Hiya lads, I'm back with a new chapter. Hopefully this one is better than the last-sorry about the mess that was the last chapter. (Not proofread yet, if you find mistakes you can scream at me in the reviews or comments.)
Also, if you were wondering why I didn't upload? Well, I was busy finishing the scythe trilogy these few days. A fun trilogy to read, but I'll explain my reasonings below. Just know that I'm sorry for not uploading, even if it was for a good reason.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
With that, her eyelids shit and she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
Yet, hundreds, possibly thousands of feet below her, a sinister force was already plotting their next move.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Thalia and Persia sat on the bed in their hotel room in Los Angeles, their backs against the headboard, with Persia leaning on her shoulder as she dozed.
Why? They went to the underworld to visit their uncle Hades. To see if Nico had suddenly popped back up, of course.
He gave them no good news, instead reporting on sudden disappearances or multiple souls in his domain, as well as a major disturbance within the pit. He gave them two Stygian iron bracelets with small Stygian ice connectors which could be smashed to summon the undead to fight, as a gift of searching for Nico when Olympus shut itself off and offered no help.
Persia gave her bracelet to her.
Now, after the slightly exhausting trip, they were resting in the hotel room they rented for the night. They had gotten more financial backing from the god of the riches, and had purchased a bit more supplies from local areas. Aphrodite and Hestia also dropped in to visit briefly, yet her heart yearned for the closeness she witnessed between Persia and hestia.
If only her father was less shit…
She had gotten used to the close contact her half-cousin gave her now, since she was frequently in close contact with her the past day. Still, it sent irritatingly soothing and fuzzy tingles down her spine every time Persia came into contact with her.
Looking at Persia besides her, she couldn't help but smile as her hand moved to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Her hair was down, out of the usual plait she had it in. Persia was warm and snuggly, and she wanted this moment to last forever.
Just her and Persia in this hotel room, snuggled up against each other, with the television on, resting under the covers as they shared body warmth.
She realized that they acted closer than a pair of siblings…mostly because of her actions. Others would probably raise an eyebrow at this, but she didn't care.
She wanted to be next to Persia every single moment she could.
She knew it would be impossible.
This was frustrating…all of this.
She wanted to just have peace in life. She wanted love.
And she was denied both.
Now, they were making their way to San Francisco. Persia remembered people dressed in roman armor near the caldecott tunnel. So, they were headed there…
She hoped that everything would be smooth sailing.
Sighing lightly, she rested her head against Persia's as she pulled the cover up around them. The television droned on as her eyelids drooped.
Tomorrow, they'd drive over to San Francisco as soon as possible. The quicker they find Nico, the better.
Persia would be quickly reunited with Artemis. She would be happy, and she'd happily remain next to Persia's side as her sibling…
Right?
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Persia pointed at the crumbling stone house that rested in the clearing. "Is that what we're supposed to find?" She whispered.
They'd been going around San Francisco, and so far they'd stumbled upon some demigods who pointed them in the general direction near this…forest.
Something about the start of their journey?
Still, they were unsure about what was going on…
And now they were perched atop a tree, looking at the wobbly, crumbling stone house that occupied the clearing. An evil, menacing aura pressed down on them, but they couldn't quite pinpoint where it was radiating from other than in front of them.
"I think so," Thalia whispered back, "They said something about the wolf house…"
"But is it supposed to be like…you know, this?" She replied, and Thalia shrugged. "Maybe. No one really told us how it looks…"
They fell into an uneasy silence as they continued to observe the house. The unnerving and unnatural silence that permeated the air was terrifying-there were no birds, no animals, no sounds of nature in the clearing and area.
The leaves barely rustled. The air was still and heavy, and the house and clearing clearly radiated a sense of power and corruption.
"We should get out of here quickly…this desn't feel right." Her cousin said, a nervous glint in her eye…but also a hint of worry. Her voice, even if it was barely a whisper, seemed to echo around the still clearing crisply and loudly.
She glanced around for anything which could pop up at any moment, gripping her twin karambits in her hands tightly. The small pendant on her necklace, which normally burned brightly, reflecting her emotions, had a dim and muted fire.
