This is the 7th chapter of The Daughter of the Wind. Read it, Love it, Review!
Disclaimer: I don't own PJaTO. If I did, I would sail in my yacht everyday.
The Daughter of the Wind
Chapter 7- The Power of The Wind
The son of the sea god and I walked to the Pegasus stables after breakfast for my second lesson. I couldn't help but be giddy at the thought of going in the air again. I practically sprinted to the stables.
"Aiden, calm down, the Pegasi aren't going anywhere," Percy claimed as he ran after me.
By the time he stopped chasing me, we'd made it to the stable.
"Violet!" I called to the herd of winged horses.
A single horse neighed and trotted up to me. Violet. I smiled and gently smoothed the fur on her face. She nuzzled my hand in response.
"Hey, girl," I said softly as I pressed my forehead against hers.
"She really has taken a liking to you. In fact, I hear she's not letting anyone else ride her," Percy commented.
"Can't blame her taste in people," I replied as I glanced at him. He rolled his eyes.
"Just get on the horse," he ordered as he hopped the fence and got on Blackjack.
I did so and just like yesterday, we took to the skies. It was wonderful, until suddenly a green flame appeared in front of Violet's face. Now, I didn't see it as a threat, but she certainly did as she started flying out of control.
"Violet! Calm down! It's okay!" I tried to calm her as I kept my balance on her back.
The horse continued to thrash, so Percy finally decided to intervene.
"Violet!" Percy yelled, a certain power in his voice. It seemed to work as she began to settle.
"Gods, what was that?" I questioned under my breath as I looked down.
The Pegasus wasn't too high of the ground, so I could barely make out who was on the ground below. When I did, fury engulfed my entire being.
I instantly shot Violet back down into the stables.
"NATALIE!" I yelled as I hopped the fence to face the said girl.
"Yes, Ms. Summer Breeze," Natalie joked, her raven hair slightly blowing.
"You could've killed me with a prank like that!" I shouted in her face.
"Aw… are you mad?" She cooed innocently. "It was just a harmless prank, just one of the things Connor and I have in common,"
I hesitated at that, not knowing exactly how to make a reply, and the fact that she was right just seemed to make me angrier.
In my hesitation, Natalie decided to smugly stride away from me.
"Hey, don't walk away when you're the one who nearly killed me!" I yelled at her retreating back.
"Aiden!" I heard Percy yell.
"What?" I accidentally yelled as my anger turned towards him.
Percy was holding on to one of the wooden posts that made up the Pegasus stable. His black hair was blowing wildly in the wind and his eyes were half-lidded. Then, I realized the horses were also backing away from me.
"Calm down, Aiden, you're literally blowing me away!" he shouted over the winds I now noticed whipping against him.
At first, I was frantic at the wind and didn't know how to stop it, scared at how dangerous it was. However, after realizing just how dangerous it would be for others more than me, I anxiously took a deep breath and filled my head with non-angering thoughts.
Think of home, think of Seattle. I told myself as the winds calmed around me.
"Maybe you shouldn't be sword fighting if you can fight with winds like that," Percy stated as he released the wooden post which had been the only thing to keep him from blowing away.
I didn't answer him because I was too busy looking down at myself. That's the second time it's happened, and in both cases I really could've hurt someone. I balled my fists at the thought of accidentally injuring friends like Percy or Connor. I was starting to think that being Aeolus's daughter was more of a curse, than a gift.
"Aiden," I heard Percy call, bringing me out of my thoughts.
"Yeah!" I answered.
"What's up with you and Natalie?" he asked. "I mean, most Hecate girls are like… that, but I don't think they would harm a new demigod for no reason."
Before I could make a reply, I heard someone call in our direction. When I looked up to see who it was, I couldn't help but smile a bit. Connor. Well, at least I was smiling until I heard his next question.
"Hey guys, have you seen Natalie around her?" Connor asked. "I wanted to thank her for helping us prank the Ares kids."
