Previously...

Mario felt relieved that even though they feel this way, there were always people who knows how you feel. No one is alone.

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Austin woke up with a start.

Why did he wake up? He didn't think he had any reason to wake up. Did he have a nightmare? No. That couldn't be it. He hasn't had any nightmares for a while now. Was it sudden light then? Looking around his cabin, Austin could only see the silhouettes of his belongings. Not the faintest ray of light, not even moonlight, can be seen. Was it noise then? Now that he thought about it, Austin couldn't hear any noise. Not even the calm waves from the sea. Only deafening silence.

Frowning a bit, the son of Apollo turned to look out the window above his bed. It was nighttime, but he couldn't see the moon. The sea was still and the stars seemed to emanate an eerie glow. He also couldn't see the floating island Bryan had created, when it usually can be seen from his window. But what caught Austin's attention was the color of the sky. It was a mixture of blood red and several shades of purple.

"What on earth?" Austin muttered. He swiftly untangled himself from his blanket and ran out his cabin with his trusty bow in hand. The blue eyed demigod stopped just outside his door and turned his head to his friends' cabins.

'If this is what I think it is, then I should see if they're okay.' He thought. He quickly ran to the nearest cabin, which happened to be Michael's, and slammed the door open.

Empty.

The son of Athena wasn't impaled like before, but was not in his cabin at all. Doing the same to the others' cabins, Austin saw that neither Ritchie nor Bri were in their cabins. The son of Apollo felt panic begin to fill his mind, fear gripping his heart at the thought of losing his friends. Of being alone again.

He felt something bounce lightly on his chest and he looked down to see the pink heart pendant that Bri had given him. The pendant seemed to send a familiar feeling throughout his chest, the fear slowly being replaced with a sense of security. It was something he feels every time he was with Bri, or Ritchie and Michael. Every time he knew that someone was there, that he wasn't alone. The son of Apollo held the pendant in a closed fist and took deep breaths, trying to slow down his rapidly beating heart.

"Okay. Calm down, Austin. Calm down." He muttered to himself. "This is probably another vision. No need to panic." He looked back into Bri's empty cabin. "They're probably safe. They're probably not in this vision. Wait, is that a bad thing?" Austin shook his head. "Nevermind that. I just gotta look around, see what this vision is trying to tell me. Okay."

Austin looked to the direction of the main field and decided to check there first. The field was empty, not a single soul in sight. A small breeze made the leaves of the trees rustle slowly, which added to the already creepy vibe Austin was getting.

"Uh... Hello?" The black haired demigod called out with slight hesitance. Another breeze rustled the leaves. This time though, a distant cry of an animal was heard afterwards.

"... Okay? Not creepy at all."

The black haired demigod continued his slow walk to the middle of the field, his eyes darting in all directions in an attempt to see anything that might mean something. Alas, there didn't seem to be anything. This confused Austin.

The last time he had a vision, there were people and even copies of the Oracle. But this vision didn't seem to have anything apart from the evil looking sky and the creepy atmosphere.

The sudden sound of a twig snapping made him jump, his sword replacing his bow in one swift movement. He stood in the middle of the empty field, slowly turning clockwise to check his surroundings.

"Alright, if this is a joke, it's not funny." Austin called. He flinched when the leaves of the trees to his left rustled. He was about to yell when he caught something from the corner of his eye.

He turned to the docks and his eyes widened slightly. A cloaked figure stood there with their back turned to him, the end of their tattered cloak fluttering in the breeze. The figure held a large sword, its blade carved with intricate lines that seem to glow.

Despite the nagging feeling to get away from this mysterious person, Austin cautiously approached the figure and called out, "Hello?"

A beat of silence followed before the figure slowly turned to look over their shoulder. The person's face was shrouded in shadows under the hood, but Austin could faintly see a white glow from their eyes. A grin slowly pulled at the person's lips. A twisted kind of grin that sent chills down the son of Apollo's spine as he stopped his approach.

The mysterious person then turned to fully face Austin, their large blade scraping against the wood and sending more chills down Austin's spine. Once the person was fully facing him, Austin took the time to take in what the other looked like.

Despite the shadows covering the person's face, the pure white glow of their eyes and the twisted grin on their lips are as clear as day. Dark clothing can be seen from underneath the cloak, silver chains with multiple unidentifiable charms hang around their neck. Bloodstained bandages covered most of the arms with several loose ends swaying in the breeze.

"Son of Apollo." The figure spoke, their voice sounding like multiple voices were speaking at once.

Austin tensed, his grip tightening around his sword's hilt. "What's going on here? And who are you?" He demanded. He was getting a weird feeling from this mystery person, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Who I am matters not, as only time will tell. And as for this beautiful scenery," the figure gestured behind him. "This is nothing more than a work of art. A beautiful masterpiece created to remind everyone of true power!"

"'Work of art'?! What did you do to the freaking sky?!" Austin demanded, his voice rising an octave higher.

"I never said that it was my doing."