"Yeah, we should." She replied, equally quiet yet still horribly aware of how loud she seemed to be. The silence of the clearing was too unnerving. Something was aloof.
She just didn't know what.
Motioning for Thalia to cover her back, she crept backwards, slowly returning the way they came.
And then the leaves rustled.
Immediately, she stopped as she whirled around to face the sound, raising her twin knives in a defensive posture. A leaf some distance away was trembling, so something was clearly here, inside the forest with them.
Thalia's back softly collided with hers, and she glanced over to see that her cousin had taken up a defensive stance too.
Leaves rustled, the sound painfully loud as it echoed through the still clearing. She could faintly hear footfalls coming from the general direction, and she gripped her knives even tighter, expecting an attack. Thalia too, finally gave up on stealth, choosing to brandish Aegis, the shield spinning out of the bracelet it appeared as with a hollow metal shink.
The leaves nearby trampled, and Persia knew that whatever was there, had their sights set on the pair. "Who's there?" She asked, her voice carrying across the clearing and through the forest.
The bushes rustled more.
She lowered further into a defensive stance.
And then a wolf with chocolate red fur emerged.
It's silver eyes bore into them both, the predatory gaze staring deep into her soul as it looked them up and down.
And then it spoke in a feminine tone.
Cubs. You must turn back. She is here.
"Wait-who?" She asked, but the wolf only stared at her some more, before turning it's back on her.
I cannot say more, cub. You are a hunter. You know danger. Turn back. Seek me out another time.
She was perplexed. How did this wolf know that they were hunters? After all, they weren't dressed as Hunters. Silver worked when they were moving as a group-it intimidated monsters into knowing who they were defeated by. With only two of them, wearing silver would be painting a target on their own backs.
"How do you know we are hunters?" Thalia took the question out of her mouth, but the wolf merely tilted it's head and directed it's inquisitive gaze at them both, before speaking again.
Child of Hestia, daughter of Zeus,
Seeking Rome, baring grave news.
Tapestry of fate and destiny collide,
To bring victory and turn the tide.
Lost hunters, broken heart,
Reunited when order departs.
One force divided, tensions high,
Beware listener, for the end is nigh.
Her eyes widened. Yet another prophecy…this time, predicting their arrival…
"A prophecy." Thalia said besides here, and the wolf nodded.
Yes. A prophecy. The third one thus far, I believe. The Prophecy of nine, the Ancient texts, both predicting a war. And now a third.
Wait, the Ancient texts?
By the looks of it, she wasn't the only one confused.
"Ancient texts…?" Thalia asked, features clearly voicing confusion.
The wolf nodded.
The Sibylline texts. The ancient book of prophecies. Most of it burned when rome burned. Three survived.
So that's how the wolf knew…
But, enough loitering, the wolf resumed, forging past them, the house of wolves is no longer safe. Dangers reside. Earthborn creatures lurk. We must leave.
Follow me, cubs.
Taking a defensive stance still, both of them followed the wolf out of the silent clearing, every footfall, no matter how quiet, sending a resonating sound throughout the noiseless area. Her skin crawled with dread and fear, and Thalia seemed to be creeped out by everything. Eventually though, natural wind started to rustle the leaves, birds began chirping in the distance and the evil presence loosened it's oppressive hold on them.
In front of them, the wolf stopped. Cubs, it said, turning around to face them, I can only accompany you till here. Your journey will be long and arduous. Trust in your abilities. I have faith that you will succeed.
They stood speechless as they watched the wolf stare inquisitively at them for a few more seconds, it's silver eyes sizing them up once more before it turned and began to retreat into the forest. Suddenly, she had a thought-
"WAIT! Who are you? At least…a name?"
The wolf halted in it's tracks. Greek child…If it were up to me, I would not tell you. But since the circumstances require it…my name, is Lupa. Goddess of wolves.
She paused for a bit, before turning away. Head to the tunnel. You know what you must seek.
With that, the wolf goddess turned and bounded away into the forest, presumably to warn those who were foolish enough to enter.
Like them.
