(Chapter uploaded: Oct 24, 21)
Chapter 4: Forests, Storms and Nightmares
(Author's Note)
Welcome back guys, gals and non binary pals to chapter 4 of The Daughters of Olympus Book 1. Thanks as always for your support for this story so far, y'all are the best! Speaking of support, we just broke 100 THOUSAND views on Champion of Olympus as I'm writing this! I can't thank you all enough!
The 18th was my 5 YEAR Anniversary of FanFiction! To show my thanks for all the support over the last five years, I am going to be doing my best to put out one chapter a week for the entire month of October. And, if I manage to do that, I will also try my best to continue it in November and possibly December too. Putting out one chapter a week is incredibly hard for me with my current schedule. I used to be able to do it 3-4 years ago, but back then I was only working 4 hours a day, had less responsibilities, and my chapters only averaged out to ~4k words, whereas the average word count per chapter in COO was over 8k.
But I couldn't be here today without all of you amazing people supporting me, so, once again, I have to say thank you.
I wanna give a BIG thanks to Astro Hawthorne for their help on this chapter.
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Heph
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Chapter 4: Forests, Storms and Nightmares
[May 31, 2025,]
[Recap: Astraea Dione Jackson— born Astraea Dione Reed, daughter of the late son of Heracles, Leonidas and the Titaness Eos— is the eldest adopted daughter of Percy and Annabeth Jackson. She was taken in by Percy and Annabeth at ten months old when her birth parents died defending Olympus and the world on the Promised Day.
Her father, Leonidas, once intended to destroy the Thrones of the Olympians to remove the old gods and usher in a new era of love and peace, free of idiodic, selfish gods. But in his last few weeks of life, Leonidas decided to spare Olympus and aligned himself with Percy, who promised he would change the gods for the better.
Leonidas and Percy defended Olympus in its last hour during the Promised Day, when countless Titans, Monsters and otherworldly creatures swarmed the golden city. Leonidas killed Ares and mortally wounded Zeus, but the King of the gods struck from behind and killed Leonidas, sending Percy into a rage that caused him to murder the King of the gods.
With his dying breath, Leonidas begged Percy to take in his demititan daughter, Astraea, as his own and raise her as he would any other. As Leonidas' soul left his body, Eos— his Titaness wife— used the last of her power to create a constellation of their likeness called The Lovers so they could be together for the rest of time, despite her Fading into the Void and his soul being put into the stars.
Now, fourteen years later, Percy refuses to tell his daughter the truth about how her father lived and died. For how could he tell her that the entire Greek and Roman worlds hated him? How they celebrated his death? How they thought him a demon and a monster? How could Percy bear the thought of revealing to Astraea the truth: that if the Campers and gods were to ever learn of her lineage, that they might try to kill her?
With no other choice, Percy hid her away in their house under his ever-watchful gaze and assortment of magical wards. But now, with Astraea and her little sister Aurora set to attend Camp in no less than a weeks' time, he has set himself the task of training her harder than ever to prepare her for the dangers the Greek world has to offer. But little does he know that the mortal world is just as— if not more— dangerous.]
Astraea threw out her fist, landing a solid blow on the trunk of a massive tree, causing it to tremble slightly. Her hand hurt a little, but the triple-padded gloves helped.
"Again."
Astraea complied, hitting the tree with her left this time.
"Again. Harder."
She increased her power and punched the tree again, leaves falling around her.
"More power."
She hit it even harder.
"Again. Harder."
She hit the tree with more force this time, sending a dull throb through her arm and into her shoulder. But still, her dad wasn't satisfied.
"Again. Try to knock it down."
That gave Astraea pause. Looking up to the great oak before her that was wider around than her uncle Tyson, she seriously doubted she could knock it down. Well, not without majorly messing up her hand.
Her dad had been training her to fight for years now, but always told her to hold back her inherent strength, to instead overwhelm her foes with flawless technique and strategy rather than raw power. But today, in preparation for them going to Camp, he asked for her to give it her all.
And Astraea was more than happy to comply. "Knock it down…? Shit, better stand back, old man. I'm gonna send this tree flying."
"We'll see if you're hot shit." Her aunt Thalia said from next to her dad, watching her closely. "Give it your all, no holding back. Don't worry about hurting yourself, I may not be a healing goddess, but I can take care of whatever damage you do to yourself today."
"Sweetness." A wicked grin crept on Astraea's face, greedily excited to finally be allowed to use all of her strength.
"Whenever you're ready, Astraea. Today we're trying to draw out a hundred percent of your strength, so hit it with everything you have, don't hold back." Her dad told her, before motioning to her sister to take a few steps back. "Stand back, Aurora, this could get messy."
Aurora looked from her sister to her dad just as Astraea threw out her arm, "Messy?"
The tree exploded in Astraea's face, sending bark and dust everywhere. Aurora gave an "eep" as she jumped behind her dad, who used a thin veil of water to block them.
"Fuck- bleh!" Astraea hacked and coughed as she was engulfed by the cloud, her arm stuck in the middle of the tree.
As the cloud of dust, dirt and bark settled, they could see Astraea covered head to toe, trying in vain to wipe her face and hair clean. "It's in my mouth! Bleh! Bleh! Gross!"
"As I said, messy." Her dad had a shit-eating grin on his face that Astraea wanted to smack off, but instead decided to be 'mature' and threw some of the bark dust at him.
"You didn't warn me on purpose." She accused.
