Chapter Text
When the silence finally fell, it was deafening. There were neither shouts of victory nor any indication of injury from Apollo. Percy still couldn’t see the man, but given the swift violence he’d easily inflicted on the two monsters and how unbothered the woman seemed, he assumed Apollo had won the fight.
The woman sighed, un-knocking her arrow without ever having let off a shot. She returned the arrow back to her quiver and slung her bow onto her back.
Percy shakily let out the breath he’d been holding in, eyes wide. He still shook with fear, but at least the monsters were gone now. Whether the newcomers would be any better remained to be seen. With how easily they had taken down the monsters- really, how easily Apollo had taken down the monsters, since the woman hadn’t even needed to help him- they could be just as, if not more dangerous, than those monsters were.
As slowly as he could, Percy shifted to the side in an attempt to bring Apollo back into his field of vision. He got a glimpse of the man standing over the last pile of sand, but he realized too late that the crevice he was curled up in was also filled with dead leaves and dry twigs. The leaves rustled and a stick snapped under his shifting weight. In the newfound silence of the wood, the sound echoed like a gunshot.
Percy froze, but the damage was done. The woman spun around, her hand flying to a previously unseen knife strapped to the loose belt that cinched her clothing around her waist. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Apollo remain as still as stone, not reacting to the sound at all. Either he hadn’t heard or he trusted the woman to deal with it.
Slowly and cautiously, with her knife still drawn, the woman walked forward, her eyes scanning the area. It was clear she hadn’t seen him yet, but it was only a matter of time. Her unnerving silver eyes were sharp, not at all clouded like the monsters’ had been, and Percy had no doubt that she would see him the moment she looked in his direction.
And he was right. Despite knowing it was coming, he flinched backward, startled at the feeling of her gaze on him. She looked equally startled, if only for a short moment. Then the shock was wiped off her face, replaced with a carefully constructed calm.
She approached him with measured steps and she made no threatening movements, but Percy was once again reminded of a predator prowling towards its prey as he watched her draw near. The feeling of being stalked grew to be too much, and Percy ducked his head, breaking eye contact and cowering away from her approach.
Barely biting back a whine, he could only watch as the woman’s sandaled feet appeared in his view of vision. He refused to look up as she knelt in front of where he was tucked away. Her face came into view as she knelt.
Her features were unlike any he had ever seen. Percy had noticed her strange appearance when he’d first seen her, but now, up close, he could pick out even more oddities.
She was beautiful- there could be no doubt about that- but she looked nothing like the supermodels Percy had seen on the front of magazines. It was an unearthly sort of beauty, something just as likely to make you run away screaming as it was to make you stop and stare. Percy was stunned at the sight, like a deer caught in headlights.
There was something ever so slightly off about her face. It looked human, but like it had been drawn by someone who didn’t quite have a grasp on anatomy yet. Still beautiful and perfectly symmetrical, but her eyes were too far apart, lips a bit too thin… teeth a bit too sharp…
Her eyes were the worst part. Instead of round pupils like a human’s should be, hers were squished ovals, and instead of a normal color like blue or brown, hers were a stunning silver.
They were not the eyes of a human.
Had he not been so utterly petrified by the events of the last half hour, Percy probably would have been in awe at her appearance, and asking as many questions as he could. As it was, the only thing he could do in response to her presence was stare at her.
A strangled breath left his lips instead of a whimper, too terrified to make any noise. Involuntarily, he shrunk back from her as much as he could, pressing himself into the hard-packed dirt behind him. His movement did nothing to hide him from her gaze, only serving to send pain shooting through his injured ankle as his weight shifted.
When she spoke, it wasn’t directed at him like he’d expected. Instead, she spoke to Apollo, who continued to remain utterly still.
“Brother, I believe I found what the vrykolakas were chasing.” Her words were soft, nothing like the sharp crack her voice had been when she shouted during the fight. The gentleness contradicted her fierce appearance, though Percy saw that had softened too. The furrow of her brows relaxed as she gazed at Percy with intense interest. She’d even resheathed the knife when he hadn’t been looking.
As she spoke, Percy realized the woman was speaking the same strange language the monsters had spoken. It wasn't English, yet somehow he understood it. All of it except for vrykolakas. He didn’t know what that word meant, but figured that must be what those monsters were called.
Though she’d spoken loud enough he definitely should’ve heard her in the silence of the woods, Apollo didn’t react. He remained as still as a statue, so still that Percy was pretty sure he wasn’t even breathing. Percy couldn’t see his face from this angle, but the stiff back, tense shoulders, and the way he was gripping his twin golden swords conveyed an emotion that Percy couldn’t describe. Rage, grief, loss, something.