Austin growled under his breath. "Alright, buddy, I don't know what's going on or how you're in this vision. But I don't trust you one bit, so you better start talking, or else!" He almost shouted.

The person's grin grew wider. "Such fire that burns like the sun!" They exclaimed. "How I wish nothing more than to witness your true power, but alas! Time is not on either of our favor."

"What on earth are you blabbering about? What's this about time?"

"Time is something all is gifted with, young one. Those who uses it wisely, will be granted eternity. But to those who deny it," The figure raised their blade and pointed it towards the demigod, their eyes glowing brighter. "Will be denied life!"

Before Austin could even blink, the figure has disappeared and reappeared in front of him with their sword about to strike. Hours and hours of training with Ritchie and Michael allowed Austin to raise his own sword fast enough to block the attack that would've sliced him in half.

Austin didn't expect the mysterious person's strength though, and the blue eyed demigod found himself shaking under his attacker's blade. Thinking fast, Austin used whatever strength he has to push against the blade hard enough to give him a bit of space to jump back.

The cloaked person let out a short laugh. "It seems I underestimated the strength of a flaming sun. No matter. Even a flame burns out with time."

The figure vanished again from Austin's sight, and before he knew it, he was being attacked in the speed of light. His attacker would vanish, reappear to attack from a different angle and then vanish again. It was like a never ending cycle.

It went on for a few minutes and Austin, feeling tired from all the blocking, saw a kick too late and was sent sprawling on the ground, his sword sliding away from him. Austin made to get up, but the sight and feeling of a sword pointing at his chest stopped him in his tracks.

The cloaked person stood above him, their grin gone and glowing eyes narrowed. "Such a shame for true power to be wasted in the hands of the unworthy." The grin returned to their face, this time much more twisted. "If this were not but a mere projection of your power, I would have ended you right now. But what fun is there in ending a story before it even starts?"

Austin didn't bother thinking of something to say. His mind was still trying to process how his attacker cam move so fast, and possess inhuman strength. The figure noticed his expression and let out a maniacal laugh.

"Oh, what fun there is in seeing simple souls be so clueless of the power they hold!" They cackled for a few minutes, Austin looking to where his sword lay far from his reach. The laugh then stopped and Austin found himself staring into glowing white eyes. "I would love to show you true power, but I am afraid time has run out."

The figure then thrusts the blade into Austin's chest.

«¤»

A cry escaped Austin's lips as he sat up from his bed, a hand instantly clutching his chest where the blade has pierced him. His breaths were short and panicked, sweat glistening on his forehead. Tears threatened to spill from his sapphire eyes as the young demigod took in his surroundings.

His cabin was how it normally looked. Nothing seemed out of place. The sounds of the waves reached Austin's ears and he turned around to be met with the sight of the sea in the early hours of dawn. Austin blinked, before getting off of his bed, grabbing his teddy bear Fred from his bedside drawer and going outside. He was met with the distant singing of the birds as he stepped out of his cabin.

Some of the tension on Austin's body left and he turned to walk towards the side of Michael's cabin, Fred held close to his chest. After looking into the side window and seeing the son of Athena sleeping on his desk (again), Austin finally allowed himself to fully relax.

"Good. I'm back in the real world." He said to himself. "Everything's fine, Austin. Everything's fine."

He walked over to the shore and looked down at his reflection in the water. His eyes were a bit puffy and he realized that he wasn't wearing his panda hat when he saw his messy, black hair.

Austin fixed his hair and turned to go back to his cabin when something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. There, sitting at the edge of the docks, was Mira.

"What on earth is she doing up this early?" Austin wondered. Unless it was Monday, where Michael usually trains the other demigods, then Austin didn't see any other reason for someone to be up so early.

The son of Apollo debated whether to join the brunette or not. On one hand, she looked peaceful just sitting there and enjoying the morning breeze, and Austin could use a bit of peace after last night. But on the other hand, he felt awkward joining her since their only interaction so far was when Ritchie and Michael introduced her.

"Oh, why not?" Austin muttered, beginning to walk towards the lone girl. "It's not like it won't be awkward when I run into her later if I don't talk to her now."

When he stepped onto the docks, Austin could see Mira leaning back on her arms with her feet dangling over the edge. She wasn't wearing her black jacket, but instead had it tied around her neck using the sleeves and covering her shoulders. Making sure that his steps were loud enough so to not startle the girl, Austin approached the brunette. If Mira heard him, she didn't show it.

"Hey," Austin called softly, fidgeting with Fred. When Mira turned to look at him over her shoulder with a blank expression, he continued hesitantly, "Uh... Mind if I join you?"

Mira merely shrugged and turned to look out into the sea. She didn't say anything, so Austin took it as a 'yes' and sat cross-legged with a bit of distance from her. The two demigods sat there in an awkward silence, one not knowing if it was a good idea to break the silence, and the other not knowing what to say.

After a few minutes, it was Mira who spoke.

