-Addie-
I just looked at Iris, and an unsettled feeling came over me. It was like the world tilted.
"Iris, no, do not let it through," Apollo ordered. She nodded her head, and I finally found my voice.
"Wait!"
Apollo looked at me, a bit of sadness in his eyes.
"Let me talk to him, please," I begged. "He's my brother; maybe I can talk some sense into him. I can't give up on him."
He looked apprehensive, and I didn't blame him. I was nervous and scared. I had no idea how my brother would react, no idea as to what he wanted. But it was a chance, a chance to reach out to him. I had to keep that hope. I knew my brother wasn't evil. He was just lost, and that was my fault. I had to get him back.
"Okay, but I'm staying."
I nodded my head. I wished I could throw my arms around him and tell him thank you, and I hoped I conveyed that in the look I gave him. His eyes squinted just a bit, and we both turned back to Iris.
"Okay, I'll put him through," she said.
The image shimmered, and I was looking at my brother. His eyes softened as he caught my gaze, but it quickly turned cold as he saw who stood behind me.
"I see you've got company."
Apollo's hand tightened on my shoulder, and I wanted to reach up to brush it with my own. I kept my hands in my lap, meeting my brother's gaze. His eyes left me, looking directly at Apollo.
"What do you want, Orion?"
"I don't need to speak with you, Euadne. I assumed you would be with them, and I was right. I need to talk to an Olympian."
It hurt. My chest had caved in to a black hole of misery. I had hurt my brother, possibly beyond repair. He would not look at me. His face was cold and calculating, but I could see through the mask. Hurt and pain were lying underneath. My brother's eyes looked dark and stormy, like a hurricane about to strike. I had only seen him like this one time, right before I was cursed. He was focused solely on the task. He only messaged me on the hunch that I would be around one of them. I was nothing more than a means to an end now. I looked down, tears pooling in my eyes. Apollo's other hand came to my back, where my brother couldn't see. The pressure felt nice, and his thumb was gently rubbing me. I looked up at him, but he kept his emotions well hidden. He was looking at my brother, his expression just as cold.
"You have my attention," Apollo stated.
"You had three days to surrender, and we never heard from you. Are the Olympians willing to surrender?"
"Not a chance in Tartarus," Apollo said calmly.
"That's unfortunate. I will tell her your answer. Euadne, Gaia is very angry that you thwarted her plans with the key. You didn't stop her; you didn't even come close to stopping her. You only angered her and sealed your fate," he explained coolly. Apollo's expression turned fierce, and I could feel the heat in his hand increase.
"She won't touch a hair on her head," Apollo said firmly. "You would really let her harm your sister?"
"I don't have a sister. She was lost a long time ago to something evil."
It felt like I got punched in the gut. It was the worst thing he could have said to me. I couldn't move. This wasn't him. It wasn't like him to be this angry.
"Ry, do you know what the Fates told me? What Clotho showed me?" He looked at me, and I saw that careful mask fall for just a second.
"I don't care, Addie-"
"She showed us, me and you, when we were kids. You hit me with some water, and after you did it you were concerned for me. You held on to our mother, looking up at me. Father was there too, watching all of us. You're not a bad person. Ry, you are a good man, and I know you better than I know myself. You're my big brother, my twin. I never… I never wanted to hurt you," I choked out. He finally met my eyes, and I saw the mask fall. I reached out for him, but then I realized he wasn't really here. He was staring at me, a longing look in his eyes. He closed them and slowly shook his head.
"There's nothing you can do for me now, Addie. I've chosen my fate, and you have chosen yours."
"Ry, please, let me help-"
He gaze went cold again, like he could inject ice into my veins just by looking at me. I shrunk back, and Apollo gripped my shoulder.
"I think you've done enough for me, Euadne. I don't need your help…but your friends will," he added solemnly. He vanished from the message, leaving me starting at the spot in shock.
Oh no. He wouldn't…he couldn't…
"I've got to get back," I whispered. I made a move to get up, but Apollo's hands held me down. I went to push off his hand, but instead, he grabbed on to mine, pulling me around to face him.
"Addie, calm down, nothing's wrong with them," he assured me.
"If something happens to them because of me," I panicked. My brother's words were just as much of a threat as a warning. He knew what could cut to my core. My brother could be vengeful, and right now, I did not put anything past him. My brother could hurt me all he wanted for what I did to him. I deserved it, but if he hurt the others…
"Addie, they were just bluffing. Gaia's a, oh gods what is the term? She's a Drama Queen, always has been one. He was just doing it to rile you up, to hurt you."
