Chapter 12
Summary: Yule, Antonia's 18th Birthday, Toni makes her choice & new year - new changes.
Evie's Notes: Happy Wednesday! I hope you all are having a wonderful week ! As always, thank you so much your support of this story, it really and truly means the world to me ! I hope that you all enjoy the this new update .
The morning of Yule dawned early for the Talheir household as Antonia was awoken by a bouncing Mollie jumping on her bed.
"Molls it is wayyyy to early for this" groaned Antonia, pulling the blankets over her head.
"But it's Yule! We gotta open all our presents!" whined Mollie, dropping down to sit next to Toni.
"Ok, ok" agreed Antonia, pushing back the covers and sliding on her slippers. "I'm going to say my prayers and then I will meet you downstairs"
"Awesome! Pray fast" yelled Mollie as she raced out of the bedroom.
Laughing fondly at the excited girl, Antonia set about her morning routine. Wrapping her dressing gown tightly around her, she opened the doors to her balcony. The flame from last night's sacrifice was still faintly flickering, but the wick had burned low. Dousing the dish with purified water she chanted "gratias agimus tibi pro benedictionibus tuis, et per noctem nos servas incolumes" 1.
Turning her attention to the trio of candles placed in a golden tray on the railing, Antonia lit them in honor of the gods Dies, Apollo and Janus. She prayed that they would ensure her day would be bright, safe and successful.
The final sacrifice she had to offer was to her patron. The corner of her balcony was dedicated to a small fountain with an icon of the goddess Juno. Plucking a few petals off a Lotus blossom she tossed them into the running fountain along with a sprig of wintergreen and a few drops of peppermint and tea tree oils. "Salve, mi patrone, tibi gratias ago pro alio die mihi permittens. perfice voluntatem tuam et nomini tuo honorem afferam" 2. With her morning sacrifices complete, Antonia headed back inside to join Mollie in opening presents and enjoying the delicious breakfast Delores had whipped up for them all.
Later that evening Mollie and Antonia dressed in their new gowns from Creel's dress emporium and headed into the city for the final Saturnalia celebration, the Yule Ball. Nothing could bring down Toni's holiday cheer as she danced with her friends and toasted to the season, not even the threatening looks Octavian kept throwing her way across the Forum. The citizens of New Rome partied well into the night, celebrating the end of the season of darkness and the return of the light as they headed toward spring.
* Rise of the Lotus * Rise of the Lotus *
Toni's 18th birthday was so much fun! All of her friends were there to celebrate with her the special day. Her party was held on the back patio and in the gardens of her villa. Delores had gone all out baking a beautiful and giant cake for the occasion and cooking several delicious foods.
A live band played upbeat and festive music as her friends rocked out on the dance floor. Antonia herself was dressed in the gorgeous gown Creel and Marta had made her, a beautiful blue dress with off the shoulder long puff sleeves and full purple and blue skirt. The crowning glory were the peacock feathers attached to the back, a nod to her goddess and patron.
The Talheir staff had set up a variety of lawn games throughout the garden for the guests to enjoy. Toni watched as Mollie laughed and played with the other apprentices. Antonia spent her time visiting with her friends, enjoying awesome food and dancing the night away.
The happiness of the evening almost made up for what she would have to do tomorrow. Now that she had come of age she had to make her choice, she could put it off no longer. Tomorrow she would have to accept a proposal.
* Rise of the Lotus * Rise of the Lotus *
Friday December 27th dawned without any earthquakes, lightning and thunder crashes, fires or other world ending phenomena. Despite feeling secure in her choice, Antonia still felt anxious as she made her way to the reception chamber where her chosen suitor waited.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Antonia fixed her dress before pushing open the double doors to the reception hall and her future.
"Lennon! Thank you for coming" grinned Toni.
"Of course Annie. I always have time for you". The young woman was dressed in a pink pantsuit with a lace cream top, her blond curls falling softly over her shoulders. At her side was a black briefcase, clearly the barrister was headed over to her office next. "So what's up?"
"Well, as you know I turned eighteen yesterday," began Antonia, taking a seat in the elegant high backed chair placed on the dais at the front of the room.
"Yeah, and what a party it was! I had an awesome time" replied the blonde as she took a seat in one of the visitor chairs in front of the dais.
"I'm glad" smiled Toni warmly before her anxiety got the better of her, making her pace the dais."Since I am now eighteen, the time has come for me to accept one of the proposals from my suitors. I have thought long and hard about this situation but I have finally come to a decision"
Lennon stiffened in her seat, a cautious look of hope entering her eyes. "Annie, are you saying what I think you're saying"
Forcing herself to stop in the middle of the dais, Antonia met the beautiful blonde's eyes and asked; "Lennon Frommelt, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?".
