Farther down than the underworld, lays a place worse than hell itself. Tartarus, the home of the titans that lost the titan war eons ago, forced and banished here for their crimes. This is where monsters are reformed, and where they stay until they find a way to escape. Unless you're a legendary monster that has lived since before the age of the gods, then you could travel there and leave with ease. Echidna was such a monster, who had teleported into the forsaken land with her injured sonny, who whimpered in pain. She paid him no mind however, she was disappointed in her son. How could he allow a simple and weak mortal to harm him so much? To take one of his heads? But she would make that child pay, in due time. For now, she had other things to attend to.
"Come along sonny, hurry it up." She said as they walked through Tartarus, and the legendary Chimera whimpered before following its mothers orders. The ground there was like broken glass, and the air was toxic enough to kill anything that wasn't immortal in minutes. But Echidna wasn't affected by these things, and neither was her son as they walked towards a certain area of Tartarus, one she had been visiting quite frequently. It was where the tome of Kronos was held, his sarcophagus to be precise. It was made completely in gold, it looked like one of those Egyptian tombs they would use for pharaohs. It was held up by a rectangular table make completely of stone, with art of humans' most atrocious and horrific deeds engraved on it. The gods were somewhat merciful on their father, as they built a small shrine for his tomb to remain. It was nothing special, really it was more of an insult to the king of titans to be confided to such a poor excuse of a shrine.
As the mother of monsters grew closer however, she could feel the power of the titan surge from his tomb. He must be restless. Who wouldn't be? He had been stuck in that box for millennia.
"Echidna…" Kronos's voice echoed from the box, and he didn't sound very happy.
"You disobeyed my command, mother of monsters. You were not to harm my grandson." He grunted.
"We are not trying to kill the boy, but merely have him join my war efforts. You harming him hinders that."
"I don't take orders from a voice in a box, titan. I only decided to help revive you for my own personal goals. Do not think for a second that makes me your subordinate." Echidna hissed in response.
"That sea spawn managed to get away from my sonny's grasp twice, all thanks to that fire spawn child of Hestia." She said in controlled anger, and the Chimera growled at the mention of the boy who maimed him.
"Child of Hestia?" Kronos spoke in surprise, something he rarely was. Seeing as he was the god of time.
"My eldest daughter. The first child I devoured. She has a demigod child?" Echidna scoffed.
"Yes, but he's not a demigod. In fact he's completely mortal. And someone who shouldn't be underestimated." She then turned back to her sonny.
"A mistake we will not make again, right sonny?" The Chimera huffed in agreement, seeming eager at the idea of killing the mortal.
"She gave the mortal her blessing. I did not expect this, and it changes everything." His voice made the shrine tremble in power, and Echidna rolled her eyes. She had gotten used to the gods and titans usual useless display of power.
"What can one mortal change? He has strength yes, but he won't change the outcome of your rising and of the war."
"Do not be so ignorant. Or has the eons of living made you arrogant?" Kronos growled.
"It is not his strength that worries me, but the powers Hestia has bestowed upon him. If he continues to live, it's a possibility that less demigods will join my ranks. I need demigods to renounce the gods to follow me, so that more pieces of myself that were scattered will appear."
"What does that have to do with-" Echidna started.
"You imbecile! I feed off of the negative emotions of demigods. I use it to sway their minds to my cause. But if the child of Hestia lives, he will bestow hope into the hearts of all the demigods around him. Making it almost impossible for me to sway their minds." Echidna finally understood what the titan king was telling her, and she let an evil smirk take place.
"So you're saying we need the mortal killed?" She asked.
"...No." Kronos spoke, surprising the mother of monsters.
"He is a valuable asset, too valuable to kill. If we capture him before he makes it to camp, then I won't have to worry about having demigods join the titan army."
"But mortals cannot enter into the demigod camp. He wouldn't be able to sway the demigods against you. Besides, being the adopted son of Hestia means we would never be able to sway his mind. Just let me kill him."