"So... why are you up so early?" She asked, giving the blue eyed boy a side glance. Austin shrugged.

"I guess I'm still jumpy after yesterday." Not a complete lie. He was actually still wary from the breach.

There was a beat, before Mira turned her head to look at him with an expression Austin couldn't quite read. "Then why are your eyes puffy?" She asked.

The tone of her voice sounded curious-innocent, even- but Austin has enough experience playing dumb that he knew Mira already knows or has an idea. Still, the son of Apollo decided to humor her.

"I, uh, had a vision last night," Austin began, his finger unconsciously fiddling with the string of his pendant. "And... uh... I saw something that really scared me."

Austin expected Mira to ask about the vision, but to his surprise, the red eyed girl simply turned back to the sea.

"Yeah. Visions can be scary sometimes." She muttered. Austin tilted his head.

"Do you have visions, too?" He asked. Mira tilted her head back and looked up at the sky.

"Nah! I'm a daughter of Ares, so I don't really have that power. But my friend Margaretha has them once in a while." She replied with a fond smile. "There was one time she was so scared that she almost burned down her cabin. Luckily we managed to put it out before the fire became a problem."

A frown pulled at Austin's face at the mention of Mira's friend. He knew he wasn't entirely listening when Ritchie was explaining Mira's situation to him, but Austin could swear that he heard that name.

"Your friend... Margaretha..." Austin turned to look at the brunette. "I swear Ritchie told me about her, but I wasn't really listening. Who is she the daughter of?"

Mira turned to look at him with a smile. "She's your sister. She's a daughter of Apollo."

Austin's eyes widened at that. He had a sibling? Not like with Xylo, but an actual sibling? The son of Apollo looked down at the teddy bear in his hands. He felt something warm inside him and it made him smile.

"I... have a sibling." It probably sounded stupid to Mira, but Austin could care less at the moment. All the son of Apollo could think of was the fact that he has a sibling.

He finally has someone he could get close to. He saw how close Bri and Bryan were, and he wanted that as well. Austin and Xylo were also close. But ever since they found out that Xylo's a son of Hades, they've spent little time with each other despite still considering each other as brothers. It also didn't help that he and Xylo were dealing with their own prophecies.

"Austin?"

Mira's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he turned to see the daughter of Ares looking at him with concern.

"You okay?" She asked.

Austin felt a tear slide down his cheeks and he quickly wiped it away. He then gave Mira a small smile.

"Yeah. I'm good." He held Fred tighter, its presence giving him warmth. "It's just... I'm happy I'm not the only child of Apollo here. I could use someone to help me with all the pranks. Two is better than one after all!"

Mira huffed in amusement as she turned back to the sea. "I'm with you there. But I'm afraid you'll have to wait for you to meet her." She said.

Austin felt his heart sink. Of course. The whole jumping through time thing Ritchie had told him about. He still didn't really understand it. All he knows is that the other demigods Mira was with could take some time before they return to Camp Oasis.

'Until then,' Austin thought, 'might as well get to know who's already here.'

"So," Austin began. "What about you?"

Mira looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What about me?" She repeated.

Austin gave a nod. "Yeah. Why are you up so early?" He asked. Mira stared at him for a moment before smirking.

"I guess I'm still jumpy after yesterday," she said cheekily.

The blue eyes demigod chuckled. "Okay, okay. I get it." He said with a smile. "But seriously, why are you up?"

"Well, I'm just used to waking up early to train with my friends." Mira looked back at the sea. "But then I remembered the situation, so i decided to watch the sunrise instead."

"Do you miss them?" Austin asked.

"Not... really?" Mira replied, unsure. "I mean, it's not like they're gone forever. I like to think that it's just like those times they're out on missions and I'm waiting for them to come back."

"Well, I'm glad you're keeping positive." Austin causually said as he turned to look out at the sea.

"You, too."

The black haired demigod turned back to face the brunette. She smiled and said, "I'm glad you're not letting whatever you've seen stop you from putting on a smile. It's admirable."

With that, the daughter of Ares turned back to the sea and closed her eyes. Austin stared at her for a few moments before turning to watch the sea with a smile of his own.

Yup. Everything was okay.

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Me: I wanna write Austin angst!

Also me: *gives up and forgets about the story for four months*

So, ever since quarantine began, I have discovered the gem known as RWBY and have been addicted to it since then. Hence why this took so long. Also why the crazy bad guy existed (I don't know why but I somehow like crazy and psychotic villains) (I blame Tyrian from RWBY!)

I tried writing Austin angst and it turns out that it's not my specialty! xD But I like to think that I did okay. This chapter also allowed me to practice on writing without so much dialogue. Cuz I tend to write more dialogue whenever I write something and I wanted to try something different.

So this chapter is the result! This chapter also made me miss my friends more. T_T

Anyways... I hope you enjoyed the chapter and you guys can keep suggesting which character's POV I should do next.

Stay safe, everyone!

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Next chapter:

Someone attacks a certain fish boi. Is it friend or foe?