Thalia, who was next to her, had a face full of confusion. "What do we seek? What do you know? How-I don't understand! What's going on?" Her half-cousin yelled, but she had a good idea what wa happening.
And she was stunned by the revelations of it.
"Thalia…" she said, and her half cousin turned to face her. "You know…um, the 'myths'?"
Thalia rolled her eyes. "Duh. We're living in a world full of 'myths' right now."
"Well…do you know who Lupa is?"
"I know who is dua lipa. I don't know who is Lupa the wolf goddess."
SHe sighed lightly. "Well…Lupa is essentially Chiron-"
Her half cousin's eyes widened at that, but she continued, "-But she's roman. She raised the brothers who founded rome."
"So…she's a goddess. A roman goddess…so romans exist?"
She nodded. "I think it's the only logical explanation, Thals. Somehow, the romans exist. Somehow, no one had any knowledge of this. And somehow…we're going to find them."
Thalia was silent for a few moments, glancing around at the natural foliage. Finally, she sighed and pocketed her can of mace. "Well, if that's what we have to do…"
"It is what we have to do, Thals…the prophecy said so. Aphrodite said so. And now, a roman goddess said so. Somehow, we're going to reach the roman camp…though I doubt it's as easy as the first few times I've been there-"
"Wait, wait, hold up." Thalia said, "the first few times you've been there? Why-"
"I didn't know. I literally didn't." She replied, slightly exasperated. "I only rescued demigods wherever I found them…I didn't know some of them were roman. But it makes sense…their aura felt off putting, weird…like they weren't exactly us. Now I get it…but it should be harder for me to get to their camp. Especially if it's nearby."
Thalia nodded. "So…no more driving?"
"I doubt it would be as easy as pulling up next to the service tunnel entrance and hopping out, Thals," She replied.
"Still, there's a chance it's just like that."
"Okay, fine. We'll go back to the hotel's garage and get the lambo. Deal?"
"Deal!"
— — — — le time skip — — — —
Of course, nothing went as simply as they planned.
First, the lambo ran out of gas just a short distance away from the city. Odd, considering the gas tank was refueled just yesterday…but okay.
And then the monsters began popping up.
They had to push the lambo onto the roadside and lock it. They were too far from any gas station, and neither of them wanted to risk separating too long from one another.
They could only hope that no one nabbed the lambo while they were at it. It was their form of travel, gifted to them by a god, no less.
Thalia and her did a quick job of most of these random monsters. An earthborn, some hellhounds she gladly took command of, dracaenae, two Empousa, and a small group of cyclops.
They still reminded her of Tyson.
Oddly enough though, there seemed to be more…monsters, if you could call them that. Evil, dark floating shades with some form of earthen skin, floating around, and when they spotted them they soared at great speeds and were near deadly enough to take them down easily.
Apparently, only light and her twin karambits affected these earthen shades.
Her butterfly knife was subsequently handed over to Thalia, who found out that fire was quite a good weapon against these things too.
Then…there were the walking corpses, stitched back together by dirt and earth and plant tendrils.
These were straight out of a horror movie. Whatever those were, at least. They were more sluggish than the average mortal human, but had deadly strength- one nearly crushed the bark of a tree just by hitting it.
She couldn't imagine how deadly their strength was.
These people looked to be angry, resentful. As if they were forcefully pulled from somewhere to serve as soldiers. She could feel the range and anger as they struck-not at their captors though.
At them.
These walking corpses believed that it was their fault they were stuck like this.
Just this kill, and we'll be let go!
KILL THEM!
These creatures terrified her.
Fortunately, anything that killed a mortal killed these things. Including rocks and sticks. Which meant they had a slightly easier time by hurling random objects at them and shattering their earthen skin.
Their normally relaxing journey, normally only occasionally broken by the small crock climb, would be frequently interrupted by a few of these monsters. Not few enough so they could quickly get over it, but not too many so as to overwhelm them.
It felt as if a higher force was ordering these monsters to surround them, tail them, annoy them.
Not enough to kill, but not too few to pose no threat.
Like a higher being was toying with them.
