▬▬▬▬ CHAPTER THIRTEEN ▬▬▬▬

Ya'll gotta give Essie a break 😂 It's obvious that we the readers are aware of the Romans' existence (not that I'm confirming that's what Étienne is 👀) cuz we all read HOO, but Essie obviously doesn't know. The idea of Romans is far-fetched for anyone in CHB at this time, remember how shocked everyone was when they found out about Jason's real parentage? The idea of Roman demigods not only shocked them, but greatly unnerved them too cuz everyone knows they didn't have a good history way back then. So yeah Étienne doesn't understand Ancient Greek, but her next thought isn't gonna be 'oh he's probably Roman then, I should try Latin!' BECAUSE ROMAN DEMIGODS DO NOT EXIST IN THE GREEKS' EYES, JUST LIKE HOW THE ROMANS BELIEVE THAT THEY'RE THE ONLY DEMIGODS AROUND (until, you know, hoo...)

Rn Essie is probably thinking that he's a little... defective, but it's ok cuz she still loves him anyways :'D

PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL LOOKED DOWN AT the note Esmerelda had left for a select few of teachers and felt herself sigh. It was only Monday and she was already feeling distressed from the contents of the letter:

Hi professors!

Sorry for being absent today, I've been spending the weekend in the Underworld helping a friend out with some research that could possibly save the world from destruction. I haven't slept since Friday, but that's okay because I think we're close to finishing our work! Again, really sorry for missing today, but I'll be back to school tomorrow! :D

PS: If you don't hear anything from me on Tuesday, that means I'm dead. Please make sure to give Sirius my condolences. The funeral will most likely take place in Camp Half-Blood, but I think you'll be allowed in if you really want to come. I like camellias.

— Essie :)

Professor McGonagall inwardly groaned. Of all the days she had to miss, it had to be the one where the Yule Ball would be announced. Even worse was that she'd miss out on all of today's dance lessons!

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

Meanwhile in the Underworld...

Esmerelda blinked herself awake, feeling a horrible stiffness to her neck as she rose up. Once her vision cleared out, she realized that she had fallen asleep on the floor of the Archives. Leaning on her shoulder—and drooling down the sleeve of her blouse—was a slumbering Nico.

"Nico," she mumbled sleepily, nudging him awake. "Nico, wake up. We fell asleep in the Archives."

The younger boy grunted in protest, but lifted his head off of her shoulder. He wiped his eyes and drool before blinking around. "Ugh," he gingerly touched the back of his neck. "My neck hurts."

"Gods," she groaned, stretching her arms out and feeling something in her back crack in several places. Was that a good sign or not? Oh well. "Come on, it's already, like, 10 PM in the living world. We need to get going."

"Which part of the living world?" He asked with a yawn.

"Los Angeles. Get up." Slowly, she rose to her feet and looked down at the many piles of read and unread files on the floor. As she bent down to grab some of the unread files, she felt her empty stomach growl as a reminder that she had barely eaten anything in the past 72 hours or so. She winced guiltily, knowing that Nico had been starving for the same amount of time too. The two of them had been so focused on this that they had forgotten to eat.

"What are you doing with those?" Nico asked curiously, watching as she shrunk about thirty or so files and clutched them in her hands before magically assorting the others back onto the shelves.

"I'm gonna bring some to school with me, that way I could read them in my spare time," she mumbled, making sure there was no mess left on the floor. "I should probably head back to Scotland though... but we should eat first and freshen up."

"I'll eat with you," Nico said quickly, already following her out of the room. "The last time I ate at father's palace, Persephone turned me into a dandelion, remember? I don't really wanna relive that again..."

She winced, remembering that day very well. It happened at the start of winter, when Persephone returned from the living world. Hades suggested that they all had a family dinner with Esmerelda included. She really didn't want to go, but Nico had begged her to come with him so she didn't really have much of a choice. Long story short, Persephone blew a fuse and turned him into a dandelion and Esmerelda had spent 48 sleepless hours trying to transfigure him back.

"That's probably for the best," she said with an understanding nod.

They hurried over to the dining room where she politely asked (she wasn't some uncouth hooligan after all) some of the cooks to prepare a meal for the two of them. They nodded in response and hurried off, but not before giving them a low bow.

