It had been a nightmare that had woken Percy up.

As soon as he and Jason had arrived back on the ship, Percy had returned to his cabin without a word to anyone, save Annabeth. He had left his cousin to explain what had transpired and trusted him enough to not go through all the details. That was something he had wanted to discuss with his girlfriend privately, but the exhaustion had prevented him from doing it before

Now, Percy was awakened, but to his irritation, once more it was a nightmare that had driven him away from sleep. Not that he managed to sleep well anyway since Tartarus. Before his venture to the Pit, his biggest concern was his weirdly prophetic dreams, and frankly, he didn't know how to deal with this current predicament. All he felt now was a very deep anger. It wasn't a wild outburst of fury, one that would break worlds, instead, it was anger at many things. The gods, Nyx, himself to some extent.

Percy inhaled deeply. It wouldn't do to grow resentment and bitterness. Chiron had instructed him to be mindful when possible, and he was trying, he really was. He truly was being tested now. Staying mindful was proving to be a challenge.

He got up from his bed, grabbing some fresh clothes from his bag. These clothes had mostly been bought in Camp Jupiter, and while they were not bad, he missed his wardrobe back home, with his Led Zeppelin shirts, and all. Of course, the set of clothes he had been using during the storm had become wet at some point, something that he didn't notice until he was back on the ship, and he had removed them as soon as he got into his cabin. Percy chose a plain navy blue shirt and a set of khaki pants to wear, and he exited his cabin, noticing how dark the ship was, along with the fact that he could hear snoring. That could only mean he had slept well through the day, and now the evening had arrived.

It was fitting, considering everything.

Reaching the deck of the ship, Percy saw... nobody. He heard a sound of metal hitting wood, constantly repeating, so he assumed Leo was fixing something. The ship had been left in a very poor state, and the speed they were going at was a joke. But at the deck itself, there was no one in sight. Neither demigod of god.

Percy walked until he reached the outskirts of the Argo II, leaning over the edge, admiring the dark waters of the Aegean Sea below. The ship was too damaged to take off, and as such it was forced to sail in the ocean. But right now, Percy didn't know if he wanted to stay close to the sea.

"Percy." An ethereal voice spoke behind him. Sighing, he turned, finding Nyx to be standing there, freshly materialized.

"Lady Nyx." Percy acknowledged, trying to be as respectful as he physically could right now, but it was difficult.

The goddess did seem to notice his undertone. "I assumed you would want to speak with me as soon as you returned."

He nodded. Nyx probably hadn't been expecting him to give a non-verbal answer, but right now, Percy wanted to hear what she had to say.

"I understand if you are displeased-" She started.

"Displeased?" He questioned, a bit dumbfounded she would use such a mild word to describe his feelings.

"Enraged." She corrected. "Just understand that I didn't want you to perish at the hands of Polybotes. Would you rather have died?"

He shook his head. "No! Of course not! But this is still ridiculous. Do you really feel like you can simply will me to do stuff? After all, you said about not wanting to be like the rest?"

Percy wouldn't be surprised to be disintegrated at a moment's notice, but if Nyx was offended by his tone, she hid it well. "I would not do that. Otherwise, what trust would you have in me?" Her nebula eyes swirled, almost in an entrancing pattern. "No. I wouldn't be different from my sister if that was the case."

"So?" Percy asked, impatient.

Nyx sighed. "So, it means that I am sorry. I apologize for incentivizing you to control the poison once more. But I merely ask of you to listen to my reasoning."

He folded his arms. "Go on."

Nyx floated around nervously. "This whole situation, Percy, is much like a chess game."

Percy gritted his teeth. "And I am supposed to be the pawn." He remembered the 'conversations' he had with Gaia.

"To some, yes." Nyx stopped. "But in truth, you are more akin to a queen."

Not being able to stop his eyebrows from being raised, Percy asked, "And what does that mean, exactly?"

"It means that you are more valuable than a simple pawn would." She stated. "Do you really think someone survives the Pit out of pure luck?"

"We had help." Percy tried to argue.

"From the Titan that you defeated by submerging him into the Lethe itself without losing your own memories, if the stories are correct," Nyx said, and Percy just looked at the sea below, unable to counter that. "Or was it exaggerated?"

"No." He quietly answered. "I controlled the waters of the Lethe. But it's still hard to cope with being considered just a tool."

He felt Nyx gliding closer to him. "You are not just a tool. It is your traits that make you so important to the Olympians. Your loyalty to your friends means loyalty to them as well."

"And am I supposed to change that?" Percy asked, almost to himself only.

