Adam's POV
"We have the spare housing for those that are in need of rest, but I'm afraid we can't fully house all of you without it becoming a bit...claustrophobic?" Nimue tilts her head to look past us, the remaining number of us being the ones that we found attempting to mend their own wounds as we continued fighting. She guides them group by group with the help of the other humans with the help of Alex and Melanie instructing them.
Daybreak having the fewest from what I can count, we don't even know who survived the attack on their pack and there's still his missing alpha Keyon. The Moonlit Sky having just 13 in total left and then my own pack, those unable to fight were kept at the pack house but those that did come...definitely didn't go unscathed.
"Are you thinking the same as me?" Yue taps my shoulder, smiling a bit at my creased face.
She follows me inside of the hut where Percy rests, "I'm...not sure what we're supposed to do next from here. I really don't, Yue"
"From what I've heard, Daybreak has lost their pack. As you can most certainly tell I've lost my own home and putting the priorities of my family first I can only think of one thing." She leans against the door, untying knots in her dirtied hair and completely ignoring her scratched up skin as she puts on the clothing given to us.
"Has there ever been a pack ruled by more than one Alpha at a time?" I ask with sudden epiphany
"There's always a first time for everything, and I for one wouldn't mind the less work piled on my head!" She laughs, nudging me in my arm before leaning over Percy.
Biting her lip a bit before speaking, "How do we even know what you all did truthfully worked?"
"Well we don't, not until he wakes up."
"Hmm"
"Before we began the fight, you attacked Percy didn't you?" I feel a little bit of tension rise in the air but I assume she had good reason for it.
"He was going to kill Melanie." She steps away from him, leaning back against the wall and folding her arms.
Opening my mouth I try to say something in response but nothing comes out, "It's okay Adam, I know what your mouth is trying to signal so let me say it for you. I'm sorry Yue" She smiles through it, laughing at my lips still trying to form words.
"Oi, he alive yet?" Chris opens up the door, laying on his stomach to peer through.
"Can you seriously not revert back to human form even after what Fenrir did!?" I lower my body to meet eye level with him
"Well according to Anubis I was never fully a wolf, so no. It wasn't effecting me, nor am I aware of how to get out of this enlarged fur suit" His toothy smile being planted in the dirt when a shoe walks over his head.
"YASMINE!" His muffled voice screams out
Causing her to turn her head and stare innocently at him, "Oh didn't see you there! Was thinking that rug was way too high class for this one housing" She dusts her foot off on the wood, "I might of stepped in some shit out there too, sorry about that!" She dances further in through the doorway to avoid his attempts at grabbing her.
"Tss, I'm a King now and you treat me like this?"
"That's nice, anyway. Chris I'm more interested to know what happened between you and Aeon, you took on Reve and he took on Oneiros right?"
"You're correct in assuming that yes, long story short we won. You're welcome" He dusts himself off, still staring daggers at her
"Could of done the job myself then I take it?" She mocks
"No Yasmine, he would of killed you. Reve was just as strong as any other Alpha, but Oneiros was far beyond that. He ate him as he wept for his father, alive and thrashing for his life just before Fenrir began to appear."
"I...don't want to even know how it got to that point. But they're both gone now, right?"
"Considering Reve was nothing but bones and Oneiros was torn apart by a current. I do believe they are. Reminds me, has anyone seen Cliodhna?"
We look between each other awkwardly before coming to the conclusion that nobody has, "She must of left just as Percy returned I guess?" Yue comments
"Is anyone going to collect that god forsaken mirror as well as Aeon's sword by the way?" I ask to them as I watch Percy's twitching eyelid
Chris laughs before responding, "I could barely carry that sword myself so I doubt any of you would be able to, I'll collect it later" He waves it off, extending his hand and pulling a hand towards him.
"Athena? Where'd you go off to?"
"I was just searching the land for survivors, any update with Percy?" She wheezes out as if trying to catch her breath.
"He's slowly been moving more and more since we got here so I assume he's ready to wake up soon"
"Alright" She walks in, standing beside me and looking over at him before speaking again, "Does anyone realise that...if we didn't succeed then we're most definitely dead right? I mean look at the states we're in, our skin is torn open and I saw our packs are practically dragging themselves across the ground"
"If what we saw was indeed Fenrir's hand pulling the Moon Goddess in, then we can say we're safe...for what it's worth." I hold my arm in remembrance of the pain he brought, the tearing of flesh from the inside out. Feeling as if my wolf itself was trying to claw its way out in any which way.
"Yasmine, we're thinking about joining the packs. What's your thoughts on this?"
"Huh, why me?"