Nico was already casually sitting at one of the chairs, taking a deep interest in the marble dinning table. The blacks, blues, and purples all swirled to life as if the paint had yet to dry and they were just flowing every which-way. He poked at the black and moved his finger around, the streak of color following him until his finger reached the edge of the surface.

He had grown accustom to the magical weirdness that happened around Hecate's—or Esmerelda's really—palace since he had started living in the Underworld. He actually preferred it more than his own father's place. Hades' palace was dark and dreary and his father was a constantly cold presence, whereas Esmerelda's place just radiated with warmth despite it's darker colors. He didn't know why he felt like that, maybe it was because of the occasional personal touches he'd see around? Or maybe it was just Esmerelda herself? Either way, he had made the habit of sleeping over even when she was gone.

Plus, Esmerelda would never have skeletal warriors stalking him every time he stepped foot in his father's palace. She actually had some decency and respected his personal privacy.

"Beckendorf's still working on the bombs," she spoke up, as if talking about war preparations was a good topic to have over meal time. "He said they'll be ready late July or early August."

"Hopefully it's late July," Nico droned, stabbing his spaghetti with a fork before twirling it around. "Early August is too close to Percy's birthday, I wouldn't want to risk it. And speaking of Percy..."

"No word from him?" She said knowingly.

He scowled in reply. "Nothing. I doubt he forgot about our plan, though. He's probably still unsure. Not like I care. This is the only chance we have. If he says no, we're throwing him in that gods damn river anyway." She gave him a look, and he sighed in defeat. "Sorry," he apologized for the curse word.

"It would be easier if Lord Hades just sucked up his pride and help us," she muttered under her breath.

"Helping us would be helping the Olympians—or at least, that's what it would look like in his eyes," he said through a mouthful of spaghetti.

"We can... try Lady Persephone?" She suggested weakly.

He gave her a bewildered look. "No. Absolutely not. She hates the both of us, Essie. With a burning passion. Remember when she sent you on some crazy mission to retrieve a vase of peonies from Hermes only for it to be a trap and you nearly got eaten alive by giant scorpions?"

She sighed. "Yeah, I know... It was just a thought."

They ate quietly for the remainder of their dinner, only occasionally speaking up when another idea came to mind.

"Are you going to be sleeping here again?" Esmerelda asked once she finished packing the shrunken files away into her backpack.

"Yep," he said sleepily.

"Okay, then—"

"—I know, I know," he groaned. "Don't stay up past midnight, make the bed every morning, shower daily, and don't ask the servants to make me junk food. I got it."

She patted him on the head like he was some sort of adorable puppy before bidding him goodnight, then, she set off for Hogwarts.

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

Esmerelda didn't know why, but the students were behaving a little... weird the next day. The girls were all giggly and blushing, especially whenever they glanced at a boy, and the boys were all congregating together in groups, all serious-like as if they were planning for a battle strategy or something.

Had something happened on Monday—the day she was absent for?

Anyways, she had no clue what was going on and she hardly cared. She was more focused on reading the ever-so-important files. So focused that she hardly even noticed whenever boys came up to her to talk. She didn't know what they wanted since she never bothered to listen to what they were saying, but so far at least ten boys had approached her. Maybe even twenty, it wasn't like she was counting.

"Um, Essie?" Étienne called out to her, whispering since they were in the library and all. He was reading some book written in a language that she was pretty sure was Latin while she was reading her fourth file for today.

"Hmmm?"

"Have you—have you been listening at all to what those boys have been asking you?" He had hung around her the whole day and so far, twenty-three boys had approached her and since break started, an additional six more boys had approached her since she's stepped foot in the library, and he was pretty damn sure she hadn't been paying attention to a single word they've been saying.

"Hmmm," she said again, absentmindedly. Her eyes had yet to leave whatever she was reading. He tried peeking at the pages, but all he saw were weird, ancient looking symbols.

He gulped. "Er, well, they were asking you out to the Yule Ball..."

"Hmmm..."

"And... erm... you kind of... said yes to all of them..."

"Hmmm."

"You're not even listening to me right now, are you?"

"Okay..."

He slumped in defeat, only feeling more dread when another student entered the library. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and handsome—just like all the other boys who had walked in, and Étienne was pretty sure he wasn't in here to check out a book. No, the second his sky blue eyes landed on a certain pretty Hufflepuff girl, Étienne knew he was looking at lucky boy number thirty.

