(Chapter uploaded: Sep 19, 2021)
Chapter 3: Constellations Make Poor Conversationalists
(Author's Note)
Hey guys, gals and non-binary pals! Welcome to chapter 3 of The Daughters of Olympus and the Tablet of Destinies. Today's chap is a bit shorter than normal, and I apologize for that, but that's just how all the events fell. We'll get to longer chaps next time.
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Chapter 3: Constellations Make Poor Conversationalists
[A few days later, End of May, 2025]
It was a few days after Astraea patched things up with her dad when she decided to press her luck over dinner. Her dad hadn't even sat down for two seconds when she spoke up. "Hey, dad?"
"No, you can't eat your dessert first again."
She rolled her eyes. "No, dad, I wanted to ask you a question."
He paused as he began serving the mashed potatoes. "...Can it wait until after dinner? We're about to eat and we have something important to—." Upon seeing her face drop, however, he said, "But if it's important, then ask away."
Astraea hesitated despite herself, this was something she learned to stop asking for years ago. "...Can I maybe join a kickboxing or MMA gym this summer? You've been teaching me a lot, but I want to train against other people—."
Surprisingly, it was her mom that interrupted her. "Sorry, Astraea, but you can't join any gyms or programs this summer because—."
"Oh come on, mom. Please?" Astraea was already getting angry. She had thought that her parents would start changing their minds about letting her do things outside of the house, but she must have gotten her hopes up too high.
"Listen to what I have to say before you interrupt, huh? I have news you may actually like." Her mom gave her a placating smile. "You can't go to any gyms this summer because you will be going somewhere really special this summer."
From the way her mom's eyes brightened, Astraea knew it had to be really special. But one look at her dad's darkened expression made her reconsider. Where could they possibly go that made them so divided? She didn't get to go anywhere anyway.
Aurora spoke up softly from beside her, her voice dripping with nervousness. "A-are you t-talking about Camp Half-Blood?"
"Yes." Her mom's eyes brightened even more.
Astraea felt her heart nearly explode. Ever since her parents first told her of their adventures at Camp when she was young, she had wanted nothing more than to go. A place where she can train and fight everyday? A place full of people her own age that she can become friends with? Somewhere she can walk around with her wings free? A place away from her overprotective dad? It sounded perfect!
She had dreamed of being able to go for years now, but never once did she actually believe that she would be allowed to. Maybe Aurora in a few more years, but never her.
"But we also have one more big announcement for you two." Her dad started, breaking her out of her thoughts. His frown had disappeared somewhat. "Your mom and I have thought about it for a while, and you two know that she has been wanting to open up her very own architect firm. And the opportunity has opened up, in New York… And as it would be impossible for her to lead the company from here in Chicago, we have made the decision to move back to New York this summer."
Astraea couldn't believe her ears. She had lived in Forest Glen, Chicago since she was a toddler, and had no memories of when they used to live in New York. But she wasn't sad to leave Chicago, that would be impossible because she never got to experience any part of it that wasn't in their house.
"Where are we moving?" Aurora asked. "And when?"
"To Manchester, an hour outside the city." Her dad answered. "Your mom managed to score quite the deal, it was well out of our price range, but she managed to work her magic."
Annabeth preened at the praise. "Well, being work friends with one of the original architects of the house doesn't hurt. Not to mention scoring a few big deals. It's more money than we ever expected to pay, but I think it'll be the perfect place for us."
"It sits on 740 acres, so we'll have our privacy. Don't get me wrong, I've lived in the city all my life and I love it, but it'll be nice to have some peace and quiet for a change. We could practice outside all we want without worrying about being seen."
"How big is it?" Astraea asked. "I still get my own room, right?"
Her dad chuckled. "Of course, sweetie. It's four stories, and has eight bedrooms and bathrooms. So each of you will get your own. We'll turn the others into studies or family rooms or something."
Astraea whistled. "Damn."
"Language." Her mom said instinctively, before going into more detail. "You'll be happy to hear, girls, that it has its own pool house, equipped with a state-of-the-art gym, 60ft pool, sauna, and hot tub."
