Percy wasn't there.
Well, he was, in a literal sense. His body still lived, his heart still beat, his lungs still pulled in oxygen and exhaled clouds of mist into the air. He still had his hand wrapped tightly around Zoe's as they were marched across the camp, but he just wasn't there. Wasn't focused, wasn't aware, wasn't able to think about anything. His train of thought was fractured as he trudged through the snow, a low ringing in his ears as he felt too many thoughts pile up in his mind.
Thoughts about Leo.
He heard his voice, echoing out in the recesses of his consciousness as he felt himself pulled back to not even a few days ago. At camp half blood, Is his hammer cooler than mine? In his home, Dios Mio, sheriff Percy Jackson? In the opening of the cavern, let's get through this fucking cave.
At the mouth of the pit, take care of her for me.
Take care of her for me.
Take care of her for me.
Take care of her for me.
The words rang out in his mind like a mantra, a war cry, a choir chanting at a funeral. They pierced into him like arrows, ripping through his heart as he felt another memory tug at his mind, pulling him farther from the real world. A memory that he was responsible for. His promise, the promise he'd made to him, that he'd come back to her, back to Calypso.
And now Leo was gone, and it was no one's fault but his own.
Zoe could tell something was wrong. She knew, she always knew with him, and to be fair it was pretty damn clear to everyone that no one in the group was okay right now. He kept his eyes forward even as she looked him over, completely unaware that she was staring. She have his hand a squeeze, trying to raise some emotion, some reaction, anything out of him, but she couldn't.
He just... wasn't there.
To be fair, Nico wasn't faring much better.
His eyes had at some point pooled with tears and at another he'd started letting them fall. It was his fault, all his fault. He'd let Surtr get to him, let him worm his way into his skull the closer he got to him in the pit. He hadn't felt it at all when he'd been chained, nor when they had started walking down those stairs, but the second the pit was close enough, he'd started to hear it.
The droning, the drawl, the voice.
It had wormed it's way into Nico's brain, past the logic, or the sense. Maybe Surtr knew he was weakened from his imprisonment, or maybe he'd sensed kindred spirit in Nico's underworld-tainted blood, but it had chosen him, and Nico took the bait hook line and sinker.
And now Leo was dead.
He had to be. Even with the fire powers there was no way anyone could survive that fall, or that explosion. He let out a soft sob, choking it back as it reared its way up his throat. He grit his teeth, letting his eyes burn holes into the earth as he shifted his gaze, turning to Annabeth.
She had a plan, she always did. That's what Nico remembered about her more than anything, and if she were anything like he'd remembered then they were already free, they just needed to follow her steps to it.
Annabeth looked at him, meeting his eyes, the only eyes she could to try and silently communicate a plan with. Percy was lost, Zoe was comforting him, and Freya was in her own world, probably trying to cope with the fact that she'd been introduced to, become friends with, and went through Leo's death in the span of a few days.
Annabeth focused on Nico, before her eyes flicked ahead to the man leading them.
He was a... well, if Nico were honest, a handsome man. Broad, square jawed, muscular, black curly hair, and a dusting of five o'clock shadow across his face. He marched through the camp with them in tow, and from the look on Annabeth's face, she'd already been working this guy.
Nico gave her a nod of understanding as they were led into a prison of sorts. It was another tent, although this one had a bit more permanent of a setup. The man leading them started unlocking the cells as Annabeth started talking.
"I saw the look on your face back there, Leif." She said, to no answer. He kept his eyes locked on the cells. She gritted her jaw and continued.
"You don't believe a word he said, do you?"
Leif stopped what he was doing, and let out a sigh, turning back to Annabeth as he did. His blue eyes met her grey ones and, there it was again, a little flash of something between their gaze.
"So what if I do or don't?" He asked her in a dejected tone, "I've made my choices, I live with them."
Annabeth shook her head as the man opened the cell and ushered the group inside. "You can help us, Leif. I don't look in your eyes and see a man who's ready to let Ragnarok destroy this place."
He turned to look at her, a sharp glare cast her way through the cell as he closed the door.
"Then what do you see, Camila-" He cut himself off, closing his eyes and giving his head a shake before he took a deep breath. "Annabeth." He corrected, enunciating the name as thoroughly as he could, "What do you see, Annabeth?"
She met his gaze and stepped forward, reaching through the bars to lightly take his hands in hers. "I see a man who knows what's wrong, and wants to do what's right."
His gaze had fallen, staring at their clasped hands with so much intensity one would think they were about to burst in flames. He let his mouth fall open with a sad, small shake of his head.
"You look so much like her..." He whispered under his breath, before his gaze flicked up to meet hers, "for just a moment, I thought..."
He stared at her for a moment, before his jaw clamped shut and he stuffed whatever emotion he'd been feeling back into himself. He let go of her hands and stepped back, locking the cell as he did.
"In the morning." He said, forcing his voice into a harsh tone, "Lord Baldr will decide what is done with you."
He marched out of the tent without a second thought.
Annabeth let out a sigh and rested her head on the bars of the cell as Nico approached her, leaning against the same cell wall she was.
"Perhaps trying to make the male hunter fall in love with you wasn't the best plan." He said in a slow and gentle voice. She sighed and pulled her head back, giving him a look.
"And what're you doing here Nico?" She asked in a soft and ever so slightly defeated voice, "How did you end up on this gods forsaken mountain?"
Nico let out a shrug, "I was looking for him." He said, gesturing to Percy, "Got lost on the way."
Annabeth turned towards Percy and just... just couldn't bear to look at him.
He looked like he was about to drop dead. His eyes were hollow and red, like he'd been trying everything not to break down in front of them. He was sat on the floor, his back against the cell as he stared off at nothing. Zoe was doing her best to comfort him, running circles over his hand with her thumb, leaning her head on his shoulder, but it was questionable how much that was helping.
Annabeth turned back to Nico, who's own eyes had taken on a depressed look. She reached out, laying her hand on his forearm.
"What happened?" She asked, in as soft a tone as she could.
Nico closed his eyes, clenching them shut as he did. He brought his hand up to his face and tightly pinched the bridge of his nose. "I messed up, that's what happened." He said, his voice struggling to hold back tears, "We were deep in the mountain, helping some dwarves put Surtr back to sleep..." He said the words as if they made any sense to Annabeth, but she just nodded, not wanting to question him with what he was going through.
"I started to hear a voice, it pulled me towards the pit..." Nico said, his eyes clouded over with thought, "...it beckoned me, called out to me. Leo tried to stop me, but it pulled me over and dragged him along." His face tightened as he tried to hold himself together, "Percy had one of each of our hands, but couldn't save us both, so Leo..." A tear fell out of his eye. Just one, as if that was all he'd allow himself, "...He let go."
