The Time Before 『A PJO/HOO Fanfic』❕ON HOLD FOR REWRITE❕

Piper ~12

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"I'll see you guys tomorrow!" The nymphs wave bye to me as I left the forest.

It's so...surreal how much everything looks so different, but normal at the same time. I've never noticed the way the leaves rustle differently than the day before. The wind wasn't the same each day and how slow time has felt. Seems like each day is a mere minute compared to the thousands of years I used to live back then. Back when the world was clean.

I've also noticed Leo's actions to others weren't rude or cold. It was how he would act back then too. Never one to talk or do much of anything really, just be a bump on a log sitting under the sun.

"Piper!" Hazel called out. Smiling, I waved and was about to speak when she hugged me.

"Woah, Hazel," I ask surprised by the sudden embrace. "Is everything ok?"

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I was the one who put locked you and him with void." She sobbed. My eyes widen and I push her away a bit. "I was the one who killed Alkinai and let void take over.

"I helped him and I couldn't stop." Her hands entangled themselves in her hair, pulling at the roots in hopes of removing the memory.

"What do you mean 'couldn't stop'?!" I say back. Thousand year old emotions stirring. Anger. Fear. Hatred. "Tell me!"

She fell to the ground. "Tell me, Luseke! What do you mean?!"

Leo emerged from the crowd around us. Whispers, though meant to be quiet, were loud and clear. "I'm sorry! Ok?"

"It wasn't my fault!"

"It was your fault!" Leo held me back. "You killed us! You helped him, and for what? What did you accomplish?!

"Were you a spy the whole time? Telling him how to bring us down?" I cried. "Tell him, Luseke! Tell my brother how you killed him!"

"What?" Alkinai looked at her.

"I said tell him!"

"I killed you!" Luseke yelled, looking Alkinai in the eyes. "Void manipulated me and put me under one of his spells. I locked everyone in the palace, I poisoned your cups and sent you to your deaths."

"Why?" Alkinai dropped his arm from my midsection and walked to her.

Rage clouded my mind as I looked at Luseke. I couldn't believe that she would do that, yes, she was under a spell. Was tricked. But couldn't she resist him? Couldn't she say no to whatever was happening in her head?

Shaking my head and wiping the tears of anger from my eyes, I calmly said to her. "Was anything we did as friends meant something to you?"

"Did our pranks, our adventures, our time spent as three lonely primordials in a palace bigger than New York City matter?"

"Yes!" She looked up at me. "Everything did. There was no moment at anytime in our lives that was fake, no moment when I was betraying you or the king."

"Then why?" Alkinai spoke.

"Because I was trying to stop him the night of the coronation." I turned around. My last good memories of that day played in my head. Music and laughter. Dancing with my mother and father for the last time. Holding hands as Dymitro and I waltzed with the other mere minutes before he became king. "He told me his plans, he told me that this world wasn't supposed to be like this, and forced me to help him with his bidding."

"No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop his spell." She cried again. Alkinai knelt before her, tears welling up in his eyes as well, and hugged her. "My last thoughts were of you guys, and how I hurt you."

"How do I know that you're telling the truth?" I say. Yes, I know, harsh. But in my defense, it's perfectly okay. Wouldn't you act like this if your best friend sided with the man who is going to kill you helped him and killed your twin brother? I would. I am.

"Look in my eyes, Amtrenai." I turned around. "Would I lie to you about something as severe as this?"

"...no." I grumble.

"Then why would I tell you that every day we spent as children, everyday that we spent tired and bored in school, everytime that we had fun with Entlukei and Dymitro was fake?" She looked at me with her blood shot eyes. Bright golden eyes stared in my own, her ancient eyes held remorse so heavy, it pains me to see her like this. Crying and pleading for forgiveness on the ground. Hugging my brother who knows it wasn't her fault. Thinking in her head that it was...and I told her it was.

I let out a sigh. My hands wiped tears from my eyes and I smiled sadly. Giving in to the hug that was on the ground, I wrapped my arms around them.

"I'm sorry I exploded."

"I sorry I sent you to your doom."

Alkinai chuckled. "Wow, way to kill the mood, Lu."

We laughed. It felt like forever since we laughed like this. I mean, yea we have laughed and joked around as Piper, Leo, and Hazel, but not as  Luseke, Alkinai, And Amtrenai. It's been years since we have, and it fells refreshing to do so.

Staying there for the rest of the day, we talked about anything and everything. How much the world has changed. How much we've missed. How void will come back.

Eventually the campers left, one by one. Left us to ourselves and to our thoughts. And we didn't mind the silent threats by the harpies, we knew we were breaking the camp rules, but they don't really apply to us anymore. Do they? I mean, we're not demigods anymore, are we? I am very confused about what we are now. Demigods, primordials, some sort of gods. I have no idea.

When the moon was almost above us, Entlukei came over. There would be no one awake at this hour to see him. No one to question how he was alive, and it was refreshing to laugh again under the night sky.

Like old times.

Poseidon cabin, dusk.

        The sky was it's darkest blue. Apollo and his chariot was long gone behind him, taking his 'rays of awesomeness' to the other side of the globe. But in the Poseidon cabin, all lights were off. The curtains closed and taped shut. Lamps and other light-creating sources locked away in a drawer.

At the back of the cabin there was a window. An oval tipped on its side and framed in white wood. This was the only window whose curtains were pushed as far as they could to the side, letting as much of the rising full moon shine its light inside.

Sitting in the moon beams, like Rapunzel as a child, is the white haired-black tipped son of Poseidon.

His eyes fixated on the bright twinkling lights. Eyes that were once a green that could rival the sea, are now changing to a blue the same as a frozen lake. The green was pushed to the limit against the edge of his iris, a bare remanence of his first identity.  And right under his eyes, the faintest trace, were the marks of royalty. Gold swirl halfway to his temple and lining his eyes just half a centimeter under.

To him, he doesn't know who he is. The face in the mirror wasn't Percy, no, it was someone older, wiser. Someone who has been alive longer than the gods themselves. And he's scared. Scared for his friends, for his family, for everyone in the world. But most importantly, he's scared for himself.

He doesn't want to be the center of another prophecy. The main man to save the world. He's been there, done that. Can't he just relax and stay home?

When the moon rose, and the beautiful light reflected in his eyes, he felt better. Calmer.

The person in his head smiled at the sight. 'Mother' it said and Percy couldn't help but agree.

"Mother," Percy says, giving in to Dymitro, letting his hair revert back to its original color. "I'll come back soon, don't worry."

He smiled at the full moon. His memories returned and eyes bright with powerful confidence.

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