──── One thing about Aster is that he physically was unable to not be late.
And when anyone tried to confront him about it, he just flashed his usual cheeky smile and said something along the lines – the prettiest flowers always bloom at the last moment. Was it a direct insinuation that he found himself pretty? Maybe. But was he lying? No one could have denied that.
In fact, the real cause of his notorious late arrivals was that Aster got easily distracted by slightest occurrences. He liked to take his time admiring things he found beautiful or intriguing and he liked basking in the sun and warm breeze, breathing in the nature around him. Nature felt like freedom.
So when he finally stumbled on the wooden porch, whistling an overheard melody sung by a few dryads near the strawberry fields he had a sweet chat with, all heads turned his way. Aster nodded in acknowledgment towards Chiron and the director, and his smile widened, when the already frowning face of Mr. D darkened even more.
"Did I miss anything?"
Aster peeked to his left, feeling something drilling holes in the back of his head and one of his eyebrows curled up when he had finally located the culprit. Sea-green eyes blinked abruptly and focused on the pinochle cards scattered on the table.
Aster to this day suffered PTSD from the last time he played that card game with Chiron and Dionysus.
"The only missing thing I would be happy about is you, Asher." Dionysus grumbled. His chubby face twisted and his second chin got even more evident.
"Aster, actually. And thank you, you flatter me too much, Mr. D."
"One of these days I swear, I will incinerate you and turn into dust."
"I prefer the dolphins much more, sir, that's more creative. At least, I'd be a cute dolphin. Who wouldn't like being a dolphin? Percy, do you like dolphins? I love dolphins."
"I–" Percy opened his lips to, of course agree, he loved dolphins, but Chiron cleared his throat, bringing the attention back to him.
"Aster, we were expecting you here fifteen minutes ago." The centaur urged himself to appear intimidating, but his warm eyes betrayed him, as they twinkled with mischief at Aster's disarming charm.
"Well, that's odd." He said. "'Cause I had no intention of being here fifteen minutes ago." Aster beamed and leaned on a porch rail, in the exact same manner Annabeth did a few minutes ago, Percy noted.
"That's it. You'll get your dolphin, Andre." Dionysus raised from his seat.
"Aster, my child, I'm glad you finally made it to meet us, but we should get back to what we were discussing. Please, Mr. D, put that chair down." Somehow, Chiron was able to pacify the outraged god, who, banned from physically abusing his campers, settled on mumbling insults in ancient greek.
"Where is Annabeth?" Aster chirped in.
"I sent her to check on Percy's bunk. I'm sure you as well, will help him familiarize and settle in cabin eleven, won't you?" The way Chiron looked at him, easily shut him up. Aster just nodded.
"Marvelous! Grover, can you take Percy inside the house to acquaint him with the rooms? I have an important matter to discuss with Aster."
"Yes, yes, of course! Get up, Percy, come on!" Grover fisted his hand on the boy's shirt and yanked him up. A not finished can of coke in his other palm.
"But wait, I didn't even–"
Chiron and Aster's eyes escorted the boys until both of them disappeared behind the wooden door.
Aster didn't like the change in Chiron's voice. He had a gut feeling something's wrong, and that too pleased grimace of Mr. D did not help whatsoever. He shuffled his feet.
"Aster, my boy, do you remember our previous conversation in my office?" Chiron began, slowly selecting the words he was using. Aster nodded, and his dark locks swished around his tanned face.
"Yeah, about the quests and yadda yadda."
"You see... There was a change of plans," The older man's eyes dropped in shame. "Your visitation request was not approved."
Aster's heart sank to his stomach. He waited all this time in hope to finally go back to his house, just to be denied in the end?
"But Chiron, I was supposed to see my aunt!" He yelled, and Aster was sure even Percy and Grover had heard him. Chiron unfolded his arms, dejected but stern. This was not an ideal solution, but it had to somewhat serve its purpose.
"Mr. D has declined your request."
"What?!" Aster turned so fast, he almost lost balance. Dionysus simply slurped on his diet coke, sitting comfortably on his chair. " What the hell?"
The god just grinned, pointing a finger at Aster's chest.
"I hate arrogant pricks like you, Antonio, you really thought I'd make it easy for you?"
"But you can't do that! He can't do that..." Aster's vision began to blur. "I've waited a whole year to go back home, Chiron, please!"