Apollo’s sister didn’t take her eyes off Percy, even as she spoke to the man again, apparently unperturbed by Apollo’s lack of reaction. “You only brought your daughter here, correct? None of your other children?”
Finally, Apollo seemed to unfreeze. All at once, his posture relaxed. His shoulders slumped in defeat, and his tight grip on his swords relaxed. They fell from his hands but disappeared before they could hit the ground. His hands clenched and unclenched around thin air.
“Yes, it was only her.” He brought his hand up to his face as if to wipe away tears, and his voice wavered slightly. “I should have known better than to try and divert a prophecy. They were going to find her no matter where she went. It was pointless to try.”
There was a long pause, and when Apollo dropped his hands and spoke again, his voice was strong and smooth with no hint of the previous waver to be found.
“I’m sorry I called you here, sister. All I accomplished was inviting death into Delphi. I don’t know why I even tried. All demigods are fated to-” He cut himself off. “It was…inevitable.” There was regret in his voice, but all the grief seemed to have disappeared.
The woman’s eyes darted away from where they’d been examining Percy, flicking in Apollo's direction for a split second as if to check on him. “There’s no shame in wishing to protect your daughter. You made sure her last days were spent without fear. It was more than anyone else could have given her. That these creatures entered Delphi is…”
She trailed off, as if she was going to say something but reconsidered. Percy knew that pause. Adults used it when they wanted to swear but realized there were children in the room so they couldn’t.
“It is regrettable, but unavoidable. They would have found her, no matter where you hid her, Apollo. It was fate.”
While she talked, she returned to staring at Percy. He felt less intimidated now. Her gaze had softened, making him feel less like prey being stalked by a lioness and more like an ant under a microscope. It was less threatening, even if it was still uncomfortable.
He blinked at her owlishly. She blinked back.
It was nearly enough to make him smile, but not quite. He was in pain, and he doesn't know where he is, and even though these two don't feel scary like the monsters had, they still felt weird.
Percy wanted his Mama.
“As I said, I found what the vrykolakas were hoping to eat next.” Apollo shrugged, still not turning around. He’d turned his face up towards the sky, watching the dark clouds that had been slowly gathering overhead since Percy had arrived… wherever he was. He didn’t seem to care about his sister’s words too much, but Percy shivered at the mention of what the monster had been planning to do to him.
Percy didn’t quite understand what was going on, but he was starting to become very concerned for Apollo's daughter, whoever she was. The blood on the creature's hands and mouths hadn’t looked good. Adding that to the pile of things he was stressed about nearly made him crack.
Scratch what he said about wanting his Mama. At this point, he would accept any adult who was willing to hold him. He would even take Mr. Owens, and Mr. Owens was always mean.
“Some poor little fox cub or fawn that you want to try nursing back to health? Bring it to the temple, I’ll see what I can do.” Under the heavy emotion in the man’s voice, there was a hint of indulgence and fondness. Percy got the feeling taking in injured animals was something the woman did often.
“No. That’s why I asked if you had brought any of your other children here. I believe we may have stumbled across a lost godling.”
That got a reaction out of the man, Apollo spinning around and taking in the scene of his sister crouching in front of the craggy outcropping.
The speed at which he approached his sister and knelt next to her made Percy recoil back into his hiding spot with a tiny gasp. Apollo’s movement was way too fast for a human.
Percy hadn’t realized he’d started to relax and slowly uncurl from his niche during his staring contest with the woman until all that progress was undone as he tensed back up at the sight of Apollo’s sudden approach.
All three of them remained still as Apollo and Percy examined each other.
Now that Percy could properly see Apollo’s face, he could clearly see the family resemblance between the two. The man was as equally beautiful and unsettling as his sister was, with eyes that were as equally inhuman.
“Do I see falsely?” The woman asked. There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice, as if she couldn’t convince herself what she was seeing was real. It sounded strange coming from her. Until now, everything she’d said was spoken with an air of confidence, as if she was in full control of the situation. This hesitance and doubt was strange in comparison.
Percy didn’t understand what they were talking about, and he didn’t like it one bit. They were calling him a godling.
The monsters had called him that too.
“No,” Apollo breathed, stunned. “You’re right. This child is no demigod or nymph.” He seemed to share his sister’s staring problem, which was just as unsettling coming from him as it was from her.