It took a moment before he got an answer. "No. You should not abandon your family, Percy. I do not plan to make you a pawn, nor do I desire the destruction of Olympus like the Titan Lord and the Earth Mother."

"This all just seems too..." He tried to find a word to describe the situation. "I don't even know. It's now your children on their side as well. How can we deal with them?"

"My children..." Nyx seemed very thoughtful now. "Striking the Earth Mother alone would have been a challenge already. But this?" She sighed, looking very human. Certainly, she did not resemble the goddess she was. "It will be a challenge, Percy. But I will not falter."

Percy half-heartedly nodded. "Kym - I mean, Kymopoleia said that the giants want my blood to wake her up."

"For all the reasons I told you." Nyx gazed at him. "Your blood is valuable because of what you have been through. What you can do."

"It's terrifying, honestly." He said. "Surely it doesn't stop at poison. I don't think I even want to find out what else I'm able to control."

"In truth, I have never seen a son of the sea god with such control over liquids. I will not push you further, Percy, but be aware that there is much you can do that you have not yet discovered."

"It should probably remain that way." He somberly said, almost wishing that there would not be an opportunity to discover more of his abilities.

Times had been simpler before when all they needed to do was recover a lightning rod to save the world.

"Why?"

Of all the things he could have said, this was not what Night was expecting.

"Why?!" She blurted out, unbelieving. "Do I need to make this any clearer?"

In return, Darkness simply frowned. "No. I just think you made a horrible decision."

Her nostrils flared. "Did you come back to try to make me feel guilty, husband?"

Darkness only stared, expressionless. "I wanted to see if reason had come to you."

"Do you describe your way as reasonable?!" Night cried. "Why did I ever think you would be a good choice for a husband, again?"

He crossed his arms. "What is done, is done."

"How dare you say that?!" Night's hands tingled with power, which he would most certainly feel. "You know what you have done to me, Erebus. I have not even heard an apology! A statement of yours that says that you at least feel guilty!"

Darkness scoffed. "Wife, you may have power, I will give you that. I don't know what the creator was thinking when it gave you so much of it. But you still should have known your place."

"I trusted you!" She once more shouted, now with burning eyes. "I didn't expect you of all deities to go around searching for a damned mortal to court. And not just one, I'm aware of that now. Was I not enough? Why did you have to be like all others?"

Once more, Darkness stared with a mocking expression. "I've told you multiple times. I don't have to explain anything to you. If you cannot accept the norms of the world, the problem is on you, wife."

Night closed her eyes. "The bruise has not yet healed."

She had hoped this would perhaps soften his iron will but to no avail.

"Perhaps I should have done it harder if it wasn't enough to make you understand the reality of the situation."

A single tear drifted through her face, bright unlike anything in the Mansion of Night.

"What have I done to you?"

For a moment, there was only silence. She knew her children would be watching, but not a single noise could be heard.

"That's the point, isn't it? You didn't do enough."

Nyx opened her eyes.

"What do you want?"

Erebus walked beside her, as she levitated through in the air, legs crossed, in a poor attempt to meditate in the cabin Leo had arranged for her. It wasn't like she spent too much time here, especially because of the mess the previous satyr inhabitant had left, but there wasn't a better place to enter her state of meditation which she craved. Candles were the only source of light inside the cabin, and the smell of incense scented the air.

"To talk."

"What do we have to talk about?" She questioned, being faced with the onyx gaze of her young-looking husband.

"Us."

Nyx opened her eyes, turning to face Erebus. "Why?"

Erebus stood still, silent for a moment. "Because after all this time, being separated from you wasn't pleasant."

"Really?" She asked, not refraining her voice from acquiring a mocking and doubtful tone. "How many extramarital affairs have you had during the past four millennia?"

The question did get under Erebus's skin, and he hesitated for a moment. "None recently. I couldn't bring myself to. Perhaps it is not much, but I have no desire for other women."

"Until you get... tired of me." She spoke plainly, her own words being incredibly hurting. She let her feet touch the ground and sat on the bed.

"Look..." Erebus looked with anxiety. "The things I've done-"

"They are fresh in memory." Nyx bitterly remarked.

"I know." Her husband said. "I couldn't ask for you to leave it all behind. It wouldn't be fair."

Night sighed, exasperated. "Is doing the bare minimum too much for you?"

She was met with, once again, silence. She couldn't understand why this conversation was happening. Nyx barely acknowledged Darkness as her husband anymore. Not in the sense that she would proudly announce that Erebus was, in fact, her husband. She only did so reluctantly, because she didn't think a divorce was a realistic option. Unless Chaos for once showed itself again. But if that happened, her marital ties would be the least of her concerns.

"I..." Erebus started. "I am sorry."

