Nina's Destiny

Waking Up and Papa

I heard another voice near me. I felt a gunky liquid being forced down my throat. It tasted like apple juice. I hate juice so much. I groaned as I forced my eyes open. My mouth tasted disgusting, a mix between juice and mayonnaise, which is weird. I don't remember eating mayonnaise. Everything around me was bright white. I couldn't see anything more than grey blobs. There were two around my bed.

One of the voices was female and the other was male. Both voices sounded very familiar. I recognized the female voice as Madam Pomfrey, "Child, nod your head if you can hear us." I nodded my head slowly. It hurt to move. Everything was beginning to come into focus.

I could now recognize the black hair and tan skin of the man. "Nina, koritsáki, how are you feeling?" I concentrated on the man. I began to recognize him. He looked just like my brother.

"Fratellino, is that you?"

"No, I kóri mou, I am your father."

"Papa, what are you doing here?"

"Your friends sent me a letter. They told me what happened. I came to see how you were."

"I feel awful. My entire body hurts and everything looks fuzzy. It is clearing up, though."

"It is a wonder you can see at all, Miss Jackson. We have no idea how you even survived that experience," Madam Pomfrey started. I felt my dad grab my hand and squeeze it. He didn't seem to appreciate the reminder that I almost died. "You looked the Basilisk in the eye directly. You should not be alive." Madam Pomfrey left.

I tried to sit up. I could see everything clearly now. My dad noticed my struggle and helped me sit up against my pillows. He moved onto the side of the bed and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I leaned into his embrace. I couldn't believe he was here. He actually took time away from his godly duties just to make sure I was okay. No adult had ever done something that big for me. I looked up at him and he smiled gently down at me. He brushed my side bangs out of my face.

Madam Pomfrey had begun to wake up the other students. I guess since I had my father here, she did me first. When Sir Nicholas was awake, he smiled at me. I waved at him. He bowed his head slightly to my father who nodded his head at the ghost. Sir Nick floated from the room. Madam Pomfrey moved onto Penelope next. When she woke up, she walked over to me and gave me a hug, whispering her thanks. Without me and Hermione, she might be dead right now. She shook hands with my father and gave me one last smile before walking out. At my father's confused look I told him how she was with me when the Basilisk attacked. He nodded his head and pulled me even closer. Next came Justin Finch-Fletchley. He sent me a confused look. I shrugged the best I could with an all powerful god clinging to me like I was his lifeline. Next came Colin. The excitable first year waved enthusiastically at me. I waved back. Next came Mrs. Norris. "Why's there a cat in a hospital bed?" my father asked.

"I don't know. She's the caretaker's cat. I personally don't like her. That's saying something, I love all animals. Except monsters, but I like some monsters." Mia papa laughed at me. Mrs. Norris hissed at me before running off to find Filch. Papa glared at the cat. I giggled, my papa was overprotective just like mia fratellino. Hermione was the last one to wake up. When she sat up, her eyes immediately fell on my and my dad. She looked very confused, a funny look on her.

"Nina, who's that?"

"Hermione, meet my dad, Papa, meet Hermione Granger. She was petrified with me and Penelope." He smiled at her and held out his hand.

"Pleasure to meet you," he said.

"Hello Mr. Jackson, it is nice to meet you too. I thought Nina said you were lost at sea."

"I was, so to speak. I just met my children last summer. Call me Poseidon. Nina and her brother took their mother's maiden name." Hermione smiled and nodded her head.

"Well, I'll leave you two to catch up, then." She walked out of the room. I groaned and buried my face in my father's shirt.

"You don't like her?" my father asked.

"Well, no I don't. That's not why I was groaning," I said, removing my face from my dad's chest.

"Great, I didn't want to insult one of your friends so I didn't say anything. She is way too much like Athena." My father shuddered. I giggled at his antics. "So why did you groan?"

"Last year, we were talking about our parentage. I told people I didn't know because I had never met you. Somehow the whole school found out. Now everyone is going to be bugging me about how I found you."

Dad laughed. "I think you'll be fine. So, how did you like Tyson?"

I sat up eagerly. "Oh, he is so sweet, Papa. After the first five minutes of knowing him he treated me like I was his big sorella, and I already think of him as another fratellino. Percy loves him a lot too. He already really good with metal, too. Look at the necklace he made me," I said all in one breath. I lifted the necklace off my chest to show Papa. He was very impressed.

"I thought of making him the immortal master of my underwater forge when he was old enough. I can assume you agree?" I nodded my head. My dad smiled at me. "I must go now, sti thálassa prinkípissa. S 'agapó , paidí mou."

"Ti amo troppo, Papa." I said back. He may have spoken in Ancient Greek, but I was going to stick to Italian. My dad ruffled my hair and stood up. I glared at him as I tried to straighten it. He grinned at me before disappearing into the mist. He left behind the smell of the sea.

Madam Pomfrey came back in and gave me my clothes. She set up a privacy screen as I changed. When I was dressed, she led me down to the Great Hall for the feast. When I got there, everyone started whispering. Lav and Vati lept from their seats and hugged me. I hugged them back. "Sorry I took so long. My dad came to visit. Thank you guys for telling him." I got two equally wide grins in response. The hug was quickly joined by Neville and then Luna. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George were quick to join in. I gratefully sat down when they let go, but was speedy to jump back up when Hagrid arrived. Vati told me he was arrested.

"You alright, there, Nina?" I smiled at him and nodded my head, wrapping my arms as far around him as they would go. Almost three-fourths of the hall joined us. When everyone sat down, Dumbledore began his mini pre-feast speech. He thanked Madam Pomfrey for her healing skills, he congratulated Professor Sprout on her Mandrakes, and he clapped for Professor Snape and his brewing skills. I clapped along with everyone else.

On the train ride home, I told Lav, Vati, Fred, George, Nev, and Luna what it was like being petrified and how I got petrified. I was about to tell them about my dad when we got a visitor. It was Draco Malfoy and his cronies. "Hey, Jackson. I heard your dad finally got enough backbone to come talk to you. What was it like when he told you how he hadn't wanted you all these years?"

I rolled my eyes along with the rest of the compartment. "Get lost, Malfoy," said Fred.

Malfoy glared at him. "It was lovely meeting my father again," I said, putting emphasis on the last word. "He was telling how he was worried about me being all the way here in England and how I should stop getting myself almost killed. Apparently it's really starting to stress him out." Everyone laughed at Malfoy's shocked face. I didn't tell anyone but my closest friends that I had finally met my father. Malfoy left the compartment. I looked around at my friends. These guys were great, but I couldn't help but stop and wonder what trouble I would get myself into at camp.