Warning: This chapter contains some mildly descriptive depictions of graphic violence, and descriptions of a body. Read with caution!
The demigod's name was Siobhan Phelan. She was a daughter of Tyche, which Aster thought was incredibly ironic given the circumstances. But just like Jenny, Caleb and Riley, Aster had never met the girl. Staring at an old school picture of her pinned to the board, Aster felt something akin to rage boiling up inside her. But bigger than this rage was the guilt she felt. She was confident at this point that she was the real target, but still, innocent demigods were dying. It wasn't fair, but then again, when has anything ever been fair for them?
She didn't bring this up to the agents sitting around the room with her. They would likely assume the want for a confrontation with this thing was a suicide wish.
After Aster had informed everyone that Siobhan had been found dead only a few paces from Camp Half-Bloods border, chaos had ensued. The team was ready to pack up and fly to New York immediately, but Aster managed to talk them down.
Siobhan had been discovered by a group of demigods on patrol, not by the police. This meant the team had no official records of Siobhan's murder, and Aster thought it best to keep it that way for now. If the team went to investigate, then mortal police would have to be involved. And with the crime scene being that close to Camp, it was way too risky.
So they went back to the previous conversation of where they would set up the base of operations for the joint demigod-BAU investigation. They decided Penelope's apartment would be best. After she was shot, she moved to a more secure and heavily monitored apartment complex, so it was less likely for the unsub to try anything there. Also if they worked at Penelope's, the technical analyst wouldn't have to worry about moving around her tech set up.
They had made the decision pretty quickly, which was great, but Aster only realized the team fully intended to pack up in the middle of the day and head to Penelope's once they went back to their desks. Standing in the bullpen, Aster stared at them bewildered for a few moments.
"You guys realize you still have half a work day to get through before you guys can go home right? You can't just.. leave." Clearly, Aster thought, they had forgotten that as far as the FBI was concerned, they hadn't had any updates on this case. If the entire team left, it would defeat the point of trying to make people not suspicious.
They all looked at each other, realizing that both Hotch and Rossi were back in their offices and didn't look as though they would be leaving them. Slowly, they began to unpack and sit down.
"But what are we supposed to do? Nothing?" Spencer asked, not loving the idea.
"Do your job, it's not like you're lacking other things to do. I already talked to dad, Nico and I are going to do some preliminary investigating at camp and then meet you guys at Penny's at 5. See you guys then." Aster told them, waving as she walked towards the glass doors of the office.
That was how Aster found herself staring at a photo of Siobhan Phelan, her headshot last in line right after Caleb Blackwoods. It was now 5:25 pm in Penelope's apartment, and the team had just finished setting up the usual case board on Penelope's pink sparkly former vision board.
In a weird way, staring at her photo was harder than staring at her body. Aster had seen plenty of dead people, and while it never got easier, the dead were the dead. An empty shell of who the person used to be. But Siobhan's eyes in her photo were full of life, as bright as her smile. It was easy to envision the future she could have had when she looked like that.
Her horribly depressing thoughts were interrupted by Nico, who upon seeing the agents had finished putting everything together, went to stand in front of everyone.
"I'm not too good at this profiling thing, so I'm going to leave all the assumptions about this new location up to everybody else. However, Aster and I did find something of interest on Siobhan's body." The boy began.
"Hold on, you and Aster examined the body?" Prentiss asked, alarmed.
"Well not just us, obviously. We don't exactly have a coroner on hand at camp, but one of the Apollo kids has a weird interest in mortuary sciences, so they helped us out. Not like we needed a medical professional to help us figure out what it was anyways." Aster said, thinking back in disgust to what her and Nico had been doing earlier in the day.
"Anyways, we didn't have a digital camera, so here." Nico began passing out polaroid pictures to the team, watching grimly as a few of them recoiled.
The polaroid camera had been generously donated by an Aphrodite camper who liked to take cute photos and hang them on his mood board, so the border of the polaroids alternated from blue glitter, to cutesy pink hearts, to little yellow smiley faces. The picture itself was all the same, that being the mutilated body of Siobhan Phelan. Eat your heart out, pinterest.
Aster was holding some of the evidence photos Nico and her took at camp, but her dad quickly took them out of her hand. He clearly wasn't happy with the fact that Aster was so involved. That, and the fact that the "autopsy" was done by literal teenagers and not a medical examiner. Honestly just that fact that another victim was found but no official police records were made was enough to give him grey hair.
The pictures were so disturbing because of what was carved onto Siobhan's back. It looked as though the unsub had taken a knife and carved the image of two swords crossed under a set of scales.
"The symbol of Nemesis," Aster told them, "the goddess of balance, retribution, and vengeance. Also, she happens to be my half-sister."
"This is a substantial lead, it means the unsub is trying to reach out to us. Send us a message." Spencer told the demigods, who were nodding.
"Yeah, but what message is that? Is it a Nemesis camper doing this? That feels way too obvious." Morgan spoke up, still examining the polaroid in his hand.