"Guilty as charged." He couldn't hide his chuckle. He inspected the fist-sized hole in the tree, looking somewhat disappointed. "That punch was stronger than most half-bloods ever get, but not nearly as strong as I know you are. Don't worry about dusting yourself off, Astraea, go again on the next tree."
Astraea stepped up to the next tree and dropped into a boxing stance.
"Whenever you're ready, kiddo." Her dad told her. "Hit it with everything you have."
She threw out her fist and this time the tree cracked in two, falling over and crushing a line of bushes to her left. Her fist quaked and her knuckles stung, but she managed to knock it down this time. "Showed that tree who's boss, didn't I?"
"Yeah, you really scared all the other trees in the forest." Her aunt said in a sarcastic tone with a smile on her face. "They must be shaking in their roots."
Her dad laughed at the terrible joke, while Aurora rolled her eyes, doing a near-flawless imitation of their mother.
"Ok, Astraea." Her dad pointed at the next tree in the line. "Punch that one, but this time, with as much force as the last punch. Got it?"
"Yeah, I got it." She answered, dropping into her stance. "Easy enough."
"We'll see. The last one didn't go too well, did it?"
"Shut up, aunt Thalia."
Her aunt gave an innocent smile. "I was only trying to help."
"Just watch me, I'll get it this time." Astraea launched her fist into the tree with a shout, causing it to explode like the first tree. But instead of knocking it down like the last, the tree remained standing firm despite the hole in it.
"But- how?" Astraea didn't know how the tree was still standing. She swore she hit it with the same amount of power, and this tree was thinner than the last too! So why didn't it fall?
"Try again." Her dad instructed, not letting her think about it too long. He pointed to the next tree, saying, "Now hit this one with the same amount of power as the one you just hit. "
With a shout Astraea struck the tree, but let out a growl when she impacted it harder than the last three combined and it shattered into a thousand pieces. She looked at the ruined mess that was once the trunk, wondering why this one broke easier than the rest. She knew she tried to hit it with the same percentage of power… but she couldn't keep the output level the same—.
"Starting to figure it out, are you?" Her dad broke her out of her thoughts, walking up next to her, inspecting her handiwork with an impressed eye. "Tell me, what was the difference between each tree you hit? What happened?"
Astraea thought about it for a few seconds. The answer seemed obvious to her, but her question was why it was happening. "...I'm not hitting the trees with the same amount of power each time. Sometimes it feels like more power, other times like less."
"Bingo, that's my girl." Her dad smiled, making Astraea preen at the praise, this was how her dad usually was with her, and it made her happy they were no longer fighting. "From what I'm able to guess, your body isn't used to putting out so much power at once, probably because I've always told you to hold back in training in order to not hurt yourself and reveal your half-blood nature. But, out in the real world, on a Quest and at Camp Half-Blood, you will not need to hold back."
"Especially on a Quest." Her aunt Thalia broke in. "In a fight for your life, there is no holding back. There's no fighting dirty. No wondering if what you're doing is right or wrong… In order to survive, you need to give it your all. And if you aren't strong enough, well, there's a reason why only a small percentage of Campers ever make it back from Quests. Most aren't prepared to face the challenges, and they die. That's why your parents and I agreed to get you and your sister as prepared as we can for when you go to Camp in a week."
"Not that you will be going on a Quest anyway," Her dad told her confidently. "There haven't been any in over a decade, well, official ones, anyway. Most are just scouting and rescue missions for young half-bloods in danger, but I already asked Chiron not to send you on any Quests, regardless of what Rachel— the Oracle— says."
"A-are Q-quests really that d-dangerous?" Aurora stuttered nervously, looking like she was going to faint at the thought.
Her dad's face softened, "...Yeah, honey, they are." He put a calming hand on her shoulder. "Your mom and I decided to never hide that from you… so yeah, they are. You can come across any kind of Monster, and you won't have anyone there to help you but your friends. If you make one wrong move… well, you can die. That's the reason why we're out here. If I'm going to let you two attend Camp, then I need to know that you two can take care of yourselves."
Aurora didn't look convinced, if anything, she looked more terrified than usual. So Astraea decided to say something. "Don't worry, sis, I'll always have your back. If any Monster tries to get to you, they'll have to get through me first."
Astraea had hoped that would have made Aurora a little more reassured, but it seemed to just make things worse.
"But when you are out on a Quest," their aunt said. "Every member must do their best for the group. You can only get through it together, so you must be able to rely on each other. You must be able to know what the others are thinking and trust that they know what you're thinking too. You have to do everything as a team. You can't just rely on others to take care of you. It's the same thing I teach my Hunters."
"But don't worry, Aurora. I've already talked to Chiron, Rachel and your uncle Jason, they won't send you two on any Quests. I promise."
Aurora still looked a little pale, but didn't look at risk of fainting anymore, which was good.
"A-are you sure?"
"Yeah, honey, don't worry. I'm sure."
"...Okay…" Aurora ran her fingers through her curls, thinking. "...But do I still h-have to go to Camp? B-because I'm sure grandma Athena c-can just teach me everything I n-need to know—."
"Yes, Aurora, you're still going to Camp." Their dad did his best to give her a reassuring smile. "You can't learn everything from books, some things you have to learn by doing."
"...If you promise I d-don't have to go on Q-quests or f-fight anyone…"
"I can't promise that you won't have to fight anyone in training, I'm sorry."
"..."
"Don't worry, Aurora." Their aunt said, "Chiron will take care of you. He won't push you too far. If you don't want to fight people at the beginning, then he won't make you."