"I'm positive he would figure out on how to enter camp eventually, we must not underestimate our enemies Echidna, especially this boy of Hestia. Isn't that what you said?" Echidna felt her eyebrows twitch when he used her own words against her.
"Besides, if he were to be captured you could have all the fun you want with him. I know how primitive you monsters can be, but keep him alive. He would be a great bargaining tool against my daughter." Echidna did like the sound of that. She would take any opportunity to to humiliate Hestia and her champion.
"Fine. We'll capture him. But as soon as the war is over, I'm ending his life."
"Do as you please. But as long as you take my advice and follow my instructions, everything will go in our favor." The titan answered, which made Echidna's annoyance grow. She hated to have to take orders from this titan, but if she wanted the reign of the gods to be over, she must. She needed to gods reign to be over so her monsters could roam the earth once more, and the Titans could benefit from that so it was a mutual agreement.
"Now leave. I must speak with my demigod followers of our next course of action." Echidna huffed in annoyance before snapping her fingers and disappearing in a flash of light. The titan felt pleased with himself, seeing how easily he manipulated the mother of monsters to do his bidding. Alas, the adopted child of Hestia concerns him. He will not be easily swayed, if at all. The sea spawn perhaps, as the titan can still feel his anger towards the gods. Even if it is less than what it used to be. But the mortal has to be dealt with, one way or another.
Two Months Later:
Things had finally calmed down after the whole lightning thief thing. Angel IM'd Percy the day after talking to Piper and Annabeth, and the son of sea told him how things worked out for him. How it went down in Olympus. Apparently he made it just in time to Olympus to stop Zeus from starting a civil war and potentially killing him. Percy explained that it wasn't him who stole the bolt, but another demigod who went rogue. And that Ares helped hide the deed so that there could be a war between the gods.
Zeus was furious and punished Ares, but Percy never told Angel what exactly they ended up doing to him. Percy didn't tell the gods about Angel's role in completing the quest, something the boy was really thankful for. Percy figured since the god tried having him killed for the sole purpose of who his dad was, Zeus would try the same with the young champion. Percy didn't have to try too hard to hide his existence however, as the gods were too busy bickering amongst themselves to even pay any mind to the mortal world.
Percy also told the curly haired boy that the god of war didn't even mention him. He was probably too ashamed to admit being defeated by a mere mortal of all things. After that Percy went home in upstate New York, and was happy to see that his mom was there. She was clueless of how she almost died and kidnapped by Hades, something Percy preferred stayed that way. Percy explained to his mom how he knew he was a demigod and that he was going to camp half-blood, which was bittersweet for both him and his mom. She was glad he'd be safe, but was sad to see him go. He assured her it was only for the summer, to which was something she was glad to hear.
When Percy arrived at camp he was welcomed as a hero, and was thrown a big party by the other cabins. Well except for the Ares cabin, who hates him now for humiliating their dad. But hey, can't win them all right? So for the past month or so Chiron had been giving Percy the training of his life, ensuring he'd be ready for the prophecy. They didn't tell Percy that, but Angel assumed that was the reason behind the legendary trainers harsh training. Angel didn't like that they were keeping it a secret from Percy, but he kept it to himself. He figured if it felt right to tell him, then he'd spill the beans to the son of sea. But for now, he should focus on his training.
Two months have past since their fight with Ares, and everybody was gradually getting into their own routine. Piper was slowly starting to get used to the life at camp while also getting over the trauma she suffered in Las Vegas. It was a slow process, but she made a lot of progress in the first month. She rarely flinched when guys approached her, and smiled more frequently. She also became more out-going with people other than her quest mate, and begun her training not too long after arriving at camp, which led to her noticing she's better with a dagger like Annabeth.
She also had the aim of a child of Apollo, and she sometimes missed how convenient Angel's bow really was. She eventually got used to using a regular bow, hoping one day she could get a bow similar to her curly haired friend.