Nico and Aster looked at each other, the confusion and dismay clear on both of their faces. Recent demigod history with Nemesis was complicated, especially after Nico and Will's recent trip to Tartarus and their encounter with Nyx and her children.
(author's note: Yes I'm referring to The Sun and The Star here, but I have never read The Trials of Apollo. I'm pretending that it never happened, Jason is alive, Leo is still back ofc, and we're gonna ignore the large amounts of plot holes this is gonna rip open. My mind is not large enough to fix all of them, pls don't be upset. If something sticks out that contradicts something I've already said, feel free to comment and I'll do my best to go and fix it)
Aaron looked towards his daughter. "We've already established that it's not a claimed demigod from camp, I don't believe this changes that. Aster, Nico, do you two think it's possible that this could be an unclaimed demigod? If Nemesis is the goddess of vengeance, perhaps you can think of someone who might feel as though they've been wronged by you, Aster."
He didn't mean to sound accusing, but Aster felt defensive anyways. "I don't think I've wronged anyone recently, dad. If I have, I certainly don't have a recollection of it. I guess it's possible I could have done something without realizing it."
"I still don't think it was a demigod. Why would they have to track Aster's movements in the shadows to find out where camp is if they were? And let's not forget that their victims are still random. They don't actually know Aster." Nico said, regrettably. He wished that he had an actual theory, rather than just contradictions for someone else's. He was tired of burning funeral shrouds, they all were.
He was right though. It was no coincidence that someone was murdered right outside of camp the day after Aster visited. They knew the unsub was watching Aster, it had appeared to her at Rossi's after all, and clearly it was getting help from Aster's mother. The unsub was likely able to track Aster while she shadow travelled. The thought gave Aster chills, as now her only reliable means of escape should she need it was useless.
"Is it possible that Nemesis herself is involved? Aster is being specifically targeted, that much is certain, and clearly this is now some kind of revenge. With Nemesis technically being her half-sister, it could be possible that she's directly involved. Do you have any history with her?" This line of questioning came from Prentiss this time.
Nico and Aster shifted uncomfortably before Aster began to answer. "I mean, yeah, we do. But we should really stop using her name so much, names are powerful and we don't want to catch any unwanted attention-"
"Too late."
Immediately, the agents were on their feet, with hands on their weapons, facing the figure that just appeared in Penelope's open concept kitchen. Penelope herself, albeit slightly terrified and completely weaponless, found herself standing with her team and jumping in front of the teens on instinct.
In the kitchen, a woman with golden eyes was smirking at the group. Nico sucked in a breath, before turning to Aster, checking to see if she was also seeing who he was seeing. She was.
"Uh, dad, why don't you all sit back down."
"Yes, why don't you listen to your daughter, Aaron Hotchner. We have a lot to talk about, her and I." Nemesis spoke, walking further into the room.
None of the agents were listening, because none of the agents were looking at Nemesis. Prentiss was staring into the face of Ian Doyle, Spencer was seeing Cat Adams, and Aaron was looking into the face of the goddess he had met one fateful night so long ago. The only person who wasn't seeing someone they wanted vengeance on was the demigods and Penelope. Penelope was much too kind hearted to want revenge on anyone.
"Whoever you're seeing right now isn't actually here. Look closer, see past the illusion. This is Nemesis, goddess of vengeance. She takes the form of the person you want vengeance against most." Nico's warning snapped most of the agents out of their fear induced hazes, but Aaron remained staring.
Revenge? He thought. Do I really want revenge against my daughter's mother?
But it made sense. Aaron resented the fact that his daughter had a mother who made her feel so unloved, that was the reason behind some of her suffering. To be honest, he did want Nyx to suffer in the way Aster had. The intensity of this thought struck him, but he supposed it wasn't as bad to wish pain for a being that literally could never die.
Penelope spoke up confused. "But.. I've never seen that lady before in my life."
"A mortal who has no want for revenge? For compensation? That's rare." The goddess spoke, looking at Penny with curiosity shining in her golden eyes.
No one on the team seemed shocked by that, but they were too uncertain about the literal goddess in the apartment to pay much attention. No, they were all staring intently at her, trying to "see past the illusion", as Nico put it. It didn't take long, as with Aster's manipulation of the mist they had easier times seeing past illusions than most. Slowly, the curly black hair, golden eyes, and red leather jacket came into view. The only thing marking her as something possibly not mortal was her distinct eyes.
Certainly not what any of them expected a goddess to look like, except Aaron. He already knew how deceptively human they could look.
Aaron completely ignored the interaction between the goddess and Penelope, instead addressing what Nemesis had said about Aster. "What do you mean you have business with my daughter? Do you know who's responsible for the murders?"
"This isn't an interrogation, mortal. I've come to warn her."
Warn her? Aster knew this was getting into dangerous territory. Nemesis was brutal, but fair. But Aster knew she was all about balance, and she hadn't done Nemesis any favors recently. Which means that Nemesis probably wanted something in return. If she were smart, she would tell Nemesis that she didn't want any warnings, favors or deals, and to please leave them the hell alone. Instead..
