The Sun's Most Beloved

by Creator_Anxiety

Summary:

Kaimana Asherah Jackson, daughter of Poseidon, is Hyacinthus and Icarus reincarnated.

Apollo's been wanting for a long time for his most Beloved, now that he found her, nothing will take her away from him.

(I suck a summaries!!T^T)

Chapter 1

Notes:

Inspired by Feel the Burning Light by Dewy_Pink_Morning_Roses52

I loved it and got a really great idea for a fic and well here we are.

Hope you'll all like it.

Chapter 1:

 

Montauk, New York, USA:   

August 18th, 2002:  

 

The hurricane raged violently around the small hospital as a young woman named Saloma "Sally" Jackson struggled to give birth to her child. She was bleeding much more than she should be, much to the doctors' concern, and the damage to the hospital equipment caused by the storm only increased their worry. 

At last, with one final cry of pain, Sally pushed down one last time and her screams were replaced by the sound of a baby crying. Sally, despite her weakness and exhaustion, lit up in excitement and held out her arms, requesting her baby be given to her. The nurse who'd been holding her hand for the birth assured her that the child would be given to her once the baby was clean and checked over. Meanwhile, the lights flickered worryingly in the birthing room despite the storm beginning to die down, and the hospital workers hastened to move the two Jackson's into another room. 

Several hours later, Sally, who had now been helped to freshen up by her nurse, was resting in her new room, cradling her child to her chest and looking at the baby with sheer adoration. Looking at her child, she knew that, despite the complications bearing the child of the Sea God (a child born against an oath on the River Styx, at that), she would never regret a thing. 

The door opened and a tall, handsome man with artfully messy raven-black, almost navy-tinted, hair and sea-coloured eyes wearing a Hawaiian shirt and shorts walked in confidently. Sally reluctantly tore her gaze from her baby and smiled at her lover warmly. 

Poseidon smiled back at her, coming to sit on the side of her bed before he leaned in to press a gentle kiss to her lips.  

"My love, are you and our child well?" Poseidon asked, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. 

Sally beamed at him. "We are," she informed them, her eyes sparkling with happiness. Poseidon's own smile broadened as he looked down at the baby wrapped in a clean white blanket, blinking up at him with wide eyes that matched his own. Unlike mortal babies, who were all born with blue eyes, demigods were born with their natural eye colour. The child also had a thin layer of dark hair covering their head. 

Poseidon could sense the strength of sea within the child's soul. The baby had the potential to become one of his most powerful children, even at only a few hours old. "He is strong," Poseidon stated. "I can sense his potential already." 

Sally's smile gained a teasing edge. " She is very strong, I have no doubt," Sally told her lover, emphasizing the 'she'. 

The king of the seas stared at his beloved in shock. "She?" Poseidon repeated. "You mean I have a daughter?" 

" We do, yes," Sally confirmed, again emphasizing the first word of the sentence. "Why? Haven't you had one before?" 

"My apologies my love, I was shocked," Poseidon apologized, gently taking the baby from her mother's arms. The child cooed and curled closer to his chest, no doubt sensing the sea within him. "I have had several immortal and nymph daughters, but all my half-blood children have been sons. It is fitting that you are the first to gift me a mortal daughter."

Sally had entranced him from their first meeting. He had had many lovers over the years, and had treasured them all, but something about Sally was different. He had begged her repeatedly to let him take her beneath the waves to Atlantis, where he could set her and their daughter up in a castle beneath the sea and keep them with him forever. 

Of course, Sally would not be the woman he had fallen in love with if she had agreed to his pleas, and so Poseidon knew this discrete visit might well be the last time he spoke to her up close. It would no doubt be the only time he held his daughter. 

The thought made his heart ache, but thousands of years' worth of practice kept his face from showing it. He pushed the painful thought away and focused on savouring these precious few moments with his beloved and his first mortal daughter. 

"What will you name her?" Poseidon asked Sally. He always allowed the mother of his children to name them, as a gift of thanks to them for their gift of a child to him. Unlike some gods (for example: Athena), Poseidon treasured all his children, regardless of their species or gender, and he treasured his lovers also. 

"I planned to name her Perseus if we had a boy," Sally stated. Poseidon wrinkled his nose. While Perseus was one of Zeus' better children, Poseidon still disliked the thought of having one of his children being named for one of Zeus'. "You told me that names have power," Sally added defensively at the look on his face. "And he's the only hero who had a happy ending. Anyway, it doesn't matter now. I'm not naming our daughter Perseus. She'd be bullied terribly, even with a nickname." 

"I hope you're not thinking of naming her Perseis," Poseidon said, scowling slightly. "There is an Oceanid by that name who greatly slighted my daughter Rhode." He despised even thinking of that blasted whore who had supplanted his eldest daughter in her marriage. 

"No, I decided to call her Kaimana Asherah Jackson, 'Kai' for short," Sally informed him. "Asherah is a Hebrew and Ugaritic name meaning 'she who walks in the sea', and Kaimana is a Hawaiian name meaning 'power of the ocean'. It honours both sides of her heritage, the middle name also honours you, and hopefully Kai will be as successful as her name implies." 

"A fine name, fit for a princess of the sea," Poseidon agreed, smiling down at their daughter. She was already a beautiful child, and neither of them doubted that she would blossom ever more as the years past. 

Poseidon carefully cupped Kai's tiny face with his hand and murmured a blessing in Ancient Greek, increasing her power over the sea and its creatures. 

Sally watched them with a smile that gradually faded as she turned serious. "Will she be safe?" She whispered. 

Poseidon pursed his lips at that. Even if he had not given the domain of prophecy to his nephew, he wouldn't have been able to say that for sure. The life of a demigod was often tragic, and his daughter was a candidate for the Great Prophecy, a prophecy that hinted at the death of its' subject.  

"The only place she can truly be safe is Camp Half-Blood," he informed his lover. "I will do what I can, but the Ancient Laws are strict, and if I pay too much attention to her, it will draw my brothers' suspicion and subsequent ire. Only at Camp would she be truly safe. Even Zeus would not raise a hand against a demigod within its borders. It is forbidden by the Laws." 

Sally's eyes flashed defiantly. "I will not send our daughter away," she insisted. "She is all I have left. She's my baby." 

Poseidon smiled sadly, reaching out to stroke Sally's cheek. "I understand, my love," he told her. "Then the best option is to disguise her scent somehow, though I don't know how you could do so. Judging by her strength, she will begin drawing monsters when she is about three years old." 

