𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥 - Chapter 1 - salemwitches - Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2024)

Chapter Text

Saturday

✰✰✰

The sun had barely risen when I got the call, there was no daylight in the sky as I looked at the floor-length window. It was still dark, the sky black-blue, dotted with white, hot stars above, shining down on us. It was beautiful, I wished I had my canvas, paint, and paintbrushes to paint this scene before me and capture it forever. I sighed softly, sinking further into the silk sheets and overly comfortable mattress.

I admired the night sky, until I was interrupted by my phone. It rang two more times before I answered. My voice groggy and strained as I spoke, “Hello? Who is this?”

I looked over at the alarm clock, it read 2:45 in the morning. I held back a sigh, not wanting to sound rude to the other person on the line. I dragged a hand over my face, trying to rub away the tiredness from my face, to look and feel at least a little bit presentable, even though nobody is awake in the room.

”Hello, is this Amira Castellan?” A smooth woman’s voice came through the phone, clearing the thoughts rummaging through my head. I could tell that she was a professional, in either therapy, at a funeral home or hospital. I was silent for a few moments, waiting for something to happen, if it was going to happen.

”Yes ma’am. I am Amira Castellan.” I paused at the end of my sentence. The woman was nice enough for me to finish my sentence and to not interrupt me. “Did something happen?”

I stayed quiet for a long time, ten minutes passed as I waited for her answer. I could hear the shuffling of papers and the clicking of keys on a computer in the background. After 20 minutes, she spoke into the phone, her voice clear and loud. I thought she would wake up the man next to me with that voice. I looked over at him for a moment, seeing that he was still asleep. I sighed great fully as I stared at him, I reached over, ruffling his silky smooth hair.

”Today at 2:30 am, May Castellan died in Northern Westport Medical Hospital.” The woman, a nurse, paused, as if she could not find the right words that would suit what she was about to say. “Your mother’s C.O.D. was a little more unusual than any disease or illness.”

I paused at that, I was not ready to hear that my mother, the one person who hurt me more than anyone in my life. She was dead. I could almost laugh, but at the same time I wanted to cry into the pillow. Tears brimmed my eyes, but they never fell, almost like something was stopping them from flowing, and me from crying.

I smiled at him, giving him something that I did not know about anyone besides my older brother. My older brother, Luke. He was the only person that cared for me as a baby, despite Luke running away when he was nine, and I was three. I always blamed my mother for making Luke run away, with her crazy predictions about his future. But Luke had always said that his father, Hermes, the God of trade, wealth, luck, fertility, animal husbandry, sleep, language, thieves, and travel. He blamed Hermes for the way that our mother is, he said to me one night, "My father convinced our mother to go to the camp he always talked about, to go into this really big house, and talk to the Oracle. She came out changed that day, that also happened to be the day that he left us. I will blame him for the rest of my life." That was the only time in my life that Luke's voice had turned cold, and it was scary.

I shook my head, throwing out those thoughts. I had not seen him in these past twenty-four years, I did not know whether he died or is still alive.

A trembling sigh came out of my mouth, tears watering in my eyes at the thought of him. I pushed them down, letting the nurse on the other side of the phone to speak. “Miss Castellan, your mother died due to asphyxiation.” The nurse paused, as if something spontaneous would happen at this moment. When nothing did, she continued. “Your mother was suffocated in her sleep, your mother was murdered.”

Once I was calm, I gripped my phone even tighter in my hand before speaking, “Thank you for telling me, about my mother..” It was hard to find words that seemed right to stay in this moment. I was never close to my mother, not after what she put me through my childhood and as a teenager. May’s death is affecting me more than I would like to admit.

I tuned out everything. I felt numb as I barely tugged on his hair, and massaged his scalp. He relaxed against me even more.

”Miss Castellan, if you wish to have a funeral for your mother, please contact me in two weeks to a month before the date you wish for the funeral.” The nurse paused, waiting for me to say something, but when I did not, she continued. “If you do not want this, and want to cremate her, let me know as well, in the same span of time.”

I sighed, listening to her speak through the phone and to me. I wanted this conversation to be over with, I wanted to fall back asleep and stay asleep for a little while longer.

