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dispersed throughout this chapter are mentions of animal abuse and mistreatment
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i don't know if this is a trigger/discomfort for anyone, but i can't exactly separate the individual sentences from the rest of their respective paragraphs so i'm putting a warning here just in case anyone needs it.
it's nothing too bad, but please don't feel pressured to read if you're uncomfortable. i'm more than willing to PM a breakdown of what happens if you want me to :)
edited: april 7, 2021
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Annabeth and Grover stop beside their best friend, each of them with widened eyes when they see the paddock.
Tethered to the fence and reared on its hind legs, trying to fend off the whip that is repeatedly swung in its direction, is the most beautiful creature that (Y/N) has ever seen.
"Hey!" she yells, catching the attention of the man swinging the length of rope, and he turns around, anger filling his expression before it is replaced ever so slightly with concern.
"What happened to you?" he asks blandly, eyeing the bandages on her hands, but (Y/N) ignores it.
"What happened to him?" she counters, gesturing at the animal before pointedly moving her gaze to the whip.
The man stays quiet, gritting his jaw as the anger floods back, and (Y/N) climbs over the fence, taking a few steps forward but stopping when the man directs the whip to strike the ground right in front of her. Annabeth and Grover shout protests at the man, threatening to cross over as well, but they go ignored.
"Stay back, you hear me?" the man warns, readying the whip again, and (Y/N) lifts her hands to signify compliance of conversation. Her calm demeanor, however, is contrasted by the harshness in her voice.
"Why are you doing this?" she asks, and the man lowers his whip, running a hand through his long black curls before gesturing at the Pegasus.
"You see that beauty? I would be the envy of the gods on the back of that creature."
(Y/N) has to admit, the animal is truly stunning, its black body with a single patch of white on its head gleaming in the sunlight; large wings shaped to perfection; and long, sleek mane streaked with a few tones of white. But despite its captivating features, the Pegasus is thin and starved, multiple whip lashes stretched along its sides and legs, and fury begins to boil in (Y/N)'s stomach.
She cautiously takes another step forward, her hands still raised, "You can see through the Mist?"
He scoffs, rolling his eyes and mocking, "'Can I see through the Mist?' Of course I can see through the Mist! I'm Evander, the son of Eurus!"
"Eurus had a son?" (Y/N) asks, more for herself than for an answer as she directs the question to no one in particular, but the man raises an eyebrow.
"Obviously, he's me."
(Y/N) rolls her eyes, shaking her head before taking another step forward, "Okay, but regardless, why do you need to abuse a beautiful animal to gain the envy of the gods?"
Evander scoffs again, like the answer is the most obvious thing in the world. "None of them care about us; I'm sure you know that. It's a wonder I've lived this long to get my chance to change things. After I'm done, that creature will be under my control. I took him from the skies, and I will reign from the skies. It's time for someone else to rule in the place of my 'almighty' father."
"And what good will that do?" (Y/N) asks, brow slightly furrowed. "You would use violence to gain power? To- to overthrow a god and only worsen the situation we face? Doing that would make the gods inclined to kill us! If we're seen as a threat, then they'll want to take us out!"
"They won't even have the chance," Evander refutes, eyes stony and jaw set. "The gods wouldn't dare rise up once they see the good this revolution brings! We would end their petty feuds and ensure that no more demigods or half-bloods would fall victim to their narcissism!"
His expression softens, "We'll have an era where the lives of people like us are valued and protected. Isn't that worth it to you?"
(Y/N) doesn't say anything, and Evander takes it as his chance to continue trying to convince her. "When I take my place as the East Wind, others will follow. Half-bloods will rise up against their parents, dethroning them until we've started a rebellion. We will revolt until the gods are terrified. And then the next step will be Olympus.
"The gods will lose their power, their wealth... everything! And demigods, us half-bloods— we'll be able to show that we're worthy of riches and thrones! That we can thrive without the oversight of selfish and cruel deities! I will be the leader of change that will better our lives and our world!"
(Y/N) raises an eyebrow, "So how's that been workin' out for you?"
Evander looks taken aback, not expecting a seventeen-year-old girl to randomly show up out of nowhere, listen boredly to his monologue, and unprecedentedly call him out with sass. "Why should I be listening to you?" he asks, realizing how stupid his current situation is, "You're a child. You don't know anything."
(Y/N) takes another step forward, a challenging glint in her eye. "I know that your name was given to you because your father hoped you would be a good man." Evander blinks, unaware that she knew the meaning of his name. "I know that you feel like rising to power is the only option laid out for you. But I also know that deep down, you really don't want to hurt that Pegasus, do you?"