Sally nodded, looking a mixture of thoughtful and determined. "I will figure out a way to protect her," she declared firmly. Poseidon had no doubt she was correct. If anybody could figure out a way to hide the scent of a daughter of one of the Big Three, it would be Sally. 

Poseidon sighed, his smile turning down. Sally visibly steeled herself, realizing what was about to happen.  

"I cannot stay any longer, my love," Poseidon informed her sorrowfully. "My brothers will notice and realize the truth." 

Sally's eyes darkened to a mournful navy blue, but she didn't cry or beg him to stay. Poseidon half-wished she would. He would have stayed if she asked them to, but Sally had never been selfish. Instead, she simply nodded and cradled their daughter closer. Poseidon hesitated, leaning down to press a kiss to Kai's small forehead. 

"Take her to Montauk as often as you can," he requested. "You will be safest by the sea, and I can see you both from there without drawing suspicion from unwanted corners." 

"Of course," Sally promised. Poseidon reached into his pocket and withdrew a delicate silver hairclip with a pearl, the jewel of the ocean, at the top, and handed it to Sally. 

"Give this to her when she is old enough," he instructed. "Twist the pearl and it turns into a xiphos sword, one imbued with the power of the sea. It will always return to her. It is my gift to my daughter, along with my blessing and eternal favour." 

"Of course, my love," Sally promised, accepting the hairpin and carefully placing it on her bedside table. 

Poseidon leaned in to kiss her, and Sally closed her eyes as she returned the loving gesture. She felt Poseidon's lips dissolve and smelt the scent of the ocean that she so loved, and when she opened her eyes, her lover was gone. 

She exhaled shakily and looked down at Kai, who had started to cry when her father disappeared. "It's going to be alright, koʻu ʻili kai," she whispered to her daughter. "Your father is gone, but Makuhine is here, and I will protect you, I promise." She rocked the baby to sleep, clutching her close and revelling in Kai's natural sea-scent, just like her father's. 

As much as she already missed Poseidon, Sally knew she wouldn't trade Kai for anything. Her daughter was her treasure, and she would do anything to protect her.

 

______________________

 

In their realm, the Moirai, the Goddesses of Fate, smiled in identical satisfaction as they watched the scene. 

"And so, Prince Hyacinthus has once again been reborn," Clotho commented as she fingered a beautiful sea-green thread, mottled with flecks of gold. 

"The idea to have Hyacinthus be female this time was inspired, Sisters," Lachesis commented with a smirk. "Apollo will soon learn from the hyacinth flower infused with Icarus’ essence that his beloved has been reborn, but he will be so focused on looking at different male children, he'll never think to look at girls, and so they will be kept apart until the right time." 

"And when the time comes, Kaimana Jackson will remember her lives as Hyacinthus and Icarus, which will help to ensure that she becomes the greatest hero in history, even greater than Achilles or Herakles," Atropos added with a dark smile. "But will it be enough to save her or Olympus? That, Sisters, is up to us to decide!" 

The three laughed in dark amusement as they pictured the tapestry they would weave using Kai and Apollo. It would be their greatest story yet, one three thousand years in the making. 

 

Notes:

Hope you liked it.

See you all soon.

Chapter 2

Notes:

Hiii!!! I'm back!!!! (>♡<)

I've decided to post the second since it was already finished and because my phone is shit and it was most likely that the chapter would be delated(T-T)

Chapter 2:

 

The Underworld was as cold and desolate as ever, the River Styx flowing with an eerie silence. Apollo, the god of the sun, felt out of place in the darkness, but he had a mission.

“Hades,” Apollo called out, his voice echoing through the cavernous expanse of Hades’ throne room. The god of the Underworld appeared, his dark robes blending with the shadows.

“Apollo,” Hades greeted, his voice as cold as the realm he ruled.

“To what do I owe this … unexpected visit?”

“I seek knowledge, Hades,” Apollo said, his gaze unwavering.

“I wish to know who Hyacinthus has been reborn as.”

Hades’ eyes flickered, the only sign of his surprise. He knew the truth - that Hyacinthus, Apollo’s beloved had been reborn as Kaimana Jackson, daughter of Poseidon. But he also knew the chaos that would ensue if this information was revealed. Apollo would undoubtedly abscond with the infant. Her mother would certainly pray to her godly lover, and Poseidon would start a war to get his daughter back, not caring for the massive influx of souls in the underworld, multiplying Hades’ workload exponentially.

Hyacinthus had been reborn as Icarus before. Once again, he had died, leaving Apollo heartbroken. Apollo’s heartbreak had affected his domains, which eventually caused the decline of civilization, specifically the collapse of what the mortal called the Late Bronze Age. The massive death toll and increased workload from that was what prompted Hades to put the soul’s rebirth on hold. He did not want to deal with the consequences of yet another tragedy involving Apollo.

“Why do you want to know?” Hades asked, stalling for time.

“Hyacinthus is the love of my life,” Apollo replied, his voice filled with a desperate longing that almost made Hades stagger back.

“I wish to see him again, keep him safe, and make him immortal so I can share eternity with him. What I always wanted, but I was twice denied.”

Hades was silent for a stretch of time, carefully considering his options. Finally he shook his head.

“I’m afraid I cannot help you, Apollo. The Fates have woven their threads, and interfering is not our place. You know what happened last time you tried to interfere. I saw Icarus's memories. The Fates blackmailed him. They threatened to throw you in Tartarus for your defiance if he did not kill himself with those wings. If you try to thwart them, it will not be you who pays the price.”

Apollo flinched as he was reminded of the true reason Icarus died. He looked at Hades, disappointment clear in his eyes. But he nodded, understanding the rules that bound them.

Hades stopped the sun god from leaving.

“How do you, a god with no domains in the underworld, know that a specific soul has been reborn?”

Apollo paused before answering.

“After I recovered Icarus’ body, I took him to Delos and transformed him into a tree. Your queen owed me a favour. She agreed to create a connection between the tree and the soul in the underworld. A few months back demigod essence manifested in the tree. Hyacinthus has once more been reborn.”

Hades resisted the urge to slap Apollo. The nerve of him! To make his wife do such a thing.

“Why did Persephone owe you a favor?” Hades bit out, beyond annoyed.

Apollo just smiled sadly.