I look over at my phone, the lock screen already on, the time read 3:12 in the morning. I sighed, rubbing a hand down my face in tiredness. The phone call had woken me up from my slumber, which I would very much like to get back to. I reach over, plugging my phone into its charger before letting it rest on the oak nightstand. I shifted my pillows down, moving until they were in the right position for me to lay down on them. I moved around, taking the man wrapped around my waist with me. I laid down, pulling the covers over myself. I felt him shift, as he relaxed his arms around me. I dragged my hands and fingers through his chin length hair. It was always so soft to me, even if he didn’t wash it for a few days.

My eyes drooped, almost closing. I kept running my fingers through his hair, calming him, and myself. Soon enough, my eyes slipped shut, I fell asleep wrapped in his arms and my hands in his hair.

Ten Hours Later
1:24 p.m.

✰✰✰

A loud bang woke me up, it was past 12 in the afternoon, I could tell from the sky and all the cars passing down below. I jumped up, falling off the bed, and grabbed my Stygian iron blade from underneath my pillow. Another bang echoed throughout the house, I ran towards the sound, it was coming from the kitchen.

When I arrived there, metal pots, pans, and mixing bowls were scattered on the floor. It was a mess of clean dishes on the floor. Irritation flowed through me, I cleaned those two days prior and I did not like them being dirty again. I grumbled, moving towards the marble island in the middle of the kitchen. I was quiet, my footsteps soundless as I ventured closer.

The living room carpet was drenched in blood, it was splattered across the couch and sitting chairs. I stared at the blood galore, it was everywhere, in a puddle on the floor, bloody footprints on the floor as well, bloody handprints on the walls, couches and décor as well. I helped my breath, not knowing what to think or do. I clenched my free hand, trying to gasp at whatever I can to control my emotions and rage. My eyes narrowed as I gripped the handle of my blade, the blade itself sucking the light and air from the room.

The room was so suffocating, almost like I was walking through cement. My chest is tight and restricting, almost like I was losing air—and quickly. I kept looking around, staring at everything, like it was going to make it better, but it was not. I gasped in a breath, trying to calm down before I had a panic attack. I gripped my dark blade tighter, my panic worsening by the minute.

I moved away from the front room, back into the kitchen where the body lay. A golden sword sticking out of it, now. I stared at it before pulling it from the dead man’s chest. I sheathed my blade, my sheath covered my waist. I heard the golden sword in my hand, looking over it. I could tell that it was made of celestial bronze, a type of metal that demigods use to kill monsters. The blade was curved, like an ancient Egyptian weapon, it was short, maybe two, three feet long. Its handle was wrapped in creamed colored bandages, fraying at the ends of it. There are words in Ancient Greek, Latin, Korean, and Egyptian carved into the blade. Runes of power carved into it, as well. The runes and language cravings gave the sowed power, what power; that I do not know.

I recognized the sword, it belonged to a friend of mine. He is a magician, a certain type of magician, and this is his weapon of choice. 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑲𝒂𝒏𝒆, the son of Julius and Ruby Kane, older brother to Sadie Kane, and nephew to Amos Kane. He is an Egyptian Magician that is the host of Horus, the Egyptian God of Kingship, Healing, Protection, the Sun, and the Sky. Carter is also a very close friend of mine, as well as his sister, Sadie.

I stared at the blade a little longer, wondering where it came from, and what it was doing here. That was until my thought process was interrupted by Carter and my best friend, rolling into the room together. Carter landed on top of my best friend, a silver blade against his neck as he glared at the man beneath him. Out of instinct I yelled his name,

“Carter!” My eyes could not move away from him, they stayed glued to his body and every movement that he made. He froze on the spot, I could see him clenching his blade as he pulled it up, turning his head towards me. I held my blade up, worried that something had happened to him, to attack my friend. My gaze hardened as the grip on his blade went tighter, until his eyes fell onto me. His eyes softened at the sight of me, which made his grip loosen on my friend's shirt, resulting in Carter getting pushed off of the male below him.

"Cut it out, he does not know who you are, I have not seen Carter in a while." I spoke harshly, knowing that the other male would attack Carter without a second thought, unless I said no. " Behave , while he is here." I stared at them for a little longer, my shirt—technically my best friend’s shirt— moved with me as I strode towards them. My feet bare, against the cold and dead floor, stepping in the still warm blood of the dead men in my kitchen. The shirt lifted a little, showing my white shorts underneath. The shirt went down to my mid-thigh, stopping there.

“What now, Mira?” A velvety smooth, yet rough voice broke the silence in the room. The tension lifted for a moment, as if it might actually go away for good.

