Hey there! Welcome back!
I can't really remember the pacing of the posting of chapters, so I'll upload it as I go. I think it was a week from today, but then again - not sure. Things are improving - gradually and slowly, as all of life is. Taking on other projects, hence my lack of 'presence' around. But I will still reply to your messages.
We're not even through January, and I'm already calling it a shit year. Why? You'll see. I still stand by the following rule: How to get by? Eye rolls, sarcasm, and having a resting bitch face in general.
For all of you who have followed and favorited this story, thank you so much!
Reviews, huh?
CrazedFnatic, maybe, but who knows! Guess you'll have to wait and see. And yeah, like fck that, Evanescense is STILL a banger.
French Frii, everyone has stupid moments. Mine happens to cover 95% of my day. So, you good. And yeah, you can call me Lonee, it's what everyone does!
pjo . fanatic .316, chocolate it is! My personal favorite is almonds, do you have a preference?
Disclaimer: No, I do not own PJO, HOO, or any other amazing creations from Uncle Rick. He does. If I ever get to meet him will I shake his hand and punch him in the jaw? Yes. Yes, I will.
ON THE FIC!
"So, Leo, Cassandra, how did you meet?" Frank asked.
"Yeah, good point!" Jason smiled "You never did tell us!"
"Well… it's a funny story, actually." He chuckled "Technically, it all started when I was ten, and it was my first night in Texas's foster home. I dreamt of a voice singing Just Like Fire in the dark. Nothing but the voice. The day after, the same thing, but it wasn't dark anymore. It was in a corridor. I had the same dream for two weeks, and each night something more was added: color, the number of the room, background noises…"
"What happened next?"
"In the third week, the dream stopped changing. In the fourth week, I got caught in an accident and ended up in the hospital. I had but a few scratches and the nurse quickly released me. And that was when it hit me. It was the same hospital, the same corridor, the same room. The only thing missing… was the voice."
"But the dream…"
"The dream told me where I could find her. It didn't tell me she would be there." He smiled, wrapping an arm around Cassandra's shoulders. "I went inside the room and asked about the 'little singer'. And the woman told me 'Oh, you just missed her! She went down to the gardens with my daughter' and I ran to the gardens. And there she was. Singing that same song."
"He waited for Margaret to leave and he came to me. He said 'I've been looking for you. But I didn't know if you were real'."
"And she answered 'I know. I've been waiting for you to find me'." Leo stole a kiss from her parted lips "And then she told me her name, I told her mine, and we hit it off."
"That is… surprisingly romantic." Piper smiled "And that was it?"
"We exchanged emails, which eventually led to chatrooms and video calls. We met up a few times, in one of which he spontaneously combusted and I almost died, and we made a friendship based on that. Which led to where we are now." Cassandra explained.
"Cute." Hazel smiled brightly "What do you guys want to do now?"
"I need some sleep." Percy yawned.
"I'll agree with you on that." Piper commented, "I guess the floor's gonna have to do it."
"Make that three." Frank nodded "I'm getting some sleep too."
"Leo, do you mind giving me some light?" Annabeth asked, "I have some sketches I'd like to finish."
"Sure, join me here." He scooted further away from the door he was leaning against.
Soon, Hazel had joined the sleeping trio, and the four were dozing off, Leo rested with his back against the wall, Cassandra had her head on his lap, Annabeth was drawing, and Jason watched her quietly. The box was quiet, with a soft snore here and there, but Cassandra felt something.
"Leo?" she whispered.
"Yeah?" he looked down at her.
"I have a bad feeling about this."
"Well, that feeling is a little delayed, baby. We've been here for five hours."
"Five hours?" she frowned. "Night fell already. Leo, show me the boxes."
"Babe."
"Do as she says." Nico's voice echoed. Leo guided his hand to the boxes and saw nothing suspicious.
"There's nothing there."
"You're right." Jason sat up slowly "There isn't now."
"What's going on?" Percy grumbled in his sleep "Leo, point that thing another way!"
"Sorry, Percy." He mumbled, "Cass, what do you feel?"
"Dark. Cold. Angry."
"Son of a bitch." Nico unsheathed his sword.
"Nico?" Jason frowned.
"The asshole is transporting banshees."
"Banshees? Wouldn't we all be dead by now?" Annabeth asked.
"No. These are young. They're asleep for now." Nico sighed. "But we need to be really quiet, or we'll wake them up."