Annabeth felt her own face tighten with sorrow, her eyes closing slightly as she felt tears well in her eyes. She didn't hesitate, she pulled Nico into a tight hug. He reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her as soft sobs shook his body.
"Oh Nico..." Annabeth breathed, rubbing her hand over his back, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
He pulled away gently, rubbing his hand over his eyes as he did.
"We need to leave." He said, his voice stronger than it had been before, "We need to finish this."
Annabeth nodded, before she turned to the others. Percy was less catatonic than he'd been before, turning to meet Annabeth's gaze and giving her the slightest of nods, while Zoe and Freya gave her more confident ones. Annabeth took a deep breath as she suddenly felt a weight on her shoulders, a bittersweet feeling running through her heart as she realized the weight was one she'd been hoping to feel and yet dreading to be burdened with for years.
Leadership.
They needed her. She was the only one out of them that wasn't crippled by the loss of Leo or overloaded by the gravity of their situation. She walked to the group and sat down, looking everyone over as she did, before she spoke up.
"Alright, how are we gonna get out of this?"
Nobody really spoke up, so Annabeth cleared her throat and made everyone get closer.
"Does anyone have anything? Weapons? Tools? Anything at all?" She looked at Percy, expecting him to fish out Anaklusmos or Moskstraumen, but he shook his head.
"They fished them off me before we got brought in, and I haven't felt them come back."
Annabeth gave her head a shake, before turning to Nico, who was still at the bars.
"Any chance you can shadow travel out of here?"
Nico shook his head, "The bars are magic, or something." He said, running his hand along the cell and feeling slight indents of Nordic runes on the bars, "I felt it the second we stepped in."
Annabeth sighed and turned back forward, leaning closer to the group. "C'mon guys, do you have anything? Doesn't even need to be a weapon, just anything we can use."
They were silent for a moment, before Freya perked up and reached into her pocket, fishing something out. It was a hairpin, most likely made of silver. She held it out with a soft smile.
"Any chance this'll help?"
Annabeth took the pin, her eyes slowly narrowing as she stood up and walked over to the door, examining the lock. She turned back to the group, a small smile on her lips.
"Anyone know how to pick a lock?"
Percy perked up pretty immediately, letting out a small grin and turning to Zoe.
"I think you're up."
Zoe let out a smile all her own and came over to Annabeth, cracking her knuckles as she did.
"You're in luck, Annie. I happen to be a master at breaking into his home." She said, cocking her head in Percy's direction as she took the hairpin from Annabeth and felt around the door for the lock. Nico had taken some pretty immediate initiative and had moved closer to the tent's entrance, keeping watch as Zoe worked.
Zoe looked... well, focused. Unbelievably so as she felt around with the hairpin, slowly making clicks in the lock as she worked. Everyone was pretty well staring at her as she felt around with the hairpin, which included Percy, who finally seemed to have snapped back to real life once they'd put a plan in motion. That being said, Annabeth knew Percy, and she could tell just by looking at his eyes that even though this plan was keeping him focused, it was a distraction at best, and one that wouldn't work forever.
She was pulled from her thoughts when a very loud, very notable click resonated out from the cell door, and the door swung open freely. Zoe turned back to the group, hairpin in hand, tossing it from one hand to the other with a rather cocky look on her face. Percy let out a chuckle as she did.
"That's my girl."
A blush spread across Zoe's face as Annabeth wasted no time making her way through the door, taking a peek out of the tent flaps. She took in about as much as she could, and what she saw wasn't exactly pretty.
Plenty of heralds, and most of them armed.
She turned back to the group, who'd all made their way over to her, their eyes all filled with eagerness at the next step of her plan. She looked them over, her eyes settling on Percy and Nico as she ran a hand over her chin. They both shifted nervously as her grey eyes bored into them.
"What?" Percy asked in a nervous tone.
Annabeth was silent, a smile easing it's way over her face as her gaze shifted from them to a rack set up on the back wall of the tent.
A rack that had a couple of herald outfits on them.
"I want to go on record saying this is a terrible plan." Nico hissed as he peeked out the tent entrance. He shifted uncomfortably, trying to straighten the jacket across his chest as he hefted the bow in his free hand.
Percy gave him a look, "It's not that bad." He said, turning his gaze over to Annabeth, "Y'know, just so long as no one talks to us or questions us or asks us what we're doing..."
Annabeth crossed her arms, cocking up an eyebrow as she did, "You got a better plan, Jackson?"
He held up his hands. "Nope. You're the leader here, Wise Girl. I have full faith in this."
She smiled, slightly at the confidence he had in her and slightly at the nickname. She turned to the rest of the group, Freya and Zoe, who were a little grumbly as they tugged uncomfortably at their bound wrists.
"I like the plan..." Zoe said, as she held up her wrists, "...But not this part."
"Well if all goes right..." Annabeth said, taking her own peek out the tent opening as she fished out her Yankees cap which, thank the gods, they hadn't bothered to take, "... you won't have them on for long."
Zoe let out a huff before her expression softened and she put her hands on Annabeth's shoulder.
"You know where to meet us, right?"
Annabeth gave Zoe a smile, appreciating the genuine concern the girl felt for her boyfriend's ex.
"Of course." Zoe let out a smile all her own.
"Good." She said, before turning back to the boys, "Then let's get this over with."
They slipped out the tent, and Annabeth waited a moment before she slipped right out behind them, tugging on her Yankees cap as she did.
She slinked through the camp, trying her best to follow paths already formed in the snow as to not leave foot prints and making sure to peek into every tent she could. She saw a number of things: Heralds lounging by fires, heralds reading by gas lamps, a couple tents had hunting dogs in them, and she'd even felt a blush spread across her invisible cheeks as she accidentally peeked into what had to have been the communal showers for the camp. She knew what she was looking for, though, and found it relatively quick.
The armory.
She headed in and wasted no time piling everything she could into an empty bag she grabbed off the floor. Freya's rifle, Percy's pen and lighter, Zoe's bow and quiver, her two daggers, Nico's sword. She stuffed them all in, taking her hat off as she did so she could actually keep track of her hands as they worked.
She took note of the other weapons in the room as she worked, taking note that most of them were multiples of the same one and most of them looked like they'd been used many, many times.
Her focus shifted when she heard someone approaching the tent. She felt panic shoot up her spine, grabbing the bag and throwing it over her shoulder before she tucked her cap back on, turning it and her invisible. The duo approaching the tent entered and she felt her breath hitch a bit.
