Title Could This Be Perfection?
Rating T
Summary OMBaT outtake, Solara knew that she could never tell him, but she needed help, so she turned to the only person who she thought might help her.
Warnings Violence, language, and some questionable humor.
Disclaimer Why would Rick be posting fanfiction? Seriously, he'd just make another series for us to buy. (If you didn't get the sarcasm, I don't own anything you recognize.)
Notes Well, this won't help with the cliffhanger I left everyone on, but uh, at least there is something new to read?
Huge thanks to jymmie00, AFireflyInSerenity, NightlyRowenTree, Lady Syndra, CeceCandyXOX, neverendingdreams-127, pie480, stephanie101, vero1985, windlily6370, justsurvivesomehow, bedonk, ToriRoe, SatansNipple, Luizifer, LittleAngelBlue, JolieNoir96, Idek1998, DeucesAreWild, Croonsgirl, CoffeeJunkie33, CeruleanPenseur, Jschoolio, LadyLily18, MioOkumura, NightsBlackRose13, and Ryuuduw for reviewing, following and favoriting! You guys are awesome! (If I missed your name, I do apologize, please let me know, and I'll put it in the next chapter. :))
Could This Be Perfection?
1
Getting pregnant hadn't been her first idea, but running away when she found out? Well, that one was her first idea, and the second and third idea. It wasn't that she didn't love Luke, but she wasn't entirely sure if she could trust him these days. She wasn't sure why, but he had been acting strangely ever since he had come back from his quest.
Solara wasn't sure, but she didn't really remember this. Sure he pulled away a bit, but she didn't think that it had been this bad. Maybe it was because she was older now and she saw things that she hadn't seen before, or he was just acting different around her because she wasn't some annoying ten-year-old desperately needing some kind of validation due to her father ignoring her.
Well, a part of her still desperately needed validation due to her father ignoring her, but she wasn't ten anymore. Her sadness had long since turned to anger, but if things were going the way that they did last time... Well, she could still be angry with her father and still fight for him at the same time. She'd rather be a knowing pawn versus an unknowing one. There was no way that Kronos would let her and Luke be together anyway.
So when her period was late, and the pregnancy test came out positive, she ran for it. She had no plan, no support to fall on, and no way to protect herself, but she ran anyway. If Kronos had already twisted his way into Luke's head, then there way no way she was going to let him know about her unborn child. She never once thought that Luke would hurt his own kid, but she didn't trust him to not take them away from her.
A week away from camp had passed relativity quickly and quietly. She hadn't been attacked, and no one had followed her either, so she thought that things were going well. At least they were until she came home to her crappy apartment and there was a god sitting on her couch.
"You chose the right time to leave," he said as he flipped through one of the books that she had lying around. It wasn't her's, just a loan from the library, but it made her uncomfortable to see someone so at home in hers. "He thinks that you just got tired of living at camp," he continued, "He has no idea about the little bundle of joy that you got cooking away in there." This was punctuated by a dismissive wave to her abdomen, and that made her even more uncomfortable than walking in to see someone lounging on her couch.
"How did you know?" she asked and finally stepped inside fully so that the door could shut behind her.
"My baby sister was nearby," he said dismissively, "She sometimes looks in on my kids. You're still considered pretty special, so she looked in on you. She was quite surprised to sense that you were pregnant."
"Wasn't my idea," she muttered, and edged towards her kitchen so that she could make some tea. "But, okay," she said. She held up a box of tea and showed it to him in question, he surprised her by nodding, but she pulled down two mugs anyway. She put enough water in the kettle for both of them, and then flipped the switch. "I'm still not sure why you're here though," she said, and she was slightly worried about pissing him off, but she'd happily blame pregnancy hormones. It didn't matter if that wasn't how it worked, it wasn't like he'd know anyway.
"I can't check in on my own daughter?" he asked.
Solara twitched. "You can," she said in a painfully neutral voice. The 'you never have before' was left unsaid.
He frowned, but he didn't say anything until the tea had been made and she was bringing over both mugs. He took the one she held out to him. "So, what is your plan when it comes to your kid?" he asked.
She sighed and sat on the couch next to him. She would have sat anywhere else, but she didn't have any chairs, and she wasn't going to sit on the floor in front of him. That was just way too much like submitting to him, and she might not be angry enough to fight against him, but she wasn't going to hand him even more power over her. "I don't have one," she said simply and took a cautious sip of her tea, "I left in a panic, and I haven't exactly thought beyond surviving for the next eight months."
He shrugged. There wasn't going to be help coming from him then. "You might want to," he said, "Eight months is not very long."
"I know," she said with a sigh.
2
Eight weeks along into her pregnancy, and it was only her father who had shown up out of the blue. If she actually could feel any kind of gratitude for him keeping his mouth shut about her, she would. She couldn't though. He always did something that inadvertently would piss her off, and she was quite happy to stick with one emotion when it came to him.
