𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐎𝐃𝐋𝐘 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐑 • PERCY JACKSON

𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐔𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑: 𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐒'𝐒 𝟏𝟒𝐓𝐇 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐃𝐀𝐘

   "I'm proud of you," Willow said suddenly.

    Eris frowned, "What for?" She asked, "I...I haven't done anything."

   Willow shrugged, "You've...blossomed."

  Eris tilted her head, "Blossomed?"

  "Yeah,  y'know, evolved since moving here," Willow replied, "You've changed."

   "I...I don't feel any different."

   Willow looked at her like she had grown two heads, "Eris, think about it. Haven't you noticed that you haven't cried in a whole week, you haven't even stuttered in a month. You're not even looking down when you talk to people anymore."

Eris paused.

Had she really changed? Eris always did want to change in a positive way, she hated being so insecure. She hadn't noticed anything different but still the thought of changing even a little made her happy.

She didn't change much but...some change was better than not changing at all.

Eris smiled a bit, "I...guess you're right."

I guess that happens when you're happy.

"I would have gotten you a birthday present," Willow said, "but...y'know," she gestured to her ghostly transparent form.

Eris shrugged, "It's fine."

    "Are Lena and Katherine celebrating your birthday?" Willow asked, "Are you getting a party or something?"

   "Oh..."Eris bit her lip, "I didn't tell them that today was my birthday."

    "Eris," Willow rolled her eyes, "why would you do that?"

   There were mainly two reasons why Eris didn't tell Lena and Katherine her birthday.

   One, Lena and Katherine (mostly Lena) took birthdays and Holidays seriously. Eris remember last month when it was Lena's 41th birthday and Katherine surprised them with a ski trip in the mountains and too Eris's surprise they included her on the trip too. Then on Halloween Lena had all three of them dress in matching Pokémon themed costumes (Katherine reluctantly agreed to be Ash, Lena as Brock and somehow they had convinced Eris to go as Pikachu much to her dismay) and went to the Halloween parade. Lena and Katherine practically invented the phrase 'go big or go home'.

Long story short, Lena and Katherine did not play about holidays and Birthdays. And Eris didn't like attention.

Two, Eris felt guilty. The day she was born she was given up to the foster care system and Willow was given up too. A part of Eris thought that maybe if she was never born Willow would still be with their biological mother. Willow never talked about their biological mother but Eris knew she lived with her until she six then when Eris was born both of them were given up.But Eris would never tell Willow that so instead she just said:

"I...I just don't want the attention," Eris replied. She flushed, "It makes me nervous."

Willow opened her mouth to reply when suddenly Lena's voice could be heard from downstairs: "Eris, honey, there's a special guest here for you!"