"Oooh, now I get it," The Son of Poseidon replied with a smirk as he glanced at me.
"It has nothing to do with him!" I protested as I looked away from Percy, trying to hide my now blushing face caused by his completely ludicrous suggestion of why I would hate Natalie.
"Sure, it doesn't," Percy sarcastically agreed.
"Who? What are you guys talking about?" Connor requested, hopelessly confused.
"Nothing," Percy and I said in unison. Well, I sort of screamed it.
"I think I can tell a lie when I hear it," the son of Hermes reminded, miffed that he couldn't hear the secret.
I looked over at Percy, wondering what he would say. He just smiled as a look of realization (that was obviously fake) crossed his face.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot! Annabeth said that she wanted to meet me on the beach after our Pegasus lesson," He falsely recalled before running away.
"I know he's lying, but-"
"If he's trying that hard, why bother?" I suggested. He smiled at my response.
"Exactly," He answered as he walked off while I strolled beside him.
"So what are you up to now?" I asked.
"My dad and I are gonna deliver messages across the world. It'll be awesome!" he said as excitement shone in those amazing blue eye-
Wow! Where did the amazing come from? I mentally shook my head.
"Hermes is coming to Camp Half Blood?" I asked. Just the thought of seeing a God in front of me other than Dionysus was nerve-racking.
"Yeah, I can't wait to tell him about my latest masterpiece," Connor stated proudly. I smiled at his victorious expression, but my smile quickly fell. "That reminds me, I still have to thank Natalie for a job well done."
"So what exactly was the prank you and Natalie pulled?" I inquired, trying not to hiss Natalie's name.
"Oh, it was genius! Natalie made up this powdery stuff that made objects shock whoever touched them and I sprinkled it all over the Ares Cabin's weapons," He laughed. "You should've seen it! Even Clarisse had her hair sticking straight up from lightning shocks!"
I chuckled at the thought, but I couldn't stop the bitter image of Natalie and Connor, laughing together, from flowing into my head.
"So… you and Natalie usually pull pranks together," I assumed.
"Well, not really, any Hecate kid would've been good, but I know for a fact that Natalie's really skilled at elemental magic,"
I thought of the green fireball Natalie had thrown in Violet's face. "You don't say,"
Still, I couldn't help but be a little satisfied with the way he said any child of Hecate would've been good.
"Yeah," Connor said as he noticed my satisfied smirk.
I looked forward as we walked and a silence filled our conversation. I was about to ask the next random question to pop in my head, not noticing a bright light suddenly beginning to form out of nowhere.
"Hurry! Close your eyes!" Connor suddenly yelled.
"What? Why?" Regardless, I closed my eyes.
"Okay, now you can open them," The son of Hermes assured.
"Why did I have to close them in the first place?" I asked as I opened my eyes.
My hazel eyes widened when they saw who was right in front of them.
At first, with his jogging outfit and salt-and-pepper hair, I wondered why there would mortal people jogging through a demigod camp, but then I noticed that he held the same mischievous glint in his eyes like the rest of the Hermes kids. Plus, he was also wearing winged Nike sneakers.
"Lord Hermes," I greeted. Then I noticed Connor kneeling, so I dropped down on the ground in the same position.
"No need for kneeling," Hermes stated jokingly. "It's quite alright."
Connor rose back up to his feet and I warily followed. It felt odd for me not to bow, I mean, this guy was a god!
"Hey, Dad," Connor greeted warmly. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see it in his face. The desire to please his father, despite how his father had ignored him nearly a year ago. I could sympathize with that somehow. I could understand wanting to prove yourself as being worthy of attention.
"Hello, son," Hermes greeted back kindly.
I could see it in his eyes too, through it was well hidden. There was guilt, regret, and shame for what he had done to his children. But there was also the determination to make sure it never happened again. I smiled at that, and wondered if my father felt the same about me.
Hermes looked over at me. Connor seemed to catch the fact that he hadn't introduced me and quickly tried to make up for his mistake.