After running a hand through his blonde hair, lucky boy number thirty confidently strode up to Esmerelda's table, completely ignoring the second person in the seat.

"Esmerelda," he began, and he obviously didn't know her well enough since everyone who knew her called her by her favored nickname 'Essie'. "I've got something to ask you."

"Hmmm," she hummed absentmindedly, and Étienne took it as his queue to leave.

"I-I'll give you guys some privacy..." He mumbled, taking his book and scrambling away. He then hid behind a bookshelf to watch the disaster unfold.

"I'm Cormac McLaggen, but you probably already know me. I'm from Gryffindor, just a year above you."

"Okay..."

"I know we don't know each other that well, but I always thought you were really pretty. And I'm not just saying this because you saved a bunch of your housemates during the First Task—that was awesome by the way—but I've always been into you. Even when you were a First Year you were kinda cute, and I don't even care if your Sirius Black's daughter. It's not like you inherited the bloke's madness."

"Sure..."

He was too busy admiring her face to realize that she wasn't even listening to a word he was saying. "I'm rambling, aren't I? Sorry, I'll get to the point. Would you go to the Yule Ball with me?"

"Uh huh..." She mumbled as she flipped over to the next page.

He broke out into a bright, handsome grin. "Seriously?!"

"Hmmm..."

"Great!" He exclaimed, rising up to his feet and just radiating with pure smugness. "We'll be the hottest couple out there, I promise you."

And then he did something that completely yanked her mind away from her precious files: he walked over to her side of the table and kissed her.

"Uh," she squeaked, staring up at him with an absolutely red face. Who the heck was this guy and why did he just kiss her? And gods, he hadn't even bother to use any chapstick beforehand!

The mysterious blonde only gave her a devilish smirk before pecking her again, this time on the cheek. "Make sure to tell me what color dress you'll be wearing so I can match my tie with you. I'll see you later, Esmerelda!"

"Wha..." Dumbly, she watched him strut out of the library, ignoring the vicious glare Madam Pince was giving him. "What just happened...?"

"Essie!" A voice hissed. Hermione was rushing over to her while leaving Harry and Ron in the dust. "Why did you do that?!"

"...Do what?"

"Essie," Ron stared at her in disbelief. "Of all people, Cormac McLaggen? He's a complete tosser!"

"...What?"

"We share a house with him, he's awful!" Harry added. "He's dated more than half of the female population here in school, and he always leaves his girlfriends in tears!"

"I even caught him flirting with one of the professors so he could get a higher grade for some exam," Hermione fumed. "He's bad news! Why would you say 'yes' to him?!"

Esmerelda was growing more confused by the second. "Wait, what are you guys talking about? Who's Cormac McLaggen?"

They stared at her incredulously.

"Essie..." Another voice spoke. Étienne returned to the table, giving her a pitying look. "Essie, Cormac McLaggen's the boy you were just talking too. He asked you out to the Yule Ball and you said 'yes' without even realizing it... just like what you had done with the other twenty-nine guys who asked you..."

Hermione nearly choked on her spit. "Twe-twenty-nine—?! This makes thirty! You were—you were asked out by thirty guys?!"

"And you said 'yes' to all of them?!" Ron gaped. "How did you not realize it?!"

"I was busy reading..." She blinked, gesturing to the files on the table. "Hold on, what's the Yule Ball?"

"Oh Merlin," Harry whispered. 

"It's a Christmas celebration; tradition for the Triwizard Tournament. It's basically a formal dance held on the evening of Yule. Only fourth years and above are permitted to go," Hermione answered.

"Oh," she blinked again, only for it to finally click in her head. Her face started to fall, her expression growing into pure horror. "W-wait, so it's like a prom thing? And... thirty guys really asked me out? And—and I said 'yes' to all of them?!"

"I'm telling Steve," Harry said immediately, a wicked glint in his eyes.

"You wouldn't fucking dare!" She gasped. Sirius could never know about her accidental bimbo moment—even though she was pretty sure he had plenty of his own, and she doubted they were 'accidental' either.

"Oh man," Ron chortled. "Steve's gonna love this."

"Please don't tell him," she begged, but Harry only gave her a shit-eating grin before bolting out of the library.

"Harry, no!" She cried out, ignoring Madam Pince's vicious shush. Hastily, she picked up all her things and scrambled after him, but it was already too late.

