[ chapter eight: hermia ]
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Unlike Mia who did believe Jason's dad was Zeus, the rest of the camp wasn't so sure. Everything broke into chaos, with dozens of people asking questions until Annabeth raised her arms.
"Hold it!" she said. "How can he be the son of Zeus? The Big Three ... their pact not to have mortal kids ... how could we not have known about him sooner?"
Chiron didn't answer the question, but suddenly he was looking at Hermia as if expecting her to say something. Which she didn't. "He isn't just the only one."
"What are talking about?" Asked Annabeth while casting a glance at Hermia. Mia didn't bother to gaze back at the blonde, but she could feel her eyes on the side of her face.
Chiron held his hand up toward her. "Hermia, if you please."
Hermia didn't know what he was talking about. It wasn't like her witch powers had any connection to her father. Her mother was a witch, her father on the other hand, she didn't know.
Jason glanced at Mia and watched her standing there in confusion. With a shaky breath he walked up to her and said, "Jusy try what you did earlier."
"What?" Mia furrowed her eyebrows. She didn't understand why Jason had said that. If she remembered correctly, all she did was use her magic. But the way Jason was staring at her made Mia believe that wasn't what he meant.
After thinking it over Mia remembered one part of earlier that had been weird. But because her witch powers have had a history of messing with the weather she didn't think anything of it. Water? She thought in question. Why would I be able to control water? After a moment all the pieces fell together and everything became clear. And there was one name she couldn't get out of her head. Poseidon.
But no, that couldn't be true. How could she be the daughter of the god of the sea. It didn't make sense to her. Suddenly as if sensing her doubt, part of the lake rose to an unbelievable height. Everyone stared in awe as they watched the wave that would never come. And just like that it was gone. Hermia was left drenched, with a blue trident floating above her head.
"She's a daughter of Poseidon?" Some kid yelled in question.
"And Percy's sister." Annabeth said as she watched Hermia closely. Beside her Jason had just walked up to her with a blanket. How she didn't notice he left to grab it is news to her. But than she felt the warm blanket around her shoulders and Jason's warm hand rubbing up and down her back. Mia smiled back at him in thanks while he stood beside her with a smile matching her own.
Their little moment was cut off when the camp broke out in another chaos. But thanks to Rachel everyone had soon gotten quite. "The important thing," Rachel said, "is that Jason's here now. He has a quest to fulfill, which means he will need his own prophecy."
She closed her eyes and swooned. Mia watched in confusion as two campers rushed forward and caught her. A third ran to the side of the amphitheater and grabbed a bronze three-legged stool, like they'd been trained for this duty. They eased Rachel onto the stool in front of the ruined hearth. Without the fire, the night was dark, but green mist started swirling around Rachel's feet. When she opened her eyes, they were glowing. Emerald smoke issued from her mouth. The voice that came out was raspy and ancient-the sound a snake would make if it could talk:
"Child of lightning, beware the earth, the child of magic holds the key, to freedom or perish the heart must fall, The giants' revenge the eight shall birth, The forge and dove shall break the cage, And death unleash through Hera's rage."
On the last word, Rachel collapsed, but her helpers were waiting to catch her. They carried her away from the hearth and laid her in the corner to rest.
Meanwhile Hermia was left with even more questions. Now that she had heard the prophecy Mia truly believed she was part of this quest. But she just didn't understand in what way.
"Is that normal?" Mia heard Piper asked. As Hermia looked up she noticed Piper still standing by the back. "I mean... does she spew green smoke a lot?"
"Gods, you're dense!" Drew sneered. "She just issued a prophecy-Jason's prophecy to save Hera! Why don't you just-" Hermia couldn't help but roll her eyes at this girl.
"Drew," Annabeth snapped. "Piper asked a fair question. Something about that prophecy definitely isn't normal. If breaking Hera's cage unleashes her rage and causes a bunch of death ... why would we free her? It might be a trap, or-or maybe Hera will turn on her rescuers. She's never been kind to heroes."
Jason let go of Hermia and stood in front of her to speak. "I don't have much choice. Hera took my memory. I need it back. Besides, we can't just not help the queen of the heavens if she's in trouble."
A girl from Hephaestus cabin stood up it was Hermia had realized it was Nyssa. "Maybe. But you should listen to Annabeth. Hera can be vengeful. She threw her own son-our dad-down a mountain just because he was ugly."
"Real ugly," snickered someone from Aphrodite.
"Shut up!" Nyssa growled. "Anyway, we've also got to think -why beware the earth? And what's the giants' revenge? Or what key and who's magic are we dealing with? Who's heart will have to decide if we're free or we die? What are we dealing with here that's powerful enough to kidnap the queen of the heavens?"
No one answered, but Mia couldn't help and think about everything Nyssa had said. As she glanced up she caught sight of Annabeth and Chiron having a silent exchange. Mia thought it went something like:
Annabeth: The giants' revenge ... no, it can't be.
Chiron: Don't speak of it here. Don't scare them.
Annabeth: You're kidding me! We can't be that unlucky.
Chiron: Later, child. If you told them everything, they would be too terrified to proceed.
