The Girl Who Stopped the Apocalypse (pjo fanfiction)

16- This family feels like home

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We had done it.

It was a nice afternoon, and we had an outdoor party to celebrate. We ate blue cake (Percy insisted) and pizza until we couldn't eat no more. We sang and dances until our feet ached. 

We had a campfire, which warmed us up when the night fell upon us. We sang campfire songs and ended up laughing a lot.

We were just having fun. Well deserved fun.

Piper was now doing a really complicated dance routine, dancing from logs to rocktops and mixing ballet, traditional dance and gymnastics. Jason was staring at her, mouth wide open, until she finished in a beautiful pose I could most certainly never repeat.

"That's my girlfriend!" He yelled, to no one in particular, before going to see her.

"I cannot dance like that" I told Frank

"So? Neither can I" He replied, roastinga marshmello in a stick.

"You don't mind?"

"Hazel, I wouldn't mind if you were an alien. I love you"

I blushed.

"Shut up" I told him, giggling and playfully pushing him.

That night, we slept under the stars, warmed up by the summer temperatures. That night, everything was perfect, like a dream. But dreams are dreams, and you always have to wake up. 

I had had my adventure, and found victory. But sometimes, coming home was the hardest thing of all.

It was right the next morning, while we helped Sally cook breakfast and played with Estelle and Tyson, when we heard it.

Annabeth went to check, and when she returned, she was livid.

"Hazel, she's asking for you" She said "A woman. She claims to be your mother"

The weight of the world landed in my shoulders, and a million questions popped my head.

Was she alive? How did she find me? And, although I was practically sure she hadn't, had she changed?

"Can you guys leave me alone with her?" I asked "It's ok, don't worry"

Most of them leaved, but Frank stayed beside.

"I'll be here, ok? Remember you are not alone. Call me once and I'll get her out of here"

I smiled

"I think I can handle, but thanks"

With a last worried glance from him, he leaved me alone in the kitchen, and I woman I thought I'd never see again entered the room.

"Hazel" She said "You sure found a nice house"

"What do you want?" I spat, for I had no time for such sillyness

"Rude, for someone who abandoned me to my luck in the middle of hell"

"Hell you started" I whispered.

Suddenly, he yanked my hair and pushed me against the wall.

"I WILL NOT BE TALKED LIKE THAT!!! YOU RESPECT ME!!"

"Or what?" I said "I mended your mistakes. I stopped it. Now leave me"

But she did not, in fact, leave me. She slapped me across the face and pulled at my hair again.

"YOU ARE MY DAUGHTER AND YOU WILL OBEY ME!"

"YOU ARE NO MOTHER OF MINE!!" I screamed, before she slapped me shut.

"You will come home with me and not say another word about the matter" She whispered in my ear "You are just a foolish girl. I have stopped this, not you. You are worthless. Now come home before I get mad"

But I was already mad, shaking with anger.

"Home is not your house, but a feeling, where people care for you, and where you belong. And family is more than blood, it's where you can rely on each other. They are both built with love, not blood. And I never had any love with you, but it's different here. I am home already, the only person that needs to leave is you"

She hit me again, but I continued.

"Love, mother, is something you are incapable of. I will never please you, but I now understand something. If I had to choose between pleasing you or being happy, I'd choose my happiness"

"YOU DESTROYED MY PLAN, STUPID BRAT!"

"No, you destroyed it yourself. You cannot build a castle of a mountain made of sand, and lies are not a firm foundation"

But she didn't feel like reasoning. She only felt like hitting me, and my face was becoming numb.

"I HATE YOU!!" She screamed

"Well, guess what? I hate you too"

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. She pushed me to the floor and kicked me.

Then, while she beated me, I realizes I didn't have to endure it, and that made me stronger.

"GUYS!!" I screamed "FRANK!! COULD YOU COME OVER FOR A SEC?"

I tried to sound cassual, ignoring the blood I had to spit in order to talk.

It was still hard for me to ask for help. But I was not alone. I wasn't. Not anymore.

They came in and looked horrified at the sight.

It took them five seconds to kick Queen Marie out of the house.

"YOU WILL ALWAYS BE WORTHLESS!" She screamed, before leaving, this time forever. Her last words to me.

"You're wrong, I'm worth ten times the woman you are" I whispered.

"Twenty" Frank corrected "Are you ok?"

"Yup. I'm used to it" I got up and wiped the blood.

"No one will ever hurt you again. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let my guard down"

"Don't pin the blame on you" I said "It's her fault, and hers only. But now the rain has passed"

I stared at them all, and a huge smile lighted my face.

"You guys know what? This family does feel like home"

The end is near... The Apocalypse is over, Queen Marie isn't bothering no more... What's left? Well, the party, of course.

Julieta <3