Everyone Has Secrets | A PJO x TW Adventure

Voices in my head

Willow POV:

Having dropped off Scott early so he could go to work, Stiles and I drove home in silence. "Can we get ice cream?" I asked him hopefully. "No," he replies. "Well, can we go get MacDonalds?" I ask again. "No," he replies gruffly. "Can we get anything?" I say annoyedly. "No!" he yells, obviously irritated. "Why?" I whine grumpily. "Because," Stiles says. "Because what?" I question furiously. "Because I'm not hungry," he says. "Well, I am," I reply. "Then maybe you should use your own car," he says. I stare at him in shock. "I don't have a car, idiot."

"Well, maybe you should get one!" Stiles replies. "Well, maybe you should find another person who can drag around in the preserve at midnight!" I huff angrily, turning back to the road and folding my arms like a grumpy child. From the corner of my eye, I see Stiles look at me. Then he sighs in defeat. "What do you want to eat?" he asks quietly. "Nothing," I snark back. "Come on, Wil. It's not that big of a deal," he says. "You know what a big deal is?" I turn to him. He turns to look at me curiously. "Your bipolar ass. Get yourself checked," I say angrily, then turn back to the road. We pull up into the house, and I get off, stomping into the house and up the stairs. I burst into my room and shut the door behind me, my stomach rumbling like an earthquake. Curse this stomach and its constant hunger. I flop onto my bed, the warm covers, soft pillow, and cozy blanket beckoning me to sleep. Slowly, the world around me fades, and I am pulled into the sweet universe of dreams. Except dreams are never sweet for demigods.

⚫⬛⚫⬛⚫⬛⚫⬛⚫⬛⚫⬛⚫⬛⚫⬛⚫⬛⚫⬛⚫⬛⚫⬛⚫⬛⚫⬛⚫⬛⚫⬛

I walk through a dark, red place. The floor reminds me of the surface of Mars. It feels like it, too. There is smoke everywhere, and the ground and landscape twist and contort horribly, changing shape every few minutes until I am not sure where I am going. My head throbs furiously, my vision swimming until I start seeing two or three different things simultaneously. And yet, I keep
walking, almost as if something is pulling me in, coaxing me to follow the path. So I trudged on, my mind blank as if someone or something else was controlling me. Suddenly, the path ends, and I fall forward, but something or
someone stops me. I raise my eyes to meet the ones of a glowing, ethereal
figure, strong and divine, power radiating off her figure like heat waves. Not power like Zeus's electric air, or Ares's angry aura, but real power, older and more sacred than Greek pantheon. But she didn't look familiar.

She had bright, yellow skin that glowed like the surface of the sun and
radiated heat, like fire. But not the type of fire that burnt. Instead, it was the
type of fire in a fireplace. A fire that makes you feel safe, warm, and comfy.
It's almost like Hestia's fire hearth, but much more powerful. She was dressed in a long, flowing, regal tunic that looked Egyptian. Ancient Egyptian. Her wings
looked like the roaring blaze of a bushfire, with long tendrils that reached out all around her, increasing her aura of authority. She looked down at me, her piercing turquoise eyes focused as if she were studying me, wondering if I was worthy enough. Then she speaks, and I recognize the voice. It was the same voice that had spoken in my head in the preserve.

"Curious. Very curious," she says softly, in an even voice that seems impossibly balanced. Suddenly, she grabs my left hand and pulls it up. On it is a black tattoo of a skull and crossbones with the initials SPQR. But instead of crossbones, the skull is intersected by a broadsword and a fire torch, the sign of Bellona. But didn't I hide the sign? "A child of Hades, with the blood of Bellona," she continues, but my brain barely registers any of the information. "A child of both worlds. Interesting." I shake my head furiously, trying to clear the smog from my brain. Who was this person? How did she know so much about me? I quickly get up and stand up straight. "Who are you? What do you want?" I command, putting as much authority into my words. She laughs slightly, then winces as if she were in pain, the fire in her wings sputtering
slightly. Straightening herself, she looks at me, "I am Ma'at, goddess of balance and order," she says, spreading her arms and wings out. I groan inwardly. Another goddess. She looks at me expectantly, and I raise my eyebrow at her in a bored manner. "Kids these days are never impressed," she sighs. "Anyways, you are my host, so I think it's time we got on board with each other," Ma'at continues. I frown, "Host, as in, guest host or the science host?" I say, already fearing the answer. "The science one, Willow," she replies hesitantly. "And did you ask me if you could be a parasite in my body?" I questioned incredulously, hoping this was a joke. "Well, I didn't really have a choice. Fate has decided for you to be my host," she replies cryptically. I scoff loudly, "Fate. Well 'fate' has an awful habit of messing with me, so no," I say, quoting the word fate.