Nyx expected an apology to come eventually. Sincere or not. Whether he actually regretted his acts. But regardless of the nature of the apology...

"Even if I were to forgive you." She spoke. "You will need to face the facts." She raised her head, looking straight into the eyes of the man she once loved. Eyes that she admired in the past. "I hold love for you no longer. If it serves you any comfort, my hate for you has dwindled after so much time. But my love cannot, and will not, be repaired. The ship has sailed eons ago."

Getting all of that out of her chest had been good. After their last conversation, she imagined all the outcomes and possibilities of what she could say when facing Erebus again. But now, this was all she could muster. No shouts, threats, or hate. Only the way time had not healed, but instead tempered her heart just enough that Night could at least tolerate his presence.

For what seemed to be hours, Darkness was quiet, perhaps fully digesting what Nyx had said to him. She did not know what to expect. Time had changed him as well; she couldn't deny that. He was a different person altogether. But despite his youthful looks, he truly seemed like a millennia-old being at this moment.

"It is disheartening," Erebus finally said. "To think my first and only love has drifted away from me because of my actions."

Nyx rubbed her eyes, feeling an unusual amount of tiredness. Deities did not have to sleep like mortals, but they could if they wished to, and they were still able to get tired. What Night was feeling now wasn't physical exhaustion, but emotional. "You had enough time to regret. It has been too long for you to only now be feeling this way."

"Do you think it eases the pain by being forced to always stare at you every day, knowing you loathe me?"

"I do not loathe you-"

"It serves the same purpose!" Erebus interrupted, his presence once more becoming overwhelming, but the sensation soon retreated. "I have tried to move on, but I cannot, not knowing you were out there. But I could never make myself go see you again. Not after our last meeting."

Nyx bit her lower lip. "Indeed, I would have tried to feed you to the creator."

He bitterly laughed. "I know, and I can't blame you." Erebus leaned on the wall, not looking like the powerful deity he was. In truth, he truly seemed miserable. "I could not end this conversation without seeking your forgiveness. Even if not your love..."

Before Night could fully think about the dilemma of whether she should give Erebus her pardon, a knock on the door was heard, and she quickly moved to open the door, without even floating. Nyx was not surprised to find tired grey eyes staring at her.

"I... couldn't help but listen to your argument." Annabeth sheepishly admitted, but Night did not believe she had been eavesdropping out of a gossiping instinct or something like it. She had no way of knowing, but she could only imagine what would a mortal feel like after exiting Tartarus. Drinking from the Phlegethon, traversing through the glassy sand, facing off against monsters non-stop... The fact she and her boyfriend were still standing was nothing short of a wonder.

"It is understandable, dear," Nyx said, talking to Annabeth as she would do with Hecate, in a motherly tone. At first, it seemed that the daughter of Athena was skeptical of it, but she grew to either not care or not mind this way of getting called. "I would find it difficult to rest if I were under your skin. Now..." She turned to the still miserable-looking Erebus, who barely seemed to acknowledge Annabeth, only focusing on Nyx. "Annabeth, did you hear the entirety of the conversation?"

"It was hard not to." The blonde answered, staring at the wooden floor.

"I need another's opinion." Nyx plainly stated.

"If you should forgive Lord Erebus?" The architect answered, and Nyx admired the usage of the title, not because she thought Erebus deserved it, but because Annabeth was perceptive enough to not piss Darkness even more than he was now. "But you could ask for either Lyssa or Eris. I bet they are more capable of judging this."

"You are being too humble, dear." Night carefully said. "The mind of one of those is gone, or to put it more appropriately, never was there in the first place, and the other would rather see the world burn than take the sensible decision." The mere thought of Eris brought forward the unpleasant memories of the Trojan War. While in another incident she protected Hypnos from the ire of Zeus, she ensured that Eris was at the mercy of the Olympians. She wasn't willing to put her hand in the fire for the Lady of Sorrow. "I'd much rather have your advice on this matter, even if you are still younger, you are as wise as they come."

Annabeth looked moderately flattered, but her look did not get any less stern, as is always the case. "What exactly has Lord Erebus done?"

"Deeds that were considered normal thousands of years ago, but that are now frowned upon." It was Darkness himself who answered. "Nyx was... ahead of our time, you could say."

"Almost every violation you could imagine." Now, the façade of calm Nyx had adopted since Annabeth had arrived broke again like a dam, the storm of emotions crashing down once more. "But as he said, things women had to accept. But I did not."

Nyx felt a bit of guilt, putting the pressure of the decision not on her own shoulders, but on Annabeth's. But the daughter of Athena only seemed thoughtful, although her posture betrayed some anxiety. "Considering how much time has passed... but there isn't really a way to forgive abuse, even if the wounds heal, the scars will remain."

