(Y/N)'s POV
He didn't remember the moment his life began to fall apart. The beginning, middle and end were so mixed up in his head that to him he was just...there. Of course, he would remember what he had experienced at that point, but that was it.
Even now, as he was weak, in the snow, with the shadowy witch cutting into him, taunting him by saying "This is what I made you. Powerless. Afraid. Human" he could only feel like she should have been mad at someone else.
He was nothing before he landed on those shores one day, guided by a voice that spurred him into the land of the living, or so he thought, until it all came crashing into him, the days the gates opened, and the day that shouldn't have come.
It was only as her claws ripped into him for the second time that he began to remember the order of his life. He finally felt like his eyes were opened, that the river his memories were swimming in had finally become clear.
Finally, he rose above the surface and caught his breath. And just for a few moments, painful, horrible moments, he felt like he knew who he was, truly and completely, he knew where he came from and why, and with that pain, came understanding.
For a moment, he felt whole, and he knew why. In a way, his two halves were connected. By the same pain, the same enemy, the same way they were about to die, and with the feeling of pain, also came memories. But what else was new?
His first memories, waking up to the sound of the goddess guiding him, telling him that he had to save her family, as payment for something that happened years ago, and he knew that he had a part to play in whatever the fates had cooked up for the world of demigods next.
He didn't remember the instructions he was given, because they weren't his to remember, it was the one the witch often referred to as 'the other' (Y/N). Before any of this, the one Hera wanted, not the one she got.
As for the (Y/N) left behind now, he remembered the moments he first ventured into this world. Only because of the blood that filled his throat now, and it's horrible sensation, being so familiar to him.
Waking up with the taste of dirt in your mouth is not pleasant, even if you were one of those weird kids in elementary school who took pleasure in eating it. Which for the record, (Y/N) was not...he didn't even really go to elementary school.
The panic one feels is nearly indescribable without using the vaguest terms. For now, lets just say, it was scary. It wasn't something so easily forgotten, even by someone with memory as terrible as (Y/N)'s.
What made it ten times scarier were the eyes glaring down at him the moment he came to, not curious ones, like when he was trying to escape, but hateful, evil ones. They stared through him, green, emerald eyes that seemed to radiate not only the malice he felt on him, but power.
He cautiously raised his eyes to look up at the woman, who he now knew to be a witch. She spoke before he did, her face widening in a smile that was so pleasant, it was unsettling. "So, you too have chosen to come back. Excellent choice my dear. Excellent choice."
"What are you talking about?" (Y/N) said. After he was done spitting out dirt that was. He looked around, to take in his surroundings. The adjusted to the dim light in less than a second, he saw the world clearly. The pitch black sky around him, and the deep red slate rock beneath his feet didn't panic him as much as he thought they probably should have.
"There are those beautiful eyes of yours..." The woman said, studying him like he was a piece of meat. There was a growl beside her. (Y/N) snapped his head to the noise, and saw a man standing beside her, though perhaps (Y/N)'s memory wasn't very good, because all (Y/N) could remember were the man's glowing red eyes.
"Back to work..." The man grumbled, his voice deep and threatening. "Right." The woman said, reaching down to take (Y/N)'s hand, "Welcome back to the mortal coil (Y/N). You've made the right choice by coming here." "Where is here exactly?" (Y/N) said, the last thing he remembered, he was in the snow.
"Never mind that dear. Now what where the terms of your deal with our patron?" She asked, (Y/N) was stumped. "Patron? What patron." "The charm of your ignorance is wearing thin child. What did she offer to give you. In order for your return, tell us, and we will happily oblige you."
"I'm confused, were we supposed to get something? I just woke up here." (Y/N) said. Lost with the direction of this conversation. "Didn't you bring me back? Thanks for that." He smiled unsuspectingly. Being here, as weird as it was, beats getting killed by a stupid manticore.
"You took her offer. Didn't you?" The witch asked, (Y/N) wanted to lie, he got the feeling that saying no would get him in some kind of trouble, he took note of how the guy behind her tensed at that moment. Like he was ready to pounce. But for some reason, her voice was so nice, he had to tell the truth. "No."
Her eyebrows arched suspiciously. She looked at the man behind her, who shrugged, "What is your name boy?" "(Y/N) (L/N)" He answered brightly. "Impossible." She said, "You're far too weak to be him." She looked at her spooky friend, "Do your job." She said, the man jumped towards (Y/N), pinning him down with ease.
The woman smirked at the sight and bent down to be face to face with (Y/N) "Let me first see those eyes of yours." He feared she was going to rip them out, he thrashed his head wildly in an attempt to stop her, screaming at her to stop, but her hands instead found their way to his chest, over his heart. She pushed into his chest, and for a moment, (Y/N) felt like he was melting.
She rolled up the sleeve of his robe. Looking at the tattoo burned into his skin, not scarred yet. "Amazing..." She said. "You are indeed him. But not the one we reached out to-" "The queen is playing her old tricks." The man said, his breath hitting (Y/N)'s nose and making him want to gag. "Yes." The woman said, getting up and pacing as (Y/N) was held down.
"She is keeping the other from us. Hiding him likely where we cannot follow. Denying our patron her desired champion and me his power. Even trapped in her cage, the queen commands respect for her foresight" The witch then glared at (Y/N). "She tore you asunder, didn't she boy. Away from who you should be."
"You must be so confused. No matter, You're still of use to me (Y/N) (L/N). You may not have cultivated your magic as your counterpart has, but you still have it. Weak, untrained, but there. Hold him." She knelt down next to (Y/N) and recited a spell of some kind. "The queen may have hindered our plans for now. But it is only a matter of time." She said.