"You stupid Puffball!" A familiar voice shouted, and an angry Draco stepped into her way. She nearly crashed into him, but was too enraged to care. "You were asked out by that idiot McLaggen and you said 'yes' to him?! Everyone knows he's awful!"

Her eyes widened. "Wait, how—how did you find out about that? It just happened a few minutes ago!"

"He's been bragging to anyone who could hear him," he deadpanned. "For some odd reason, it triggered a bunch of fighting from these other male students, but forget about that. Of all the bloody people... Did Potter put you up to this? Because McLaggen's a stupid Gryffindor, or was it—"

"—I didn't mean too...!" She said in a small voice. "I didn't even realize what was going on! I was so busy reading, but Étienne said about thirty dudes asked me and I actually accepted—"

"—Thirty?!" He spluttered. "Black, what the ever loving fuck is wrong with you? What in Merlin's name possessed you to be so ingrained in a bloody book that you didn't even realize thirty boys were trying to ask you out to the Yule Ball?! Is this Granger's influence or something?! Did Weasley's stupidity rub off on you?!"

"I was trying to find information that could save the world...!" She whimpered, her voice muffled from her hands. She had pressed them against her face, unable to control the absolute shame and embarrassment she was feeling.

He furrowed his brows, not hearing her clearly. "What? You know, what forget it. I need to talk to you about something." He grimaced, as if he had bad news to share with her. 

"What is it?" She said miserably. 

His grimace worsened. "My mother... wishes to invite you to our New Years Eve party." 

She stared at him. "...What?" 

"It wasn't my idea, alright?" He said scathingly. "But unfortunately, we're cousins, and you may be a half-blood but you're the last of what's left of the once esteemed Black family, not counting your father since he's a wanted criminal and all."

"What does my family name have anything to do with this?" She asked dumbly. 

He rolled his eyes. "You're hopeless, you know that? Just take this, and you better come." He shoved a fancy invitation in her hands before stalking off. 

She stared down at the envelope. The wax seal showed a fancily written 'M', probably for the Malfoy family. 

Dread bubbled in her stomach. This was so much worse than accidentally accepting thirty Yule Ball proposals.

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

"Is it true you were asked out to the Yule Ball by Cormac McLaggen?" Cedric demanded the second he entered the Great Hall. He didn't even bother to grab any food for dinner, more concerned about the current problem in hand.

"Yes," Étienne answered for her. "I was there. As well as for the other twenty-nine times."

"What do you mean?"

"Essie was asked out by thirty guys and because she was so distracted by her reading, she unknowingly said yes to all of them." He explained.

Esmerelda made a dying noise in the back of her throat as she chewed on her steak.

Cedric looked at her incredulously. "You said yes to all of them?!"

Cue another dying noise. "I didn't mean to..." She said miserably. "My mind was just... on other things..." Maybe it was a bad idea to bring the files back to Hogwarts with her. She should've just stuck to researching them in the Underworld.

The Underworld. Oh gods. If Nico heard about this, she would literally die from embarrassment! And the Stolls too! Oh man, she definitely couldn't let them find out! Those two would never let her live this down! Harry had already reported her to Sirius—that little jerk—and Sirius had sent her a letter written in all capital letters, which she thought was completely unnecessary. It went a little like this:

ESMERELDA ADHAFERA BLACK! ACCIDENT OR NOT, I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU WOULD SAY YES TO ALL THIRTY BOYS! YOUR FATHER WOULD NOT APPROVE OF THIS! REJECT THEM ALL IMMEDIATELY! YOU ARE FORBIDDEN FROM ATTENDING THE YULE BALL! IT'S BEST TO JUST SPEND THAT TIME POURING OVER YOUR STUDIES, YOU DON'T NEED SOME SILLY BOYS ANYWAYS! WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE, I DEDICATED ALL THAT TIME ON SCHOOLWORK—

And then after that, he pretty much just went on a tangent about how dating during the school years was scientifically proven to be bad for her health and how he never so much as held a girl's hand until he graduated and that she' ought to follow his shining example'.

Lies, Esmerelda had thought when she read the letter. Her father had told her that Sirius was pretty much the biggest playboy in Hogwarts ever and whenever he wasn't around his usual group of friends, he would always be seen 'snogging' a girl or boy and shamelessly doing it in public too.