Chiron wheeled towards the distraught boy, putting his wide and calloused hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry Aster, but I've already called Miss Rosaline and informed her you can't make it this time."
"But why? I don't get it."
Before Chiron could open his lips, Mr. D burped.
"There will be a quest, plainly that Peter boy has to go on it, and you are going as well to make sure this self-destructive kid comes back alive. Clear?" He scratched his beer belly.
"Mr. D you could have used more proper words." Chiron pointed.
"There is no point in avoiding the meritum. It's not like he has a choice anyway. Keep it short and simple."
"But I have already said I do not want to go on any quest," Aster reminded. "And why me? Just send Luke, he has more experience."
Chiron hummed and stroked his bushy beard.
"When that may be true, you succeeded in all the missions assigned to you. You made sure to keep your companions safe, and you know when it's better to avoid confrontations. You were born for this, my boy. You value others' lives above your own, and that's a noble trait."
"So what, if I were a narcissistic bastard you wouldn't send me? That's bullcrap."
"Aster, I'm afraid your dear friend is determined to be included. Will you let her go alone, without anyone looking out for her?" His fists were so tight, Aster could feel the skin breaking.
"Okay, that thing right there was an emotional extortion." Aster pinched the bridge of his nose and inhaled so much oxygen, his lungs hurt. "I don't have a choice, do I?"
"I am sorry, Aster. I'll make sure to make visiting Miss Rosaline possible as soon as you successfully return."
And Aster just nodded gloomily, before he stormed out of the porch, not aware of four pairs of eyes escorting him until he vanished amongst the hilltops.
The only things left behind him were withered and still sizzling footprints on the grass.
Percy felt like he had been tossed, dumped, and hoicked up or down like a ragdoll by basically every single person in the camp ever since the day he fought the himbo bull on steroids.
If that wasn't bad enough, he just made a complete fool out of himself in the cabin he was apparently going to stay in. How was he supposed to know all this crazy stuff about being claimed?
In fact, Percy thought all his questions were pretty valid and completely normal.
Then, Annabeth scolded him about not using names (how can he say what he means if he's not allowed to use names?) and later gave him a good rant about his parents and who he was.
All the informations were circulating in his head, but nothing really made sense and the frustration had been slowly rising up inside of him.
"What does dyslexia and ADHD have to do with anything?" Percy asked, not yet calm after miss know-it-all assumed all his life events. Well, she indeed got them right, but it still pissed him off.
"Taken together, it's almost a sure sign. The letters float off the page when you read, right?
That's because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek. And the ADHD—you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. That's your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are."
"You sound like... you went through the same thing?"
"Most of the kids here did." Her eyes trailed away, absent and misty, and Percy quickly followed her.
In the meadow a couple meters away from the volleyball court, a group of young girls was resting in a crooked circle, chatting and weaving wreaths made of colorful flowers. Amongst them, in the shadow of a big oak tree, Percy spotted a familiar figure.
Aster was sitting cross-legged; between his legs, a small auburn-haired girl shared stories animatedly, from time to time scolded by the older boy to stay still. He was braiding daffodils and daisies in her hair.
Percy had no idea why that boy kept on occupying his mind. They talked maybe once this morning, he wouldn't even count it as a conversation. But something in the view before Percy's eyes was so mesmerizing, he just couldn't force himself to look away.
Since the day he woke up, Aster always was somewhere near him. He remembered, vaguely, but he remembered how he stood up for him when Annabeth was pestering him about things Percy had no idea about. Or even the way he so confidently responded to Mr. D and his taunts, without any fear and with a big smile.
For Percy, Aster looked like someone he hoped to meet in school. Intimidating enough to scare off assholes like Nancy Bobofit, but cool with people that stayed out of his business and were unproblematic. Percy prayed silently he wouldn't be counted as a problematic one...
And yet, all other campers seemed to avoid him.
Annabeth, as if she read his mind, said, "He used to be a summer only camper, but for the past three years he has been a year rounder."
"Why?" Percy asked curiously. "Why did he change his mind?"
"It's not like he wanted to change it. Something happened and... look I shouldn't tell you that. It's not my story to tell. But I don't think asking him about it is a good idea either. Even I don't know everything." Her piercing stormy eyes glared his way.
"Now I'm curious."
"Just drop it, Jackson."
"Okay, one more question, miss tour guide." His sea-green eyes twinkled. "Why does everyone look so wary of him?"
