "How do you expect me to fight a goddess and save Olympia?"

For a moment, he thought that Apollo was going to laugh and pat him on the back, admonishing him for thinking that he would actually send a teenager on his own to fight a war. But instead, he said the opposite. "Because you are the chosen hero of Olympia, Nico. That knight who protected the prince until the very end was you," Apollo said, seeming surprised by Nico's outburst. "When you fell to your fate, you were brought here, to the Shrine of Resurrection in order to recover from your extensive injuries. It's unfortunate that the Shrine took your memories in exchange." When Nico didn't reply immediately, Apollo sighed. "As much as I don't like sending children into battlefields, you are the prophesized hero."

"The dark hero," Nico murmured, repeating the monk's words from the first shrine. The other monks had not explained anything else, no matter how much he yelled and begged, and at this point he was certain he wasn't going to get any answers out of the shrine monks. A dark hero gifted with the even darker arts.

One side of Apollo's lips tugged upwards. "Yes, the dark hero," he agreed without elaborating. "But I suggest that you avoid the castle and focus on freeing the Divine Beasts from Gaea's hold. Instead, head for Kakariko Village to the east." He pointed out the half-broken window, where Nico could see a two mountains peaks side by side like someone had sliced them down the middle with a knife. "Through those mountains, there will be a road for you to follow north. When you reach the village, Chiron should be able to tell you how to move forward."

Too much was happening all at once, and Nico had more questions about who he was in the past and how he died in battle, but Apollo was still talking.

"You must do everything you can to save Prince Will," Apollo said, reaching forward as if to clasp Nico's hands before he stopped himself and tucked his arms back to his sides. "You are Olympia's final hope."

"I failed the first time," Nico found the desperate words escaping him. "How could I be anyone's hope?" His head was throbbing, full of fragmented memories fighting their way up to the surface of his brain. The shards of memories were cutting into each other, fighting and jostling for a chance to reveal itself. Look at me! they shouted all at once. You have to remember!

"Nico," he heard Apollo's voice amidst the stabbing pain. "Look around you. Do you remember this place? This is where you offered yourself up to join the royal guards as an apprentice when you were just a child."

"I –" At Apollo's words, a splinter of light broke free from the rest of his memories, twirling with glee while it slotted itself into his mind. Immediately, vivid images flashed across his mind – the symbol of the sun on the royal family's clothing, the impassive face of the king staring down at him like he was a gremlin that had crawled out of the lake, the cold midnight sword at his side, the whispering ghosts that he batted away, the fuzzy image of the companion beside him – "I remember," Nico whispered, holding a hand up to his head and looking down at his muddy shoes, trying to steady himself.

"I didn't believe in your strength back then," Apollo admitted. "To me, you were just an impertinent child who thought he was worth something just because he could swing a sword around. But now, I do believe in you – or at least, I have to. You told me this once, and I offer it to you now: what is hope but a parting gift?"

"Apollo," Nico began, but the last Olympian king shook his head with a sad smile.

"I've overstayed my visit. I wish I could help, but I leave the rest to you, hero of Olympia." Apollo waved a farewell, and Nico thought for a second that he could see his carefree image once again behind that tormented smile, and the last vestiges of the sun king's spirit was swallowed up by the shadows, leaving only a gentle night breeze behind.

[o]

The Great Plateau

Temple of Time, 107 Years Ago

[o]

It turned out that he didn't have to worry about missing them at all; the Olympian royalty came with enough fanfare to wake the statue of the goddess from her stone slumber.

Still, he had to ask just to make sure. "Is that him?"

To that question, he got an exasperated sigh.

"Of course that's him!" his companion whispered. "Look at what he's wearing. Who else would he be?"

Nico pouted, even though he knew it was obvious. There was no one else who would be permitted to wear the gold and white cloak with the sun symbol. Though so far, he could only spot the king. "I was only asking –"

"What are you two doing, hiding around here?"

"Ack!" his companion shouted in surprise, falling forwards in an ungrateful heap and nearly smashing into the bronze bell. It was then that Nico knew it wasn't one of the wandering restless spirits that were drawn to the temple. Only he could ever see or hear them, and they were rarely confrontational.

He spun around to see a young boy dressed in a blue tunic lined with golden patterns standing on the ledges of the open window, staring at them with an expression mixed between genuine curiosity and forced boredom, like he was pretending he didn't care whether they answered him either way.

Nico could play that way.

