Pride-Niklaus's Point of View
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"You know what happened to her when she was in there?" Vain asked, as though reading my mind and voicing the same concern that had been lingering in my thoughts. His tone was laced with a quiet urgency, carrying an unspoken question, one that seemed to demand an answer, but one that no one seemed to have.
Apollo tilted his head in confusion, his brows furrowed as he tried to process the question. "No," he said, shaking his head slightly, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "Sister never talks about it. And whenever we try to bring it up, she just teleports away from us. It's like she's running from the topic, like she can't bear to face it. Dad told us to just leave it alone, because, well, being out in the wild, without any magic to protect yourself—just your national strength—and alone for forty days in the most dangerous mountain in the world... that kind of thing messes with your mind. And he also said that Mom had it hard in her time, too."
The mention of their mother hit me like a heavy stone, and I couldn't help but gulp. It was as though a weight had suddenly settled in the room, one I could almost feel pressing against my chest. I could feel the unspoken history between them, the burdens carried silently, the unhealed wounds that lingered just beneath the surface. It was hard to imagine what either of them had gone through, but it was clear that something about that place, that experience, had shaped who they were—perhaps more deeply than anyone realized, even themselves.
"Why?" Atlas's voice broke the silence, dragging me back into the conversation. His question was genuine, filled with a deep concern, and it lingered in the air like an unanswered prayer. There was something more beneath it, an ache that went beyond simple curiosity.
"You know how she gets, when she's hyper-focused on herself and forgets everything else around her?" Dom interjected, his voice calm but carrying a weight of something unspoken. The others nodded, their expressions showing they understood exactly what he meant.
"When she popped up here with her spatial magic, it was like she was lost in her own head," Dom continued, his voice taking on a darker, more worried tone. "She seemed to think she was still out there, alone in that mountain, stuck in her own mind. It was like the trauma of that place was still with her, even though she was physically here. It was like she never truly came back from it." His words hung in the air, heavy and unsettling, like a dark cloud threatening to burst.
"Persephone... she started throwing up. Really badly," Nora spoke up next, her voice almost too quiet, as though recalling the memory made her uncomfortable. She swallowed hard, the unease evident in her posture. "And when she was done, she panicked. She just... started panicking. Saying things to herself, like, 'Forget it. Don't think about the mountain. Don't hurt yourself.' It was... weird as hell." She shook her head, as though trying to shake off the feeling that came with recalling the incident. But even as she tried, the unease didn't leave her expression.
Micah added his voice, low and heavy with disbelief, "She kept repeating those words over and over, like she was trying to convince herself to stop. To erase whatever thoughts were haunting her. It was like... she was losing it. Like she had really gone insane." His words cut through the air, thick with the weight of what they implied, and for a moment, the room seemed to hold its breath.
The room fell silent then, the words hanging in the air like a heavy fog, thick and suffocating. The twins exchanged a glance, their eyes wide, disbelief written across their faces.
"She... did what?" they asked in unison, their voices filled with genuine concern, the kind of concern that only came from deep, personal worry.
"She never throws up," Atlas gasped, his voice barely above a whisper, as though the revelation hit him harder than he had anticipated. "She never does any of that," he continued, his gaze flicking to Apollo, confusion and worry etching deep lines into his features. "Not even with someone dying." His voice faltered, the weight of the situation sinking in as the gravity of it all settled over him.
Apollo clenched his jaw, brows furrowing in frustration as he glanced at his brother, his lips pressed into a thin line. "And you're telling me she did all of this?" he asked, his voice thick with disbelief. "That's... that's not right. She's never done anything like this in front of us, never. Not once." His eyes turned to me then, darkening with something close to guilt. "When we arrived, we had that fight again. You know, about all the revenge talk. And she... she just stormed off, went straight to the Headmaster's office. I don't know what she did or said there, but something must've triggered something in her. I can feel it. Something's not right with her, something we don't understand." His voice faltered at the end, as if unsure how to finish that thought, like he was afraid to confront the truth of what it meant.
