Daughter Of Hera
A/N: You know what guys? I lost so much weight over the past few days! Why, you ask? Because I've been jumping up and down after reading the mail about reviews, follows and favorites! I LOVE Y'ALL! VIRTUAL COOKIES TO ALL! I hope you enjoyed the previous chapter and will enjoy this one too. So this chapter has a time skip of about ten years, so Jayda is sixteen because there is really not many incidents I wanted to put in for that time period and drag the story on… Also, I am so sorry about not having updated for AGES but school starts tomorrow and well… you know the drill. I have started a poll to decide who Jayda will have a romance with. Do vote!
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO.
Jayda slammed her locker since it was the only way the damn thing would close and walked down to homeroom. She tried to make herself unnoticeable, in vain. It wasn't because she was unpopular; it was because she was too popular. People just crowded in on her. Today was her sixteenth birthday, and she did not want to have her good mood ruined by people running after her. She only had one best friend, Jeffrey, who she had a crush on and who was also oblivious to her affections. She, in turn, was oblivious to the drooling boys in the hallway who were trying to get up the courage to ask her out.
People wished her a happy birthday and she nodded and smiled, not really noticing until a certain someone walked up to her. "Hey Jay, happy sixteenth birthday!" he said smiling, handing her a present wrapped in emerald paper. Her heart fluttered at his smile and she eagerly tore open the gift. "Oh Jeff, thank you so much," she said throwing her arms around him," I love it!" It was a much-awaited book she'd wanted but had been disappointed when she found they were sold-out. Her love of reading had grown over the years.
"I'm glad. I'm glad it made you happy." He bent his head sheepishly and ran a hand through his thick, brown hair. He was a handsome guy, tall and good-looking. He was also the football team captain which made him really popular. Girls threw themselves at him left and right but he was totally oblivious to them. He only had eyes for his girlfriend, Sylvie, the captain of the cheerleading team. Jayda hated her though she was never a total bitch to anybody. They all sat together at lunch, when Jayda had to suffer through the totally disgusting PDA of those two.
Not that she could do much about it. She pushed those thoughts away. She had her birthday party today and she was totally not going to ruin her good mood by thinking of her. She walked up to the classroom excitedly. First period was Math, which she really loved, despite the ADHD and dyslexia she'd had forever. She loved Literature, History and French (the language her father spoke) too, spending her spare time with her nose buried in books. It was a surprise she hadn't gotten glasses yet.
The rest of the day passed in a blur. In her excitement, Jayda didn't even notice when the dispersal bell rang. She let herself be pushed out the gates with Jeff. She waved goodbye to him and biked her way back.
She entered the hall, tossed her keys on the kitchen counter and grabbed an apple. She went into the living room and saw her dad. "Hey dad, I'm back!" "I know honey, I can see you." "You know what I mean." "Yes sweetie, I do. Now go get ready for your party, it's nearly 4. And before, you ask, yes, I know I'm supposed to be only in my study up there and not come down. Okay?"
"Okay dad. Thanks, I'm going to get ready and set up the games room." Francois nodded and she bounded up the stairs. She skipped into the huge games room which opened into the backyard and which she'd helped set up last year, putting in a pool table, TT table, TVs, stereo, etc. It didn't come cheap but her dad had been promoted to CEO of his company, which helped them afford all this expensive stuff. Her dad had consented to keep some alcohol for the older teens and sodas for the ones her age (though she doubted anyone would drink that). She'd put in a movie and snacks were out anyways. Satisfied, she turned to her bedroom to get ready. She'd already laid her outfit out and now she only had to take a shower and put it on.
Jayda stared at herself in the mirror, satisfied with her appearance. She was wearing a beautiful emerald green short dress, strapless with a diamante belt and ruffles on the skirt which reached mid-thigh. She was wearing a silver necklace and emerald dangly earrings. Light makeup complemented her face; light green eye-shadow, rosy blush and a shimmering lip-gloss. She smiled and bounced downstairs.
The bell dinged. She opened it to see Jeff and some of their close friends. "Hey guys! You're on time! Come on in, party's out back. I'll show you." She led them in and got the music going. "Well, you can enjoy yourself, dance floors in the yard there and so are the food and drinks. Have fun! Jeff, you come with me." He followed obligingly, knowing what would happen if he didn't, i. e, his best friend would blow up. Over the next half hour, almost everybody she'd invited had shown up.
The party was in full swing in the back. Only person missing was Philia. She came every year on her birthday with some present. It was always great to have her around. Finally, tired of waiting for more people to show up, she joined her friends in celebrating her birthday. Grabbing a drink and a bite to eat, she joined the dance floor, shimmying her way to the middle and interacting with people on the way. She looked at her watch: time to get the cake. She wheeled out the cake to the yard near the food and called her dad down. She didn't bother shouting for people to come around; she knew someone would catch sight of it. It wasn't exactly small. Quite the opposite actually; it was a towering three-tier chocolate cake, with butter-cream frosting and sugar flowers on it.