It was Leif, with the other man, Sigmund, that they'd seen earlier. They appeared to be in the middle of a conversation, and Annabeth didn't have much of a choice but to eavesdrop.
"I'm not saying he's scared, Sigmund." Leif reassured his fellow herald, shooting him a concerned look, "What I'm saying is he's on edge."
"Nay, I can't agree." Sigmund replied, cocking an eyebrow at Leif, "You and I know damn well he's got nothing to be on edge about."
"Well..." Leif said, taking a breath, "There is one thing..."
Sigmund shook his head, "That was centuries ago. A lucky shot by a foolish blind archer as I recall."
"Aye." Leif replied, "A shot by a blind archer with an arrow tipped in mistletoe." He said in a pressing tone, "Just like the hunter had."
Sigmund froze, his cheeks paled as he slowly took in what Leif was saying.
"You don't think..."
"The twins." Leif said with a sour twinge in his voice, "They probably gave it to them, knew they'd run into us, into lord Baldr."
Leif gave his head a shake as he looked at Sigmund. "I'll handle it, dispose of it. You head off and prepare the Heralds. I suspect we'll be leaving at dawn."
"And the prisoners?" Sigmund asked, to which Leif bowed his head.
"I pray they are simply given a stiff warning and released."
Sigmund shook his head with a slight chuckle. "And I pray you are not straying from the path, brother." He said, leaning closer to Leif, "I saw how you looked at the blonde one, with the grey eyes. Don't forget the oath you took, Leif."
Leif was silent, staring at the ground as his eyes flashed with thought. Sigmund shook his head with a sigh, before he crossed his arms over his chest.
"They will most likely be executed. You know that." Leif closed his eyes at Sigmund's words, crossing his arms as he gave his head a light shake.
"I will talk to Baldr in the morning. Perhaps I can bring some mercy out of him."
"For the men? Perhaps." Sigmund said as he turned towards the tents exit, "But you knew as good as I that those women were dead the second they stepped in camp."
Sigmund left, walking out the exit as Leif stood unmoving in the tent as he pondered Sigmund's words. He turned back to the armory and let his eyes flow over the room. His eyes narrowed, as he noticed differences in the room. Things were moved, things had been shifted about, things were missing.
The prisoners weapons were missing.
Those were all the thoughts he could manage before he felt a knife press against his throat. He froze, his eyes steeling themselves into a glare as he steadied his breath, raising his hands. He let out a chuckle, a dry humourless one, as he risked a glace over his shoulder.
"It was your hat, wasn't it?" He asked Annabeth, his voice a dry tone. She risked a response, knowing damn well there could be others listening outside but not wanting to lose this chance at some intel.
"Compliments of my mother." She replied, "Turns me invisible."
Leif let out a breath, his Adams apple bobbing against the blade, "And I take it you've heard more than I'd prefer."
"Well that all depends, Leif." She replied, pressing a bit closer, "...what would you prefer?"
He was quiet for a moment, as the sound of wind blowing against the tent the only relief from the deafening silence between them.
"To leave." He said, his voice a low drone. She let the knife loosen a bit, and him not immediately trying to escape made her loosen a bit more.
"What do you mean?" She asked him, her voice gentle.
He took a breath, and turned to her, shrugging off the blade so casually she couldn't help but sheath it. It didn't feel right threatening him, he was like this.
"I've wanted to leave for some time now." He said, staring at her with eyes wrought with thought, "I've grown distanced from the heralds. From their morals, their beliefs. I don't hold that same hate in my heart anymore..." He glanced away from her, his voice taking on an impossibly sweet tone, "It wasn't until now... that I saw you, that I thought it possible."
She felt a blush spread across her cheeks and couldn't help but stare at the floor as she nervously rubbed her arm, "Why me? What makes me so special?"
"You... remind me of someone..." He said, gently reaching for and holding her arm, "Someone I once cared for deeply, but..." He trailed off as his arm fell off hers, "But it doesn't matter." He said, his tone firm as his gaze met hers again, "What matters is I want to leave, with you Annabeth."
She steadied herself. She'd admittedly let her emotions get the best of her and, you could blame it on being around Percy and Zoe for the last few days, but love was on Annabeth's mind, not that it had anything to do with Leif of course.
Not yet at least.
She shook her head, steeling her gaze as she laid her hand on her dagger, glaring him down.
"I want you to swear on the Styx that everything you just said is true."
Leif took a nervous step back, his eyes shifting uncomfortably side to side.
"I don't even know what that means." He admitted, to which she shook her head.
"Doesn't matter. You don't have to know for it to be binding."
Leif shrugged and shook his head incredulously, "I swear on the river Styx that everything I said was true."
Annabeth waited a moment before the took her hand off her dagger.
"Good." She said, taking a step forward, "You can come with us then. But if I get any idea you're trying anything..." She said, taking another step towards him as he took one back, "...I won't hesitate."
He let out a nervous laugh as he shook his head, a sad-yet-happy look crossing his face.
"You're just like her."
Annabeth ignored what he said as she risked a peek out the tent, taking in their surroundings.
"Do you have everything you need to leave right now?"
Leif nodded, pulling up close to her back, close enough that it made Annabeth's cheeks redden if ever so slightly.
"Heralds have no possessions. We hunt, we serve, we read. That's just about it."
She gave him a nod, "Good." She said, slipping her hat back over her head, "Then watch my footprints and follow my lead."
Leif was so bad at being inconspicuous it almost hurt.
Mind you, he didn't have a magical hat that made him invisible, so Annabeth had to give him some credit, but at the same time, man oh man was he ever terrible at it.
He moved stiffly, like someone had welded his spine into a straight line, and had almost no calmness in the way he moved. He kept his mouth firm and his eyes focused, but it was pretty obvious to anyone that he was hiding something, and that something just happened to be an invisible daughter of Athena walking right in front of him.
He turned sharply, following her as she ducked behind a tent. He turned the corner with her as she pulled her hat off and grabbed his collar, pulling him behind some wooden crates stacked behind the tent.
"What is the matter with you?" She hissed, peeking over the crates to make sure no one was watching. He frowned at her, almost looking... hurt.
"What do you mean?" He asked in a genuine tone.
"What do you mean?" She asked, "You're walking like a robot!"
He gave her a look of genuine confusion, "I'm not following."
"Look..." She said, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Just... stop being so stiff, and stop making it so obvious you're following me. I'm shocked no one's caught us by now."
He gave her a frown, crossing his arms as he did, "Well I'm sorry, it's hard following some one who's invisible."
