A Second Life

27. Percy Is Pretty, Deal With It (Looking at you, Apollo)

I wasn't planning on releasing this Chapter for quite a while, but I hit 50k reads so this is a thank-you gift!

Also, I watched Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the Palace Theatre. I was left absolutely blown away, partly because I rarely go to the theatre, partly because it was so much fun to watch with my friends. I have to admit, the ending could've been better. I ended up low-key shipping Scorpious and Albus tho 😂

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Silena

The weeks passed, slowly and quietly. The adjustment to a wizarding school was difficult; they had different rooms, different classrooms, different lessons, and that's why I didn't have much time.

At least, that's what I told myself.

I'd allowed the month to slip by uneventfully. I hadn't even tried to speak to Ares - Gods, would he even want to speak to me now? Either way, I wasn't going to speak to him if he didn't want to. Instead, I set my mind to training.

Ares had said something about a clearing in the Forbidden Forest - somewhere where we would all meet, and train. I shrugged on my jumper gently, letting the warmth flutter over me like butterfly kisses. The knitted fabric smelt like a mixture of jasmine and elderflower. When had I last worn this?  Maybe when Hestia made me tend to her garden. A small smile hooked onto my lips. Even now, the words she said to me then rang true in my head.

Life isn't always easy, nor is it fair, Aphrodite. It is a cycle of pain and joy, highs and lows, losses and gains. When things go wrong, always remember that you should never cut what can be untied.

'Never cut what can be untied.'

A mix of annoyance and amusement prickled at me. Sometimes I suspected she could see the future too. It seemed that way. Another wave of warmth washed over me, and I recognised it as Hestia'a doing (she could definitely see into the future, there was no doubt about it). I felt a spark of hope slowly flicker to life inside of me. Maybe I could fix things with Ares.

I heard a knock on the door, responding with a quick 'I'm coming!' before pushing my now less-sour thoughts aside. I opened the door to an impatient Apollo.

"You took your jolly good time."

I flashed a blinding smile his way. He sighed, walking towards the exit of the dorms. I followed him, finding his irritation and impatience absolutely hilarious.

"How are we doing the training?" I asked him.

He straightened up, looking happy at getting an excuse for speaking. "I'm training Percy first, while you and Ares help Nico. Ares said something about honing their powers and abilities first before moving onto sparring with them."

"Ok."

"Have you spoken t—"

"Not yet. I mean, kinda. But it didn't go well. My fault entirely."

Apollo looked at me with worried eyes. "Do you want me to speak to him first?"

I shook my head. "I need to do it. It's just harder to tell him."

Apollo steered me left, stopping me millimetres away from a gaping puddle which would've splashed everywhere had I stepped into it. A few hundred metres away from us, I recognised the Whomping Willow, the tree that apparently had a mind of it's own.

"Why is it harder to tell him?" Apollo abruptly asked, looking immediately guilty for speaking.

"Huh?"

"You said it's harder to tell him then it is to tell other people. Why?" His voice was gentle. He wasn't pushing me for answers.

"I don't know. Maybe it's because I like the me I am around him. It's like the image of us I have in my head is so perfect and I don't think I want to change that." I sounded unsure.