Fatal Flaw: Empathy (Nico di Angelo)

Chapter Twelve

I awoke with a gasp. I sat up straight in my bed, and I whimpered quietly. Aphrodite is my grandma? It was absolutely absurd! But Chiron said he knew my mom back when she was a camper. How did that work? We just moved to the US. I needed answers, and Chiron had all of them.

First thing I did was check the time. It was about half an hour before I needed to leave, and as much as I adored ye comfort of my blanket, I needed to understand. Gods know this was going to eat me alive. I looked at Percy.

'So peaceful, so sweet when he's sleeping.' I thought. 'A pity he can't be this nice when he's awake. Oh, whale.' I took a running start, and launched myself onto Percy. He jumped up, pulled out Riptide, and soon enough, I was in a chokehold with riptide's blade at the side of my neck. Somehow, I wasn't surprised, so I took the one arm that I had wrangled out of the chokehold and slapped Percy backside of his head.

"Huh? Oh!" He said, eyes widening. "Aletha! I'm so sorry, Shrimp," he immediately let go. "Reflexes kind of develop when you've been kidnapped in multiple fan fictions and fought in two wars." He messed up my hair and I nodded, not minding his explanation. I touched his arm, where he sliced himself on accident while getting his sword out.

Suddenly, I felt a shot of fear course through me. It was like being in the dark, knowing something was coming, something bad, but not being able to hear it or see it. I snatched my hand off, and immediately fell off Percy's bed.

I hissed in pain, biting my lip, casing it to bleed.

"Aw, Shrimp, it's okay. You're up early." He said, going to go back into the covers, when I pulled him off with inhuman ambition and dragged him behind me to the water fountain. He quickly healed himself, and was about to go back when I continued to pull him through the door. "Aletha, please don't make me go outside! I'm tired." He whined all the way to the big house, where I knocked on Chiron's door. I held up my board.

'I need answers, Chiron. I saw a dream of my past yesterday. Aphrodite was there. My mom was there. Dad was there. What is happening?'

He nodded and pulled me into his office. It was a rustic office, filled with ivy from top to bottom, and where the ivy was less, you could see the distressed wood. Percy followed, but he had to duck his head. I stuck my tongue out at him, and pointed while mining a laugh.

"You're just proving you're a Shrimp that doesn't have any jams, Aletha." (if you get the reference, sarangheyo!!!!)

I gasped sharply, and turned myself away from him, punching him in the shoulder as he sat down beside me. I smiled at Percy to show that there were no hard feelings.

"Aletha, what did you see in this dream."

I didn't feel like writing this much, but, it was worth it. 'We were on the shore of Sicily, Mom and Dad were playing with me. Aphrodite came, blessed me with 'empathy and nature speak,' and left. Then Dad left. "Last time to be together" or something.'

Chiron hummed. "Curious, indeed, Aletha Fárence. Do you have any specific questions you want me to answer?"

'My mom And I just recently moved here when she got killed. How was she a camper?'

"She had been brought here by Aphrodite from Italy, and when her training was finished, Lila was taken home." I nodded. That made sense, I guess.

"If there's nothing else?" I shook my head disappointed at the lack of answers. "Then, I guess we'll have to talk to your aunts: Aphrodite Campers."

"So that's why you clean up the cabin so much! And why the boys are always eyeing you like a slab of meat. And why-" I stood up, and kicked his shin, bowed to Chiron, and sprinted the other direction where I was leading Percy: Toward the ocean.