He remains silent as she continues, "Look at those marks. They're overlapped way too many times. You weren't determined with the whip; you didn't like hurting him." Evander shifts his gaze from (Y/N) to the Pegasus' side, noticing that the injuries are, indeed, not as prominent as they would be had he struck the animal with more force. But she doesn't finish there.
"Regardless of that, it's a horrible idea, anyway. I think you know that, too. Because honestly, what good is a beautiful animal if it doesn't trust you? In the end, he has more control of the skies, so why should he submit to his abuser?"
(Y/N)'s reasoning seems to break through to Evander, but he doesn't show it as he lets out a bitter chuckle. "You're not going to change anything, if that's what you think."
She shrugs, "Oh, no, I will. I'm taking the Pegasus."
Grover and Annabeth, still watching from the sidelines, look at each other with a shared lack of understanding, but the man across from (Y/N) bursts out into laughter. "That's funny," he breathes out in between chuckles, and (Y/N) keeps her determined expression. "Oh, you were serious," Evander's laughter stops, his eyebrow raised.
"It's not gonna happen, sweetheart," he patronizes, talking down to her like he would a toddler.
"I'll pay you," (Y/N) offers, smirking at the intrigue that passes over his face. He takes a few seconds to think before glancing from the Pegasus to (Y/N). Grover, coming to some realization, slides his backpack onto the ground, counting out the drachmae as Annabeth's eyes widen to the size of tennis balls at the type of coins in his bag.
"How much are we talking?"
"Twenty drachmae."
Evander shakes his head instantly, "No deal."
(Y/N) raises an eyebrow, "Golden."
He narrows his eyes before turning down the offer again. "For a Pegasus of that quality? Don't take me for a fool, kid," he scoffs, and (Y/N) chuckles at his tone.
"Forty," she offers, piquing his interest even more.
"Sixty," he bargains, but (Y/N) crosses her arms.
"Forty-five."
"Fifty-five."
"Fifty solid."
Evandr pauses before letting out a soft 'tsk', shaking his head. "Not going to work," he dismisses her with a disinterested wave, taking a step towards the tethered Pegasus, who reels back to ward him off.
Thorny brambles grow up from the ground to encase the man's ankles, and he looks down in surprise. "Let me restate that," (Y/N) says as her eyes flash to gold, letting a vine pull her dagger out of her backpack. The brambles tighten around Evander's legs, creeping upwards with each second.
"You touch that Pegasus one more time and no one will find your body."
Evander's eyes widen as (Y/N) calmly twirls her dagger, the patches of earth near him splitting open and slowly widening. "I'll take the fifty!" he cries out, utterly terrified, and (Y/N) raises an eyebrow.
"Forty."
"Okay, okay— forty! Please just let me go!"
The brambles immediately recede as the ground closes back up again, and the daughter of Persephone returns the dagger to her bag with a bright grin. "Deal. Grover?"
The satyr swings over the fence, walking over to (Y/N) with a triumphant smile. He holds out the two handfuls of currency, dropping them into Evander's shaking hands. The man instantly backs away from them, turning around and running as fast as possible when (Y/N) makes a 'shoo' gesture in his direction.
Annabeth joins her friends in the paddock, handing Grover his backpack as she looks up at the animal. "He's beautiful," she breathes out, and the Pegasus lets out a whinny of thanks, tossing its head. (Y/N) chuckles, untying the rope around its neck and running her hand along its silky-smooth mane.
"You're free to go now," she says, smiling gently, but the Pegasus doesn't spread its wings and fly away.
It turns to make eye contact with (Y/N), and she hears the voice from before in her head for a fourth time. 'Thank you.'
"So it was you that I heard," (Y/N) states, now understanding. Her friends each have slightly wondrous expressions on their faces, even though they've been aware of this ability for quite some time. The Pegasus simply nods its sleek black head, and (Y/N) furrows her eyebrows.
"How? I wasn't even in the area."
'You are Demeter's child, yes?'
(Y/N) shakes her head, "Persephone. It's never been that strong before."
'You are special in your abilities, I can tell. But thank you for coming to my aid. I am indebted to you.'
"Oh, no, you don't have to worry about that," (Y/N) tries to refuse, but the Pegasus snorts in determination.
'It would be my honor to aid you as your servant.' This earns a sharp inhalation of breath from the girl, and her friends look at her in confusion and slight worry.