"Double damn."
Annabeth ignored her eldest, instead turning to her youngest. "This should make you happy, Aurora, it comes with several stables and over two dozen horses—."
"Horses!" Aurora looked like she was about to explode from sheer happiness. "Can I have my own horse? Please?!"
Annabeth chuckled. "Of course, honey." Aurora shook so much Astraea feared she'd pass out. "But you should know that your father doesn't have enough time or resources to look after that many at once, so we will be selling most of them—."
"Can I pick out my favorites to keep first?" Aurora interrupted at a rapid pace.
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Percy told her. "But keeping horses is no small task, so I expect you to take it seriously. If you don't keep up with your homework, studying, training and extra work from grandma Athena, then your horse privileges may be taken away—."
"Don't worry, dad! I will!"
Percy smiled, happy to share his passion for horses with his daughter. He faced his eldest next. "And Astraea, the bigger gym means that we can get more equipment, but that also means that I want to know beforehand that this is something you really want. If you can take your training seriously, then I'll support you by getting anything you need."
Astraea found herself out of her seat and hugging her dad before she could blink. "Thank you, dad."
"Your welcome, sweetheart."
Astraea wanted to apologize about getting mad with him earlier, but couldn't find the words.
"Back to the matter of Camp Half-Blood," her mom began. "We will be moving to New York the first of June, and we will take you to Camp a few days after. We've already told Chiron, and he'll be expecting you, he will have a Counselor give you a tour. You two remember Chiron, right? Aurora, you might not, since you were so young. But Astraea, you remember him, right?"
"Yeah, he was really nice. I don't really remember much except thinking that it was really weird how he magically pulled his horse legs out of his wheelchair."
"It was weird the first time I saw it too." Her dad said, before becoming really serious. "And Astraea, we need to have a serious talk about Camp, and I think it's worth it to have it now."
Dread pooled in Astraea's gut, nervously, she asked, "...What?"
Her dad looked beside himself with emotion. One part uneasy anxiousness, and the other twitching anger. It didn't help her nervousness. "...I'll be honest; I never intended for you to go to Camp, so I never prepared you for what you had to do. And that's my fault alone. But while you're at Camp…" He paused to gather his thoughts, looking over to her mom for help. But her mom wasn't giving him any, she was only offering an unreadable look that Astraea couldn't decipher.
Finally, he let out a heavy breath and looked into her eyes, his own dark and unwavering. "While you're at Camp, you can't tell anyone who your birth parents are."
"Why the hell not?!" Astraea demanded.
"Language, Astraea. Just listen to your father for a second so he can explain—."
"I will not just listen!" She cut her mom off, slamming her fist down on the table. "Why can't I tell people who my parents are?"
Her dad's expressions darkened, his voice softening. "Because people… because it's dangerous for you to. Your parents… well, they had a lot of… enemies, and some people might try to hurt you if they ever found out. It wouldn't be safe there for you if certain people ever found out."
"But you said my dad died a hero! You said he died saving Olympus and the world! That he even saved your life!" Astraea was all but screaming now, she couldn't comprehend why her dad was saying this. "The Monsters and Titans are almost all gone, so who the fuck could try to hurt me?!"
"Astraea," her mom tried to calm her down again. "Just listen and let us explain—."
"No!" She slammed the table again, this time shattering her plate and sending food everywhere. Her sister flinched and was trying to become as small as possible in her seat. While her dad was remaining firm and unmovable. "You need to tell me right now why I can't tell people who my parents are! My dad is Leonidas Dione Reed, the son of Heracles, the grandson of Athena, and the savior of Olympus!"
She shot up from her seat and jabbed a finger at her dad. "You said that! You said my dad was a great man! That I should be proud of being his daughter! Well how the hell am I supposed to be proud of being his daughter if I can't tell anyone that?"
"It's for your own safety." Her dad said loudly, his voice firm but level, not quite a yell. "You will do as you're told because I am your dad and I know what is best for you. You do not need to know my reasons, you only need to do what I say. Your father asked me to keep you safe—."