Apollo's twin nodded solemnly, his expression tense as though the reality of the situation was beginning to weigh on him. "It's still weird, though," he added, his gaze moving to the others, the worry in his voice evident. "Dora's got a strong stomach. I mean, she never gets nauseous. Not even when someone's dying. That's... that's not normal. It's just... it's all wrong."
Kai scoffed, though there was a touch of bitterness in his voice, as though he was trying to brush off the unsettling feeling creeping up in him. "As if we didn't know that," he muttered, his tone dismissive, though it was clear he was just as disturbed as the rest of us. The sarcasm didn't quite hide the concern beneath it, and the tension in the room only seemed to deepen.
"Exactly," I agreed, my voice steady, though it was edged with a growing sense of concern. "That's why it was so strange. It didn't make sense. None of this makes sense." I paused for a moment, the question that had been lingering in the back of my mind finally slipping out. "Oh, and, is Scarlet using lenses?" I asked, trying to change the subject, though part of me knew this question would open up another layer of surprise.
That got their attention immediately. Apollo's eyes widened, his expression shifting from confusion to amusement, though it was clear he was also surprised. He couldn't help but let out a small laugh, though it was tinged with disbelief. "Oh?" he said, his voice laced with humor. "Took you long enough to notice, huh? It's been, like... way more than ten years, actually."
I blinked, genuinely confused. "So, it's true?" I asked, my voice growing more tentative, uncertain of what I had just uncovered.
Vain gasped, his eyes widening with realization. "Wait... it's true?" he asked, his tone almost disbelieving, as though he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing.
Both Apollo and Atlas nodded matter-of-factly, their expressions serious despite the obvious surprise in their reactions. "Yes," Atlas said, his voice almost too calm for the nature of what he was saying. "Her hair is dyed, too," he added, his voice tinged with something like nostalgia, though it wasn't quite a smile. He tilted his head slightly, a soft smile appearing on his lips, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.
I blinked again, more confused than ever. "Why?" I asked, the word slipping out before I could stop it. My mind scrambled, trying to find a reason behind this new revelation.
"We don't know," Apollo replied softly, his voice quiet now, the gravity of the situation sinking in. "In fact, it's kind of shameless to say this, but we don't really remember how she actually looks. I mean, I think she's been using magic to change her hair color and eyes since we were around five."
"Five?" Nathan gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief. He looked between Apollo and Atlas, his mouth slightly agape, as though waiting for confirmation that they were speaking the truth.
"Yeah," Apollo confirmed, nodding slowly. "So, it's been nearly 15 years. We don't really have memories from back then. But what I do remember is that... she looks nothing like any of us. Not at all." His expression softened with confusion as he tilted his head, as if trying to piece together a puzzle he couldn't quite solve.
Atlas nodded in agreement, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. "I remember hearing her complain to our parents when we were little. She said she didn't look like any of us. She even asked if she was really their daughter." His voice softened as he spoke the last part, almost as if the memory still haunted him. "So, I think Dora must've started doing this... changing her look, using magic, out of some kind of insecurity."
I frowned, trying to process everything they were saying. It was a lot to take in, more than I had expected. But before I could speak again, Apollo continued, his voice shaking slightly, as though he couldn't quite believe what he was about to say.
"Persephone... she never shifts to us, either. I don't think I've ever seen my sister's dragon form," Apollo said, his voice raw with a mix of frustration and sadness. He turned to his brother, a look of dismay in his eyes. "What the hell? She doesn't trust us at all, does she?"
The room fell silent for a moment as we all processed his words. It was a harsh truth to swallow, and one that felt heavier than it should.
"What?" Vain gasped, unable to hide his shock. "You really don't know what her dragon looks like?"
They both nodded, a silent agreement passing between them.
"Not at all," Atlas said firmly, his voice steady despite the uncertainty swirling around them. "She never lets us in—never even let us into her penthouse in Tartarus. The only place she ever allows us to go is the rooftop." He crossed his arms, his gaze distant. "It's like she's building walls around herself, keeping us all out."
"That's... weird," Nora scoffed, shaking her head.