"Yeah, I know." She replied with exasperation as a slight smile drew across her face, "Would it be easier if I held your hand?"
He shook his head with a grin and a soft chuckle, "If me holding an invisible person doesn't give it away, my blush certainly will."
His words made a blush spread across her cheeks. She wrung the hat in her hands, meeting his eyes again as a frown spread across her face.
"Do you hear that?"
Leif perked up his ears, turning away from her, "I do." He said. Her heart dropped as she realized what the noise was.
Shouting, and lots of it.
"This is bad."
It was worse than bad. A lot worse. Annabeth was frankly downplaying it quite a bit when she said it was bad. What this was, was horrible.
She and Leif had a good view from their little perch on top of one of the tents of her friends, hands bound as they sat on their knees in front of Baldr's tent. He was standing in front of them, pacing back and forth in front of a large group of heralds as the snow fell on his bare torso.
Annabeth took note of the God's notable lack of clothing, turning to Leif as she did.
"Does he ever wear a shirt?" She asked, in a voice more annoyed than anything.
Leif shook his head, "He doesn't even need what he has now. He doesn't feel anything, not the cold, nor pain, nor heat. Just be thankful you weren't here for his... naturalist days." Leif said with a shudder.
Annabeth let out a shudder all her own, picturing the god for a second in that state in the frigid snow. She turned back to her group, noticing that Percy had noticed her on the roof of the tent. He bit back a smile, she could tell, and looked back at the ground.
Leif let out a huff, "So what's the plan?" He asked her. She though for a moment, before turning to the bag.
"Are the lighter and pen still in there?"
Leif checked the bag, sifting through the pockets as he did. He turned back to her, a bright look in his eye.
"No. They're gone."
Annabeth smiled, "Good, if they're not here..." She caught Percy's eye again, making a lighter flicking motion with her hand at him, "...then they're back on him."
Leif let out a breath, "He may be armed, but it won't do him any good, not against Baldr."
Annabeth nodded, "I know, I was there in the armoury, remember?" She turned back to the bag, pulling out the mistletoe tipped arrow and gently handing it to Leif.
"You're gonna have to take the shot." She said in a slightly sad tone, "I'm sorry, I know you're probably close with him, but I'm lousy with a bow."
He took the arrow from her, pulling his bow off his back as he did, "Don't be. I've seen enough attrocities in this mountain for one lifetime, most of them at his hands." He notched the arrow, "That being said, if I shoot this thing, and he goes down, your friends will most likely be killed immediately."
Annabeth nodded, reaching into the weapons bag, "That's why I grabbed these from your armoury."
She showed off what she'd grabbed. Smoke grenades, and quite a few of them. Leif smiled, giving her a very notable look.
"Let me guess. You're a daughter of the wisdom goddess, right? A daughter of Athena?"
She blushed and let her gaze fall a bit, before meeting his again, "I'll take that as a compliment."
Leif turned back to the group, arrow still notched but undrawn, "I shoot this arrow, you throw the smoke as a distraction, you go down there invisible and lead them away. Sound like a plan?"
Annabeth hefted her first grenade, giving him a side eye as she did, "You forgot something."
He turned to her, a slight glint in his eye as he did, "What that?"
She gave him a coy smile, "You find us when we're done, dummy."
He let his face sit for a moment, before a smile spread across his lips, "I'm a good tracker, I'm sure I'll catch your trail."
"You better." She mumbled under her breath. She gripped the pin on the grenade and have him a look, "Ready?"
He nodded, drawing the arrow, "I'll make sure it doesn't kill him. Just in case."
She nodded, pulling the pin and chucking the smoke bomb as Leif let his arrow fly.
She watched it, tracking it through the air as it flew. It sailed with precision, with grace, and she could practically see it move in slow motion as it flew. It flew, and flew, and flew, and Annabeth inadvertently held her breath as it did.
Until it impaled itself into Baldr's shoulder.
The god went stiff for a moment, and for that moment there was silence. Not a word from him, not a peep from the heralds. Not a single bit of noise came from any member of the group as he stared at the wound.
The silence was ended when he pulled the arrow out and started to laugh.
He laughed, the sound reverberating through the air as he did. Annabeth felt horror seek it's way up her spine as she thought, for a second, that tye arrow didn't work, and they'd just blown their cover. She shifted to slide off the roof, but Leif grabbed her, and held her tight.
"Throw another bomb. It'll take a second."
She shook off the horror and did, throwing a bomb at the heralds feet just as the first one detonated, before tossing a few more. She watched as Percy took the opening, flicking his lighter and slicing off his bonds, before tossing Anaklusmos to Nico and immediately working on Zoe's ropes. Annabeth couldn't really focus on them, though. All she could do was stare at Baldr.
He was puking blood, and a lot of it. It wasn't really puking through, it was more like a projectile cannon of the stuff. He staggered backwards as a stream of crimson flew from his mouth and he dropped the arrow to his feet, staggering backwards even further as Annabeth watched Zoe grab the arrow.
Baldr had started to groan as he puked, his tattoos rapidly flickering with a blueish light as his eyes did the same, almost as if whatever godly wiring he had in him was short circuiting and struggling to stay functional. She regained her focus when Leif grabbed her shoulder.
"Annabeth, we need to go."
She turned to him, shaking off her shock and nodded, unsheathing her dagger as she did. They slid off the tent, Leif landing first and waiting to catch her as she fell. She landed gracefully in his arms and couldn't help but blush when she felt firsthand just how strong he was, but her embarrassment shifted to focus immediately as she felt her feet touch the ground and she sprinted off in the direction she'd seen the group run off in, with Leif following closely.
Annabeth was a genius.
That's really all Percy could think as he sprinted through the forest, ducking under arrows and dodging through bushes. He felt his feet pound on the forest floor and took a moment to risk a glance back, just to make sure Zoe was still close behind him.
She was, an flashed a glare when he did.
"Still here, Jackson. Eyes forward."
He smiled to himself as he put a bit more speed to his pace, running along just about as fast as he could. He stopped when Nick reached out from behind a tree and grabbed the two of them, pulling them behind a bush. They huffed, catching their breaths as Nico snagged Freya too, pulling her behind their little shrub hide.
The daughter of Thor caught her breath, leaning into the tree as she heaved air into her lungs. She risked a glance around the tree as she did, "Did we lose them?"
"No." Nico said, "But once we grab Annabeth, we will."
Freya was about to say something else, but was cut off when Nick grabbed the daughter of Athena, pulling her behind the tree along with her companion. A companion Percy and Nico did not hesitate to throw to the ground and hold their swords at.
