I'm so sorry about the delay. I started marching band recently. Just so you know I have heard that SOPA 2013 is fake! The guy who made it up was arrested. I have shoulder instability, so lots of doctor appointments and physical therapy is in my future. I will update spontaneously. Sorry everyone. FYI: I know Nina is a Mary Sue. This is my first story so cut me some slack!
TigerChik1242: Thank you so much for your constructive critic. I love when people try to make my story better but are still polite about it.
ZoeyMarieSnape: I am going to kill Siri so I can stick to the story. He will come back though. As will Remus and Tonks. Fred will not die at all.
BTW the cruise was so much fun. I met this guy who only lives 40 minutes away from me. He asked me out and I said yes! Thank you to all of my other reviewers!
Chapter Sixty One: Unwanted and Wanted Kisses
The D.A. was good for everyone. Harry was a pretty good teacher. He was a lot better than Umbridge anyway. During the first lesson, he went back to the basis. We did Expelliarmus. Zacharias Smith was against doing it. The funny thing was, he was the worst at it.
I was in Professor Binns' class. He was talking about a the Gigantomachy. It was funny how my uncle zeus finally managed to swallow his pride and teamed up with demigods. I heard a tapping at the window and turned to see two snowy owls. The one with rainbow wings was supporting the one without them.
Harry and I rose at the same time to open the window and let the owls in. Harry reached the window first. He gently picked up his owl and Skittles flew to me. I brought her to my desk and opened the letter she had brought me. It was from Chiron.
Dear Nina and Lavender,
It is with a heavy heart that I must tell you such upsetting news. Your brother arrived for winter break recently. The morning after he arrived, Silina went to wake him up. When she knocked on the door, there was no answer. She went in and found the room empty. There were no signs of a struggle. The bed was unslept in. I saw Percy go into his room myself. There is no telling what happened to him. Please come home for Christmas break to aid in the search.
My deepest apologies,
Chiron
I felt tears filling my eyes. I passed the letter on to Lavender. She started shaking as she finished the letter. Tears were welling in her glassy eyes. "Are you alright, Miss Brown?" Professor Binns asked. Lavender didn't answer. She just kept staring at the letter.
"Perhaps I should take her to the bathroom, Professor," I suggested, trying to hide my own tears. What had happened to my brother?
"Of course, Miss Jackson," Binns said.
I jumped up and grabbed Lav's arm. Skittles flew up onto my shoulder. Vati looked at us curiously before turning back to her notes. I rushed Lav to the nearest bathroom. Lav wrapped her arms around me and began sobbing. I gently rubbed her back and lowered us to the buried her face in the crook of my neck. I rested my chin on top of her head and let my own tears fall.
After a few minutes, Lavender pulled away. She wiped the tears away from her cheeks. "I-I'm going t-to go back to th-the dorm," she stuttered.
"Do you want me to come with you," I asked, trying to keep myself together for Lav's sake. She shook her head, not noticing the cracking of my voice.
"I-I want to be by myself for a little bit." I nodded in understanding. I could use some alone time as well. Lav left me alone. I barely registered the door shutting as I stood up. I walked over to the sink. I looked up into the mirror. My cheeks were a pasty white. My eyes were bloodshot.
I clenched my hands. I was shocked my hard grip didn't break the sink. I closed my eyes, attempting to block out the world. I felt my dam break as tears began pouring down my face. My life had been almost perfect. I had an amazing boyfriend and a huge family that almost all loved me. Now, it felt like my life had been riding on a thin piece of thread that had just snapped. I was gasping for breath. i felt anger bubbling up inside me. For once, my life had been amazing, and some deity had to go and ruin it. I felt my throat go raw as my scream pierced the silence. I brought my fistforward so it connected to the mirror. Glass shattered and went flying.
It was like time had slowed down. I could see a piece of glass heading for my Achilles heal, but I didn't move. I just stood there, almost as if I was welcoming death. I tried to think of the upsides of dying as the glass flew towards me. I could forever be with my favorite uncle. I could see all my friends who had been killed. but I would miss Apollo. As that thought went through my head, a tan hand darted out in front of my face.
