A Second Life

15. Chaos, Tattoos and Blades

As Apollo and Aphrodite entered, they immediately got sent a flurry of looks and words.

"Who are you? How do you know of this place?" Sirius asked, his tone polite, but wary. The two gods were radiating an aura similar to Percy. Sirius was well aware Percy's aura was considerably stronger than Nico's, but he didn't dare underestimate any of the four, not even the girl. He was answered by Apollo, who flashed a cheeky smile towards Percy and Nico, before settling on a poker face.

"Luke. I am your father." His tone was so serious, that everyone just stared with their jaws open. That was until they got jolted back into reality by Percy's laughter.

"Oh my gods, that was pure gold. Hephaestus would kill to get this on his channel back at Olympus."

Apollo received many glares from all around for messing with them so seriously, to which he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, but before he could dig himself a deeper grave, Aphrodite stepped in.

"We are their cousins. We are also wizards, but we came here to look out for these two. They are sometimes troublemakers, you know. And as for this place, we have blood that traces back to the four founders of Hogwarts. So, it would be a bit embarrassing not to have the basic knowledge. I sincerely hope we all get along swimmingly." Aphrodite explained, her tone diplomatic and balanced. But the sound of her voice? It's like she was an angel. Her voice was a melody on its own, a blessing to their ears, enchanting and flowing smoother then silk or satin, and just listening to it reminded you of a late night walk by the beach with your lover, who gifts you a rose while gently slipping a love letter into your hands; a fantasy none of them had experienced. In short - they were sold the moment she opened her mouth.

"Yo Perce, you have some hot cousins." Ron stated, still staring at Aphrodite.

It seemed, that just then did Severus understand who they were, bowing his head respectfully, but subtly towards them, and as did Remus, knowing about the gods as he was a werewolf. Snape spoke up, asking the obvious, before either of the not-so-trusty gods slip up and reveal who they actually were. "And what names do you go by?" He kept his tone curt, but respectful.

"Oh! Styx, I almost forgot, my name is," she paused for a second with a thoughtful look, then a sad smile, "Silena Adair."
"And I am Ade Grace. Now if you excuse us, we are here to discuss awfully important matters with our beloved cousins." Apollo said, grabbing Aphrodite, Nico and Percy and taking them into the room next door. Apollo took Nico's wand and tried to cast the Muffliato charm, but the wand refused to answer to Apollo, which caused him to take Percy's and cast the charm.

Nico started the conversation, "So tell me again why you guys are here? Ade? Seriously? And also, my wand will only answer to me Apollo. So quit trying to make it work." Nico said, rolling his eyes at a frustrated Apollo, but addressing both the Gods.

"There is trouble on Olympus. The Hearth is dying." Aphrodite spoke, a seriousness in her voice they hadn't heard before. "After the Camp had been swayed by some dark power that Logan had, their loyalty to the Hearth, to Olympus, started breaking. Each demigod and mythological creature has a connection to Olympus. Even the monsters,"

"-so, each person with loyalty acts like a cord, an anchor, to the mortal realm. Monsters definitely wouldn't swear their loyalty, gods don't count, not even the minor, so that leave demigods. Many demigods don't have loyalty to Olympus, they only have loyalty to their parents. You are the last two, aside from Artemis' hunt. Slowly, ever since you have left, the people who stuck by your side have been leaving. Not you, but the Hearth. They are no longer connected to Olympus." Apollo continued.