"None of your business," Nico said, turning around and focusing back on the happenings inside the temple. If he could just make his way down and talk to the king without being thrown out…

Unfortunately, his companion wasn't playing along. "How did you get up here?" they demanded, and Nico winced. The last thing they needed was for their cover to be blown, after they had made it so far just to be here.

"I climbed," the boy said simply, hopping off the ledge and landing in the belfry. "The window was open, and I was curious. The only people allowed in the temple right now is the royal family, so I just wanted to see who was trespassing."

Nico scowled. Were they really going to be sent all the way back because he forgot to close the windows and a tattletale wanted to earn points from the royal family? His hand slowly reached towards the sword he had strapped to his hip. He hoped that he wouldn't have to use it on a civilian, but maybe it would help discourage the tattletale from giving their position away.

But before he could even wrap his fingers around the hilt of his blade, his companion yelped and stepped in front of Nico, throwing their arms out protectively. "Don't you dare," his companion hissed, and it was then that he realized that the boy had drawn a bow and arrow in that short amount of time, aiming the point directly at his companion's heart.

He felt his heartbeat roaring in his ears, and before he knew it, he had drawn his sword, the steel screeching against the scabbard. With his other hand, he tried to push past his companion, but they only shot him a glare, refusing to budge.

"Hiding in the belfry with weapons, waiting for the royal family to gather. Not suspicious at all," the boy drawled like a lazy cat that had been awoken from a particularly long nap, but Nico could tell from the tautness of his bow arm that he was ready to shoot them down if one of them even moved too fast.

"We're not assassins," Nico said with a roll of his eyes.

The boy lifted his chin up and gave him an unamused smile. "Really? Then what are you here for?" he asked, making it obvious that he clearly didn't believe them.

"We're here for an audience with the royal family," his companion shot back. "Why would we even want to kill them?"

The boy still watched them distrustfully, his hand ready to release a fatal arrow. "The Yiga Clan is everywhere now. I wouldn't be surprised if they sent a bunch of clumsy kids to come assassinate my dad in a last-ditch attempt."

Nico's face flared bright red. He was done with being belittled for his age, especially now that he had the dark blade with him. He had proven himself more than worthy. "I'm not a kid –," he began before he caught himself. Wait. "Dad"?

There was the sound of a footstep behind him, and it was then that he realized that they had been caught in a trap. Nico turned around to see that the royal guards were approaching with their swords drawn, having heard the commotion. Nico cursed inside of his head, giving the other boy a glare, who only stared coolly back at him. He dropped his sword and held his hands in surrender while the guards seized them.

"We mean no harm," his companion was saying calmly the entire time like they were soothing a frightened animal, even though they were the ones being cornered. "We only came here to –"

"Save it," the boy said, lowering his bow. "Take them outside. Dad will deal with them after the ceremony."

The guards nodded, and the boy strolled passed them. Nico was tempted to stick his foot out so that he would trip and fall all the way down to the bottom of the temple, but he didn't want another infraction against him before he could even say a single word to the king. Instead, he glared at the boy when he brushed past on his way to the ladder. When he reached the bottom, the guards motioned for Nico to climb down next.

"Don't think of doing any funny business," one of the royal guards warned him.

Considering he was now weaponless, Nico wasn't going to attempt anything, but he gave them a tight-lipped smile just to throw them off. Let them think he was trying to assassinate the royal family, he thought.

His companion frowned, but otherwise didn't say anything.

[o]

Nico definitely hated him. The smug boy with the bow and arrows was obnoxious and irritating and ruined all their plans. Now the king thought they were trying to kill him or, even worse, part of the Yiga Clan – disgruntled and highly-trained assassins whose main goals were to destroy the royal family and their chosen hero. Sitting on the grass outside the temple surrounded by guards for the next hour only served to make the hatred grow.

But of course, he couldn't forget one important fact about the boy.

"That was the crowned prince," his companion had whispered in awe. "Prince Will."

Nico had always thought Prince Will was the epitome of grace and goodwill, a boy his age that could wield the bow and arrow in his sleep and – the thought was embarrassing now – potentially could have been his friend if things had worked out.

He wrapped his arms around his knees, staring at the formless ghost that was circling around him, chattering in nonsense. He waved it away like an annoying insect when it got too close. He'd never had any real friends back in the village, being who he was, and to have the perfect fantasy shattered was a little annoying.

"The king approaches," one of the guards announced, and Nico and his companion jumped to their feet, bowing low at the presence of the sun king followed closely by the young prince.

The king of Olympia was decked in the finest of robes, the golden patterns gleaming in the light. Nico peeked up a bit to look at his face, only to recoil a bit when he realized that he was staring at them with a look of distaste.