“I swore on the Styx that I would keep it a secret. If you want to know, you will have to ask Persephone.”

With that, Apollo left the Underworld, his heart heavy with disappointment. Hades watched him go, and the secret of Hyacinthus’s rebirth was safe for now. He walked to the banks of the Styx, mentally summoning the goddess of oaths and hatred. The eldest Oceanid appeared to him in all her dark glory.

“I cannot tell you what that oath was.”

“I know.” The God of the Underworld told his subordinate.

“When Thalia Grace was born you sent quite a few monsters after her but you have not done the same for Kaimana Jackson. Why?”

Styx raised an eyebrow.

“I am unable to do so. The day after that child of the broken oath was born, Poseidon descended here and drank from my waters to atone for his misdeed.” Styx admitted.

“It is not like you to be quite that lenient my dear.” Hades pried.

“What did you do to the child?”

Styx gave her lord a cold, cruel smile, her eyes glimering with the hate that was her domain.

“Her father broke an oath but she is free from my hate, until of course, she breaks an oath, then I shall retaliate with twice the rage” Her piece said Styx dove back into her dark waters.

Hades paused by the banks, pondering back on Apollo’s words. The sun god had told him that the tree that was Icarus had gathered Perseus Jackson’s demigod essence. After Hyacinthus had died, Apollo used the demigod essence lingering in the first hyacinth flower to create Asclepius. Of course, he had to plant the embryo in some woman's womb, but Asclepius was still Hyacinthus's son. Just like Theseus had been created from Poseidon, mingling his essence with that of King Aegeus and planted it in Aethra’s womb. Aethra had been far smarter and more pragmatic than Princess Coronis, not that it has spared her from paying the price of Theseus’ folly.

 

______________________

 

 

Olympus during Solstice, five years after Kai Jackson’s birth

Poseidon was worried. Hades had once again visited at Winter Solstice. Demeter was pointedly pretending their brother didn’t exist. Hera was following her example. Zeus was angry. Even mentioning Hades never failed to infuriate their youngest brother nowadays. Not since Hades had started to send monsters to torment Thalia Grace. Zeus had been forced to interfere several times, giving the girl a spear from the forges of Hephaestus and regularly sending Amalthea the goat to her. Poseidon had never been more grateful that his queen, Amphitrite, was not the jealous type. It had been Hera who discovered the existence of Thalia due to her incessant drive to keep watch on Zeus. Amphitrite was too busy with her duties as queen and her domains as a goddess to stalk her own husband and king obsessively. Kai was as safe as a demigod of the big three could be.

Poseidon still felt uneasy when Hades approached him. Demeter glared at them both.

“My furies saw several Cyclops from your forges in New York. Why such a curious happening, Brother?”

Poseidon had sent those Cyclops to check on Kai. They had to be careful to keep out of her sight. She had been able to see beyond the mist with the first one and had screamed for the daycare attendant.

“My Cyclops are not slaves chained to the forges. They have personal time to spend as they see it fit.”

Hades gave him a disbelieving look.

“I would have thought that they would spend that time in the forges, in private projects. That is what Hephaestus’ cyclops do.”

Hephaestus’ cyclops were still Poseidon’s sons. It had always been a slight. Zeus regularly forced him to give up his sons to Hephaestus service to keep the innovation rate stable between Olympus and Atlantis. At least Hephaestus treated his sons well. Poseidon would prefer if Hephaestus limited himself to keeping the Amazon’s abandoned sons rather than stealing the Cyclops.

“How could the Furies tell an Atlantean Cyclops from one in the service of Hephaestus?”

Hades gestured for a nymph to bring him wine.

“He was still wearing the uniform.”

Poseidon would find that one and scold him.

“He was lingering by a daycare, apparently. Careful, tending to small children is not a Cyclops job.”

Poseidon was certain that his brother knew. Checking on Zeus and finding him busy eyeing some nymph as Hera bristled, Poseidon send a mental comand to his son Anteros. Increase Zeus’ infatuation to keep him busy. From his place with the other Erotes, Anteros nodded back at his father, plumed wings twitching slightly.

“I have some seaweed wine from Atlantis in my palace. Would you like to partake? Brother?”

Poseidon spun and marched out of the feast hall, trident tightly clutched in his fist. Hades followed. Once in the palace, Poseidon grabbed Hades by his robes and dragged him close.

“What do you know?”

Hades gave him an unimpressed look. It reminded Poseidon of the time in their father’s stomach. Poseidon would make grandiose and unrealistic plans to free them and Hades would shoot down ever single one of them.

“Five years ago, I felt a tremor; it felt like you but also not. I went to check and found her. I think I might have held her in my arms before you got the chance.”

Poseidon grabbed the robe tighter. That had been the only time he was able to hold Kai. When Sally and their daughter went to Montauk, he was able to disguise himself as an ice cream seller so he could see his daughter up close and even exchange a few words with her, but have been robbed of one of his rights as her father rankled.

“So you have known for five years. Why tell me now?”

“The monsters bound to me will not bother her without my direct order but others are taking notice of her. Everytime one of your brats dies, you throw a fit and send quite a few souls to my kingdom, making more work for me.”

If it was just that Poseidon would eat his trident, but it was unlikely that Hades would reveal more. His brother had always held his secrets too close to his chest.

“I thank you for your warning and for your grace to leave my daughter be.”

Hades readjusted his robes.

“You have not harmed my children or lovers. I see no need to retaliate in kind.”

Ah, the death of Beryl Grace and Thalia’s myriad torments. Poseidon was not inclined to ask and Hades simply saw himself out, leaving Olympus and going back to his domain, to his queen. Poseidon summoned one of his most trusted and loyal Oceanids, Galaxaura, the goddess of oceanic breezes and refreshments. She had always enjoyed tending to children.

Galaxaura was unhappy that her king had broken an oath on the Styx, but she agreed to look into his daughter. Before leaving to check on Kai she pointedly reminded him that it had been a long time since the Oceanid’s divine directive to be caretakers of important children had been honoured. Poseidon did not offer any opinion on that. Times had changed, and Olympus and Atlantis with it.

Some weeks later, he read over a financial report from Galaxaura’s modeling agency, which fell under the broader holdings of Atlantis. She detailed all the new child models she had contracted, including Kaimana Jackson. The report noted that Kai would use Asherah Jackson as a professional name—her middle name, which Sally had chosen to honour Poseidon. Galaxaura’s idea, apparently the Oceanid, has adored the name to a child of the sea.

