─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆
❛ 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐃𝐎 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐔𝐒.
we have seen the worse of each other.
our souls are intertwined. he could be
a decaying corpse, and i will become
the maggots digging into hi...
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SHORTLY BEFORE THE DAWN OF THEIR QUEST, MICAH REMEMBERED ONE THING: NATIONS WAGE WAR FOR WOMEN LIKE SILENA BEAUREGARD.
It was just as expected—a daughter of Aphrodite, born with a beauty that was worthy of launching a thousand ships, crowned with an allure so compelling that even the gods themselves would give in to her charm. Like Helen of Troy, femininity was a weapon more powerful than any sword or bow, and Silena wielded it effortlessly. She did not need to be destructive like Percy or wise like Annabeth; Silena's presence was enough to spark jealousy and desire in the hearts of people, driving them to fight for her favor.
It is why Luke tried to use her as a pawn, and this is why he failed, too, the exact moment Silena's tear-stained lashes fluttered as she begged Micah for help all those years ago.
He only helped her once. That was all Silena needed to realize her own strength.
Micah could see the change in her without looking at her face. Her shoulders, originally weighed down by coercion, became straight with demure confidence. Her eyes no longer teared up with guilt or helplessness, no matter how close she came to breaking. Silena is strong. She is the chosen dove of the dule, and she will rise above it all—he knows that very well, but a part of him is still... fearful.
Micah is afraid.
He knows that Silena is able to fly higher and further than he ever could, but Ethan had the same potential, and they had to bury him without a body to mourn. No matter the lies Hera whispers, fate does not favor demigods; no amount of prayer has ever changed the outcome. Micah made no difference in the end, for all he tried and tried. He could insult his patreon, rage against the gods, and think of himself as some sort of messiah, but it meant nothing when others would continue to suffer because of his failures.
Toppling thrones didn't change the inevitable. He couldn't bring back Ethan or Bianca.
He did not protect Percy when he knew they were coming for him.
Nyx did not allow failure, so he never failed, but his grandmother isn't here to uphold that standard anymore. Now, he doubts he could save Silena if her wings faltered.His Queen of Sparta, despite all her beauty, was just as vulnerable as the inexperienced son of Hephaestus and Jason without his memories—just as fragile as Micah with his sickly condition. But without Percy, he was alone, with no one to stand as his equal. The responsibility of being the great protector now weighed purely on his shoulders.
He could be leading all of them to their doom right now, the same way he had led Ethan.
The looming threat of losing everything—it all amounting to nothing—persisted in his mind far more than any title or prophecy ever could. It scared him more than anything else he had faced before.