Finally, after a long and exhausting journey, they came across a small stream and a clearing. With water being one of her affinities, and it's ability to conduct lightning, they decided to set up camp nearby. They split their night into two shifts-the first one being manned by her, and the second one manned by Thalia. They'd break camp at 6, and continue on their journey to the service tunnel…and discover what lay beyond the end of the tunnel.
Sitting by the campfire, she rubbed her rings as she stared into the fire. Her senes were hyper alert, and one singular hellhound sat by the campfire next to her, it's lava red eyes staring into the forest, obeying her every command.
She missed Mrs O'Leary. Apparently camp half blood (read, Zeus) had killed her after she was denounced and thrown away.
The fire soothed her nerves and calmed her state of being. The dark and dim night helped too.
She pondered about…everything as she glanced into the fire, her every sense alert as she thought.
Thalia, she had noticed, seemed to act slightly strangely. She had lingering glances, prolonged contact and distance thoughts even when she was around. She seemed to be protective of her, or maybe…something else.
And the worst part? She was beginning to understand why.
Sometimes, she decided to put her hands on Thaila's. Sometimes, she decided to lean on Thalia's shoulder and take a deep, relaxing breath. Sometimes, she would have the urge to kiss her on the cheek.
And then there was this feeling which resurfaced…
She tried to push this down. She knew this was inappropriate. She saw Thalia as a cousin, for fucks sake! She couldn't be in love with her cousin!
…was she?
No, no, she wasn't like this. Thalia was her cousin. Nothing more.
Though, she wondered how they were this close.
Children of the big three notoriously never got together well…so why was she and Thalia so close?
Did she love Thalia in a way she didn't know yet?
No, no, NO. She wasn't. Besides, Thalia could just be glad she was here. She could just be afraid of her and wanted reassurance.
Yes, definitely that.
Next to her, the hellhound lightly growled. Three hours, milady.
"Thank you, Daniels."
A pleasure, milady. I will have your…cousin wake you in three hours.
"No need. She'll wake me eventually, Daniels. But, thanks."
My pleasure.
With that, she stood from beside the campfire and Walked back towards the tent, her emotions still conflicted.
Why did she have these feelings? Was Artemis not enough for her? She wasn't someone who wanted to seek a polygamous relationship. She wanted peace and quiet. Not multiple lovers.
She felt ashamed. Ashamed for herself, ashamed of her feelings.
As she opened the tent though, everything stopped as her brain halted it's thought process…
As she set her sights onto Thalia's peaceful sleeping form.
Her features were still, filled with peace and mirth. Her lips curled up in a small smile, her normally spiky black hair spread out across her pillow. She hugged her sleeping bag, curled up in a comfortable position.
Her heart melted.
Slowly zipping the tent flap shut, she crawled over to Thalia as she lay next to her. She was breathing out in cute little puffs, and a small yet heartfelt smile creeped onto her face as she gazed lovingly at her half-cousin.
She felt a longing the in her heart, a sense of incompleteness as her gaze, full of love and adoration, stared at her half-housin's face.
Was this why she still stuck around, comforting her even in the darkest of her times?
Was this why she was willing to listen, willing to be by her side?
Because she loved her more than just a sibling?
And…by not acknowledging Thalia's feelings or behavior, did she…hurt her?
She felt tears well up in her eyes as she crawled over to Thalia's side. "Oh, Thals. If only we met under better circumstances…I'm sorry if I hurt you, I'm so sorry…"
Running her hand through Thalia's hair, her half-cousin gave her a content sigh as she snuggled against her sleeping bag, curling up comfortably. She trailed a hand down her cheek, lamenting at the fact that she'd somehow gotten herself into this situation.
Thalia, who she'd met after she returned from her stasis period in the tree…she had already quickly formed a bond with her, even it it was two headstrong people butting against each other. Somehow, through the turbulent war, they managed to strengthen their bond and grow closer than ever…
And then she changed.
Now, somehow Thalia was falling for her.
And she had fallen for Thalia.
Or, maybe, that already occurred a long time ago.
She didn't know which was worse. She had Artemis-Thalia was forbidden from love. Any move she made would hurt someone…and she didn't want to see anyone be hurt.
