(On Hold) On The Horns Of A Dilemma (PJO + HOO Fanfic)

1

(---)'S POV

I climbed to the top of Sirenum Scopuli and stared out at the view, breathing in the salty air. my black dress blew round my legs and I threw my arms wide. I shrieked in joy and heard a giggle behind me. I turned, a massive grin on my face and stared into the face of Aspasia.

"Darling how are you? We've been fine before you ask, oh and did you see the lights? A ship will be approaching soon!" I rolled my eyes at her hyperactivity.

"Yes Aspasia, I saw the lights. How are the others?" I spoke lightly, attempting to keep quiet.

She was about to answer, when I heard a tinkling voice from behind a sharp upright rock. I smiled to myself. "Anthemoessa was such a lovely place for us to settle..."

"Is that Alena? Tell me it is?" I spoke happily. Aspasia smiled.

"It is. Would you like to see her before heading back to Scylla?" I nodded frantically, my head jerking and my black hair falling in front of my eyes.

"I thought she was away getting fish? Where are Alessa and Alethea? And also, I thought the island changed when the western civilisation moved?" I asked all in one breath. Aspasia put her hands on my shoulders.

"Breathe. She got fish and delivered it, and Alessa and Alethea are with the big 3. They'll be back soon. And yes. The island did change, but it looks the same, so we still call it Anthemoessa."

She paused for a second before continuing. "You know, I still find it hard to believe that Zeus, Poseidon and Hades are-"

"Also called the big 3 by Demigods. Yup, I know, you've told me before. Like, a million times. You seem to love knowing pointless facts." I cut her off. She rolled her eyes and smirked at me.

"They are not pointless! They could come in perfectly handy one day! Anyway, Alena, she's here to visit!" I heard a squeal from behind the rock, and fixed a smile on my face as Alena can bounding out, her feathers ruffling.

She ran towards me and embraced me in a tight hug, almost sending me down towards the water surrounding Sirenum Scopuli.

"Alena. Calm down, I visited yesterday!" I giggled.

"Yes but I wasn't here yesterday was I? I was out getting fish. I only saw you three days ago." She said loudly.

"Alena! Quiet! You'll basically showcase her to the big 3!" Aspasia scolded her, crossing her wings in a huff.

"Calm down Aspasia! They won't do anything, she's a ward of the sea. Scylla would have a fit, then Charybdis would have a fit, then you know what would happen." Alena said mockingly.

"The entire island would be swallowed by the sea, I know. But still, they don't like her." Aspasia said, exasperated. She flicked her blonde hair over one shoulder and glared at Alena.

Alena stuck out her tongue, a pink point mocking Aspasia. "Stop being so pessimistic! That's not true!"

"No, it is Alena." I said to her, turning my head to stare at the sea. "Dear god's they hate me." Alena ruffled her feathers again.

"Now why would they hate you?" Alena asked in a huff.

"Umm, several reasons actually. They hate me because I can travel anywhere I want within the gulf. They hate me because I can survive the sea. They hate me because I come and visit you when you're supposed to be on the job. They hate me because 'I have Scylla AND Charybdis wrapped round my finger', as they say. They hate me because-" I was cut off by Alena.

"Ok, maybe there's a couple of reasons, but they wouldn't harm you."

"Yeah, but only because it's too risky." Aspasia threw offhandedly, picking bits out of her talons.

Alena shot a pointed look at her but she shrugged.

"What? Just, you know, saying the truth." Aspasia retorted. Alena looked as though she was about to explode. The truth was her thing, not Aspasia's.

"Guys. Stop fighting. Please? Can we just talk about the ship instead, while we wait for Alessa and Alethea I mean." I asked. The glanced at each other and nodded in reluctance.

"So how long do you think it'll take to get here? I hope it doesn't change course last minute. Do you think it knows where it's going? Do you think it's been here before?" Aspasia asked, shooting one question after another so I could barely register them.

"Depends. If there are Demigods aboard, maybe 3 hours. If not, 5. Child of Poseidon, 1 and a half." I said staring at the distant light.

"I also hope it doesn't change course." Alena said dreamily.

"I'm pretty sure it knows where it's going. It's heading with deliberate purpose. The sea seems to think it's a battle ship." I added.

"Whether it's been here before? Impossible to know until it gets here." Alena said quietly.

"Whether it's crew have been here before, well that's even more impossible to tell." I muttered. We stared out at the ocean and sighed in sync.

I started playing with Alena's messy brown hair, and she began to play with her own feathers, making them cross over and do all sorts of woven shapes.

Aspasia let out a breath and lay back, staring up at the sky. It was beginning to get dark and the stars were starting to show. I looked back at the ship. It seemed a lot closer.

"Definitely Demigods aboard. Have you seen how fast it's going?" I was startled at how quickly it had entered the gulf. It was about two hours away by normal time. I suspected it would be here​ in an hour, and so did the sea.

Aspasia looked up. "Hades, you're right. Definitely Demigods." Aspasia was probably the closest out of my 4 friends, she was the sweetest.

The original 3 sirens were Pisinoe, Aglaope, and Thelxiepi.

These were the 3 sirens that were marked through history. However, there were another 6.

Aglaophonos, Parthenope, Leucoisa, Ligeia, Molpe, Teles, Raidne and finally, Thelxiope.

These 6 however faded, and as time went on, new sirens came and went. The current 4 are my friends. My, only, friends.

Alethea, Alena, Alessa, and Aspasia. I cared for them, and they cared for me, but it was a bit hard, seeing as Pisinoe, Aglaope, and Thelxiepi absolutely hate me.

I looked out at the ship again and listened. A fog horn. It was getting closer.