Leo's POV
Leo figured he had the worst luck in the group, and that was saying a lot. Why didn't he get to have the long-lost sister or the movie star dad who needed rescuing? All he got was a tool belt and a dragon that broke down halfway through the quest.
Maybe it was the stupid curse of the Hephaestus cabin, but Leo didn't think so. His life had been unlucky way before he got to camp. A thousand years from now, when this quest was being told around a campfire, he figured people would talk about brave Jason, beautiful Piper, and their sidekick Flaming Valdez, who accompanied them with a bag of magic screwdrivers and occasionally fixed tofu burgers.
If that wasn't bad enough, Leo fell in love with every girl he saw—as long as she was totally out of his league. When he first saw Thalia, Leo immediately thought she was way too pretty to be Jason's sister.
Then he thought he'd better not say that or he'd get in trouble. He liked her dark hair, her blue eyes, and her confident attitude. She looked like the kind of girl who could stomp anybody on the ball court or the battlefield, and wouldn't give Leo the time of day—just Leo's type!
For a minute, Jason and Thalia faced each other, stunned. Then Thalia rushed forward and hugged him. "My gods! She told me you were dead!" She gripped Jason's face and seemed to be examining everything about it.
"Thank Artemis, it is you. That little scar on your lip—you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!" Leo laughed. "Seriously?" Hedge nodded like he approved of Jason's taste. "Staplers —excellent source of iron."
"W-wait," Jason stammered. "Who told you I was dead? What happened?" At the cave entrance, one of the white wolves barked. Thalia looked back at the wolf and nodded, but she kept her hands on Jason's face, like she was afraid he might vanish.
"My wolf is telling me I don't have much time, and she's right. But we have to talk. Let's sit." Piper did better than that. She collapsed. She would've cracked her head on the cave floor if Hedge hadn't caught her.
Thalia rushed over. "What's wrong with her? Ah—never mind. I see. Hypothermia. Ankle." She frowned at the satyr. "Don't you know nature healing?" Hedge scoffed. "Why do you think she looks this good? Can't you smell the Gatorade?"
Thalia looked at Leo for the first time, and of course it was an accusatory glare, like Why did you let the goat be a doctor? As if that was Leo's fault. "You and the satyr," Thalia ordered, "take this girl to my friend at the entrance. Phoebe's an excellent healer."
"It's cold out there!" Hedge said. "I'll freeze my horns off." But Leo knew when they weren't wanted. "Come on, Hedge. These two need time to talk." "Humph. Fine," the satyr muttered. "Didn't even get to brain anybody."
Hedge carried Piper toward the entrance. Leo was about to follow when Jason called, "Actually, man, could you, um, stick around?" Leo saw something in Jason's eyes he didn't expect: Jason was asking for support. He wanted somebody else there. He was scared.
Leo grinned. "Sticking around is my specialty." Thalia didn't look too happy about it, but the three of them sat at the fire. For a few minutes, nobody spoke. Jason studied his sister like she was a scary device—one that might explode if handled incorrectly.
Thalia seemed more at ease, as if she was used to stumbling across stranger things than long-lost relatives. But still she regarded Jason in a kind of amazed trance, maybe remembering a little two-year-old who tried to eat a stapler.
Leo took a few pieces of copper wire out of his pockets and twisted them together. Finally he couldn't stand the silence. "So ... the Hunters of Artemis. This whole 'not dating' thing—is that like always, or more of a seasonal thing, or what?"
Thalia stared at him as if he'd just evolved from pond scum. Yeah, he was definitely liking this girl. Jason kicked him in the shin. "Don't mind Leo. He's just trying to break the ice. But, Thalia ... what happened to our family? Who told you I was dead?"
Thalia tugged at a silver bracelet on her wrist. In the firelight, in her winter camouflage, she almost looked like Khione the snow princess—just as cold and beautiful. "Do you remember anything?" she asked.
Jason shook his head. "I woke up three days ago on a bus with Leo and Piper." "Which wasn't our fault," Leo added hastily. "Hera stole his memories." Thalia tensed. "Hera? How do you know that?"
Jason explained about their quest—the prophecy at camp, Hera getting imprisoned, the giant taking Piper's dad, and the winter solstice deadline. Leo chimed in to add the important stuff: how he'd fixed the bronze dragon, could throw fireballs, and made excellent tacos.
Thalia was a good listener. Nothing seemed to surprise her—the monsters, the prophecies, the dead rising. Save for one thing, "A man came to help you? What man? Iris is supposed to be on Olympus."
"What does he look like?" She asked, and once Leo had finished describing the man, who clearly wasn't handsome enough to hold a candle to Leo, Thalia pondered it for a second, then shrugged, "Doesn't ring a bell."
When Jason mentioned King Midas, she cursed in Ancient Greek "I knew we should've burned down his mansion," she said. "That man's a menace. But we were so intent on following Lycaon—Well, I'm glad you got away. So Hera's been ... what, hiding you all these years?"
"I don't know." Jason brought out the photo from his pocket. "She left me just enough memory to recognize your face." Thalia looked at the picture, and her expression softened. "I'd forgotten about that. I left it in Cabin One, didn't I?"
Jason nodded. "I think Hera wanted for us to meet. When we landed here, at this cave ... I had a feeling it was important. Like I knew you were close by. Is that crazy?" "Nah," Leo assured him. "We were absolutely destined to meet your hot sister."
Thalia ignored him. Probably she just didn't want to let on how much Leo impressed her. "Jason," she said, "when you're dealing with the gods, nothing is too crazy. But you can't trust Hera, especially since we're children of Zeus. She hates all children of Zeus."
