Chapter 4
Helena was sure that Chiron was secretly a madman. He was just very good at hiding it.
Surely, living for a few thousands of years can muddle your brain. Her father did say to her that most of the gods are little... eccentric, to put it lightly.
(She had asked him if he counted himself amongst them. He had actually snorted and called her a cheeky bastard. (She was suprised when she had first heard him swear, but soon became used to that. Apparently, the dead don't require manners.)
"Well, a bastard is an apt description", she answered dryly. She could see his wings shaking in a silent laughter. He never let any emotion show on his face, but she had learned to read him easily based on his body language, mostly his wings.)
So, if the gods, with all of the perks of immortality and their healing powers, could become... unstable, why not the centaur who lived far longer than he was supposed to?
After all, madness is the only reason that Helena could think of that warranted her presence in the infirmary. Apparently, according to Chiron, it was 'a valuable learning experience that will help you meet new people who are more stable than those unfortunate boys you are so fond of'.
It seemed that Chiron wasn't very happy with their latest prank involving the Demeter Cabin and copious amounts of milk so he had decided to keep them apart for the time being.(She had tried to put the blame on the Stolls only, but, although it had worked when she had just came to the Camp, he had learned better in the last two months.)
So, here she was, daughter of the God of Death, sitting in the infirmary (a place used to heal people), waiting for one Annabeth Chase to wake up.
Luke Castellan, son of Hermes, she learned, had woken up an hour ago and was currently on the tour of the Camp with one of his many brothers. He informed them of the girl's name and that she was a child of Athena. (As though her honey-coloured hair and a glimpse of an intelligent gray eyes weren't enough indication.) Helena wanted to ask one of her siblings to sit by her side and be there when she wakes up, but Chiron had a 'better' idea. He had decided that Helena was the best choice of a guide because of their similar age and the fact that she was the one that actually helped them last night.
She almost shuddered at the reminder of growls, hisses and howls she had heard the night before. The sounds were not what disturbed her, however, but the fact that she only saw silhouettes of monsters and couldn't possibly know how many were out there. She was unable to determine from where exactly the noise came from and which monsters were at the hill. She was absolutely terrified- she could admit that without the shame- but she also managed to get to the Big House in time to save two of the demigods and a satyr. After she alerted Chiron, he woke up some of the older campers and they attacked the monsters, pulling the demigods to the safety of the wards. Unfortunately, they hadn't managed to save one girl, daughter of Zeus.
Despite that, Chiron said that the presence of someone who actually saw the attack happening would help the blond-haired girl, ignoring all Helena's protests otherwise.
And that is why, Helena Potter, the most unsociable and reclusive demigod in the Camp Half-blood, was currently sitting at the bedside of quite possibly emotionally scarred girl, who should wake up any moment now.
She was sure that the Stolls were dying of laughter at her predicament. (They only had a kitchen duty for two days, lucky buggers.)
Her main problem, however, was not possible emotional conversation in the near future (although, she tried not to think about it), but her boredom. Helena, like most of the other demigods, had an ADHD, and sitting beside someone's bed would be tedious even to a normal individual. She had tried to read a book (she was not dyslexic, thank the gods), but had found herself unable to focus on the words on the page. Every few minutes she started bouncing her legs or tapping her fingers on her chair, until she was sure that if she sat there only a little longer, she will go insane. Eventually, she settled on twirling her dagger, a habit she had picked from her days of cooking for the Dursleys. It always managed to calm her and help her concentrate.
She was almost relieved when she heard the girl groaning. She could handle emotions if it meant that she wouldn't be bored anymore.
She focused on Annabeth, observing her as she blinked sleepily, shielding her eyes from the rays of setting sunlight that came through the windows. When she managed to open her eyes fully, she scanned the room for potential threats-a habit most of the demigods picked sooner or later- until her gaze rested on Helena's own. The daughter of Thanatos was once again suprised by the raw intelligence she could see in the stormy grey orbs. Even last night, when the girl was almost unconscious, it was hard to ignore her calculating glances.
"Where am I? Who are you?" Annabeth asked, eyeing the blade in Helena's hands nervously. The black haired demigod did not miss how the girl's hand reflexively shot to her hip where her weapon would usually be. Helena slowly, carefully put the dagger down on the small table beside the bed so as to not alarm the other girl further. She spread her hands in the universal sign of peace and waited until Annabeth's gaze was again on her face.
"You're at the Camp Half-blood. I trust Grover told you about it", she waited until the girl nodded her understanding and continued. "My name's Helena Potter. I'm daughter of Thanatos, if you were wondering", she added at Annabeth's questioning look.
