Twilight and Dawn

Chapter Nine

Bella and Rhea walked back into the house the moment the clouds took over the sky.

“I’m making dinner,” Rhea said, “you made breakfast, and we have an agreement.”

“Fine,” Bella said, “what are you making?”

“I’m thinking pasta bake.”

Charlie walked back into the house the moment Rhea was putting the pasta dish into the oven.

“Rhea, there’s mail for you,” Charlie said putting an envelope on the kitchen’s bench.

A simple white envelope with fancy writing.

“It’s from an old friend,” Rhea said folding it to put it into her jacket pocket, zipping it shut so it didn’t fall out. If it was from anyone, it could be from Apollo since he was the only one she could think of.

There wasn’t a postal stamp on the envelope.

“I’ll read it after dinner,” Rhea said.

The phone rang after they finished eating, Bella went to pick it up and Rhea went to their room.

Opening the letter, the first sentence made her heart stop.

Sea Princess.

It was from a demigod or from Apollo himself.

“Sea Princess,” Rhea whispered, “we have found Nero’s tomb and it hide in the forest between La Push and Forks, but I thought you would want revenge for Jason’s death.”

Pausing she looked at the window with large eyes, Jason was dead?

Nico hadn’t told her that, it must have happened between now and Nico’s last call.

Or he didn’t know the best way to tell her what happened or he wanted to tell Thalia first. She didn’t know what to think, but for now, she had to finish reading Apollo’s letter and decide what she was going to do.

“If you wish to join Meg and I will be waiting in the forest and will head towards the cave at the moment’s noice, you have until to dawn to turn from. From Lester,” Rhea finished.

If Lester thought she would not beat Nero until he was no longer breathing, then Apollo didn’t know her very well. Of course she was going to go, but she couldn’t tell Bella that or else she might stop her.

Charlie didn’t know about myths being real, she would not tell him. Rhea had a feeling that he wouldn’t want to know, taking a deep breath, she hide the letter in her underwear draw.

“Dad, is it okay if I got shopping with Angelia and Jessica? Help them pick out dresses for the spring dance? We’re not going far,” Bella asked.

Rhea walked back int othe kitchen, she looked at her and knew Jessica could talk for hours.

“It’s a female thing,” Bella added.

Angelia was the one who must likely wanted Bella to be there.

“Rhea?” Charlie asked.

“No thank you,” Rhea said.

She needed to kick some Ancient Roman butt or more correctly, she was going to kill an Ancient Roman Emperor who had his own people worship as a good.

“I’m not into shopping and Jessica wouldn’t want there, anyway,” Rhea said.

“You do scare her,” Bella said.

“Why would Jessica fear her?” Charlie asked.

“Might have flipped Emmett onto a table,” Rhea admitted.

Charlie staring at her.

Bella shock her head.

“Which would a good reason I’d be wary of someone, but not... Bella, I’m missing something,” Rhea said.

Not that she really care about the resaon Jessica would fear her.

“Rhea’s pretty, her eyes stand out and her the most unique things in Forks,” Bella said.

Rhea stared.

“There’s whispers of how your eyes are more unique than the Cullen’s,” she added.

“Then you look at my personalty which no one would want to touch with an eleven-foot pole,” Rhea said.

“They’re just not used to you,” Charlie said sighing.

Rhea grinned passing Bella the card that Poseidon had given her.

“Bella, I want you to use it. If you or Angelia want something; buy it,” Rhea said, “I mean it, Bells, we both need more clothing.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Bella said taking it, “now Jessica should be here soon.”

Rhea sat down, picking up a book from the coffee table, a fairy tale collection.

“Have fun, be safe,” Charlie said.

“I will,” Bella said leaving the house.

Rhea and Charlie looked at each other, she knew that he wanted to go to Billy’s to go fishing... or whatever they did on Sundays.

“Do you want me to stay?” Charlie asked.

“Nope, I’ll be fine,” Rhea promised, “you and Billy always do something. I have books to finish reading.”

“I’ll see you when I come back; stay safe.”

“See you.”

Rhea got up when he left, she just quickly went to her room to get changed into a long-sleeved black shirt, leggins and a skirt, grabbing a black jacket before pulling her hair into a low ponytail hanging over her right shoulder.

