The days passed by, blurring together, games with Nico and Bianca, then she'd leave and blood and death and everything else rushed by, faces she'd never remember, people, places.
Artemis had tried to recruit her, but Alys liked working alone. She needed to survive on her own. That was what demigods had to learn eventually, how to live and fight and cling on to life instead of just following the flow.
That was probably why she was still alive. Whispers and words and dreams haunted her, monsters followed her and tried to murder her, but she came out on top. She had to. When she talked to Nico and Bianca, she felt like she was being rather too pithy, terse, but she'd work with it. Nico was extremely effervescent, always moving or touching things or asking questions.
Alys didn't mind. She didn't mind Nico's exuberance or Bianca's sarcasm and mother hen attitude, she didn't mind the hotel and it's extravagance, but she minded the blood; the blood and the pain, and the nightmares of monsters and demons leering at her. The stench of blood followed her, the times she'd looked into the faces of people she couldn't save, the endless battles against monsters she knew would always come back.
It was almost certain Nico and Bianca were demigods, but Alys couldn't tell them. She couldn't let them face the world of myths and magic and immeasurable pain.
(years later, she'd regret that.)
They played for years, and the years passed by unchanging. Nico and Bianca never noticed. Alys did. She felt old and young at the same time, worries melting away when she was with Nico and Bianca, worries back in full force when she fell back into fighting and killing and trying to save.
One day she met Chiron, who asked her to move to Camp Half-Blood, telling her it wasn't good for her to stay unchanging. He asked her a question. What did she know that made her want to keep living? Her will to fight? Her wish to save? Or her spite for fate?
She ignored him and let the days pass by, blood covering her like a second skin, lies she'd tell Nico and Bianca, pain she'd ignore. She was strong, powerful, unstoppable. It wasn't worth it. At the back of her head, she wondered if she'd ever lose her humanity and become like the gods; uncaring, all powerful but misusing that power.
She wondered, she wondered, she wondered. Promises she didn't mean slipped through her lips, 'I'll be fine.' 'Everything's okay' until she made one she intended to keep.
Nico had seen something jump her the minute she'd walked out the door, a monster lying in wait. She'd fought it off with her backpack;she didn't want to let Nico see her weapons.
And now here they were, Nico crying, badly rattled, in her arms.
He snuffled. Wiped his eyes. Whispered hoarsely "I thought you wer' gonna die."
She tensed. Death was an occupational hazard, an enemy and a friend, and most of all, her heritage. "I won't die." she promised. "I'll always be there for you, Neeks, you can count on me."
She grinned, trying to cheer him up. "After all, I can beat Death up with a backpack if I need to!" She raised the backpack and pretended to chase him around the room.
Promises, promises, promises.
The first time she broke her promise was two years later, when a fury came for Nico and Bianca.
Alys had been out when the fury brought them away.
She'd found the boy she'd saved all those years back, Christian, bleeding out.
A Cynolycus had attacked him.
Isn't fate artistic?
She'd killed it. It didn't matter, another death, the stench of agony and despair filling her lungs and festering in her bones.
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Souls, Spells, and Shadows
FanfictionAlys Vesper is three fourths god, which isn't as awesome as it sounds. Her power just means she's hunted by monsters - and haunted by the shadows of her past. Join Alys as she journeys through a world of gods, monsters, villains, and heroes, help...