But anyways, enough about Sirius. Ever since she found out that she had—ugh—said yes to all thirty guys, she spent the next couple of hours hunting them down and explaining to them her mistake while also apologizing profusely. Most of them had taken the rejection pretty well, thankfully, but when she went to go looking for Cormac to reject him too, she realized that he had already bragged to the entire school that he had, in his words, 'snagged' her.

Literally everyone now knew that she would be going to the Yule Ball with him. He was so proud of it too, and she had a feeling he was the type to not take a rejection lightly, especially not when she had already 'accepted' him. Plus, word would spread about the rejection and he would probably feel very humiliated since he had already told everyone that she would be going out with him.

So she would go to the Yule Ball with Cormac, even when all her friends were telling her it was a bad idea and that he was a playboy. It wasn't like she was going to date him afterwards, it was just one little dance after all. And she could always use the Mist on him if he got a little too... troublesome. She would have no problem doing that.

"Merlin, you must have had quite the busy day then," Cedric said with a shake of his head once Étienne finished explaining everything she had done, from her moment of utter stupidity to when she apologized to all twenty-nine boys. "Though, if he wasn't so awful, I would've said the two of you make a good couple."

"Really?" She asked, doubtful.

"Yeah. I mean, personalities aside—'cause his is just pure shit—the two of you would look good. Cormac's a handsome lad and you've got those famous Black genes working out for you. The two of you could be a power couple." He commented.

"Please don't talk to me about my 'famous Black genes'," she sighed, feeling a headache coming up. Both Sirius and Regulus had bragged about how their attractiveness was the only good thing they inherited from the Black Family. While she knew she was very pretty, she didn't near to hear her own uncle and father brag about the 'family genes doing its work'. Geez.

"You should go dress shopping soon," Cedric advised. "Most of the girls haven't even been asked yet, but they're already going crazy looking for the perfect dress. I reckon Hogsmeade will run out of boutique's soon."

"I'll just go shopping in the muggle world," she mused, already having the perfect place in mind, as well as the perfect shopping partner. "When's the Yule Ball, by the way?"

"December 25th," he replied. "It's in the middle of our Winter Break, though most of us are choosing to stay for it. You can always leave and come back for the ball, of course."

"Have you asked Cho yet?"

"'Course I have," he said with a bright smile, his cheeks tinged with pink. "We're going to start practicing how to dance tomorrow too. The Champions and their dates have to do a little performance or whatever at the beginning of the Ball. We're both nervous about it, but at least we have more time to prepare. I don't think the other Champions have gotten a date yet..."

She thought of Harry and all of his awkwardness, and knew very well that he'd screw up the dance routine. Good, she thought pleasantly. He deserves it for snitching to Sirius.

"What about you, Étienne?" Cedric asked the other boy, who had been quietly eating his dinner throughout most of the conversation. "You've got a date yet?"

"Er, no," he answered with a grimace.

"Got an idea on who you want to ask?"

"...No..."

"You want me to hook you up?" Esmerelda asked casually. "A couple of my roommates have a thing for French dudes..."

He blushed widely and shook his head. "No, no thank you. I'd really just like to go alone... or not go at all."

"What? But you have to go! It'll be fun!" Cedric said encouragingly. "Think of all the food... And there's even going to be a band playing and everything!"

"Well..." He hesitated, before giving them an uneasy smile. "Alright... I guess I'll go. But I don't want to bring a date. I don't think I could handle asking anyone without embarrassing myself in public."

"Yay!" Esmerelda clapped her hands, bouncing on her seat excitedly. "If Cormac's as awful as everyone says he is, I'll probably just spend my time talking to you so you won't be as lonely either!"

"As long as you don't leave me alone with him," he smiled.

"This is great," Cedric grinned. "All three of us will be attending the Yule Ball. I already can't wait."

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

When the start of winter break came up, Esmerelda called Silena over so they could go shopping in Fifth Avenue. The older girl was more than happy to help her find the perfect dress and even added that they could use this chance to go Christmas shopping too.

Sirius was the only one who was against that idea (the dress shopping part, not the Christmas shopping part).

"I thought I explicitly forbade you from attending this silly dance?" He asked, arms crossed and a stern expression on his face.

Esmerelda remained unfazed. She had witnessed this man throw a tantrum over her 'ridiculous and brutal workout regimen' and once had to force-fed him vitamins. He could act stern all he wanted, but literally nothing could make her take him seriously anymore.