Suddenly, all feeling came back to me. I flipped around to see the god who had been haunting my dreams. "Apollo," I whispered. My boyfriend opened his arms. I collapsed forwards. I was sick of being strong. I needed a shoulder to cry on. I had just led a war for Olympus' sake. I shook as tears began to pour down my cheeks. Apollo just rubbed my back like I had done with Lavender. Apollo began to sing.
Please come now I think I'm falling
I'm holding on to all I think is safe
It seems I found the road to nowhere
And I'm trying to escape
I yelled back when I heard thunder
But I'm down to one last breath
And with it let me say
Let me say
Hold me now
I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking
Maybe six feet
Ain't so far down
I'm looking down now that it's over
Reflecting on all of my mistakes
I thought I found the road to somewhere
Somewhere in His grace
I cried out heaven save me
But I'm down to one last breath
And with it let me say
Let me say
Hold me now
I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking
Maybe six feet
Ain't so far down
Hold me now
I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking
Maybe six feet
Ain't so far down
Sad eyes follow me
But I still believe there's something left for me
So please come stay with me
'Cause I still believe there's something left for you and me
For you and me
For you and me
Hold me now
I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking
Hold me now
I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking
Maybe six feet
Ain't so far down
Hold me now
I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking
Maybe six feet
Ain't so far down
Please come now I think I'm falling
I'm holding on to all I think is safe
Apollo lifted my face up. He bent his head down and kissed away my tears. "H-he's gone," I hiccuped.
"I know, love," Apollo soothed. He kept my face in his hands. "They're doing everything they can to find him. I swear on the Styx." Thunder boomed in the distance. Apollo sat down, crossing his legs. I plopped myself down on his lap. I curled up into the god's side. I sniffled. "As much as I hate seeing you upset," Apollo continued," I have more bad news to tell you."
"Can't it wait," I groaned.
"I'm afraid not," Apollo sighed. "This will be my only chance to tell you." I looked up at my boyfriend to see him nervously chewing his bottom lip. I reached up and gently pulled his lip from between his teeth with my thumb.
"What else could be wrong?" I asked.
"Erm, my father made another one of his stupid decisions today. HedecidedtocloseOlympus."
"I'm sorry, amore, but I didn't catch that. Could you repeat it a little slower?"
"Zeus decided to close Olympus. That means I can't come down to see you-"
"And I can't go up to see you." Apollo nodded glumly. "That pig headed idiota! What the Hades is he hoping of accomplish?"
"Well, first of all, the giants are rising. My father thinks by locking the gods on Olympus they won't be able to rise."
"They'll rise anyway! How stupid can Zeus get?" Thunder rumbled in the distance after I finished my statement.
Apollo cringed. "Please don't insult my father too much. I like my girlfriend exactly as she is, not as a pile of ashes."
"There's another reason he closed Olympus isn't there?" I growled.
Apollo nodded his head slowly. "He thinks I've been spending too much time with you. He believes you're distracting me from driving the sun chariot."
"I haven't seen you since summer!" I shouted. "Anyways, your chariot has autopilot, and you always take me in the chariot with you. Therefore, you're still doing your job."
"I know that," Apollo sighed. "But you know how much my father dislikes me. Plus, he's mad at you for turning down the gift of godhood. This is his way at getting back at us."
"But I don't want to lose you, 'Pollo. I love you."
"I love you too, Sparkles," Apollo smiled slightly. He lightly kissed my forehead. "I'll stay the rest of the night."
"I have a D.A. meeting later. I don't think t would be a good idea for you to go to that."
"No, I'll wait in your dorm for you. Wait, aren't the D.A. meetings banned now. You could get in serious trouble for that."
I rolled my bloodshot eyes. "It's sweet of you to care,but she can't hurt me because of the curse. I doubt she'll be able to find my Achilles heal. Even if she did, I think people would notice if she murdered me."
"Don't talk like that," Apollo snapped. "Do you know how much I worry about you everyday? I managed to annoy Hermes with my paranoia. I always wonder what would have happened if you had been killed. You're mortal, and I'm not. I'll still be like this when you're old and in a wheelchair."
I had never thought about this. What would happen if I died. What would happen when I was in my seventies? Would Apollo stay with me? "Let's not think of that right now," I murmured. Apollo nodded and stood up with me in his arms.