"Your Alpha is missing, Chris has no more affairs with the Daybreak pack and you're essentially the only one remaining who has some form of command."
She ponders a bit, looking towards Chris as he nods in recognition of her. "I don't see a problem with it! But where are we all going to stay?"
"I'm done with living in constant rain, I absolutely can't stand it anymore." I turn my head to see Athena staring at me, holding her hand up to high five me in response out of our mutual dread over that childhood. But she places something crumpled up in my hand while doing so.
"Isn't that meant to be your whole...life? Being one with the water and blah blah blah, the whole reason why nobody could enter your zone without the risk of certain death?" Yasmine giggless behind her hand.
"There's plenty of other sources we can draw from don't worry there. Anyone got an ideas?" I begin to unravel the paper Athena gave me. "Isn't this...-"
"That curse zone map we all had? Turns out Hel was making markings of ones she came across, and look at what that part shows."
"Rainbow falls?"
"You're welcome for saving you the endless trouble of finding it yourself! Now when that idiot wakes up, we're taking him there" She smacks me on the back, causing me to barely stop my fall on top of Percy's body.
"Woah what did I walk into!" Nimue walks through, causing Chris' face to twitch in shock but nonetheless guide her in so she didn't trip. "Did I hear you guys needed a place to rebuild and what not?" She smiles, walking up to Percy's head and blowing out air to push his hair from his face.
"I mean if you guys aren't against us humans, there's an area not too far from here that's always been vacant. So that way you aren't too far from your packs and we can even help you! Assuming you were living close to here anyway!"
"You've done a lot for us recently, thanks and we'll take you up on your offer. I just need to send Alex to retrieve the rest of our members so that we can all be together."
"Ah I see! Well in the mean time I'll be off to help the others, call me if you need anything!" She skips off, leaving her little brother to stare at us through the doorway who shyly follows in her shadow.
"And why exactly are we with humans?" Athena questions
"We...don't actually know. But Aeon seems to be familiar with the Elder and the people here weren't even afraid of him. Look at Chris! They waved him off like any other person" I point at him as he pretends to make a shocked face as if I accused him of something.
He goes to speak but gets cut off by Yasmine, "Percy?" She wanders up to his body now sitting up with his eyes closed.
"Percy...?" I place my hand on his cheek, causing his eyes to open. A few rapid blinks before he scans me up and down. His gold and violet eyes dulling to reveal his original hazel.
"Are you...real this time?" His watery eyes begin to reflect me within them.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
His words confusing me but I go along with it anyway, "I'm real, we're all real Percy" He begins to laugh as tears fall down his eyes faster than I can wipe them.
"Welcome back Percy!" Everyone calls out in unison as they embrace him.
We let go after a while as his eyes pace around the room, "Where's Thomas?".
"I-"
"Is he with the others!?" He gets up, trying to run through the door but Chris stops him. "What's the big deal let me see him!"
Athena grabs him from behind, wrapping her arms around him before kissing the top of his head as Yasmine hides her tears. "Percy...I'm sorry"
His eyes begin to water again but none the less he asks again, "Where's Thomas? Adam please tell me" One of his tears hit the floor, shattering like glass and scattering into dust but Athena just holds him tighter.
"You-" Athena cuts off Yue, giving her a glare before continuing. "There was nothing we could do...I'm sorry" He slumps against her body, visibly becoming more limp and forcing her to pick him up as he sobs into her chest. Guilt filling me and causing my body to freeze as I feel responsible for not making it there in time. I stroke his head, leaving him with them so I can go find Alex.
-
Spotting Melanie and him together I walk over to them as they discuss something, "Everything good over here guys?"
He turns to me, stunned a little by my presence but regains his composure immediately, "Oh Adam! Everyone's just settling in, anything you need?"
"Well it involves both you and Melanie actually" They both hum at me in interest
"So...we're merging the packs for our own good honestly" I scratch my head in awkwardness as I prepare to ask the question, "I sort of need you to go back to our own pack and retrieve everyone else. I'm sorry it's a lot I know but-"
"No worries! I planned to head back there once I was done here since this place needed more supplies anyway"
"Aren't you injured?" I question while scanning his arms but sure enough he doesn't even have a scratch on him.
"Nope! I honestly don't even feel fatigued, anything else?" He continues helping the others while talking with me.
"Nimue said she has a place for us to build into, do you mind following her later on and starting plans ahead of us? I'd appreciate it if you helped him with that Melanie"
"I will" She timidly responds to me, only flicking her head back to stare at me out of sheer respect.
"Alright thank you both, keep me updated with that." I wave them goodbye as I make my way back to our hut, catching the sight of Saul staring off into the statue before signalling for me to approach.
