Percy looked at his sister and wondered how she could be so calm facing something that almost killed her. One of the very few things that had nearly succeeded. He hated being here. Thinking he lost two of his siblings. Feeling the aches and pains that Ariadne was going through as she was dying. (Well, that was before they learned of their connecting lifestrings.)
Now that he was more attuned with his powers, he could feel the uncomfortable pull of the Charybdis as she moved to devour them all. He could almost see her features. Ariadne crossed her arms as she leaned against the deck. "I'm not bringing my ship any closer to them because if they ruin it, I'll end them."
Krokus tilted his head, "It'd be easier to deal with Charybdis than Scylla. The three of us together could be enough to calm her waters." The twins nodded slowly. Ariadne held more value as the storm in their father's domains while Percy was the sea and Krokus was a perfect mix. But Charybdis was as wild and destructive as Kym on her worst day… it would take all their concentration.
And that was without considering Scylla's attack also. Krokus shifted and the twins could feel his power washing over them, "Triton is much better at this than me even without his conch shell, but follow my lead." The three of them each took a breath before pulling at Charybdis' essence. Percy inwardly winced when he felt her whip out at them but he kept going. It was like trying to soothe a hellhound with a splinter in their paw.
"Ariadne," Krokus groaned as Charybdis pulled at them. Krokus got the brute of it as he did his best to cover them. "What are you doing?" That's when Percy noticed that his sister wasn't soothing her as the other two. The boat was actually sailing backwards. Ariadne was pushing them away, "She's not calming down. She's reeling us in. She's playing us." Charybdis pulled again and Percy swore he could hear her laughing.
"Well what are we supposed to do," Krokus asked as they dropped their control. Ariadne stared for a moment before turning back to the kids, "Drew, my darling, can you come here for a second?"
"Ari," Percy questioned. She looked back at her brothers, "We're going to try again." Drew walked up to them nervously, and Ari gave her a small smile. She looked back at Annabeth, "Take one of the smaller boats and be prepared to sail over Charybdis." She looked at the other kids, "Place shields over your heads like helmets for Scylla attacks. Jackjack, I want you to go even further and place a bubble of water around you all. Make it extremely solid like ice."
She turned back to Drew, "I want you, my little siren, to pour all your power over them both when I give you the signal. Full concentration on them so that we can pass by as smoothly as possible." Drew's eyes widened in fear as the pressure settled onto her shoulder, "Kaachan…" Ariadne smiled, pressing her forehead against the other, "I have never met a stronger charmspeaker than you who was not your mother."
Drew shook her head, disbelief in her eyes, "I'm not that strong. I can't–I'm not…" Ariadne's smile turned even softer, "There is no power in this world stronger than love." Drew's brow furrowed before she turned towards the monsters. She squared her shoulders back as she moved forward. Ariadne stared after her, "Ganbatte, Drew… ganbatte." His twin turned back to their brother, "Go again?" Krokus smiled at her before he was once again leading them into calming rituals. They waited for the others to get into place before they pulled at her essence. Like a never ending loop, they pulled at her cruel waves and sent soothing streams back.
Charybdis seemingly snorted at them as she opened her mouth to chomp down once more before Krokus' power seemingly ripped out her vocal cords. Scylla screeched in outrage, one of her heads snapping down but— an explosion took over. When it calmed, Jackjack was staring upwards as he tried to hold his shield and fix the cracks in them.
"Careful," Ariadne called out. Percy looked at her as she stared at him in worry. Now, he could see the flashes of muted fear in her eyes. The trio pulled at Charybdis once more; Drew took a few calming breaths. Jackjack's power pulled at them. Charybdis breathed in and they were yanked once more.
"Just a little more," Krokus whispered.
The boat rocked forward.
One of Scylla's heads aimed for their boat.
Annabeth yelped.
Water sprung from her hands.
Time stopped.
Ariadne's face twisted in jealousy and he swore they had traveled back in time then back in time again to when they were children the first time around. "DID SHE JUST USE THE POWER OF THE SEA? THAT'S NOT FAIR!!!" He could feel the pressure in the air swirl dangerously as Ariadne stared in disbelief.
Not that he could blame her. His fiancée(!!) just used his power. His pregnant fiancée and oh… oh gods, was the baby that powerful already? It wasn't even a month old! The winds grew stronger as Ariadne inwardly rage, but he could sense her calming down just as quickly. The anger left as quickly as it came. Ariadne truly felt no resentment to Annabeth any longer (and thanks the gods for that.)
Charybdis took it as the distraction it was, breathing in deeply and rocking them forward.
Thankfully, one of them still had some sense.
Drew lurched forward unsteadily, fear and power and determination coating her words, "STOP!"
Every muscle in his body locked in place. He couldn't move. He could barely breathe. It was as if her power coated every atom in his body and froze them in place.