My eyes caught his golden-brown ones, beautiful and mysterious, like they had always been to me. His eyes softened as he looked me up and down. A friendly possessive gleam sprouted in his eyes as he stopped and looked down at my—his t-shirt.

“Nothing, you just look stupid, Nik.” He looked up at me as he got up by himself, me not helping him at all. He smirked at me, as if he was playing with me. He is taller than me by a good few inches, he is about six foot seven. I glared at him playfully, not caring that Carter was still in the room, until he asked a question.

”Who is he?” I knew who he was talking about.

I looked over at him, turning my back to Nik. I did not care for my best friend right now, my full attention on Carter, who is off to the side of me. I looked back at Nik for a moment and then to Carter once again. “Nikolai Dorseefve, or as I like to call him Nik. He is my best friend and the one who rescued me from my mother— May when I ran away at thirteen.”

I had to stop myself from saying, mother . I had not called her that in over fourteen years, and I have not seen her for thirteen. I had not even thought of my mother for the past three years, until the early morning of today. I looked away from them both and out of the window that is not that far away from me. I knew that Nik caught the slip up, but he said nothing. His golden-brown eyes stared right into my soul, and knew everything that had happened in the early hours of the morning on the phone. Nik's eyes moved away from mine as he was pulled into a conversation with Carter about weapons.

Outside of the window, I saw something shoot by. It was fast and swift as if it was faster than the speed of light, it could have been, but I was not sure. I looked over at them, noticing that they were still talking. "I'm going to the rooftop, be back soon!" I told them, walking away from them. I looked back at them one last time, they were sitting on the couch, across from each other, Nik on the right and Carter on the left. They were so wrapped up in their conversation and each other noticed me walking away to my room. The door was already open when I got there, due to me bursting out of it early, fearing that my best friend might have been dead. I closed the door behind me, locking it before walking off to my dresser. I grabbed a black tank top, a pair of jean shorts, a push-up bra, and some long socks. I pulled off my shirt, my skin exposed to the cold air, my breast already free from not wearing a bra last night. I did not even shiver as the cold air touched my skin, I welcomed it instead. I pushed my shorts off, throwing them into the hamper that is next to the mirror by my dresser. I stood there, only wearing a pair of panties in the stand-up mirror. I could see the scars,--old and new--burn marks, claw marks, bite marks, and more littered my skin. Every inch of my skin was covered in scars, whether from my mother, monsters, or gods. I looked away from the mirror, not wanting to look at my damaged and scarred body anymore.

I grabbed the shorts off of the dresser. I slipped them through both of the leg holes of the jean shorts, pulling them up and onto my hips. I buttoned them, pulling my brown leather belt through the five hoops, and then buckling it with a silver buckle. I reached over to my dresser, grabbing my black push-up bra. I pulled it around my breastbone, the clip in front while the pads of the bra were in the back. I quickly clipped the bar together, making sure that it was not clipped wrong before turning it around and pulling the straps over my shoulders, tightening if necessary. I grabbed my tank top, pulling it over my head, and down my torso, making sure that it is on right. I sat down on my bed--the one that me and Nik had slept in last night, the one I had experienced that phone call with the nurse in. I sighed before I pulled on my semi-long socks, they stopped above my ankles. I grabbed my high-top converse, slipping them on and lacing them up.

I looked towards the mirror, I could see the scars on my arms. I could see the marks from my mother, and the ones from monsters, alike. It was never easy being a demigod, and the daughter of an mentally deranged woman, from the age of ten to twenty-seven I have fought monsters, and nightmares-- my mother and Evan . I strung those thoughts from my head, not wanting to think about those non-human humans. I looked back at myself, debating if I needed a jacket, wanting to know if I was going to be cold. I was always cold, I welcomed it with open arms no matter what, the Coldness was and is always my best friend. I ultimately decided against the jacket, instead going for my sword holster. I grabbed my twin blades, sheathing them on my back. I still had my blade in my hand, I grabbed another sheath, wrapping it around my waist, making sure that it would stay in place. I looked at the blade on the bed, it gleamed in the sunlight, calling my name as I sheathed it in the sheath around my waist.

I made sure that everything was secure before walking over to my nightstand, I grabbed the necklace laying on the wooden nightstand. I stared at it for a long time, before I put it around my neck, and clasped it. I pulled on it a few times, making sure that it would not come off if someone dared to get close enough and pull it off. It's a simple necklace, a simple, silver chain with a white crystal encased in silver embroidery. I grabbed my rings as well, two on my non-dominant hand(right hand), and four on my dominant hand(left hand). The rings were all gifts from my friends over the years. I already had my simple black chokers on already, I never take them off. I grabbed a few hair ties, and a simple sea turtle bracelet, slipping one hair tie on my right hand, and the other hair tie along with the bracelet on my left hand.