"But she said something about Zeus giving her my life as a peace offering. Does that make any sense?" The color drained from Thalia's face. "Oh, gods. Mother wouldn't have ... You don't remember—No, of course you don't."
"What?" Jason asked. Thalia's features seemed to grow older in the firelight, like her immortality wasn't working so well. "Jason ... I'm not sure how to say this. Our mom wasn't exactly stable."
"She caught Zeus's eye because she was a television actress, and she was beautiful, but she didn't handle the fame well. She drank, pulled stupid stunts. She was always in the tabloids. She could never get enough attention."
"Even before you were born, she and I argued all the time. She ... she knew Dad was Zeus, and I think that was too much for her to take. It was like the ultimate achievement for her to attract the lord of the sky, and she couldn't accept it when he left. The thing about the gods... well, they don't hang around."
Leo remembered his own mom, the way she'd assured him over and over that his dad would be back someday. But she'd never acted mad about it. She didn't seem to want Hephaestus for herself—only so Leo could know his father.
She'd dealt with working a dead-end job, living in a tiny apartment, never having enough money—and she'd seemed fine with it. As long as she had Leo, she always said, life would be okay.
He watched Jason's face—looking more and more devastated as Thalia described their mom—and for once, Leo didn't feel jealous of his friend. Leo might have lost his mom. He might have had some hard times. But at least he remembered her.
He found himself tapping out a Morse code message on his knee: Love you. He felt bad for Jason, not having memories like that—not having anything to fall back on. "So ..." Jason didn't seem able to finish the question.
"Jason, you got friends," Leo told him. "Now you got a sister. You're not alone." Thalia offered her hand, and Jason took it. "When I was about seven," she said, "Zeus started visiting Mom again. I think he felt bad about wrecking her life, and he seemed—different somehow."
"A little older and sterner, more fatherly toward me. For a while, Mom improved. She loved having Zeus around, bringing her presents, causing the sky to rumble. She always wanted more attention."
"That's the year you were born. Mom ... well, I never got along with her, but you gave me a reason to hang around. You were so cute. And I didn't trust Mom to look after you. Of course, Zeus eventually stopped coming by again."
"He probably couldn't stand Mom's demands anymore, always pestering him to let her visit Olympus, or to make her immortal or eternally beautiful. When he left for good, Mom got more and more unstable."
"That was about the time the monsters started attacking me. Mom blamed Hera. She claimed the goddess was coming after you too—that Hera had barely tolerated my birth, but two demigod children from the same family was too big an insult."
"Mom even said she hadn't wanted to name you Jason, but Zeus insisted, as a way to appease Hera because the goddess liked that name. I didn't know what to believe." Leo fiddled with his copper wires.
He felt like an intruder. He shouldn't be listening to this, but it also made him feel like he was getting to know Jason for the first time—like maybe being here now made up for those four months at Wilderness School, when Leo had just imagined they'd had a friendship.
"How did you guys get separated?" he asked. Thalia squeezed her brother's hand. "If I'd known you were alive ... gods, things would've been so different. But when you were two, Mom packed us in the car for a family vacation."
"We drove up north, toward the wine country, to this park she wanted to show us. I remember thinking it was strange because Mom never took us anywhere, and she was acting super nervous."
"I was holding your hand, walking you toward this big building in the middle of the park, and ..." She took a shaky breath. "Mom told me to go back to the car and get the picnic basket. I didn't want to leave you alone with her, but it was only for a few minutes."
"When I came back ... Mom was kneeling on the stone steps, hugging herself and crying. She said—she said you were gone. She said Hera claimed you and you were as good as dead. I didn't know what she'd done."
"I was afraid she'd completely lost her mind. I ran all over the place looking for you, but you'd just vanished. She had to drag me away, kicking and screaming. For the next few days I was hysterical."
"I don't remember everything, but I called the police on Mom and they questioned her for a long time. Afterward, we fought. She told me I'd betrayed her, that I should support her, like she was the only one who mattered."
"Finally I couldn't stand it. Your disappearance was the last straw. I ran away from home, and I never went back, not even when Mom died a few years ago. I thought you were gone forever. I never told anyone about you—not even Annabeth or Luke, my two best friends. It was just too painful."
"Chiron knew." Jason's voice sounded far away. "When I got to camp, he took one look at me and said, 'You should be dead.'" "That doesn't make sense," Thalia insisted. "I never told him."
"Hey," Leo said. "Important thing is you've got each other now, right? You two are lucky." Thalia nodded. "Leo's right. Look at you. You're my age. You've grown up." "But where have I been?" Jason said. "How could I be missing all that time? And the Roman stuff ..."
Thalia frowned. "The Roman stuff?" "Your brother speaks Latin," Leo said. "He calls gods by their Roman names, and he's got tattoos." Leo pointed out the marks on Jason's arm. Then he gave Thalia the rundown about the other weird stuff that had happened.
Boreas turning into Aquilon, Lycaon calling Jason a "child of Rome," and the wolves backing off when Jason spoke Latin to them. Thalia looked them over, like they might suddenly attack her, for a moment.
Then she asked Jason and Leo something that made them both feel uneasy, Leo felt like he had just been electrocuted, or he was having a debate with Medea when Thalia asked them, "Jason, do you know someone called (Y/N) (L/N)?"
Jason immediately shook his head, Leo did the same, but the two shared a glance and Leo got the feeling that Jason had felt just as uneasy. "Why?" Leo asked, and Thalia explained he was the only other person he knew with a tattoo, and that Annabeth had told her about it.
"The guy who ran has one." Jason said, and Thalia nodded, but her eyes seemed vague, like she didn't really hear their answer, "Ok, that makes sense." Thalia plucked her bowstring. "Latin. Zeus sometimes spoke Latin, the second time he stayed with Mom. Like I said, he seemed different, more formal."