"Can you tell me why mother is doing this? And why now?" Aster inquired.
"You probably won't like the first part of that answer." Nemesis told her, with a look of vague pity that looked odd on her usually haughty face,
"I didn't think I would." Aster replied.
"Do you know why our mother has never had a demigod child before you?" Nemesis wasn't really looking for an answer, and so she didn't wait for one. "She considers it a weakness. All us gods go about galavanting with mortals, creating a million little demigods, that we then are forced to depend on to save our asses. She considers herself above it. Maybe she's not wrong. Maybe she's afraid like Zeus was, and Kronos before him. And you, you were a moment of weakness. Of madness maybe. When you're alive as long as she is, it's bound to happen once in a while, I suppose."
"So then why did she even have me in the first place? Surely it wouldn't have been hard for her to-"
"Stop interrupting me."
"Right. My bad." Aster was rolling her eyes.
"I don't know why she birthed you, and I never bothered to ask. But then she gave you to me."
Aster's eyes widened in shock at Nemesis's words. Not where she was expecting this to go. But she was curious as to where this was going.
The goddess began speaking again, with a hint of gentleness in her voice that neither Nico nor Aster could ever imagine it having. It couldn't be perceived as a soft or gentle voice by any means, but still.
"She told me to get rid of you. But she didn't specify how. I'm sure she expected me to drop you off in one of the plains of Tartarus and let some monster pick you off. Or perhaps take a page out of Her Majesty's book and chuck you off the top of her mansion." The goddess paused when she saw Aaron take a step backwards. His fists were clenched tightly in anger, and his head was turned away as if in shame. Aster saw this as well, and reached over to him to grip his hand. She squeezed it tightly, and he squeezed back.
"I didn't do it, obviously." The goddess continued. "I am the bringer of vengeance and balance, and what balance would killing a newborn bring? You had committed no crime. So I defied my mother, and I left you where the mortals would find you."
But Nemesis wasn't done yet, no, she had an incredibly long amount of exposition to get through. Buckle up, kids.
"But I made a mistake. I didn't kill you because I was not going to harm a being that hadn't even had a chance to bring about a cause for their retribution. You were as innocent as innocent could be. And I left you in the hands of mortals, and you suffered in their care. Therefore, creating a debt before you were even able to open your eyes."
Aster was about to say something, but she didn't know what. Was she going to reassure the literal goddess that, what, it wasn't her fault? Aster knew that whatever Nemesis felt she owed her was not out of guilt, but out of her ridiculously strict sense of honour. She didn't think Nemesis was exactly beating herself up over this for the last 17 years.
Instead, she settled on, "It was better than being dead. We don't owe each other anything."
It didn't matter if Nemesis was playing nice right now, she was still a goddess and her niceness could change in an instant. It was better to stop whatever this was now, even if the goddess thought she was helping.
"You may believe that. But this is the reason why you are being hunted now. You grew in your power, became substantial. Worst of all, you became happy. And now mother wants you dead. I want this settled. So here it is. The mortal trying to kill you is one you already know. You were right in the belief that they have aligned with Nyx. I suppose Nyx saw the hate in the mortals' hearts and decided it was the best way to make you suffer." Nemesis moved to stand almost directly in front of Aster, Penelope having long since moved to stand by Derek, and her father gripped her hand tighter.
"I won't tell you who it is. But you know how to figure it out. Remember my son, Aster. That is all you need to find your demon. That, and perhaps some of that fancy mortal technology. Consider my debt paid, sister." The goddess concluded her monologue, and then she began to glow. Aster took a startled step back, just barely registering Nico's startled "everybody close your eyes!". She hid her head in her father's chest, half-hazardly throwing her hand up to cover his eyes. She felt more than saw the flash of light, and the heard Spencer's weak, "She's gone."
Aster opened her eyes to find that Spencer was right, it was like the goddess was never there.
"What the hell just happened." Rossi was the first to break the silence, and his comment made Nico let out a bitter chuckle.
"You just survived your first god, congratulations. And she might be one of the nicer ones." The son of Hades said, ruefully. "At least she wasn't as vague as the Oracle usually is."
"Wasn't vague?" Questioned Prentiss, bitterly. "She didn't give us a single name! She- she spilled a deeply personal story, told Aster that she knows the person, and to try harder to remember. That wasn't exactly helpful."
But Aaron sent her a glare, and slowly brought his hands to Aster's shoulders. He pulled her back from her chest, and looked at her with eyes filled with worry. "Aster," he began gently, "do you know what she was talking about? Do you know what lead we have to chase?"
Aster took a shuddering breath. "Yes, I do. Her son, the one she wants me to remember. His name was Ethan Nakamura."
I am so sorry this took so long. I had plans to finish it a lot sooner but then life kind of exploded. A long series of events led to me needing a passport, and anyways, Service Canada is where dreams go to die. I spent most of the day I had allotted in my schedule to write this crying over government documents and paperwork. It's rough out here.