A/N: To the person who left that hate comment about the story, I said that this is a FEMSLASH and I stated that if anyone didn't like the sound of it, they didn't have to read it. So if you're just looking through my story to just piss yourself off, then you're dumb. I can't stress that enough. But to my loyal readers, thank you for sticking with this story while I continue to wright about Apollonia's unfortunate disease and heart break. You'll be seeing more of Elsa's and Becca's relationship soon.
Oh, and a couple of my friends are reading my story and one of them (the inspiration for the character Victoria) came up with a ship name for Apollonia and Elsa. I present to you . . . Apollesla. And I like it. Anyways, there's going to be some foul language in this chapter, so back to the story.
Although the ride, Argus kept giving worrisome glances to Apollonia while some of his eyes focused on the road. The younger woman hadn't stopped crying since they left her home. It worried him considering that this was a girl who rarely cried or showed ant kind of sadness. She was tough but not emotionless, Argus reminded himself. Still, it was a bit odd but he didn't want to question her tears. If something happened in her house she deserved to shed a few tears.
Before Argus could think too much of the situation, he focused all his eyes on the road again and let the girl be while he drove the camp's van.
They arrived back with thirty minutes to spare before the capture the flag game. Everyone was bustling around the camp trying to strap on their armor correctly, shining their weapons, finding their team mates. Apollonia thanked Argus for driving her and said a goodbye to the man. She didn't notice the sorrow glance he casted toward her before she left to her cabin.
Not even bothering to remove her glasses, Apollonia kept her head low while she made the journey to her cabin. She gave a sniffle every now and then and an occasional whimper. The brunette figured that this was a good time to tell her friends that she was dying. She preferred that they found out now through her instead of having them know after it's too late. It caused her to shiver. She wasn't a big fan of death and she definitely wasn't a fan of Hades. There was no doubt in her mind that she would end up being one of those suffering souls in the underworld. Especially after what she did to poor Anna.
Speaking of Anna, Apollonia hasn't seen much of the redhead and she figured that it was a good thing. Anna revealed that she's been in a relationship once she and Elsa came to Camp Half-Blood but she and her ex left it on good terms. Their break up . . . not so much. For the sake of the gods, Apollonia told the poor thing to love someone else after Anna confessed her love. ' Oh gods Anna, I hope you're alright. You'll find someone, that much I'm sure of.' Apollonia thought. Soon she found herself climbing up the steps of her cabin and made her way inside.
It was empty. Part of her was glad but the other part was a bit disappointed. She just wanted to tell her friends that about everything and it get it all over with. But it wasn't going to be that easy and she was positive that the gods were going to punish her for everything. Maybe her Olympian parent would also partake in her punishment.
'Let them punish me,' She thought. In a few minutes she strapped on her armor, grabbed her sword and shield and made her way to the woods. She barely made it on time to hear Mr. D announce the people for the masked team. Her name was called at the very end and she trudged over to her team. Elsa was there too and she steered clear of the blonde's path. "Abby get over here!" Someone yelled.
She slowly walked and tied her mask behind her head. Thank the gods that her mask hid her eyes. She didn't have a good lie as to how and why her once hazel eyes turned grey.
Her team talked strategy and whenever one of them asked what Apollonia thought, she'd nod or hum in agreement. By the end of it, her mind drifted away and she didn't snap back to reality until one team mate reminded her that she was to retrieve the flag with Elsa. ' Well I was right about the gods wanting to punish me.' Apollonia thought.
The game began and soon she and Elsa took off into the darkness of the woods. Not being in the mood to talk or to reveal her secret, Apollonia kept to herself and kept her distance from Elsa. The blonde noticed and she tried on several occasions to get the brunette to talk.
Apollonia wouldn't have it so she walked through the woods in silence with Elsa trailing behind. "Apollonia," Elsa said. The younger girl didn't turn around or even glance at her. Elsa sighed. "I know that you every right to be angry with me and to ignore me but you don't have to pretend I'm invisible."
"I don't want to talk, Elsa." Apollonia said.