"You think he was in his Roman aspect?" Jason asked. "And that's why I think of myself as a child of Jupiter?" "Possibly," Thalia said. "I've never heard of something like that happening, but it might explain why you think in Roman terms, why you can speak Latin rather than Ancient Greek."
"That would make you unique. Still, it doesn't explain how you've survived without Camp Half-Blood. A child of Zeus, or Jupiter, or whatever you want to call him—you would've been hounded by monsters."
"If you were on your own, you should've died years ago. I know I wouldn't have been able to survive without friends. You would've needed training, a safe haven—" "He wasn't alone," Leo blurted out. "We've heard about others like him."
Thalia looked at him strangely. "What do you mean?" Leo told her about the slashed-up purple shirt in Medea's department store, and the story the Cyclopes told about the child of Mercury who spoke Latin.
"Isn't there anywhere else for demigods?" Leo asked. "I mean besides Camp Half-Blood? Maybe some crazy Latin teacher has been abducting children of the gods or something, making them think like Romans."
As soon as he said it, Leo realized how stupid the idea sounded. Thalia's dazzling blue eyes studied him intently, making him feel like a suspect in a lineup. "I've been all over the country," Thalia mused.
"I've never seen evidence of a crazy Latin teacher, or demigods in purple shirts. Still ..." Her voice trailed off, like she'd just had a troubling thought. "What?" Jason asked. Thalia shook her head. "I'll have to talk to the goddess. Maybe Artemis will guide us."
"She's still talking to you?" Jason asked. "Most of the gods have gone silent." "Artemis follows her own rules," Thalia said. "She has to be careful not to let Zeus know, but she thinks Zeus is being ridiculous closing Olympus. She's the one who set us on the trail of Lycaon. She said we'd find a lead to a missing friend of ours."
"Percy Jackson," Leo guessed. "The guy Annabeth and Zoe are looking for." Thalia nodded, her face full of concern. Leo wondered if anyone had ever looked that worried all the times he'd disappeared. He kind of doubted it.
"So what would Lycaon have to do with it?" Leo asked. "And how does it connect to us?" "We need to find out soon," Thalia admitted. "If your deadline is tomorrow, we're wasting time. Aeolus could tell you—"
The white wolf appeared again at the doorway and yipped insistently. "I have to get moving." Thalia stood. "Otherwise I'll lose the other Hunters' trail. First, though, I'll take you to Aeolus's palace."
"If you can't, it's okay," Jason said, though he sounded kind of distressed. "Oh, please." Thalia smiled and helped him up. "I haven't had a brother in years. I think I can stand a few minutes with you before you get annoying. Now, let's go!"
(Y/N)'s POV
Last time, that was where the memory cut off, perhaps it was too painful to remember at the time, but with the witch doing the same thing to him now, he remembered that pain, though only flashes of it.
In the present, as the witch dug her claws deeper, her darker form shifting and constricting, like a living thing, around her, he felt it, the lethargy, the sickness in the pit of his stomach that meant he didn't want to fight back anymore, and another memory sparked to life.
In fact, memory was too nice of a word, another deep rooted trauma popped into (Y/N)'s head, the day...no, the moment the shadow overtook him, the time his strength failed him, against the witch from his past and the king of wolves.
At first it came in waves, with the pain that decided to well up in his chest, each breath was a new wave of emotion and feeling that was familiar to him. She had gotten stronger, last time, she wasn't alone.
The memory came to him in parts, burned symbols in the air, the stench of blood in the air, and the wolf man pinning him down, he was just reminded of the same pain, the golden eyed woman tearing into his flesh, though leaving behind no wound
At first, he struggled, slashing at the shadows with his spear, trying to get away, but Lycaon soon grabbed a hold of him, the wolf king was strong, and no weapon (Y/N) had could affect the god, making him the perfect person to restrain (Y/N) as the witch summoned her strength.
(Y/N) kicked, and screamed, and struck at them both, but nothing worked, no magic he tried to use helped him, he couldn't seem to summon any strength, he felt like the earth was drawing it away from him.
Lycaon held him down, constricting his arms, as two savage wolves bit at his ankles. Only from this perspective, had the current (Y/N) realized they were made of dirt, and rock, and stone, but they followed after the wolf king's will, and right now, his mission was to restrain (Y/N).
But after a while of taking a beating, Lycaon asked. "Are you sure about this?" nervousness clear in his voice, his eyes darted around, sweeping through the area as if they were searching for a predator.
His voice shook, that nervousness was not present in the witch's voice as she spoke. "He will be here, after all, what father would abandon his child? Even now?" She said as whatever she was doing flared to life, the symbols around (Y/N) blooming open with red and deep bronze glows.
A circle of symbols and markings that (Y/N) was sure would make Alabaster nervous began to brighten, the words and symbols spinning, flowing around like water through the earth. And then it took hold.
(Y/N) felt like he was dying all over again, he couldn't really move his body, he went slack and lifeless, and for a moment, felt himself begin to slip from his body, he tried to fight it, but as he raised his hand to defend himself, it was left behind, only his spirit remaining free to move.
With magic words and motions, she raised a hand, at this time an entirely human looking one, and plunged it into his chest. Of course he didn't take this, or being pinned down well, he thrashed and screamed, but it didn't matter, nothing did when he felt the pull.
Without another word or incantation, she curled her fingers over his chest, almost the exact opposite of the gesture Grover had taught him to ward off evil, and then, her hand sunk into his body like it was a liquid, and she reached for something.
Laughing as she did, "You will serve her well..." She mused as she grabbed hold. (Y/N) suddenly felt like he wasn't really here, he felt like this was a dream, and had the urge to close his eyes. He felt his soul begin to surrender to her power.
