He knew that the behavior that was being shown was unusual even in this time. The gods were to be admired and loved from a distance, a clear boundary drawn between the divine and those of mortal blood. The neglect from their parents was supposed to be worse than anything they saw in their own time.
And yet—
(Oh, Ancient Laws, where are thee?)
Percy wouldn't turn away the affection though. He loved his dad, and he was proud to be his son. It was just— seeing him around was a slap in the face because he wouldn't see his mom or Paul again. There would be no other Grover or Tyson. No other Blackjack or Mrs. O'Leary.
Ariadnê healed the familial wound a little. He had Annabeth, Thalia, and Nico and their other friends at his side. It was still devastating that he wouldn't see the rest of their family. His other set of parents.
Amphitrite tried. She really did. She was awesome. Even if she didn't know the truth of their existence, there was still a sparkle in her eyes as Ariadnê followed her around as if it were from her breast milk that the milky way was created.
(Not that he could see it now since Herakles was still a fetus, though he swore that scientists had stated that the milky way was over 13 billion years old. So, it was maybe the planets and stars that could be seen from earth that Hêrê created.)
Their Stepmother brought more tutors and stylists with them which meant that he had more classes to go to and if he never had to see Silena's studio again, it would be too soon.
Silena had thrown herself into make sea-appropriate clothing to the point where she opened a second boutique that she called STARFISH that Krokus ran for her. It was named and dedicated to his sister due to their mutual love of the girl though the middle of the shop had statues of his Father, Stepmother, and Aphrodite standing in a loose circle.
The connection between him and his sister pulled at him as he was taking a swim. He didn't even get the chance to groan as he was pulled under.
—
Fingers tapping anxiously on the pool table, Ariadnê had long since tuned out the arguing around her. It was common sense that whoever led a raid got first pickings regardless of who seized it. And while a flying chariot would be perfect for Cabin Seven, there were also archers in the Cabin Five.
And she could secretly admit that the desperate need was not just for the honor of the Fifth Cabin. Ariadnê knew that Clarisse wanted to help fight against— she suppressed a shudder. It was hard enough to think of the name even if she had faced more terrifying monsters over the years.
She could never tell Percy that she and Clarisse were planning to stay back from the immediate fighting for his protection. She could barely imagine the sea monster appearing from the Hudson River in an effort to kill her brother. No, it was better to do it here at camp where she could get help from the naiads and other sea beings.
Though, she knew it would make them even after Percy slayed the minotaur considering that it was after her because of her namesake.
Ariadnê looked beside her when she heard a sniffing sound. Gods above, Silena looked pitiful. If she didn't know any better she would think that the older girl was using her amokinesis powers to influence the minds around her.
Ariadnê did know better actually, and she knew that mentally Silena was in another place entirely. A part of her wished that she was there with her. She'd rather be cuddling her friends as they mourned Beckendorf together than to be sitting in that meeting.
Ariadnê willed her tears to dry. It wasn't time to mourn. Not yet. Even if Becks was the second older brother figure she lost... even if it was too soon after Lee's death... she didn't have time to mourn. She had to bury her feelings. She needed to be strong for Silena. She could cry later.
|fifteen|
Start from the beginning
