Book 3 - The Titans Curse
When the group finally returned to the camp they realized that Artemis and her maidens had disappeared. Thalia with them since she was the next lieutenant. Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Ayden had to go to the big house to tell Chiron what they had learned from their latest quest and debrief about her own.
"Ayden and I see you've finally returned," Chiron gave her a tight smile. "And tattooed?"
"Yeah, uh," She pulled her sleeves down. "I was training with them."
"What kind of training?" Chiron asked.
"Just some kinds of conjuring," Ayden didn't sit down as she looked around. "Mr. D still at Olympus?"
"Yes, why didn't you come back? We could have used you to go look for demigods." Chiron moved around his table looking out the stained glass window.
"I'm not entirely sure, they just seemed inviting and allowed me to stay." She scratched the back of her neck.
"They let you receive the marking and then you had to be trained didn't you?" He didn't even turn around to see her reaction.
"Yeah, that's exactly what happened?"
"Do you have any idea what those markings will do to you?" Chiron shook his head. Everyone seemed to be disappointed in her after she admitted to receiving the markings.
"Why are you summoning me?" Achlys walked in through the side door. She looked pissed off.
"I didn't," Ayden shook her head.
"Oh please, I can feel your sadness from the cabin, what's wrong with you? Why did you call me?" Ayden stood up and motioned for her to follow.
"We need to talk later!" Chiron yelled after her. Ayden was surprised to see the goddess follow her through camp. They got a few glances from other demigods, but most just went back to minding their own business. Ayden faced her when they got to the rocky shore.
"What did you do to me?" Ayden asked. She rolled up her sleeves exposing the brandings.
"What do you mean? We gave you access to our powers, it's what you wanted. Power." Achlys crossed her arms.
"What will it do to me? The price?" Achlys slowly smirked.
"Did you figure it out or did someone tell you?"
"What is going to happen?" Ayden stepped closer to the goddess.
"We don't know for sure, but either it will happen to you or your friends so don't worry you could be in the clear." Achlys chuckled a little. Ayden glared at her. "Don't try and look threatening little one, you have no weapons."
"I don't need weapons anymore." She looked down at the markings.
"If you're going to be difficult, I'll grab one of the others since we don't really like each other," Achlys looked around like she was bored.
"Did you lie to me?" Ayden asked. Her voice wavered slightly. She trusted them, it was naive of her. She was childish and now it had put her in a horrible position. "Did they all lie?"
"Oh god, don't cry," Achlys shook her head. Ayden's eyes burned, but she didn't want to cry. Not in front of Achlys.
"I won't and I don't want to talk-."
"Why did you call me?" Thalassa walked from the water's edge. Ayden felt a pain start in her chest. She pressed her palm to the pain trying to massage it away. "What's wrong?"
"You can handle her, she wants to know what we did to her," Achlys laughed as she disappeared into a mist. Ayden stared at Thalassa.
"What's going to happen?"
"Nothing is going to happen. Who told you-."
"What's going to happen? Is it to me, or my friends? Am I a danger to them?" Ayden's face broke for a moment as she took a deep breath. "What is the price I have to pay for this?" Thalassa looked at the ground. That was enough to tell Ayden she'd trusted the wrong people.
"We don't know for sure," Thalassa reasoned. "You are the first that took the markings."
"The first, what does that-." Ayden realized. "The people you wanted me to find, are they like me?" Thalassa nodded. "More conduits, right?" Ayden looked at the pebbles at her feet.
"They wouldn't take the marking since they didn't know what the price would be for sharing such a power, but Ayden you have to understand that we would do anything to protect you." Thalassa stepped forward as Ayden stepped back. She didn't know how many more lies she could take before she broke.
"What is the consequence?"
"It could be many things, with your age, and your powers-."
"Thalassa!" Ayden clenched her hands. "Don't lie to me."
"You aren't a god so it could take time off your life, it could doom you for eternity, you could be killed by the use of all the magic, you could lose control, people around you could get hurt, it could be anything Ayden," Thalassa stepped forward. "That's why we've been training you. That's why we've been taking care of you. We won't let anything happen to you, I promise." Ayden shook her head. She was betrayed, again. "Ayden, understand."
"I could hurt my friends." She felt so stupid.
"We don't know for-."
"But there's a chance," Ayden pressed her hand to her chest as a tear slid down her cheek. "All I want to do is save them and I can't do that if I'm going to hurt them."
"You have control, you know you have control." Thalassa assured her. Her eyes were listening as well as she watched the girl in front of her fall apart.