It was baffling really, but a pull was the closest comparison he could make, perhaps a string going taut a moment before being ripped away by force. He understood that they were trying to separate his soul from him, though had no idea why.
What happened next was less clear, (Y/N) only got flashes. He remembered a lot of pain first off, then he remembered feeling very weak. Weaker than he had in a long time. Since he was a kid. Then he remembered two words, "Kill it."
Even now, he wasn't quite sure what their plans were with his soul, but it was a moot point regardless, because it failed, in the past, she never did manage to separate (Y/N) from his own soul. At least not until much later.
Not because his father had showed up, but because (Y/N) himself had not let them, past or present, he fought them back, even with his strength fading, and his body weakened, he fought back.
He tried to rip the witch's hand from his own chest using only his soul, using all the control he had in his body to make sure she couldn't take it from him. Repeating to himself that he was (Y/N) (L/N), and that she couldn't take that from him.
Remember that thing, about not seeing his life flash before his eyes, well, in the past, (Y/N) was so close to losing himself, he might not have seen it, but he heard it. He heard a voice. Then two, then ten, then twenty, each from a memory that comprised his soul.
The first was in fact, his first, the first voice he ever heard, years before he could comprehend them, before he was even born, before he was who he was. As he fought, for the first time, "You are strong. As you have always been. You shall fight my son. And you shall not let this take you"
"You can do this baby; I believe in you!" Said another, moments after he was born, as he fought to cling to a life that wanted to reject him, a curse that was thrust upon him before he was even a thought, a broken promise that meant he would never live easily.
Hundreds of more voices joined them, not that he knew why at that moment, and each of them made him feel more powerful, but those two, those first two, stuck out to him the most. Because they were moments he had no right remembering.
Soon after the voices had all become one, and he felt the witch's power begin to rise, his father's voice spoke once more, that was how close to death he had gotten, another memory sprung up. "You are our greatest legacy. And I will not see you part from this world so easily."
"You must fight through the pain, you must focus, once you can focus yourself while enduring this pain, you may focus through anything." It reminded him, reminded him of the punishment that his father imparted to him in order to make him strong.
It reminded (Y/N) how strong he was, how he had always been, even back then, and everything he had done to get here, it reminded him that this was his last chance at his happy ending, and he would never waste it. You see, (Y/N)'s soul wasn't so easily destroyed, now or ever.
It wasn't just because he was that powerful. He didn't know it at the time, but the Styx had made his soul much more durable then most, where Percy drew from it's strength to empower his body, (Y/N) had with his soul.
Not only the Styx, his time in the river of fire meant that even now, as his soul was almost ripped free from his body, he was able to remain somewhat calm, and think about things rationally. As the witch latched onto it, and (Y/N) pulled her free, it's strength swelled.
He fought back, not just physically, but with all the strength he had left in his spirit, even as the flame in his chest seemed to die down, and the wisps of smoke that were his soul seemed to coil around her fist like a great snake, he fought to remain who he was, and finally, her magic failed her.
She was trying to use too much power, Lycaon gasped in horror, "They are coming!" And sure enough, from the air, descended dozens of shadowy figures, all set on rending the three of them from this life for their crimes.
She had used up all of her master's power, all the strength that she used to keep herself hidden was gone, and that wasn't the worst of it, not only had she tried to take his soul, she had tried to take his power. What's the problem with that? She succeeded.
With the new distraction, (Y/N) fought back, even without his power, he still had his instinct, breaking Lycaon's hold while the wolf king was distracted, he kicked off the witch's chest, and rolled backwards, falling to the ground with Lycaon underneath him.
He then turned and drove an elbow into the man's temple, Lycaon flinched in pain, and (Y/N) hurried to get to his feet. Lycaon was subdued for now, he was stronger now then he would be in the future, and he couldn't waste the opportunity.
He had swiped down at Lycaon with his spear, obviously it passed right through the wolf man. Who still seemed more concerned with the Keres, who had come to collect, and were picking up and dropping wolves by the dozen.
(Y/N) didn't know Lycaon yet, so didn't know about why his spear passed through the beast, fearing that it was magic, (Y/N) turned to the witch. He was prepared for her to fight him, but she was preoccupied with her own struggles.
A female voice that sounded vindictive shouted at him from her mouth, but it wasn't hers. "NO ESCAPE. You are mine. Mine! Promises broken, lovers forgotten, warnings ignored. You are mine! Little boy, are you a hero? Are you willing to die like one?"
She fell to her knees and clawed at her own head so hard that she drew blood, her eyes squeezed shut in absolute agony, she screamed and cried, "Help me! HELP ME!" She begged, but her mistress was too cruel to offer her that mercy.
She took his power, the strength she had always wanted but never had, in return? It drove her mad. (Y/N)'s head went blank as wolves clashed with shadows that dived down from the sky, as more enemies arrived, flaming whips and claws all cut through the pack.
Memories flooded out of him, but into her, she took part of a power she shouldn't have taken, strength she couldn't control, (Y/N) had held back the monster inside him his whole life, she wasn't ready to face it.
Every time he had ever taken something from someone, even as a child, he was never the same, taking Kronos's power on the Andromeda had made him strong, but arrogant, Nyx's power had made him immense, but naïve.
It tried to twist him, consume him, the power of hundreds of monsters, hundreds of demigods, spirits, gods, primordial and Olympian, all trying to find their place in a new vessel before they were used up, an exchange of power.
The thing was, (Y/N) always fought through that, imparting his own will onto the power, not the other way around, his strength of will would overcome any left behind. But she was too weak to do that, she was already under the influence of her master. She already gave up her free will.