"Wait!" Annabeth said, "Wait, he's a friend."
Nico risked a glance over his shoulder, "You sure? Because I recall your flirting not working too well on the first try."
Percy had already pulled his blade back by the time he'd seen Leif's face, recognizing him from when he was up on the tent with Annabeth.
"I think he's cool, Nico..." Percy said, collapsing Moskstraumen, "...pretty sure he's the one who shot the arrow into Baldy."
He lowered his hand and Leif took it, smiling as he was raised to his feet.
"Thank you." The man said, bowing his head, "I am am Leif, Leif Erikson. I've decided to..." He raised his eyebrows at nothing and gave his head a shake, "... well I'm not sure yet, but for now I'll help you."
Percy nodded with a smile, before turning to Annabeth who was digging through the bag, "Got the compass?"
She lifted it up with a smile, "You know I do, Seaweed Brain."
He smiled as she handed it to Freya, who popped it open as Nico quickly checked it out, pointing at the needle and letting his finger point off in the same direction, up the mountain.
"It's wants us to got here, right?"
Freya nodded, "More or less."
"Good." Nico said, getting his eyes go dark as he pulled the group back towards the shadow cast by the bush, "In that case everyone take a deep breath, alright?"
Leif, Freya, and Zoe all looked a bit confused, while Percy and Annabeth just sighed and held Nico's hand, before he dragged than all into the shadow, teleporting them up the mountain just as heralds burst through their hiding bush.
Percy, Annabeth, and Nico handled it well.
Mind you, Percy and Annabeth had shadow traveled dozens of times at this point, so the sudden feeling of frigid weightlessness that snapped into existence before immediately being ripped away from you as reality flew back into sight was all too familiar for the two of them, hell for Nico shadow travelling was as common as riding the bus.
For the others? Not so much.
Freya screamed the whole time, and continued to scream when it was done, until she eventually took a deep breath and started wiping at her coat, trying to dust off any non existent shadow residue. Leif stumbled forward against the wall of the cave Nico had flashed them into, leaning against the wall as he puked onto the floor, nearly falling into said pile of puke before catching himself and stumbling to the other side of the cave.
Zoe... Zoe didn't seem too fazed. All she could really do was take a deep breath as she clutched Percy's hand tight. It seemed she had other, more important matters on her mind, namely turning to Percy with a deathly glare in her eye.
"You." She said, her voice wavering as her eye twitched, before a tear fell from her eye and she threw her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug, "I thought I'd lost you..."
Percy returned the hug, putting his arms over her shoulders as he did. She cried gently into his shoulder, her hands tightly clutching his jacket as she she shivered slightly at his embrace. She wanted to punch herself, to scoff at herself, to ask what in the hell she thought she was doing acting this pathetic, but she told all those voices in her head to fuck off.
She had her Percy back, properly this time, and that was all that mattered.
Annabeth had wandered over to Leif at some point, plopping down on the floor next to him and letting out a breath.
"They're adorable aren't they?" Leif said, finally getting over his shadow nightmare motion sickness. She turned to him, a heavy look in her eye.
"They are." She said, in a bittersweet tone. He took note of it, giving her a look that she turned away from.
"The way you speak." He said, slowly picking his words, "It's as if you... harbour feelings for him..."
She turned back to him, taking note of how his face had a very notable look of disappointment across it. She gave him a gentle smile.
"Maybe once, but not anymore." She replied, before looking back over at Percy who was nox rubbing circle in Zoe's back.
Leif nodded at her words, bringing a hand up to rub his stubble. "You miss the companionship, don't you?"
She let out a dry laugh, "Nothing much gets past you, eh?"
He shook his head, a sly smile creeping across his mouth, "Heralds are excellent trackers, that includes tracking feelings."
She let out a breath, feeling herself settle against the wall of the cave. "It's not that I miss him. I mean, I thought I did. Well, I did, but not in that way."
She looked back to Leif, who had a thoroughly confused expression on his face, and groaned, "Look, it's complicated, alright? But what's important is me and him are alright now."
Leif slowly nodded, "You're alright now?"
"Yeah." She said, "I'm alright now."
She eased herself into the rock wall behind her and let out a soft sigh.
"That being said... I do miss it."
He shot her another glance, "What you shared with him?"
She shook her head, "No, not that. Just... sharing something like that with someone. That's what I miss." She crossed her arms across her chest.
Leif nodded as she spoke, taking in every word she said until she'd stopped taking. She'd turned her head forward and he let out a breath, taking in her beauty.
"Y'know, I think you could probably have something like that pretty quickly." He said, trying to cheer her up. "You are... quite beautiful, Annabeth. I'm sure many men would be honoured to be with you." He said with a blush. She let out a dry chuckle as he finished his words.
"Thanks but..." She turned to him, "You kinda gotta wait for the right one, y'know? Can't just take whoever happens to wander by. And trust me, I've certainly tried."
They sat in silence for a moment, a cold breeze flowing over them and making Annabeth shiver. Leif didn't hesitate to wrap his arm around her shoulders, letting his body heat warm her up. She blushed at his gesture.
"Thanks..." She said, letting herself ease into his shoulder.
"No worries..." He said, giving her shoulder a rub.
They sat there for a moment, enjoying each other's company as their respective hearts pounded in their chests. Leif was warm, very much so, in a way that made Annabeth feels comfortable in a way she hadn't in a long time.
"So." She said, turning her head slightly to look up at him, "What's your story?"
He raised his eyebrows, "My story... is several hundred years old." He admitted.
Annabeth pointed at Zoe, "Hers is two thousand years old."
Leif gave Zoe a glance, a slightly shocked widening of the eyes, before he shook his head with a chuckle.
"Alright, well, where do you want me to start."
"The beginning," Annabeth replied, leaning closer to his chest, "Where were you born, and when."
He let a whistle out as he leaned his head into the cave, a slight smile spreading across his face, "1672, in Norway. I was born in a log cabin, to my mother, Leyla."
Annabeth nodded at his words, before motioning for him to go on with her hand. He smiled, continuing.
"I think my earliest memory is probably when I was two..."
The night stretched on, and people found ways to occupy themselves.
Annabeth had found her occupation for the night in listening to Leif recount his entire life story, while she took turns explaining hers (and Percy's) to him. The two of them both seemed to enjoy each other's company, and enjoyed it even more when Nico brought over a sleeping bag and spread it over the two, much to Annabeth's annoyance.
"What?" Nico said with a grin," You guys are so wrapped up in each other you didn't even notice you're shivering."
