Embers of Olympus: Rise of the Prophecy[BL]

The search

Near morning, Apollo wakes up with dark circles under his eyes from the lack of sleep he had gotten that night. He gets up to see Persephone and Artemis already awake and heading to the cafeteria, he follows after them. They all sit down after grabbing some bread and start discussing the matter at hand.

A few hours later, the children leave their cabins and head to the cafeteria to eat. They all grabbed some bread and left after saying their good mornings to each other. The adults had come up with a temporary solution and have decided to Search the forest and nearby villages. They all agree on leaving to start the search at 8am.

Meanwhile with Luca, he's still tied up in a chair. Hercules has made multiple attempts to flirt and kiss him but somehow failed every time. Luca was glad to have Aphrodite on his side, with every fail from Hercules trying to kiss him and flirt, the more hope Luca has in surviving with his two enemies. Hercules gets angry at one point and ends up punching Luca. Luca groaned in pain but endured it, knowing the others would come to his rescue.

Zeus on the other hand, has tried to kill Luca for being human multiple times but to no avail. Hercules prevented it because he says if luca is to die, it will be by his hands and his heart. Luca cringes everytime Hercules says that. Zeus just leaves and goes back to planning the demise of humankind.

Every hour, Hercules tries and fails to flirt with Luca, earning Luca a scar or two depending on how mad Hercules had gotten. Luca prays internally his friends are alright and he will make it out alive. The only meal Luca had been given was a small piece of bread at lunch, he ate it, knowing it could have been poisoned. Little did Hercules and Zeus know, Luca had built up poison tolerance when he was a kid due to poor living conditions.

With the others, the search had started. Apollo went on his own into the forest to look for clues. Persephone and Aermis went together and looked around the nearby villages, asking the residents if they had seen luca, using his description. The children stayed in the camp due to how dangerous it was outside the barrier.

Apollo found nothing but footsteps that stopped at the edge of the forest. Persephone and Artemis found out that one of Persephone's worshipers had seen Luca being carried by some guy outside the village around yesterday afternoon. The two girls thanked the villager and headed back to camp to share the information, both knowing the guy that had been carrying Luca was Hercules.

Apollo had already gone back to camp and was sitting at the cafeteria. The two girls entered and sat next to him and shared the information. Apollo sighed and stood up. He looked at the two girls sitting at the table, his facial expression serious and pained. He spoke, "The war begins now". He then walked off, his expression the same.

The two girls look at eachother and nod. They stand and walk to their cabin to suit up for war. Apollo had already gotten to his cabin and had changed. He leaves and meets the two girls at the weapons shack to grab their bows and spears. They made sure to grab extra ammo as well as a spare sword for Luca when they get him back so he can protect himself.

The kids notice their outfit changes and weapons. The older kids knew what was upon them but the younger didn't, they were clueless. The younger decided to ask Apollo what they were doing, Apollo decided  it was best to tell them. He tells them they're going to war, and they are going to get Luca back. The younger understood and walked back to the older kids.

Apollo and the girls leave camp, Angelia, Mayven, and Benthesikyme incharge of the younger. They start heading to where they believe Zeus and Hercules's base was. They stop in a field after spotting Hercules standing in the middle of it. Apollo calls out to him, warning him to give Luca back or a war will wage. Hercules doesn't care and walks away, Zeus taking his place in the field.

Zeus started speaking, "You know son, i thought you were better than this." he then looked at Artemis, "And daughter, I'm disappointed. You should have been by my side, not that traitor beside you.". Artemis and Apollo glared at him intently, their blood beginning to boil. Persephone grips her sword, preparing for conflict.

Just then, Hercules walks into the field while holding a bloody Luca in his arms. Apollo was the first to react and he yelled, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!?". Hercules took pride in making Apollo mad like that and grinned. Artemis and Persephone gritted their teeth at the site. Hercules dared to tease the three and leaned down to Luca's face, threatening to kiss his unconscious body. Apollo had enough and shot an arrow at Hercules's foot, impaling him and making him yelp in pain.

Luca then began waking up from his forced slumber. He pushed himself from Hercules's arms and yelped in pain from previous wounds. He stood up the best he could and backed away from the two men. He bumped into Apollo, who instantly wrapped his arms around him from behind. Luca gasped and turned around, about to punch him but quickly stopped himself and hugged Apollo back.

Artemis and Persephone kept their eyes on Zeus and Hercules, watching for any sudden moves. Apollo held Luca close while being careful of his wounds. Artemis decides to strike a deal with the men in front of them, saying, "Father. Why don't we postpone this war. It's unfair, you vowed that every war between gods must be fair.". Zeus crossed his arms and glared at her, "Next week, same spot and time.". Artemis stepped forward and they shook hands, making the deal set in stone.

They leave and take Luca back to camp, Apollo carrying him there bridal style. Artemis and Persephone discussed which gods they would need to join to make the war fair and would benefit them the most. They arrive at the camp a few hours later, surprising the children. They explained the situation to them and then said, "On the bright side, we got Luca back.". The kids jumped in joy but quickly stopped and asked about his condition. Artemis said "it's not good but you guys can come see him in the morning.". The kids nodded and went to bed.

Persephone treated Luca's wounds in the healer's cabin, while Apollo stayed by Luca's side to help him endure the pain. Luca had multiple cuts across his arms, legs, and chest. He had bruises on his abdomen and cheeks from being kicked and slapped so much. Luca winced at every wound that was being cleaned by Persephone, he bit his lip everytime she stitched his cuts.

Around 1am, Persephone had finished cleaning and stitching all of Luca's wounds. She left with Artemis to their cabin to sleep, leaving Apollo and Luca sleeping in the healer's cabin. The next day unknown to all but a single prophecy written on paper.

A/N: Next chapter will be a breather purely for the fact that I want Luca to recover😭. I don't know when next chapter will be posted though, I'll try and post it next month.
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