The blonde stopped walking for a few moments. Something was off in Apollonia's voice. It didn't sound like her usual calm and sweet tone. It sounded tired and worn out. Something was definitely wrong.
Then the brunette stopped and ducked behind a boulder. Elsa followed suit and tried not to move, knowing her armor would make a loud screech against the stone. They heard a series of feet stepping on the grass. Once it was all silent Apollonia stood up and headed to the lake. She wasn't worried about winning the game anymore, she just needed to get out of the confinement of the woods and rest. She didn't even walk very far but she was still drained.
Forgetting that she was partnered up with Elsa, Apollonia was a little taken back that the blonde still followed her. But she brushed it off and kept walking until she knelt by the shore of the beach. The brunette practically ripped of her mask and rinsed her face with the cold, salty water. "Apollonia, don't you think we should look for the flag?" Elsa asked behind her own mask.
"You go ahead. I'm gonna stay back and rest." The brunette said, lying on her back.
"We're not even that far away from the territory line and you're tired?" Elsa asked, setting her blue eyes on Apollonia's closed lids.
"Yes, and if you want to leave, that's fine. You blame me if anyone tries to yell at you, if you want."
"So you're just gonna give up?"
"No Elsa," Apollonia sighed. "I'm going through a lot right now and being partnered up with you was the cherry on top of all of this."
Elsa stepped forward. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean being stuck with my ex-mistress wasn't exactly on my to-do list today." Apollonia said. "Especially if that ex-mistress dumped me for my best friend but slept with said best friend before said mistress dumped me."
"Well excuse the hell out of me for wanting to be happy." Elsa barked. She could feel her hands being frosted over by her powers.
"I honestly don't give a shit, Elsa. If you wanted to be with Becca, the least you could've done was tell me! Not show up holding each other's hands and expect me to be happy for the two of you! That's not what a decent person does!" The brunette yelled.
"Fine, I accept that and I understand." Elsa said. "You want to be alone, fine. I'll leave you alone." Then she turned around and stomped away, leaving a trail of ice behind her.
Apollonia didn't feel bad. Why should she? If she should feel bad for anyone it would be Anna, not for the woman who ripped her heart out and stomped on it like a bug.
She heard a couple of branches being snapped and some grass rustle under the weight of someone. It was coming from the direction Elsa stormed off.
Apollonia groaned when she realized that the blonde was coming back to chew her out. "I want to be alone, Elsa!" She yelled.
"Oh how pathetic." That definitely wasn't Elsa talking. "You're losing your touch, Andolini."
Apollonia knew it was Stacy and she was worse. "What do you want, Stacy?" Apollonia spat.
"I want a little rematch of our last game."
"Well you fought Elsa and she's not here, so fuck off."
"Ouch," Stacy stalked closer to the girl lying on the ground with her eyes closed. "That hurt but I've been told worse. And I know that it was the blonde bitch but I'm not looking for her."
"She's not a bitch!" Apollonia sat up. "Y'know for a daughter of Ares, you don't have to be a cunt."
"And for someone with ice powers, you don't have to be a cold bitch. So get up, because we're having this rematch." Then the daughter of Ares grabbed Apollonia by her hair and dragged her to her feet.
Apollonia held back her yelp of pain and looked at Stacy's lifeless eyes. "I'm not gonna fight you." Apollonia said.
Stacy smirked and held onto the other girl's hair. "Well then, this should be easy."
Then Stacy sent a punch toward Apollonia's face and hit her jaw. Apollonia stumbled back when Stacy released her hair. She clenched her jaw in pain and felt her stomach twist with her anger.
Apollonia tried to focus on getting her fire abilities to work but nothing came out. 'Work, you stupid fire!' Stacy was coming closer with a sword in hand and swung but Apollonia rolled out of the way and landed near the water. She hoped she still had some control over the water but it just crashed onto the shore when she tried to summon it to her need. She tried her fire, nothing happened, she tried water, nothing. The air, no good and the ground, well, she couldn't even lift a pebble.
' What in the Hades is wrong with me?!'
