in which aurelie nightshade's life is just a carousel spinning around after her sister willingly lets herself die
[annabeth chase x fem!oc]
[the titan's curse - the blood of olympus]
[started; 11/23/23] [finished; xx.xx.xxxx]
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🎀
THEY CIRCLED OVER MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, making one complete orbit around Mount Olympus. The last time Aurelie had visited the palace had been over two thousand years ago, when Ares had made her immortal. Whenever they'd met to discuss their strategies for war, they'd met at different places but never Olympus.
In the early-morning darkness, torches and fires made the mountain-side palaces glowing in at least twenty different colors- from blood-red to indigo. According to the twisting streets full of demigods and nature spirits and godlings bustling about, riding chariots or sedan chair carried by Cyclops, no one ever slept on Mount Olympus.
Towering at the peak of the mountain was the greatest palace of all, glowing white hall of the gods.
Their pegasi set them down in the outer courtyard, in front of huge silver gates. Before one of them could knock, the gates opened by themselves.
Percy- once again- was talking with his pegasus.
"It's a son of Poseidon thing, right?" Aurelie asked the girls. "Talking with horses."
Annabeth laughed. "His dad created horses, so Percy's able to talk to them. Once he talked to a Zebra."
"He did what?"
"On our first quest," Annabeth explained. "We were in an animal smuggler truck- not willingly, Ares set us up- and freed the Zebra and two other animals in the middle of Vegas."
Aurelie chuckled. "Sounds like fun. I would pay to see it."
Then Blackjack and his friends flew off, leaving the four of them alone. For a minute they stood there regarding the palace, and Aurelie was pretty sure that the other three were having a kind of déjà-vu.
And then, side by side, they walked into the throne room.
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Twelve enormous thrones made a U around a central hearth. The ceiling above glittered with constellations- Aurelie noticed her sister, making her way across the heavens with her bow drawn.
All of the seats were occupied. Each god and goddess was about fifteen feet tall, all of them staring at their little group.
"Welcome, heroes," Artemis greeted them.
"Mooo!"
A sphere of water was hovering in the center of the room, next to the hearth fire. The Ophiotaurus was swimming happily around, swishing its serpent tail and poking his head out to the sides and bottom of the sphere. It seemed to be enjoying the novelty of swimming in a magic bubble. A satyr was kneeling at Zeus's throne, as if he'd just been giving a report, but when he saw them, he cried, "You made it!"
He started to run toward Percy, then remembered he was turning his back on Zeus, and looked for permission.
"Go on," Zeus said. But he wasn't really paying attention to the satyr. The lord of the sky was staring at Thalia.