Grabbing her weapons before making her to the forest behind Charlie’s house. She didn’t know how long it took to find Apollo and a child.

“Hello Lester,” Rhea greeted.

A young girl with brown hair and eyes.

“One more to go and I’ll regain my godhood,” Lester agreed, “someone had already dealt with Delphi’s cave.”

“I’m going to say your sister, one of the ones who weren’t banned from helping in any shape or form by the giant lightning arsehole,” Rhea said, “knowing him, he would have stopped Artemis from doing anything without thinking about your other siblings.”

“I won’t forget this,” Lester said, he looked at his bow’s string, “I won’t forget how you guys helped.”

“Straight from the God of Truth’s mouth,” Rhea teased following them towards Nero’s tomb, “I think I can live happily knowing that.”

“I’m Meg, daughter of Demeter,” Meg said walking next to Rhea looking at her with curious eyes.

Rhea putting her arm around Meg, pulling her into a hug.

“You’re Rhea Jackson, campers from Camp Half-blood talked about you, before everyone had to move from the camp grounds,” Meg said.

“Let me guess; Nero?” Rhea asked.

“It was Nero,” Lester admitted, “and he’s going to pay, from now on I’m going to keep a better eye on those areas.”

“I know you will. You’ve changed a lot since I last saw you,” Rhea said.

“I’ve already killed Jason’s killer,” Lester said.

“Nero killed my parents before raising me as his pawn, letting me believe that the gods killed them,” Meg admitted.

“Knowing that, I’m sorry but Meg. It might be better if you stay outside the cave for this one,” Rhea said.

Meg staring at her with her mouth open.

“I’m sure, you’re strong but you’re young and I won’t have your death on my hands,” Rhea said.

“I can do it,” Meg said.

“You can, but revenge is not a mindset for someone so young to go into battle with, since it’ll make you focus on one target,” Rhea said, “he didn’t kill Jason, I don’t have a personal vendetta against him. Meg, I want you to live and not die. The best revenge is to live, live a long life and rub it in his face in the afterlife.”

“Fine,” Meg said taking a step back.

“We should get going,” Rhea told Lester, smiling before summoning Mrs O’Leary, “keep each other safe.”

“I will,” Meg said sitting down next to Mrs O’Leary, who curled up around Meg practising some of her abilties.

Rhea smiling, walking next to Lester without another word.

“Meg’s strong,” Lester said.

“She might be, but she’s a child and I won’t stand for a cbild being placed into a dangerous situation,” Rhea said hands behind her back, “we should get going, the sooner this is finished the sooner I won’t get caught by my sister’s father.”

“One of Hermes’ sons said you had been adopted, adopted by a mortal family,” Lester said, handing her something.

A small wrapped box.

“Rachael said you’d need it, I knew there was a reason I like her, she also said that Jason had gotten it for you for your birthday.”

“Sounds like something he would do,” Rhea said.

“You should open it,” Lester said.

“Afterwards, it’ll give me something to look forward after this is done.”

“It could be a protective charm?”

“Fine.”

Taking a box out of her pocket, opening it and it was a bracelet. A simple thing with three charms, a charm in the shape of a cloud with a lightning bolt, a skull and a water lily.

Her, Jason and Nico.

“It won’t break,” Lester said, “they asked Cabin Nine to make it.”

“Oh,” Rhea said.

“I want to give you this.”

Lester handed her a sun charm, made out of the same materials as the other three.

“Thank you, for giving this to me. Now we have a Roman to kill.”

“Let’s go,” Lester agreed walking down the tunnel.

It didn’t take them long to find a section of the tunnel that forked off.

Rhea had a feeling that Lester already knew which tunnel to take.

“We’re killing him,” Lester said.

“That we are,” Rhea said taking riptide out to stab a hellhound, she turned around to glare when someone’s arrow hit the back of her calf.

Rhea pulled out one of the daggers Tyson had made her for birthday, tossing it into the i***t’s head, since he disappeared like the hellhonds, she guessed he was one of Nero’s.

“Moron,” Rhea said.

“I’m never pissing you off,” Lester said.

“I do control water,” she commented.

They continued to get rid of anyone and anything that stood in their way, Rhea using water and riptide and Lester getting them with his arrows and the sword he had on him.

Neither of them showed any mercy.