She rested her palm against Thalia's cheek as she sighed, softly caressing Thalia's cheek as her thoughts wandered.
Her cousin looked so at peace when she slept. Her harsh edge and dangerously calm was gone, replaced by warmth, mirth and peace.
She didn't want to wake her up, back into the real world when she could be peacefully sleeping, knowing that Thalia spending time alone could lead to so rash choices, some unwise thoughts that could very well lead to her hurting herself.
So, she let her sleep.
Kissing her cousin lightly on the forehead, she put her arms around her cousin's neck and embraced her lightly, wishing that there was a perfect world in which it was just the three of them, including Artemis, loving each other, setting aside their differences.
No jealousy, no tension, no uncomfortable moments.
Just utter and pure love.
She knew she'd never get any of those.
Somehow, she loved both girls as if she was bound to them. Her bond with Thalia was only going to get stronger since the day she, back when she was still a he, met her, her lightning blue eyes sparking dangerously yet with a sense of vulnerability underneath.
Maybe that's why she chose to be close, to protect her no matter what.
She didn't want to let any more harm come her half cousin's way. Yet, she knew that any decision she made concerning love and relationships would harm Thalia.
Slowly disengaging from her embrace, she leaned forwards, and after a few moments of deliberation, leaned forwards and planted a chaste kiss to Thalia's lips.
Thalia let out a content sigh in her sleep, her soft lips humming against hers as she continued her peaceful slumber.
She didn't know why she did it. She felt it was only right, even if Thalia didn't know.
She wanted to express her love to the utmost degree she could…and to apologize for what was to come.
Stepping back out of the tent and sparing Thalia one last longing glance, she went back outside and splashed water onto her face, instantly rejuvenated by the water. Flicking away drops of water, she walked back over to the campfire, where the hellhound Daniels was still standing guard, obedient as ever.
Milady? He asked, clearly confused. Isn't the other mistress going to take watch?
"She…looked too peaceful," she said dreamily, "I don't want to. I have water-I'll be fine."
You are too kind for your own good, Milady, he said, before turning back to keep watch. I can stand watch. Humans must rest. You especially, Milady.
"No…I won't, I will still have to protect her." She smiled lightly, before sitting down on the grass besides Daniels. "But thank you."
The fire crackled lightly as she began to lose herself in further thought.
She knew she would have to prevent this love from forming, no matter what. She was in the early stages of realizing their love.
So was Thalia.
It was better to break this off first. She had Artemis. Plus, Thalia was someone she had come to see as a close sibling.
There was no way she would be willing to get into a relationship with her cousin in all but blood.
Yes, that was that.
No more thoughts of love. Bad Persia.
Looking back at the tent, she made up her resolve. Thalia and her co-depended on each other to survive, and no matter what, she would see her as a cousin and a cousin only.
She would stay close to Thalia, until this journey ended. And then…she'd have to distance herself. Some way or the other, she would have to prevent Thalia from seeing her.
And then maybe her feelings would then dim and die out, like a dying candle flame on a windy night.
She knew this would hurt. She knew she would be hurting. But there was simply no world where a polygamous relationship would work out, with Artemis of all people.
Or beings, she mused.
Regardless, she hoped that this would work.
Little did she know, she was already far too late.
Maybe someday…
She pushed that thought away. It wasn't gonna help.
Sighing, she stared into the fire, her gaze saddened by the thought of what she had to do.
Why couldn't things have remained simple?
Just…why?
"I'm sorry, Thals," she whispered to no one in particular, "I'm sorry for having to do what I'll do."
She paused, letting out a heavy sigh.
"Can you forgive me?"
The silence of the night gave her the answer.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Thalia awoke to sunlight streaming onto her face.
"Thalia," she heard Persia say softly, "it's daybreak. We gotta move."
She rubbed sleep out of her eyes, before Persia's words registered.
"It's daybreak?"
She immediately scrambled for her can of mace and her bracelet. "Why didn't you wake me? You stood watch for 6 hours, Persia! You need sleep!"