Hermia knew it was crazy to think she could read their expressions. But she was absolutely positive she understood them, and it scared the hell out of her.
Annabeth took a deep breath. "It's Jason's quest," she announced, "so it's Jason's choice. Obviously, he's the child of lightning. According to tradition, he may choose any two companions." She than turned to Mia and said, "But the prophecy also mentions magic, so that means you are part of the quest as well, Hermia"
Mia shook her head. "How do you even know I'm the one in the prophecy. It says magic, but I'm sure there's others out there who have magic powers."
"Well, do you see any of them here? No, because you're the only Demigod who's half witch. The prophecy is obviously talking about you." Sadly Mia knew Annabeth was right.
Before Hermia could even say anything else someone from the Hermes cabin yelled, "Well, obviously, Annabeth you could be the other person. You've got the most experience."
"No, Travis," Annabeth said. "First off, I'm not helping Hera. Every time I've tried, she's deceived me, or it's come back to bite me later. Forget it. No way. Secondly, I'm leaving first thing in the morning to find Percy with Helena."
"It's connected," Mia heard Piper say. "You know that's true, don't you? This whole business, your friends' boyfriend's disappearance-it's all connected."
"How?" demanded Drew. "If you're so smart, how?"
Mia could see Piper tried to form an answer, but she couldn't. Annabeth however saved her. "You may be right, Piper. If this is connected, We'll find out from the other end-by searching for Percy. As I said, I'm not about to rush off to rescue Hera, even if her disappearance sets the rest of the Olympians fighting again. But there's another reason I can't go. The prophecy says otherwise."
"It says who I pick," Jason agreed. "The forge and dove shall break the cage. The forge is the symbol of Vul-Hephaestus."
Hermia gazed back to where Leo was and saw Nyssa's shoulders slumped, like she'd just been given a heavy anvil to carry. "If you have to beware the earth," she said, "you should avoid traveling overland. You'll need air transport."
Mia listened quietly as she wrapped the blanket tightly around her shoulders. "The flying chariot's broken," Nyssa continued, "and the pegasi, we're using them to search for Percy. But maybe Hephaestus cabin can help figure out something else to help. With Jake incapacitated, I'm senior camper. I can volunteer for the quest."
Hermia could tell she didn't sound enthusiastic. But then Leo stood up and Mia found herself sending the boy a smile. He'd been so quiet, Mia had forgotten he was there.
"It's me," he said which made sense to Mia. But his cabinmates stirred. Several tried to pull him back to his seat, but Leo resisted.
"No, it's me. I know it is. I've got an idea for the transportation problem. Let me try. I can fix this!"
Mia watched Jason study Leo for a moment. Mia even thought he was going to tell Leo no. But then he smiled. "We started this together, Leo. Seems only right you come along. You find us a ride, you're in."
"Yes!" Leo pumped his fist which made Hermia let out a giggle. Jason casted her a glance and noticed how quickly she had covered her smile.
"It'll be dangerous," Nyssa warned him. "Hardship, monsters, terrible suffering. Possibly none of you will come back alive."
"Oh." Suddenly Leo didn't look so excited. Then he remembered everyone was watching. "I mean ... Oh, cool! Suffering? I love suffering! Let's do this." Mia rolled her eyes in a playful manner, but didn't bother saying anything.
Annabeth nodded. "Then, Jason, you only need to choose the fourth quest member. The dove-"
"Oh, absolutely!" Drew was on her feet and flashing Jason a smile. Hermia sighed in annoyance as she sat back down. "The dove is Aphrodite. Everybody knows that. I am totally yours."
Hermia was to busy staring at the fire to notice Piper had stepped forward. "No." Mia turned her head once she heard that.
Drew rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Dumpster girl. Back off."
"I had the vision of Hera; not you. I have to do this."
"Anyone can have a vision," Drew said which made Hermia roll her eyes. "You were just at the right place at the right time." She turned to Jason. "Look, fighting is all fine, I suppose. And people who build things ..." She looked at Leo in disdain. "Well, I suppose someone has to get their hands dirty." Then she looked at Mia and smiled. "Spending time with a witch will be fun, but I'm not sure she knows how to fight." Mia stood up quickly and was about to chant a spell to light Drew on fire. But suddenly Jason was by her side, telling her to stay calm. Which she did, surprisingly.
Drew of course was unfazed and continued, "But you need charm on your side. I can be very persuasive. I could help a lot."
The campers started murmuring about how Drew was pretty persuasive. Sadly Hermia could see Drew winning them over. Even Chiron was scratching his beard, like Drew's participation suddenly made sense to him.
"Well ..." Annabeth said. "Given the wording of the prophecy-"
"No! I'm supposed to go." By this point Mia just wanted to leave and find a quiet place to think. Sleep wasn't something she wanted to do ever again. Mia was afraid that if she closed her eyes she wouldn't wake up again. Or worse wake up in the dark room from the Labyrinth.
Hermia was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Piper get covered in a reddish glow. "What?" Piper demanded as Mia looked over at her.