Poseidon sighed with relief. Galaxaura’s agency was monster-free, just like other personal properties of minor gods. Hebe’s arcade and Iris’ grocery stores were mayhaps safer, but he had no sway other than either goddess, and they were too close to Zeus and Hera.

 

____________________

 

Kai Jackson was seven years old, she had just finished a photoshoot for a line of organic linen and cotton summerwear. She was resting in Laura’s office because the photoshoot ran for hours in the bright and hot sun. When Laura first discovered Kai she had told her that her real name was Galaxaura, like the Oceanid and preferred to be addressed by her real name in private.

She run the agency that trained child models. Kai had been working there since she was five years old, after Galaxaura discovered her.

Galaxaura explained that professionally she used Laura because having an unusual name was not advisable business wise. People had trouble pronouncing it properly and were offended and huffy when corrected. Also more than a few were very small minded and would avoid doing business with her just because she had a name that they did not deem as normal. Kai, whose legal name was Kaimana, had shared her fair share of teasing about her name, understood clearly.

Kai sat on the plush sofa, complaining to Galaxaura about her new evil stepfather, Smelly Gave.

“He is horrible,” She told Galaxaura, her voice trembling.

“He is mean to my mom and to me and he smells like old rotten cheese.”

Galaxaura, with her sea-green eyes full of sympathy, patted her hand.

“I can’t do anything about your mother’s choice, Kai,” she said.

“But I can make sure that Smelly Gabe doesn’t touch your earnings.”

Galaxaura promised to set up a secure bank account for Kai, and that made her feel a little better.

Suddenly, the door to the office opened, and without even knocking, in walked a man with curly black hair, twinkling blue eyes and a mischevious smile. He was wearing a tracksuit that Kai had seen USP guys wear. But no USP guy would be able to barge in Galaxaura’s office. A regular delivery person would be handled by the staff at the entrance. If they were troublesome, security would usher them out.

To Kai’s surprise, Galaxaura looked panicked and shot at look of terror towards Kai. That drew the man’s attention toward Kai.

“Hey there little girl!” He waved cheerfully. Kai somewhat dubiously waved back.

“Hermes! What are you doing here?” Galaxaura demanded.

Kai leaned forward, trying to see both adults.

“There are some dispreancies in your orders. I thought about coming to confirm with you before I take it to your boss and to mine.”

Laura gave him a smile that was all teeth.

“Very well. Why dont we go to a conference room?”

She motioned for the man to follow him but one of Galaxaura’s blue haired, assistants, Nadine, came in at a run.

“Laura! Aphrodite is on the line. She wants to talk to you urgently.”

“You better hurry Galaxaura. I can wait. You really don’t want to make her wait.”

Galaxaura shot an anxious glance at Kai and followed Nadine.

Kai was left alone with Hermes, the man that seemed to terrify Galaxaura. She didn’t know what to do, so she did what her mom had told her to do when they had guests. Kai got up from the sofa, walked to the fridge and took out a can of bubbly water. From her own bag she took a few blue, chocolate chip cookies. She offered the refreshments to the man in the USP uniform. Hermes seemed delighted and thanked Kai for her politeness and hospitality. He pronounced hospitality in a very grand manner.

When Galaxaura returned, Hermes was all smiles. He turned to her and said.

“Galaxaura, your have such a lovely child.”

Kai could see the surprise in Galaxaura’s face, but she quickly composed herself and thanked Hermes. She made the gesture where she tapped lightly the hair over her left ear. It was a signal to Kai to stay quiet and let Galaxaura do the talking. They did that when they had rude client that didn’t like children.

Hermes didn’t stop there.

“I won’t say a thing to my father about you keeping Kai near,” he said.

“I wish I could do the same with my kids, but I have too many duties and am much closely watched as an Olympian.”

Kai was confused, who was Hermes’ father and why was he such a jerk and didn’t let Hermes see his own kids? And Hermes had won an Olympic medal in sports? Why did he wear a USP uniform then. When Hermes left, she asked Galaxaura but did not get any answers.

“Kai, I am not at liberty to tell you anything. Please don’t ask questions about it and please try to forget about meeting him.”

Kai found it strange but she owed Galaxaura. Thanks to her Kai had a job that earned her a lot, was able to give her mom money so Sally didn’t kill herself with overwork to try and keep both of them housed, fed and clothed. She put the incident out of her mind and eventually the memory faded. Years later, Kai would once again meet Hermes and offer him a drink and a snack. The memory would hit her like a brick.

 

_______________________

 

 

Kai sat down by the door, hugging her knees. Her mom and Galaxaura were talking in the other room, and she did not know that the door was slightly open, and she could hear them.

“A catholic school? How did this even happen?” Galaxaura wanted to know.

Sally Jackson sighed.

“I was baptized as a child after my parents died. I attended Catholic school for a few years, the same one until the clear sight got too much. My uncle relented and put me in a regular school. It seems that the administration assumes that Kai was baptized.”

“She hasn’t? Correct?” There seemed to be fear in Galaxaura’s voice.

“Of course not!” Her mom spoke.

“Oh, thank Thalassa and Pontus. I can’t imagine how furious Poseidon would have been. His sacred pine tree gets devastated during Christmas, and he loathes the concept.”

Sally snorted.

“I know; I use a fake tree for a reason. I would prefer to go without, but Gabriel would get suspicious, and Kai has enough trouble without being the kid whose family does not even celebrate Christmas.”

Kai was starting to suspect that her mother and her agent were followers of the Hellenistic religion. She had seen posts about it on social media. Models and influencers praying to Aphrodite for beauty and grace. During flu season, people prayed to Apollo and Asclepius. It was a niche movement but present. Galaxaura had mentioned it several times and was always excited when she saw such a post. Kai now knew the reason why. Well, she would go to the catholic schools since she had no choice, but she would avoid taking communion or praying in the attached church.

Kai was already less than enthusiastic about Catholic school, but the reality was even worse than she expected. The nuns realized that her mother had her before marriage and would not stop lecturing Kai about the evil of such sin. She shot back that if God was truly offended by her existence, then surely Kai would not have existed. That shut them up for a few moments before they started lecturing her on being disrespectful.

The other students took cues from the nasty nuns and either ignored Kai utterly or tried to make fun of her. Kai couldn’t care less if they insulted her alone, but it was another matter when the foul little brats thought that they could insult her mom.