Annabeth had apologized to Piper after what happened at the end of their first call with Angel, saying her mind was just cluttered with plans for the games. But in reality she had grown fond of the champion of Hestia, more than she was willing to admit. She was too proud to admit to anyone, not even to herself. But when she saw Angel and Piper talking so carefree, she felt something twist at her gut. She hated the feeling. Thankfully now that she barely saw Angel her feelings had died down a bit, now focusing on hanging out and training with Grover Piper and Percy. She used to hate seeing the son of Poseidon, for the sole reason that their parents hate each other. But now they have talked and interacted more, Percy had opened up a little to her. He was more fun to be around now that he wasn't worried for his life of that of his mother, so she started to actually look forward to his company. Not that she told him that, she'd rather kiss a cyclops.
Angel himself had gone back to training with Perseus, who had now made his training even more difficult. Angel didn't think it was possible, but he was proven otherwise as Perseus now was hell bent on having him learn to fight bigger and stronger enemies. Angel figured it was because of his fight with the Chimera, so the boy didn't complain too much. If he ever saw that monster again, he'd want to be able to finish the job. It had been a brutal and exhausting couple of months for the boy, but he pushed on wanting to impress his mentor and adoptive mother. He wanted to be the champion Hestia believed he could be.
Hestia had also started to amp up the training on her son's fire abilities, teaching him more advanced things and how to better control it. His kind nature and hard-to-anger attitude made him a good vessel for fire. He rarely let his emotions get out of control and explode, except for those rare occasions that they get the better of him. But no one is perfect, not even the gods themselves. She considered teaching him how to heal with fire, something she figured would be very useful to her adoptive son. But she decided it could wait, as doing it wrong could do more harm than good to the injured person. So for now having him focus on how to better control his powers.
Now Angel had become quite fond of the forge Hephaestus left behind at the ranch, even if he wasn't the best blacksmith. He couldn't make anything godly like Hephaestus can, but he could create swords or armor. He didn't have a need for a sword, and armor would only slow him down. So he had other uses for the forge. He was actually on his way there now.
Angel sighed tiredly as he wobbled his way to the forge after a long day of training. His arms and feet were killing him, but his eagerness to finish his new project was far more motivating than the whines of his aching muscles. He entered the forge and felt a small wave of heat on his face, but as usual it slowly died down and it became only slightly hotter inside than the summer heat. He wiped sweat off his brow before looking ahead and seeing his project covered by a large black plastic cover.
'Whelp, time to get back to work on you.' Angel mumbled to himself as he grabbed the plastic and yanked it off, revealing a poorly built dirt bike. The bike was missing both wheels while the handle was loose and the seat looked like it was about to fall off, but at least the engine and brakes were installed properly. He had recently added the gas tank too, and he hoped when he turned on the bike for the first time it didn't explode in his face. He looked at it for a second as if thinking about what he should focus on today, when suddenly he saw a flash of light emitt from behind him.
He turned around to see Hephaestus dusting himself off, and turning to look at the young boy with a toothy grin.
"Lord Hephaestus! Long time no see." Angel said with a smile and the god laughed.
"Call me Hephaestus kid. I ain't used to bein' called Lord." He then stepped forward and raised an eyebrow at what was behind the young champion.
"Huh? What's this? Taking my advice eh?" The god asked, and Angel nodded.
"Yup. Figured I shouldn't let the tools here go to waste, y'know?"
"Aye, I do." The god answered, before looking at the bike the boy was working on.
"Hmm, rusty hand work. But, I can't blame ya! First time building anything mechanical?" Angel nodded shyly.
"You'll get better lad. But if you were one of my children you would've gotten the hang of it within a day. A week at most." He said before pointing his finger at it.
"Lemme just use some of my magic and-"
"No!" Angel cried, and Hephaestus turned to him with a raised eyebrow.
"Uh I mean, please Hephaestus. I want to make this on my own, without your help." Hephaestus gave a beaming smile and locked the boy in a headlock much to his surprise.