"...Okay…"
"We'll work on teaching you to control water in a minute, honey. I just need to finish with Astraea real quick."
"..."
Astraea's dad looked back to her, pointing to the next tree in line. "I want you to focus on maintaining the same level of output, Astraea. Try to use the same level of strength for five punches in a row."
She gave him a confused look, "So how do I make sure I always punch with the same strength? Each one is totally different."
"Practice. Practice, training and repetition." Her dad answered. "What you need to learn and focus on, Astraea, is consistency. From what I'm able to see so far, you can either draw out your maximum regular mortal strength, or draw out a random percentage of your maximum half-blood strength. There's no in between. No consistency, no repetition. That's what I want you to focus on for the rest of the day. Keep punching trees, and try to draw out, say, twenty-five percent of your max strength."
"Why only twenty-five?"
"Because your body isn't used to putting that much power out yet. Yes, aunt Thalia can heal you, but continued damage from overusing your strength can cause permanent damage to your body. So, for now, I only want you to aim for twenty-five percent." He nodded towards the nearest tree. "Whenever you're ready."
Astraea nodded, fired up and ready to go. She was never allowed to use her half-blood strength before, so she was going to make the most of it. She threw her arm out again and the tree trembled from the blow, but didn't shatter, fall over or blow up, if fact, it didn't look damaged at all. "Shit…" She whispered under her breath. "I can't be getting tired already, so what gives?"
"Continue on your own for the next twenty minutes, then take a break and get started again. You'll figure it out in time, I'm sure. This is exactly how your father learned to control his strength." Her dad instructed, leading her little sister Aurora away. "I'm going to help Aurora for a bit."
Her father had learned to control his strength this same exact way? Then Astraea knew she had to do it too, and hopefully, he was watching.
Aurora was dreading what was going to come as soon as her dad took her aside to help her train. While her dad may be Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, the only demigod in history with godly Domains, she couldn't control a single drop of water. 'He'll probably give up on me before long', she thought. 'I'm hopeless'.
She followed him to a small stream— more of a creak, really— the water was flowing so slowly she could barely see it. He waded into the water until he was knee deep. She didn't follow.
"Okay, Aurora, I want to try— oh come now, no need to be worried, come on in. The waters' not going to bite."
She knew that, she wasn't afraid of the water. Just afraid of disappointing him. Afraid of… it didn't matter.
"...Okay." Her voice squeaked with nervousness and she chastised herself for appearing so scared, but she couldn't help her shoulders tensing or her knees shaking with nervousness, or her teeth chattering like she were in a freezer. She waded into the creak after him, finding the water that only went up to his knees nearly went up to her waist. It made her feel even smaller and weaker than normal.
"Just think of it like being at the pool at home, Aurora. It's not any different than it is there, if anything, this water is natural, so you should have an easier time connecting to it. It will come to you when you let it." He said all this like it made sense, and like he hadn't said it a hundred times before. But she still couldn't control the water.
He always tried to explain that he felt a connection to the water, like it was drawing him in, a pull in his gut, but she never once felt that connection or draw. And she feared she never would.
"Focus on the water around you. Concentrate on how it flows and moves. Find the current and watch it. Notice how leaves and sticks float down stream. Just focus on it. Feel it in your body, the water flowing down the stream."
Aurora stood in the stream for nearly thirty minutes feeling like a fool. She had no idea what her dad was trying to explain to her. What he was saying didn't make any sense to her. She could see the flow of the water, of course, but what did he mean by feel the water flowing?
But she of course didn't voice these questions. Her dad would be disappointed in her. Even more than normal.
"...I um- I d-don't feel anything. I'm sorry." She added quickly.
"There's no reason to be sorry." He tried to reassure her, but she didn't trust his words. "You'll get it in time. You can't force this type of thing. You could just be a late bloomer, you still have another year or so before the last demigods get their abilities."
"...W-what if I—." She cut herself off, not having the courage to voice her worry.
"What if you what?"
'What if I never get any half-blood abilities?' Was what she wanted to ask, but couldn't say it. Her dad still had hope in her— how— she didn't know, but it was the only thing that made her still try.
"..."
Her dad put a hand on her shoulder, nearly engulfing it, it made her feel small and weak again. "Don't worry about not being able to get it yet, okay, honey? After we move back to New York we'll go to the ocean, and I don't have any doubts that you'll make the connection there."
"...But w-what if t-that doesn't work?"
"Well…, if that doesn't work, then I'll ask your aunt Kym or your grandpa. They'll have an idea for sure. But don't worry, honey, you'll get it in time.
'Don't worry', 'you'll get it in time'. He had been saying those things since she turned twelve, but now, over a year later, she was wondering if he was ever going to stop saying them.
"..."
"Hey, let's try something else, huh? Something fun." Her dad was trying to cheer her up, a massive smile on his face. "There's a really big lake a few minutes' walk from here, let's go for a swim, maybe that'll help with your connection to the water."
As much as she wanted to, Aurora could never turn down the opportunity to swim. "...O-okay…"
"You brought your swimsuit like I asked, right?" Aurora gave a mute nod. "Good. Let's go check up on your sister and see if she wants to join us. You two can get changed in the camper while I talk to your aunt."
Astraea had just punched through another tree when she heard her dad and sister coming back off in the distance, and from one look at her sister's face, the training hadn't gone so well.
"Let's take a break, Astraea." Her aunt told her. "They're back."
"But I haven't even got two equal strength punches in a row yet. Can't I just take a break later? Like when we're eating dinner?"