Annabeth was impressed how quickly Percy picked that up. He could be pretty sharp if he wanted to.
"He went through some messed up shit. Aster is just a very reserved person, and that... thing made him snappier. Sometimes he doesn't know how to unbottle his feelings properly without hurting others. But believe me, he can be really, really annoying when he wants to." The corners of her lips curved up, in a genuine smile. "Besides, he knows a lot of campers. Me for example. Or the Stoll brothers from eleven... And he's friends with Clarisse too."
"Yeah, are you sure it's a good thing, you don't sound convinced."
"...And the girls from Demeter cabin chat with him a lot. For some reason, they are really determined to prove Aster is their half-brother." She pointedly ignored his comment.
Then a husky voice yelled, "Well! A newbie!"
Percy looked over. The muscular girl from the ugly red cabin together with three other girls behind her, all big, snarly, and mean looking like her, approached them.
"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"
"Sure, Miss Princess," La Rue said. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."
''Erre es korakas!" Annabeth said, "You don't stand a chance."
"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse said, but her eye twitched. Perhaps she wasn't sure she could follow through on the threat. She turned toward the dark-haired boy. "Who's this little runt?"
"Percy Jackson," Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares."
Percy blinked like a chameleon, with one eye. "Like... the war god?"
Clarisse sneered. "You got a problem with that?"
"No," Percy said with a little smirk, "It explains the bad smell."
──── When the sound of a conch horn spreaded through the pavilion, campers from all directions yelled and roared in excitement.
It was time for capture the flag.
Aster cracked the bones in his neck and he smiled grimly with a corner of his lips.
This time he would be the one kicking Clarisse's ass. In the previous game, they were on the same team and the time before, he got pulverized by her freaky electric spear.
Most of the negative emotions that builded up inside him since the unfortunate meeting had mostly dissolved, thanks to the Demeter daughters and Lacey, the small half-blood, that brightened his awful humor.
He made his peace with the inevitable quest that was approaching. At least he could get the most out of it, right?
Annabeth, together with two other campers, ran into the pavilion from the southwest side, silk flag in her hand and head fiery held high. Aster snickered under his nose with amusement. The proudness of Athena. The barn owl painted on the banner had the exact same shade of gray as the goddess' thundering eyes. Just as he remembered.
When he caught Annabeth's gaze, he winked at her. She ignored him.
From the opposite side, Clarrise and her siblings jogged inside, accompanied by a cacophony of animalistic screams from Ares' table. Their banner was rather crude and Aster could swear on the river Styx, the boar's head looked just like one of Clarisse's brothers. He couldn't stop himself from sharing this thought with Connor, who then cackled and repeated his observation to his brother. His grin just widened.
Percy had been staring at the umber-haired boy sitting on the other side of the table, completely unaware he'd been doing that for the past five minutes. To put it bluntly, he was absolutely intrigued by the older camper. The way he talked back to the director the last time he saw him, impressed him so much, he really wanted to talk to him.
A hand forced itself into his view and snapped its fingers.
Luke caught him when he never got an answer to his question, and with an expression Percy couldn't quite figure out, he waved his head straight at Aster.
"You're distracted again, Percy." He said, showing that he knew the source of it.
"Who is he exactly? I mean, everyone seems to know him, but they are totally avoiding him."
Luke's face was unreadable – with blank expression he looked quite menacing – but his eyes still glowed with a weird mix of warmth and wariness.
"Aster's been in the camp for more than five years, but he still hasn't been claimed."
"And that's a taboo or something?" Percy asked, confused. Actually, he's been confused for the past few days. "I don't get it, Annabeth also sounded like it was a bad thing."
"No, it's not, it's that he being undetermined brings a question of who his parent is..." Luke looked at him as if Percy was supposed to get it. He did not get it.
"And?" He blurted with empty eyes, and Castellan sighed.
"And to put it simply, gods are not obliged to claim their kids, you saw for yourself how crowded Hermes' cabin is. But they do it, eventually, if they care enough. In his case, it's been too long. Other campers started theorizing and betting on who his godly parent is. Aster never specified if it's a father or a mother, but..."
Percy nodded vigorously at him to continue and hurry up. There finally was someone who actually answered his questions and didn't beat around the bush (he's looking at you, Annabeth), and he planned to completely use it up. Luke held back for a second longer, just to mess with the younger boy a little, and then leaned conspicuously towards him.
