Chapter Twenty-Nine - Naps Under Columns? 10/10 Would Try Again
Posted: Tuesday 28th May 2024

As I spiralled through the shadows a pit of guilt about abandoning Percy, Annabeth and the rest of the Demigods of the Argo II filled me. But I knew that I was too dangerous to risk being around anyone at the moment. I had been able to overpower Nyx without meaning to, I had no idea how, but it had happened.

I needed to be far away from anyone who could die.

I emerged to blinding sun which was dazzling in comparison to the darkness of Tartarus. I blinked as my eyes grew familiar with the light once again and found myself standing in the shade of an ancient white column. It appeared we were in the ruins of a temple, it was open to the sky and essentially a collection of rubble.

The marble steps which once would have been the altar were relatively intact and on the old worn steps sat two people. A young girl was restringing a bow, Artemis, and beside her sat Apollo, strumming a mournful tune on a smaller version of a guitar that I remembered he had called a Ukulele.

My legs moved before my brain did and I tackled him in a hug, wrenching sobs taking over my body.

Apollo gasped and dropped his Ukulele at the impact of my body on his, he seemed to take a second to register what was happening, but when he realised it was me who had attacked him with a hug he wrapped his arms around me and held me whilst I sobbed.

Safely in his arms, the weight of what I had discovered and what I had done since I last saw him was finally able to settle on me and I wept.

Apollo offered me reassuring words of love and held me whilst I cried myself out. When I was finally coherent enough, I pushed myself away from him and looked at his face.

"What's wrong?" He asked, "What happened- sorry you don't need to answer that if you can't."

"No it's okay," I sniffed, "I can. I went to Tartarus and Nyx made me betray Nico Di Angelo to the giants. Then she tried to make me kill the demigods on the Argo II, then I went back to Tartarus and now I'm here."

Apollo blinked at me, "what do you mean tried? What- How are you here?"

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the sobs that were still trying to rip their way out of me.

"She can't control me anymore," I said.

"How are you alive?" I turned to see Artemis was sat there looking at us, "you broke free of her? You should be dead!" She assessed me with her calculating eyes and some form of realisation crossed her face, "oh." She said simply.

"Oh what?" Apollo demanded. He looked between me and his sister. I stared at Artemis, understanding passing between us. I could tell that she could sense exactly what had allowed me to defy Nyx.

"Is it permanent?" I asked her, this question had been niggling at the back of my mind, was I free of Nyx's control permanently? Or was it just so long as I was pregnant?

"I don't know," Artemis said, "I would think not."

"What? Is what permanent?" Apollo demanded.

Artemis tore her eyes away from mine and looked at Apollo, "Ariadne is pregnant brother."

I turned to look back at Apollo.

"What? How?" He demanded.

"You know how," I said quietly.

"What does it have to do with Nyx? Why can she not control you?"

"I'm not- it's not mortal. Nyx thinks our child is something new, something powerful." I stammered.

"How powerful?" Apollo asked, he looked confused and also slightly proud, like a mortal father whose son just won a football game.

"The one who could destroy even Zeus," I said in a small voice.

"The prophecy? Nyx thinks that our child- oh," Apollo realised exactly what I was saying.

"I'm scared," I admitted, "I've not been well, whilst I was on the Argo II I almost burnt up from a blast of power that I think came from him, I think he helped me escape Nyx, I don't- I'm not sure if I'll survive this."

Apollo was lost for words. He pulled me close to him and held my head against his chest and looked at his sister for help.

"Artemis? You're the goddess of childbirth, what do you think?" Apollo asked.

Artemis frowned, "I don't think your child will kill you, Ariadne." She said, "I think that this pregnancy will be difficult, you are mortal and immortals have been sired by mortals before. It is possible, you must remain strong and stay safe."

"How am I supposed to hide from the night itself?" I asked, "Nyx wants him, she is everywhere!"

"She's not here," Artemis said, "This place is sacred to Apollo and I, other gods simply do not have pull here."

"There's a war happening," I told Artemis, "I can't - I won't just hide out here and let everyone else deal with it."

"Ri you're exhausted," Apollo said, "you've not stopped for months, you need to take a minute."

He was right of course, I was bone tired, and here in the shade of the marble columns and in Apollo's arms all that I wanted to do was curl up and go to sleep.

"I know," I sighed.

"Stay here, just for a little while, you're safe here."

"I know," I repeated. I hated to be stuck somewhere again after being helpless on Olympus for so long, but at the same time I knew I couldn't leave without understanding the child growing inside of me and why he was so powerful.

*

I slept for 12 hours straight and came round feeling more rested than I had been in years. The demigod dreams still featured but somehow they weren't as bad as they could have been. I saw the demigods of the Argo II along with Nico and Reyna sitting atop a hill in the shadow of what I could only assume was the Athena Parthenos. I saw the strawberry fields of camp halfblood. Nothing world ending, only mildly worrying.

I came to with my head in Apollo's lap. He was stroking my hair and in conversation with Artemis about what tension of bow string was best- when I say conversation, I mean spirited debate.

"We didn't wake you did we?" Artemis asked when she saw my eyes open.

"No," I pushed myself up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

"Sleep well?" Apollo asked.

"Yes," I said. "Is there anything to do on this island?"

Artemis and Apollo looked at eachother and laughed.

"Nothing really," Apollo said.

"Brilliant, lets do a day of nothing!" I said.