"Where is the man you were with?" He questions me
"You mean Aeon?"
"That is not his name, I presume you are however referring to the same person as Oracion"
"He told us to refer to him as that so that's what we've been doing, but why do you know that name?" He doesn't respond to me immediately and instead he points to his own green eyes and then back to the statue of the woman, his emerald eyes mimicking her own.
"I'll leave you with that, and I'll let Nimue guide you to the location we currently are preparing for you all."
"Thank you guys again although there's not much we can give you in return"
"Boy I know what you've done for this world as well as us, do not count me as blind just yet. Now be on your way, I heard some commotion back where you're staying. And if you do see that man again, thank him for me." He shoos me off before wandering back to his own home.
-
"Percy!?" I call out after seeing his figure break away from Chris' hold, barging past him and...shifting? The action shocking Chris as he kisses his teeth in annoyance.
"What happened?"
"He just sort of darted off without any warning? We aren't too sure but Adam let me warn you, Crest was never a normal wolf. Even I was scared of him and I was one of the few he seemed to find fondness to."
"I'll note that, see you guys in a bit then" I shift after staring at the others who look from the doorway with shock in their eyes. I've never truly interacted with Crest so this'll be an experience...
I follow along his scented trail, jumping into a shadow filled forest that surrounds the village. Stopping once I hear his footsteps creeping from bush to bush, circling me as if I was prey. I lunge for the bush with the most rustling, tackling nothing but some twigs and stones as the sound moves to the other side of me. "Percy this...isn't funny" I feel my heart increase in pace as I lay on the ground eyeing each movement around me. His scent more obvious to me the more time that passes making me confident that he was within the next one I leap at...but he wasn't.
"The mate" I turn to face the darkness as a pure muddy grey wolf forms from it, the same heterochromatic eyes as Percy had before. I wait as he walks around me in a circle, sniffing my fur and rustling his head against me I can't help but feel this dominance overwhelm me and in response I growl a bit. "I shared a body with Fenrir from the moment I came to be within this world, you do not intimidate me". His perfect vocals despite the wolf appearance, a trait only shared by Lycans that seemed to of carried over.
"Show me...Percy" I stand back up and nudge my head against his
"Why?" He asks
I unshift, sitting down and folding my legs across myself. "Cause I've not been the best mate, I can admit that. We've been separated and quite frankly had more time apart than with each other and I can feel it hurts him. But now that he's here I can take the chance to actually talk with him, build a life with him, without all the shit that's been happening since we met. So please, give him to me" He smugly smiles, dropping his head down and closing his eyes, unshifting to show Percy to me.
"Hey, I'm sorry I left earlier." I shift my body towards him while he continues to look down, grabbing his chin so he looks me in the eyes I continue talking. "I really am, but you lost Thomas cause of my own inability. And I'm blaming myself for it" I stroke his hair, taken by surprise when he dives on top of me with his arms around me.
"I...killed him. Not you...I-remember now." He sobs into my chest as we lay there. Surrounded by nothing but the small rays of light that break through the trees.
"Once we're all settled here I want to take you somewhere, how's that sound?" I hold his back, feeling him nod against me as a respond. This time we'll do things differently, together this time.
- (A few days later)
Percy's POV
"Keep your damn eyes shut Percy" Adam slaps my hand away from his own that's covering my eyes as he leads me somewhere.
Trickles of water hitting my skin and causing me to flinch back, "It's not gonna kill you" He laughs while continuing to pull me forward
"ME FIRST!" Yasmine screams with her voice lessening in volume as she darts past me and causing my body to be soaked. Followed by Alex scream of what I can assume to be him being pulled into the water.
"You can open his eyes now Adam, I think the boy gets it" Athena takes his hand away from me
"Welco-" Adam gets pushed in by a smirking Athena
"Welcome to Rainbow Falls Percy!" She smiles, picking me up and spinning me before tossing me in as well. The water clean enough to be completely see through, a waterfall that's filled by a pure white cloud storming into it from above. Crashing into the pool we're currently and leaving behind a rainbow in it's path, reflecting in each individual drop that flashes back onto the surrounding sand. I keep myself under, watching as Yue and Melanie thrash about trying to splash Alex and Yasmine. Her gritting teeth as she almost drowns Alex while living out her competitive spirit.
A few moments later I resurface to see Athena and Adam having a mini argument. "I WANTED TO BE THE ONE TO SAY IT!" He slaps her with a lingering piece of water.
"I'm the one who found it, shut up. Oh and I didn't kill him, see" She points towards me, picking me up within the water and throwing me at Adam with an exaggerated spin. Revealing a pattern on her back that I haven't seen before.
