Fatal Flaw: Empathy (Nico di Angelo)

Chapter Eleven

It was around 8:30 pm when Percy kicked me out of our cabin to meet Nico for training. I was mad to say the least, especially since I thoroughly enjoyed my sleep. But, you know, roasting people could only take me so far in a battle. I trudged over to the beach, without a thought going through my head. It was a dark night, you couldn't see anything, so I don't know how I dodged the blade that came at me.

I sort of sensed someone there. Not like I saw them or heard them, they just kind of popped out of nowhere, but I could tell they were on my left. I turned and ducked under the blade they held, pulling my armbands off as I did so. My two daggers were in my hands, so I shot Scylla toward the person, pointing Charybdis at the water, and using the sea to capture the person in a block of ice.

"Aletha, relax. It's Nico." He said, and appeared behind me. I put the water back in the ocean, and looked at him. "Nice reflexes for someone who doesn't know how to fight. How did you hear me, gamberetto?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I just sort of felt that you were there. Like I could feel you urging yourself to be quiet or something." I sighed. "This godly stuff gets weirder everyday! I swear. So..." I paused. "Why nighttime? And don't say like 'to test your skills against me at the height of my power.' What's the real reason?"

"I need you at your strongest, gamberetto. You can't use your full power without your voice. And you can't use your voice if people are here. One day, you're going to have to use it to defend yourself and the people you're fighting for."

"Nico, no. The powers I have are unheard of." I started ranting. "Annabeth lost her hearing for a bit. Because I couldn't control my emotions. I'm more likely to destroy the people I love rather than protect them."

"Aletha, don't you get it? Being afraid of your powers being afraid of yourself, it is not an option! The battlefield and war zone won't take your hesitation!"

"I have Charybdis, I can control water using it." I reasoned

"Weapons can break and weapons can fall, Farènce. What would you do if Scylla and Charybdis fell out of your hand? If they broke?"

He had a good point there. "I can't train you in your powers. But I can tell you how to control your emotions and intentions. It's all a part of using daggers. I think that fighting with daggers is like fighting as a snake. You have to find the weakness of your opponent. It's smooth, with bloodlust and control. Control is what you need over your emotions. Control them, and you can control your powers."

And we trained. From 9:00 pm to midnight. When I got back, Percy was asleep, and I didn't feel like doing anything.

My muscles ached and I felt a huge sense of satisfaction tonight. I was able to use my voice to move water. It was like Charybdis, it felt natural, but at the same time this was a bit shakier. I had bender water with Charybdis while singing, and learned I could use the water to do a lot of things. Nico mentioned something about Percy healing faster in water, though that didn't seem to work for me. Maybe it was all this extra power that I had.

That night I had a dream. It wasn't like Percy said, terrifying or horrible. It showed me my family. I saw myself with my dad, and my mom, in Italy when I was born. By the beach. But there was another woman there. A woman who looked like my mother, but more majestic and beautiful.

"Mom!" My mom cries upon seeing her. That woman was my grandma. My mother smiled and my dad had a goofy grin on his face. "What are you doing here in Sicily?" That's where I was born.

"Lila," my grandma was the type of person who could silence a room instantly. "This is the last time we can all be together. I thought I would take my opportunity to bless little Aletha, here. Poseidon. It's good to see you."

"Same to you, Aphrodite." She gracefully walked over, and held me in her arms. Her eyes were every color that existed, but at the same time they were an olive green, probably because of her choice.

"Aletha Fárence, daughter of Poseidon. I, Aphrodite, grant you the power of..." She thought for a second. "Empathy and nature speak. Good luck in life, my demigod granddaughter." She put little me in my mother's arms, and waved sadly at them before she disappeared. "Goodbye, Aletha!"

And I woke up.

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