I strode to my door, unlocking it, and softly closing it behind me. I do not want Nikolai and Carter to hear me as I sneak away to the rooftop. There is a secret staircase to the roof, it's right outside my bedroom in the penthouse that Nikolai owns, and he never explores the house. I found it the first day we moved in together. I slowly walked up the staircase, taking the shortcut to the roof. Within fifteen minutes I was at the door, I started sweating despite not being hot, I was nervous, which never happened to me. I gripped the silver door handle before pushing it open. Sunlight filtered through the door, clouds crossed against the sky, making it look beautiful. I took a moment to take a deep breath of air, standing there for a moment.

A flame flickered in my hand. I held my arm out in front of me, allowing the flame to come to life, letting it flicker in my hands and grow life as it consumed the air around us. I always wondered where this power of fire came from, this cold, dead, unforgiving purple flame. I played with the flame for a few minutes before I heard a sound from behind me, it was like thunder came to life and sounded behind me. My purple flames immediately went out as I whipped around to the sound, my hands clenching, willing my power, my dark power to still itself for a few minutes.

I looked before me, and there stood a woman. She is beautiful, like in a godly way, she is as beautiful as Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty. She has long, straight, glossy black hair that stops before it touches her ass. Her skin is tanned in comparison to mine, it is almost like she had spent her entire life in the sun, and not a day without it, she looks like a surfer. Her eyes are midnight blue, like a night sky filled with stars, yet there are no stars or starlight that fill her eyes, they are blank as they stare back at me-- dead, and soulless. It's like she is wandering around aimlessly, searching for that missing piece of her soul that she craves more than anything else. She is tall, taller than the average male, about six foot eight, maybe six foot nine. The woman--Goddess-- is wearing a deep navy blue gown, it is long, but never touches the ground due to magic done by the goddess. It is sleeveless, not even spaghetti straps visible. She is wearing a pair of black heels with white bottoms, there are stars flecked on the gown and shoes.

I am careful not to anger the Goddess. God forbid what happened last time I angered a Deity, they punished me by placing me in the Lotus Casino for four years of my life, I never got to make them up as I know my life as a twenty-seven year old female demigod. I looked towards the Goddess, finding her staring at me, again. I worded my statement correctly, I do not want to anger her. "May I know who you are?"

The Goddess only stared at me, studying me I realized. My hand went to my necklace, clutching it in my hand as I stared at her, wondering what she was going to do. Before I could even take my hand away from the necklace that my mama, Hekate gave me; she made her way over to me. In a matter of five long strides, she reached me. and there she stood before me in all of her Godly glory. Her eyes only flickered to my left hand clutching the necklace in my palm, I never moved it, even if her defying stare made me even more nervous than before. I am to be careful around beings that are more powerful than me--Gods and Goddesses. My mama had taught me that, when May would not take care of me, Hekate would visit me and we would train in magic, combat, and whatever I wanted to learn about. I know thirty languages thanks to my mama.

"My name is Khios, my dove ." The Goddess spoke after thirty whole minutes in silence. I do not know why she spoke at that moment, or why she even at all. Most deities never even acknowledge demigods, let alone humans who bore them. She smiled at me, a feline's smile. It made her beauty intensive by tenfold. I almost smiled back at her, but I caught myself before I could do so. It is like there is a timer on my head, like everyone around me is waiting for it to go off. I blushed at the mention of the nickname that she gave me in the first forty-five minutes of meeting me on the rooftop. My skin flushed red--my nose, face, cheeks, my pierced ears, and my shoulders-- like a tomato on a ripe day for picking. I could not think about anything, but that nickname-- my dove. Nothing crossed my mind as I somehow responded to her. "It's very nice to meet you, Khios. My name is Amira Castellan."