Piper was waring a dress. It was a beautiful white sleeveless gown that went down to her ankles. Delicate gold armbands circled her biceps. An intricate necklace of amber, coral, and gold flowers glittered on her chest, and her hair...
Hermia loved the gown but she knew Piper wasn't so happy about it. "Oh, god," she said. "What's happened?" A stunned Annabeth pointed at something on Piper's side. Mia didn't know what it was but she could see it hanging from the side on a golden cord.
Hermia thought she looked great and someone beside her thought so as well. Next to her Mia was able to hear, "Beautiful," Jason exclaimed. "Piper, you ... you're a knockout."
Hermia smiled at the two, but soon noticed how uncomfortable Piper was because everyone was staring at her. When she casted a glance at Drew she saw her face was full of horror and revulsion. "No!" she cried. "Not possible!"
"This isn't me," Piper protested. "I-don't understand."
Chiron the centaur folded his front legs and bowed to her, and all the campers followed his example. Mia however just watched and wondered if everyone had gone crazy.
"Hail, Piper McLean," Chiron announced gravely, as if he were speaking at her funeral. "Daughter of Aphrodite, lady of the doves, goddess of love."
° • ° • °
After Piper's makeover Hermia didn't bother staying any longer. She'd seen and heard enough. On her way back to the lake she couldn't help but think back to the moment she found out who her father was. Know that everything was quite, she could finally put together the pieces of her life.
In the past, she didn't just have to deal with her witch powers. Now that she thought about it, her powers with water had always been there. The only difference was that back then, magic had her fill attention. Now it's probably gonna be both. But deep down there was a part of Mia that wanted her old life back. The life she had with her brother and Lysander. It was a simple life and she never had to worry about monsters trying to kill her.
As Mia reached the lake she decided to sit by the shore to watch the calm waves. Everything was so quiet and she loved it. After everything that happened that morning, she was happy to get this moment of alone time.
But again all she could think about was Demetrius and Lysander. They've been on her mind all day and now more than ever she was missing them. Gaea had said that Mia was asleep for 138 years. But did that mean they were dead? No, she didn't want to believe that. Hermia new her brother and boyfriend would have done everything to find her.
But if they were dead and they died without finding her, Mia would never forgive herself. Lysander and Demetrius lost her because Mia had used black magic. She knew it was her fault that both boys never saw her again. It's her fault that she will never get to see them again.
The realization of this broke her heart, again. She didn't even fight to keep her tears away. "It's my fault." She kept saying over and over. "It's my fault!" Her sobs were the only thing besides the waves and her voice that could be heard. She didn't bother hiding because she didn't think anyone would come looking for her. But someone did.
Hermia didn't notice the footsteps getting closer, nor did she care. At the moment she was just letting her emotions out. "Hermia?" Mia raised her head up weakly and saw Jason standing beside her. "Are you okay?"
Mia just shook her head and wrapped the blanket tighter around her shoulders. Jason sighed as he sat beside Mia. He then reached up and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Hermia surprisingly leaned her head on his shoulder as more tears escaped her eyes.
"When I saw you leave, I figured I'd find you here again." He paused as he rubbed her arm gently. "I guess because your Neptune's-Poseidon's daughter that means your safe haven is the water."
Mia let herself smile as she leaned up. Jason watched her carefully as if expecting her to break down again. But she didn't, not for now anyway. "Do you want to tell why your crying your eyes out and saying 'it's your fault?'"
Mia sighed as she finally let herself gaze into Jason's electric blue eyes. He really did have the most beautiful pear of blue eyes, but they just weren't a hazel color. "I was just-um- thinking about my brother..." she paused while she felt more tears fill her eyes. "And my boyfriend."
Jason nodded but didn't say a word for a moment. He just stared off into the distance. Mia wish she could know what he was thinking, but then she shook her head and looked away.
"You can talk about them, you know. If you want, I'll listen." Mia smiled in thanks while he smiled back with a nod.
"Thank you, Jason. But you already know how I got in this mess. What else do you want to know?"
"Anything. I can tell you need to talk about it. Besides I heard Chiron's version, not yours."
Mia shook her head. She didn't want to relive the moment when she lost everything. She didn't want to tell Jason anything, he had already heard enough. "Maybe some other time." Jason looked disappointed, but didn't say anything. Mia smiled weakly while saying, "I just don't want to talk about Lysander and Demetrius anymore or I'll break down crying again."
That wasn't a total lie. Mia knew if she thought about them again then she would definitely be crying again. But some part of her knew she would never have to tell Jason anything.
Jason nodded in understanding while removing his arm from around her. He then stood up and held his hand out for her to take. "Come on, I think it's time for you and I to get some shut eye."
I'm so proud of myself for publishing more chapters! I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far because I really enjoy writing it.
I have so much planned, but I also have so much unplanned so I hope you all stay with my series because I plan to write all four books. Which includes Lost Hero (this book), Mark of Athena, House of Hades, and Blood of Olympus.
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Thank you for reading!♡
Ps. I'm thinking of having a updating schedule once I have some chapters written. I'll let you guys know when that day is once I get some chapters finished.