"Don't be so eager to get better that you don't listen to your body. You're tired. So let's take a little break, huh?"
"...Fine." Astraea punched one last tree for good measure, splitting it in two. She let out a low growl, the power behind that one was even more erratic than usual!
"How's the training been going, honey?" Her dad asked when he finally reached them, looking over her handiwork. "Well, you have the idea when it comes to strength, the control will come with practice, trust me. But it's time to take a break."
"Then why are you making me take a break? I'm not that tired, I can still go a few more hours."
"Yes, that's true, but it's good to let your body recover and relax. Come on, your sister and I are heading down to the lake for a swim, wanna come?" He then looked to her aunt. "You're welcome as always, Thals."
"I guess I could go for a swim, I haven't swam since Artemis and I hunted that giant Polynesian Firesquid last year."
"Well I'm not swimming," Astraea stated firmly. "No way in Hades are you getting me in the water."
"Come on, honey, the only way you can get over your fear of water is to get comfortable in the water. Just get into the water with us, I'll be right there, so there's nothing to worry about."
"Why would I get in the water if I can't swim?"
"If you would ever let me teach you, maybe you'd be able to."
"How about you three go splash around or whatever and I'll stay here training?"
"Sorry, kiddo, but you're coming too. It won't be that bad, I promise. We can work on teaching you how to float first. Come on, you two go get changed in the camper, I need to talk to your aunt real quick."
"What about?" Astraea couldn't stop herself from asking.
Her dad hesitated despite himself. "...Nothing important—."
"It's about your birthday," Her aunt broke in. "Don't wanna get spoiled, do you? Then go on already."
Astraea left it alone and climbed into the camper attached to her dad's truck. She wasn't convinced in the slightest that they were talking about her birthday, which meant that her dad was still keeping secrets from her.
As soon as the girls were out of earshot, Percy turned to his cousin. "Her birthday, really? She's smarter than that, she didn't believe you for a second."
"Well I wasn't the one who made a point to say that we were going to talk to each other without them, was I?"
"...I guess you're right."
"Course I am." Thalia smiled, before it quickly faded. "So, tell me already, how's Annabeth? The other day she told me she's been getting a lot of pains recently."
"She got them a lot when she was still pregnant with Aurora, but after she was born she got better. And, well, you know the two of us have been trying to get pregnant again for a few years now, but we haven't had any luck. Those same pains come back whenever she's pregnant."
"...Is she pregnant again?"
"We're not sure." He answered honestly. "It's too early for the mortal clinics to detect, but—."
"But not for a god." She cut him off. "So you two have another reason to go back to New York, don't you? I know you two haven't gone back to Olympus since… you know, but if you were to call for him, I'm sure Apollo would be happy to help. That, or even Eileithyia. I'm sure she'd be willing to help you and Annabeth out, she's pretty cool."
"Well, we don't want to get the gods involved right now…" He told her slowly, like he was thinking it over in his head. "But when we get to Camp, Annabeth is going to talk to her daughter and get a check-up. We'll be able to see how she's doing then."
"I pray to Chaos for you two, Percy. I know Annabeth wants more kids, but ever since she got that injury from Leonidas…"
"Yeah, I know." Percy let out a breath, finding his eyes wandering over to the camper where Astraea was. "Ever since he accidentally hit her with that knife while she was pregnant with Aurora, she hasn't been able to have any more kids. And, if by some miracle she does, hopefully they won't turn out so small and weak like Aurora…" He bit his lip, cursing.
"It'll be fine, Kelp Head. Aurora may have been really small and sickly when she was a baby, but with Eileithyia, Hera and Apollo's help she isn't any different than any kid her age."
"But it really stunted her growth, you know that. She was always so small— still is, and she was so sickly as a baby… she's too small for her age. So… what if the same happens for this child? What if they're so sick and small and weak?"
Thalia brought him in for a hug. "Then we'll help take care of them like we did Aurora. You must be an idiot to think we'd just sit by and do nothing."
Percy returned the hug, putting on a brave face for when his girls came back. "You're the best, Thals, have I ever told you that?"
"You could stand to say it more," She joked. "Come on, that's enough depressing talk for one day, let's just have fun today. The three of us can talk later when you two move back to New York."
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The water was mocking her, Astraea knew it.
It was just sitting there, mocking her over her inability to swim. Making fun of her for being afraid of it.
She glared at the crystal-clear surface. "Fuck you, water."
Her dad turned around from where he was talking to Aurora. "Huh? Did you say something, honey?"
"No. I just don't wanna get in the water."
"Then how are you ever going to get over your fear of it if you won't try?"
"Why do I even need to learn to swim anyway? I have wings." She summoned her large wings and gave them a flap, the setting sun glistening off her golden-red feathers. "I can just fly over any water I come across."
"And what will you do in the ocean? Just fly all the way across it?"
"Well, I— What would I be doing in the ocean anyway? The ocean is evil."
Her dad's face dropped slightly, "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. Look, Astraea, I don't want to force you to do things that make you uncomfortable or that you don't want to do, but you asked me to help you get ready for Camp, and, well, there's canoe racing and water-based warfare training there. What would happen if you had to sail a canoe across the lake?"
"I would just fly over it."
"*sigh* And what if the training says you can't? That you have to sail across it?"
That made Astraea pause. "Well, I…"
"Would you admit defeat that easily? Would you risk losing just because you're afraid of some water?"