Despite being red-faced in front of a literal Goddess, being called nicknames by said Goddess, and silently hoping that she cannot tell that my heart is racing fast enough that it could kill me. In the back of my mind, I shoved my lesbian tendencies into a black adamant box, and locked it forty-six different ways. I met her eyes again after a few minutes, slightly scared that she might smite me for any single little movement that I make. Her eyes gazed into mine, I could see a star in her eyes start to twinkle the longer that she stared at me, I barely moved as she examined me like I am a prized possession. I choked on air, not knowing what to do underneath her intense and heated gaze. I looked away from her, towards the sky before me. I could only wonder why this specific goddess had wanted to meet me here on the rooftop of my penthouse, well Nikolai's penthouse is more like it. My train of thoughts keeps coming until a cold breeze and gentle hand on my back. I slowly turned towards the Goddess, her cold hand stayed on my shoulder, but ranged onto my back. "I know who you are, Amira."

My eyes must have widened when she said that because the Goddess chuckled. It was a deep, toe-curling chuckle that left those plump red lips of the Goddess, I could only stare at her in awe and something deeper that I cannot place. Her lips stayed in place as I stared at her. I was more shocked that a powerful, gorgeous, and deadly Goddess knew specifically who I was. She pulled her hand away from my skin, a tingling sensation lingered on the top part of my back, and shoulder. It is not a painful sensation, but more of a pleasant and calming feeling. "How do you know me?" I managed to choke out between my deep breathing and the Goddess before me. She only stared at me as she lifted her hand and laid in on my arm, that tingling sensation was back. Never in my life have I ever felt something like that before, even when my mother hit me.

"I have known you your entire life, I know who your mother's are, especially your godly one. The powers that you possess, the cold fire that you have control over, the magic that your mother passed to you when you were born." She paused for a moment too long. "How you have more powers than your half-siblings, or any child of Hekate." The Goddess paused again, staring at me for a long time. She looked away from me for a moment, but never took her hand away from my arm. "Do you feel the tingling sensation when we touch?" I looked at her, her eyes finding mine. Midnight blue meeting amethyst. My eyes widened at that question, which gave the Goddess enough insight to know that I had felt the tingling sensation. "Yes, I do." I choked out quietly.

She smiled at me, smiled at me with her lips. Her red lipstick colored lips smiled at me, and for the first time the smile met her eyes. She finally pulled her hand away from my arm, the sensation stayed. The Goddess stared at me, almost as if she regretted taking her hand away from me, it was like she felt like the sensation was still there when she pulled away from me. She clutched her hand, nails digging into her palm. I watched as golden blood, Ichor flowed out from her clenched hand, and watched it drip onto the floor of the rooftop. She gave me one last smile, she laid her hand on my shoulder, I watched as the golden blood dripped down my shoulder onto my back, and onto my arm. The blood was cold, which is kind of weird for blood, which is usually warm, but this is an immortal being we are talking about.

BANG!

The door behind me swung open, hitting the metal of the wall behind the door. The Goddess's midnight blue eyes widened at the sound and the people rushing through the door, she looked back at me. Surprised clouded her eyes as she stared at me, I think mine did also. The Goddess gave me one last smile, pulling her bleeding hand away from my arm, and placed it on my cheek, the cold blood biting into my warm skin, coating my pale cheek in golden blood. "Goodbye, My Dove ." Then, she was gone, and her beauty went with her. I missed her already.

"AMIRA!" I could hear Nikolai yelling for me, running towards me with Carter trailing behind him, right on his heels. The thudding of their footsteps behind me came closer, until they were right behind me and whipped me around to face them. Nikolai and Carter stood right in front of me, staring at me covered in a Goddess's blood. My left cheek, my left shoulder, and the left side of my back as well as my tank top is covered in ichor. "Are you okay?" Carter was the first to speak in the silence between the three of us. I blankly stared at them, only the blood caking on my skin, and the sweat of today on my skin. I blinked back into reality, staring at my two friends. I examined both of them. Nikolai's hair was ruffled and messy as if someone had played with it, bruises blooming on both of their necks, their clothes half-pulled off and ruffles as if they were trying to undress each other. I keep looking between the two men, eyeing them carefully. I almost laughed at them as they realized how they looked, like they just had sex with each other and dressed haphazardly. I gave them a smirk as they fixed their clothing and hair, it took them a total of three minutes to fix themselves. Then, they turned back to me, staring at me and waiting for my answer.

"I'm fine, don't worry." They stared at me as if I was crazy for saying them. Carter and Nikolai looked at each other, then turned back to me, they did that twice before they gave me a dumbfounded look. "You have ichor on you, Amira" They said at the same time, they said that as if i was dumb, i knew that there was blood on me, but I just needed a shower more than anything right now. I stared back at them with the same dumbfounded look that they gave me earlier. I glared at both of them, I could feel my power rising inside of me, flowing through me the longer that I glared at them. "It's just blood," I paused, seeing if they would say anything before I continued. "I just need a shower, okay?"