"You sure you ain't one of my children boy?" He asked playfully as he nudged the boys head with his knuckles.
"You got the heart of one." The god eventually let go of Angel, who rubbed his sore head and grumbled in pain.
"But don't worry lad, I wasn't going to build it for ya or anything. I can actually create all the necessary tools, parts and equipment needed for you to finish it." He said as his finger touched the seat. Suddenly a bright light emitted from the bike, and slowly things started to appear on the floor around it. Wheels, wrenches, screwdrivers, and other stuff Angel didn't know the terms of.
"There. That should do it." The god said, blowing imaginary smoke off his pointer finger.
"Wow. That's awesome." Angel whispered in awe.
"Perks of being a god I suppose."
"Thanks. I was starting to wonder where I was going to get a good pair of tires." Angel said with a smile.
"How'd you find these parts anyway? I know you didn't make these in the forge." The god asked, and Angel chuckled.
"I saw it lying around at the dump not too far from here. Hestia sent me to go buy groceries and I saw it on the way back. All I'm really doing is replacing the parts that were broken or unusable." He said, before scratching his chin.
"Although, I'm not sure why Hestia needed me to go get groceries. She can summon food with a wave of her hands." Hephaestus shrugged.
"Beats me kid. Hestia has always worked in mysterious ways." The god said, but Angel got the feeling he was hiding something. He didn't question him though, he was a god after all.
"Alright kid, I'll be on my way. I'm a busy man, being Olympus's blacksmith and what not."
"Wait. Can I...ask you something?" Angel asked, and Hephaesteus gave him a look to continue.
"Do you know anything that Hestia would want? Something she can't really just conjure up?" He asked timidly, and the blacksmith raised an eyebrow.
"Something she can't conjure? Whatever for, boy?" Angel scratched his cheek.
"Well, I want to get her a present. You know, to thank her for all she's done for me." He said softly, before looking outside.
"She's done so much, I don't know if I can ever repay her. But I'm willing to try." The forge god looked at the boy in astonishment, never in his life had he heard a mortal wanting to give the gods something. Well, offerings don't count. This was more heart-felt and the only motivation for it was to show appreciation. He was starting to feel a little jealous of Hestia.
"Well there is one thing that I can think of the top of my head." He mused.
"What? What is it Hephaestus?" The boy asked eagerly, to which the god chuckled.
"You know, by the way Hestia takes care of her garden you can tell she really likes flowers." He started, to which Angel nodded. She was very protective of her garden.
"There is a goddess named Khloris, goddess of flowers." The god informed.
"Apparently she has a special kind of flower, one that never dies nor withers. Legend has it that the flower is so beautiful and breath-taking, that my wife Aphrodite became jealous and placed a curse upon it."
'Of course she did.' Angel thought to himself annoyed.
"What's the curse?" The boy asked, and Hephaestus simply shrugged.
"I'm not sure, you'll have to ask the goddess herself. Khloris is understandably upset that Aphrodite would do that to such a beautiful flower."
"I would be too." The boy sighed.
"So where can I find her? The goddess Khloris."
"Last I heard she resides in the botanical gardens in Virginia. Apparently she's trying to bless the soil so it will allow the growth of better plants and more beautiful flowers." Angel rubbed his chin in thought.
"Not exactly close. Could take at least a few days on the bus to even get there." He mumbled out loud, to which the blacksmith grinned.
"You could finish that bike of yours. That way you'll make it there faster than on the bus and you get to do it in style." The boy smiled at the idea of driving half way through the country on a motorcycle, but there was just one problem.
"But I'm not close to turning 16, I can't get my license. Much less a motorcycle one." The god rubbed his beard in thought before he got an idea.
"Then you'll just ask Hestia to teach you how to manipulate the mist. All you really need is some sort of godly power to be able to do it, and being adopted by Hestia gave just that. By controlling the mist you can have mortals see you as an adult with a bikers license."
"But wouldn't she wonder why I'm so interested in learning how to control the mist?" The boy asked, and the forge god frowned.
