Happy New Year!

Hope you enjoy!

BTW, anyone who hasn't read Prince yet, do notread this yet. ; )

Ink…

Creatures of Shadow – Princelet #1

I shook my head and stared at the waters. A lot had happened. I was a time bomb waiting to go insane. I was a Universal, an heir to two of the most powerful beings in the Universe.

I sighed. It was no wonder I couldn't sleep. I skirted the edge of the woods and walked quietly in the shadows. The harpies couldn't see me. I wasn't surprised. My body was already changing against my will.

I sighed and stepped out onto the beach. The sand filled between my bare toes. The water calmed me. I stared out into the vast expanse. At night, the water looked dark, deep and dangerous. Black. I stared at it. My heart clenched.

I was trapped.

Trapped with powers that I didn't ask for. Trapped with a title that I didn't want. Trapped and chained down.

Manipulated once again to do the bidding of another deity.

I stepped onto the surf and started walking, the water solidifying under my feet, turning to black ice. I looked up at the half moon.

Ouranos was the one that had done the most damage. He had tricked me, lied to me, and deceived me. Night had deceived me too, but it was mostly Ouranos.

It had been Ouranos who tampered with the thread in the first place. He was preparing me for his blessing, toughening my life line so I wouldn't be overwhelmed by his power.

It had been Ouranos who overloaded the connection that the gods created with me. He had been the one who trapped the power inside me. Having the gods finish the entire Universal process without them ever realizing it was like icing on the cake for Ouranos.

It had been Ouranos who originally blocked my memories, giving me dissociative amnesia. He had manipulated Apollo, and the gods, into blocking my memories, It had been his plan all along, keeping me in an uneasy limbo of possible insanity lurking behind every corner until I succumbed and became what he had wanted me to become from the very start!

Everything had been organized, everyone had been manipulated, by him. It was like a neat, little play, and Ouranos was the director.

I snarled. The black ice extended outward from me like a flower dipped in oil.

Refusing godhood wasn't only so I could go to Elysium. It was my last act of defiance against the deity who I thought was a friend.

Ouranos had taken everything else from me. I refused to let him take away my humanity!

I clenched my fists and screamed at the night sky littered with stars. I screamed my anger, my suffocating rage, my bitterness, fear, and gut-wrenching exhaustion to the cold, glittering stars.

Collapsing onto my hands and knees, I panted and stared through the thin ice at the black depths below.

"Damn you, Ouranos…" It came out as a hiss.

I lifted myself up, still on my knees, my hands clenched at my sides, nails cutting into my flesh. Tilting my head up, I stared at the stars. I used to think stars were comforting.

No longer.

My gut clenched.

"DAMN YOU!" I howled my despair, using my scream to vent at least some of my exhausted dread.

I was quickly becoming numb. Like a bubbling volcano encased in smooth ice. I stood abruptly, cursing the day I gave Clarisse the Golden Fleece. Cursing Ouranos for noticing me. Cursing my own stupidity for not seeing what the god of the universe was planning. I walked swiftly back to the beach, my feet on warm sand again, not cold ice.

I moved to the path that would take me back to my cabin.

"Kid, you've got some lung power."

I whirled around and sent shards of sea ice at the speaker. The shards went right through and embedded themselves into the rock the man was leaning against.

He shook his head and chuckled. "That ain't gonna work, kid. I have to be tangible for those to work." He walked lazily up to me. It was hard to see him, even when he was standing in the light of the moon.

I gave a gasp. At first, I thought he had worn dark jeans and a black shirt, but I realized that the clothing was constantly swirling, constantly moving around his body. Suddenly, I knew who he was. My connection to Night helped me know all the creatures of the Shadow.

"…Erebus…" He wasn't wearing clothing. His body was covered in living shadows. He was living shadow!

He grinned, his teeth as white as the moon. "Good to know, I'm not completely forgotten." He looked at the shards and then pulled one out of the rock.

I blinked. "You said you weren't tangible."

He smirked. "Nope. I said 'I have to be tangible.'" He grinned at me and turned to face me complete, still fingering the ice shard. "I can chose when to be tangible and when to be shadow."