One of them, Patricia, called Kai’s mom a slut. Kai dragged her to a secluded area, beat the girl bloody, and threatened to skin her alive and dunk her in saltwater if she ever repeated the same. Kai snatched Patricia’s phone and took down her address so she could get revenge if the other girl opened her mouth. Kai needed to last at least one year in this cursed school before she got expelled.

Patricia told the administration that she had just fallen down the stairs. It was clear that no one believed her, but she kept insisting in an increasingly desperate voice. The whole time Kai was there, Patricia didn’t dare even look at her. There was a part of Kai that she buried deep in her soul for the sake of her mom that took joy in Patricia’s fear of her.

The following months were lonely, but at least the nuns had stopped criticizing her mom. The problem was the priest. He kept trying to give her communion after his boring sermons, but Kai claimed to be allergic to grapes and could not take it. The priest was instantly suspicious because it was not in Kai’s file. She told him it was a mild reaction but did not want to suffer the discomfort. The kind, loving and benevolent god Father Lucas described daily in his very long sermons would not want a little girl to suffer. Kai was called impertinent and assigned detention.

It was not the end of it. Father Lucas started talking to the nuns. They were constantly whispering with each other while looking and pointing at Kai. She wished that they would stop doing that. Not only was it rude, but it was making the other students even more obnoxious. Kai needed to last one year in this hellhole. December had barely started.

The day before they left for the Christmas holidays, Sister Margaret came to collect her. Kai’s heart sank. Were they expelling her? She noticed that the nun looked rather pale and her hands were shaking. She threw puzzling looks at Kai and always seemed on the verge of saying something.

To her surprise, Sister Margaret did not take her to the offices but to the church instead. There Father Lucas and two more nuns were waiting. Father Lucas was holding his little bowl of grape juice soaked wafers.

“Kai, you must take the communion. It’s part of our faith,” Sister Margaret implored her.

Kai shrank away. In addition to her mom’s and Galaxaura’s worries. Being inside a church felt instinctively wrong for her. Her skin itched with anxiety and she always felt nauseous. She was sure that if she tried to eat those wafers she would vomit.

“It have told you many times! I can’t take that. I am allergic to grapes. And at this point I don’t want too!”

Father Lucas scowled and interjected.

“Kai, if you refuse the communion, it’s a sign of the devil’s influence. We must cleanse you.”

The other two nuns seized her and dragged her to a chair where they secured her with ropes.

“Have you gone crazy! There is no such thing as the devil! This is illegal!”

Sister Margaret wrung her hands, a look of discomfort on her face but she stayed silent and still.

“The devil exists and his greatest victory is making others believe that he does not.” Pompously spoke Father Lucas.

“You are going to end up in jail just like the rest of the crazy priests!” Kai hissed, thrashing in the chair and trying to get free.

None of them answered, the priest started chanting while holding a crucifix and nuns doused him with holy water. It was December, no snow had fallen yet but it was bitterly cold. Most of her classmates huddled near the heaters and aways wore gloves and scarves. Kai was not bothered. The cold had never bothered her much. Galaxaura had noticed and murmured something about the icy temperatures at the bottom of the sea.

As terrifying and confusing as this situation was, Kai was not worried about the water. It had a strange texture, both slimy and gritty like all tap water but it did not hurt her. She would have vastly preferred that it was salt water with its delightful minerals. Some freshwater came close but none could be as pleasant on the skin and nose as seawater.

“It’s freezing, Father. Shouldn’t we stop? She will get hypothermia!” Sister Margaret asked, concerned. She looked at Kai with fear, biting her lips.

“No, the devil is resilient. We must try fire,” Father Lucas decided.

He grabbed a stick, resembling a cheerleaders batton, except that when he turned a stitch, the end if erupted in fire. Father Lucas smiled and approached Kai with the flaming torch. She shrank back in the chair and felt a tug in her gut.

Suddenly, the water exploded, and the ground shook violently. The priest and the two nuns were thrown away from Kai. The church crumbled around them.

Kai’s struggles against the ropes bore fruit, she managed to free herself and ran out, leaving the priest and the nuns trapped inside. She shouted for Sister Margaret to run but had no consideration to spare for the other two nuns and that vile priest.

She run to the offices to tell the administration what the priest had done. The headmaster listened to her with a strange look on his face as Kai explained. He told her to go back to her dormitory and that he would sort this out.

Kai went to bed with hopeful thoughts but the next morning she was disappointed. The school expelled her without explanation. She was left with more questions than answers about what had happened. Kai wondered if she should ask her mother.

When Sally arrived, she looked so beside herself with fear that Kai decided against asking questions. They just packed Kai’s things and headed out. By the gates there was a car waiting. Kai expected Galaxaura, but she did not expect her boyfriend there as well. She could never quite catch his name, Ant something, most likely Anthony but everytime she tried to clarify something stoped her. She looked at him, he had unruly black hair like her and almost the same green eyes. Kai’s eyes rolled back and she slumped in the car seat.

Sally gasped and clutched her daughter.

“Don’t worry, I just put her to sleep.” Anteros spoke.

“You told me that she was yours but she was descended from my father.” Anteros accused Galaxaura.

The Oceanid shrugged.

“I did not lie. Her father entrusted her to me. I am officially her guardian so the child is mine in the legal sense. And she definitely is descended from your father.”

Anteros scowled.

“I was imagining at least a great granddaughter! Not his actual demigod daughter, my sister!”

Galaxaura patted his arm.

“The less people know the better it will be. You are on Olympus almost all the time.”

“This is going to be such a mess. The destruction of that church was noticed. It ended on Olympus Weekly.”

Sally gasped.

“Are they going to find her?” She grabbed her daughter’s hand.

Anteros shook his head.

“No, because I was nearby everyone thinks that I did it. I have not denied it.”

“So Kai is safe?”

“For now.”

He looked at Sally seriously.

“You need to avoid her getting in highly emotional or dangerous situations. If she discovers her powers she will realize what she is an the monsters will be even more drawn to her. The rest of them might notice too. My uncle is angry about what happened to his daughter. He will not take it well that my father’s daughter is alive and has been living in safety.”

Sally glanced at her daughter, blue eyes shiny with fear. Galaxaura noticed ad sighed.

“Lets just take it one day at the time.”

“My father might retaliate against this place.” Anteros warned.

