When Esmeralda woke up , she was in the infirmary at Camp Half-Blood. It had ten to fifteen slightly stained cots placed in the room. About half of the cots were actually occupied. Kids in orange shirts were either lying on the cots or healing those on the cots.
She was suddenly aware off a throbbing pain that coursed through her body. Wincing, she sat up. Now that she was sitting, she had a better view of what exactly was happening. She was still wearing the elaborate dress she was claimed in. It was surprisingly comfortable, but sleeping in it wasn't such a help to her muscles that already groaned in protest.
One thing was obvious: she would have to learn to better time her magic so she didn't fall down the next time she was flying. Her back seriously hurt.
A man clothed in black robes was hunched over a cauldron of some sort. He didn't seem to be doing much, so Esmeralda swung her legs over the edge and got up. Maybe he had some Tylenol or Advil. Walking over, she started to have doubts about whether she should approach him, but decided to suck up her courage and ask him.
"Excuse me? I'm Esmeralda. Do you have any Tylenol or painkillers that I could have..." She trailed off seeing his angry face.
"Idiot girl! This potion is extremely temperamental and you distracted me! The ingredients are expensive. I will have to redo the entire batch. I believe you should go. Do I look like some goddamned doctor?" He seethed.
"I'm sorry. Is there something I can do to make it up?" Esmeralda asked tentatively .
"Locate a fairy feather, the ingredients to redo the potion or simply get out. Fairy feathers are nearly impossible to get, unless it's from Minerva, and Minerva has made it clear that I cannot use her feathers in potions anymore. The ingredients cannot be found anywhere except in a specialty shop in England. So do me a favour and go!" He spat.
"Did you say 'fairy feather'?" Asked Esmeralda.
" Go! " he ordered.
Esmeralda turned around and touched a feather that had been loose for a few days. "Pull this one." It was her fault the potion was ruined in the first place, so she felt obligated to help fix it.
"I beg your pardon? " he sneered.
Her wings were halfway retracted. He wouldn't be able to see the feather if it was invisible... She braced herself for the tug. And she pulled. A feather appeared in her hand, now removed. She held it out. He took it.
"Where exactly did you get this?" He asked in astonishment.
Esmeralda pulled her wings out completely and spread them. Her black wings seemed to shimmer in the lighting.
"So. Do you have painkillers?" She asked once more.
He rolled his eyes and walked over to a large wooden cabinet. Taking out a swirling yellow potion in a glass vial, he handed it to her saying, "Painkiller potion. Happy?"
Esmeralda uncorked the bottle and drank the contents. It was absolutely foul tasting. "Blech!" She grimaced and swallowed it. It may have tasted terrible, but she was already feeling a lot less sore. " That tastes like moldy, rotten fajitas! " She exclaimed in disgust. Her hair turned like green.
A small smile graced his lips. It was so imperceptible that has Essa not looked up at the moment she did, she would have missed it. "What is your name? I told you mine, but I don't know yours, and I need someone to blame if needed."
"Severus Snape. Hecate." He told her bluntly.
" Okay. Cut off the feathery part and put it to the side. Crush up the quill part and put it in the cauldron for five minutes. Stir clockwise twice a minute and then add the feathery part. My dad did that with his potions. Can you teach me how to actually do potions sometime? " She instructed in a bubbly voice. "I 'd love to learn." She skipped off, leaving Severus Snape taken aback.
(Severus Snape POV)
Later that night he would tell his best friend, Minerva McGonagall what happened. She simply chuckled and told him that he 'should bloody well teach her.'
She would then return to her cabin and usher her half siblings into bed and console the new Athena kid. He would be left alone with his thoughts. Not a strictly bad thing either. He weighed the pros and cons.
The girl could have a natural aptitude for potions. He had heard stories about fae that could simple combine potion ingredients with water, put it on boil and use their magic to speed it along. Some fae were rumoured to be able to make a perfect batch of Veritaserum or Felix Felicis in a matter of minutes, when both took a month to brew, even for the most talented potioneers.
He decided he would teach her, but only if she showed an aptitude. Fae hair and feathers were very helpful in healing potions, because they could increase the potency of the potion by tenfold. If she helped make some of the potions for the camp, it would benefit him in the long run. If she was truly apt in the art, he would find out what to do with that talent, so it didn't go to waste. Good potioneers were rare, so only time would tell.
As she walked away, Esmeralda was suddenly very aware that she was walking around in a huge dress. Right about then, a12 year old boy with olive coloured skin came up to her. "I saw Snape have you a painkiller. Any other problems?"
She wrinkled her nose while she thought. "I don't think so. Do you know where I can find a change of clothes?"
"Aphrodite cabin would be able to get you a change. I can imagine why you might want to put on something a bit more normal." He grinned. " I'm Liam, by the way. Oh, and Chiron wants to see you soon. Just go to the big house when you're done changing. "
Esmeralda thanked the Aphrodite girl who had given her a pair of denim shorts and a camp t-shirt. The girl was a pretty Asian with a fondness for turquoise lipstick and pink eyeliner. Her name was Sadie Bellefleur. When Esmeralda asked where the Big House was, Sadie had pointed her to a statuesque house off to the side of the horseshoe of cabins. Esmeralda walked nervously up to the porch.
A match of poker was going between a man with a scruffy beard who was seated in a wheelchair and an overweight dude wearing a loud cheetah print shirt who looked like he was getting over an alcohol addiction poorly. Scruffy beard dude turned to Esmeralda and frowned. "Sit down."
She sat down on a worn foldup lawn chair.
"I am Chiron. And you... I am surprised you are still alive. Did you know that Hades himself sent those monsters to assassinate Thalia? And how did a six year old manage to kill them singlehandedly? I would get comfortable, it's a long story. But first, what do you know about the gods of Olympus?"
The drunk looking dude made a bottle of wine appear in front of him. Thunder boomed. He scowled and made the wine turn into a Diet Coke. "Old habits! Sorry!"
" Um, my dad taught me a bit about them. I know more about Greek monsters than gods, though. " Esmeralda replied.
"Well, the Greek gods aren't dead..." Chiron began. "They are very much alive, and he, " Chiron pointed at Drunk Dude. "Is one. Do you know which one?"
" Er, Dionysus right? The wine and parties one? Either that or Aphrodite. " Esmeralda joked halfheartedly.
"Correct. About him being Dionysus." Chiron confirmed. " I would suggest you brush up on your knowledge about the gods, because they have requested that you perform on the winter solstice to see your power for themselves. "
"Okayyy. Why do they need to see my magic?"
"They wish to make sure you are not capable of overthrowing Olympus. It may seem like a paranoid thought, but I will come back to why it matters, once you understand more about this world."