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Summary: Amelia Babineaux died in a sea of wine, as a daughter of Dionysus she lived again. [SI, Self-Insert/OC-Insert]

Enjoy.

Chapter 6

Mask Off

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Of Gods And Monsters

"When someone loves you, the way they talk about you is different. You feel safe and comfortable."
― Jess C. Scott, The Intern

"To be neutral does not mean to be indifferent or insensitive. You don't have to kill your feelings. It's enough to kill hatred within yourself."
― Andrzej Sapkowski, Krew elfów

''Da-'' A wide grin brightened Diana's entire face. ''-da.''

Perhaps it was because of the fact that she had spoken her first 'word' or it could have also been the pride she saw in her father's eyes, but there was nothing that could have stopped the self-satisfaction from swelling up inside of Diana in such inappropriate amounts. A smug expression appeared on her face as she was graced with one of Dionysus' rare genuine smiles.

That just prompted her to repeat her previous action. ''Dada.''

Waving her pudgy arms animatedly, Diana squealed as her body was picked up into her father's strong arms. Joyous laughter echoed through the lavender colored nursery and her vision blurred into a myriad of colors.

Dionysus twirled them around the room, careful to hold her fragile body properly. ''You've made me proud, my sweet daughter.''

'You've made me proud', those words sounded rather bittersweet in the girl's ears. Her godly parent had never made her feel inadequate or abandoned, but she knew that her situation was very rare. Most demigods yearned to hear those few words spoken to them by their immortal parent for their whole lives and only a sparse few were granted that privilege.

And yet here she was, despite having done nothing to actually deserve it, Diana received one of the biggest honors of their world.

The love of a parent should not have been a rarity, but it was in their society. The girl had no delusions about the importance demigods. Most would end up being forgotten in a few decades, only a handful would be remembered centuries in the future.

Gods and goddesses did not, no, could not love all of their children. Diana did not even want to imagine what it would mean to love and lose each and every single child one sired in the span of a few millennia. Especially because mortals had such short life spans in comparison to gods.

But that did not mean that the girl did not blame them for what would happen in the future. If the gods could not provide their children with the necessary love and care, then they certainly shouldn't have so many them.

It might have sounded harsh, yes, but it was the truth. With the current state of their society it was a miracle that someone like Luke hadn't risen much sooner and if nothing changed it would certainly happen again in the future.

''Now, where did that smile go?'' Dionysus cradled her in his arms, positioning her head above his heart.

As a five months old that had just spoken her first 'word' Diana could not answer his question and just this once she was glad about that. Insulting the gods loudly and in the vicinity of one of them would not have been a smart move.

Turning her head slightly to the left, she blew a raspberry once her lips collided with the god's wrist. The droll on his skin seemed to take Dionysus attention from her sudden mood change.

In a show of flexibility, he managed to hold her securely, take a tissue and wipe his wrist with it. Had she not been squashed against his chest, Diana might have clapped.

As it was, she just grabbed to fistfuls of his rather colorful shirt and pushed feebly against his chest. Once the man noticed her intentions he allowed the little girl to lean her body backwards, holding her back and head with his right hand. ''We haven't been outside for a while. I'm sure some fresh air will do you good.''

Gurgling happily, the young looking girl turned her head towards the entrance of her room. In just a few strides, they reached the white door and her father pushed it open resolutely. The Dionysus Cabin had one large living room that connected a few smaller rooms, one them her nursery. There seemed to be only two other doors that led into separate rooms, probably meant for the two brothers Diana had yet to meet.

The living room was very homely with a large plush couch and two armchairs. Contrary to her nursery, the colors here were more gender neutral.

Stopping by the couch for a second, Dionysus picked up a small blanket and put it over Diana's shoulders. Summer was slowly ending and the wind could be quite biting in the morning hours.

Although the sun had only risen a few hours ago, many campers could already be found outside. Most of them belonged to either the Apollo Cabin—the children of the Sun God lived alongside the sun—or surprisingly the Ares Cabin. The latter spent most of their time training with their chosen weapons.

Garnering the attention of almost every single person they passed was something Diana had gotten used to in her first month in this new world. Campers always stared at the duo, pointing their fingers discretely and whispering to their friends.

It wasn't a big surprise. From what she had gathered, Diana was the youngest camper to ever arrive in Camp Half-Blood. No one truly knew where she had come from, the only thing they were aware of was that her father—Mr. D—loved her enough to bring her into their home at such a young age. Within in less than a week Diana had become the object of their jealousy.