“Can you talk him out? It will only draw more attention here.”

“I will try, but I make no promises.”

Kai woke up. Galaxaura was on her phone, arguing with someone. Her boyfriend was driving the car while singing along. Kai looked at the screen, it was a spotify list of love songs. She rolled her eyes, adults were all the same. Love this and that. She turned to her mom. Kai wanted to say that she was sorry that she did not last the year in the school. Her mom stopped her from saying anything by hugging her.

“Kai, I am so sorry! I should have never taken you to that school.”

“It’s ok mom. I know how it is.” Kai murmured on her mom’s shoulder.

 

Notes:

This is it for now!!

Until the next chapter!!!!

Chapter 3

Summary:

New Chapter!!!
Hope you like!!

 

Kai Jackson trudged up the steps of Yancy Academy, her backpack heavy with textbooks and a sense of impending doom. It was yet another school where she didn’t quite fit in. Her dyslexia and ADHD had always made her an outsider, and she had a knack for attracting trouble. But she was determined to keep his head down and survive this time. Her mom did not need to have another fight with the school board and struggle to find her another school.

 

On her first day, Kai was in the cafeteria, scanning the room for a friendly face. That’s when she saw Grover Underwood. Grover sat alone at a corner table, his crutches leaning against the wall. His legs were twisted, and he moved with a slow, deliberate grace. Kai hesitated for a moment, then decided to join him.

 

“Hey,” Kai said, sliding into the seat across from Grover. “Mind if I sit here?”

  

Grover looked up, surprise flickering across his face. “Sure. No one ever wants to sit with the cripple.”

 

Kai winced at the bluntness but appreciated Grover’s honesty. “I’m Kai,” she said. “New kid.”

 

“Grover,” Grover replied, extending a hand. “Nice to meet you.”

 

They talked about inconsequential things—favourite movies, hobbies, and the weird smell in the cafeteria. Kai found himself laughing, forgetting for a moment that she was in a strange place. Grover’s cheerfulness was contagious.

 

 But then Nancy Bobofit walked in. She was a redhead with a perpetual sneer, the girl who made everyone else feel small. Kai had seen her type before—the rich bully who ruled the school with an iron fist. She would have been a queen bee if only she had been pretty. Nancy was, quite frankly, hideous.

 

Nancy’s eyes landed on Grover, and she wrinkled her nose. “What’s wrong with your legs, freak?”

 

Kai’s blood boiled. She’d been bullied enough to recognize cruelty when she heard it. How often had she been taunted about not having a father? Every time Father’s Day came by, at least one classmate would weaponize the cursed day against her. She had stopped keeping count of how often she had been called stupid and dumb due to her dyslexia. Even the teachers were not above it. But before she could say anything, Nancy turned her attention to her.

 

 “Hey,” she purred, batting her eyelashes. “You’re Kaimana Asherah Jackson, right? The model?”

 

Kai clenched her fists. She’d done modelling gigs to help pay the bills since she was five years old, but she hated being recognized for them, especially by vicious bullies like Nancy.

 

“Yeah, that’s me.”

 

Nancy leaned in, her voice dripping with faux sweetness. “We should hang out sometime. I know all the cool people.”

 

Kai glanced at Grover, who was staring down at his tray, his cheeks flushed. Nancy’s hypocrisy was nauseating. “Thanks, but no,” Kai said. “I’ve got better things to do".

 

 Nancy’s eyes narrowed. “You’ll regret this,” she hissed. “I’ll make your life hell.”

 

Kai shrugged. It wasn’t her first rodeo. Hostile schools were her specialty. But she had a feeling Grover needed a friend more than he needed another enemy.

 

As days turned into weeks, Kai and Grover became inseparable. They explored the campus together, shared secrets, and laughed until their sides hurt. Then Grover introduced Kai to Mythomagic, a card battle game that brought Greek mythology to life.

 

The cards depicted gods, monsters, and heroes. Kai loved it—the thrill of strategy, the rush of power. But there was something deeper. The characters resonated with him—their struggles, their victories. She chalked it up to her mother, who had read him Greek myths as bedtime stories. She’d taken him to museums, pointing out statues of Perseus, the hero who faced impossible odds and emerged victorious.

 

One day, as they played Mythomagic, Kai held the card of Perseus—the same hero who she would be named after had she been a boy. She stared at the image—the winged sandals, the sword, the severed head of Medusa. Her mother’s words echoed in his mind: “Perseus survived, Kai. Against all odds, he stumbled to a happy ending.”

 

Yet, strangely, it wasn’t Perseus’s card that gripped Kai’s heart. It was the Spartan Prince Hyacinthus—the youth who died tragically, either by a frisbee accident or jealousy-fueled murder. And Icarus—the skydiving fatality, the boy who flew too close to the sun, forever etched in memory.

 

Her mother had shielded her from their stories, fearing their tragic ends. But Kai wondered why their images haunted her. Why did she feel a strange kinship with these forgotten heroes?

 

Perhaps it was their defiance—their refusal to be mere footnotes in someone else’s tale. Maybe, just maybe, they held secrets that transcended myth and spoke to the hidden corners of Kai’s soul. Grover always tried to pull those cards away from her, but she did not allow him. She kept them in her bag, and often, she would stare at them.

 

She had to admit, the artwork was gorgeous, much more than the other cards. Both Hyacinthus and Icarus were drawn beautiful enough to put celebrities to shame. They strangely looked alike. Same hair, same face structure. What set them apart were the eyes. Purple eyes are for Hyacinthus, like the flowers named after him, and amber eyes are for Icarus. Reminiscent of the sun that had caused his death. The artwork was different from the other cards, save for two: the cards of the Olympian god Apollo and his son Asclepius. Kai took those two cards to keep in her bag, too. Grover always gave her a glance of fear and pity whenever he saw her looking at the four cards.

 

About a month after they became friends, a new teacher arrived, Mr. Brunner. He was a middle-aged man in a wheelchair who smelled of coffee and had eyes that looked too old for him; he smiled easily and knew the meaning of the word dyslexia. Kai liked him instantly, appreciating how easy his class was and how engaging his teaching.

 

Kai sat in the back row of Mr. Brunner’s mythology class at Yancy Academy. It was her lifelong habit to stay in the back. The less attention on her the better. The teacher would not constantly call on her and then make fun of her when she failed to do what the teacher wanted.