A flame lit inside Astraea, she was an incredibly competitive person. She wouldn't admit defeat so easily. "Fine. I'll do it." She said, willing her wings into her back to keep them from getting wet.
Her dad smiled, motioning for her to follow him. "Come on, you can't learn to swim fifty feet from the shore, let's go."
When Astraea arrived at the waterline she saw her little sister shooting through the water like a torpedo, zipping around rocks and fish at an incredible pace. Aurora may not be able to control the water, but she sure could swim like she could. Astraea even noticed some freshwater Naiads joining her for a friendly race. It made Astraea slightly jealous of Aurora's natural affinity for the water.
Not that it didn't make sense, considering Aurora was a granddaughter of Poseidon while she was a granddaughter of Heracles and daughter of Eos.
"...So, how do we start?"
Her dad chuckled. "We start by getting in the water."
"Smartass."
"You could at least pretend to try to not cuss around me, you know." Her dad smiled as he walked into the water until it was to his waist. "If I ever cussed like you did around your grandma, well, let's say I might not have survived."
After a moment of hesitation, Astraea put a foot in the water and instantly she recoiled. The second her toe touched the water, a massive shiver went through her body, like some primal flight or fight instinct was warning her against it. It made her go on edge, her pulse quickening and her body tensing, ready to fight if need be.
"It's not that cold, come on." Her dad must have misunderstood the reason for her shiver. He beckoned her further out. "You'll get used to it in a minute."
Astraea hesitated, her feet still firmly on dry land, eyeing the water cautiously, this was the first time she was going to get into water that wasn't in her shower. "Can't I just try this at home in our pool instead?"
"We've already tried that like a dozen times before, remember? But it's time to fight that fear, kiddo, we're gonna teach you to swim today, no matter what."
Still Astraea hesitated. The pool at home wasn't sounding too bad right now, the touch of the water still made her shiver, but not as nearly as bad as this. The water in this lake made her want to vomit. But she wouldn't give up so easily. "...Fine."
"That's my girl. Now, walk out to me. It's only waist-deep here, we'll practice floating right here, you won't have to go out any further than that."
Despite all her instincts screaming at her to stop, Astraea powered through and stepped into the water, a feeling of nausea engulfing her. She ignored it, however, and pushed her way through the water, the liquid feeling like molasse as she forced her way to her dad.
When Astraea reached her dad, she was careful not to go an inch further. She hugged herself as she stood on the spot, shivering despite the summer warmth as she waited for instruction. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" If only he knew. "Now, I want you to lay back in the water— you can hold yourself up with your arms or legs if you need to, we just want you to get used to it."
Astraea did as instructed and as slowly as she could, leaned back into the water. Every new inch of skin that hit the water felt like it was getting pricked by thousands of pins, they didn't hurt, exactly, they just made her back go numb. Like when her leg fell asleep, but times a thousand and across nearly her entire body.
"Good, good. Now, try putting your head back." She let out a grumble and leaned back even further. She did as instructed.
"Gah!" The second her head hit the water it was like ice-cold rods were stabbing into her brain, causing her to summon her wings and jump out of the water in order to get away. She flew off in a random direction— which just so happened to be further out into the water— but her feathers were completely soaked, making her unable to stay in the air for long. She crashed back into the water, flailing.
"Help! Dad!" Astraea kicked and lashed out as she sank to the bottom, her screams pulling all the air from her lungs. The pins and needles were stabbing her entire body now, feeling more like knives than pricks. Her entire body was going numb, her mind was going a mile a minute as panic fully set in.
Something brushed against her side and Astraea kicked at it with all her might, refusing to let some water Monster drag her down even further.
She flailed and flailed, screaming breathlessly as water filled her lungs and darkness clouded her mind, wondering where her dad was. He wouldn't let her drown, he promised… Something bumped her again and she kicked it with everything she had, but it gripped her leg and held it down. She felt it grab under her armpits, she swung her fists randomly, connecting three or four times before it overpowered her and held her arms down. Astraea feared what was going to happen next when her head suddenly broke the surface.
She tried to suck a breath of air as soon as the sun hit her face, but she couldn't take in any air.
"Stop fighting me, Astraea!" Her dad's voice sounded in her ear, making her realise that it was him who had pulled her from the water. "Stop moving! I need to get the water out of your lungs."
It felt like she was vomiting up her entire stomach when he used his abilities to pull the water out of her throat. The second the last drop of water left her lips she sucked a giant breath of air. Her lungs screamed in protest, but she didn't stop taking in breaths until she felt lightheaded.
"Slow down, Astraea." Her dad ordered. "Take it easy, slow your breathing. You're okay, honey, you're okay." He hugged her, squeezing her tighter than ever before. "You're okay. I have you, I have you. I won't let anything happen to you. You're okay, you're okay…"
Astraea didn't know how long she laid there on the riverbank in her dad's arms, listening to him reassure her. She mindlessly recalled her sister and aunt there, panicking as they checked up on her, even her uncle Apollo stopped by, but Astraea couldn't tell if that was real or not. Then everything went black.
When she woke, she was laying down in their camper. The first thing she noticed was that she was freezing. She shivered despite herself.
"Oh, honey! You're awake!" Her dad crashed into her, engulfing her again with a hug. He kissed her hair. "I was so worried, honey. When I saw you fall back into the water, I swam right for you, but you kept fighting me away. I'm just thankful I managed to pull you out when I did."
