1st Place in the Percy Jackson Wattys 2018
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'"So it's settled then." Zeus said, "In order to solidify our truce with Nyx Apollo will marry Nyx's demigod daughter Ariadne."'
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Ariadne lived in hell. Not the figurative type of hell-she really lived i...
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1 week later Cai I stared at the flickering flames before me watching as the shroud burnt.
As my mother had no cabin, all of the remaining campers pitched in to make her a shroud. All of them apart from me. I felt like a fake, I was her son, yet these campers knew more about her than I did. I was the son of a dead girl and a man that I had never met, and I knew almost nothing about either of them.
It wasn't fair how little time I had with my mother. That was why, as I stood there watching the obsidian coloured shroud hemmed with golden thread burning amidst the flickering flames, I made a promise to myself.
"I swear on the river Styx that I'll get you back," I muttered under my breath, "no matter what it takes." Thunder rumbled over head, the oath was sealed.
I turned away from the fire and began to walk away from the campers gathered there. I had not spoken to any of them since my mother died. The only ones who dared to approach me were Will, Nico, Kayla and Austin. Whether this was out of genuine concern or obligation I was not sure.
I continued walking, wanting to get as far away from that place as I could. I was not a demigod, which meant that I was not welcome there. I was not a god, which meant that despite being an Olympian, I was not truly welcome on Olympus. I was not a Titan or a Primoral. I was simply myself. Which meant that I was best when on my own.
I had a plan, a plan which would bring my mother back to me. I was going to Hades.
4 weeks later Apollo I stood in the Olympic council room, victorious. I had been successful, having reclaimed all of the oracles I was now able to return to my position as an Olympian. I could return to Ri, and finally meet my son, whom I was sure had been born in the time I was gone.
Zeus muttered some words under his breath, and I felt my strength begin to return to me, until I stood tall and proud in my full godly form.
I looked around the room and realised two things. Firstly, there was another throne sat beside Zeus's, which was the only unoccupied one (besides mine of course). I could not understand where this throne had appeared from, and I did not know who was supposed to sit upon it.
The second thing that I realised was that none of the gods would meet my eyes, they were all finding other interesting things to look at around the room. None more so than Artemis, whom I thought would be overjoyed to see me reinstated, but was busying herself about stringing a bow.
"Artemis?" I asked her.
She continued stringing her bow, not ignoring me, just seeming reluctant to tell me something.
"Artemis what are you hiding from me?" I demanded.
Artemis seemed to steal herself for something, and set aside her bow. She rose from her throne, and strode over to me. Grabbing my arm, she dragged me from the room.
She stopped walking beside a fountain with a statue of Eros spouting water from his mouth, and turned to look at me. Her eyes were heavy with sorrow, and I could tell that whatever she was about to tell me was anything but good.
"Apollo I'm sorry," she said, "I tried to protect her, to keep her occupied, but Nyx got to her. I couldn't save her, I swear I tried everything-"
"What are you talking about Artemis?" I spoke in a low warning voice.
"Zeus made me promise not to tell you until you were a god again, he thought that you'd want to die, to join her so he made me swear- I'm so sorry brother, but Araidne is dead. Killed by her mother, Nyx."
A shockwave went through my body, as I registered what Artemis had told me. Ri was gone, we had no eternity ahead of us.
"And no one has heard anything of Caius for weeks," Artemis continued, "he was there when they burnt her shroud, and then he was simply gone, no one knows where he is or what he's doing."
"Caius?" This brought me up short and wrenched me from thoughts of Ri.
"Your son," Artemis nodded.
My son. A part of Ri was still living, a wonderful part, I was sure of that. In my mortal days I had often pictured what my son would look like. I knew he would have his mother's eyes, her beautiful dark eyes. I pictured him with dirty blonde hair, and Ri's cheeky attitude.
"Where is my son?" I asked, trying to rip my thoughts from Ri, whom I could do nothing to help, to her son, who was alive and I could help.
"I just told you, no one has seen him for weeks. I think he's going after Nyx, when Cai saw Nyx she said something about pawns and wiping them off the board, the next thing we know Ri is dead and we don't know who killed her."
"In that case, I'm going after him. I must help my son take down Nyx."
Dun, dun, dun! I tried to make Apollo regaining his immortality as vague as possible so that it fits with whatever the ending of Trials of Apollo is. Maybe if it's way off when we finally get the last book, I'll come back and edit it to fit, but for now there you go! Both of Ri's boys are out for revenge- Nyx doesn't stand a chance! Remember to vote, comment and be amazing! ~Em xx