"I didn't want to wake you,Thals-Thalia. You looked…peaceful." Her response came, Persia's voice impossibly soft. She noticed how she changed suddenly from calling her nickname to calling her full name, but she shrugged it off.
She was too busy admiring Persia.
She looked like a goddess, her hair illuminated by the soft sunlight, casting an ethereal glow that surrounded her. Her features were more pronounced, and her eyes shone in her own shadow.
She, for once, appreciated how cute her half-cousin just was.
But that was what she forever would be to her.
Turning away to hide her sadness, she pretended to pack a few things into her backpack. "Where to now?" She asked, and Persia immediately responded, "the caldecott tunnel, duh."
For a moment, Persia was back to her old, joyful self, and Thalia wondered why she suddenly switched. Before she could though, Persia was already outside, rubbing the hellhound's head lightly before ordering it away.
She smiled at the charming scene. If that hellhound had been brown, and Persia didn't have her weapons on her, it'd almost look like a fun camping trip with a dog.
Oh, how she longed for everything to just be normal once again…
Shaking her head, she tried to clear her mind. They had a journey ahead of them.
She could not let herself be distracted.
Grumbling lightly, she began to take down the tent they camped in. Persia came in to help, and though they worked in tandem, silent, it was uncomfortable and off-putting.
She shuddered,
She just wanted this to be over, for now.
— — — — — another time skip — — — — —
"Shit! Behind you!" Persia yelled, and she spun around to notice a dracaenae pouncing towards her, features twisted as it leapt, sword in hand.
A celestial bronze spear was rammed through it's gut, and she pulled her spear out as the dracaenae disintegrated into golden dust.
They had fallen into a trap. Their journey had been unusually free of monsters, Ayer they had been both in guard, even after a hellhound had appeared and told Persia they were safe.
Some instinct told them not to trust it.
And they were grateful for it.
Because, nearing the path where Persia had taken when she first went to camp Jupiter, the trap was sprung.
Monsters, hundreds of gruesome, twisted creatures, exploded out of the trees, howling, screeching, yelling, brandishing their weapons or claws. They barely had time to react before the monsters hit them.
Persia, who was once again taking the rearguard, was slashing and stabbing like a demon. Her movements were in a flurry, seemingly like a whirlwind as she wielded her twin daggers like they were simply extensions of her hands. She kicked and punched with fury, soaring no monster who advanced towards them as golden dust swirled in the air.
As for herself, she was fighting a way through the sea of monsters. Her spear, though only able to take out one monster at a time, was still able to jab a way through the monsters as she fought and bashed into oncoming monsters with her shield. Golden dust paved a grainy carpet for them as they advanced down the path, slaughtering any which came in her way.
Soon, she could see the end of the horde. Around them, the hundreds upon hundreds of monsters who had once been filling every break and crevice in the tree line were beginning to thin out. She was able to move forwards with greater ease, pushing past monsters easily as Persia decimated them in her wake.
And then, something wrenched in her gut.
Something was about to happen-
A swish.
A dulled squelch.
A surprised gasp.
It made her turn around in shock and fright.
And there stood Persia…
With a sword impaled in her gut.
Red blood coated the other side of the blade, the sickening liquid dripping down the tip that pierced Persia's gut.
Rage filled her system, and the air began crackling and smelling of ozone.
And then everything exploded.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Persia felt pain and pain only, a cold numbness spreading through her stomach and her limbs.
"Persia!" Thalia yelled, running over to her in a few quick steps as she leaned sideways. "C'mon, Perce, stay with me. Focus on something. Stay."
She coughed, feeling a warm liquid coat her lips as thalia grimaced, "C'mon, Perce. Just a Hit. We're on the path now. Come on. Hang in there."
She nodded, unable to speak. Her mind was foggy, and her vision swam.
"Persia." Thalia's voice sounded far away, and she could feel herself stumbling and falling. Warm liquid spilled out of her lips, and she could hear panicked yelps and Thalia's grip tightening on her numbing arm.
Was she even feeling pain? Or was that just her imagination?
She feebly moved her legs, but she could feel herself getting dragged along faster than she should be. Her feet touched hard, grainy asphalt, and cars honked and whistled past as she tried to struggle and open her eyes.
