Percy Jackson: The Cursed Hunter

A/N: Shut up. I know I'm one day late to it, but what can I say? I got a life lol. The Christmas day special will come later today when I feel like it (prolly 1-2 in the morning) and then the new year one will prolly come on the 30th because irl reasons.

As for progress on the rewrite, I've decided to start publishing it only when classes start again (3rd week of January), one, because I wanna enjoy my break to the fullest, and two, cause I'd just write dogshit with how mushy my brain has become over the break too.

So yuh, just these three specials to bring to a close this iteration of Shalom x Aphrodite. It won't be an actual ending because that'd be rushed af, but I'll just end it on a slightly open ending and then I'll fully be able to commit to the rewrite.

I think I'll prolly link a discord at the end of the Christmas day special so that y'all can, well, know that I'm alive, and also so that I can hold myself a lot more accountable lol.

I'll have finished like 6-7 chapters of the rewrite before the third week of January, and I'll post those in the discord ig if y'all want access to the chaps faster.

Merry Christmas Y'all.

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After their romantic relationship has been established for a good few years:

She had been gone for 3 days now, and honestly, I was wondering if she had just completely forgotten about our promise.

Gods were fickle after all.

But, my insecurities aside, it was more likely that there was a heated debate happening during the gods' winter solstice meeting and that they had just completely forgotten about time passing.

Three days was a long time though, and I really really really wanted her to be here with me for Christmas.

But here I was, all alone absentmindedly staring into the crackling fireplace of our home on a snowless Christmas Eve.

'Global warming really is fucking us over, eh?'

I mean, the gods really could just snap their fingers and return everything to whence it was, no?

Having thought about the gods again, I sighed, having failed in my task of trying to distract myself from the situation.

'Aph, please, I know it's selfish of me, but I really want you by my side, just this once, this first Christmas that we'd really be able to enjoy with each other.'

I hadn't sacrificed anything, so she probably hadn't heard me.

But, there was a part of me that hoped that she had heard my pleas, just so she might come home only minutes faster.

I couldn't be that selfish though.

She had a job, and I couldn't have accidentally creating the next Hitler on my consciousness if I rushed her and the gods accidentally smited someone or something.

Seeing how Percy didn't even exist because of the butterfly effect that had been caused from simply my existence, it'd be better if I just stayed put.

It just hurt though.

It hurt so badly...

...the thought that she might not be here next to me.

We weren't even celebrating Christmas for religious reasons (for obvious reasons), the only reason we had even made that promise was because of my selfishness.

'Just because I had never celebrated Christmas before...'

Movies, TV shows, books, they all glorified it.

Just the simple act of spending Christmas with your loved ones.

And what could I say?

I had craved it, so so badly.

Now that I truly did have someone I cared about, someone who cared about me too...

My desire had grown the strongest it had ever been since the facility had almost destroyed any emotional responses that I may have had.

Everything, including my thoughts, soon silenced after that.

For the next few hours, I continued to just blankly stare into the fire, basking myself in the golden rays of heat coming from it, watching as the shadows flickered and danced atop the mahogany wood that lined the walls of our house-turned-cabin.

The weighted blanket and the cup of hot chocolate that I had downed eventually took their toll on me as I soon fell asleep on the plush rocking chair.

Unbeknownst to me, my desire had been so powerful that I had slept talked for perhaps the first time in my life.

"I just..."

The embers of the dying fire reinvigorated and glowed one last time as a billowing cold breezed rushed into the room through the chimney.

"-want you..."

My head fell from its upright position, settling on my shoulder in an uncomfortable manner.

"here..."

The room descended into darkness as the last of the hot coals turned into ashes.

"...with me."

Silence.

As my erratic heartbeat steadied once more.