Imagine every drop of power, every voice, every will, every agenda from the hundreds, no, thousands of things he had taken power from after all those years crashing into your head in one moment.
Imagine not growing up with the curse, but having it thrust upon you in a single moment, and trying to keep your sense of self, that was why (Y/N) was right, he didn't know who she was anymore, because neither did she. She had all his power, none of his control over it.
That was why her form changed and constricted, why some days she looked like Hera, some like Nyx, some like Ate, because she was all of them, and none of them. A well of power with no bottom, but no purpose.
But that was only the beginning of the suffering (Y/N) would have to endure before he found his way back to the wolves, because as his memories faded, and he lost himself, Lycaon growled at him, lifting him off his feet and running, so long and so far (Y/N) couldn't tell where he ended up.
The next thing he remembered was what he originally thought was his first memory, the fear had kept the last one away from him, he remembered running from a horde of monsters. He remembered Annabeth looking down at him.
Leo's POV
When Leo saw how well Piper and Hedge were being treated, he was thoroughly offended. He'd imagined them freezing their hindquarters off in the snow, but the Hunter Phoebe had set up this silver tent pavilion thing right outside the cave.
How she'd done it so fast, Leo had no idea, but inside was a kerosene heater keeping them toasty warm and a bunch of comfy throw pillows. Piper looked back to normal, decked out in a new parka, gloves, and camo pants like a Hunter.
She and Hedge and Phoebe were kicking back, drinking hot chocolate. "Oh, no way," Leo said. "We've been sitting in a cave and you get the luxury tent? Somebody give me hypothermia. I want hot chocolate and a parka!"
Phoebe sniffed. "Boys," she said, like it was the worst insult she could think of. "It's all right, Phoebe," Thalia said. "They'll need extra coats. And I think we can spare some chocolate."
Phoebe grumbled, but soon Leo and Jason were also dressed in silvery winter clothes that were incredibly lightweight and warm. The hot chocolate was first-rate. "Where is our friend?" Jason said, he seemed worried, and Leo suddenly felt bad about not being the same.
"Don't worry, we'll find him, we don't really like most boys, but that doesn't means we'd leave one to die." Thalia said, "If anyone could find him in this weather, it's us." Phoebe said confidently.
"Well, that settles that. Cheers!" said Coach Hedge. He crunched down his plastic thermos cup. "That cannot be good for your intestines," Leo said. Thalia patted Piper on the back. "You up for moving?"
Piper nodded. "Thanks to Phoebe, yeah. You guys are really good at this wilderness survival thing. I feel like I could run ten miles." Thalia winked at Jason. "She's tough for a child of Aphrodite. I like this one."
"Hey, I could run ten miles too," Leo volunteered. "Tough Hephaestus kid here. Let's hit it." Naturally, Thalia ignored him. It took Phoebe exactly six seconds to break camp, which Leo could not believe.
The tent self-collapsed into a square the size of a pack of chewing gum. Leo wanted to ask her for the blueprints, but they didn't have time. Thalia ran uphill through the snow, hugging a tiny little path on the side of the mountain.
Leo was regretting trying to look macho, because the Hunters left him in the dust. Coach Hedge leaped around like a happy mountain goat, coaxing them on like he used to do on track days at school. "Come on, Valdez! Pick up the pace! Let's chant. I've got a girl in Kalamazoo—"
"Let's not," Thalia snapped. So they ran in silence. Leo fell in next to Jason at the back of the group. "How you doing, man?" Jason's expression was enough of an answer: Not good.
"Thalia takes it so calmly," Jason said. "Like it's no big deal that I appeared. I didn't know what I was expecting, but ... she's not like me. She seems so much more together." "Hey, she's not fighting amnesia," Leo said.
"Plus, she's had more time to get used to this whole demigod thing. You fight monsters and talk to gods for a while, you probably get used to surprises." "Maybe," Jason said. "I just wish I understood what happened when I was two, why my mom got rid of me. Thalia ran away because of me."
"Hey, whatever's happened, it wasn't your fault. And your sister is pretty cool. She's a lot like you." Jason took that in silence. Leo wondered if he'd said the right things. He wanted to make Jason feel better, but this was way outside his comfort zone.
Leo wished he could reach inside his tool belt and pick just the right wrench to fix Jason's memory—maybe a little hammer—bonk the sticking spot and make everything run right. That would be a lot easier than trying to talk it through.
Not good with organic life forms. Thanks for those inherited traits, Dad. He was so lost in thought, he didn't realize the Hunters had stopped. He slammed into Thalia and nearly sent them both down the side of the mountain the hard way.
Fortunately, the Hunter was light on her feet. She steadied them both, then pointed up. "That," Leo choked, "is a really large rock." They stood near the summit of Pikes Peak. Below them the world was blanketed in clouds.
The air was so thin, Leo could hardly breathe. Night had set in, but a full moon shone and the stars were incredible. Stretching out to the north and south, peaks of other mountains rose from the clouds like islands—or teeth.
But the real show was above them. Hovering in the sky, about a quarter mile away, was a massive free-floating island of glowing purple stone. It was hard to judge its size, but Leo figured it was at least as wide as a football stadium and just as tall.
The sides were rugged cliffs, riddled with caves, and every once in a while a gust of wind burst out with a sound like a pipe organ blast. At the top of the rock, brass walls ringed some kind of a fortress.
The only thing connecting Pikes Peak to the floating island was a narrow bridge of ice that glistened in the moonlight. Then Leo realized the bridge wasn't exactly ice, because it wasn't solid.
As the winds changed direction, the bridge snaked around—blurring and thinning, in some places even breaking into a dotted line like the vapor trail of a plane. "We're not seriously crossing that," Leo said.
