the fates game

prologue

"Gather around, gather around!" The elder boy called as people began to form a crowd, all sitting on the logs, filling them up to the brim and causing others to be squished. "I shall tell you a tale. A tale of time! A tale passed generation to generation to never ever forget it!"

He wanted him to get to the point, as did everyone. He took a deep breath, "Ladies, Gentlemen and Non-Binary folk. Gather around and allow me to tell you the tale of Arya!"

Sadly, the story never came to be heard that day as other things were happening, it postponed it.

Percy had barely been at camp for long, he found difficulty sleeping as his mind begged for his mother, but she could never come.

He sat down, leaning against the wall when someone appeared next to him, a figure of course as it was pitch black out. "Mind if I sit?" The voice asked, holding a lantern which illuminated his face; a boy with sandy hair and a scar that ran across his face.

"Sure." Percy agreed quickly, perhaps a little too quickly for his liking. The boy that should be in college only smiled and sat down, and then looked at the stars.

"That story." Percy awkwardly broke the silence, Luke's eyes averted over to see his. "Can I hear?" He looked with eyes that seemed to beg.

Luke smiled at him, and looked back up at the stars. "Alright, could be a good way to get you to sleep." He nodded, then sighed.

Percy was shivering in the cold and Luke wrapped a blanket around him, Percy moved closer to Luke so Luke could feel the blanket too. Luke smiled slightly and grabbed his own.

"The year we are in is 2006." He began. "But this story.. takes place back in 298 AD."

Percy looked at him, "Very different times." He noted and Luke agreed.

***

298.

There was a chill in the air, making anyone that faced it shiver. Shiver and shake until they felt as if they were dying.

Crunches were heard in the snow. Belonging to a horse mounted by a young man, next to him walked a boy as well — his hair being blonde. "Hurry up, boy." The words rolled off the blonde's tongue as he urged the boy mounted on the horse to hurry.

"But.. the horse. Cousin-"

"What am I?" The cousin with blonde hair asked. He opened his mouth but the blonde cut him off, "What am I." He repeated.

"You are my cognatus." He sighed, an impressed grin fell onto the blonde's face. "Close enough, now hurry along. Don't want you to catch the illness these freaks give off, Augustus."

The blonde boy walked away from the boy, Augustus, trying to urge his horse forward quicker. "Right behind you, Bram." He snorted and still struggled to urge his horse forward quicker.

Once they'd made it back, green grass had broke through the snow. "A visit from Apollo definitely." Augustus noted, he holding his horse so it would not flee.

"Or any other Sun God, it isn't just about Apollo." Bram told him intelligently. Augustus wanted to say anything but nothing rolled out of his mouth.

"Exactly, dearest cousin." He said in a sickeningly sweet tone, before he turned once again and left the scene. Before he properly did leave, he called to his cousin. "Oh and don't ruin that Toga, it is mine which I have gifted to you by the pure kindness of my heart, only for today of course - but if you ruin it I shan't never give you anything again."

Bram then grinned and walked into the building, leaving an angry Augustus to stand there and only ball up his fists in anger.

"What are you so worked up about?" A voice asked, belonging to a girl with hair that was beautifully curled. "Just Bram being.. Bram." He sighed.

"Typical Brandon. Thinks he's amazing just cause he considered no bastard. Might as well just ruin those dreams and make him a bastard. Brandon, Lord turned Bastard. All those scandals." The girl looked up with stars in her eyes.

"Your ideas never fail to wow me, Arya. If you'd born a boy, you'd be respected even more as you wouldn't be what people consider weak." Augustus told Arya, ruffling her hair slightly.

"Don't touch my hair." Arya snapped and fixed her hair again, patting it back into its normal state, and not a mess of what looked like a birds nest. "I do not wish to look like a birds' nest."

"Aye." Bram nodded. "Apologies, M'lady Arya." Arya looked at him with a weird look. "Why we being all formal today, dimidium fratrem?" She asked; genuinely confused.

Bram went red, and he looked rather embarrassed as his words tripped as he tried his hardest to explain, "Well.. I— Um.. well; basically..." he trailed off.

"Gravissime frater, si hoc est de cognato Augusti." Arya sighed, folding her arms as she questioned her brother.

"Aye. It is indeed him." Bram finally gave in. "Brandon, it wasn't that hard to tell me that.. was it?" Arya asked with a smile once she had gotten clarification.

"Well. You know what cognatus is like." Bram told her.

"I do. Sadly, well. The good thing is he is leaving soon. And we shall not see him for a few months. Only then shall we see him in Augustus."

Bram looked at his half sister, and his face calmed. "I suppose you are right. We have to make those months the time of our lives." He joked.

Arya also cracked a grin. "Perhaps we could delay it if we played the right cards." She said dangerously.

Bram was happy to hear that news. "Oh do tell!" He begged.

"Ahh. We have to wait until closer to the time." Arya told Brandon, he looked sad for a second before he nodded. "Alright then.. but you better tell me."

Arya giggled. "I will! Honestly I will!" She swore.

Bram only smiled at her.