Sea of Fairy Tales
(PJO x Grimm Grimoire)
Salvina Grimm was born in beginning of May, from sweet and loving mother, Estelle Hertz. She never knew her father. Her mother and Father did married at some point, but she was told that they were divorced when she was baby.
Salvina's childhood was spent by travelling a lot with her mother, who was a member of travelling agency as Au Pair. A job that requires Estrelle to moves around a lot, depends on the client's request. Resulting in her constantly moving around with her mother, who refused to leave her alone for prolonged time even though she can leave Salvina with her uncle Ricohard. Luckily that the clients doesn't mind her mother bring her around, citing it'll be good for their kids to grow up together and making new friends.
She once asked by her friends/temporary foster siblings, why she moved around, and she asked her mother.
"Mutter liebt diesen Job, meine Tochter." She would said. "Wir können nicht an einem Ort bleiben. Wir müssen uns weiter bewegen. Bin nie geblieben. Es ist nicht sicher."
"Vor was sicher?" Salvina would ask.
"Wenn Sie älter sind, wissen Sie warum. Für den Moment bitte nicht fragen. Mach es einfach."
That was the end of conversation.
It was weird. It was confusing. None of these answered little Salvina's question. Instead they add more questions.
Still, Salvina loved her family. She loved how gentle and warm her mother and uncle are. She loved seeing new places and meeting new people. She loved how her mother would recite the Fairy Tales from Grimm's Fairy Tales Book that was passed in their family.
"You are a Grimm." She was told this. "These stories are gathered by the Grimm brothers, your ancestors. Our ancestor. Read them. Memorize them. One day, they will save your life. Remember it. Protect it."
And memorize it, Salvina does. She read the stories everyday. They become her friends when she was lonely or sad or angry. They cheers her up and made her day brighter. They made her laugh and cry.
But one day tragedy strikes.
She was just five. She was in America, in her Uncle's place in New York. Her mother let her stay here because she had job in L.A. and currently it was not safe there. She was reading story of Cinderella when the door burst open. Her Uncle's eyes was red rimmed and wet. Without warning he hugs her.
"Uncle?"
"Salvina... I'm sorry..." He sobbed. "Your mother..."
That day, Salvina's little world was shattered. Her mother's place crashed. No one survives. The reason is unknown even after years later.
At age of five, Salvina know how it feels to loss someone important. At age of five, she learn what a despair is.
She grew fearing and resenting airplanes since that day. Blaming it for taking her mother away.
Her uncle took custody over her and continue the tradition moving around where the job dictactes him to. Some people complains that this was not ideal home life for Salvina who had lost her mother. She needed a stable home, not this one. Salvina didn't care. She likes this one. It's similar to what her mother always do. The familiarity helped her to pick herself out of doom and gloom pit she jumped into since that fateful day.
Some kids, and well-meaning-but-nosy adults had asked her, where was her father? Why did he never pick her up? In fact, why he never showed up? Salvina only can shrugged off or shook her head.
She doesn't know.
Her father never come. Not to the funeral, not even at the court. He never comes. In fact he never contact her that Salvina honestly believed he had either dead long time ago or had forgotten having a wife and a daughter.
...he was alive.
And how even decades later, Salvina still can't forget how exactly she learn her father was still alive.
~X~
"Hmm humm hmm hmm humm hmm Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm "
Nine years old Salvina was cleaning up the tiny apartment they rented in this small town. Humming the a christmass song since the said day was near. Her Uncle was currently out to finish the court case, as usual.
The phone rang.
Abandoning the broom, she ran to the phone and pick it up.
"Hello?"
"Guten Morgen." A deep male voice replied in German. The accent was thick, pronounced in every syllables.
Salvina frowned. "Ich fürchte, Sie haben die falsche Nummer, Sir. Diese Nummer führte nach Amerika und es ist Morgen hier." She replied, as polite as possible.
A chuckle. "Nein ist es nicht. Dies ist die derzeitige Residenz von Grimms, nicht wahr?" The person replied. "Kann ich annehmen, dass dies Salvina Grimm ist?"
Salvina's eyes widened. "Woher wusstest du das?" She ask. Her heart's beats pounding on her ears. "Wer bist du?"
"Dein Vater"
"Mein Vater? Aber—"
Salvina didn't realize her Uncle had come home and found her talking to a man who claims to be her father. Quickly he snatched the phone from her hands and sever the connection.
"Uncle?"
"Salvina." Her uncle gasped. His face was ashen pale. "Remember why you asked why we moved around a lot? That's your answer. Your father and his brother." Put a hand on her shoulder. "You are forbidden to talk or meet with your father or your other uncle. You will not answer phone from them. Do you understood? Never answer their call, never reply to letter. If they ask you to meet them, refuse. They are bad, evil even. If they somehow find a way to contact you, run. Run and don't look back. Don't stop. Just run."
If Salvina was a normal kid, she would ask why? Why she can't meet or even talk to her father?
But she was not normal kid. Never been one. She is smart and can put the pieces together.
That moving around? That was nor moving around. That was not job-related thing. That was them running away. Keep moving, don't stop. Run and don't look back. Hope your pursuer lost the track.
Can't talk to your father? He was no-show for nine years, four of which was after her mother's death, and suddenly he made a calls? Know where she was and know it was her who pick up? Talk about creepy. He is clearly up to no good and it involves her.
Seeing weird things that looks like out of fairy tales? Keep silent and don't notice them and they will ignore you. You don't see anything. You don't hear anything. Don't act. Don't outed yourself.
So Salvina nodded and promise to not ask questions anymore.
Her uncle use what authority he has to changed their name. Believing it was dangerous to use Grimms name anymore now that their pursuer know about them.