"Percy, let's maybe talk about this later—."
"I'm only trying to explain—."
"Bullshit!" Astraea yelled, her wings bursting from her back in anger, ripping the back of her shirt to shreds, sending a small shot of pain through her wings for a second. But she didn't care. She even felt a spike of rebellious pride when she saw it made her dad visibly angrier. "Why are you always saying that things are for my own safety? Why can't you just let me live my life?"
"Because life is dangerous and you don't know what's out there." Her dad tried to explain. "People could try to kill you if they found out—."
"Then fucking tell me what's out there!" She gave a mocking prompting gesture. "You've never given me one straight answer about how my parents died."
Her dad suddenly clammed up, becoming noticeably more nervous. "I-I told you, your dad died a hero. And your mom—."
"That's not an answer." She wasn't yelling anymore, but she wasn't pleasant either. "Just tell me how they died."
"They died defending Olympus and the world, your father also saved my life and the lives of many of my friends, so, for that, I owe him a debt I can never repay. He asked me to take you in and keep you safe, so I will. And soon after taking you in as a ten month old, I fell in love with you and vowed to take care of you."
That was more than he had ever told her before, but Astraea still sensed that he was holding things back. "Tell me how he died. Did he die in battle? From a wound? Did someone kill him? And how did my mom die?"
Her dad hesitated. "...Your mother Faded into the Void. It's what happens to deities when the world either forgets about them, or their Domain is destroyed or damaged beyond repair."
Astraea felt her heart ache at this new knowledge, and she thought about it for nearly a minute. Finally, she asked, "...Was she in pain?"
Her dad gave her a sympathetic look. "Up until that point? Yes. She was in a lot of pain for many years, she had lost nearly all of her power and strength, it… it was only because of your father that she lived so long."
"What do you mean? How?"
"He… he tied his life force with hers. I'm not sure how she did it, but she formed a connection with him that empowered her, but drained his life force in return."
Her heart dropped. "M-my mother was killing him? Is that why he died?" Her mouth went dry. "D-did she kill him?"
"Gods no! Astraea, you have to believe me when I tell you that your mother and father loved each other so much, they'd never do anything to harm the other. But your father did agree to share his life force with her in order to prolong her life. It caused him a great deal of pain and he only survived so long because of his godly blood and strength, but he did it out of love. Just as I would do anything to save your mom, he would have done anything to save your mother. And he did several times.
"Astraea, your father literally traveled to the edges of the world, beyond the mortal realm, deep into the bowels of the earth and fought against Monsters and beasts not even gods could defeat alone just for your mother. And for you. He wanted to create a world where not only you, but all future generations could grow up in love, peace and kindness. Your father… was the greatest man I have ever known. He alone is the reason why the new gods interact with us more, why they claim all their children now. He was a great man. I considered him a friend and a brother."
Astraea had a hard time taking this all in. For years her dad never told her anything beyond that her father died a hero. Now he's telling her that he died trying to bring peace to the entire world? Why didn't he tell her this years ago?
"...If he didn't die because of my mother dying, then how did he die? If he was so strong, then who could have possibly killed him?"
His face cracked, his jaw clenched tight. "I'm sorry, Astraea, but I can't tell you anymore than that."
"Why the hell not?"
Her dad's face dropped even more, his voice becoming more subdued. "...I just can't. I'm sorry, Astraea, but I can't. But I promise you, it's not to hurt you, and it's not because I want to keep things from you, but I just can't tell you. And you can't tell anyone who your parents are. You'll just have to trust me."
"And why should I trust you after this? After you've held back all this stuff about my parents from me my whole life?"
His voice was soft and subdued. "...Because I'm your dad, and I love you. And I would never do anything to hurt you. I just want you to be safe and happy."
Astraea let out a colorful expletive and ran a hand through her long hair. She didn't want to continue the rift between her and her dad. Never in her life had they been at odds like this. They never got into arguments before, they usually got along perfectly. She always sought him out to spend time with him, to listen to stories of her birth parents, to train, to watch movies or just hang out. But now just being around him was pissing her off. But she didn't want to ruin their relationship, so she decided to go against her wishes and agree.