"I'll cut up that swimsuit you so preciously love so dearly" Adam threats
"You wouldn't dare" They butt heads together, grunting once Chris steps through. Grabbing their heads and tossing them in simultaneously with a fierce grin on his face as they resurface with a pissed off look.
"Athena we're trucing this once, new target confirmed." They stare away from each other with a look of mutual understanding, now looking towards Chris.
"W-wait it's only funny when I do it!" He panics as the water begins looping around his limbs, throwing him into the air and forcing him to land inside the water with them. Floating back to the surface he looks around for them with his gleaming green eyes, only to have Yasmine jump onto his head and send him back under.
"YASMINE STOP!" Alex tries to reach for her but Chris bursts out of the water, holding her by the leg and swinging her around.
I laugh out loud over their bickering, causing them to fall silent as they watch me. "He finally laughed you idiots!" Athena cheers while continuing to fight with Adam, slamming her fist back on top of him and claiming victory with a pose.
"Percy get that sunscreen for Melanie please!" Yue yells out with her arm waving through the water.
"Sure gimme a sec!" I wander behind a rock in the shade that they placed the stuff they brought along. Ruffling through the bag trying to roughly feel for it out of laziness. Failing horribly I open it like an normal person within society. Finding it I trod back, looking at the nearby pools of water that got filled up by us spilling the water everywhere. I stare at it, smiling at my face...reflecting me.
"Percy" I look away, assuming it was Yue calling again. Only to look at the pool and she's still with Melanie. "Percy" I hear it again. Staring back into the water I still see me...a strand of hair flicking out as an eye tilts from behind my head with white hair wrapping around my face. "Percy" A freakishly large smile forms on her face as the hair wraps around my reflected head.
A foot stomping into the puddle causes me to break out of my trance, "You good?" Chris stares at me, "Yeah"
"Alright then...get...the fuck-back in" He picks me up, tossing me by the ass straight into the water where I throw the bottle to Yue. A daydream, that's all that was. A daydream.
"Hey Chris where did you put the Mirror and Aeon's sword by the way?" Adam yells out while holding Athena's head underwater.
"Uhh see funny thing is, I managed to move the sword inside that Tomb thing they had for Aeon back at the village but that mirror? Long gone, although there were pieces of it still inside the pit?" He shrugs in confusion before jumping back in.
"Maybe it imploded on itself or it got sick of our shit, grew legs and walked off?" He jokes but leaves us stunned a little bit. "If it's out of your control, worrying about it only harms you. We'll figure it out another day" He tries to calm us but he's right...there's nothing we can do about it at the moment.
"Let's just enjoy ourselves, alright Percy?" Adam puts me in a headlock before tossing me between him and Athena.
"I'M NOT A BEACH BALL!" My cries of desperation being heard by nobody as I continue being launched between all of them now. Finally being caught by Adam where he lets me sink into the water with a smirk on his face, the vision of me looking at them all swimming through the clear water smiling and laughing. Something worth painting within my mind. Peace.
- (2 Days Later)
Athena's POV (Underworld)
"I don't think it's right Athena"
"Nonsense, I'm allowed this one thing as the new queen, am I not?"
"I mean..."
"Thomas, I'll find a way. And then we'll both surprise Percy, yeah!?" I cheer at him, stopping and putting the flower away when I hear the front palace door slam.
"Chris go help them repair the pack house, it's gonna be way bigger than we originally planned!" I scream across the hall after hearing him enter through the front door. Receiving no response I call out again, "Chris?".
Feeling a chill crawl up my spine I feel an intense weight slam itself onto me as if something's watching me, "Hey!" I call once more, hearing the door slam on itself I make my way towards it. Watching as something black trails the floor and back through the gap in the door. I barge through only to catch nothing, staring around I watch the paths of the souls once again in it's mesmerising cycle. The light of a new world, the depths of the palace or...the door. I wander up to it, staring in curiosity.
"You-" I hear a voice whisper from under it. I crouch closer to it slightly so I can hear it better only to bounce to the floor after hearing Chris' booming voice jump scare me.
"ATHENA!" He runs over to me, lifting me to my feet and making me step back from it.
"What's the big dea-" I stare as the door isn't actually shut...instead a creep of an opening shows something behind it. A pure white eye staring at us, slowly closing the gap it watches from until fully shutting the door again.
"What have you done Athena!?" He questions me in panic
"Nothing I promise!"
"Athena...the ones before us were the Gods and Goddesses of the underworld"
"So?"
"So whatever's behind that door is scaring even a god, for fuck sake let's leave it alone." He walks away, back towards the palace.
"But...I-didn't open it" I stare back at it, eyeing up and down...it's just a door.