"I'll drop you off at your next class. What is it?"
"Potions with Sev. It's in the dungeons." Apollo smiled and started walking towards the dungeons. Luckily, no one was outside the bathroom. "Can you put me down?" I asked. Apollo just shook his head and followed my directions to the dungeons.
Sev jumped up and bowed when he saw Apollo enter the potions classroom. "No need to bow," Apollo said. "I never liked it." He set me down in the chair I pointed to. "I'm going to visit Freya. I'll be in your dorm after the D.A. meeting, Nina." I smiled at my boyfriend and waved goodbye to him. Sev and I shut our eyes as he flashed away. Sev just smirked at me as everyone else entered the classroom.
Apollo's POV
I flashed into the entrance hall of Sirius Black's house. I snapped my fingers to shut up the son of Hermes' grovelling mother's portrait. What did Hermes see in her? "Freya, Black," I called. A little blonde head poked out from behind the kitchen door. Sirius Black's head peered out from above my daughter's. I raised an eyebrow at the man as he threw the door the rest of the way open. Sirius quickly bowed. "I hate when people growled," I groaned.
"I know, Apollo," Sirius smirked. Freya peeked out from behind Sirius' legs.
"Your name is Apollo?" my baby asked. I nodded as i knelt down in front of Freya. "Siri says my daddy is called Apollo too. Can I tell this man who my daddy is, Siri?" Freya looked up at Sirius with large eyes. I noticed they were the same color as mine. "Can I tell him about my mommy too?"
"Sure, midget," Sirius said as he turned to go finish what he had been doing. I assumed it wa cooking lunch because of the smell of turkey coming from the kitchen.
"Who's your mommy?" I asked first.
"Well," Freya frowned, "she's not my real mommy. My real mommy was mean. She didn't like me. She said I'm the reason Daddy left. My new mommy's name is Nina. She's really nice. She's my favorite person. She took me away from my real mommy. Nina is the bestest mommy ever!"
"I'm glad you like Nina," I smiled.
"Why?" Freya asked.
"Because, sunshine, I'm your daddy."
"Really?" I nodded. "Why did you leave me with my mean mommy. Why couldn't you have stayed or taken me with you? Siri told me that it's because you're a god, but I still don't get it." I picked Freya up and held her close to my chest. My little girl wrapped her arms around me and stared up at me with innocent eyes. She was my only child to have the same eyes as me. The others all had lighter shades of blue. "Did you not want me, Daddy?"
I looked down at Freya again. Tears were forming in her wide eyes. "Of course I wanted you, sunshine," I whispered hoarsely. All I could think about was the fact that I had made my daughter cry. "There are certain laws even gods have to follow. My father Zeus made one a really long time ago. He said that gods couldn't raise their children. He made it because I was spending too much time with my kids and not enough time on Olympus. I love all my children, Freya. Especially you. I wanted to take you away from Natasha so badly, sunshine. I wasn't allowed to. You could have been hurt if I did. I couldn't stand you getting hurt, Freya. I love you too much." Freya wrapped her little arms around me in a hug.
"Don't leave me, Daddy," Freya whispered. Her voice was so soft i wouldn't have heard it had I not been a god.
"I'll have to, baby girl. I can only stay a few more hours." I didn't want of leave my little girl, but I knew I would have to less Zeus find out.
"But I just got you, and I have so many questions for you!"
"I can stay for a few hours, sunshine," I promised. Sirius came in with three plates. They all had mac and cheese on them. I smiled and took two. I sat down on the couch Sirius gestured to and put the two plates on the table in front of it.
"I'll leave you two alone," Sirius said with a slight smile. I nodded my thanks at my nephew as he walked back into the kitchen.
"Why do you call me sunshine," was Freya's first question.
"Because I'm the god of the sun. Since you're my daughter, it made sense to call you sunshine."
That made Freya giggle. "Why were you glad that Nina is my new mommy?" she asked.
"Um, well," I stammered. Why do little kids ask questions like that? How do you tell a child you love someone who isn't their mother? "Nina and I...Nina and I love each other a whole lot. We're dating and when she graduates school, I'm going to ask her to marry me, Freya."