They looked at me, I did not wait for them as I stalked away from them, going down the staircase to the penthouse. I walked down step after step, barely even coherent enough to count the steps of the stairs. It took me about seven minutes total to get to the stairs and into the penthouse. I closed the door behind me as it was wide open, most likely from Carter and Nik bursting through the doors to get to the roof. I knew that they were behind me as I made my way to the bathroom in my room, I could hear and feel the thundering steps behind me. "Amira, stop!" I whipped around to stare at them, my gaze burning into them. The men stood in the middle of my room while I was at the doorway of my master bathroom. "What?!" I practically yelled at them, making them jump at the sound of my booming voice. "Just let me take a shower!" I made my way into the bathroom, not waiting for them to say anything. Before I closed the door I caught sight of Nikolai reaching for me, "Amira, I-!"

I shut the door behind me, sliding down the pearly white door. I sat on the black-and-whit marble floor, waiting for them to go away, I listened for the receding sound of their footsteps. They stayed there for a few more moments before I heard my door open and close, their voices, and footsteps growing fainter by the second. A sigh left my mouth as I stood up, staring at myself in the mirror, Ichor coating my skin and clothes alike. It was all over, I sighed as I shed my clothes, letting them fall down in a heap on the floor. I stood there naked and shivering before I strode over to the walk-in shower, turning the hot water on, and then turning on a little bit of cold water. I waited for the water to warm up, I looked over at my phone, it was buzzing with notifications. Before I stepped into the shower, I grabbed my phone, opening it. I looked at my messages, there were thirteen of them. I clicked on the group chat with my two best friends(Not Nikolai or Carter), and saw thirteen text messages.

Neeks: Mira, what happened? I can feel something is wrong with you.

Clair: Yeah, me too.

Clair: Do you wanna talk about it hun? I-We both know how you are about this.

Clair: Amira, answer us!

Neeks: Calm down, Clair.

Neeks: They will answer soon enough.

Neeks: Be calm and patient, even though you have no patience, lol.

Clair: Shut up emo boy!

Clair: Like you can be patient either!

Neeks: Okay, and?

Neeks: My boys like that about me!

Clair: That's because Jackson and Jace are dating you, dumbass!

Neeks: Shut up, bitch!

Neeks: And why don't you call kelp brains by his name?

I smiled at my phone, staring at the conversation between the two of them. Nico and Clarisse always bantered with each other, even in the most intense and stupid moments in our lives as demigods, the children of the Gods and Goddesses. They are my best friends and have always been my best friends, we act more like siblings than we do best friends. I love them more than anything, even myself, which is a lot. I went back over the messages, and looked at what Clarisse had said about her feelings about me, which are usually never wrong. I shuddered, the cold seeping into my skin. When Nico, Clarisse, and I were twelve-years-old, a mark appeared on the tops of our backs, right below our napes. It is a skull with a spear going through it's head diagonally with purple fire surrounding the skull and inside of its eyes. When we found out about the mark, we approached Chiron, who choked up at the sight of it, and only told us, "You three have been branded by an Ancient Goddess, an Evil that has existed before the universe was born. She helped create it, and now that she has branded you three, your lives belong to her."

After that incident with Chiron and his insolent horse ass, I decided to do some research after the summer was over, and I found nothing on her, not even a name. I knew that she was out there and has been watching over the three of our lives. I looked back down at my phone, a small smile formed over my lips. I texted them back.

Clair: Cause I don't want to.

Me: Don't worry, I'm fine. No injuries or anything at all, a Goddess visited me tho.

Nico beat Clarisse, he was the first to respond before she could even fathom a thought. He was like lighting ready to strike at any given moment.

Neeks: Did she do anything to you? She didn't harm you?

Clair: Yeah, she didn't harm you?

Clair: If she did, I'll hunt her down and kill her.

I sighed, staring at my phone, debating how to tell them about me and Khios's conversation. How to tell them at she smeared blood over my arm, a bit of my back, and my left shoulder. I looked at myself in the mirror, I was still covered in her golden gold, and it was starting to become sticky the longer that I stood there and did not get in the shower. I looked at the shower, the hot water still on. I decided to answer there questions before getting in the shower.

Me: No, she did not harm me at all. She only cut her hand and spread her blood on my arm, shoulder, and a bit on my back as well.