"YES! Yes! A million times, yes Antonia" gasped the young woman, an ecstatic grin spread wide over her face.
Toni let out a relieved breath that she didn't even realise that she had been holding. She had convinced this would work out, but had still been a little nervous that maybe the girl had changed her mind. "That makes me so happy to hear Len" said Toni, stepping off the dais and pulling the girl into a hug.
"You have made my whole year accepting my proposal, Annie" said Lennon seriously. "I know that we are going to be great together. You are such a wonderful, beautiful, kind hearted, loyal and talented young lady. I am honored that you have chosen me to stand beside you and serve our people. Thank you for allowing me to love and support you".
Antonia blushed shyly, overwhelmed by the daughter of Venus' words. They were so much more important than the barrister likely knew, and went a long way to soothing any lingering worries Toni still held about the match. Antonia was thrilled to see that she had found someone who clearly wanted her for her, and not just her position.
"You are too sweet. I do think that we will have a good marriage, and I am happy to have such a great friend be there to watch my back through life"
"Always," swore the blonde girl seriously.
"Well we are in agreement then. Though I do have one request" said Antonia, taking a seat in the second visitor chair so that they could be on the same level for the rest of this conversation.
"Of course. What is it?" wondered Lennon
"As you know, Jason is still gone on a quest for Queen Juno".
"Yeah, have you had any word from her?"
"Nothing new unfortunately. I would ask that we wait for our bonding until Jason returns. He is like a little brother to me and I can't imagine getting married without him there" explained Antonia.
"Of course Annie, we can wait however long it takes for him to return. I am just so happy that you are choosing me. I know that we are going to have a great life together".
Antonia pulled Lennon into another tight hug. "Thank you for being so understanding. Would you like to join Mollie and I for lunch?"
"I would like nothing more" grinned the barrister.
* Rise of the Lotus * Rise of the Lotus *
January as a whole was a long hard month and not just because of the seasonal depression. The beginning of the month brought about big changes as new members of the legion were selected to stand in the Senate, and elections were held for the remaining Senate seats. Unfortunately for the first generation Romans, the Senate now often voted in favor of the old Roman families. The disappearance of Jason Grace continued to harm the tentative peace which had formed between the two political parties. As each new bill was passed that hurt the first generations the more the half bloods itched to go and pull a Caesar to fight back.
The second big change which occurred half-way through January was the locating of Jason Grace by a very depressed Nico. A heartbroken Nico explained to his friends that while he was away on a trip for his father, he had located their missing Praetor. The young man's quest was far from over though. Worse still, Jason's memory had been wiped so he did not know them. Nico had been unable to talk to his beloved and so had avoided coming face to face with the man. Juno had ordered that Nico was not allowed to bring Jason home or tell anyone where he was. It was a truly unfair torture.
Antonia also had to deal with the fall out of her choice. In ignoring Octavian's suit and choosing to marry Lennon, the young woman was now being slandered by the Pontifex Maximus. There were whispers about her as she walked through the street and she could have sworn that someone followed her home one night. To be safe, Antonia insisted that her gardener, Jose, accompany her and Mollie on their outings as a bodyguard. Antonia was no pushover in a fight, as the dagger strapped to her leg would symbolize, but she lived by the motto that "it's better to be safe than sorry".
* Rise of the Lotus * Rise of the Lotus *
February was a busy month for Antonia. While she was glad that Octavian's stalking and slander attempts had mostly tapered off, she still had so much to do. As a good big sister, Antonia had taken over as mentor to Jason's page and apprentice Jorge. While his mentor was busy on his quest, the eleven year old had to step up as the priest of Jupiter. Antonia, who had to take over as a priestess far too young, understood what the boy was going through and did everything she could do to assist and ease his burden. Mollie and Jorge became closer friends during this time which made Antonia quite happy.
With his beloved gone, Nico chose to spend more and more time working for his father and therefore less time at camp. Toni, realizing that this left Hazel without her brother, she stepped in to bond with the girl. The pair had a spa day where Antonia did her best to get to know the young woman. The pair had a good time despite Hazel's cagey answers and planned to get together again soon.
As February wound down, Antonia began to have stranger than normal dreams. The resounding message that she took away from it was that something was coming.
Evie's Notes 2: Next Update Percy finally arrives!
Translate:
1. We thank you for your blessings and keep us safe through the night.
2. Hello, my patron, thank you for allowing me another day. I will do your will and bring honor to your name.
Thank you all so much for reading ! I hope you enjoyed this update, let me know your favorite part of in the comments! I hope to see you all next update !
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