She lit the first candle and boom! The rest of them caught the flame. The whole thing lit up like fireworks, spelling out her name in big letters. Everybody clapped and cheered at its sight. Jayda gathered in front with Jeff and her father and cut the cake, causing everybody to burst out in Happy Birthday! Jayda grinned broadly and took a huge bite of the cake slice her dad held out. Her dad handed her his present, just when screams erupted from the edge of the yard, where it met the woods.
Jayda whipped around to see a huge dragon-like thing crawling out, rearing its tail menacingly. It seemed to be looking around for something-or somebody. Then, it zeroed in on her. Its red eyes glowed and it lunged towards her. It was by sheer luck that she managed to get out of its way, rolling across the lawn. Her father shouted and she looked at him. She caught the gleaming bronze sword he threw her way. Oddly enough, it seemed balanced in her hand, almost like an extension of it. She couldn't shake the feeling that it was supposed to be that way.
She whirled around to face the monster. She gave it a glare, a dangerous you-crashed-my-sweet-sixteen-birthday-party-now-you're-going-down glare. It came closer and she slashed and hacked at it, her body going into auto-mode. Whirling, jumping and dodging with all the grace of a feline, she led the monster in circles. She faked to the left and tried to get in close but the monster slashed at her, leaving a long gash down her side and ripping her dress.
"Hey, you big reptile!" Her father shouted. "Come and get me!" That certainly got the monster's attention and he flashed her a look that clearly said 'Kill it while I got it distracted'. She went in for a soft spot between the scales and stuck the blade in deep. The monster reared and roared and then went down. She moved out in time to avoid getting crushed. She watched as it turned to dust. "That's what happens when you mess with my fashion!" She looked at her ripped dress. Then she turned to her father. "Do you know what that was?" "Yes honey, I do. That was a drakon." "How could that dragon-" "Drakon." "Yeah that, how could it be real?" "Jay, we need to talk; let's go upstairs to the attic." "Why the att-" "Sweetie, not now."
Francois and Jayda seated themselves on armchairs up in the attic. He waited till she settled down before speaking. "Okay darling, I know you studied about Greek mythology in school. The thing is, all those legends about Gods and heroes, well… they're true. I know, I know," he chuckled at her face," just wait till I finish explaining. Your mother," their eyes grew sad," was a goddess, not just figuratively but literally. At first, I didn't know her identity. She told me her name was Philia."
"You mean…?"
"Yes sweetcheeks, the very lady who visits us every year. I-I fell in love with her and when I proposed to her, she told me her real identity. She was Hera, the Goddess of Family, Marriage and Women. She couldn't marry me because she would have to go back sometime, to retain her godly characteristics. Well, one day she told me she had something important to say and that she'd come over. When I opened the door, in front of me laid the most beautiful baby ever. It was you Jay. She wrote a letter to me, telling me about her duty and what had happened. I missed her so but I knew I'd have to give you a good upbringing on my own. I hope I've you fulfilled my duty."
"You have daddy, you have." It had been years since she'd called him that. Both wiped away tear tracks from their faces. "She left some things for you, Jay. I was told to wait till the right time to give them to you. I-I think it's here." He walked up to a large, golden, ornately-carved chest and opened it gingerly. He pulled out a bundle of soft cloth, containing some things and a piece of paper. He placed them in her lap. "This was the letter she wrote to me. These are the blankets you came wrapped in. here are some photos I took o you at that time." They looked at the photos showing an adorable baby girl. "That," he pointed to the golden cradle in a corner," is the cradle you arrived in. and these are her gifts." He pointed to the set of deadly ornaments in the bundle.
"This is 'Phosphoros' which means 'Lightbringer' or 'Bringer of Dawn'. All you got to do is take the charm you want, press it and say 'energopoií̱sete'. That sword came from it. Just wish for it to revert back and it will happen." She was amazed when the sword shrunk to a gleaming bronze charm. "This is 'Charis' meaning 'grace'. You have to put it on and press the pearl to turn invisible. It will not however take away your demigod scent, which allows them to find you. This is 'Prostasia' which means 'protect'." He pointed to the watch. "You tap the dial twice and it spirals into a shield. She hoped they would be of great use to you. She- she sent you her love."
They were both silent for a few minutes. "I guess it's time to send you to Camp."
"What camp?"
"The only safe place for people like you on the planet. Camp Half-Blood. You'd better get ready. Pack some clothes and these. Take the- the letter and photos with you, if you want." She stared at him, knowing how much they meant to him and then flung her arms around him in a tight embrace. "Thanks daddy." "You're welcome honey."