"And let me guess… we do not want a baby banshee to wake up." Cassandra frowned.
"Not if you want to live." The son of Hades sat back in the shadows. "No noises until morning."
"Then I guess I'm pulling an all-nighter." She sighed "I'll stay on watch. You guys can go ahead and get some sleep."
"Are you sure?" Jason frowned.
"Yeah, I have nightmares every night. I'm not taking any chances."
"I can stay up with you." He offered.
"Jason." She placed a hand on his knee. "Go to sleep. I'll be fine."
"Okay then. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
.
The day rose outside of the truck. The birds began to sing, announcing the sun, and the flowers began to bloom. A stray ray of sunshine penetrated the isolating rubber of the doors and Cassandra smiled. The second that small ray of sun landed on Jason's cheek, the rustling and grumbling inside the boxes stopped. The brunette sighed and leaned her head against the wall.
"Finally."
"You okay?" Nico's voice asked from the shadows.
"I'm good. I thought you were sleeping."
"I can hardly do that without being plagued by nightmares." He admitted.
"I feel you." She pulled her hair over her chest "What do you dream of?"
"Monsters, death, and pain. Simple things, really."
"Don't you ever have nice dreams?"
"Like what?"
"Like… having fun, playing games, being with the ones you care about, your family." She smiled, "Or simple things, like a sunset or a big ice cream!"
"No." he looked down at his shoes "Do you?"
"I…" she gulped "I suppose I do. I dream of Leo, of my friends…"
"Do you really?"
"I do. I dream of them happy, but my dreams always go down in flames." Cassandra sighed, "Not Leo's flames! The metaphorical ones."
"The shadow doesn't let you dream." Nico realized, "It always ruins them."
"Yes."
"I'm sorry I don't know what it is."
"What are you talking about Nico?" she looked up "It's not your fault. You don't have to know everything."
"It's my domain." He insisted "I'm the Ghost King, I'm a child of the Underworld, I should know what haunts you!"
"You're not used to having things out of your control, are you?" Cassandra showed him a smile "Nico, I have lived with this… thing all my life. I have lived in fear of the night ever since forever. Until very recently, I didn't even know what it was. Nico, for the most part of my life, I lived in fear of myself. I wasn't normal, I was a freak. And then you come and tell me I never imagined it? That it's real?
"I didn't know if I was happy I wasn't crazy, or terrified because it was real. You shed some light on a battle that I have been fighting since the beginning. Don't feel bad you don't know what it is. Be happy because you might have saved my life."
"Weren't we supposed to be quiet?"
"Morning has risen, you're good now." Cassandra smiled at the sleepy-looking Leo "You can sleep a bit more if you want."
"Nah, it's okay." He ran a hand through his hair and laid on his back "Morning."
"Good morning." She ran the tips of her fingers through his hair "How did you sleep?"
"Your thighs make the best pillows." He commented, nipping the inside of one.
"Thank you," she giggled "I'm glad you like them."
"Hum, son las mejores. Tu es la mejor." Hum, they are the best. You are the best.
"Gracias, Leo." Thank you, Leo.
"Te amo demasiado por solo una vida juntos," he whispered against her skin. I love you too much for only a lifetime together.
"Leo…" she bit her lip "Yo también te amo." I love you too.
"I didn't know you could speak Spanish," Annabeth observed, opening her eyes.
"I can speak a couple of languages. Foster care helps with that." She explained, "You can speak Greek, something that I cannot begin to wrap my head around. Leo tried to teach me once… keyword being tried."
"How many?"
"Four." She blushed "Not that I go around telling people that. They always think I'm just a know-it-all."
"I think it's pretty cool you can speak more than one language." Percy woke up too after being shaken by his girlfriend.
"Thank you. Good morning guys." She waved.
"Morning, Cassandra." The green-eyed male waved back softly "Ugh, my head."
"I just hope we'll pull up soon. I'm getting tired of being confined."
"Same here."
.
The truck stopped. The engine was turned off and the teens held their breath. Percy uncapped Riptide and Jason unsheathed his Gladius. Cassandra hid behind her boyfriend and Jason as the two sided the door. The rest hid, careful not to disturb the cages, and waited for the door to be opened. It did, and a man with a ruffed-up aspect was shown. Scruffy beard, shaggy hair, and baggy clothes, he looked around, completely ignoring the teens.