Annabeth and Leif shared a blush while the former shot a steely glare at Nico who quickly jogged back over to Freya, who was leaned against the cave with a sleeping bag of her own. She scooted over as Nico sat, letting him grab his own bag as she watched with a nervous look.
"So." She started, laying her rifle across her lap ass she cleaned the barrel, "You're like, what, the son of the devil or something?"
Nico let a breath out of his nose and gave his head a slight shake, "Kinda. It's complicated."
Freya let out her own breath, "Well for the son of the devil..." She began, a smile spreading across her mouth, "…you're not that bad."
Nico stretched his shoulders with a grumble, "Yeah, well..." He turned to her, with a small smile and a nefarious glint in his eye, "...you ain't seen nothing yet."
She shuddered as he spoke, focusing back on her gun, "Well so long as you don't pull out a pitchfork and start damning me to anywhere, you're alright in my books." She gave him a look as she drummed her fingers on her gun, as she glanced over at Percy and Zoe, who'd laid out their own little sleeping area on the other side of the cave. She took note of how that empty look was back in Percy's eye.
"It's my fault." Nico said from beside her as she turned to look at him, "It's my fault, but he thinks it's his."
Freya let out a breath, "I don't think it's anyone's fault, Nico." But he shook his head.
"I went over the edge, I pulled him in. If it wasn't for me..." He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, "... he'd still be alive."
Freya opened her mouth to protest, but he continued, "And he thinks it's his fault." Nico said, as Freya looked over to see Percy staring into the fire they'd started by the mouth of the cave. The fire that was just Percy's sword jammed into a pile of firewood. Percy's sword that could only catch fire because of Leo.
"Why?" She asked, her voice getting tight, "Why does he blame himself."
Nico let out a sigh, a somber noise that slowly flowed out if his mouth, as he turned to Freya, his eyes dark with memories of Percy's past.
"Because he's a hero, Freya, and heroes always blame themselves for things like this."
Freya shook her head, a small frown spreading across his face. "I wish he didn't. I wish he wasn't like this. I wish he didn't think he was a hero, so he could just... mourn, instead of blaming himself."
Nico shook his head, leaning back into the cave as he did.
"When you're like Percy, and you've done what he's done? You can't help but be a hero..." He said, running his hand over his skull ring, "...it's just in your nature."
Freya pondered this for a moment as she watched the deputy stare into the flames, Zoe having laid on the floor with her head laying gently on his lap as he sat with his back against the wall. She stirred slightly in her sleep and he smiled, pulling the sleeping bag higher up on her form. Freya let out a smile, before a memory nestled itself into her head.
"Wait a minute..." She said, turning to Nico, "didn't you try to kill him?"
Nico sighed, dropping his head to his knees, before turning to Freya with a look of regret.
"Yeah. More than once."
Freya gave him a bit of a calculating look, before she furrowed her brow. "Was it for a good reason? He hasn't exactly been... open, about his past."
Nico shifted uncomfortably in his position, stretching his legs back out and laying his hands across his lap. "Did they tell you about Atlas?"
Freya nodded, "They told me... well, just about everything."
Nico nodded, before a hollow look nestled into his eyes as he stared at the fire. "I had a sister." He said, his voice quiet, "She went on a quest with him, years ago..." He let his mouth tighten, as a memory worked it's way into his mind, "She died on that quest, with him."
Freya felt her mouth open slightly, and her eyes take on a sympathetic look. Nico caught the look and offered Freya a small smile.
"It's okay. It was a long time ago, and I'm over it now, but..." His eyes flicked back to the fire, "...for a long time I wasn't."
Freya nodded, feeling an almost unhealthy interest in Nico's story, "Was it Percy's fault?"
Nico shook his head, "No. But I blamed him for it, for a long time." He glanced up at Percy, who was staring into the flames just like Nico was, "I blamed him for it even when, deep down, I knew it wasn't his fault."
Freya couldn't help her curiosity, "Nico, that quest, where your sister passed away... that's when Zoe died too, right?"
Nico nodded, before letting out a grim chuckle, "You know, I say I'm over Bianca, and really I am, but..." His eyes flicked over to Freya, a somber, almost longing look in them, "... the second I saw Zoe, I couldn't help but wish Bianca was here too..."
Freya let her head hang a bit, feeling sympathetic for the son of death. Her mind had already been jam packed with new information about Percy and his illustrious past, and yet it still found ways to shock and surprise and even sadden her. She brought her head back up, feeling a smile spread across her face as she turned back to Nico, having found a subject that she hoped would lighten the mood.
"So..." She said, wiggling her eyebrow, "what you said to Baldr, about abandoning women, but not love..." Nico blushed as she pressed closer, "... not gonna lie, my ears are perked in regards to that gossip."
Nico took a deep breath, letting out a shaky exhale as he turned to her with frustration in his eyes, "Yeah, well..." he let his eyes flick back to fire as a tender look nestled into his gaze, "... his name's Will."
Freya brought her hand up, motioning for him to go on, to which Nico let out a sigh, leaning back into he cave as he did.
"His name is Will, and..." Nico let a small smile spread across his face, "... he's sweet, and handsome, and caring, and kind, and he makes me feel..." His eyes flickered with sadness for a moment, "... like I have a reason to stay, like there's a reason for me to stop wandering, like I've finally found what I'm looking for."
Freya laid a hand on his shoulder, making him meet her blue eyes with his volcanic black orbs.
"He sounds like quite the guy."
"He is," Nico said with a gentle smile, before he clicked his tongue against his teeth and glanced back at the fire, "I think... I think I'm gonna tell him I love him when I get back."
Freya let out a soft smile, turning back to the fire as she patted Nico on the knee.
"I think he'll like that."
"Yeah..." Nico said, staring at the fire before his eyes quickly narrowed and he looked in her direction, "You're a mom, aren't you?"
Freya laughed and gave her head a shake, "That obvious?"
Nico nodded, "If that's the case, what in the hell are you doing up here?"
Freya let out a breath, shrugging as she did. "Dad said he needed me. Said that one of his kids had to be here, or Ragnarok wouldn't be prevented." She let out a sad smile, "I... I love my dad. I can't just let him die."
Nico let out a sigh, "You sound just like some people I know, people back at camp." He sighed as his eyebrows raised, "You even sound a bit like Percy. The old Percy, the one I used to know."
Freya looked at the son of Hades, not too sure of how to respond to that. She thought it was a compliment, and she was pretty sure that's how he meant it, but then she considered the Percy she knew as opposed to the Percy Nico knew... Sure, he'd changed quite a bit as far as Freya could tell in these last few days, but there were many years where it was no secret that Percy had hated his past.