"You did, but I chose not to listen. I already said 'yes' anyways."

"Yeah, to thirty boys!"

She blushed furiously. "I didn't mean to, okay?! And I'm only going to the dance with one of them, so you can calm down!"

"Calm down—?!" He gawked. "You're about to ruin your whole life and you want me to calm down?!"

She dipped her head back. "It's literally just one dance. I'm not gonna marry the dude."

"And just who is this 'dude' you've decided to go to the Yule Ball with?" He asked with narrowed eyes. That look was nothing compared to his younger brother's calculating stare, so she wasn't fazed by it either.

She sighed. "His name is Cormac McLaggen—"

"—McLaggen?!" He gasped over-dramatically. "Absolutely not! His father stepped on my foot once, his son's probably just as worse—"

"—Oh my gods—"

"—he'll be stepping all over your feet throughout the dance, I promise you!"

Esmerelda ran a hand through her face. "Uncle Sirius—" She stopped talking when the doorbell rang. Her face lit up with relief. "Oh thank gods! Silena's here! Bye, I'll see you later!"

She grabbed her bag and hurried over to the door, ignoring her uncle's shouts as she swung it open.

"Hey Essie, are you ready—"

"—Yep, let's go!" She cut her off, already stepping out of the doorway.

Sirius was scrambling after her, panic written all over his face. "Essie, no, please! Your father would haunt me beyond the grave and—"

"—Goodbye!" She said loudly, before shutting the door.

"What was that about?" Silena asked as they descended down Icarus Tower.

"He's not happy about the Yule Ball." Esmerelda grumbled.

"Ohhh," she made a sound of understanding, an amused smile growing over her lips.

They focused mainly on Christmas shopping first. Esmerelda found a lightweight backpack that she was sure Lou Ellen would like, plus it might be useful if she was ever sent on a quest or something. She also bought some other things, like running shoes for the Stolls that ditched the need for any shoelaces (it wouldn't be fun to accidentally trip on a loose lace while battling a monster), some jewelry that she knew Silena would adore, and many more things for many more people.

When their hands were getting too heavy, Esmerelda sneakily shrunk all their shopping bags to a small enough size that they could stuff it away in their purses. 

It was when they stumbled into their first boutique that specialized in luxury dresses did they finally start dress shopping.

"I don't even know what color to get," Esmerelda sighed as she admired the many nicely dressed mannequins. "Green goes with my eyes... but I just love purple."

"Stick with purple then," Silena advised while holding a dress out and looking between it and Esmerelda critically. She then shook her head and returned it. "We shouldn't get something too restricting. You'll be dancing after all... And don't forget you need to find shoes and accessories too. And we need to figure out how your hair would look and how your makeup should be done."

"Oh, I definitely need help with makeup," Esmerelda nodded seriously. Thanks to Andromeda teaching her a few spells, she knew how to style her hair, but makeup was where the problem laid. She had never been in a situation where she would need to wear them, so she'd need all the help she could get.

"I'll stick with a natural look then," Silena said, sizing her face up. "The most I need to do is maybe some eyeliner and mascara. Maybe some blush too, since you're really pale. You're pretty already Essie, just like your uncle. The two of you are lucky."

"Don't tell him that though, he doesn't need yet another ego boost," she rolled her eyes. "And yes, natural's fine with me. I doubt I can memorize anything more." She would be the one doing her own makeup after all, it wasn't like she could smuggle Silena to Hogwarts when the Yule Ball came... or maybe she could.

But nah, that'd probably be tiring and she didn't want to be half-dead for the entirety of the dance.

They grabbed a bunch of dresses they thought were nice and Silena ushered her over to a dressing room.

"So who's this Cormac McLaggen?" Silena asked teasingly as Esmerelda slipped into the first dress.

"Um, I don't really know," she said sheepishly.

Silena stared at her in surprise. "What?"

"Yeah, um, long story short, thirty dudes asked me to the dance, but I wasn't paying attention to them at all, and I kinda said yes to all of them..."

"You didn't."

"I did. I vaguely remember a bunch of guys going up to me. I had no idea what they were saying, so I just nodded a lot and said 'uh huh' in hopes they'd go away and well... turns out I accepted their proposals. The same thing with Cormac, who pretty much just asked me out because he likes how I look."