The name Grimms become Jackson. After her grandmother's maiden name. Ricohard become Richard. Salvina become Sally. They even got new haircut to make things harder for their pursuer.
Her uncle changed job. From Lawyer to truck driver. Not the best idea, yeah, but they were panicked back at then. Salvina—no, Sally, was sent to strict dorm school for girls. An attempt to give her normal life and away from her pursuers. It worked. For eight years nothing had happened. Sally believed they finally free.
Then her uncle fell ill.
Sally dropped the school and take care of him. Stopped running in fear it will only worsens the condition, no matter what her Uncle protests about. But after few months he was still ill. No. His condition get worse. Have no other choice, they seek doctor's help, to no avail.
Cancer, doctor said. It was too late, doctor said.
Sally was despaired. She was young, she was still have yet to learn many things, she have yet to decide her future. She was scared. Scared that she would be caught by her personal demons. Scared she would dissappointed her uncle and her late mother.
More than anything, she was scared that she would be alone.
"Silly girl." Her uncle reassured her once she spilled her heart's contents. "You'll be fine... you are stronger than what you think. Remember the stories you loved so much? Held onto them. Don't let them go. They will help you."
"How a bunch of fairy tales can help me?" Sally burst to tears.
"...I don't know... but a Grimm always held true to their motto. Stories once upon a time are Reality. Remember it Salvina Estella Grimm. Those stories... someday they will saved you. One way or another. Don't lost hope. There's a way. Always."
"...yes Uncle."
"Good girl." Her uncle nodded weakly. "...one last request. Can you tell me a story? Anything would do."
Smiling weakly with tears-stained cheek, Sally began to recite a story from Grimm's Fairy Tales.
~X~
At age of twenty, Sally had gathers enough money to sustain her always-shuffling-around lifestyle. Majority of these was from inheritance her uncle left for her, put into separate account. She worked odd jobs here and there, taking two or three jobs at once. Most of these are part-time jobs. Did not dare to get permanent job because every few weeks or so, she will drop these and moved to different city... or states if she feels like so.
It was hard, it was stressful and certainly she was going to get gray hair before she was forty.
To avoid that, she took break every three months or so. Once per season.
This summer's break is trip to Montauk, New York.
Even since she was little, Sally loves sea. Before her mother's death, they would try to find opportunity to visit the seaside, even if it only for few hours. While running with her uncle, before and after she become Sally Jackson, they sometimes camped near sea. That was the times where she felt safe the most. Like nothing can hurt her as long as she was near sea. Not her father and other uncle. Not those weird creatures from Mythologies. She was safe here.
Perhaps she should look out for jobs that requires her to be close to the sea? Like marine biologists? Or Aquaculture Worker? Or should she use the money to build seaside restaurant? She doesn't know how long the feeling can last, but trying won't hurt, yes?
"A lovely evening, isn't it?" A male voice stated from behind her.
Sally stiffened. Had she grew too complacent? Had they tracked her down? But doesn't...
Slowly, she turned around and to her confusion, and relief, she found it was a man with black messy hair and sea green eyes. Like the sea itself when it was clear from whatever humans throw at it. He was wearing a khaki shorts and Hawaiian printed shirt, like he had been visiting the said isles. He didn't look German, and his accent is closer to Mediterranean. Sally knew. One of her odd jobs last year was became tour guide for Greek tourists. He had handsome face too. He feels like the sea itself given human form.
But what draw her attention was something on his hand. Almost all tall as himself with two branch at either side of the main blade, the thing can only be called Trident.
"Yes... it is." Sally replied meekly, tried to not eyeing the obviously trident. If this man was one of those thing, then he will leave her alone if she didn't outed herself.
"May I know what are you doing here, Lady? Not many visited beach this time of the year. At least not with that kind of clothes." He stated, eyeing at Sally's baby blue sleeveless sundress with white ribbon on waist area. Not something that can keep wind away, and tonight is chilly.
"Holiday. I rarely have break and always took it if had the chance." Sally replied.
"Ah... the dreadful part of job..." The man nodded in understanding. "Especially if your co-worker create troubles, or suddenly there's problem spring unexpectedly and you have to clean it up. A jealous, annoying co worker who's out to make your life as miserable as possible." He then shivered. "Or worse, there's a fight and you have to break it up."
'Or your evil father and uncle are after you and you should constantly on the move.' Sally added in her mind. "So you take a break here, too?" She ask.
"Nope." The man smiled mischievously. "I'm fishing."
"Fishing." Sally deadpanned. "With a something that looks like an oversized fork bedecked in gold. What are you fishing for? Money?"
Silence reigned. The man looked surprised and tad off insulted. Sally resisted urge to facepalmed once she realized what she had said.
'Feet, meet my mouth.' She thougt in dismay.
"Lady," here it comes, "this is not an oversized fork. This is a Trident. T-R-I-D-E-N-T." The man corrected.
"Uh-huh." Sally nodded. "Still looks like fork for me."
If she was going to die then let her be sassy.
The man had an unreadable expression on his face. "Lady, you are lucky this is me and not my younger brother. He don't take it easy when someone commenting carelessly about his symbol of power. In fact, he would've blasted you to smithereens right now."
"And who is your brother? Zeus?"
"Uh-huh."
"... and you are Poseidon. Not named after him, but THE Greek God of Sea himself."
"Correct."
"I see..." Sally nodded weakly, before hung her head and cry out, "My life, why?!" in I'm-so-done-with-this tone.
Poseidon awkwardly patted her shoulder. "There, there. I won't harm you, easy." Sally gave him sidelong glance that saying if this was his way to comfort her, he failed at this, badly, but she appreciates the gesture nonetheless. Poseidon just grinned sheepishly.
It was start of wonderful relationship.
TBC