"Handy."

"I know right?!" He looked around. "So this is where you live most of the time? What a dump. The least the gods can do is give the kids, who save their asses all the time, a palace!" He snorted.

I sighed. "Why are you here?"

"To see you."

"Why?"

"Cause I'm curious who my siblings chose. Have to say, they chose…nicely."

I sighed. "I don't appreciate being eyed like something edible."

He laughed. "Sorry. It's how I'm wired. Seriously, look how many kids I've got. I like sex." He looked me up and down. "I like pretty things."

I rolled my eyes. "I've got better things to do than talk with horny gods." Still, Erebus was a doing a good job of distracting me from my rage.

Erebus laughed. "Fine, fine. I'll keep my hands to myself. Plus, Ouranos would pound me if I touched you."

Percy snorted. "Yeah, he wouldn't want damaged goods."

Erebus winced. "Okay, while I'm here, I might as well clear some things up." He looked at me seriously. I saw the deity then. God of darkness, shadow. Always there, always around, feared. God of the unknown…

"Ouranos had no other choice in his mind, Percy."

I scoffed. "How about being up front and honest? What a novel idea!"

"He knew you would have refused. He's fading, Percy."

I stilled. Slowly, I looked up at Erebus. "What?"

Erebus nodded. "He's got only a few years before he loses most of his power. Kronos couldn't kill him, but he did give him a mortal wound. You changed time but that didn't heal Ouranos. Ouranos saw you and did the only thing he could do, take you as an heir. Do you know how this world would be without anyone balancing Nyx?"

He took my hand. "It would be like this." Shadows wrapped around me.

"Open your eyes, Percy."

The stars were gone. Stunned, I stared. The sun was bleached pale yellow, giving off barely enough heat to keep the planet inhabitable. Everything wasn't as bright or cheery. The mortals were trudging down the street, driving like any other day, except there was no sound. Car sounds, yes, but no honking. Water sounds, but there were no birds. The shadows were longer. There was no talking, no shouting. The sounds of the city weren't there.

Everyone was tense, cautious…afraid.

Erebus looked at me gravely, "I'm a creature of Shadow, but even I know that this wouldn't be right. It's not the end of the world, but who would want to have a world like this?

"The gods aren't powerful enough to harness Nyx. She would just do worse things in retaliation. Even you can't stop her by using force; however, she listens to you. She sees her brother in you. Because of this, you have the best chance, out of anyone, to succeed Ouranos and keep this world from becoming a reality." He waved his hand in emphasis.

I stared at everyone. Everyone still wore clothing that was made of different styles and colors, but nothing seemed as cheerful. It wasn't like it would be if Tartarus was in charge, or Kronos, but nothing seemed right. Everything was off, if only a little.

The sky was still blue, the sun still shown, but it wasn't pretty, the sun wasn't warm. It wasn't good.

Everything around me darkened like a scene from a movie fading out. Erebus was still holding my hand. He griped it tighter. "They need you, Percy. I'm not condoning his actions. He wronged you, but you've got to work that through with him and not let it get in your way of helping others. You can't change what's happened. The only thing you can do, it react to it. Ouranos was desperate. He chose you. You are perfect for the job."

"Why me?"

"You care. You care about complete strangers. You're strong. You won't let Nyx corrupt you. You're pure. You have your head on straight, and your will is made of steel."

I sighed. "Okay, I understand. Doesn't mean I agree with what he did, or how he did it, but I understand. I'm…" I exhaled and released my anger, or most of it. "I…I'll try to forgive him."

He smiled and patted my hand. "I'm glad. What you're doing right now, proves that you're a cut above most of the mortals. You are rare, Percy Jackson. You are very rare."

"EREBUS?!" Erebus winced.

"Hey Sis!"

Night stared at him holding my hand. "I hope, for your sake, that you haven't touched Percy."

He jerked away from me. "Whoa! I didn't even kiss him!"

I couldn't help it. I started laughing. "You guys are so different from what I thought you'd be like."