"Sweetie! Are you alright?" From the other side of the camper Astraea saw her mom through an Iris Message, where her aunt was. Her mom looked like she wished she could crawl through the IM to hug her. "When Thalia called me I was worried sick. Are you okay?"
"...Y-yeah, I'm okay." Her voice felt raw and dry. "Dad, can you get off me? And can I have some water?"
"Oh! Of course, honey." Her dad leaped to his feet and ran to the mini fridge, grabbing her a bottle of water before opening it and giving it to her. "Here you go, sweetie."
Astraea took careful sips. Everyone in the room— and even out of it— was watching her, and it felt awkward. "Can you all stop staring at me?"
"Oh, sorry, honey. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Thanks, dad, but I'm fine, really."
"Are you okay, Astraea?" Her sister hugged her, squeezing her tight. "I was so scared…"
"I'm fine, Aurora, just tired. And cold." She hugged her little sister. "I'll be okay."
Her aunt stepped up and handed her a small biscuit-like cube. "Here, Astraea, take this. It's ambrosia. Apollo gave me some before he left. He said you'd be fine, but he wanted to make sure you got your strength back."
"Thanks." She took a small nibble of the golden square, the taste of her dad's homemade caramel apple galette washing over her tongue. She took a larger bite and instantly she felt a calming warmth wash over her body.
"Feel better?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
"Of course. Just take it easy, okay? Apollo said you had a lot of your energy drained, so it'll take awhile to gain it back. So just rest up, alright?"
"'Kay."
"What happened, sweetie?" Her mom asked through the Iris Message.
"..."
"I was trying to teach her how to float." Her dad spoke up for her, a regretful look on his face. "Everything was going fine, then suddenly she cried out in pain and tried to fly off but crashed into the water…." He clenched his jaw, looking away from both the IM and Astraea. "I wasn't listening to Astraea, I made her get in the water. I was trying to help her get over her fear of the water, but I pushed her too far—"
"No, dad, you didn't." Astraea wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and hugged herself, still feeling a little cold. "I didn't tell you how bad it felt getting into the water. I was being stubborn. If I did, then you wouldn't have told me to do it."
"Neither of you are to blame," Her mom assured them. "Accidents happen. I just thank the Fates that your dad was there to help you."
"W-what happened in the water?" Aurora squeaked next to her.
"...I… I don't know." Astraea answered honestly, shrugging. "It felt like a thousand pins were poking me, then when my head hit the water it just really hurt. I got all nauseous and felt sick, like I was going to throw up."
"Maybe something in the water hurt you?" Aurora asked aloud, thinking. "I saw plenty of naiads in there, they can be a little mean in mythology, but they were really friendly. Maybe there was some sort of water Monster in there too?"
Her dad's brow rose in question. "That doesn't make any sense, this water is extremely pure. The naiads living in it took excellent care of it, they always drive away dangerous water spirits. I even asked if we could swim in it first. Nothing in it should have hurt you."
"Maybe it was the water itself."
Four sets of eyes all turned to her aunt. "What do you mean, Thalia? How could the water hurt her? It's pure water—."
"What if it's like how you are with the sky, Percy?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're a child of the Seas, and my dad never let you fly, remember? But even now, you still get really uncomfortable in the air, right?"
"...Yeah, I do." He thought for a few seconds, exchanging a glance with her mom. "Do you think that could be it?"
"It's possible." Her mom agreed through the IM. "But I've never heard of a half-blood having such a bad reaction to water before."
"What are you talking about?" Astraea asked, feeling incredibly out of the loop. "What's going on?"
Her aunt answered for them. "I think it is your demititan blood that is hurting you in the water, Astraea."
"W-what? How? That doesn't make any sense."
"Doesn't it? Think about it, Astraea, your mother is Eos, the Titaness of the Dawn, mother of the Wind of Sky and daughter of Hyperion, the Titan of the Eastern Sky. Eos was connected to the skies far more than most Titans. Now think about your father, Leonidas. He was the Legacy of Athena and the son of Heracles, who, in turn, are both children of Zeus."
"You're a child of the Skies, Astraea." Her mom told her softly. "That's why we think you had such a bad reaction to the water. It could also explain your fear of it, at least, combined with… the plane crash."
Astraea didn't let herself think about that day.
Her dad was quick to speak. "But don't worry, honey, we'll figure out how to help you with that, later. For now, it's late, you and Aurora should go to sleep, we're heading back home first thing tomorrow morning."
Her dad hugged them goodnight, offered them more blankets and pillows, then took his leave after her aunt.
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After they were a suitable distance from the camper, Percy created a small spring of water so Thalia could call Annabeth back over the IM. "O' Fleecy, do me a solid."
"Is she really going to be alright, Thalia?" Annabeth asked her best friend.
"You heard Apollo, Astraea will be fine—."
"I mean going forward. With everything. This strange weakness to water… it worries me."
"Me too." Percy said quickly. "Now I'm even more worried about sending Astraea to Camp. She's going to be closer to the ocean than ever— I mean, she's never liked the water before, but now, I'm worried about this affecting her."
"The girl will be fine, you two are just freaking out 'cuz she's your kid. But believe me, she'll be fine. Especially at Camp." Thalia said quickly when Percy looked like he was going to speak. "Chiron will be there to look after them, plus, even though he's busy, Jason will keep an eye on them from time to time. The girls will be fine, don't worry."
"I still don't like it."
"That's a shock."
"But the mortal world isn't safe for them either, not with the Zealots running around, so I have no choice."
Annabeth cursed. "Those monsters, have the gods had any luck learning anything about those half-blood children who were murdered but the Zealots?"