 

The room smelled of old books and ancient secrets. Mr. Brunner, the wheelchair-bound teacher, had a way of making the myths come alive, as if they were more than stories.

 

Today, Mr. Brunner focused on two tales: Hyacinthus and Icarus. Kai listened, half-distracted by the sunlight filtering through the dusty windows. The bronze discus and the ancient amphora depicting Hyacinthus in a swan-drawn chariot feeling from a winged being caught his eye. The swan-drawn chariot, the fleeing figure—it all felt too real. Kai could feel herself sweat with anxiety, ready to spring into a run if needed.

 

“Zephyrus,” Mr. Brunner said, his voice low and haunting. “The West Wind. He loved Hyacinthus, but fate was cruel. Apollo struck Hyacinthus with a discus during a friendly game. The boy died, and a flower—the hyacinth—bloomed from his blood.”

 

Kai’s stomach churned. She felt physically ill looking at the discus. Zephyrus—the name filled her with unexplainable hatred. Why did she despise it so? Why did she wish to grab that amphora and break it to pieces until the image of the winged god disappeared?

 

“Zephyrus,” Mr. Brunner continued, “diverted Apollo’s discus so it would strike Hyacinthus dead.”

 

Kai clenched her fists. She fought down the urge to scream how unfair it was.

 

Mr. Brunner moved to the next tale. Icarus—the boy who dared to fly too close to the sun. On his desk sat a small bronze statue of a boy with delicate wings. Kai stared at it, feeling a strange connection.

 

“But how do you know it’s Icarus?” Kai blurted out. “There are so many winged gods—Erotes, wind spirits. How can you be certain?”

 

Mr. Brunner smiled, revealing wisdom etched into his features. “Look closely, Kai.” He handed Percy the statue. “At the base.”

 

Kai turned the bronze figure. There, inscribed in ancient Greek, was a name: Ikaros, how the Greeks used to say Icarus.

 

“It’s not just about wings,” Mr. Brunner explained. “It’s about hubris, daring to reach too high. Icarus flew too close to the sun, and his waxen wings melted. He fell into the sea.”

 

Kai shivered. The statue seemed to hold memories—of a boy who defied the gods and wings that carried dreams and doom. But that did not seem right to her.

 

After that fateful lesson caused Kai to experience an upsurge of unexplainable emotions, Mr. Brunner gave her and Grover a Saturday day pass to a private art gallery just a short bus ride from Yancy.

 

“A treat. Both of you have been very attentive in my classes. I thought a little time away from the school would do you good.” He told them with a smile.

 

Kai thanked him and gratefully took the tickets. A trip away from Yancy, Nancy and her fellow bullies sounded like heaven.

 

Kai and Grover found themselves in an unexpected place—a remote, private art gallery on the city's outskirts. The sign outside read, “The Gallery of Celestial Tales.”

 

Intrigued, they stepped inside, the doorbell tinkling softly as they entered. Kai tried to google it, but nothing came up. She wondered how Mr. Brunner had found tickets for this place. An odd man guarded the place. He seemed hostile, but he let them in without trouble, except a pointed look at Grover’s legs. That caused her friend to flush, and Kai glared at the guard. But the guard ignored her, going back to his paperback novel.

 

The gallery was brightly lit, the walls adorned with paintings that seemed to shimmer with otherworldly light. ’s eyes widened as she took in the first canvas—a vivid depiction of Apollo, the sun god, surrounded by golden rays. But it wasn’t just any scene; it was a moment from Apollo’s love life.

 

“Look,” Grover whispered, pointing to the title plaque. “Hyacinthus and Icarus.”

 

Kai frowned. She knew about Hyacinthus—the beautiful youth killed by Apollo’s discus diverted by the jealous Zephyrus. But Icarus? His legend didn’t mention any romantic entanglements with the sun god. She turned to Grover, puzzled.

 

“It’s in the details,” he said cryptically. “Keep looking.”

 

And so, Kai moved from painting to painting, each revealing a different facet of Apollo’s love stories. There was Hyacinthus, his blood staining the earth and Apollo’s tears transforming him into a fragrant flower. But then came Icarus—the daring boy who flew too close to the sun on waxen wings. In this version, Apollo’s grief was palpable. His love for Icarus transcended mere friendship.

 

“Why?” Kai asked. “Why Icarus?”

 

Grover leaned in, his crutches clicking softly on the polished floor. “Sometimes, artists take liberties. They weave threads between myths, creating new narratives. Maybe this painter saw something we didn’t.”

 

Kai studied the next canvas—a series of interconnected scenes. Theseus, the hero, retrieves Icarus’s lifeless body from the sea depths. Daedalus, the master craftsman, mourning his son, his face a mask of desperate howling grief. Ariadne, the abandoned lover, her tears falling like pearls. And there, at the center, Apollo—his grief etched into every brushstroke as he snatched Icarus’ corpse from Theseus.

 

“But look,” Grover said, pointing to the final painting. “This is where it gets strange.”

 

A strange tree with golden leaves, white blossoms, and sharp thorns stood tall, its smooth bark showing a curious bump similar to a pregnant woman's belly. Apollo’s hands were on the trunk, fingers pressing into the wood. And then, the impossible: the tree split open, revealing a golden-haired infant nestled within. Apollo’s arms cradled the child, sunlight dancing around them.

 

Kai’s breath caught. “What is this?”

 

Grover hesitated. “Icarus,” he said softly. “The tree—the one that grew from his transformed corpse. But here, it’s more. It’s rebirth. Apollo’s love transcending death.”

 

Kai stared at the infant—a tiny, radiant figure. She felt an ache deep within her, a longing she couldn’t explain. Tears welled up, blurring her vision.

 

Grover tugged at her sleeve. “Kai, we should go. This place—it’s too much.”

 

But she couldn’t tear her eyes away. The infant in Apollo’s arms seemed to call to her, making her long to reach into the painting and pluck him from the god’s arms. She wiped her tears, nodded at Grover, and stepped back.

 

As they left the gallery, Kai glanced over her shoulder. The doorbell tinkled one last time, and she wondered about the artist—the one who dared to reimagine myths, to paint love in its most extraordinary forms. She thought about that perfect, darling infant.

 

As she walked away, she carried that longing with her. For the following months, she would dream of that infant. In her dreams, she would see him grow from a sleeping baby to a giggling toddler, then older and older until he looked about eight years old. To her surprise, he had green eyes just like her.