Erebus snickered. "Yeah, just cause we're creatures of Shadow doesn't mean we're evil." He pouted. "Tartarus is evil. Gaea is an evil shrew. I'm not looking for world dominion or enslaving the human race. I'm not even a god of death!" His pout increased, making him look more like a sulky teenager than a god. "But I still have this rep of being a killer! I mean seriously! I love puppies and kittens! I'm not emo!"

I started laughing harder. I looked at Erebus. He appeared to be near my age, a little older. Twenty-three or so. It was hard to see him. It was like he was constantly shrouded by shadows. I was able to get that his skin was tanned dark. His eyes were dark blue. His hair was black, long, straight, and way past his shoulders. There was not one bit of fat on him. His cheekbones were sharp, his skin smooth.

To be blunt, he was incredibly hot, and this is coming from a straight boy.

Erebus winked at me. I rolled my eyes and turned to Night. "What are you doing here?"

She huffed. "I'm here to teach you."

Erebus moved closer to me and draped his arm over my shoulders. He grinned. "Whatcha learning, little brother?"

I rolled my eyes and shook my head with a sigh. First Triton and now Erebus. I was picking up siblings all over the place. And no matter how much I tried to shrug him off, he still draped his lanky form all over me.

"Dude, get off of me!"

He chuckled and then sniffed me. "Oooh…I can smell the shadows coming from you!"

I pushed him away and stared at him and Night. "How can you smell something intangible?"

He smirked and tilted his head to expose his neck. "Try it."

I looked at Night. She nodded. I hesitantly stepped forward and inhaled. I definitely smelled something. I sniffed again, deeper and then realized what it was. It was how the earth smells after a rainstorm, heavy and musky, earthy and deep. It made me curl my nose, but want to inhale even more.

Erebus pulled away and grinned. "See?" A crow cawed and flapped over to him. I blinked. It was just an ordinary crow. I half expected it to start talking like the one in the movie Brave.

Erebus cooed at it and smoothed it's feathers. He smiled at me. "This is Clarence."

I stared at him. "Clarence the Crow?"

He gave me an unimpressed look. "What would you prefer? Gory Gertrude?"

I chuckled. "Nope. Clarence is fine." He nodded primly. Night rolled her eyes. "If you're quite done wasting time, I'm going to take my pupil now."

"Heir, Nyx. Heir. He doesn't belong to you." We turned and saw Ouranos walk up to us. I skittered away slightly, still untrusting. After all, the guy never stopped lying to me since he first met me.

Erebus just shook his head with a sigh. Ouranos pursed his lips and gave a little sigh of his own. He turned to his sister. "Your brood is wanting to see Percy."

I blinked rapidly. "Ummm….

Erebus smirked. Clarence gave a little caw like he was laughing at me. I glared at the feathered fiend. I could tell already that Clarence and I would be enemies.

Night's smirk mirrored her brother/husband's. I tried not to think too much about the inner relationships pertaining to the Greeks.

Night smiled at me. "I don't mind them seeing Percy."

I stared at Ouranos. 'Help me!' Even though I was pissed at him, it didn't mean that I refused to get help from him when I needed to.

'Do not worry, child. You are safe. Assert your dominance over them. They will respect you if you do.'

I took a deep breath. Darkness increased on the beach. I heard Peleus give a roar. The harpies were starting to raise the alarm. Erebus only chuckled.

I looked around and realized with a start, that I could still see perfectly well. I saw Night grinning in approval.

I looked over the children of Night. Well, Nyx actually, but I kept calling her Night. For the very simple reason that it annoyed her. She hadn't said anything about it, but I could tell that it irritated her that I kept saying her name wrong. Yeah, it was petty, so what?

I watched as the creatures of Shadow moved closer to me. It was Eris who noticed first. Her hair was wild, pointing every which way, kind of like my Humanities teacher's used to do. Eris pointed a skinny finger at me.

"YOU'RE THE TOURIST!"

As one, they moved to attack me.

The water surged from the sea and swirled around me, raising me up far above the sandy beach. They backed away quickly, not wanting to be caught up in the vortex.