Drew stood up shakily.
He could feel the charmspeak loosening bit by bit, but it was still holding strong. He was proud of his niece. "Percy," she called, power still on her tongue. The magic wasn't even confused as it sank into his bones. He could see his mini shudder also, "Move us forward."
They moved inch by inch. Charybdis growled in her throat and Drew snapped towards her, "You will let us pass." He could feel it sinking back into her and Scylla as he and Jackjack pulled them forward.
If he knew it was this simple, he would have brought her along the first time around.
The power broke right as they were out of range. Percy would question the irony of it if it weren't for the way that Drew was falling to the ground unconscious. Ariadne lunged forward, catching her before her head could smash against the floor. Cradling her daughter in her arms, she stood slowly, "Go. Finish the quest. I'll stay back with her."
Percy looked at her, taking in her resolve before he nodded his head.
He was never going to admit this to anyone, but this island looked loads better than Castellan's gardens. He should technically be following the others, but Clarisse had tensed before darting away. Of course, he followed.
This was the younger version of his technically twin sister's best friend. He had to look out for her.
He found her standing almost frozen. There was a fruit stand, overflowing with some of the fruit and vegetables from the old days. The ones that Lady Kate and Lord William liked to make jam from. In front of it were three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks he had ever seen.
The socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-green yarn.
All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandanas, bony arms sticking out bleached cotton dresses.
The weirdest thing was that they seemed to be looking right at him.
Percy looked at Clarisse who had grabbed onto his arm, attempting to drag him away. The blood had drained from her face. "Clarisse," Percy questioned. She was scared, he realized.
"Tell me they're not looking at you," she whispered. He had never seen the usually so confident girl so frightened. (But then he thought about what the sirens showed him and realized that yes… yes he has.) "They are, aren't they."
He had this conversation before with Grover, and yet he still said, "Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?"
The two of them turned back towards them slowly as mist curled around their legs. Three shadowy shapes stood behind each of them. Riptide slipped in his hand when he realized one of those shapes looked much too like Andromeda.
The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors-gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. Clarisse's breath hitched and she started to pull at his arm harsher. He never realized how much stronger she was until that very moment.
He followed after her, but neither of them let the women out of their sight. The middle one cut the yarn, and he swore he could hear that snip across the four mile distance that had been placed between them. Her two friends balled up the electric-green socks, leaving him wondering who they could possibly be for-Sasquatch or Godzilla.
(It couldn't be for Luke. Luke was good now. He was their friend. Their brother. He wouldn't betray them. Not again. He wouldn't?)
He allowed her to pull him back towards the others. He didn't know how she knew where to go, but they moved as quickly as ever. He could sense them in a way. Following the call of the sea. It was stronger than he could recall, but his brothers… his brother and his older self were strong. And maybe he was pulling strength from Lady Beth. He remembered feeling the ocean responded to her call when she instinctively warded off Scylla's attack.
A shadow fell over them.
Percy looked up.
And Clarisse screamed.
Percy helped Annabeth over a branch as they looked around for Clarisse and Jackjack. They were supposed to stay in a group. He knew that if they returned to the ship without them, his sister was going to feed them to Charybdis herself.
Krokus turned to look at them from where he was absent-mindedly weaving flower crowns. His two toned eyes fluttered around them quicker than Percy could keep up. "You know, if we got rid of our brother, this would be a good vacation spot."
Percy grimaced, "You have never sounded more like Ariadne than at this moment. Please, never do that again." A scream pierced the air and they all turned in the direction. Trav and Annie moved closer to them, tightening their grips on their swords.
They all took off running.
Ariadne paced the deck of the ship. Drew was still unconscious downstairs as she rested from exerting herself. Which was good. It gave Ariadne time to herself.
She hated being here. Her skin itched as she stood there. She could feel it. Aged old aches that pained her. It felt as if the world's biggest typhoon was raging a war within her body. Her eyes were clamped close. She was stronger than this.
("ARIADNE, YOU CAN'T HOLD THAT FOREVER!" )
She could. She would. She has to. She has to hold the family together. It was her job. She didn't belong with them. She had to make sure they were safe.
Too human to be a god. Too godly to be a human. She didn't fit in. She was the exception, not the standard.
But no. She couldn't think like that anymore.
This was her family. They accepted her for all her flaws. That was the past.
(Hermes gathered her in his arms, rocking her slowly as he hummed alongside one of Apollon's hymns. He let her clutch to him as she cried and cried and cried. "Healing isn't linear, Little Pearl.")
Still… she couldn't get the feeling out of her mind. The sea lapped at her, embracing her as a long lost child. She could remember the whisper in the waves, welcoming her home. Bringing her back to where she belonged.
(What belongs to the sea will always return to the sea.)