"Dad, this is my friend, Aiden-"
"The daughter of Aeolus," Hermes acknowledged. "Yes, I've heard about you. Quite a lot of wind power,"
"I never thought so," I said absentmindedly.
"That's just because you're not trained yet. Trust me, you'll be a knockout," Hermes promised.
No offense to Hermes, but I wasn't exactly sure trusting him was the smartest idea, considering he was the Lord of thieves and all.
"Oh! Right, that reminds me!" Hermes exclaimed as he pulled out his caduceus.
I remember the item from the U.S. Army Medical Corps sign in one of my high school hallways. I'd always felt some sort of connection to it, like it wasn't just a symbol, like it was a real thing. Now, I understood why.
Hermes held out his caduceus and it instantly turned into two snakes. My eyes widened slightly. I'd seen people that were half barnyard animal, I'd seen winged horses, I'd seen dogs the size of trucks, and yet this crazy world still finds ways to surprise me.
"That's something you don't see everyday," I mumbled as I looked at the intertwined snakes.
"Wait for it…" Connor said.
Hello dear, I'm Martha. This is George, hissed one of the snakes.
Got any rats on you? The other one asked. He was left unanswered as I looked over to Connor.
"A staff that turns into talking snakes," I stated matter-of-factly, trying to get over how weird it was.
"That's the demigod life," Connor replied as he rested his arm on my shoulder, playfully leaning on me.
I tried to subconsciously ignore his touch, but it was kind of awkward while at the same time being kind of… nice. I just tried to focus on Hermes.
"They can be pretty shocking at times," At first, I'd forgotten what he was talking about. Then, I remembered. The snakes, the caduceus, right.
"Yeah," I agreed half-heartedly.
"Anyway, before I forget, I've got a message for you," Hermes announced. "Martha, if you would please."
Certainly, the snake replied before she got into a hissing/coughing fit. Then, out of her mouth, popped out a card, dry and, thankfully, without snake saliva. My jaw would've dropped in disgust if I wasn't so focused on the card. Was that for me?
"Here," said The Message god as he handed me the card. I took it delicately like it would have fallen apart if I wasn't careful enough.
"Thank you, Lord Hermes, and you too, Martha," I replied. Hermes nodded at me, as did the snake he held (which was a rather strange sight).
Hermes, we're on a schedule, Martha reminded. Hermes nodded and looked back at his son.
"Alright, Connor, say goodbye to your girlfriend, we've got a lot of trips to make," Hermes reminded.
Now, Connor and I were both turning bright red.
"Dad, s-she's not my girlfriend!" he stuttered while I embarrassedly looked at my shoes.
"Oh, my bad," Hermes admitted, but he sounded more smug than sorry.
"I gotta go," Connor murmured before looking back at me. "Later, Aiden."
"Later."
And as I watch him go, Hermes waved with a bright smile. Connor refused to look me in the eye and he appeared to be so flushed that I couldn't help but smile.
Lastly, Hermes winked knowingly at me and put a hand on his son's shoulder before he began to glow. I shut my eyes tight and when I opened them again, the two were gone. I sighed deeply and I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders now that I was no longer in the presence of a god.
Then I remembered the card in my hand. I looked down at it quizzically expecting it to do something crazy. It wouldn't have been surprising if it had. When it didn't, I just decided to do the normal thing and open it. Inside were two sentences and a name:
The wind can be as lethal as knives and as calming as an ocean wave depending on the heart of what made it. Remember that when you start training.
Aeolus
I couldn't stop myself smiling softly. I ran my hand over the cursive writing, wondering if he'd wrote it himself.
Well, that was the seventh chapter of The Daughter of the Wind. I hoped you all liked reading it! I'll post the next chapter up soon.
By the way, in case any of you care, I did finish the Throne of Fire and it was awesome! One of the best books I've ever read!
Please review!
Yours truly,
The Victorian