The idea of her becoming like that, it scared her.
Nico gave his shoulders a stretch, grabbing his sleeping bag as he did, "Well, I'm beat. If you wanna snuggle up for warmth let me know, but just a warning..." He said, shooting her a slight grin and a raised eyebrow, "... I snore."
She laughed and shook her head, standing up as she did.
"I'll pass. You have a good sleep Nico."
The son of Hades gave her a smile, along with a "you too", before he settled into his bag and closed his eyes.
Freya leaned into the wall, taking another look at Percy who was gently running his hand over Zoe's shoulder as she slept with her head in his lap. She smiled softly to herself, recalling the events that had happened not even a few days ago when she'd knocked on Zoe's door, and been surprised when he'd opened it. She'd had some idea that he'd been there with some particular... intentions, and was pretty damn happy when she was right.
But yet, it worried Freya. Zoe was good for him, very much so, but she couldn't help but be reminded of how good for him Annabeth had seemed in her stories. Percy was selfless, that much was evident, and it didn't seem like he had any intention of changing that. Freya couldn't help but worry that the past was gonna rear it's ugly head up and repeat itself, and that selfless devotion was gonna get him hurt.
Or worse.
She shook her worries from her head and tugged her sleeping bag up to her neck. She'd worry about Percy in the morning.
Percy enjoyed moments like these, moments with Zoe. Sure, they hadn't had many of them, but they'd only really been dating for a handful of days, but those days... man, they were the best days he might've had his whole life.
He gently traced his thumb in circles on her shoulder as she slept in his lap, her head resting on his thighs. She looked so... cute. That's really the only word he could describe it with, cute. The way she'd tucked her legs up to her chest, the way her breath silently went in and out, the way everytime a gust of wind blew through the cave she instinctively tucked herself closer to Percy. It was all just so cute.
Almost cute enough to distract him from his crushing guilt.
He couldn't help it, and frankly he wouldn't help it either. He deserved it, every ounce of it, every single thought that poisoned his mind and soured his heart, he deserved it all. He didn't blame Nico, not at all. Nico wasn't the one who chose to be a son of the underworld, he didn't choose to be susceptible to Surtr's influence, most importantly he wasn't the one who made a promise to Leo, a promise to get him home safe to his family.
He must've made a noise, or changed his body language in some way, or maybe she was just that in tune with him, because Zoe spoke up from his lap.
"You shouldn't feel guilty, Percy."
He let out a sigh and ran a thumb over her hair with a soft chuckle, "You know me too well, you know that?"
She sat up, hunching up on her knees as she looked him in the eye. "You're right, I absolutely do, and that's why I know you fell guilty."
He looked away from her, casting his gaze into the fire that still blazed near the mouth of the cave. He sighed, taking off his cowboy hat and setting it on the floor, before he ran a gentle hand through his hair.
"I wish it was me." He said, his voice a gentle whisper. Zoe frowned, putting her hand on his chest.
"Don't say that Percy."
"I mean it," He said, his voice tight, "If it were me, then Leo's kids would still have a dad, his wife would still have a husband, he..."
Percy trailed off as he caught sight of Zoe's face. She had tears streaming down her cheeks, her upper lip twitching slightly as she cried.
"Then what would I have?" She asked, her hand now tightly clenching his shirt, "What do I have besides you, Percy?"
He opened his mouth to answer, but she pressed her hand over it, silencing him as she pressed her head into the crook of his neck.
"I don't want to lose you, Percy." She said, her voice a broken creak, "I can't. Not with everything we have. I'm not gonna feel this way about someone again. I don't want to either."
He let out a breath, wrapping his hand around her shoulder as he gazed out the cave, watching as the snow fell from the sky. Thoughts ran through his mind, swirling like a typhoon before one, clear emotion brought itself to his attention.
"I lied, you know." He said, making her pick her head up and look at him.
"About what?" She asked, her voice a gentle tone.
He looked at her, "About when I fell in love with you. It wasn't when we watched Monty python."
She shook her head with a laugh, "I don't know if I should be happy or sad about that." She stopped laughing when his expression didn't change, and he kept his eyes locked on hers.
"I think..." He said, taking in a deep breath, "...it was when I washed up on that beach, and you found me."
She took that in for a moment, unable to find words to reply as he continued, "I thought I was wrong, at first. That I was just so traumatized from everything I'd gone through, that I'd just seen a familiar face and let myself fall into emotions that weren't real..." He took a moment to look down at his hands, "... and with how things turned out with Annabeth... I guess I just felt guilty, like I shouldn't move on so immediately, like it wasn't right." He looked back up into her eyes, "That and you still being a hunter at heart back then."
He leaned back into the cave, staring up at the ceiling as he did, "But the more I think about it, Zoe..." He turned to her, meeting her gaze that held so much emotion he thought it would pool out if her ears,
"I loved you the second I saw you."
She was silent for a moment, her mouth slightly agape as she took in what he said. Five years. For five long years he'd gritted his teeth and beared his emotions, all because that was just... him. Selfless at heart, even when it broke his heart. She thought about how much it must've hurt him all those years to watch her try so desperately to leave. She thought about how she knew he'd stare sometimes, whenever he thought she wasn't looking. She thought about how obvious he'd made it, but she'd just been too caught up in her own selfish goals to really accept it.
She thought about how happy the last few days had made her, and how she could've been that happy for the better part of half a decade if she'd just paid attention.
She couldn't help but let tears start to fall again as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. She didn't need to say anything, she knew it, and he did too. He just wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest as his lips pressed into hers. She broke the kiss as a small laugh escaped her lips, before she pressed her face into his chest.
"I... I love you, Percy." She said, unable to find anything else to say, anything else that would properly express how she felt. He squeezed her tight to his chest.
"I love you too."
She let herself lay there for a moment, listening to his heart gently pound as she felt her eyelids get heavier and heavier. She was stirred from her sleep as her boyfriend moved to get up. She let out a soft growl and clenched his shirt tight.
"Where do you think you're going?" She asked, as he shot her a sympathetic look.
"Someone's gotta keep watch." He said in a flat tone, "And everyone else is asleep."
She pouted, placing a hand on his chest, "Can we do it together?"
He shook his head as he gently took her hand off his chest, "No. I need you rested, I can't have you going into a fight on no sleep." He offered her a smile, "Get some sleep, okay?"
She let out a sigh, that was interrupted when he placed a kiss on her cheek. She shot him a glare.
