His Return

15. The Moment's Heat

'Most mistakes are fixable. Some mistakes are irreversible.'

October 29th,
Long Island, United States
Camp Half Blood
7:30 AM
Training Day #1

««•••»»

Tensions were high in the dining pavilion that morning.

Contrary to the pleading of his wife, Perseus ate nothing. The only item placed in front of him was a large goblet, studded with fancy diamonds and jewels, filled to the brim with wine of a purple shade, in which he occasionally sipped.

He appeared to have been deep in thought, as his gaze landed boldly on the faces of the Romans, who brought with them the Amazons. The words that Nyx currently spoke to him was fallen onto deaf ears, as he drowned out the sound of everything around him to focus on the demigods, who kept silent conversations among themselves as they tried to conceal the constant unsubtle glances thrown into the direction of the General.

Hephaestus, Hades and Hestia conversed amongst themselves, attempting to bring Nyx into their discussion, but her replies were short and dull.

In all honesty, Nyx worried for her husband, and the fact that he ignored her only added to her irritation. She knew that bringing him to this place was a mistake from the moment he drove his knife through the Hunter's hand, but there was no turning back now. She knew that by the look on his face, he might snap at any moment and kill them all, and what scared her the most was that he would feel no remorse after doing so. He had it in his mind that whatever evil thing he did to them was justified, and Nyx understood that any conflict pointed in his direction would not end well for his opposition.

She placed a hand over the one of his that stayed near his cup, this time grabbing a hold of his attention. For a brief moment, he looked at her and smiled, but just before she opened her mouth to speak, he turned his head once again.

His eyes finally met Annabeth's, who never seemed to remove her gaze from his face. The daughter of Athena expected the most brooding of looks from the son of Poseidon, but what surprised her was the fact that there was nothing of the sort on his expression.

He looked at her without warmth, but uncertainty on his face, as if he was not sure what to make of her.

"Why are you looking at her like that?" Nyx asked him, quietly enough that only they could hear.

"I am not staring." He whispered boldly. "I merely glanced at her." Though the fact that his focus immediately returned to Annabeth did not at all help his case.

Seeing the reluctance to remove his stare, Nyx scowled at him, rising from her seat and heading towards the exit, but not before he could catch her hand, spinning her around to face him.

She glared at him and spoke through her teeth.

"Let go of me."

Nyx was strong. He knew that if she honestly wanted to get away from him, she would, but the fact that she addressed him with words told him that there was something bothering her.

So instead of letting go, he pulled her closer.

"What is the problem, Nyx?"

Upon hearing the name, a jolt went down Annabeth's spine. She knew that she had felt her presence before, but she simply could not put her finger on where she had felt it. Not until now. Perseus was married to the primordial of Night.

A feeling of betrayal and loneliness washed over her. For how could it not when the man she loved was claimed by another woman, much less such a flawless one.

She had saved herself from the touch of any other man since the banishment, in hopes that one day he would return to her, but now she could feel all of that going through the door. It hurt her more than anything to see her man with someone else.

She longed for him.

She longed to feel the intensity of his love.

She wanted nothing more than to get him alone with her. To push him onto her bed and put it all on him. To fuck him the way she knew Nyx never could. He would make her feel special; like she was the only girl in the world when he held her hips and pulled her hair. They would mess the bedsheets up, he would break her bed and she would forget her name for some moments, and everything would just feel so right.

But she knew that the possibilities of that happening were slim to none.

"What do you think you're doing, Perseus?" Nyx opposed him. "Are you really that stupid that you would do that right in front of me?"

By this point, there had been a quiet but heated exchange of words between the primordial couple. The metaphorical spotlight was pointed at them, yet, they made no attempt to remove themselves from the area.

"I think you should mind your words." He warned her, his eyes locked on hers. "We would not want any mishaps to occur, would we?"

Nyx laughed humourlessly, shaking her head. "A mistake like loving you?" She said. "No I wouldn't like a mistake like that to happen again."

From the moment the words left her lips, Nyx's eyes widened, and she put a hand over her mouth.

He began to stand, but she gripped his shoulders and pushed him back onto his seat.

"I am sorry, my love. I did not mean it."

He nodded in acknowledgment to her statement, but she was not fooled. When he let go of her hand, she knew that she had truly disappointed him. She tried to grasp his arm, only for him to move it. He rose from his chair, paying no mind to the campers, who glued their attention to him as he stood, his goblet disappearing as he did.

He made his way to the door, speaking as he walked away. "Get ready." He said. "Your training begins in fifteen minutes."

"Hold up, Mr. High and Mighty." A female voice sounded behind him.

He turned to face the woman. A person that he recognized all too well.

Hylla Ramírez Arellano. Sister of Reyna. Leader of the Amazons.

Hylla must admit. The former Praetor of New Rome had definitely changed since they had last crossed paths. He was surrounded by this attitude that portrayed authority. From her knowledge on reading people, and with the added evidence of his graceful gestures, she could definitely see that he was different. Mentally, physically and emotionally. Yet, upon her knowings, she would not cease her attempts of courage, because she was a leader, and she cowered in the presence of no man.

"On the first encounter you had with my ranks, you were shackled and brought to me like you were nothing more than a toddler's toy. What gives you the power to come in here and try to train us like we're your pets?"

He looked at her, not surprised, but definitely taken aback in the slightest. It had been so long since someone had shown the bravery to confront him, and for that she was commendable. However, he would tolerate no disrespect. Demigods awaited his outburst of rage, feeling sorry for the defiant girl, but to their shock, he just smiled.

A smile so sweet that it was menacing. One that sent shivers down Hylla's spine.

She could make out the short but sharp fang-like teeth on the upper row of his mouth, that fit perfectly with his darkening red eyes that churned. Features resembling those of a vicious hound. Without a word, Perseus left. 

She was about to sit, when a soft hand gripped her shoulders, the person's nails digging into her skin, though, she did not believe that it was intended.

The woman's face showed remorse, gazing pointedly at the Amazon Queen.

"You should not have done that." Nyx told her, proceeding to follow in the direction of her husband.

1350 words