She still hadn't been attacked though. So tonight she was going to splurge for once. She was going to get some ice-cream, and she was going to get a movie to watch. Maybe it wasn't much, but two months and no attacks was pretty much a record for her. She almost thought that someone had set up wards around her apartment, but then she'd have to admit that one of the gods would care about her enough to do that, and that just wasn't something that she could comprehend.
Sure, some of them had taken an interest in her ever since she had dropped into this universe, but none had ever gone out of their way to protect her. Actually, she'd probably die of shock if any of them ever treated her like she either mattered, or was more than just an intriguing demigod who had appeared out of thin air. Though sometimes she wondered how they would treat her if they knew about the upcoming war. Probably not any different, but the thought usually was entertaining.
The movie sucked. The ice cream was great. She ended up sleeping on her couch from staying up too late after working for eight hours.
3
Eleven weeks in, and not once had she had to deal with anything strange yet. No weird cravings had driven her insane yet, and not once had she been subjected to any kind of nausea. She wasn't sure if that was good or bad, but her doctor, an older sibling actually, had told her that her baby was just fine, so she tried not to worry about the oddities of her pregnancy thus far. There were better things to worry about anyway.
Her father had decided to pay her another visit though.
"That's creepy as shit," she groaned when she woke up to see him sitting at the end of her bed watching her sleep. "Are you eating my cereal?" she asked a second later. Her eyes narrowed on the bowl in his hands. It was definitely one of her bowls, and she doubted that he'd actually bring his own food.
"We might not need mortal food to survive," he said after he swallowed his last bite, "But even gods can find Lucky Charms delicious."
"But it's mine," she protested. It was a terrible argument, but it had the advantage of being true. "And they're magically delicious."
He snorted and handed over a second bowl. It hadn't even gotten soggy yet, so she hoped that he hadn't been watching her for very long. (He was quite capable of making her a bowl before she woke up, but still have been there for hours.) "Got a plan now?" he asked.
She sighed and set the bowl on the night stand next to her bed before she sat up and picked up the bowl again. "No," she grunted, and then shoved a huge spoonful of cereal into her mouth.
He snorted. "You could ask for help," he said.
She glanced over at him in disbelief. "Who?" she asked. It was better than scoffing at him at least.
He grinned at her. "Oh, I'm sure you'll figure that part out."
While she was still trying to think of a reply, he drank the milk out of his bowl and disappeared. Surprisingly in the least flashy way that she had ever seen him do too. She might actually be proud of him for that.
She shook her head and smiled. So he could be tolerable at times, but that didn't mean that she was getting close to liking him. She wasn't into masochism.
4
Fourteen weeks in saw her starting to get stressed about what was going to happen after she gave birth. She also had a bet going on with her doctor about whether or not it was a boy or a girl. He thought that it would be a boy because Apollo and Hermes mostly had male children, but she just knew that her child was a girl. She'd love them either way, but she just knew that it was a girl.
She had also begun to draw up charts of pros and cons on which god or goddess to ask for help from. The problem was that she wasn't sure who would care enough to help, and could also work around the Ancient Laws enough to help. Her father was right out, and even she admitted that he'd care about his granddaughter. He couldn't help her though, so she didn't bother to entertain the thought.
Artemis might help her, but she also had her Hunters, so Solara was reluctant to ask.
Ares, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus were just a clusterfuck of envy, jealousy, and rage that she had no desire to even go near.
Asking Zeus was a joke. After Luke revealed himself, she doubted that her child would survive, and she wasn't going to gamble on a fraction of a chance. (Not that she believed that there was one.)
She seriously doubted that Hera or Demeter would help her. She wasn't entirely sure why, but she doubted it all the same. She really didn't have a very good grasp on how they would regard her situation anyway.
She wasn't sure if Poseidon knew that she existed. Though that would be hilarious. 'Hey, can you help me protect my kid, who also happens to be the child of the guy who's going to try and kill your son multiple times?', yeah, right. Poseidon might be the most laid back of the gods, but he was still a god.
Solara groaned just thinking about the rest of them and gave the charts a disgusted look before she set them on fire. They weren't going to help her figure out who to ask for help. She'd rather just write all their names down and pick one out of a hat at this point.
5
For being twenty weeks along, she wasn't all that big. She might have been worried if she hadn't remembered that her mom had said that she hadn't gotten that big during her pregnancy with Solara, so she just ate when she was hungry. Her doctor almost looked like he wanted to lecture her, but he kept his mouth shut as long as she and the baby were in perfect health.
She had also told her doctor to keep his mouth shut on the sex of the baby, but judging by his pouting face when he looked, she assumed that she won the bet. She'd collect after she gave birth to her daughter. She was actually starting to get kind of excited to meet little Alice.
6
At twenty-three weeks she caved and asked Hermes for help. She also asked Hestia. They both agreed to help her with her daughter, and to hide her existence from not only the other gods, but also Luke, and what would eventually be the Titan's army.