She expected it, but it didn't make seeing the girl's grimace hurt less. She was used to that kind of response by now- Thanatos was not exactly one of the most loved gods. He was feared and respected, but no one actually liked him.
But Annabeth composed herself quicker than most and her face was once again neutral.
"Where is Luke? And Thalia? She isn't...dead, is she?" she asked, choking slightly at her last sentence. Helena could feel sympathy for her, even if she didn't know how to show it.
"Luke is fine. He has few scratches and bruises, but otherwise he's perfectly healthy. As for Thalia...", she hesitated. How do you tell someone that their best friend turned into a tree? She'll almost certainly feel guilty and it will only destroy her from inside if left unchecked.
"What about Thalia?" Annabeth asked, and Helena almost winced at the desperation in her voice. "Tell me!" she quite nearly shouted. The black haired demigod decided that showing her would be better than telling her. She had a feeling that the other girl won't believe her without the proof.
She stood up, offering her hand to Annabeth. "Come." It was a command and both of them knew it so Annabeth listened. She grasped her hand and hauled herself from the bed, slightly unsteady on her feet.
Helena waited patiently until she could stand by herself and then proceeded to drag her to the window.
"What are you...", Annabeth started, but was interrupted by the view of the Camp. Helena knew what she felt; she was amazed by the sight when she had just came, too. But she could see Annabeth's eyes straying to the tall pine tree on the hill, the tree that wasn't there when they came the night before. It stood at the exact place where she had left Thalia last night. Helena watched as understanding passed through the gray orbs and they glistened with unshed tears.
"She fought bravely", she said softly, trying to offer some sort of comfort, feeling unsure what she was supposed to do. She was never any good when it came to dealing with emotional people, but it looked as it helped. It broke the dam, it seemed, because the tears started running down her cheeks and she didn't even make a move to wipe them.
Helena slowly, hesitantly reached with her hand and put it on Annabeth's shoulder, knowing that any other type of condolences would be immediately rejected.
That night Helena dreamed of green light.
She dreamed often enough about it, ever since she remembered. She used to believe that it was only a nightmare, some frightening thing her imagination came up with.
She knew better now.
She had asked her father how exactly her mother had been killed. He explained in his usual way, not lying or hiding anything from her.
(She had asked him once why he doesen't lie or treat her like a child. He answered that Death is always honest and treats everybody equally. And he was a physical manifestation of death.)
He told her about the Avada Kedavra, and about Lily's sacrifice. He told her about Voldemort's madness too, and how it was caused with the excessive use of Dark Magic. She almost felt sorry for the Dark Lord when she heard malice in his voice and saw a disturbing light in his eyes. Voldemort won't find any peace even in his death, she realised, because her father will make sure of it. But she didn't, because he took her mother away from her and he deserved it, if only because of that.
So she knew perfectly well what the geen light meant.
But that night her nightmare seemed to evolve. She could hear a woman screaming, bright red hair flying and cold laughter ringing through the room.
She woke up sweaty, stifling the scream that threatened to come out of her mouth.
She waited until her breathing evened out and then quietly slipped to the cold floor from her bed, trying her best not to wake any of the other occupants of the cabin. She carefully walked out, needing the fresh air to clear her head. She almost tripped on the new kid, Luke. He was directly in front of the door in his sleeping bag, but, thankfully, his quiet snores warned her about his position.
When she finally managed to get out, she slumped with her back against the cabin wall, sliding on the ground when her legs gave up.
That dream never stopped bothering her, no matter how many times she saw it. Her mother's screams... it was the worst sound Helena had ever heard and she doubted that she'll ever forget them.
She was vaguely aware that she was shivering, despite the warm summer night. She stood up with great difficulty an slowly inched towards the fire that burned in the hearth and hoped that the harpies won't find her. She wasn't in the mood for being eaten, suprisingly.
When she came closer to the fire, she noticed that a girl was already sitting there, tending to the flames. The warm glow showed her kind face and brown hair, but what made Helena's green eyes widen were the girl's fiery orbs that seemed to see through her soul.
She bowed respectfully.
"Lady Hestia", she greeted, because that could only be her. No other deity was described with those unique eyes.
"Helena Potter", the goddess inclined her head, returning the greetings. "Sit and rest", she commanded, motioning at the ground beside her. She obviously knew that Helena didn't want to talk so she offered her a place where she could think undisturbed. She could feel her respect for the goddess rise, and she sat down thankfully.
Hestia went back to tending of her flames while Helena stared into the fire without actually seeing it, trying to forget the green light and cold laughter.
They sat there, in silence, until the dawn.