"Fine. We'll do it your way. For now."
A weight seemed to drop off of her dad's shoulders. "Thank you, Astraea. I swear, I'm not holding things back for no reason, it's just the way it has to be."
"Whatever." She mumbled, ready to end this conversation as soon as possible and run off to her room. Her appetite was gone and all she wanted to do was hit something. Hard. "So what do ya want me to do when people ask who my parents are? Or did you not tell people I'm adopted?" She thought alone made her anger bubble up again.
"No, no." Her dad placated her. "We'll tell everyone you're adopted, just that we don't know who your parents are."
Astraea felt her frustration spike again, but chose not to act on it. With her luck, her dad would just change his mind and forbid her from ever going to Camp. She hated it, but it was smarter to behave and agree with whatever he said. "So you want me to lie? That it?"
Her mom looked uneasy. "...Yes, unfortunately. Chiron is the only person at Camp who knows, and he'll assure that it stays that way. I know you don't like it, Astraea, but your dad is right. It's not safe if people know who your parents are. I wish it weren't true, but it is."
"Whatever." Astraea shoved her chair back under the table and started to leave. "I'm done with this conversation. Night, mom, Aurora."
"Astraea," her dad called out as she disappeared around the corner, but it fell on deaf ears. "We still have something to tell you—."
Percy slumped back into his seat. He knew that this wasn't going to be an easy conversation, but he didn't expect it to go wrong so fast. He didn't know what to do. Telling Astraea the truth was out of the question— she couldn't know that it was in fact Zeus, the former King of the Gods, who killed her father, that would make her hate the gods and possibly send her down a path of revenge, and Percy knew Leonidas wouldn't want her to follow in his footsteps. His only option was to keep the secret until he was sure either she could handle it, or if there were no possible dangers. But until then, he had to lie and let her hate him. He had to keep her safe.
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Annabeth gave her husband an icy glare as soon as her youngest left the room. "I thought you were going to be more honest with Astraea? You didn't tell her anything."
"I told her more about her father and how her mom died." He replied. "What am I supposed to tell her? That her father was killed by Zeus, and that her father was trying to destroy Olympus and kill Zeus and all the gods? Or how about the fact that that is all a lie? That it was in fact me who killed Zeus because he mortally wounded Leonidas?
"Beth, we've been over this. Hera had to lie to all of Olympus and to the demigods that Zeus died a martyr at the hands of Leonidas. While I hate that it had to happen, it's for the best. It would split the Council and send Olympus into a full-blown civil war."
"There has to be another way, Percy. She is going to find out sooner or later, and it will crush her knowing that you never told her."
"She'll never find out." He countered. "The only people that know are us, Hera, Artemis and Apollo, and Heracles and Hebe. And they'll never risk causing Olympus to go to war."
"I still don't like it." She hugged herself, cold despite the summer heat. "There has to be another way."
Percy gave a shrug, a tired expression on his face. "If you can find a way for us to tell her that the entire Greek and Roman worlds hate her parents and would wish her dead if they ever found out who she is, then we'll tell her. But until then, I won't risk putting her in danger. I still don't like sending them to Camp or the thought of letting Astraea go to school in the fall. But you and my mom made good points, and while I want Astraea to be safe, I also want what's best for her. But if I have to choose between the two, I'll choose to keep her safe."
Annabeth let out a long breath, running her fingers through her hair in thought. "I don't know how to tell her either, babe. I understand why you don't want to tell her, and I agree with you, but I wish there were another way."
He put a hand on her cheek. "Well, like I said, if you find a way, I'm all ears. But until then, I can't tell her the truth."
Annabeth covered his hand with hers, silently running through ideas in her head, but ultimately not coming up with any. "I still don't like it."
"I don't either, but it's the only way." He rested his forehead on hers and they stood like that for several minutes, silently thinking.
It was only after several minutes of silence that Annabeth spoke up, her voice uncharacteristically timid. "Hey, babe?"
"Yeah?"
"...I think something is wrong." She put a hand to her lower abdomen. "I have a bad feeling."