"We think he can be a child of the Big Three."
"Wait, so you think he hasn't been claimed because the gods are scared to admit they have a kid?"
"Sorta. Zeus already had to face the consequences of having Thalia. Or rather, she faced the consequences." Luke's face grimaced visibly and Percy suddenly felt bad about pushing his questions. Grover already told him about Thalia's pine tree and the history behind it. He opened his mouth to say something, but Luke with a big breath started speaking again. "If it's one of 'em, I doubt they ever claim him. You know, maybe it's better for him. The fate of their children is always a tragic one."
Percy gloomed, and peeked at Aster one more time. He was shoving and slapping the Stolls away from him, as they were jumping around him like two golden retriever puppies. He was smiling though.
"Sooo... on who have you placed your bets?" He asked. Castellan measured the tanned boy with an almost spiteful glimpse in his eyes and rolled his shoulder, probably subconsciously. Percy didn't like the way Luke appeared almost predatory, as if he was stalking his prey.
"Hades, just like half of the camp. The other half thinks it's either Demeter or Hecate."
"But Aster is a funny guy, he can't be his son! And even if he was, why does everyone act as if it's his fault?" Percy tried to advocate, but one stern glare of Luke was enough to shut him up.
"Percy, have you ever seen him angry?"
"Well... no, but—"
"Then you're not aware of what he's capable of. It's better for you to stay away. And thank the gods he's on our side during the game. He's much tougher than he looks."
Was that the reason why other kids looked like they were scared of him? A son of the Underworld... okay, it kind of sounded spooky, but Aster was a really chill dude, despite his cheekiness and weird jokes.
Percy wondered if Aster at some point started to think the same. If he believed his father didn't care about him.
Then Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble. The chatters quieted down and everyone focused on the centaur.
"Heroes!" he announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is a fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. And most definitely no poisoning or hanging upside down on the trees." Right there Chiron stared straight at Aster.
And Aster just scratched his head, flashing one of his winning smiles.
"Ay!" He saluted, but even without him speaking, everyone knew this part was specifically directed at him. A murmur from Hephaestus' table was heard, as they shot daggers his way, and amused giggles escaped some of Aphrodite's children's lips. Well, in Aster's defense, it was not part of the rules back then...
Chiron cleared his throat and resumed his speech.
"I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!" He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, oxhide shields coated in metal.
Luke nudged him and with a little smirk on his lips, he seemed to say see? told you he's bad news.
Annabeth summed her strategy up to him the previous night, and the second he had heard it, he wanted to riot. What did she mean by saying he's on the border patrol?
"Look, the last time you were on the offense, you hospitalized the whole cabin nine. Beckendorf to this day picks the rose thorns out of his body. And I'm not gonna lose the game just because you get too into it." She said bluntly, and Aster would have gasped theatrically if it wasn't the truth. He just looked down sheepishly and shuffled his feet.
"It was just one time, come on!" He whined.
"I said border patrol, end of discussion."
And that's how he ended up on the patrol, stripped of his rank, degraded to the same task as a newbie, bored to death and completely alone. He was sitting on a root, slashing lines in the bark of the tree he knew was not occupied by any dryad. From time to time he could hear clanking of metal and battle cries in the far distance.
How could Annabeth make him stay here, while letting Luke be the one in charge of capturing the flag? He could already visualize this annoying and proud smile on Luke's annoying face and the annoying blush on Chase's face.
For a smart kid, Annabeth was really helpless and obvious with her little crash on the older boy. He scoffed.
A twig snapped behind his back, and Aster instinctively threw a dagger in that direction, not even fully turned yet. A blue-plumed boy dropped down millisecond before the blade pierced into the tree where his head was just moments ago. His eyes were like saucers and lips parted in absolute petrification.
"Sorry 'bout that... Muscle memory haha..ha." Aster offered his hand to the demi-god, but before he could even blink, the boy took off and ran in the direction of the fight. The umber-haired boy took his own hand into the other one and shook it. "Nice, great job, Aster. You definitely know how to make friends."
Aster groaned and walked towards his dagger. He tried pulling it out, but the weapon was sinked to the hilt. With a scoff he realized his blade definitely will need sharpening and polishing. He took a big breath before grabbing the handle with both palms. With a scream, he put all his strength into taking it out, and then it slid out with a shing!