"Are you using me, is that why you protect me cause I'm the guinea pig?" Ayden asked. She tried to not let it hurt as much as it did. She thought these people truly cared for her, but to them, she was just an experiment. "It was all fake."
"No," Thalassa shook her head. "No Ayden, it wasn't fake-."
"Then why didn't you tell me before." Thalassa gave her a sad smile.
"You needed help, you needed support and power. You need protection and guidance you wouldn't have let us give that to you if you knew the truth," Thalassa reached out, but Ayden pushed her hands away. A tear of blood fell from her eye.
"You're just protecting your experiment," Ayden shook her head. She laughed a little as she wiped the tear away. It left a smear of blood on her face. "I get it. I get it now."
"That's not true," Thalassa shook her head. "Ayden, we care for you."
"Please don't," Ayden shook her head. She waved her hands in the air and stepped back. "I'm so tired. I'm so tired of this feeling and I just want it to go away."
"You need to know that people are trying to take care of you."
"I've taken care of myself for most of my life. I will continue to do so. You succeeded in protecting me and giving me enough power to kill anyone I want, thank you." Percy came through the woods and saw the two talking. He could see the way Thalassa's eyes watered as she stood defeated in front of the young girl.
"You aren't just someone, we care for you," Thalassa moved her hair. "Look," She smiled. "We've got matching piercings." She stepped toward Ayden again, but the girl put her hand up keeping the goddess a good distance away.
"It wasn't real," Ayden shook her head. "You lied to me."
"Ayden, come on, please," Thalassa moved forward as Ayden stepped back.
"Go away."
"What?" The goddess stopped.
"Go back to the cabin."
"Are you-you're not coming with me? We aren't going home?"
"I don't have a home anymore," Ayden shook her head. "I don't belong anywhere anymore." Percy moved closer to the pair letting Ayden know he was there. She took a deep breath wiping at her cheeks. She didn't want to look weak. "Go home."
"Ayden, please-."
"You lied to me," Ayden shook her head. "I can't-this was a lie. It was fake, I'm not a friend. I'm your responsibility."
"Okay, sure if you look at it that way, but we do care for you. Please Ayden, you're a part of our family. We even had a Christmas for you." More tears dripped from Ayden's eyes.
"Thalassa, I think you should leave her alone." Percy intervened.
"I don't want to see any of you again." Ayden shook her head. She tried to wipe the blood away, but it only smeared on her cheeks.
"Ayden-."
"Now!" She yelled at her. Thalassa disappeared in a cloud of rain. She covered her face trying to hide from Percy. He touched her shoulder as he hugged her. She shoved him back. "Don't," She blinked several times. Her hands had blood on them already "Don't, I'll get blood on you."
"I don't care." He stared at her. His hand moved up and wiped another bloody tear from her cheek.
"Percy," Her voice broke a little as he pulled her to his chest. His hand tangled in her hair as he held her close to him. His heart was beating against his chest as he felt her relax in his grasp. "I'm so confused."
"We can figure it out."
"I'm lost."
"I'll lead you back."
"I don't know what to think." She leaned back and looked up at him. He tucked her hair behind her ear.
"Then stop. We can figure this all out later it doesn't have to be now," He leaned his forehead against hers as they both closed their eyes for a minute. "We can figure it out, Ayden."
"Together?" She whispered. Percy opened his eyes and wiped another bloody tear away from her eyes.
"Together." He smiled.
"Are you going to leave me too?" Her chin wobbled slightly as she let out a short breath. Percy cupped her cheeks and shook his head.
"I don't ever want you to leave my side again Ayden. After losing you once, I'm never letting it happen again." Ayden smiled slightly she kissed his cheek and then hugged him once more.
"Thank you." Percy's heart shattered when he heard the way her voice wavered.
He went to look for Ayden after learning that Nico was a child of the big three, but after finding her like this. He wanted to get her opinion on everything, but after he saw Thalassa and her. He realized they could have that conversation another time. For now, he would just be here with her. Her body went limp as he knelt on the ground with her pulled close to his chest.
"Ayden," Her eyes were closed as her head fell limply to the side. "Ayden!" He shook her slightly, but she didn't come to.
"What happened with Nico?" Grover walked from the path. He saw Percy on the ground holding Ayden's unconscious body. "Is that-." He ran over to his side. "What happened?"
"I don't know. Help me get her to the infirmary." Percy and Grover picked her up limp body up.