"You ask a lot of questions kid." Angel rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"just tell her you're doing a favor for me. And that you need to be able to control the mist to complete it." He then gave the boy a wink.
"Don't worry, if she asks me anything I'll back you up." Angel smiled in appreciation to the blacksmith.
"So it'll take me at least a week before I can finish the bike, and maybe two weeks to properly learn to control the mist." The boy muttered.
"Hopefully Lady Khloris is still at the botanical gardens by the time I get there." Hephaestus smiled down at the boy as he planned his little scheme, before clearing his throat.
"Well then I'll leave you to it. I have many orders to fill over at Olympus. Oh, and I suggest you tell Hestia as soon as possible about this. The sooner the better." Angel nodded in understanding, and the god nodded back. He then gave the boy a wide smile and saluted goodbye, before flashing away. Angel then turned back to the bike, inspecting it for a second before smiling to himself.
'Time to get to work.'
Later That Night:
Angel could hear the crickets chirping as he slowly made his way out of the forge and felt the moonlight shine on his face. His arms and legs now felt worse than when he entered, but his mind was still excited and energetic. Thankfully he was making a lot more progress with finishing the bike now that Hephaestus left everything he needed to finish it. Now all he had to do was talk to Hestia about the 'favor'. Easier said than done though, he hadn't seen her all day. She's almost impossible to find if she doesn't want to be found.
"Knowing her, she'd probably just show up when I least expect it…" His eyes narrowed, before he quickly turned around pointing his finger.
"Like right-!" He stopped in tracks when he saw that no one was behind him, and lowered his finger.
"Now...Huh." He then shrugged.
"Guess not."
"You called?" A teasing female voice echoed next to him, and he let out a girlish squeak in surprise.at ata
"Did I scare you?" Hestia asked mischievously, and Angel huffed in annoyance.
"You're never gonna stop doing that, are you?" Hestia smiled triumphantly before giving a small twirl with the long red skirt she was wearing.
"Nope."
"You seem to be in a good mood today." Angel observed, something that put a smile on his face. He rarely saw her this happy, and it was contagious.
"Why yes I am Angel, thank you for asking." She said with a smile.
"Did something happen in Olympus or at camp?" The boy asked curiously, but the goddess simply winked at him.
"It's a secret." She said playfully, and Angel rolled his eyes.
"If you say so." He paused, figuring now would be a good time to ask her.
"Hey mom, can I ask you for a favor?" He asked nervously, and Hestia seemed so into her good mood that she didn't notice his nervousness.
"Of course child, what is it?"
"I was wondering if you could teach me how to manipulate the mist." Hestia paused before raising an eyebrow at her adoptive son.
"Mist manipulation? Whatever for?" Angel played with his fingers nervously.
"Hephaestus asked me to do a favor for him in a couple weeks, and having mist manipulation would make it a little easier to complete." Hestia hummed in thought.
"Hephaestus you say?" She asked suspiciously, and Angel felt his mouth to dry. Lying wasn't one of his best abilities.
"Yeah, the good old blacksmith god himself…" The boy muttered awkwardly, feeling sweat form on his forehead.
"Hmmm okay." Hestia beamed with a smile, causing the champion to look at her confused.
"Wait really? Just like that?" The goddess nodded.
"Mmhmm. I was planning on showing you anyway, it's a good ability to have when dealing with mortals."
"I bet it is." Angel mused.
"So when can we start?"
"Tomorrow after your training with Perseus. You've done enough training for today." The goddess answered, before surprising him with a big strong hug. Not as bone crushing as when he returned from his quest, but still strong without a doubt.
"M-mom? Not that I'm complaining, but why are you hugging me?" Angel asked, feeling too surprised to hug her back.
"Can't a mother hug her son whenever she pleases?" She asked, snuggling more into her adoptive son. In truth she knew what the boy was planning. She knows and hears about everything that happens here on the ranch, no matter if he's in the forge or not. She had never had someone give her a gift for no reason other than to show appreciation, and it warmed her heart to the point that she couldn't resist the urge to hug him. For the first time in millennia, she felt like a real mother.