Me: It was weird though.

Clair: How was it weird?

Me: She knew who I was, and what my name was, even before I told her.

Neeks: That is weird, most Gods and Goddesses don't care enough about a demigod, even if that is their child, and they barely acknowledge mortals or monsters.

Clair: Your right is weird, Neeks.

Clair: Do you know what she wanted?

Me: No. We had a connection though.

Neeks; What do you mean?

Me: Anytime we touched each other, there was this sensation.

Clair: A tingling sensation?

Neeks: It was pleasant on your skin and you missed it like it was your lifeline?

Me: Yeah..How did you know that?

I paused at that, not knowing what to think, this was starting to get weird. I stepped into the shower, phone still in hand as the water ran down my body, I watched as the water mixed with the golden blood. I watched as it went down the drain. My skin was already blooming red from the heat of the water and the repeated hit of the shower water against my skin. I just watched and watched until there was no sight of the Ichor on my skin or in the water. For the first time in five minutes, I looked down at my phone, and I was completely flabbergasted.

Neeks: Well..uh

Clair: What Neeks is trying and failing to say is that we have felt that same tingling sensation with our lovers.

Neeks: Yeah, that's what I was trying to say..

Clair: After we were branded by the Goddess, I felt that way around Pink, and Nico felt that way around Jackson and Jace.

Me: Why didn't you guys tell me?

Neeks: Cause we thought that we were crazy for feeling that way, until...

Me: Until?

Clair: Until they started to feel the same sensation, but Pink was long dead after that..

Me: I'm sorry, Red.

Neeks: Want me to try and bring her soul back for a while, so you can talk to her?

Clair: I don't know, she dated Charles, and I don't want to intrude on them in their paradise.

Neeks: I promise you won't be.

Me: Yeah, what emo boy said.

Clair: LMAO!

Neeks: Shut up, whor*s!

I laughed at them as I set my phone down on the ledge in the shower, the only place in the shower that is not occupied and dry. I wet my hair, leaning my bed back into the shower water. I had a bright smile on my face, I could hear each ping of my phone as Nico and Clarisse texted each other back and forth, probably including me in some mumbo jumbo nonsense. I laughed a little, relieved that this day was not half-bad, well besides that wake-up call at twelve pm, and those boys interrupting my conversation with a powerful, and Ancient Goddess. I replayed the conversation in my head multiple times, and it never stopped. Once, my hair was fully wet, and less curly, I grabbed my shampoo bottle and squirted some on my hands before lathering it onto my entire head, and all of my hair. After I did that, I leaned my head back, making sure to not get shampoo in my eyes as I rinsed out my hair. Then, I repeated the process again. Once that was done, I grabbed the conditioner bottle, squirted some on my hand, before lathering it onto my roots only. I stood there for five to ten minutes, letting it sit in my hair before washing it out. I repeated that process again, except I applied the conditioner to my ends and middle, instead of my roots.

I turned around, turning off the hot and cold water, one after the other before stepping out of the shower and grabbing my towel. I grabbed my phone before stepping out. I semi-dried off my hair with the towel, leaving the hair semi-wet still. Then, I wrapped the towel around my body, it took the natural shape of my curvy body. I stepped in front of the mirror, staring at myself. I looked down at my phone and saw that the notification that I was getting during my shower was not from my friend's, but from other apps on my phone.

I looked away from it, when something red caught my eye. It was on my skin. The fog on the mirror had finally lifted and I could see myself clearly and the brand on my arm, and shoulder. I touched it, I could feel the tingling sensation that I felt earlier with Khios. I gasped, not knowing what to think as I looked at myself. It was like a tattoo, intricate in design, but simple enough that you could understand it. On my shoulder, which goes onto my back a bit is a red flower, either a Rose or Camelia. There are thorny, black vines that twist around my entire arm, until it reaches my wrist, where the head of a snake lies, the body of the snake is wrapped around the vines, not injured by it. There is a white snake skull on top of the snake's head, and there is a human skull where the flower is or more like inside of the flower. I ran my hands along the brand, it is beautiful, but deadly in every way. Some say there is danger in beauty, and they are right. I could only stare at it for another five minutes before I texted Neeks and Clair.

Me: Guys, I have an update.

Neeks: What happened?

Clair: Are you bleeding?

Clair: Do I need to kill someone for you, Mira?

Me: NO! And If I do, I'll make sure to include both of you, maniacs.