He stumbled backwards and hit the root with his calf, which threw him out of balance, and he hit the ground with his back.
A soft giggle, like a brush of leaves, blessed his ears and a pair of unnaturally green eyes peeked from behind a big willow tree.
"Ha ha, very funny Millie... enjoyed the show?" Aster picked a lost twig out of his curls and sheathed his dagger back. Millie was one of the dryads he met on the strawberry fields, and the one who taught him the melody that's been stuck in his head since then.
"You should hurry up, boy." She sang, carefree and amused. She moved swiftly and now, she was sitting on her branch.
"What do you mean?"
"They don't care about the game. Poor boy." She smoothed her perfectly straight hair and sighted.
Before Aster could even pester her more about the meaning of those words, a too familiar voice boomed through the forest.
"Cream the punk!"
Aster sprinted towards the noise, already cursing Clarisse under his nose. He should have foreseen that. After the whole situation of giving Ares' kids a free sewer shower, which in fact was hilarious, Clarisse would obviously seek revenge. And Annabeth would skin him alive knowing he could have predicted and stopped the situation from escalating.
He pushed the last branch out of his view, jumping into the open space like a deer.
Percy was trying to back up towards the creek, fruitlessly ducking away from oncoming strikes, until one of the bigger campers pushed him with so much force, he fell butt-first into the river. All of them, with Clarisse in lead, barked out with laughter. Aster could not stop himself from wincing. He tightened his hold on the daggers, ready to step in.
But then something happened.
As if a completely different person stood before him, Percy, with a ferocity worthy of his namesake, swung his sword like a madman. As if he was made to do it. To fight like that.
He knocked one's helmet off of their head. One down. Percy smacked another Ares' kid with his shield straight on his face and gave the third one's horsehair plume a nice trim. They backed up quickly.
"Holy shit." Aster murmured with awe. That kid was freaking awesome.
He kneeled behind a rock, placing his hands on the ground. It was time for some reinforcement. He shut his eyes and inhaled the fresh breeze that hit his nostrils, focusing on the tingling sensation under his fingertips. The tree branches behind his back snapped violently.
One of the guys that was the closest to him, punched the sand with frustration. He supported himself on the bronze sword and just as he steadied, he immediately turned towards the boy who sent him flying, but then, with a horrified expression, he realized he couldn't move.
He looked down at his feet. Two vines were wrapped around his ankles like vicious snakes, keeping him in the spot.
"Nooo, not again–" A high-pitched scream slipped out of his lips, when he was suddenly yanked down. He hit the ground with a thud, and tried clawing his fingers into the slippery surface, while the vines dragged him towards the treeline. He disappeared in the dark, just like his voice suddenly was cut short.
The second demi-god was looking around frantically, searching for something – or someone specifically. He dropped his own sword and bolted in the opposite direction from where his half-brother got swallowed by nature.
Aster for a second contemplated if he should just make him dangle on a tree branch like a pinata, but he was too far away at this point.
"Mark, get your stinky ass back here!" Clarisse roared, a fury in her eyes.
"Nah, I'm not gonna deal with him!"
"With who?!" Aster circled the group, so now he was much closer to Percy. The boy somehow sensed his presence, because his frightened eyes snapped his way. The older boy pressed a finger to his lips and shook his head, what hopefully, was a clear enough message not to sell his position out. "Sherman, hold this prick." She ordered the last remaining boy who was slacking off, not too eager to end up like his brothers. But he took advantage of Percy's momentary dissociation and grabbed him by his forearms.
Everything was quiet. Not even a single chirp of birds that never stopped singing.
For a second, she seemed to hesitate. She tightened the hold on her weapon and stilled. Her eyes were moving along the treeline, like a feline predator ready to pounce, when everything suddenly clicked inside her head. Although, it was already too late.
"Clarisse! Look out!" Sherman managed to yell, and Clarisse spun around, just to see her brother getting snatched in the air. Her mouth was opened so wide, Percy could see her crooked incisors.
Aster was already standing behind him, his hands extended and eyes focused on something under the girl's feet. Another herd of vines sprung out of the soil and snapped her way, but before the plants could reach Clarisse's weapon, she swung her spear and sliced the thorny vines in half.