"Jason." Cassandra tugged at his shirt worriedly "Centaur."
"He looks human to me."
"Trust me." She gulped, and he nodded. He motioned Piper to the front, and she followed his instruction, stepping out of her hiding spot and smiling.
"Hi! Thank you so much for the ride here." She stepped down next to him "My friends are here with me, can they come down too?"
"Sure they can." He nodded, never taking his eyes off her. They all came down and Cassandra eyed the man – centaur – carefully, just waiting for him to snap.
"Where are you taking the creatures?" Percy asked.
"Creatures?"
"The ones you're keeping in the cages." Leo backed him up.
"You know." A smile grew on his face, and everyone shivered "Too bad, I was kind of hoping they would kill you all."
"You don't know who you're messing with." Annabeth frowned.
"Quite the contrary, I do. The mighty Seven, plus a bedside addiction." He smirked, eyeing Cassandra up and down.
"Get the fuck away from her," Leo growled, hiding her from the centaur's view.
"Too bad. You're going to get burned in that relationship, doll." He winked, before transforming into his real form, his brown hooves scratching the floor "Are you going to stop me, or are you going to walk away?"
"What are your plans for those banshees?" Nico asked.
"Sell them. Baby banshees bring a lot of money." The centaur declared, "When sold to the right person, they can cause just enough damage for humans to believe in a serial killer."
"You monster." Hazel spitted.
"No, dear. Just a businessman." And he pulled out his sword.
"Dude, nine on one. These odds don't look forever in your favor." Leo smirked.
"Try me."
Now, an epic battle would happen. But all it took was a slash of Percy's Riptide, a hit from Annabeth's dagger and a good jab with a bat that Frank found in the back of the truck and the man-centaur was down. Piper climbed back to the truck and stood in front of the cages.
"What now? What do we do with them? We can't bring them along."
"I can help." Nico declared, entering too "Just give me a few moments."
At Nico's order, Jason closed the doors behind him after Piper left. They heard him speak but couldn't understand the words. After a few moments, there was a knock on the door, and Percy opened it again. Nico stood inside facing them, but he wasn't alone. A woman stood next to him, a tall and beautiful woman with the features of a goddess. Cassandra bowed slightly, and the woman seemed to appreciate that since she nodded back.
"You know who I am?" she spoke in a harmonic tone.
"No, mi Lady. I simply recognize your power as above and beyond those of mortals." Cassandra smiled.
"I like her." She nodded "I am Persephone. Nico summoned me here."
"Lady Persephone," Frank smiled "Why?"
"Because he wants me to take some creatures back to the Underworld with me. At least, that was what he told me." She turned back to Nico "What are they?"
"Banshees." He pointed "That centaur was trafficking them, all the way from San Francisco here."
"And you all just happen to be alive?" she raised a perfect eyebrow.
"We discovered just in time and kept quiet. They're still babies. Perhaps with a bit of training, they can serve under Dad." He tried.
"So, it's a gift." She smiled "I'm sure your father will appreciate it, Nico."
"Will you take them with you then?"
"Of course." She nodded, walking back to the cages "Oh, and before I go, one more thing."
"What is it, Lady Persephone?" Leo frowned, noticing her eyes were on him.
"There is nothing I can do to stop one's fate, so cherish the time you have left with the ones you care for." She looked apologetic "Goodbye, children."
She disappeared into the shadows, taking the cages with her. Leo frowned at her warning, not understanding what she meant. Percy suggested they took off, they were beginning to attract quite the crowd. They quickly left the truck behind and exited the loading dock through the opened gate.
They stepped out to the back of a hotel – Piper remembered the Oceanfront Suits. Annabeth advised they went to the beach, and they all turned to Percy. The male grinned and sniffed, pointing in the direction of it.
"We're close. What's the plan when we get there?"
"Find something or someone that can get us to the next part of our prophecy." Annabeth sighed.
"Are you sure about this, Annabeth?" Piper glanced at her.
"No. But right now, we have to gamble our luck. Or pray the gods for an answer."
A/N: Persephone is a mom to Nico and no one can tell me otherwise.
So, that happened and it was fun to write, but shit is gonna start going down soon. Stay safe and sound in these dangerous times, people, please. Prevention is the keyword.
My hand is frozen and my hair is braided. Guess I'm Elsa now.
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LoneeWolf :)