His eyes were a burnished gold color, which gleamed like the sun was reflecting off of them, which was impossible as the sun had long since been his behind dark and heavy clouds.
Just like his sister, no human had eyes that color.
The glow that emanated from the man seemed to grow brighter by the second. The intensity of the light hurt Percy's eyes, and he shied away even further, tucking his face behind his knees.
“A shy little thing, are they?”
Without warning, calloused hands scooped him out of his crevice. Percy cried out in shock, failing in panic before he realized that the hands weren't hurting him, or even holding him in an uncomfortable way. He’d simply been plucked from his hidey-hole with the same swiftness and ease as an apple being picked from a tree.
Once he stopped squirming, he was drawn close to Apollo’s chest, cradled there like he was still an infant. Held in Apollo’s arms, he probably looked like one, given how absurdly tall the man was.
The first thing Percy registered was that Apollo’s skin was warm, as if he’d been lying in a patch of sunlight for hours. Percy, who until now hadn’t noticed how chilly he’d gotten in his t-shirt and shorts, instinctively leaned into him, shivering as he tried to absorb as much warmth as he could.
As if in response, the man warmed even more under Percy’s touch. His skin went from radiating soft heat to feeling like Percy was standing in front of an open oven. The increased warmth felt even better, and Percy unconsciously snuggled closer to Apollo’s chest.
Hadn’t he just been wishing for an adult, any adult, to hold him? Apollo and his sister- who Percy still didn’t know the name of- didn’t look human, but they weren't trying to hurt him like the monsters had. They called him godling, which Percy didn’t understand, but Apollo’s hands on him were gentle. They might not be speaking English, but at least Percy could understand what they said. He might not know where he was, but at least Apollo and his sister might be able to help him get back to the playground.
Slowly, Percy started to relax, tentatively allowing himself to relax. Maybe everything would be okay? He opened his mouth to ask Apollo if they would help him get back to the school, but he was interrupted by Apollo.
“Poor thing, he’s filthy,” Apollo spoke quietly to his sister with a disapproving click of his tongue. The man snapped his fingers, and Percy suddenly found himself in a strange piece of white clothing, similar to what the man was wearing. His shirt and shorts were nowhere to be found. Even his shoes were gone, replaced with weird leather sandals.
He also felt significantly more clean, like he’d just gotten out of a long bath. His new clothes were soft, without a speck of dirt on them, and his hands and legs were similarly clean. Even the dirt caked under his nails was gone.
And it’s not like Percy had wanted to stay dirty or keep his dirty clothes on, but the sudden, unexplainable change was his last straw. On top of everything else, the fact that his clothes had somehow magically disappeared was the last thing he could handle.
The terror that had just started to dissipate slammed back into him at full force. Percy's resolve finally broke down and he burst into terrified sobs, shaking like a sapling in a storm. He buried his face in Apollo’s golden tunic to muffle his sounds.
“Oh no, child, don’t cry-”
Percy wailed louder, fat tears dripping down his cheeks.
Apollo made a tiny sympathetic noise, barely audible over Percy’s sobs, and started to rock the boy back and forth. He stood and started pacing the area slowly, murmuring quiet meaningless reassurances. His sister stood with him, hovering nervously as if uncertain what she could do to help.
Percy ignored these goings on, focused on sobbing his heart out. Apollo let him continue to cry for a while, not trying to shush him, simply rocking him back and forth calmingly. Percy didn’t notice the clouds gathering overhead menacingly as he cried, or the heavy feeling in the air, as if it were about to rain. Percy was the only one of the three to remain oblivious, the other two casting wary glances up at the sky, though neither dared to mention it.
It was only when Percy started to gag from how hard he was crying that Apollo finally pulled back. He was still gently swaying, but he shifted Percy so he wasn’t tucked against his chest.
“You need to calm down, or you’ll make yourself sick, sweetheart.”
“No!” He managed to get out around his heaving sobs. Percy did not want to calm down, he wanted his- “Mama!”
Tiny fists ineffectively pounded against the man’s chest as Percy started to wail again. He tried to kick too, but the movement made the pain in his ankle flair sharply, which only made him cry harder.
He could feel the brush of air against his wet cheeks as Apollo sighed. ”Alright, then.”
Suddenly, Apollo’s strange warmth flared, growing almost too hot. Percy tried to jerk away from him, but that didn’t help. The heat was no longer emanating from Apollo’s skin. Instead it seemed to fill the air, wrapping around him like a blanket.