"Yay," Freya cheered. "Then, Nina will be my real mommy!" I sighed in relief. Freya was okay with it.
Nina's POV
I was in D.A.D.A. Lav hadn't shown up for any other classes. Vati had gone to check on her during lunch. I closed my eyes as I felt an intrusion in my mind. I recognized it as Apollo and let the love of my life in.
I went to visit Freya, came Apollo's cheerful voice.
How did it go?" I asked.
Great! She is very happy that you're her mommy by the way.
Awe, I have to go. Umbridge is looking at me. Tell Freya I love her. Love you, bye.
I love you too. I'll see you after your D.A. meeting.
"Miss Jackson," Umbridge shouted. "Get that ridiculous smile off your face and pay attention!"
"Sorry, Professor," I grinned. "I can't stop smiling though. I'm way too happy."
"And why is that?" Umbridge snarled.
"Freya called me her mommy," I giggled.
"That is so sweet," giggled Parvati.
"Isn't it? "Morgan went to go talk to her today," I told my friend.
"Who on earth are Morgan and Freya?" Umbridge demanded.
"Morgan is my boyfriend," I grinned. "He's the best. Freya is um, his sister. He takes care of her because their parents disowned them."
"What did he do?" Hermione demanded.
"Nothing," I snapped at the girl. "It's none of your business now is it?"
"I thought you found Freya abused on the streets," Hermione sneered.
"I did," I growled. "Morgan's parents gave her up for adoption in England. He immediately recognized her when I olwed him a picture of her."
"Silence," Umbridge ordered. "How old is this boy?" Umbridge asked eagerly. She was probably hoping to bust me. In wizarding England, a couple can only be a maximum of four years apart while the youngest partner is below the age of seventeen.
"Nineteen," I said smugly. Four year difference, perfect. It was more like a four millennia difference, but Umbridge didn't need to know that. Umbridge glared at me and carried on with the lesson. I shot a smug look at her.
At the D.A. meeting, we practiced impedimenta, stupefy, and expelliarmus. Everyone had advanced very far. We were all doing really well. I looked over at Lav. Her eyes were glazed as she shot a stunner at Luna. Luna easily deflected it. I'm pretty sure Lavender missed Percy more than I did. I had really been looking forward to showing Percy Freya.
After the meeting, Harry asked me to hang back and help him clean up a bit. I agreed for some reason. I really wanted to see Apollo, who was waiting for me in my dorm, but I was too nice to deny Harry. We were the only ones left.I started picking up pieces of confetti that had fallen from the ceiling. I attempted to move to the trash can, but found my feet stuck to the ground.
Harry was smirking at me. I looked up to see mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. Great, I'm stuck under magical mistletoe and Harry is the only one in the room. I could have just called to Apollo in my mind, but it completely went blank. The only thing I registered was Harry leaning in towards me. I clenched my eyes shut. Maybe I could pretend he was Apollo.
I cringed when Harry's lips connected with mine. His lips were chapped and rough. They were nothing like Apollo's soft, smooth ones. I immediately pulled back when I felt my feet shift. I wiped my mouth on my arm and ran from the room.
I rushed up the stairs and into my dorm. Thank Apollo Hermione was in the bathroom. Lav and Vati were sleeping. I would tell them in the morning. I pulled my pajamas on quickly and jumped into my bed. Apollo was lying on my bed with his face buried in my pillow. I tapped his shoulder and he flipped over. He flashed his infamous grin at me and pulled me into his chest. I snuggled up into him. I told him about what happened after the meeting. Apollo growled and lifted my chin. I gazed up into his fierce sapphire eyes. I had never seen something so beautiful.
Apollo leaned down. I stretched my neck and sighed as our lips connected. Apollo's smooth lips moved in sync with my own. "What was that for?" I gasped as he pulled away.
"To get him off of your mouth," Apollo frowned. I smiled and wrapped my arms tighter around my boyfriend's neck.
"Stay the night?" I begged.
"Of course," Apollo whispered. He snapped his fingers. "Now no one can look in. I'll wake you up before I have to leave. Sweet dreams."
"Good night, amore," I smiled before closing my eyes.