They were climbing down with the stuff when the bell rang. She opened the door to see four kids slightly older than her; two girls and two boys, staring at her. "Umm, hi? Can I help you?"
"Yes is there an adult here I could speak to?" A tall, pretty blonde girl asked.
"My dad's here. Come on in."
She led them to the living room where her dad was fiddling with some papers. "Dad, these people want to talk to you."
"Yes of course, can I help you?"
"We're from the Camp. Chiron sent us looking for a powerful half-blood. He told us the person was in Duchess County but not exactly where. It wasn't required anyway; I haven't sensed such an aura since- since Percy, the Hero of Olympus, arrived at camp. I'm surprised you haven't had any attacks for so long."
"Oh we have but I was always able to dispatch them. We just had a drakon attack two hours ago. My daughter," he smiled proudly at her," took care of it."
"Really? Without any training? That's only happened once as far as I know and that was when Percy killed the Minotaur outside the boundaries of camp. Anyway sir, we need to take her back so that she can be trained properly to defend herself."
"We were just preparing to send her."
"That's good; now she won't have to travel alone."
Till now, nobody had said a word to Jayda. She took the time to carefully study everyone. The girl talking to her father was tall, blonde, smart- and athletic-looking. The other girl was slightly dark, probably Cherokee, seeing her features and brown-haired, with kaleidoscopic eyes. One of the boys was tall, blond, had electric-blue eyes and a serious expression. The other boy was tall, well-built but not over-bearingly so and had an elfin-look about him. He seemed to be fiddling with a piece of metal. Now she spoke up. "I'll just go pack."
She climbed upstairs quickly and burst into her bedroom. She would be sad to leave all this behind but she understood the necessity. She pulled out a medium-sized suitcase and began throwing in jeans, shirts, shorts and dresses (where would she wear those?). She put in shoes and toiletries, grabbing five-six of her favorite books too. She carefully put in the letter and photos, folded in the baby blankets. Finally, she put on a T-shirt, pants and combat boots with her backpack, containing a few things for the trip: her iPod, her phone, charger, a book and finally, the gifts. She quickly double-checked and went downstairs, where everybody waited for her.
She looked at her dad and rushed to him, hugging him tight. "I'll contact you soon." The dark-haired girl piped up,"You can't take a phone, the signal attracts monsters." Jayda looked dismayed and grudgingly handed over her phone to her father. "Tell Jeff I had to go away for a while, we don't know how long. Okay?" Her father nodded.
"Ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
They stepped outside and into a van where she was introduced to the driver. "This is Argus. Don't make fun of his eyes, he's quite sensitive." That last part was whispered. She waved goodbye to her father and they took off. She was sitting sullenly at the back when the dark-haired girl noticed this and said, "Let's introduce ourselves. I'm Piper McLean, this is Jason Grace," the blond guy nodded," that's Leo Valdez-" "The awesome fireman at your service!" he grinned cheekily.
"- and this is Annabeth Chase." She gestured to the blonde-haired girl.
"I'm Jayda, Jayda Bloomwood." She smiled and then pulled out her iPod. She plugged in and all conversation went silent but not uncomfortably so.
At some point she must have fallen asleep because a jerk of the car woke her. Piper handed her a sandwich and water bottle and said,"We'll be reaching in forty-five minutes; eat this, you must be hungry." She was right. The van pulled up in front of a hill soon, a sign indicating it as 'Delphi Strawberry Farm'. "Why are we getting off here?" "You'll see soon enough." They walked up the hill and she saw a pine tree with a- was that a dragon? She was jerked out of her shock by Annabeth pulling her along inside. She was lost for words as she surveyed the area. A big white house with different cabins scattered in a loose omega-formation. Big strawberry field, a lake and forest added character to the area. "We need to talk to Chiron. They passed campers who gave her weird looks and were met by a half-man, half-horse guy halfway to the big house.
"Greetings Jayda Bloomwood, welcome to Camp Half-Blood. I'm Chiron and yes, I am indeed a centaur. Campers!" he shouted to everybody and his voice carried across, calling everybody to him," we have a new demi-god." Just then someone shouted and pointed to something above her head. She looked up to see a glittering peacock on a white background glowing above her head. Slowly more colors built up above it; a grey owl, a pink strip, an orange glow, a stalk of wheat, a glowing flower and a silver arrow. Chiron paled and muttered, "Impossible!" Jayda got the feeling this didn't happen every day there. Then the centaur turned to the campers and shouted, "All hail Jayda Bloomwood, daughter of Hera, blessed by the Goddesses Athena, Aphrodite, Hestia, Demeter, Persephone and Artemis!"
A/N: Phew! An extra long chapter to make up for my two-day absence! Hope you liked it! Please give your vote for the poll!