Neeks: Good. Now, what happened?

Me: Remember how I said that she rubbed her blood on me?

Clair: Yeah, what about it?

Me: It turned into a Brand/Tattoo.

Me: It looks really cool tho!

Neeks: What?!

Clair: SHE BRANDED YOU?!

Me: Apparently, but don't worry I'm fine.

Clair: Yeah, for now.

Me: I'm serious, and if you want you guys can come pick me and the boys up if you want.

Neeks: We'll be there in 30 minutes.

Me: Kk, see you then.

The chat went dead silent after that, all life had died. I grabbed my stained clothes, throwing them in a hamper in the corner of the bathroom, by the shower. I sighed as I looked at my arm last time before I took off my towel, throwing it in the hamper. I grabbed my phone in hand, unlocking the bathroom door, and walked into my bedroom. I looked over to my bedroom door, it was closed, and by the looks of it, the door is locked. I groaned as I stretched my limbs, some of them popping as I did so. It was always good to do that, once in a while at least. I walked over to my closet, opening the door, turning on the light and stepping inside before closing the door behind me. I looked around, grabbing a black sports bra, pulling it over my head and fitting it around my large bust. I grabbed a pair black panties, pulling them through my legs, and resting them on my hips. I shifted through my clothes before coming across a cropped tank top and pulling it over my head. I grabbed a pair of cargo pants, I almost fell over pulling them on, I looped a black belt with two rows with multiple holes in them. I pulled on some funky socks, before grabbing my shoes, opening the door to the closet, turning off the light and closing the closet door.

I set my phone down on my nightstand, plugging my phone into the charger, so it can charge while I put my shoes on and wait for Nico and Clarisse. I sat down on the bed, pulling my dirty black-and-white converse on before lacing them up, making sure that the laces would not come undone while I walked. I looked over at my bedside, i saw my waist belts, and chains, I grabbed them, clipping them onto my belt loops, and around my pale waist. I looked at my phone, and saw that only five minutes had passed. While I waited, I grabbed my bag(a gift from Thalia, an endless bag for my 19th birthday), and started packing it full of everything I needed; multiple of my new books that i had bought(and yet to read), clothes, different shoes, my jewelry, a few makeup products for my eyebags, a camera, a portable phone charger, a second phone charger in case the one that i am using breaks, a charger for the portable charger, wireless headphones, wireless earbuds, charger for both wireless headphones and earbuds, feminine products, my hairbrush, a few phone cases, my weapons, and my favorite hoodie, flip flops, and shorts.

"Hey, whor*." I whipped around so fast, the Flash would have been jealous, but it has been a very long time since I had last seen my very best friends, Nico and Clarisse. I barreled at them, catching them in a tight group hug. I almost cried, which is rare for me, but around them the waterworks might come out. I pulled away from the hug and looked at them. "Hi, my lovelies." Nico had gotten taller in the past two years, he now stands a whopping six foot three, which is taller than Percy and Jason, but not Frank. The son of Hades had tanned in these two years I had not seen him, he is back to his olive tan. His hair is longer than it was before and curlier too(but not like mine), it reaches a little bit past his shoulder, but right now he has it in a pony, which shows off his undercut. Clarisse is tanner than before, and her hair is longer as well, which is braided into a French braid with a pink bow tying it together at the end(the last gift she received from Silena before she died). Her braid reaches past her ass, and not even Reyna's braid is that long. Clarisse has more scars, which does not surprise me one bit. "I've missed you guys, a lot."

Clarisse gave a wicked smirk to both me and Nico, which made us laugh. "We've missed you too, Mira. But not only us, your half-siblings as well." I smiled at that as I broke away from them, pulling my phone off the charger, putting the charger in my bag, and the phone in my pocket. They watched me as I did so, working efficiently and quickly, so that Nik and Carter would not catch me trying to leave for Camp. I walked back over to my best friends. "Ready to go?" Nico asked me as he clasped my hand in his, he did the same for Clarisse. I watched as the shadows from the corners of the room were pulled closer and closer, until they were almost encasing us in a bubble of shadows. "Let's do it."

And with that we left my bedroom in Nikolai's penthouse. Within a split second gone from Manhattan and into Long beach, within that second darkness took over before the light peaked through. Within that second I was transported or shadow traveled from Nikolai's penthouse in Manhattan, to Camp Half-Blood in Long beach. I was at Camp, I was home. I am finally home.