Olivia Smith and the Titan's Curse

Epilogue

Song For Chapter: Parachute - Jaymes Young 

                        E P I L O G U E

PENELOPE SMITH: 

    I was starving, and I had been for years now it seemed. The food had stopped a while ago, and I knew why; however, there was nothing I was physically able to do. I was trapped. 

    Fighting the darkness, I reached out my hands and pressed against the lid of the box I was nailed in. My heart speed up, but I tried to remain calm. This place had air, but I didn't want to begin hyperventilating. 

    Heaving one last, feeble push, I felt the smooth surface against my finger tips refuse to budge. Only in my dreams could I escape this casket. I had been buried alive. Entombed in this underground dungeon for the rest of eternity, or at least until my body finally gave out from the lack of nutrients.

    Slipping my eyes shut in the darkness, my pale, slim fingers fumbled around my bodice, searching in the dark for the canteen I had strapped to my thigh. It was still half full. I would have to make it last, some way or another. 

    I took a deep breath through my nose and shifted around, trying to stretch my aching muscles. It was a horrible experience, being cooped up in a tiny space for months on end. In the dead silence, visions greeted me more often than they had ever before. 

    It was in this darkness, that I had initially awoken. Zeus and Hera had partnered up and convinced a few other gods to lock me away in a coma-like sleep, where I would be safe and under their control. They'd convinced me that I was going on a mission to the East, but that was a lie. 

    Yet, even in this pit, I couldn't find it in me to hold a grudge against them. They had never expected me to wake up. They had never expected me to be taken from the place they were keeping me. But, the unexpected often happens. 

    In my visions, I witnessed warriors, creatures from the Titans, storm the location that I had been sleeping in. They took me, and stowed my casket away in this hidden place, trying to buy time to where they could use me if their war turned south. They wanted to keep me away from the Olympians. The only reason I could think of was that they thought I was some kind of secret weapon - but, I was truly nothing special.

        Not like Olive. 

    I enjoyed my visions about her the best. They were almost like heroic tales of old, with romance, adventure, and mystery. 

    Sighing, I stretched myself out one last time before peeling my eyes open once more, irises trying to adjust to the darkness, but it was still pitch black. Sleep evaded me for hours, and after a long while, a familiar pull on my brain yanked my spirit out of my body and into the threshold of a cold, stony castle.

    Moonlight shone through the tall windows, and reflected off the shining armor that lined the hallways. It seemed as if the main theme of this castle was weapons. My bare feet slapped against the cold stones as I followed the pulling sensation through the castle. 

    I hadn't the slightest idea of where I was, but it felt as if I was being guided. It wasn't unusual for this to happen in my visions, but it still felt odd all the same. Rounding the corner, I stumbled onto two people. One girl that was about the age of fourteen or so, and the boy was younger, but not by too much. 

    They both had tanned skin and dark, flashing eyes.

    "Bianca," The boy peered up at the girl, "I'm worried, this place freaks me out."

    The girl, Bianca, adjusted her floppy green hat and pulled the boy close to her, into a hug. "Don't worry Nico, you're my little brother, and I'm supposed to keep you safe - so, I will."

    Nico smiled softly, pulling a stack of bent and over-used cards from his pockets. "You wanna play a game of Myth-o-magic? I'll go easy on you, Bianca."

    "Not right now," She chuckled, patting down his messy hair and sending him a soft eye, "Perhaps in a little while. But, soon we will need to head out to the dance - Mr. Thorn will get mad if he finds that we aren't where we are supposed to be."

    Nico pouted a bit, but put the deck away, getting onto his feet with Bianca following his moves. As soon as they began to walk towards my direction, the sound of thick soled boots echoed through the halls. 

    "Children," A masculine voice snarled, causing me to turn and peer towards the tall man with two different colored eyes. "Why are you not with your chaperones at the dance?" 

    Bianca's face paled and she shot Nico a worried eye, slightly stepping in front of him.

    The man didn't let them explain, but instead grabbed the children by their forearms and stalked down the hall, practically dragging them along. "Let's take a walk outside, shall we?" 

    "Hey! Wake up!" A gruff voice yelled at me, yanking me from my vision of either the past or the future, I couldn't be quite certain.

    My eyes shot open and I gasped in a lungful of air do to the shock of being pulled so quickly from the other dimension. My green eyes flickered up to meet cold, glassy black ones. The face that peered nonchalantly down at my own was haunted and hollow.

    The boy was deathly pale and thin, so thin that his skin sunk in at his cheek bones and under his eyes dark circles had gathered from what had to be years on insomnia. 

    I allowed a relieved smile to slip onto my lips as I took the young man in. He was the very same one from my visions. With a sigh, his name slurred out of my lips, "Nico diAngelo."

            "How the hell do you know that?" 

~~~~~~

Hey guys, so the majority of you voted Penny - so, there you have it! Don't worry - we will get to Scar eventually, but as for now, it's Nilope (Ni-low-pee) time! Or, what ever ship name you come up with... If you ship them xD 

    *cough* Solangelo *cough*

This was the last chapter, unfortunately - but, to get you pumped for DOA (Daughter of Apollo) I made a short, terrible trailer! I couldn't think of a better Nico - so if you have any suggestions, please do tell! 

As for the premiere date for the next book.... I don't have one yet - sorry. Let's say... FEBRUARY 14!  (Since, Cupid is the biggest asshole in this series where Nico is considered). I know you may feel that this is a long way away - but it's not. 

    Hell, I would even make it farther away, but I really don't want to wait that long - it will give me time to receive BoO (No, I have NOT read it all yet *cry* - I've been surviving off Wikipedia for the small pieces and Solangelo one-shots....), read it, prep a plot, and write. So, I love you all - but, it's gonna be some time.

see you on the flip side - Jess