SILVER 3 ◼percy jackson◼

⬜SIXTEEN⬜

⚪ONE DAY TILL THE WINTER SOLSTICE⚪

The lake of Camp Half-Blood was still frozen over, snow falling lightly onto the ice that coated the lake. So many memories surrounded this lake. Moments with Percy, water fights with Annabeth when we were younger, even the day that Apollo gave us summer in the winter.

Now, I stood beside this lake in the cold of the winter day. The sun was setting along the horizon, leaving a gleam across the icy lake. The sky was a mix of orange, red, and purple. It was a beautiful scene to witness.

"I can't even remember the amount of times we've sat out here and admired the sunset since that day on the yacht,"

I turned, smiling lightly as Percy walked up beside me. His hands were in his pockets, his breath visible in the cold air. He slid an arm around my waist, holding me closer to him. I let mine envelop his waist as well, holding onto him as we gazed out at the lake.

"I wish we could stay in this moment forever,"

"We've got plenty of time to admire it right now,"

Percy and I turned, smiling as our friends walked forward. Grover, Annabeth, Arrow, Tyson, Clarisse, Thalia, and my mother and Chiron not far behind. Annabeth came to my other side, holding onto me as I let one arm drop from Percy, hugging her instead. 

Arrow walked around us, howling up at the sky as he laid in front of us.

This sunset truly is beautiful, I smiled down at the wolf as my friends- my family, circled around me, admiring the sunset by my side.

"Everything changes tomorrow," Clarisse muttered, scuffing her shoe against the ground. I sighed, a sad smile on my face as I looked over at her.

"Yeah, it does," Grover added on, looking out at the horizon. I sighed, feeling everyone's gaze on me as I looked out at the scene in front of us.

daughter of the hunt

skilled on the battlefront

blessed with a curse

that has the power to balance the universe

love ingrained in her destiny

intertwined with the fate of the water

but all will end helplessly

the winter solstice proving to be a slaughter

I took another deep breath after reciting the prophecy one more time. Annabeth and Percy hugged me tighter as I looked to my mother, who was already looking at me.

"Dad said you gifted me with the elemental powers in order to help me win. Maddie says my destiny is set in stone, that Sadie has a prophecy that sets our fates in stone. What if I can't win this battle? What if these powers do nothing? What if I can't protect this camp, or even you, Percy? The Winter Solstice is going to be a slaughter, what if none of us make it out alive?"

"Sometimes you can't change your fate," my mother said, looking over at me. "Just because your fate may be set in stone, doesn't mean that your impact is. What happens tomorrow determines the course of the future, for everyone here and the half-bloods to come. You have to use the gifts that you have to make the choices that you believe bring the best outcome."

"We're by your side, no matter what," Percy told me, his hand intertwining with mine. I could feel his fingers toying with the ring on my finger as the sun set below the horizon, plunging the camp into darkness.

"I love you guys, no matter what,"