She remembered the phantom feeling of Charybdis clawing into her skin as she fell into the water. The way her body had contorted and arched in Hermes' hold as he lifted her away. "Come on, Starfish. You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay."
(It was the first time he called her that.)
In an almost absent thought, she remembered the feeling of Apollon's hand slipping between her skin. She used to have nightmares of him casually breaking through bone and muscle to reach her mortal core.
Ariadne's life had been defined by that moment for years to come. She spent so much time meditating to keep the warring powers within her calm.
"You can't get too angry, Ari. Too many emotions and the elements react."
"It's a good thing that you have a twin brother. You can't die with that much divine blood in your body now."
"You need to be more careful, Ari. You should be thankful that the gods saved you. Only the Fates knows what would have happened to Percy if you had died."
"You claim to hate Apollo but use his power in the same breath. You must be nothing but another one of his bed warmers."
"No one told you to be stupid enough to try to hold a ship together."
"Your fault."
"Your fault."
"Your fault."
"Starfish," the familiar voice broke into her thoughts. It curled into the recess of her mind, shining as radiant as the god who spoke to her. Ariadne blinked slowly, only just realizing that Hermes was holding her up as she had fallen to her knees so lost into her mind. He looked at her in worry, emerald eyes sparkling in concern. "Are you okay, Little Pearl?"
No. No. She wasn't.
She wanted to cry, but she was stronger than that.
Ariadne clutched to him tighter than she had ever done since she had awakened. "Hermes…" she whispered, voice raspy from disuse. "I–"
Hermes shushed her, holding her so gently as he hummed in her ear. She could feel the hair on her arms rising, sensing Apollon's concern and knowing that her lover wanted to be at her side also. She breathed out slowly.
It reminded her of waking up after everything, feeling so wrong yet right in her own body. Feeling her skin burn with every step she made as she moved from the bed. The soft press of grass under feet as she moved closer to the spring of water. The cool sensation as she used it to clean her face and soothe her aching throat.
A huntress within her sensed danger… sensed power…she turned immediately, the only weapon she had was the river behind her and what she would soon learn is that her body became one. Her eyes had widened when Hermes had immediately pulled her into a hug, but her gaze was drawn to the god staring at her from a few feet away.
Then she remembered his hand by her chest and proceeded to lay into him. (She would later learn in that same argument that he didn't grope her, but instead healed her. Though it was much too late from the insults the two sprung at each other to think of the other positively.)
Her life had changed from the moment at sea. She never walked a path of life afterwards without Apollon or Hermes until they were thrown back in time. It had been like cutting her limbs off. She needed them. Both of them. If it made her greedy or selfish… she cared not.
They were her strengths and her weaknesses.
She pulled out of Hermes' embrace; hands cupping his face as she soaked in the sun. "Hermes, I– Take me. Please." She could feel both gods freeze. She looked into his eyes before glancing up at the sun. "I only have horrible memories of this place. I was told that the best way to get rid of a bad memory was to replace it with a better one."
They had both told her that.
"Please," she whispered. "I can't live like this any longer." Hermes hesitated, not wanting to overstep any bounds with his favorite sibling, but it was not the first time the two had shared a lover. Apollon struggled to contain his jealousy before he let it slip away. At least it was Hermes, his dearest brother and his closest friend. Someone he trusted and cherish above all others.
His approval brush over them softly and gently, leading Hermes to press a soft kiss upon her lips. The two gods covered the duo in thick mist that even if Drew were to awake or the others were to return, no one would see them.
The trio's love came to a full circle as they lost themselves within their pleasure.
NOTES: i was rewatching Charmed (the original series) and i once again saw Piper used Wyatt's powers from the womb and i was like "someone needs to do that." Admittedly, it would've been Ariadne if she had been pregnant randomly bursting into song or every time she spoke it would sound like she was reciting a poem. But I then i was like "i might as well capitalize on the fact that this is called the ocean's offspring."
i love drew. and since she has a more active gift than silena, i wanna focus on it more. and when i eventually get to Piper who Rick states is supposedly stronger… well you'll see. I have plans for the Aphrodite girls.
Jackjack is giving himself the headache of a lifetime. His identity crisis is so amusing to watch progress.
I originally was going to wait on using the scene with the Fates until i set up Grover and JackJack again but honestly, this was too good of an opportunity to pass up.
as this is mainly the percys' pov, we dont see much of how Ariadne feels about things especially now that she's in a place where she has to once again face her trauma. as much as i love badass Ari, her storyline comes from her mental struggles and overcoming those.
(don't get it twisted, she'll still go toe to toe with whoever)
before anyone starts complaining about Ari and Hermes and Apollon… i have been dropping hints for like forever. everything about them started in the sea of monsters. they've came full circle.
if this was focused on Ariadne and only Ariadne, this would be the perfect place to close out her storyline completely.