Lightning sparked on Thalia's fingers. "No. Whoever they are, they're good. They didn't leave any trace, no prints, no scents, no hair, no magical detection, nothing. Artemis says she hasn't seen anything like it before."
Annabeth looked like she was going to cry. "How someone could do that to innocent children… I just can't understand it."
"We'll catch them sooner or later, and when we do, we'll make them pay."
"Is the Council hunting them down?"
Thalia sighed. "Unfortunately not."
Percy looked aghast. "Why not?"
"The Council is split," Thalia explained. "Some of us say we should step in and track down the Zealots and be more progressive in protecting the unclaimed half-bloods, but there are others who say that this is a mortal issue. And, that it is not our place to intervene in every mortal matter. The Council cannot make a move without a vote in favor, you know that. I've been pushing the topic for weeks, but it keeps getting vetoed."
"Fuck!" Percy swore. "These are innocent children that are getting killed, both half-blood and mortal! How can the Council just sit by and let that happen?"
"I agree, but my hands are officially tied. But," she lowered her voice to a whisper. "Artemis, the Hunters, Apollo and I have been patrolling the town where the kids were killed, looking for any evidence and keeping an eye on things. And if we see any Zealots, we'll take 'em down, hard."
"Don't take it easy on them when you do." Percy said.
Thalia gave a cruel grin. "Oh, don't worry. Nico has a few choice punishments in mind for them, along with a reserved spot in the underworld. He said, and I quote, "I'll make Prometheus' punishment look tame." So I think he has it covered."
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Aurora started crying on the spot as soon as their parents left. Astraea was quick to pull her in for a hug. "Hey, I told you I'm fine, don't cry."
"I-I was just so scared." Aurora sobbed. "I didn't know you fell into the w-water, I came up for air and d-dad was screaming your name, swimming out into the lake. A-and when he didn't come up with you immediately… I… I thought you—.'
"Shh, don't cry, I'm fine." Astraea squeezed her sister tighter, refusing to let go until she fell asleep on her shoulder. With a little difficulty, Astraea managed to lay her down and tucked her in.
Now feeling incredibly alone, Astraea thought back to the water, but not to earlier today when she nearly drowned, but to the plane crash in the storm she saw as a little girl. The one that instilled in her her fear of water, and the reason why her sister refused to use her abilities.
She didn't shake the rogue thoughts away like she usually did. She hadn't let herself think about that night, even when it crept up against her wishes from time to time, but now, she let herself dwell on it as she faded into sleep.
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Flashback. 7 years ago, 2018
"Come on, girls, your parents are here."
Seven year old Astraea and five year old Aurora ran out of the door their grandma Shall was holding open and down the steps to see their parents. Astraea crashed into her dad while Aurora hugged their mom.
"Daddy! Do we have to leave already?"
Her dad smiled as he picked her up, kissing her on the cheek. "Hey, little star, don't want to say goodbye to grandma and grandpa just yet, huh?"
Astraea shook her head. "No! Grandma is so fun! She took us to the park yesterday—."
Her dad's eyes widened. "You did what?" He all but demanded, looking at her grandma.
"I took them to the park, Percy." She told him defiantly. "They're children, they should act like it and go to the park."
He hugged Astraea tighter. "But it's too dangerous—."
"Babe, not now," Their mom whispered, but Astraea still heard her. "You'll scare the children."
"...Fine."
Astraea didn't know what was going on, but she got the feeling that she was never going to be allowed to go to the park ever again. Or maybe even spend the week with her grandparents again.
Her dad suddenly smiled, giving her a big hug. "Were you two good for grandma Sally and grandpa Paul?"
Astraea nodded, "Mhm."
"They were perfect." Her grandpa Paul said, "Like little angels." He ruffled Aurora's hair, causing her to giggle.
"Then how about we get some ice cream on the drive home?" Her dad asked with a massive smile, making Astraea forget about him being upset earlier.
"Yay!" Astraea cried, pumping her arm into the air. "I want strawberry!"
"C-can I h-have b-blue ice cream?" Aurora stuttered.
"Of course." Her mom said. "We know where they make the best blue ice cream in the world."
It was dark out really early, and Astraea knew that was weird. She didn't like it, something in her told her that something bad was going to happen. The whistling wind and thunder booms outside the car didn't help her either.
They were on their way back to Illinois, driving along the ocean, when a massive storm came out of nowhere. Astraea had never been in a storm like this before, so she was scared, but she made sure to stay brave for her little sister, who was curled up in the backseat next to her.
The truck hit a gust of wind and swerved. Aurora cried next to her and Astraea hugged her tight.
"We'll be okay, girls." Their dad reassured them as he drove. "It's just a little wind and water. Nothing to worry about. It's super past your bed times, so try to get some sleep, 'kay?"
"But daddy—."
"We'll be okay, Astraea. I'll protect you. I'll keep us safe. I promise.'
That simple reassurance filled Astraea with confidence. Her dad always looked out for her and her sister and mom. He was strong and brave, and he could control water. So if he told her he'd keep them safe, she'd believe him.
They drove on through the storm, Astraea watching the clouds and water from the window as Aurora slept with her head on her lap. Their truck swerved again, but Astraea wasn't afraid. Her dad would keep them safe.
Astraea was on the verge of falling asleep when thunder boomed above them, waking Aurora up with a cry. Astraea hugged her, telling her to go back to sleep. The truck was pushed by a gust of wind again.