"Well put, Miss Chase..." She turned to her husband. "As she said, I cannot in good faith forgive you completely. But I can remain on amicable terms with you. At least until the end of the quest, since you decided to make yourself home." She finished the sentence with some harshness in her voice because she wouldn't lie and say she enjoyed his presence at the Argo II.

A long sigh came out of Erebus. "Alright. If we can at least remain civil, that is fine." He got a hold of himself, returning to his almost aristocratic manners. "But this wasn't the only matter I wanted to discuss."

"And what was the other one?" Night asked.

"Our daughter." He refrained from using Hemera's name, probably for good reason. "I still cannot fathom why Day would join the Earth Mother. Why, Nyx, why? What did you do after I was gone?"

Now it was the time for her to remain silent for a moment, thinking of the best way to deliver the information, only to realize that there was not a good way to tell him this. "I treated her much like you did to me. I did not physically assault her," She pointed, more as a critique of Erebus than her trying to excuse herself. "But I was even harsher with my words than you were to me." Her voice faltered for a moment. "I all but disowned her. She had every right to be angry. To hate me. I do not know what the Earth Mother offered, but..." She wouldn't allow herself to cry. "I can't blame her."

Erebus sympathetically looked over to her, while Annabeth seemed like she was processing the information. "Maybe she feels bitter. Probably, actually. Every person can decide what they will and won't forgive. Maybe if you talk to her-"

"The thing is, Annabeth," Erebus interjected. "If we ever meet Day... you will find her to be very similar to Nyx, funnily enough. It would be difficult to appease her."

"But you are basing yourselves out of the perception you had of her thousands of years ago!" Annabeth argued. "Like you both, she could be a different person too. We don't know."

Nyx pondered over the teen's words for a bit and couldn't come up with a rebuttal. "I suppose you could be right, Miss Chase. Now... for the first time in a good while, I feel like I might need sleep."

"Shocking," Erebus said and subsequently vanished into the shadows produced by the candles. She was glad to see him go but couldn't deny that a part of her heart still ached. Nyx did wish things were better, but she wasn't foolish enough to ignore the reality. It was time to move on.

"I should get going as well..." Annabeth said.

"Before you do so..." Nyx waved her hand, materializing candles and incense like the ones she had set up earlier. "Since you are unable to sleep, there is an alternative."

The blonde moved forward. "I'm all ears."

Nyx conjured a small bag and placed both the candles and incense there. "Hecate has taught me lots of things about magic, but not just that. If one were to live in almost complete seclusion like I did, something should be done so I would not lose my sanity."

Annabeth hummed, and Nyx continued, "Thus, one day she presented me with meditation. Admittedly, it has been difficult for me recently... you know very well why. But it might just work for you, dear. Be sure to tell Percy about this as well. You two need special care, more than the others. And I'm talking about your health before you accuse me of something." Night added with a thin smile, but she was worried Annabeth would still be thinking negatively about her, much like Percy was as well.

Annabeth humorlessly chuckled. "You got me. I can't counter that. I will try to meditate. Not like I will get sleepy any time soon."

Nyx felt very worried for the half-blood and urged herself to remember at a later date to schedule sessions with Lyssa for Annabeth and Percy. Not just them, in this case. It still angered her how the Olympians were sending child soldiers to fight their battles. At least in the past, the heroes had their time to grow before dying. But this? This was too far.

"I cannot say the same for me, Miss Chase. If you excuse me, I think I must get some sleep now. I'm sure Hypnos will be pleased to see his mother visiting him after so much time, don't you think?" It wasn't like Nyx herself was too sure of that, to be honest. It wasn't like she was on bad terms with Hypnos or any of the deities that chose to drift further to the Olympians, but she truly had no way of knowing how the God of Sleep felt towards her.

"Maybe," Annabeth said. "Good night, Lady Nyx."

"Good night, Miss Chase. Until tomorrow." With that, the daughter of Athena left, shutting the door once more. Nyx put out the candlelight but left the incense to burn. She liked the smell. Clearing her mind and closing her eyes, Mother Night slowly drifted towards the realm of Hypnos and Morpheus.

If you think that the chapters are progressing slowly, don't worry, we are approaching the end of the first part of the story which is Blood of Olympus. I feel like this chapter needed to happen before the showdown and be aware that Annabeth and Nyx have been talking in the meantime, so they aren't completely foreign to one another. Although clearly, Percy needs to have some bonding with her. See ya next week, or the one after next week, I don't know. But we do be progressing.