"Oh my gods, Essie!" She was aghast.

"I know, I know, I'm stupid, but he already told the entire school so I couldn't exactly take it back!"

Silena was still clicking her tongue and shaking her head in disappointment as she continued to try on the rest of the dresses. So far, Esmerelda had yet to find the one, until she slipped on this particular dress.

It was perfect.

It was purple—her favorite color ever—and elegant. The skirt was somewhat flowy, with a floral pattern on it. The top had an appropriate amount of lace and sequins, and it's soft tulle sleeves fell down the top of her arms, leaving her shoulders bared.

"Oh this is definitely it!" Esmerelda said with a beam, as she admired herself in the mirror.

Silena quietly hummed in agreement as she laced up the back of the dress. Through the mirror, Esmerelda could see a somber look in the older girl's eyes.

"Silena?" She asked. "Are you okay?"

"Oh. Yeah, I'm fine," she lied smoothly, but her beautiful smile dimmed. "It's just... I always thought that... that one day Ethan would be the one you'd be dressing up for. That by now I could've been helping you get ready for your first ever date. Not... this..." She said quietly.

Whatever happiness she felt now turned into a grieving sort of pain.

It was December now. They had just eight months left until the end of the world. Until the Great Prophecy finally happened. Until the war ends with a final battle, with one side thoroughly decimated while the other survived. Her side or Ethan's.

She remembered Luke's words to her in that dream they shared: "If I hadn't done all this, then the two of you would be happy together right now. I'm sorry for hurting the both of you."

Yes, she agreed. She couldn't deny it now. The two of them... would have been so happy together if it hadn't been for this entire mess.

"Ethan made his choice," Esmerelda murmured.

"Do you love him?"

"Does it matter?"

"Essie..." Silena began sadly, gnawing nervously on her lip, like she wanted so badly to tell her something. "Essie, Ethan, he—" But suddenly she choked up, her blue eyes darting to the charm bracelet she was always seen wearing. Her lips started to tremble.

Esmerelda grew alarmed. "Silena?" She said in concern.

Silena pulled away, the sleeve of her jacket falling down and covering the bracelet. "It's nothing," she said shakily before plastering on a fake smile. "Come on, we should go find some shoes to go with the dress."

— author's note —

Essie's invited to a party hosted by the Malfoys, pray for her :')

And ooooooooh, I wonder what Silena was going to tell her??? 🤔🤔 It sounded preeeeetty important...

And yes, everyone. Essie, our sweet babey, got asked out by 30 dudes... AND SAID YES TO ALL OF THEM WITHOUT EVEN REALIZING IT! Some of ya'll wanted a harem, so here it is (JK, JK)

Watch Silena report it to the whole Titan Army tho LOOOOOL 😂 😂 😂

Just so you guys know, the files don't look like this:

They're not thin little manila folders with some papers in them. No, no, no, that would be too quick and easy for Essie and Nico to read through. Besides, the files detail the ENTIRE LIFE of the deceased person. A whole lifetime would not be able to fit in those little files (unless the dead person died really, really really young, like maybe a year old or less)

The files actually look more like this, just less colorful (because it's the Underworld you know???

So yeah. Nico and Essie have been reading through big ass binders full of hundreds or maybe even thousands of pages. Anyways, if you're curious as to what the Archives look like, here it is (it's also the pic from chapter 10 Family)

It's black af, but imagine it to be waaaaay bigger. Also, remember that Hecate and Hades' palaces have their own Archives (cuz Hecate used to work for him before she went to join the other titans)

Essie upon realizing she accidentally hoed around:

The golden trio, Étienne, and Draco watching her accidentally hoe around:

CORMAC MCLAGGEN
played by LOGAN SHROYER

NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE THE SWORD OF HADES, BUT THAT MIGHT TAKE AWHILE BECAUSE CLASSES START TOMORROW AND I'M SCARED! It's zoom classes, but neither of my teachers provided us with a code (or the fucking lab schedule smh)... isn't there supposed to be a code or whatever to enter the class?? (I'm new at zoom, so idk)

MY PROFESSORS, PLS JUST OPEN THE FUCKING ONLINE CLASSROOM BECAUSE I'M FREAKING OUT AND THINKING THAT I MISSED SOMETHING 😭 😭 😭