Not that she could fault them for that.

In none of the books she had read did the girl ever find a story about a demigod being raised by its godly parent. Diana was currently living the dream of most half-blood children which meant that it was quite easy for them to despise her.

Why didn't they receive such a privilege? What made the little infant so special? Shouldn't the monsters outside the camp have just killed her?

Those were probably just a few of the question they frequently asked themselves. Unfortunately, Diana did not have any answers for them. She was just as clueless as the rest of the world.

And yet none of that made the glares sent her way any less scary or hurtful. Her only consolations were the campers that seemed to regard her with a complete indifference and the fact that no one would be stupid enough to try harming her while Dionysus seemed to favor the girl so much.

The consequences far outweighed the petty satisfaction any child might feel after hurting the god's only living child. For that reason alone no one would dare to harm her.

Although Dionysus did not belong to the strongest gods, he was still an Olympian and his retribution was something that did not even happened in her worst nightmares.

As they passed the armory, a camper—by the looks of him a Son of Ares—was thrown onto the ground not too far away from them. A few curses flew out of his mouth and he looked ready to murder the next person on whom he set his sight on. Diana would have probably ignored him if it weren't for the dust cloud that was created by his impact with the ground.

Blinking repeatedly, Diana felt a few tears sliding down her cheeks.

''What the fuck, Erik?'' The tall burly boy was up on his feet within seconds, a short-sword in his hand.

Erik, a slightly younger looking redhead—The color surprised Diana immensely. It was of such a dark shade that it resembled blood more than anything else.—exited the armory, holding two spears. ''I told you to...''

The way his eyes widened once they fell upon her father was comical. Nervously, the about fourteen years old boy bit his lip and lowered his weapons. ''Mr. D, I...we...''

At that moment the other boy also registered the god's presence, whirling around quickly and looking at Diana hesitantly. Before he could even try saying something, Dionysus already turned his gaze away from them. His eyes looked down at his crying daughter and traveled over her flushed cheeks towards her reddened orbs. ''Hush, child. It will be alright soon.''

Ruffling her pale tresses, the god once again turned his attention towards the two teenage boys. ''I do not care why you are fighting. It really doesn't matter to me. Had I not been forced to stay here and to take care of you, then I would have happily watched the two of you ripping each other apart. As it is, your behavior is causing me more trouble than the two of you are worth.''

Cringing, the girl regarded the slightly cowering boys. Diana could feel the waves of tightly coiled power washing over everyone in the immediate vicinity and she knew that it wasn't as comforting for the boys as it was to her. The nameless one looked ready to bolt.

A sliver of madness caressed her skin and the female demigod wondered if she might actually share the sentiment.

That part of her father was always deeply hidden, though sometimes a few crazed shrieks managed to escape their holding cells. It was those times that Diana realized how dangerous her only parent truly was.

If he wanted to, Dionysus could make the whole world go mad without even raising a finger.

And what a frightening thought that was. Loosing control over ones own thoughts and actions. Being labeled as a madman and left to rot in an asylum. If a person was lucky, that was how her father's curse would end. Should the god choose to be more malicious, then a man might just end up murdering his whole family in a fit of rage.

The girl shuddered.

''You will clean up the mess you've undoubtedly made inside of the armory, together.'' He tilted his head to the side. ''Afterwards you will come to the Big House to receive your punishment from me.''

Nodding in acceptance, Erik lowered his gaze. ''As you wish, Mr. D.''

Sending one last glare in the boys direction, Dionysus turned towards the path and started walking once again. One of his hands procured a moist cloth out of nowhere and used it to gently clean Diana's dirty face. ''It will stop hurting soon. The tears will help get the dirt out of your eyes.''

Leaning her head against the side of his neck, Diana looked over his shoulder at the two boys. Erik was muttering something to his brother, hitting the other boy's shoulder repeatedly and regarding Diana warily.

He wasn't the only one sending such looks in their direction. Demigods shied away from them once they felt Dionysus aura. Diana doubted that it was the worst her father could do, but it was still rather frightening, even for her.

It wasn't that the girl feared that something bad would happen to her. Surrounded by the smell of grapes and the shrieks of a crazed horde, Diana had never felt so safe before. But that did not allow her to disregard the fact that the god who was currently holding her in his arms could easily crush her.

She did not know if Dionysus loved her, but he did seem to at least care about her. And for now that would have to be enough.

After all, in this world of gods and monsters her father's affection was the only thing keeping her truly safe.