"Let your guard down so easily? You got to be smarter than that, Clarisse, come on." Aster taunted, but a drop of sweat was already forming on his forehead. He hasn't mastered his powers just yet, and he had already sprained himself too much.
"Back off, jackass!" Her spear sizzled with energy.
"Not happening, sweetheart. You attack my teammate, I fight you back. Besides, what happened to 'no maiming'?"
"'no hanging upside down on the trees', rings a bell?" She pointed at the poor Sherman, who was dangling like a larva cocoon on some oak tree, with his lips sealed. His face was red like a tomato from all the muffled screams he was producing.
"What Chiron doesn't see, did not happen." Aster shrugged.
"I don't wanna fight you right now. This punk needs a good beating-up for embarrassing my cabin like that and you better stay out of my way!"
"I already told you, you don't need my help to do that. You guys are doing an amazing job." Percy managed to say with as much confidence as he could muster.
Aster almost choked at that.
Clarisse thrusted without thinking and in a blink of an eye, Percy caught the shaft between the edge of his shield and his sword, and snapped the spear like a twig. Aster was so stunned, he was sure everything around them happened in slow-motion.
The scream that his friend let out was gut-wrenching, almost making him feel bad for her. The spear was a gift from Ares himself. He too, would go berserk if someone destroyed something aunt Rosie gave him.
"Okay guys, let's talk it out–"
"You idiot! You corpse-breath worm!" Clarisse once again got smacked in the face by the hilt of Percy's sword, and she stumbled backwards.
This kid is crazy, oh my gods...
Aster was ready to intertwine at that point, but then a red banner emerged from the woods, flanked by a hoard of blue-feathered helms. Luke was racing towards the boundary line, accompanied by their teammates that were hooting and screaming like madmen. Some of cabin nine campers were desperately fighting back, but for a lost cause.
It was a matter of seconds before Castellan stepped into their territory. The flag glowed and her previous print formed into a massive caduceus.
"Thank-fucking-gods..." Aster exhaled, and he thought it was probably the first and only time he felt so grateful to see Luke.
Hermes and Apollo's kids cheered and crowded the counselor, laughing and congratulating each other on the win.
Aster turned back to check on Percy, but then a familiar face materialized out of thin air, a Yankees baseball cap in her hand, and he almost puked his own soul out.
"Fuckin– Jesus Christ, young lady, can you stop giving me heart attacks?!" Aster yelled and he could swear Annabeth's eyes gleamed in smugness. When his heart beat slowed down, he darted his head up. "Don't tell me you were here this whole time–"
"What do you think, Sherlock?"
"I think you're a sly little pixy." He flickered her ear. "But with a quirk for itty-bitty too much violence." Chase smacked his hand away.
"You set me up!" Percy said angrily. "You put me here because you knew Clarisse would come after me, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out."
"She is just special." Aster added.
"I told you. Athena always, always has a plan."
"A plan to get me pulverized." He scoffed.
"Okay, Percy, don't be so pissed about all that, it's just a game. And I'm sure Clarisse would stop before you could lose any important limbs." A confident smile materialized on Aster's face and both, Percy and Annabeth, shared a look.
"I came as fast as I could. I was about to jump in, but..." She shrugged, and her stormy, analyzing eyes focused on the tall figure next to them. "You didn't need help."
Aster relaxed, with his arms crossed on his chest, reliving the taste of victory, when a muffled sound reached his ears. He looked to the side and his smirk immediately vanished.
"Oh, shit–" Aster darted towards the dangling form of Sherman, "Sorry, man, I totally didn't mean to forget about you. I mean, I didn't. Look at me here, I remembered." A nervous laughter escaped his lips, and he forced the vines to slowly lower his victim to the ground.
Sherman had pure rage in his eyes. And he would probably punch Aster, if it weren't for something he saw in the distance. Before Whitlock could ask him what's wrong, he'd heard a canine howl ripping through the forest.
When Aster peeked around his shoulder, he felt his blood turning icy cold and draining off his face. All bad memories started flooding his mind, the images clear as they were that day.
There, on the rocks where Aster was hiding not even ten minutes ago, stood a massive black hound, bearing its sharp fangs and saliva dripping out of his muzzle. Its glowy bright-red orbs transfixed on one and only thing. Percy.
Aster's legs were so heavy, he couldn't move. What the heck a hellhound was doing inside the camp? It was not possible! Monsters were unable to get inside unless... Unless someone let them in.