Because of if being nighttime, the water looked black as pitch, increasing the dramatic affect that I was looking for. Assert my dominance huh? Okay.

"ENOUGH!" Two black strands slithered from the writhing mass of water and into my hands, forming into whips. I slashed at the children of Nyx. The wind picked up, blowing water droplets, as cold as ice, in to everyone around me. Erebus became intangible and watched with approval.

The others backed away, shielding their faces from the stinging water. I stared at them, water churning around me, trying to lash out at them as if it had a mind of its own.

My eyes flashed. "Who are you to think that you can attack me?"

They didn't respond, too busy trying to keep their footing against the wind. I glared at them. "You ARE NOTHING! Children of Nyx only. Minor gods and deities. I am a Universal! You will serve ME!"

I stared them down until they all started nodding in agreement. With a smile, I lowered myself back to the sand and allowed the water to return to the sea. "Good."

I turned away from them. "You wanted to see the Heir of the Universals. You have. Now leave." They vanished. Night laughed lightly and clapped her hands.

"No one's been able to cow them like that since Ouranos! Good job, Perseus!"

I leveled her with a stare. "I do not appreciate being tested. I do not appreciate being lied to, manipulated, or deceived."

She faltered and then looked at her brothers. This wasn't going according to their script. I chuckled.

"No, no Night. Don't look to them for guidance. You and Ouranos tricked me and played this whole entire year to your desires."

I glared at both of them. "If you thought that I would serve you after discovering your deceit, then you are extremely mistaken." I chuckled and turned from them. "I refuse your very kind offer."

Ouranos growled. "Listen here!" He made the mistake of touching my shoulder. I lashed out at him, slamming him into the very same rock Erebus had been leaning against earlier.

"No!" I moved into his face, summoning my Trident. "I am tired of lies! I am tired of being dismissed! I am tired of being treated like a child! YOU HAVEN'T EVEN GONE THROUGH TARTARUS!" I snarled deeply at him. My Trident pressed against his throat harshly. "You will do as I say. You will leave me alone until I decide what it is that I want to do. And when I've decidedyou will obey me."

Ouranos stared into my eyes, gauging me. He knew that I wasn't myself right then. Right then, I would do anything and everything in my power to get revenged for what he'd done to me.

Ouranos nodded slowly. "Very well, Percy. We shall leave you alone. We shall give you time to adjust to your powers and abilities. When you are ready to ask, and to learn, about what you can do, then all you need to do is call on me."

He vanished. Night nodded to me and then vanished as well. Erebus chuckled. "That put Ouranos in his place. Good job, Percy." He gave me a brief hug, before vanishing as well. Clarence pooped on my Trident and then flew away.

I was tempted to blast that bird.

The others found me sitting on the beach, cleaning my Trident of bird crap.

Annabeth merely raised an eyebrow. I shrugged. "Some minor gods were giving me trouble. Wanted to see what the Universal was made of."

Clarisse raised an eyebrow. "And?"

I smirked and gestured to my Trident. "And?"

Chiron just shook his head. "Fighting against minor gods isn't wise, Percy."

I shrugged. "They won't bother me again, Chiron. Trust me. I knew what I was doing."

He only sighed and nodded. "Very well." He motioned to the rest of the demigods. "Everyone back to bed. Come on, let's go." He leveled me with a firm stare. "You too, Percy."

I smiled and nodded. Some things never changed. Camp Half Blood's Activities Director was one of those things.

Annabeth wrapped her arm around my waist and kissed me. I smiled and kissed her back.

Yep, no matter what happened, Annabeth would stay with me, and everything would be okay.

It would be okay.

I kissed Annabeth, pulling her into my arms. My eyes opened for a second, and I saw Eris and Nemesis snickering and making kissing motions. I shifted a little, raised my hand slowly and gave them the bird, and then, I went back to kissing Annabeth.

Lord Nitro, I hope Erebus met with what you wanted… : / I did some research and realized that almost everyone expected him to be young, dark, dangerous, and sexy. Either that, or the total opposite, old, dangerous, evil, and manipulative… So…I tried to pull a Riordan.

Hope I did it well. : D

Ink…