I LOVE YOU SO || PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS¹

7.

"IT'S WHERE YOU BELONG.."

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Lowering her eyes to the floor, she chews on the inside of her cheek, silently praying in her head that she'd not be ridiculed. Her dream was crazy to say the least. Any sane person would immediately send her to a mental hospital because of it. But, it was complicated. Was it just a really odd dream? Or was this a demigod dream?

Shifting in her seat, she looks up from the floor, seeing Dr Gibson nodding her head slowly. A glint of, 'That was a lot, but I'm gonna take my time processing everything slowly'. Just great. Perfect, her psychiatrist thinks she's fucking psychotic. Cowering in her seat, she instantly regrets blurting out her dream to her.

"So, that's what happened in my dream.." She states, her voice trailing off at the end.

"Well, that's..." Dr Gibson forcefully smiles, "It's very..."

"Don't lie."

"Okay, it's very interesting. But, I would like us to attempt to unravel this dream." Dr Gibson suggests, "Let's talk about the girl's name and what this could mean. Is that okay?"

Nodding her head in understanding, she couldn't help but let her mind drift back to the glowing ghost-or-whatever-she-was girl from last night. Back to what Astraea had said exactly. Astraea was a hero damned by a god. That she, Natasha Addams, belonged in the West. And that in the West, she'd get her gifts there⎯whatever that was supposed to fucking mean.

Picking at her bottom lip, she knows that if she tells Dr Gibson the truth, she'd either look at her like she's mad or have a 'give me a minute'  face. But, maybe it was like a metaphor? Maybe, Astraea was just a metaphor for something she had yet to understand. Shifting in her seat, she nibbles on her bottom lip, the overly sweet taste of butterscotch on the tip of her tongue.

"What does the name Astraea mean to you?" Dr Gibson asks, making her scoff.

"Nothing. I don't know any Astraea's and this was the first time I heard the name. I thought we were past this." Natasha grumbles, sinking into the couch.

"That might not be true, Natasha. It could have been a name in passing, something you picked up subconsciously." Dr Gibson explains, "And it's only now with your dream that you realize this. But, it can happen with faces too. So this is normal."

"But, where is it from? Is there a way we can narrow it down?" She asks, raising a brow.

"We can try, but I can't guarantee we'll get an answer. How about we search up the name? See what it means. There could be some possible symbolism in it. Would that be okay? Can we start off with this?" Dr Gibson asks, looking at her with a look of confidence.

Nodding her head, Dr Gibson rises from her chair, heading over to her computer. Picking at her bottom lip, she watches the woman, a feeling in her gut brewing. Dr Gibson was giving logical enough answers, but she didn't know if it was actually logical enough answers or if she was just clueless in psychology. Typing something on the keyboard, Natasha takes a long look around the office, trying to do something other than look awkward. Turning her eyes to the walls, there a bland tan color or where they a really dirty white?

Either way, they lack any life or emotion to it. But, the dozen pictures of the San Francisco bay bring a nice light to the room. There was one big picture in the center of all of the San Francisco bay one's. It looked like a family portrait and there had to be at least six girls in it, all different ages and different looking. Natasha wasn't really sure if it was actually a family photo or if it was a staged photo of Dr Gibson's girlfriends. They were dressed in black, fake blood splattered on their faces. There's a signature, 'San Francisco, Halloween 1999'.

"Good news, Natasha. I found something on our Astraea. I think this may be what we needed." Dr Gibson pipes up, pulling her attention away from the photo.

"What does it say?" Natasha asks, looking back at Dr Gibson.

"Astraea, she was the virgin-goddess of justice. During the Golden Age she dwelt upon the earth with mankind but was driven away by the increasing lawlessness of the subsequent Bronze Age." She reads off, an amused look on her face. "Zeus then set her amongst the stars as the constellation Virgo."

"She's Greek?" Natasha questions, furrowing her brows together.

"It looks like she is. Does this mean anything to you? Any connections to Greece or Greek Mythology?" Dr Gibson asks, "I could be even as simple as watching a lot of movies or shows about Greece too."

Oh, you have no idea, Doc. Shaking her head, she pauses for a second, wondering if she should tell the truth or not. If she wants to better herself, she has to just accept it and be honest, right? Picking at her bottom lip with her teeth, she thinks long and hard, lowering her eyes to the ground. So, Astraea was a real living and breathing person at one point in time. 

Correction, she is a goddess⎯the goddess of Justice, to be exact. But, in her dream she said something different? Lifting her eyes up from the ground, she makes a mental note in the back of her head to search Astraea herself. Dr Gibson wouldn't be able to help her with this issue, she'd have to do it on her own.

"No⎯Well, I did have a phase of liking Greek Mythology a few summers ago. I had every book from the school library on it." Natasha explains, "My Dad had bought me at least a hundred documentaries on Greek Mythology. I probably picked it up from there."

"That could be it. Do you wanna move on from this? Talk about anything else? Or do you want to do a deeper dive on Astraea?" Dr Gibson asks, making her hum.

"I..I don't, maybe move on?" Natasha excuses, "I can always search her up and see if I remember anything."

"Okay, but don't feel like you have to do this on your own. I'm here to help, even if all you want to do is rant, okay?"

Nodding her head in agreement, she knows that keeping this away from Dr Gibson's knowledge may cause some issues. But, a mortal does not need to know this kind of stuff! There was a risk of the Gods getting pissed about Dr Gibson knowing about them and that side of life. There was a risk that monster's would use Dr Gibson as a way to hurt her or target any other demigods. There were a million risks and quite frankly, she didn't want to deal with any of them.

Turning her chair away from the computer, Dr Gibson leans back, her eyes and focus now back on her. Her eyes flicker down to the table in front of her. More especially one crumpled up paper. Eyeing the paper, she realizes that this was the list of 'do's and don'ts'  she had written out for the woman. Shifting in her seat, she picks at her bottom lip, pulling apart the skin with her teeth. The faint taste of blood filling her mouth made her cringe.

"So, there are plenty of other things for us to talk about. You wrote a very good list for me to look over, from anger issues to issues with old friends." Dr Gibson points out, "But, I do see one thing missing from this list."

"I did?" Natasha asks, raising a brow.

"Yes, your mother. From what I've seen of your file, it mentions that your mother triggers explosive anger. I think this is one of the bigger issues that need to be discussed." Dr Gibson explains, making her face harden.

"I'm not talking about her. I'll do anything, but her." Natasha argues, shooting the woman a glare.

"Natasha, if you want to heal. Which is something you clearly want, as you are here, you need to talk about this." Dr Gibson argues, "We can start small with this. But, you cannot expect to heal if you won't address the elephant in the room."

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And I am done with the chapter! Stay safe out there guys!

I hope you all are doing okay emotionally and physically! I love you all!

I hope that you are enjoying the book so far! A quick reminder to comment below about the story of what you think so far.