His head cleared with this horrified realization.
"Percy, run!" Annabeth yelled, as she was the only one in right mind to react. She tried to stand in the way of the hellhound and Percy, as if she knew it would leap, provoked by slightest unwanted movement.
Aster's throat was so dry, it felt like he chugged a whole Acheron river straight from the Underworld.
"Annabeth, don't–" A scream ripped out of his throat, as Aster's body moved before he could even think what he was doing.
The beast soared above their miniature figures, reaching the younger boy sooner than anyone could get to him in time. The claws ripped through Percy's armor, and Aster with wide eyes saw his blood gushing between the shredded pieces of bronze.
Annabeth lamented in the distance, already racing towards the beast, and there was no way in hell he would allow her to endanger herself so stupidly again.
So Aster did the only sane thing anyone else would do. He jumped.
His daggers sinked into the hound's nape with ease, as if he was burying it in sand. His legs dangled on both sides of the creature and he prayed that Apollo's kids would live up to their father's name as an archer and wouldn't skewer him with arrows.
"Aster, you idiot, get the hell off this thing!"
"I've got this under control, Sunshine! Take Percy away from us!"
"You.. ugh!" She whisper-yelled, but she was already moving towards a numb and immobilized demi-god. Her panicked eyes were running all over his bloodied body, praying that her assumptions were right, as she dragged him towards the creek.
Aster had a hard time staying on the hound's back. The monster tried hopping and shaking to throw him off, which, unsurprisingly, worked, as he lost his footing, and began to slide off.
Just as he almost kissed the ground, he tightened his hold on only one dagger, twisted mid-air, and pressed his feet on the shoulder blade of the hellhound. He pressed the weapon down. It sliced through its neck with ease, reaping a deafening roar out of the creature's vocal cords. Almost as if it was rehearsed, a cascade of arrows fell down the sky, as if they were waiting for Aster to make an opening for them. Whitlock jumped out of the way, straight into the creek.
Then, the monster fell down. Aster watched as the body melted into shadow, soaking into the ground, but he couldn't hear a thing. Adrenaline was still buzzing inside of him, ringing in his ears. He couldn't even feel the coldness of the water he was sitting in.
He just killed a goddamned hellhound. A hellhound.
"You good?"
Someone helped him up, and didn't let go of his arm, afraid he would stumble back into the creek. He closed his eyes and took one big breath. Calm down, it's not the same as that time. Everyone is safe. They are safe. You did it.
"Yeah, 'm good, thanks Clarisse." He forced a smile on his lips and straightened his back. La Rue scanned his face for one more second, but apparently saw whatever she was searching for and backed away satisfied.
Someone was talking, no, arguing right next to him, but the only thing he could think of was Percy.
When Aster had finally located him, Annabeth was forcing him to step into the creek. However what he saw not even a blink of an eye later, left him with his mouth hanging wide open. The deep cuts left by the beast on Percy's chest were closing up, colors creeped back on his face, and his footing seemed steadier.
Percy, understandably as confused as every single person watching the miracle unravel, was blabbering excuses and apologies he himself had no idea what for.
"Percy," Aster said, pointing at something above. "Shut up, and look." Umber curls smacked his eyeballs, forced by the sudden turn of Aster's head. He shared a knowing look with Annabeth, who only now peeled her eyes off the fading, gleaming trident above Percy's head. "Holy shit, Sunshine... I think you jinxed him."
Percy darted his head upwards, catching just the glimpse of the hologram.
"Your father," Annabeth murmured. "This is really not good."
"It is determined," Chiron announced.
All around the boy, half-bloods started kneeling – one by one, each cabin fell on their knees, displaying their respects.
"My father?" Percy asked, completely bewildered. He peeped in Aster's direction, seeking any kind of comfort, but the only thing he was met with were those telling chocolate eyes, now cold and empty. Aster's tense silhouette stood still, looming over other campers.
Percy's heart sank to his stomach.
"Poseidon," boomed Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."
╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯
AUTHOR'S NOTE
The second chapter is here! Hope you enjoy!! Any feedback is welcome and appreciated, if you feel like more dialogue is needed or more content feel free to comment!
I wonder... why Mr. D hates Aster so much... that's weird...
Btw
The real story is just about to start, I'm really excited to explore more interactions between Percy and Aster, as of now they had little opportunity to get to know each other.
See you next update! <3