Rhea had been this way since returning from the pit, and Lester was thousands of years old. She would kill any of Nero’s men until she found the monster that took her friend from her... it also helped that she knew that they were planning on attacking a child and she would kill it before it got the chance.

When they got to the large chamber, Rhea didn’t want to know how far below the surface they were and it made her glad that Hades was nothing like Zeus.

Otherwise she would have feared for life, but he had never attacked her, even when she went to see him in the Underworld when she was twelve and he had hated her at that point.

Now he tolerated her and she doubted that he would do anything to hurt her.

“Apollo, how the great has fallen, going to the Greeks for help and a child of Neptune no less,” Nero said.

“Neptune is Roman!” Rhea hissed before attacking him, she wouldn ‘t allow him to say another word.

He barely had time to block her and Lester’s attacks, she didn’t care that he was Roman, all she cared about was that he reminded her of Octavian.

Rhea also didn’t care for his speech.

Lester stood him in the leg.

While Rhea stabbed him in the heart, standing his spirit to Hades and she looked at his tomb before picking up one touch on the wall and setting his body on fire.

He won’t be able to return to the mortal plane after this.

“Rhea we need to go,” Lester said, grabbing her arm before pulling her out of the chamber that collapsed onto itself.

The tunnels were going out the same way, blinking she pulled Lester at a faster pace than he had been pulling her.

It wasn’t long before someone was grabbing the two of them, running out of the cave.

Once she was placed on the ground, she didn’t know how long it took for the world to stop spining and for there to be just one Lester, Meg, Mrs O’Leary.... Alice? And Jasper?

“Rhea?” Meg asked.

“I’m fine Meg,” Rhea said.

“Me too,” Lester said.

“No one is going to believe us,” Meg said walking over and handing her a box, “I put in a request for a charm around the same time Lester did.”

“Thank you, Meg,” Rhea said taking out the small charm of a rose.

“They used to be father’s favourite,” Meg said.

“Rhea?” Alice asked.

“Lester, what happened?” Meg asked.

Lester pulled her into a hug.

Rhea smiled looking at Alice and Jasper.

“Jasper? Alice?” Rhea asked.

“Are you okay?” Alice asked pulling her into a hug, “you look you’ve fought a bear and your clothing is covered in dust.”

“Monster blood,” Meg said.

“She did kill a lot of them in the cave,” Lester admitted.

Before another word could be spoken, Artemis appeared and pulled Lester into a hug.

Rhea stared at Artemis like she had grown a second head, stepping out of Alice’s hug.

“Artemis?” Rhea asked.

“Thank you, Rhea,” Artemis said pulling her into a hug before pulling away, putting her hand on Meg’s and Lester’s sholders.

All three of them disappeared from view, leaving Rhea in the clearing with Alice and Jasper.

“Didn’t see that,” Alice said.

“Knew it,” Rhea said without thinking.

Jasper and Alice stared at her.

Alice coughed into her hand.

When Rhea looked down, she could see several slashes in her jacket and matched with slashes in her shirt. It didn’t help that she felt drained and there were several bruises in different stages of development.

“I have a lot to explain by the looks of it,” Rhea said putting her hands behind her back, “which I will do, once I’ve had some food and sleep.”

“We should get her back to the house,” Alice told Jasper.

Rhea yawned.

“She already knows what we are and she’s going to tell us what she is,” Alice added.

“Yea, my cousin already told me that you were vampires, but he learnt that from his father whose the God of the Underworld and you fall under his domain,” Rhea said nodding, “which is will part of the explaination, I promise, it’s just long and I promise I will miss something if I don’t sleep.”

“It’ll be easier to tell everyone at once,” Alice said.

Jasper just stared at them, before picking her up bridal style.

Rhea’s head on his shoulder and she closed her eyes, she could only hope that Apollo was going to be okay. He had to be, now that he was a good again.

He had completed the tasks Zeus had given him.

Rhea hoped that he remembered what it was like being a demigod, how their lives were always at risk. At risk for the crime of being born, always weary of being attacked by something that wanted you dead.

Meg would be fine, Demeter was protective of her children.

Zeus would do well to remember what happened the last time he put her child in danger, along with the damage that had been done afterwards.

Drifting off, she felt the wind move through her hair.