He took my face in his hands, worry on his face. I looked into Apollo's eyes, wishing that everything could be a lot simpler. I couldn't help but laugh at the irony of it all. I was looking to a god for help with my brother, when it had been the complete opposite. My world had completely changed in the last couple of weeks. My life had been so stagnant for so long, the amount of drama going on now was overwhelming.
"My brother wouldn't say something like that to me unless he meant it," I whispered quietly to him. "What if one of them gets hurt because my brother wants to get back at me?"
"You can't just go rushing back," he reminded me. His voice hand a tinge of something in it. "What if you get hurt?"
"I don't care if something happens to me-"
"I do," he reminded me. I wasn't use to having someone care about me. I got this wonderful warm feeling inside, and this awful pressure built up in my chest. I put my arms around him, and he pulled me into his embrace. I tucked my head into his chest, and he rested his chin in my hair. The world stood still for that minute, and I was thankful for it. The book fell out of my lap to the floor falling open. Apollo bent down to pick it up, but I caught a few words at the end of the page: "To rise from below will weaken the strong."
"I'm glad you brought this back," he murmured to me. It vanished from his hands, most likely back safe in Olympus.
"I figured it would be better with you than in the middle of a throng of giants."
"Too much information is a dangerous thing," he supplied. I nodded my heart, fidgeting with the bangles on my wrists. One of Apollo's hands came to my waist, and the other tipped up my chin. "Addie, you're okay aren't you?"
"I'm fine," I replied softly.
"I-I didn't intend to keep you this morning," he stammered huskily. He looked nervous. He pushed his hair across his forehead and kept messing with my wrist. "I mean, it was wonderful. It was more than wonderful, but I wasn't planning on that happening, and-"
I leaned forward, kissing him lightly on the cheek. I swear I could feel the heat increase under my lips. I smiled slyly at him, and he almost blushed.
"You're cute when you're flustered," I teased him.
"I'm not-"
I caught his lips with mine, holding on to the front of his shirt. His hands gripped my waist, and I pulled back, looking into those beautiful amber eyes.
"Thank you," I muttered to him. I had so many things to thank him for: for being a gentleman, believing in me, being so patient…I hoped I would have time to repay him the favor. He just pulled me into a hug, kissing me gently on the neck.
"I wish you didn't have to go; I can't order you to stay anymore. I dislike not getting my way," he grumbled. "Just… be safe, please?" he whispered into my hair.
I nodded my head, and he gave me a quick squeeze. I stood on my tip-toes and brushed my lips on his cheek. I vanished, hoping I wasn't returning to a disaster.
-Percy-
I didn't tell anyone about the dream I had.
It seemed to be Gaia's favorite way to communicate. The nightmares had gotten slightly less frequent the longer I was out of Tartarus, but individually, they got worse. I had actually had a good dream (one that involved Annabeth), but it was interrupted.
It was the same image of destruction and chaos I had seen a hundred times. It was almost boring at this point. Gaia's warning repeated itself, but something new was added this time.
You truly care about your friends, Perseus Jackson? You and the daughter of Athena were meant to be my beautiful sacrifices, and Euadne thwarted my plan. She will pay for her insolence and disobedience. If you want to save your friends, your love, you will bring yourself to me. If not, you will live to regret it.
The dream woke me, and I laid in bed for over a hour thinking about her words. My fatal flaw was my loyalty… Was Gaia simply trying to play on that? Was she setting a trap for me, trying to get me to willingly give myself up to make it easier on her? Athena had told me one time that I would give up the world to save a friend. So was it simply a bluff, or was she threatening honestly? I couldn't sleep, and I saw the early morning light peek just through the porthole in my room when I finally decided to get up.
Worry about Addie had made me forget about the dream temporarily. I was glad Addie had come back, safe and sound. Gaia's words had worried me that something had happened to her. Once I found out she was okay (minus a certain sun god, who I wanted to have a word with), the dream came back to the forefront of my mind. I spent the rest of the morning getting ready to go looking for the army, trying to distract myself. I had gotten all my gear together, and I felt a touch on my shoulder. I turned to see a mess of blonde curls behind me.
"Addie just left," she sighed.
"Did she say who was calling her?"
"No, but she didn't act worried about it," Annabeth explained. I just nodded my head. I watched Annabeth for a minute, just the way she moved about the room. Her hair clumped together in large curls, and over the summer her skin had become even more tan than it was. She had tiny scars on her skin, stretched over toned muscles, but it only made her look more beautiful.
Every day since I got my memories back, I loved Annabeth more and more. She never gave up on me, and I would never give up on her. What if it came down to Annabeth or the world? What Addie did with her brother was pretty selfless…could I do something like that if it came down to it? What if that was what it took to defeat Gaia, and that would be why it was my fault Gaia rose?
"What's wrong, Percy?"