She couldn't.
Her head was heavy, and her heart painfully thudded. Every breath she took was raspy and Ian full and her limbs were growing cold and numb.
Her body was shutting down.
Was she going to die?
Did she fail thalia?
What was going to happen…?
She felt her limbs going limp, her head lolling, her mind shutting down.
Her last thought before everything went black was, "I'm sorry, Thalia."
"I'm sorry I failed."
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Thalia ran through the trees and onto the highway, cars speeding and honking as they passed,
Behind her, straggler monsters chased them down, though they numbered barely a dozen now.
Persia's blood ran down her front as she coughed, while a trail of blood dripped from her ripped hoodie onto the ground.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the highway.
Her boots smacked against the asphalt as she ran, Persia still slung limply over her shoulders.
And there she saw it.
The service tunnel entrance Persia had described.
Two people, dressed in Roman armor with gold weapons, were standing at the entrance of the service tunnel. One, a dude was looking off into the distance, transfixed at the monsters charging after her and Persia, but the other, a dark-skinned girl, noticed the pair struggling towards them.
She saw her nudge the first Roman before pointing at them. Immediately, they both ran towards her, who had, somehow, dodged cars while carrying an increasingly limp Persia.
"Persia," she whispered, "stay with me, please!"
She received a whimper in response.
Blood coated Persia's midsection as she struggled to drag persia into the tunnel. Behind them, the guy was already shooting arrows into the group of monsters as the girl helped take Persia's other side. Persia's body was light and slightly shorter than her, but she still had difficulty lugging her limp halfxcousing into the tunnel.
A gruesome trail of blood continued to drip from Persia's midsection as she and the Roman girl helped Persia through the tunnel…before a stunning sight greeted her.
In front of them was a militaristic looking camp surrounded by a flowing moat. There was a massive wall surrounding the entire length, and writhing the way there seemed to be yet another walled structure. The whole place seemed to be in a valley, but past the walls she could see the tall structures of a gleaming, large city, reflecting the sunlight off the domes and slanted roof that was within.
Behind them, the guy finally caught up. She noted that he had Asian features, and was buff-not like the natural looking type, but more like a muscleman type of buff. More or less like a model than a warrior.
She grumbled impatiently as the drawbridge slowly lowered, with people in roman legionary armor rushing about within. Some had stretchers and were dressed in leather armor.
She assumed they were medics.
With the drawbridge halfway down, she began staggering forwards, Persia having gone fully limp by now. "Medics!" The Roman girl beside her yelled, and stretcher bearers ran forwards, along with some others wearing plain T-shirts and hoodies. Immediately, they descended upon her, lifting Persia off hers and the Roman girl's shoulder as they laid her on a stretcher. They didn't pull out the sword, merely securing it as the group ran towards the city in the background.
She sank to her knees, tired and terrified, heart pounding from the adrenaline rush she experienced.
Was she too late?
Did she miss her chance of ever being with Persia…
She regretted everything.
Not taking her chance.
Not saying those three words that could have easily changed her fate.
Numbly, she felt herself being guided towards the militaristic structure behind the first wall.
Had she made a mistake?
Had she screwed up?
She felt numb. The sight of Persia, a sword through her gut, imprinted in her mind.
Was Persia okay?
Would she make it?
She was only snapped out of her thoughts by a female voice in front of her.
Looking up, she saw the hard, black orbs of a Latino girl, who was wearing an ornate piece of armor and a purple cape.
And then her words registered in her mind.
"We need to talk."
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
A/N: and that's chapter 20!
Hoorah!
So, Persia and Thalia resume their journey to camp Jupiter, the wolf house is occupied by some evil spirit (no spoilers), Persia contemplates life, and then she gets a wound that can be fatal. Fun, right? Wanna see what's next? Go follow and find out! (Not compulsory, it's Just to show your support.)
