It almost worked ✸ Apollo ¹

L. Frightened of my feelings

The whole room turned cold, and everyone stopped moving. Lydia really should've been used to the plot twists by now. But they never ceased to have that same old effect. The same old effect of danger and fear, not knowing what was next to come.

Somehow— Luke Castellan and the young demigods he managed to brainwash, resurrected the original daughter of Dionysus. Her name was also Lydia, and born with similar powers like her own. Yet the only difference was that this Lydia was born over fifty or sixty years ago.

Her full name was Lydia Hale, born on September 8th of 1962. Not much was known about her other than the obvious basics. She was a daughter of Dionysus, fated with a horrible life ahead, and she was killed by Zeus for being too dangerous. She died on November 14th of 1974.

Dawn twisted a golden ring around her fingers "Now, I can't say I'm surprised Lydia Hale went to Kronos's side. He brought her back to life in exchange for help in the war. And why wouldn't she say no? Old Zeus never even let the poor girl get to thirteen years old."

Dawn looked at her great granddaughter, Lydia Winslow. Bile threatened to rise out of her throat. Zeus never even let Lydia Hale live to thirteen, but yet here Lydia Winslow stood forty eight years later. Living life to the fullest at the age of fourteen years old. She had lived two more years than Lydia Hale.

Part of her was starting to wonder why she was still here. She was supposed to die at twelve years old. What would things be like if she had died?

Lydia's mind went back to the day she and her friends returned from the underworld. Their clothes were sopping wet. After reaching dry land, they stumbled down the beach, watching the city burn against a beautiful sunrise. Lydia felt too tired to look at the view.

"I don't believe it," Annabeth said. "We went all that way—"

"It was a trick," Percy said. "A strategy worthy of Athena."

"Hey," she warned.

"You get it, don't you?"

Lydia's strength was gone. She hadn't felt so horrible in so long. She struggled to even see where she was.

Annabeth dropped her eyes, her anger fading. "Yeah. I get it."

"Well, I don't!" Grover complained. "Would somebody—"

But at that moment, Instead of being taken to Olympus by Apollo. Lydia felt everything go cold. Her eyes met the god of war's as she fell to ground. Ares had no remorse that he just sliced through a child.

Her friends screamed, but their voices were drowning away. It was like they were getting farther and farther away even though she was right there. Lydia lifted her hands to meet her eyes, blood soaked them. "What- No.."

She struggled to even talk, and sobs echoed through the beach. The sun burned her eyes even more than it would. Apollo's dark eyes that were once bright were standing above her. But this time, Lydia looked back at him in pure confusion. She never met him before.

Slow pain raged through her body, and death came her way. Her life was taken away from her in seconds as Ares laughed in her face. A pure psychopath. Lydia screamed, tears streaming down her face. She opened her eyes again to see Dawn. She had sent her a vision.

"Why?!" Lydia yelled "Why the hell would you do that?"

"To prepare you for what Lydia Hale herself is expecting from you." Dawn just told her, no emotion of remorse on her face. Just like Ares.

Lydia had no words, and she started to walk away to her room in the manor. Apollo had a lost look on his face. He glared at Dawn and Kadence before going after Lydia, and he caught her just in time.