His eyes widened. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"
"...I don't know. I can't explain it, but I just have a bad feeling. I know that I shouldn't get my hopes up considering, but I was just hoping that this time—."
He kissed her hair, cutting her off. "Beth, don't worry. You can't help it, so don't worry about it. I am hoping too…, but we can't get our hopes up too high."
Tears formed in Annabeth's eyes. "I was just praying that this time would be different." Tears fell from her eyes. "Is that too much to ask?"
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close. "No, Beth, it's not. We just have to pray to the Fates. That's all we can do. ...When will you know for sure?"
"It's too early for the clinic to detect, so except for her mom, Jenny-Lee would be my only option."
Percy gave a brave nod, trying his best to reassure her. "Then we'll talk to her first thing when we take the girls to Camp. She'll be able to help you. And if not her, then we could always try her mom."
"I'm just tired of getting my hopes up." Annabeth wept into his shoulder. "It's killing me."
"I know, Beth." He squeezed her tighter, whispering into her ear. "I know."
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Astraea never wished she could talk to her birth parents more than she did right now.
She was flying high up above the clouds looking to where her parents' constellation sat in the heavens. Astraea had made it a commitment to talk to them at least once a week since as long as she could remember. She only wished they could respond back to her, even a simple reassuring smile would do. But they never moved, never waved, never even noticed her there. Not like the other constellations.
Astraea had the ability to talk to constellations. Yeah, she admits it sounds weird and it doesn't really make any sense to her, but she can do it. She guesses that anyone could talk to constellations too, but they don't respond to anyone but her. Okay, 'respond' may be a bit of a stretch, she can talk to them, but they can't talk back. They mostly just wave or nod as she passes under them. Sometimes Ursa Minor would race her, but she didn't feel like it tonight.
It makes her feel closer to her parents when she talks to them, even if they never respond, or even move, like they're dead floating in the night sky. But tonight it just made them seem further away.
"What kind of person were you, father?" She asked her silent and still birth parents. "My parents say you died a hero protecting Olympus and the world, but they also say that people hate you. That they'd want to hurt me because of it. Is that true?"
Or course, he didn't respond. She climbed higher into the clouds.
"And how strong were you? Were you really stronger than dad? He said you were, that you killed a giant boar the size of a cruise ship with one punch… but I can't even picture something like that in my head. It sounds crazy, like it's impossible, but I don't think he's lying.
"Did you really love mother like he says? ...Did you sacrifice your life force to help her live? I can't imagine doing that for someone— well, I'd do it for Aurora without question, but other than that? I don't think I could do it.
"...How did you die? Were you killed saving Olympus? Dad won't tell me, mom either, but I think that's what happened. He'd probably tell me if you died from a different way. But who killed you? Dad says you were the strongest demigod he had ever met— the strongest in history, even, so who killed you? Was it a Titan? A group of them? Some kind of super-powerful Monster? What? Dad says you could destroy a mountain with a single punch… so how did you die?
"And why did you ask mom and dad to take me in? Do you not have a family? Dad hasn't told me anything about them if you do. Well, I know that your dad is Lord Heracles, of course, but other than that I don't know."
Astraea climbed ever higher until her lungs strained for air. It was getting late and she wanted to get up early to run, so she started back home. But not before giving her silent parents one last glance.
"Goodnight, father, mother. I just hope I get the chance to ask you these things in person one day… I love you."
To be continued
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(Author's Note:)
Well, there's chapter 3 for ya. It was really short, I know, but I promise the next chapter is gonna make up for it.
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Fun Fact: Astraea and Aurora both have a slight Chicagoan accent due to being raised in Chicago since a young age. Though Astraea strangely has a thicker accent than her little sister.
Question of the Day: 'If you could have any kind of magical/demigod historical weapon, what would it be and why?' From something simple like a sword, shield or bow, to something more unique like a trident, bec-de-corbin, atlatl or a scythe. Lemme know, I'm always curious to learn about new types of historical weapons. Bonus points to unique or interesting ones.
Next time: Forests, Storms and Nightmares