Anyway, so a bit of a tangent here-I did take a break in writing to read and enhance my skills (hopefully). Yeah, it was the 'scythe' trilogy, and though not the best book out there (though it's not bad, and I enjoyed it), I did learn to write…well, a bit more. I'm gonna try to start the young elites trilogy soon, and try to learn from that as well. The Shadow Hunters mortal instruments series, which I bough again recently (along with the two aforementioned trilogies) will be read sometime soon.
Regardless, hopefully you all enjoyed, go follow or favorite or both (favoriting doesn't give you chapter updates though, if you want notifications on when I post these you should follow the story instead). If you're on wattpad, voting for any chapter is fine for me-hell, even adding it to your libraries or lists is already enough (even though I can't see how many lists you all have added, it still helps me a lot by showing your support).
Soo, after 6 (5 technically, but I prefer 6) days of not uploading, I'm back! And I present to you, review responses!
Only on FFN, obviously. If you're over on wattpad and wanna see what the folks are saying over on FFN, feel free to drop in and check it out.
Right, enough procrastinating. Responses:
Chapter 10: (god, I do have quite the number of reviews I haven't responded to don't I)
Ichika aono:yep! This issue was brought up quite a few times, and I honestly am annoyed at my brain for doing this. My apologies if it was confusing. In the scenario you referred to, Zeus wanted Persia, who the god still refers to as a he, to come back and fight for them-keep in mind, he still believes the banishment and enchanted demigod scent thingy was still in force, though…dying and being resurrected as a completely different person does kind of break that, innit?
Chapter 17:
CommanderDuck14: Yep! Completely forgot the arrow in her side, blame my brain having the shittiest memory in all of mankind. (At least, the shittiest memory in my household)
The Grand Canyon sequence…it's just a bit ironic. Every HOO fic has that, so…might as well. Why not, innit? Though it can be a tad bit cliché, and it does get annoying so I tried to change things up a bit. Still, the sequence…meh. No Percy. (Or persia in this case…until later, of course.)
Also, there was indeed a hint that the hunters were coming to the Grand Canyon. Since this time it's nico who's gone, and with Persia being her sibling and in the hunt AND being close to Artemis, convincing her to search for a demigod isn't that hard…I guess. Crashing the RSS Perlia was fun though (please don't click off, there is a good reason for this), but I don't plan for it to just crash. It'll 'submerge under the sea and through the earth, into the molten core and re-emerge'. And yes, I just spilled the plot for you if you can connect the very visible dots.
Anyway, more grammatical errors, woohoo! I need to get a beta…or maybe not. Who knows.
Cheers lad!
Ryan Fowler (apparently FFN missed these 2 reviews. Idk what, or how): idk how to respond to be honest- thanks for being an understanding and supportive reader. Also…not my intention to leave you all on a cliffhanger (since I bloody hate them) but…here we are!
Anon: yeah, I'm okay now. Just…more frequent gaps between uploads, and that's hopefully it. If things get hairy (since I apparently need to learn approximately 3 years of university course level knowledge in 2 years to get articulated into uni) I'll just put a short A/N stating my hiatus. Hopefully everything's fine.
Also, thanks for supporting, and hopefully I didn't disappoint with the Perlia parts.
Chapter 18:
Ryan Fowler: thank you lad, I hope so too!
CommanderDuck14: I think I know which author you're talking about…and I think I follow his story too.
Also, bleh. (Nah, seriously, I will try my best to make this three-way ship work by focusing on Perlia for now.)
Anon: ohhh lol, it's fine-one extra Review is one extra review. Thanks for your support, and I do hope I get my dream job…someday. Anyway, I can legally drink champagne now, so let's pop open a bottle and celebrate!
*shakes before popping open champagne bottle*
Errr…I really made a massive mess, didn't I.
Chapter 19:
Ryan Fowler: thank you! That chapter was kinda rushed, not all that good :/ still glad you liked it, and I'll need to have it fixed in the future.
Anon: Thank you! Glad you liked this chapter!
Anyway, that's it for reviews, and I'll see you in the next chapter where things hopefully settle down and you all can enjoy a fun, calm chapter with no need to rush, no death and minimal violence…
Or maybe not.
Who knows?
Regardless, I'll commit poof now-bye!
-Le idiot out