"Can we maybe not say servant? Friend, possibly?" (Y/N) asks meekly, not a fan of the idea of having someone under her control. The Pegasus nods once more, and (Y/N) smiles, petting the contrasting patch of white that runs down to its muzzle.
"Well, we do need a ride back to Camp Half-Blood," she starts, looking at Grover and Annabeth before continuing, "But if you're too injured, then—"
(Y/N) is cut off by the Pegasus letting out a confident neigh, and she chuckles, taking that as her answer. "You two alright with some flying?"
Grover nods without hesitation, "Anything's better than that Chariot of Death."
"Damnation," Annabeth corrects, chuckling.
The satyr dismisses it with a simple, "I said what I meant."
(Y/N) mounts the Pegasus as it kneels down, Grover behind her, and Annabeth after him. "Do you have a name?" (Y/N) asks, and the Pegasus stands up properly while answering.
'No name was given to me.'
She hums before muttering to herself, "Black Pegasus with a patch of white. Orion? No, too weird with Percy. Um... 'evening star'. Huh. How about Hesperos?"
The Pegasus tosses his head before snorting in approval, his tail flicking. Grover chuckles, "Hesperos, it is."
"Can you find the way?" Annabeth leans forward, getting nothing in response except Hesperos's sudden ascension, and she quickly wraps her arms around Grover's waist, pressing herself against his backpack to hold on. He chuckles, his hands resting on (Y/N)'s shoulders, the daughter of Persephone gently gripping the black mane streaked with white.
"How long did Evander have you?" (Y/N) asks, and Hesperos's voice sounds in her head, easy to hear despite the wind whipping past her.
'He captured me what I remember to be eight days ago.'
"I'm so sorry."
'You could not have prevented it, my lady.'
"'My lady'?" (Y/N) chuckles, and her friends share a small glance of amusement, "You can just call me (Y/N)."
'Very well.'
"I'm never gonna get used to that," Grover shakes his head, sighing, and Annabeth nods in agreement.
"It's already weird enough with the ones at the stables," she agrees, and (Y/N) chuckles.
Hesperos continues to rise into the sky, and the satyr reaches out to touch the low-hanging clouds a few feet above them, "Yo, this shit is awesome."
"Hey, you two, question," Annabeth starts, changing the subject as she directs the words at her friends, earning sounds of acknowledgement from both.
"Where the fuck did all of that money come from?"
(Y/N) and Grover share a worried glance before the demigod speaks up, "Well, you see, the ATM I used gave us way more than I originally put in for exchange —"
"— Which was forty dollars," Grover interjects, letting (Y/N) continue.
"They were supposed to be silver because it's, what, one— two?— hundred something dollars to a golden drachma, right? Yeah, so, uh, we were being kind of stupid and decided to take it because you know, why not?"
"But right after, we figured that we should return it, because forty dollars and close to two thousand is a big difference."
Annabeth sputters at Grover's words, completely shocked, "Two thousand?"
(Y/N) chuckles, uncomfortably, "Around that, yeah. So, um, we were gonna come up with something to tell the nymph so we could return it, but then I heard Hesperos fending off Evander."
"And most of the money went to prevent animal abuse, Annabeth, so it's all good," Grover finishes, shrugging as he tries to brush it off, but the daughter of Athena remains wide-eyed and open-mouthed.
(Y/N), worried at the lack of response, looks over her shoulder at Annabeth, cringing at her expression. "It's not all good, is it?"
Hesperos snorts, 'It is not.'
"Oh, stay out of this," (Y/N) reprimands before changing her tone, "You know what, you, out of all of us, should be glad we did it." This earns a whinny of laughter from the Pegasus, and (Y/N) rolls her eyes, scoffing (she also mutters a soft, "Ungrateful horse," but Hesperos suddenly drops their altitude, earning a hurried apology).
"Two thousand," Annabeth whimpers, and (Y/N) tries to reassure her.
"Don't worry! We rescued Hesperos, and it's good to save up, anyway."
"Saving is different from stealing."
"We can keep it for Iris Messaging," Grover offers, and (Y/N) continues.
"See? There's so much stuff we can do with the money."
"Like returning it," Annabeth scowls, and her friends sigh.
"And just how would we go about doing that?" Grover asks, rendering the girl behind him unsure of what to say.
"Exactly."
After a few moments of silence, Annabeth snaps her fingers, "Ooh! I've got it!"