Annabeth's hand rested on my shoulder, and she gave it a comforting squeeze. I wasn't sure I should tell her. I just shook my head and tried to reach around her to grab my chest plate, but Annabeth blocked my way. She had that look on her face that I had seen many times: the look that said no was not an answer.
"Spill."
"How do you know something is wrong?" I claimed.
"Because I know you, Seaweed Brain. You might not do a lot of thinking with that thick skull of yours, but I can tell when you are," she scoffed. I wanted to snap back at her, but she was right. I could have hidden it from her, but I didn't want to.
I told Annabeth about the dream. She listened attentively, but she got a pleasantly surprised look on her face when I told her my suspicions.
"Percy, I'm impressed."
"You sound like I don't do it that often," I drawled. Annabeth laughed, planting a quick kiss on my cheek.
"You do it often enough," she insisted. "I've been having similar dreams. I honestly think its Gaia trying to manipulate us. If she can get in our heads, then she has an advantage over us. Plus, I would never let you do that."
"That so?"
"You made a promise to me, and I won't let you go back on your word. Never again, remember?" she reminded me quietly.
Her eyes looked so earnestly at me, so deeply, that I couldn't look away. I laced my fingers of my left hand in her hair and used my right to grab her waist and pull her to me. I was kissing her like my life depended on it. I did not want to be parted from her, and I had to hold out on the belief that this was all going to be worth it one day. That we were going to get the life we deserved.
I nodded my head, and for a few minutes, I was just a normal teenage boy, enjoying a few precious minutes with my girlfriend.
I couldn't believe our luck.
Four hours later, and we got zero hint of an army anywhere near Athens.
I'd imagine it would be rather difficult to hide away thousands of monsters and a few giants, but hey, that's just me. We couldn't find anything out of place. Not a single weird situation, no sign of a damaged area. It was just a normal day in the capital of ancient Greece. We all agreed something was off, but we had no idea where or when they would strike. If the gods were going to help us at all, they were sure staying quiet about it. I wanted to get Addie to ask Apollo what in Tartarus was going on. They had to know something!
We walked up the gangway to the ship, all of us tired and hot. The sun was just starting to set, and we had talked about every possibility we could think of. It was starting to get cloudy, and I could see Addie pacing the ship from here. Leo was talking to her, but she shook her head. The minute she saw us, she ran down the gangway, her relief evident.
"Did you find anything? No one's hurt, right? Everyone's here?"
"Are you worried about us, Addie?" Piper joked. "That why it's so cloudy?"
Addie just rolled her eyes, and Annabeth began explaining that we hadn't found anything. I took a good look at Addie, and she looked nervous for some reason. She kept making her dagger appear and disappear in her hand, twisting and flipping it along her fingers. I was surprised she hadn't cut one of her fingers off. I knew she was deadly with those daggers, but her motions worried me about my fingers.
We all wanted to get cleaned up, so Piper and Annabeth headed downstairs while we waited our turn for the shower. Addie was now flinging her daggers at the main mast, embedding them in random places. She would summon them back, and do it all over again. I think I watched her for about ten minutes before I heard a soft voice behind me.
"They all act crazy when they get nervous."
I turned, and Nico stood beside me on the steering deck railing.
"What do you mean?"
"My dad will make plants die and come back to life; Persephone will rearrange the garden for days. Most immortals have nervous habits. That's why Addie's so good at combat. The rumor was that after she was cursed, she spent every waking minute learning how to fight. She wasn't the best at it before, but she made herself great. Supposedly, she's proficient with every weapon out there, so she would not have to use her powers so much. At least, that's what my father told me."
"You hear a lot working for your Dad, don't you?"
Nico shrugged his shoulders. "Gods like to gossip. Especially about mortals. You should ask her what's bothering her though. Might be something helpful."
"I already know what it is," Leo piped in. Nico and I turned to look at him at the steering wheel. Leo was fidgeting with some of the controls, a scowl on his face. "Her brother contacted her while she was with some of the gods."
"About?" I questioned. "Who was she with?"
"She didn't say," Leo sighed. "You were walking up before I had a chance to ask her."
Annabeth and Piper walked up about that time, and they both began talking to Addie. Annabeth laid a hand on her shoulder, and Addie nodded her head. Her daggers transformed back to the bangles, and she walked downstairs with them.
I followed them, wanting to get a shower and find out what Addie's brother had to say. As I passed the mast, I saw something. She hadn't been randomly throwing her knives. The holes from the blades made a symbol.
Addie had carved an omega into the mast.
A/N: Hi All! I hope those who celebrate Christmas had a good one, and those you don't had a nice break! I meant to post this last night, but I didn't get to proof it.
Please let me know what you think! :D