"I think you know where I want them by now, Jackson." She said, her brows furrowed. He let out a soft smile and came back in, planting a soft kiss on her lips. Her heart fluttered as it happened, her hand involuntarily going up to his cheek as her eyelids fluttered closed. He pulled away and stood up, making her pout again.
"Wake me up for next shift when you get tired, alright?"
He turned away from her, a dark look in his eye that she knew he was trying to hide. "Of course. Goodnight Zoe."
She let out a soft smile before she laid back down on the ground, pulling her sleeping bag up to her neck as she did and letting the soft feeling of sleep take her over.
It was cold. No, not cold, cold didn't even begin to describe this weather. It was frigid.
Snow whipped through the air, carried by winds that could've cut through a coat like it was nothing. The sky was dark, filled with clouds that cast a dull grey shadow over the mountain they poured snow onto. A figure marched through the snow, alone and determined. His movements were laboured, and stiff, as if the mountain itself were begging with him to stop, but her plodded forward, coat pulled tight and sword in hand.
Flaming sword in hand.
He used the weapon like a gas lamp, lighting the path in front of him as he trudged up the mountain. The figure had determination, that much was clear, but it was also clear that this trip hurt, and from the way he moved, from the way he continued forward into this frigid hell without so much as a wayward glance in the opposite direction.
It was pretty clear he knew this trip was his last, and had made peace with that.
The figure continued up the mountain, crossing over a crescent as the wind picked up and blasted him with snow. He held the sword tighter, directly in front of his face so it would heat up what little skin he had exposed on his face that the scarf he wore didn't cover.
It lit up his black hair, and his beautiful sea green eyes.
The figure noticed something in the distance, and moved forward, faster now. He moved with purpose and determination, despite how obvious it was that it hurt. He passed over another peak, and there it was, in all it's glory.
The great hound. Basking in the snow as it sat on it's haunches. It's black and crimson eyes boring into the figure. The hound bared it's teeth, letting out a snark as it did, and revealing another figure, barely an outline of it visible on its back.
An outline of a man, with horns peeking out of his temples.
The hound snarled, taking a few massive steps over to the figure, who hefted his flaming sword as the creature drew closer. It picked up it's pace, and the figure began running all his own, his flaming blade raised next to his face as the wind ripped his scarf from him and revealed Percy's features for all to see.
He let out a deep growl as he ran towards the beast, getting closer, and closer, and closer, until...
Zoe snapped awake, reaching for her chest as she did. Her mind raced as she struggled to catch her breath. She reached over next to her, over to Percy's sleeping bag, only to meet an empty cot.
She frowned as other bits of information started to make themselves apparent. It was morning, clearly from bright coloured snow falling into the cave. She frowned to herself, certain that she'd told Percy to wake her up to keep second watch. She blinked, rubbing the early morning tiredness out of her eyes as she took in her surroundings.
Something was wrong.
It was evident from how everyone wasacting. Freya was pacing back and forth across thecave, rifle in hand with a look of frustration on her face. Zoe was able to make out some words as Freya walked over to Annabeth and Leif, who both looked equally distressed and intensely whispered something to them.
She made out the words compass and missing.
Her breath started to get heavy as she sprung to her feet, everyone's attention immediately snapping to her as she did. She grit her teeth as she looked around, her breathing got laboured as her throat involuntarily tightened. Annabeth walked over to her, a gentle hand extended, but Zoe took a step back, taking a shaky breath as she did.
"Zoe..." Annabeth offered, trying to make her voice as calm as possible, but Zoe saw right through it.
"Where's Percy?" Zoe demanded, her voice choking now as she barely held back a sob.
"Zoe please..." Annabeth said, taking another step as her own voice broke, but Zoe wouldn't listen.
"God damn it Annabeth, I asked you a question." Zoe demanded, u able to hold back her tears as a few fell down her cheeks, "Where is he?"
Annabeth took a breath, trying not to let her own tears fall as Zoe looked past her to the mouth of the cave. Nico was there, kneeled down by the fire pit that was now put out, Moskstraumen being nowhere in sight. Zoe pushed past Annabeth and barged over to him, circling around in front of him to see what he was looking at, and when she saw, she couldn't helpherself, she fell to her knees, tears pouring down her cheeks.
It was Percy's hat, the hat he'd worn for years. The hat he never went anywhere without. The hat that Zoe only now realized he'd never let anyone else wear besides her. That wasn't what hurt, that wasn't what brought the tears out. What brought the tears out was what was sitting on the hat.
The picture. The picture they'd taken in the gondola, of the two of them together. The picture that she'd made him keep, and that he'd tucked into his pocket with a smile so bright it could've melted all the snow off this mountain. It sat right on the hat, positioned in a way that told Zoe, even as she took it in her trembling hands, knew to flip it around.
There was a note written on the back, a note that Zoe could barely get through before she cracked and let out a sob, the tears now flowing freely from her eyes as she did.
Don't follow me, I can't watch any more of you die. I won't.
I love you Zoe, with all my heart, and I always will.
-Percy
Percy, you dumb, stupid, selfless son of a bitch.
I know, another cliffhanger. I apologize, I really do. But more so I apologize for no chapter this weekend. Life's been getting a bit busier than it was when I first started writing this, and I feel like it's not fair to you guys if I don't address it.
You probably won't get two chapters a week. Maybe. I don't really know, to be honest, we'll have to see. Personally I'm just gonna play it by ear, and do things as they come naturally. I really don't want to force chapters out, and I really don't want to get burned out either (which frankly, given I wrote the first five chapters in a week flat, I'm surprised I'm not burnt out already) but more importantly I need to manage my time a bit better. I'll do things as they come naturally, and maybe you'll get more than one a week, but don't hold your breath. That being said, I'm very excited to write this next chapter, and I hope it reflects in the quality of my work, so stay tuned.
THAT being said, I wanna do some more shout outs. The first one is to hunter, who I think had left a review on every chapter I've done. Seriously man, you are not going unnoticed or unappreciated. The second one is a bit weird, but I want to make nonetheless. I've been looking at some of your guys accounts, I know a bit odd of me, but I tend to have a wandering eye when it comes to these things, and I noticed something.
I notice there's a lot of you, when I go on your accounts and look at your favourited stories, who have very few favourited stories. I'm talking less than 60, and in that range. When I think about just how many stories are on this site and I go on someone's page and they've got, like, 20 favourited stories and mine is one of them... let's just say I get back to work on my chapters real damn quick.
Thanks for all the support guys, I'll always appreciate it, and remember, I read every review, and always will, so don't hesitate to leave one if you feel inclined. I'll see you guys soon.
-Bronzeandsteel