The trio ends up turning around to head back to the downtown square, and they hide Hesperos the best they can while sneaking over to the monetary exchange building. (Y/N) looks around, seeing no one, and she lets a vine drop the small box of drachmae (with a note of brief explanation attached) in front of the door. She then directs the vine to forcefully push the door open, and the ground under the box jolts forward to send it skidding inside the building.
A startled yelp sounds from who they assume to be the nymph inside, and the teenagers quickly leave on Hesperos, knowing that the money will be taken care of. The Pegasus races through the sky, and the trio enjoys the wondrous feel of being so high up in the air without any worries bearing down on them. Just a few minutes later, Hesperos descends into the forest, and the three dismount, guiding him up Half-Blood Hill to let him enter the camp's barrier.
A few campers walk up to ask questions or admire the Pegasus, but they give short answers on the way to the stables. Chiron, training a group of demigods, raises an eyebrow as they near him. "And who is this?" he asks, taking a few steps forward, and (Y/N) strokes the Pegasus's mane.
"Hesperos. He was captured and we rescued him."
"She rescued him," Grover corrects, and the girl in question just shrugs.
Chiron hums in acknowledgement, and he turns to Hesperos. "I am Chiron," he states, nodding his head, and the Pegasus bows his in return with a light huff. "There are a few empty stables, so you may get him settled there," the centaur instructs, and (Y/N) nods, smiling.
Grover pulls out his cell phone on the way to the stables, reading the text just sent to him. "Hey, Percy's gonna be done with school in a few weeks," he announces, and his friends turn their attention to him.
"Really?" Annabeth asks, and he nods.
"It'll be really good to see him again," (Y/N) says, guiding the Pegasus into a stable as the golden chain around her neck seems to bear more weight.
Hesperos flaps his wings a bit before snorting at Porkpie, who is in the stable next to him. (Y/N) drags a few stacks of hay into the corner of the stable, filling up the small water trough afterwards. Hesperos nudges (Y/N)'s arm in thanks after she tends to his raw wounds, and she pets his head in return before walking out and closing the stable door. Hesperos and Porkpie neigh at each other, seeming to have a conversation of sorts, and the teenagers decide to let all the Pegasi get acquainted.
As the trio exits the stables, (Y/N) starts brushing off the stray bits of hay stuck onto her tank top and leather jacket. Annabeth pulls a stalk out of (Y/N)'s hair as Grover pats off her shoulder. At the distant sound of rushed footsteps, (Y/N) looks up, concerned.
The group furrows their eyebrows at a flustered son of Apollo, who is quickly heading in their direction. "(Y/N)," Will starts, panting slightly, and her spine tingles, "You need to see this."
The friends share a worried glance before they jog after Will, and (Y/N) notices her cabin in their line of travel. She squints her eyes before realizing that the overhang of woven vines and flowers on her cabin's roof has been ripped apart, now a limping mess instead of what were gorgeous, arching drapes.
(Y/N) quickens her pace, sprinting past Will and jumping over the steps of her cabin, her combat boots thudding against the wood as she comes to a stop inside.
Her heart sinks as she takes in the mess: clothes and books are scattered all over the floor; her sword is no longer hanging from the wall and has instead been used to destroy the handmade chairs that now lie in splinters; pillows and blankets have been ripped to shreds; and there are shards of glass from the wall's candle holders spread out across the desk, dresser, and floorboards.
She spins around slowly, examining every bit of destruction in her living space and noticing the one aspect that sticks out like a sore thumb.
A single drawer of her dresser is pulled out completely, while the others are either closed or only partially open. (Y/N) walks over to it just as her friends enter the cabin, horrified gasps and questions of 'who did this?' replacing the quiet and shocked atmosphere. (Y/N) looks closer, noticing a small dent where the corner of a drawer rammed into the dresser before the force pushed it back open again.
Someone was looking frantically for something here.
She turns her attention to the drawer that has been pulled out, running a finger along the soft padding that makes up the opened and empty box inside. Subconsciously, as if to make sure it's still there, (Y/N) lifts a hand to the seashell necklace at her sternum, carefully gripping it as she snaps the box shut.
Her sharp eyes catch the tiniest flash of pink in the corner of her vision, and she moves closer to one of the slammed drawers, crouching down to examine it. A low growl sounds in her throat at the smudge of dusty pink nail polish, the shade perfectly matching that of a specific camper's eyeliner.
She looks up at the crumpled aster on her bookshelf, and the sound of her voice makes her friends huddle closer to each other in fear.
"Drew."