The strangeness of the sensation that washed over him shocked Percy into stillness. The warmth was a heavy presence, weighing him down and forcing him to hold still and slow his breath.
He went limp in Apollo’s arms, slumping against Apollo’s chest. His head pounded with a renewed ferocity from his crying, and a distant part of him badly wanted a glass of water. He always got dehydrated easily, and crying was one of the quickest ways to do that.
He closed his eyes against the pain, curling into Apollo’s warmth. The heavy aura hanging over Percy increased, making his eyelids feel like they weighed a hundred pounds. All his worries slowly lessened as he fell deeper under the influence of the warm presence.
The strange reality of the situation didn’t allow Percy to sleep. He still didn’t know where he was, and even though Apollo had held him through his sobs and helped him calm down, Percy didn't know him. That uncertainty kept his mind from slipping into oblivion.
But it did feel nice, and the warmth emanating off Apollo chased away the chill in the air, so Percy decided he wasn't going to protest.
After Percy relaxed into his arm completely, Apollo eventually stopped his pacing, though he continued to slowly sway back and forth as he held the boy.
They stayed like that for a long while, Apollo swaying back and forth, his sister hovering, and Percy limp in his arms, hovering on the verge of sleep but unable to let himself relax when the thought of potential danger lingered in the back of his mind.
Eventually, Apollo’s sister spoke. “This sudden storm will scare the mortals, Apollo.” She said nothing else, but her tone carried a warning. Percy knew she was referring to the heavy storm clouds that had been rolling in ever since he’d left the playground. They’d gotten even darker overhead while he’d been crying, blotting out the sun completely. Percy would be shivering if he hadn’t still been wrapped in the warm aura.
“I’ll take care of it, Artemis,” Apollo responded. He sounded bone tired.
Artemis? Oh, that must be his sister’s name…
Apollo and Artemis… For some reason that sounded familiar, but Percy couldn’t place it.
It probably wasn’t important.
Apollo shifted Percy so he was cradled in just one of the man’s arms. Percy could feel Apollo do some sort of gesture with the other, but couldn’t bring himself to care enough to pry his eyes open and look to see how he was doing. Moments later, the darkness shrouding them seemed to lift, as if the clouds gathering overhead had magically disappeared. Percy could feel the heat of the sun beating down on himself once more.
Weird…
Apollo started moving again but instead of resuming his pacing, he set out walking steadily in one direction. Percy couldn’t hear Artemis follow them, but he knew she was still nearby when she spoke again, curious this time.
“Is he Father’s, do you think? He feels powerful enough for it.”
Apollo hesitated before he answered. “Perhaps, but even Father hasn’t had a godly child in hundreds of years.”
“Not for lack of trying.” That response earned her a snort from her brother, quickly smothered before Percy was shaken too much by the laughter.
“No, not for lack of trying,” he agreed, voice heavily amused. “But, if not father, then who else could his godly father be?”
“How do you know the child got his ichor from a god and not a goddess?” Artemis sounded skeptical.
Percy could feel Apollo shrug. “I can’t imagine his godly parent knows he exists. No one would keep quiet if they knew they had a godling, so it must have been a god who laid with a nymph of some sort and didn’t think to check in later. His mother probably isn’t even aware he's not simply a powerful nature spirit. He’s still very young, so how could she possibly know? When Hermes was born, Maia didn’t know he was a godling until I told her.”
“I see.” Artemis sounded as if she agreed. Percy on the other hand, definitely didn’t. He’d never met his father, but he was pretty sure the man was dead, no matter what Mama said. Dead or a deadbeat. Either way, he didn’t want to hear anyone talking about him.
Artemis continued. “Well, his mother, whoever she is, must be terrified by now. We’ll have to find her.” Percy agreed. He was glad the siblings seemed to think finding his Mama was important.
“I agree, Sister, but he’ll have to be taken to Olympus for safe-keeping, and soon. With or without his mother. If anyone finds out we found a godling and didn’t report it immediately, everyone will be furious.”
Artemis didn’t reply, and though Percy couldn't see her face, he could neatly feel her disagreement.
Apollo spoke again, placating his sister. “We’ll check Delphi first. I’ll search among the nature spirits in the city, see if anyone is missing a child. If the mother can be found, I see no reason to separate the two of them. In fact, she’ll be given honors for birthing the first godling in centuries.”
Artemis seemed to accept that, and the tension between the pair eased. Now that Percy knew they were going to help him find his Mama, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep, lulled into a comfortable sleep by the rocking movements of Apollo’s steps.