Hermes wasn't too thrilled with keeping the knowledge of Alice from Luke, but he also understood that as the mother, it was ultimately Solara's choice. It was a choice that she hated. A choice that she hadn't even wanted to make, and she wished more than anything that she could trust Luke with Alice, but she couldn't.
Hestia didn't even bother to voice her opinion. Solara wasn't sure why, but she was also grateful for it. She'd had enough of people telling her what to do and what to think. She knew that keeping Alice from Luke wasn't fair to him, but it went back to trust. She knew that Hestia wasn't comfortable with lying, but Hestia also loved her family. The goddess would do almost anything to protect every member of her family when asked to. For that, Solara would always be thankful.
7
On the twenty sixth week of her pregnancy Solara was about ready to make a run for it as soon as she gave birth. She had heard that Luke was looking for her, and she was utterly terrified that he'd find her. She knew that there was no way that he'd ever let her keep Alice from him. Not with all of the issues that he had with his own father 'abandoning' him.
Solara wondered if maybe just letting him find her would end well. She could always lie about who the father was. Up until Alice was born at least, then he'd know.
No, staying gone was better. If he died like he had before, then there would be slightly less guilt for him to deal with. He never needed to know that he was leaving a daughter behind. If he survived...
Well, she'd cross that bridge when she came to it. She doubted that she'd have to though.
8
Alice was born at thirty two weeks. The stress had triggered labor, and by some miracle both Solara and Alice made it through okay.
9
Eight months later Solara packed up what few things she had accumulated over the last year and a half, and moved across the country. She'd been on her own for too long, and wile she knew that Hermes and Hestia were still looking after her and Alice, she just didn't feel safe where she was.
Though why she chose Florida of all places to move to, she had no idea. She hated the heat, the mugginess, and the city she lived in. Honestly, she should have at least gone to Orlando so that she could go to Disney world. Not she would have gone, but she would have liked to know that the option as there.
The only thing she did like, was the fact that she was able to live close to the beach. Her house wasn't that close, but she could walk to it if she so chose.
Solara grew to be happy in Florida. She never grew to like the weather, but she was happy with the life she was building there with her daughter. Alice had tons of friends in her pre-K class, and Solara herself had a few friends at the school where she was subbing. It wasn't a glamorous life, but it was theirs.
Best of all, no one even thought to look for her there. Her hatred of Florida was well known, and no one ever thought that she'd willingly go there. She was reliably informed that she was safe as long as she was there. Even when Luke was docked there waiting for the Fleece, he never thought to search for her there.
10
Alice was just turning six when Solara remembered that the war was coming to a head. Percy was months away from turning sixteen, and she knew that her time in hiding was coming to an end.
It was time to go back to New York.
11
Hestia and Hermes helped her move into an apartment building close to Olympus. As soon as the battle would start she was to bring Alice to Hestia. She would be kept safe while Solara fought in the battle, and if she jumped again, she had a blood oath from Hermes to keep her safe as she grew up. Whether that meant raising her for Solara, or just placing her with a family or at camp, Solara had no idea, but she knew that Alice would be safe.
Her darling daughter would grow up safe, happy, and loved. Solara couldn't ask for more than that. Even if she really wanted to.
12
The battle came. Solara hugged her daughter goodbye, and she joined Camp Half-Blood's forces in the fight. She prayed to the Fates themselves for the chance to stay behind after the battle, and if that wasn't a choice, then at least a chance to say goodbye to her daughter one last time before she jumped.
Thankfully she had been up on Olympus when the last wave hit.
Solara dropped everything she was doing to run to find Alice one last time. She knew that it might very well be the last time she ever saw her, and she'd rather die than to lose this chance. She would do every thing she could to make sure Alice knew how much she loved her.
Then she raced off to the throne room. She had to know.
13
"You denied me my child!" Kronos/Luke yelled.
"I know," Solara breathed, and she didn't bother to do much more than block his attack with her sword. There really wasn't much else for her to say or do. "I'm so sorry."
Kronos shoved Luke back again and turned to go after Percy. She doubted that he had any intentions of keeping her alive, but he wanted her to suffer later, not now. He was going to use Alice to hurt her, and fighting her wouldn't do anything for him now.
Solara stayed on the sidelines as much as she could. She helped drag an injured Annabeth away from the fight, but she didn't get much more involved than that. Luke would never listen to her with how angry he was with her, and she could only apologize to him for that.
Annabeth got through to him though.
Solara was happy for that, and she was able to apologize to Luke for hiding Alice from him, and she shared a picture of his daughter with him before he died.
She began to cry again, but before any of her tears could fall...
The world around her disappeared.
End Notes *ducks flying objects* Sorry! (For what you ask... Well, most of it.)
At present time chapter 12 has only about one sentence to it, but I'll be working on it. I have no idea when another update will happen, but my muse is slowly returning. (Maybe it's just too cold during the winter for me to write?)
Well, if any of you want to keep track of what I've been doing, then stalk my YouTube channel (link in bio), and stalk my twitter/tumblr/instagram (links in bio).
Title from the song Pretty Lies by VERIDIA
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