That wasn't the expression he was expecting. But then again, Nico wasn't sure what he even thought was going to happen in the first place. Though he didn't like being looked down because of his age, he had to admit that being ten years old probably didn't impress the king very much, especially with the request he and his barely older companion was going to make.

"Are these two the ones who were trying to kill us?" he asked, and Nico could hear the faint amusement in his voice, as if to say really? Look how scrawny they are!

Nico bit his lip to keep from retorting. He would have liked to say that he would have no problem taking a grown man out, but he didn't want to seem like he was threatening the king's life for the second time in one day.

"That was a misunderstanding," his companion said gracefully. "We came because we had a request we wanted you to personally grant."

There was a pause where Nico thought the king would immediately send them away without a second look. "Rise," the king said, and Nico let out a breath of relief, getting to his feet and looking up at the man, who was still frowning at them like he had eaten something rotten.

It was then that Nico realized that he and his companion were dressed in tattered and dirty rags after weeks and weeks of travelling. It wasn't like they had brought a change of clothes, but he felt embarrassment colour his cheeks now that he was standing in front of the pristine royal family. He glanced at the prince, wondering if the boy was going to laugh at them, but he looked like he was busy sizing them up in case a potential fight broke out. Nico wanted to roll his eyes. They were surrounded by royal guards and completely weaponless. His fists could only do so much.

"What is your request that you needed to trek your way here?" the king asked.

"Your Majesty," his companion spoke up in an unwavering voice. "We wish to join the royal guard's apprenticeship."

Everyone collectively froze, and Nico held his breath. He knew this was a lot to ask for; they were both civilians who lived on the outskirts of Olympia with no real connections to anyone who worked within the castle. To ask to join the ranks of the royal guard with no status or reputation – it was an impossible wish, and the both of them knew it.

"I would have to decline that request," the king said dismissively. "When you come of age, you may enlist in the militia if you truly wish to fight for the kingdom. Otherwise, I suggest you head home."

The battle would have been lost, if Nico didn't have his wild card on hand. "Your Majesty," he began, imitating his companion's graceful formality. He wasn't really good at this stuff, but he had some practice when he and his companion were trampling around in the woods and practicing for this meeting with the king. "I am the wielder of the Stygian blade, and I think the best place for me to hone my skills is with the royal guard."

All eyes turned on him, and even the prince looked interested in what he had to say. He had to stop himself from giving the prince a smug smile.

"It's true," his companion supported. "It's up on the belfry, when we were disarmed. We can prove it."

The king looked between Nico and his companion and then finally nodded at one of the guards. "Go retrieve it."

"They can't," the prince interrupted, taking a step forward. "The Stygian blade can only be held by the hero it chooses. No one else will be able to touch it without burning."

Nico had to school the expression of surprise away. He wouldn't have guessed that the prince knew that information about the well-hidden legendary sword. In fact, he only figured this out when his companion tried to practice with it and dropped it in agony.

The king was examining Nico closely now, though the hint of distaste was still there, and Nico wondered if he smelled bad. "But you're still a child," he surmised, and Nico felt his heart fall. "There has to be some sort of mistake."

Surprisingly, the prince rebutted before Nico himself could argue. "Dad," the prince said, putting a hand on the king's elbow. "If he is the wielder of the Stygian blade, we should allow him to join the royal guards. He was the one who sought us out. We can't just send him away empty-handed."

There wasn't a hint of sarcasm or mockery in the prince's words, and Nico had to wonder if he really was the same person on the belfry who had stared them down with his bow out.

The king grimaced, but he finally acquiesced. "Only the wielder of the Stygian blade," he amended. "Not the other one."

"But –," Nico began, but the prince beat him to it once again.

"They arrived together. It would be sad to send one of them away. Maybe we can host both of them in the castle?" the prince asked.

Again, Nico had to stare at the prince in shock. Why was Prince Will being so helpful when a few hours ago, he thought they were part of the Yiga Clan?

The prince clearly knew that the king was willing to bend the rules for him when the king sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

"I'll decide on the details later," he said, giving in to the prince's request. Nico couldn't miss seeing the joy that lit up in Will's eyes, and he wondered if the prince, like him, was lonely in the castle without a friend his age. The fantasy of being friends swirled back in his head. He shoved it away. No, Nico told himself. He was rude and thought you were trying to kill his family. You are not going to be friends. With that mantra repeating in his mind, he averted his eyes from the prince and looked at the king, who was still frowning at them.

"First, somebody get these two a change of clothes."