"I don't see a reason why she can't." The boy muttered back, before slowly returning the hug, enjoying the warmth she gave off. She probably gives the best hugs out of everyone in the whole world. Hestia had been struggling with these emotions she was feeling, sometimes she wasn't even sure what it was. But if she had to guess, it would have to be pride. She couldn't help but be proud of the accomplishments of her son. She was so proud of him when he came back safely from his fight with Ares, she couldn't contain her strength. At least now she had enough control as to not squeeze the life out of him.
"If anyone saw us right now they'd think you're a momma's boy." The goddess teased, and Angel blushed a little. He didn't let go though, it was rare for Hestia to show this much affection. He was going to enjoy every second of it.
"If anyone says or asks anything familiar to that I will deny it in a heartbeat."
"And if it's just us?" She asked softly.
"...I guess I might be a momma's boy…" The goddess let out a small giggle, before playing with the boy's curly hair a bit.
"Good answer."
Have you ever felt like you're awake, but keep your eyes closed so you get a couple more minutes of sleep? Well Angel was experiencing that, but for some reason he felt like he'd already experienced this. He heard murmuring slowly make their way into his head, and he groaned in protest at the disturbance that was bothering him.
"Shh shh! He's going to wake up!" Someone whispered, and Angel recognized the voice. But he couldn't remember from where exactly. The voice was young and high pitch, but he was sure it was from a young boy.
"Ok ok, do it now." He heard the same voice whisper, which led to others giggling in response.
'What's going on?' Angel asked, but he felt like he couldn't move his own body. His realized in horror what was happening, before looking ato see other orphans standing around him. They were all trying to contain their laughter.
'No not again. How many times do I have to relive this stupid dream?' Angel tried his best to move his body, but he wasn't in control. It was like he was living a memory all over again.
"Rise and shine buddy." The tallest of the orphans said grinning mischievously, his pale skin almost blinded the younger Angel.
"How'd you sleep?" The boy asked sarcastically, and Angel wanted to throw a punch, launch himself at the boy and knock a tooth out so badly. But instead he helplessly watched his young 8 year old body yawn and look at the boy confused.
"Tyler…? What's going on?" Angel heard himself ask, only to watch the brown haired pale skinned Tyler lift up the sheets of Angel's bed.
"Here for pest control." The boy said simply, and the half asleep Angel looked down on his mattress in confusion, before his eyes widened in horror.
"W-wha...what is…" The young boy looked down in horror, only to see the bed and his legs covered with a bunch of spiders and other insects.
"AHHHH!" The young Angel cried out terrified, before he felt his entire body engulf in flames.
The other boys backed up but grinned in pleasure, as they got the reaction they were hoping for. As expected the bed and bugs were all burned almost immediately, leading to the young Angel to fall onto the ground as his body burned a hole through his mattress. Angel trembled fearfully as he looked down on his legs to see the melted remains of the insects. The other boys laughed out loud, enjoying seeing the boy's terrified expression.
"Haha! Your faces are always priceless, freak!" Tyler cackled, getting a sense of joy seeing the younger child suffer.
"W-why…?" Angel asked with a shaky voice, unable to look up at Tyler.
"Why do you do this to me…? I've never done anything to you." Tyler stopped laughing, before raising an eyebrow and kneeling next to the boy.
"Because freak…" The bully said quietly.
"You're a monster. You're no human. You'll just rot here with no family to adopt you." He said, before spitting next to the trembling form of Angel and leading his group of brats away, laughing all the way. Angel didn't move for a good few minutes, just looking at his legs in disgust. He didn't know what to do, he didn't want to move. He didn't want to live here anymore, he hated it here.