Thalia shrugged. "I'm not a big fan of heights, I'll admit. But if you want to get to Aeolus's fortress, this is the only way." "Is the fortress always hanging there?" Piper asked. "How can people not notice it sitting on top of Pikes Peak?"
"The Mist," Thalia said. "Still, mortals do notice it indirectly. Some days, Pikes Peak looks purple. People say it's a trick of the light, but actually it's the color of Aeolus's palace, reflecting off the mountain face."
"It's enormous," Jason said. Thalia laughed. "You should see Olympus, little brother." "You're serious? You've been there?" Thalia grimaced as if it wasn't a good memory. "We should go across in two different groups. The bridge is fragile."
"That's reassuring," Leo said. "Jason, can't you just fly us up there?" Thalia laughed. Then she seemed to realize Leo's question wasn't a joke. "Wait ... Jason, you can fly?" Jason gazed up at the floating fortress.
"Well, sort of. More like I can control the winds. But the winds up here are so strong, I'm not sure I'd want to try. Thalia, you mean ... you can't fly?" For a second, Thalia looked genuinely afraid. Then she got her expression under control.
Leo realized she was a lot more scared of heights than she was letting on. "Truthfully," she said, "I've never tried. Might be better if we stuck to the bridge." Coach Hedge tapped the ice vapor trail with his hoof, then jumped onto the bridge.
Amazingly, it held his weight. "Easy! I'll go first. Piper, come on, girl. I'll give you a hand." "No, that's okay," Piper started to say, but the coach grabbed her hand and dragged her up the bridge.
When they were about halfway, the bridge still seemed to be holding them just fine. Thalia turned to her Hunter friend. "Phoebe, I'll be back soon. Go find the others. Tell them I'm on my way."
"You sure?" Phoebe narrowed her eyes at Leo and Jason, like they might kidnap Thalia or something. "It's fine," Thalia promised. Phoebe nodded reluctantly, then raced down the mountain path, the white wolves at her heels.
(Y/N)'s POV
A lot of factors contributed to the next outcome, most of them being external things that (Y/N) saw, each of them spurring on an action, each of them awakening a memory. The smell in the air, the chill rolling along the wind, the snow around him.
He saw glimmers of silver in the white snow, the blizzard had buried fallen arrows, (Y/N) thought to those arrows, then to the past, when he had saved the son and daughter of Hades. He remembered the enemy he faced there.
With his thoughts being on his past experiences, and the manticore that nearly ended him years ago, the cold made him shiver a little, the closeness of death making him finally feel the chill, he looked at the witch, remembering his promise to her.
With her looming over him while he was trapped reminded him of his fight with Thorn. Once again, instinct took over, he summoned his claws, the other half of his weapon, gifted to him, and remembering the manticore,
He slashed at the witch with all his strength. Clawing into the first thing he found, her eyes. The form she held fell in an instant, the excess power she held from taking his no longer spilling out into a new form.
As strong as his eyes were, as strong as his powers made her, there was nobody that wouldn't feel that, as the golden claws tore through the bridge of her nose, slicing through her face, her hand freed itself from him immediately.
Falling back to his knees, the epiphany of emotions he had began to fade, as he watched the witch return to her robed form, cursing at the sky. She screeched in pain, her voice shaking the trees, as she clawed at her eyes in pain.
"AAAARGGHH!!!" She shrieked, golden ichor spraying along the cold snow, onto the trees nearby and pooling at her feet, running down her hands as she tried to hold her eyes closed, he knew that this was his chance.
Now she was blind, (Y/N) decided he had two choices, fight her now, and use her being blind to her advantage, or use the fact she was blinded as a cover for his escape, trying to make it back to his friends. Thinking back to Lupa's instruction, every urge he had in his body told him to run.
There was no physical wounds on his body, even the damage Lycaon had done to him seemed to heal the moment he found himself back in this place, where she had found him, he had no reason to stay.
But he did. At first, he got to his feet, and turned. His leg muscles ready to engage, to run back to the cave to check on his friends. But then he realized something. And turned back, spear in hand.
If he ran back to them now, she would follow, and as strong as she way, he imagined she could kill them, and the hunters without much issue, even without her eyesight. He couldn't risk getting close to her.
If she caught him, she could siphon off more power to heal herself, or finish whatever it was she was trying to do to him, so he thought back to Jason teaching him, and took a deep breath. He took a moment to compose himself, looking at his target.
Then he shifted the weight of his spear behind his head, making sure to keep a firm grip, he remembered Jason teaching him, his advice for getting the most power he could in his throw.
"The spear has to move from behind your head to the release point in a straight line." He had advised which is a lot harder then it sounded when your spear is pure metal, before this, he just kinda chucked it, and let his demigod prowess propel it, but now, he thought about it.
"Keep the spear's shaft close to your body at all times during the throw. Twist forward with your hips and launch the spear forward at the same time. You should feel your throwing shoulder drop and your opposite hand go out behind you"
He took two long strides, reeled back, made sure to keep his form correct, and launched the pilum with all his strength, it even made a cool noise as it sailed through the air, it looked dead on to impale the witch.
But something must have thrown it off, it was like the wind took it or something, it sailed over her head, and as she looked in the direction it had come from with closed eyes, he thought, "Jason, c'mon man what the-" And then he was flying through the air.
Leo's POV
"Jason, Leo, just be careful where you step," Thalia said. "It hardly ever breaks." "It hasn't met me yet," Leo muttered, but he and Jason led the way up the bridge.
Halfway up, things went wrong, and of course it was Leo's fault. Piper and Hedge had already made it safely to the top and were waving at them, encouraging them to keep climbing, but Leo got distracted.