"Percy, I think we should pull over." Her mom said. "It's getting too dangerous."
"I see an overpass coming up ahead, we can sit under there until the storm blows over."
They parked under the overpass, beside several other cars who had the same idea. Aurora was falling back to sleep, but Astraea kept watching the storm, fixated on it.
"We'll be okay, sweetie," Her mom told her, climbing into the backseat to sit with them. She picked up the sleeping Aurora and pulled Astraea in to lean against her. "It's just a big rain storm."
But Astraea still had a bad feeling.
Screams broke out though the storm and waves. "Somebody help! Get some rope! We need some rope! Help! They're drowning!"
Astraea pressed her face against the cold window to see what was going on. A nearby bridge had fallen into the water and cars were sliding off of it. There were people running around everywhere in the storm, trying to pull other people out of sinking cars. Before she knew what was happening, her dad opened his door.
"Percy, no!"
"I need to help them, Beth. People could be dying."
"But—."
"I need to help them."
Her mom looked extremely worried, but nodded. "Just promise me you'll be okay."
"I'll be fine, Beth." He kissed her and smiled at Astraea. "Take care of your mom, will you, sweetie? Be brave for her and your little sister, okay?"
Astraea couldn't help but shake her head. "But daddy, the storm is really bad! You could get hurt!"
"And if I don't help people, then they could die."
That made Astraea pause. Aurora woke up as he was closing the door. She didn't know what was going on and was scared. She cried for him to come back, but their dad couldn't hear her over the sound of the wind and waves.
Astraea watched in fear as her dad ran out into the storm and jumped into the water while the people around them were busy trying to pull a car out of the water. Her dad burst out of the water and flew on top of waves further out into the ocean into the eye of the storm. He has all but a speck at this distance, but Astraea watched him closely. Aurora cried next to her, and their mom tried to comfort her best she could.
He flew even higher into the air, supported by a swirling column of water, battling the storm. The skies were so dark she could barely see, but Astraea could make out a bright glow of sea green energy around her dad.
Astraea didn't know how long he was in the eye of the storm, it could have been minutes, it could have been hours, it could have been days for all she knew. But she kept her face to the window, watching him.
Suddenly lightning flashed overhead, followed quickly by an air trembling crack of thunder. The people pulling the injured out of the water yelled, Aurora screamed, their mom shook, and Astraea broke the door handle she was gripping it so hard.
A giant sound rumbled, like the sky had been split in two. Astraea forced her eyes away from her dad to the direction of the noise and her breath caught in her lungs. "Oh gods…"
A plane was diving towards the water, one of its wings was on fire and smoke was billowing out, leaving a trail in the clouds. It didn't take Astraea long to realize that the plane would crash into the water any second, any when it did, all of those people would die.
She screamed. For what, or to whom, she didn't know. But she screamed. Aurora cried next to her. Her mom started a prayer in Ancient Greek.
Suddenly her dad leapt off the column of water and soared to intercept the plane in a swirl of seawater and wind. He flew through the storm and dove into the water, vanishing from sight. Astraea pressed her face and hands to the window even harder.
When the plane was only a few seconds from hitting the waves her dad burst out of the water and lifted it upwards to crash the falling plane. The noise of the plane hitting the water made Astraea's bones rattle and she cracked the glass with her hand in surprise.
The plane started to sink immediately and her dad jumped back into the water and disappeared for several minutes. Aurora's screams sent a shiver into her bones, their mom was trying her best to calm her down, but nothing was working. Astraea kept her eyes glued to the water for any sign of her dad.
The tail of the plane erupted out of the black waves and started to get pushed to shore by waves and winds. Astraea could hear the people remark and yell, but she kept her eyes glued on the plane, wondering where her dad was.
Astraea cried for joy when her dad broke out of the water, using his abilities to pull the plane to the shore, fighting off the storm at the same time. She watched in awe as he walked on the waves, pulling the tail of the plane behind him up to the rocky shore.
As soon as he reached the beach, the people rushed the broken plane attempting to search for the injured. Her dad quickly jumped back into the water, swimming away and out of Astraea's view. A minute later her dad called them via IM, telling her mom to meet him a few miles down the coast where he was hiding from people.
The only thing Astraea remembered after that was being in awe of her dad and his power, but utterly terrified of the ocean.
To be continued
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(Author's Note:)
Welp, this chapter is a week late, but I got it done, sorry about that. I was working on my net Harry Potter Harry x Fleur story dubbed "Professor Delacour", make of that what you will. No initial release date for that, I still have some work to do on the timeline and don't want to rush it.
So we learned why Astraea is afraid of water and why Aurora is afraid of her powers. I had this idea ages ago, long before COO was done, and I like it.
The Jacksons will be moving to NYC next chapter, and we will be introduced to a new character, along with getting the name drop for another. Both favorites of mine, but you'll have to wait next time.
Astraea and Aurora won't be going to Camp Half-Blood until chapter 6, so you'll have to wait just a little while longer, sorry.
Fun Fact: I, myself, have a fear of water, and I cannot swim. I have nearly drowned three times in my life, and I do not wish to tempt fate again and try for a fourth. Astraea's fear of water was inspired by my own, albeit done in a different way. I used to 'swim' a lot as a child, but I can't float. I haven't swam since I was about 15 or 16 and never intend to again.
Question of the Day: 'Do any of you have irrational fears? Like being afraid of water or the dark or heights?' Or, 'What would be the food you taste when you eat Ambrosia?'
Next time: Ch 5: "The Young Immortal"