The Daughter Of Night (Original Version)

32- I Meet My Mother

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I slept for hours. I was shaken awake by Piper who told me that we were descending over Rome.

Rome was beautiful; I could see winding streets and office blocks built next to Roman temples.

It was a mishmash of the new and the old. I loved it.

We touched down in a park. If any of the Romans noticed the warship descending then they didn't care.

Percy and Annabeth left quickly after we landed (Percy insisting that he had to accompany Annabeth to the start of her quest), and soon after Hazel, Frank and Leo left to go in search of Nico Di Angelo.

Jason and Piper disappeared to have a picnic, and I stayed on the ship.

I stayed on deck. The coach descended below to watch some cadge matches.

I left him to it. I stared out over the Roman buildings. I could just about make out the colosseum from where I stood. I closed my eyes and soaked up the warm sun.

Someone cleared their throat behind me and my eyes snapped open. I whirled around and drew my sword pointing it at the person.

The person laughed and the noise made my heart drop. How could she be here? How could she be here now?

Her black eyes bore into my own and my sword (still pointed at her face) didn't seem to bother her.

But just her being here was like a much sharper sword pointed at me.

"Hello daughter." Nyx smiled a chilling smile.

The hand that held my sword began to shake and my mother batted the sword away. It gave a dull clang as it hit the deck.

"What, you have nothing to say to your lady mother?" She demanded.

I bowed my head at her quickly, "mother what are you doing here?"

"Can't I simply pay my daughter a visit?" She raised one godly eyebrow at me.

No, I thought, but I bit my tong. "Why are you here?" I asked again.

My mother didn't reply, but her eyes bore into me. She looked me up and down, her eyes lingering on different parts of me, and then she looked back at my face. She grabbed my chin and turned my face so she could see different parts of my face.

"You have changed little Ariadne." She declared. "You are no longer that little girl who I sent away."

I shook her hand off of my chin, "I was never a little girl. I was a lot of things, but never that."

Nyx laughed a hollow laugh, "How wrong you my child, but you are a woman now."

I bit back all the sarcastic comments that had sprung to my mind. I clenched my fist to stop my hand from shaking and giving away my fear.

But it was if she could smell my it.

"You're afraid of me?" She observed, "Have I taught you nothing." She glared at me as if I were a little child again, "What did I teach you?" she snapped.

I didn't answer.

"What did I teach you girl?" she shouted.

I flinched away from her, "That fear is weakness."

"And you would do well to remember it." She nodded.

"Yes M'Lady." I eyed her with apprehension. My mother looked me up and down once again.

"I believe I shall be seeing you again soon." She told me.

Not if I can help it, I told myself.

"Goodbye my child." She told me, and then disappeared into shadows.

I sat down on the deck. Relieved that she was gone. I thought I would never have to see her again once I had left Tartarus. Clearly I was wrong, very wrong.

"Ri." I heard Percy's voice. He, Jason and Piper had boarded the ship, "We have to go, I think that I've found where the giants are."

"You three go," I told them, getting to my feet, "I'll stay here with the coach and wait for Hazel, Frank and Leo."

"Are you sure?" Piper asked, "We need all the help we can get."

"I don't think I'll be much help to you this time," I told them

They hurried away. I felt a pang of guilt as they left. I should have gone with them. But my hands were still shaking and I could feel tears stinging my eyes.

The coach still stayed below deck, watching whatever fighting programme he could access from his TV.

It was fast approaching the time that Hazel and the boys should be back.

"Ariadne," The Coach scrambled up the stairs, "Valdez hacked my martial arts!"

"What?" I frowned at the Satyr.

"We have to go rescue Valdez, Levesque and Zhang." The coach declared.

The coach took the helm and as soon as I spotted them I tossed a rope ladder off of the side of the ship for the three of them to climb over.

I saw flashing lights from the colosseum. And instructed coach to take us there. Figuring that where ever there was trouble that was where our friends would be.

I was right. We descended over the colosseum to see an already won battle.

There were two massive piles of golden dust and in the middle of it all stood Jason and Percy.

Piper and Nico were picking their way towards them. It seemed we had been too late to help.

Once we were all on board Percy pointed out where Dionysus had said we would find Annabeth.

I had a sinking feeling in my gut as soon as we set off towards where Annabeth was.

Something was going to go wrong. I could feel it.

What do you think of Ri's relationship with her mother?
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~Em xx