Being tired of constantly dodging and rolling out of the way of Stacy's sword, Apollonia pulled out her own and held up her shield. She jabbed at an opening at Stacy's armor but it was blocked. She tried other techniques but it was no good. She battling against a daughter of the god of war, it was like Apollonia was bound to lose. But she wouldn't allow herself to give up. Even if her muscles were screaming at her to forfeit, she wouldn't let Stacy have the satisfaction of winning.
Apollonia jumped back when Stacy jabbed at her shoulder and she tried her last hope. She concentrated and tried to form some kind of barrier of ice between her and the brute of the girl she was fighting. When nothing happened she closed her eyes and prayed to the gods to take pity on her and promised to give them a large proportion of her dinner if they helped her out.
Right when Stacy was about to slash her sword the ground began to rumble and move underneath the girl's feet. Spikes of ice shot up from the ground and nearly impaled Stacy. She was lucky she jumped back in time. More spikes started to shoot up from the ground, surrounding Stacy in a closed space prison. Apollonia noticed that the ice was coming in too close to Stacy so she yelled at the cold spikes to stop. They kept moving closer and closer together and she could hear Stacy's yells for help over the rumble.
Apollonia just wanted to scare Stacy away, not kill her! "Stop! That's enough!" She yelled. She grabbed her sword and launched at the moving ice. She swung and swung until she made a decent sized gash and helped Stacy escape. When the girls landed on their backs the spikes finally closed in on each other and slammed shut.
They laid panting and tried to calm their heart rates. Apollonia heaved when a fist collided with her cheek.
"You sick fuck!" Stacy yelled. "You were gonna kill me!"
"That wasn't me!" Apollonia yelled. "That wasn't me . . ." She repeated. "I wouldn't kill anyone."
"What is the meaning of this?" Chiron trotted over to the girls in his true form with the rest of the campers.
Stacy stood up and ran toward the old activities director. "Apollonia tried to kill me! You should punish her!"
Apollonia stood up and staggered over to Chiron. "That's bull shit!" Apollonia pointed to Stacy. "She attacked me! I was defending myself!"
"Chiron, she's lying! I was just taking a break and then she came up to me and started to pick a fight!"
Some of the other campers started to defend Apollonia, saying she would never do that.
Victoria ran out of the crowd and started to defend her friend. "Chiron, Stacy is the daughter of Ares. She could be lying to get Apollonia in trouble!"
"Stay out of this!" Stacy yelled.
The rest of Apollonia's friends and roommates started to get involved whilst the Ares kids defended their half sister. Pretty soon all of the campers of Camp Half-Blood were on the brink of fighting. Having various of teenagers and kids argue with sharp weapons in their hands is never a good thing and it had to be stopped. Apollonia tried to calm her friends but they weren't listening. Even Anna was yelling at a girl from the Aphrodite cabin who sided with Stacy.
Apollonia felt her blood boil with her white hot anger and irritation. She felt the same twisting feeling in her stomach and her hands felt cold. Her grey eyes were screwed shut. This was her fight, why was everyone getting involved in her business? "STOP!" Apollonia screamed.
Everyone fell silent as they looked at the brunette. Apollonia kept her eyes closed and fist clenched as she felt her ice crawl up her arms. Numerous of whispers and mumbles were heard. She didn't know what they were whispering about but it was better than them yelling at each other.
"Apollonia," Chiron said. She opened her eyes and found everyone staring at her. "Look up, my dear."
Apollonia lifted her head and gasped. There, floating over her head, was a white snowflake encased in blue watery mist. The snowflake revolved, showing off its beautiful design. This couldn't possibly mean . . .
"Apollonia, it would appear that your mother has claimed you as hers." Chiron said.
"M- My mother?" Apollonia asked, tearing her eyes away from the hologram.
"Khione. Goddess of the North Wind and winter. Hail, Apollonia Andolini, daughter of the snow goddess!"
Everyone suddenly knelt before her. Apollonia didn't know why they were kneeling or why her Olympian mother suddenly chose this moment to claim her when it could've been appreciated a few years back but she was sure of two things.
One: she was the spawn of the Snow Goddess. And two: the woman who raised her wasn't her actual mother. ' This is going to be an interesting summer.' Apollonia thought.