"Angel!" Suddenly he snapped out of his little episode and turned around, to see one of the orphanage workers run up to him. She wore a brown one piece dress with a white apron, while she had graying hair and wrinkles evident on her aging face,
"How many times do I have to tell you to not burn things?!" The lady yelled, causing the young boy to shrink down.
"B-but lady Gertrude-"
"NO! I don't want to hear another one of your excuses! I'm tired of always cleaning up after you! Learn to control yourself, or I will be forced to lock you in the detention center." Angel's eyes widened in horror at the mention of that room. It was the worst place for a misbehaving child to go to, Angel didn't even want to think about it.
"Please, anywhere but there. I'll do better next time, I promise." The boy pleaded, leaving the orphan worker to sigh tiredly.
"One more outbursts like that and it's the detention center, you got it?" She asked, and Angel nodded his head rapidly.
"Good. Now get yourself cleaned up. You reek." She said, referring to the remains of the insects on his leg. Angel slowly shifted and got onto his feet, before heading over to the showers. On the way there, he could hear the murmurs and whispers of his fellow orphan kids, no matter how much he tried to block them out.
'Eugh , he reeks.'
'He'll never get adopted.'
'What a freak.'
'He'll probably burn the whole place down.'
The younger Angel couldn't take it, the voices got louder and louder in his head. He felt tears built up in his eyes as he started to run down the corridor of the orphanage. But as soon as he did, the hall itself stretched out. No matter how fast he ran he couldn't reach the end of it, it was like he was running on a treadmill.
'Angel….' He heard the kids' voices echo throughout the hall, and he closed his eyes shut.
"Shut up..." He muttered as he kept running.
'Angel…'
"Leave me alone!" The boy cried.
"I don't want to be here anymore!"
'Angel!'
"GO AWAY!"
"Angel! My son wake up!" Angel's eyes shot open and he gasped, before desperately looking around. He saw he was in his room, the one he has had for almost four years now, and he visibly relaxed. He let out one last sigh, before looking at Hestia confused.
"Mom…?" He asked softly, and Hestia looked down at her adoptive son in worry.
"Angel are you okay? You were restless in her sleep, and mumbling something." Angel knew he couldn't lie to her, it never worked. But, he didn't want to talk about what happened in his dream. It was still fresh in his mind.
"Nothing. Just...a bad dream is all." He said, and Hestia looked at him disapprovingly. This wasn't the first time she woke him up like this, but he always brushes her off.
"I need to get ready for Perseus's training." He muttered, before getting out of bed and opening the door of his room.
"I'll see you later today Hestia." He said distractedly, before walking out the room and into his bathroom.
Hestia felt her heart sink when her called her by her name instead of mom. She had gotten so used to it for the past months, that hearing him call her anything else made her frown. She sighed sadly as she sat on his bed, looking at a picture frame she had a few weeks after he arrived. He was so small, so frail looking. And so scared. Angel had trouble trusting her and Perseus for a very long time, but soon he grew to relax around them. And eventually started to enjoy their presence, cherishing the moments the boy spent with the goddess. Now he seemed to get over the fears that once haunted him, but every so often they come back to torture him. She wished he would let her help, but he refused to talk about anything that happened in that orphanage.
She felt responsible for everything that happened to him there, as she could've prevented it if she had taken him in as soon as his mother abandoned him at the orphanages front door. Well, the mother didn't have much of a choice, but she should've figured something out instead of just giving in and letting go of her one and only son. But in fear of facing Zeus' wrath, Hestia waited. She now knew that it was one of her worst mistakes she made in all her years of living, but she would have to learn to live with it.
And she hope that one day, Angel forgives her for having him live through that.
A/N: I took inspiration from 'The Son of Vesta' by Pluto'sDaughter 11 for the orphanage part of the story. I really like her work and will probablyinfluence this story in the future like other writers like Anaklusmos14, Domgk1115 and maybe from imjusttryingtofindmyway's story 'Percy Jackson and the game' in the future. Feels bad he/she discontinued PJATG but it's a really good story nonetheless. If you haven't read their stories I highly recommend them.