He was thinking about bridges—how he would design something way more stable than this shifting ice vapor business if this were his palace. He was pondering braces and support columns. Then a sudden revelation stopped him in his tracks.
"Why do they have a bridge?" he asked. Thalia frowned. "Leo, this isn't a good place to stop. What do you mean?" "They're wind spirits," Leo said. "Can't they fly?" "Yes, but sometimes they need a way to connect to the world below."
"So the bridge isn't always here?" Leo asked. Thalia shook her head. "The wind spirits don't like to anchor to the earth, but sometimes it's necessary. Like now. They know you're coming."
Leo's mind was racing. He was so excited he could almost feel his body's temperature rising. He couldn't quite put his thoughts into words, but he knew he was on to something important.
"Leo?" Jason said. "What are you thinking?" "Oh, gods," Thalia said. "Keep moving. Look at your feet." Leo shuffled backward. With horror, he realized his body temperature really was rising, just as it had years ago at that picnic table under the pecan tree, when his anger had gotten away from him.
Now, excitement was causing the reaction. His pants steamed in the cold air. His shoes were literally smoking, and the bridge didn't like it. The ice was thinning. "Leo, stop it," Jason warned. "You're going to melt it."
"I'll try," Leo said. But his body was overheating on its own, running as fast as his thoughts. "Listen, Jason, what did Hera call you in that dream? She called you a bridge." "Leo, seriously, cool down," Thalia said. "I don't what you're talking about, but the bridge is—"
"Just listen," Leo insisted. "If Jason is a bridge, what's he connecting? Maybe two different places that normally don't get along—like the air palace and the ground. You had to be somewhere before this, right? And Hera said you were an exchange."
"An exchange." Thalia's eyes widened. "Oh, gods." Jason frowned. "What are you two talking about?" Thalia murmured something like a prayer. "I understand now why Artemis sent me here. Jason—she told me to hunt for Lycaon and I would find a clue about Percy."
"You are the clue. Artemis wanted us to meet so I could hear your story." "I don't understand," he protested. "I don't have a story. I don't remember anything." "But Leo's right," Thalia said. "It's all connected. If we just knew where—"
Leo snapped his fingers. "Jason, what did you call that place in your dream? That ruined house. The Wolf House?" Thalia nearly choked. "The Wolf House? Jason, why didn't you tell me that! That's where they're keeping Hera?"
"You know where it is?" Jason asked. Then the bridge dissolved. Leo would've fallen to his death, but Jason grabbed his coat and pulled him to safety. The two of them scrambled up the bridge, and when they turned, Thalia was on the other side of a thirty-foot chasm.
The bridge was continuing to melt. "Go!" Thalia shouted, backing down the bridge as it crumbled. "Find out where the giant is keeping Piper's dad. Save him! I'll take the Hunters to the Wolf House and hold it until you can get there. We can do both!"
"But where is the Wolf House?" Jason shouted. "You know where it is, little brother!" She was so far away now that they could barely hear her voice over the wind. Leo was pretty sure she said: "I'll see you there. I promise."
Then she turned and raced down the dissolving bridge. Leo and Jason had no time to stand around. They climbed for their lives, the ice vapor thinning under their feet. Several times, Jason grabbed Leo and used the winds to keep them aloft, but it was more like bungee jumping than flying.
When they reached the floating island, Piper and Coach Hedge pulled them aboard just as the last of the vapor bridge vanished. They stood gasping for breath at the base of a stone stairway chiseled into the side of the cliff, leading up to the fortress.
Leo looked back down. The top of Pikes Peak floated below them in a sea of clouds, but there was no sign of Thalia. And Leo had just burned their only exit."What happened?" Piper demanded. "Leo, why are your clothes smoking?"
"I got a little heated," he gasped. "Sorry, Jason. Honest. I didn't—""It's all right," Jason said, but his expression was grim. "We've got less than twenty-four hours to rescue a goddess and Piper's dad. Let's go see the king of the winds."
(Y/N)'s POV
She hit him so hard he was knocked of his feet, and felt like his rib cage had been pushed behind his organs. When he landed he rolled for about ten seconds, and was honestly surprised that he wasn't rolled into a snowball like a cartoon.
He was hit so hard in the chest that breath felt like a distant memory. She moved so fast it was unreal, by the time he landed, almost clearing all of Pikes Peak, she was only a few feet from him, he was honestly worried she might start playing tennis.
His vision cleared and he forced himself to cough as he saw her scanning the area blindly, listening for him, he got to his feet slowly, crouching low to avoid making noise, eager to escape and return to the safety of his cave after being given the volleyball treatment.
Unfortunately the snow beneath his feet made a 'crunch' sound that would have been very satisfying in any other situation. The next thing he knew his feet had left the ground, and his back hit a tree so hard, he passed out.
The next few moments of consciousness were a blur to him, at first he thought the witch was going to kill him, then he thought he was going to be eaten by Lycaon and his wolves, as he heard howling in the distance that could only be wolves.
Though to his surprise when he woke up, he was surrounded by wolves. Not the ones he expected, silver and white ones, each of them snarling at him, then came the arrows pointed in his face. "Cool it!" He said, well, choked out, his memory somewhat returned.
As the leader walked up to him, he traced his fingers over his rings and within two seconds, four arrows landed next to him, she glared down at him, and readied an arrow of her own in her bow, aimed right for his heart, "Where's Zoe, who the hell are you?" He asked, glaring into her eyes, they seemed familiar.
He thought he should realize something when he saw this person, one of the voices in his head was close to her voice, but try as he might, he came up blank on whoever the hell she was, apparently she shared that sentiment. She tensed back her shooting arm and said, "My thoughts exactly."