 

_________________________

 

Kai followed the rest of her Yancy class into the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Grove walked by her side on his crutches. Kai gritted her teeth, feeling yet another surge on unexplainable rage. She eyed the gloomy sky with scorn. Why couldn’t they have a sliver of sunlight? It would improve her foul mood for sure. Grover kept shooting her looks of concern and pointed to the remarkable architecture of the building, trying to get her interested in the arches and the crenellations. Kai couldn’t bring herself to pay to the MET building.

 

Since December 21, Winter Solstice, she had been feeling unexplainable and severe mood swings. She could go from being calm to utterly furious in the span of seconds without any sort of external stimuli to explain it. When she was not feeling apocalyptic rage, she felt offended, humiliated and strangely hurt with nothing happening in her life to explain it. If she did not know any better, she would say that she was feeling someone else’s emotions, but that was a ridiculous thought. Grover had picked up on it because he kept trying to distract and cheer her up. Kai hoped that this was not a side effect of puberty because she did not want to deal with this for years.

 

She followed the rest of the students into the halls containing Greek and Roman art. She eyed the white marble statues, strangely disappointed by their lack of colour. Mr Brunner was explaining about steles, ancient Greek funeral art. The displayed steles were of a young girl, perhaps Kai’s age or older. Mr Brunner’s eyes were sad, as if he had personally attended that girl’s funeral. The other one was of a young man and a toddler, which in Kai’s opinion was even sadder but Mr. Brunner just glossed that over.

 

Nancy and her friends were making nuisances of themselves, making it hard to listen to the teacher and focus on the art. Irritatingly, Kai told them to shut up, which came out a bit loud. Mr. Brunner heard her and called Kai’s forward, asking her to identify the subjects of a carved relief. Kai looked at it briefly and grimaced.

 

“Is is the Titan King Kronos devouring his children, the elder Olympian gods.”

 

To her relief, Mr. Brunner went on to explain about Kronos, Rhea, their first five children. And about their sixth child, Zeus. Mr. Brunner did praise Kai for recognizing the subjects. Kai smiled at him in appreciation, which made Nancy’s hackles rise up.

 

“What does it matter?” Nancy snarled.

 

“How will it be useful in real life to know that Kronos ate his kids?”

 

Instead of disciplining the brat, Mr Brunner turned to Kai and asked her to explain why it mattered. Kai bit down a new swell of rage, mostly hers and answered.

 

“It is the concept of generational trauma. It started with Kronos’ father, the primordial of the sky, Ouranos. He was an abusive father, and that taught Kronos to be an abusive father. The cycle of harm and pain continued to the next generation and then the next. It matters in real life because people need to recognize when families suck.”

 

Mr. Brunner’s eyebrows rose, and Kai continued.

 

“For example, Nancy, the nasty bully, is a prime example of someone raised in a toxic environment. Her parents and grandparents must be awful, so she is awful.”

 

Mr. Brunner sternly shot Kai as Nancy sputtered in shock and anger.

 

“No need to call out your classmate, Miss Jackson.”

 

Kai gave him a smile that was all teeth.

 

“She was the one that wanted to know why learning about Kronos matters, Mr Brunner.”

 

Grover drew Kai aside to look at some paintings. Kai recognized the subject immediately.

 

“The god Apollo.” She told Grover.

 

Her friend smiled.

 

“Wow! That was fast! You are good at this.”

 

Kai shook her head.

 

“I only recognized him from the lyre that he is holding. Very distinctive.”

 

That seemed to impress Grover even more.

 

“It's great how easily you can recognize godly symbols of power.”

 

Kai frowned. That was an odd way to put that.

 

“Honestly, the only ones I can reliably remember are Apollo’s lyre and Poseidon’s trident.”

 

The new Algebra teacher, Mrs. Dodds, sharply turned around from where she was talking to Nancy and looked straight at Kai. Nancy smirked as Mrs. Dodds began to practically run to Kai. Grover let out a bleat of distress. The girl turned around to eye him. Why was he imitating a goat?

 

“Miss Jackson, come with me!”

 

Kai frowned and shot a glare at Nancy, the foul little pest. What lies had she told Mrs Dodds this time?

 

Since starting to work at Yancy, Mrs. Dodds had it out for Kai, constantly tormenting her and listening to Nancy’s tall tales like gospel.

 

“We are not supposed to separate from the main group!” Grover spoke up again, desperately looking at Mr. Brunner, who was not even looking in their direction. Mrs. Dodds glared at Grover, and Kai decided to go with the woman to avoid any trouble.

 

Mrs. Dodds guided her to a room housing ancient weapons. Kai shivered when she saw a bronze discus, her mood plummeting.

 

“What nonsense was Nancy spouting this time?” Kai asked, feeling tired of school, classmates and unfair teachers.

 

Mrs. Dodds did not answer. She just looked at the disc.

 

“Did you think you would get away with it, Kaimana Jackson?” The math teacher snarled, much to Kai’s confusion.

 

“Get away with what?”

 

“With what you did to your uncle!” Mrs Dodds hissed, her tongue seeming to elongate and split in three. Kai stepped back in confusion.

 

“I don’t have an uncle, Mrs. Dodds. My mother is an only child, and my father has been lost at sea since my mother was pregnant with me. If he had any family, I was never told about it.”

 

“Stop lying!” Screeched the woman, wings unfurling from her back and claws from her fingers. 

 

-A Kindly One- Her mind said.

 

“I know what you are! Whose you are! Your uncle knew about you the day you were born! He was merciful and spared you! Even blessed you so none of us would torment you like you deserve! And you repaid him, his kindness, with treachery!”

 

The monstrous woman launched herself at Kai, who dodged automatically. The bronze hairpin in her hair vibrated, and Kai automatically removed it.

 

To her astonishment, the hairpin elongated in her hand until Kai found herself holding a bronze sword. A xiphos, something in her mind, whispered. The weapon felt utterly natural in her hand.

 

Mrs. Dodds attacked, and Kai was ready. She swung her sword at the woman’s neck. The sword cut her like butter, drawing a shriek as the demon math teacher disappeared into a cloud of golden dust.

 

Kai paused her sword in her hand, images flashing in her mind. She could recall herself wearing armour, leading troops of warriors to battle against monsters and other human warriors. But she was not supposed to be alone. Something, someone was missing.

 

Kai shook her head, spooked, to clear her mind of the sudden fancy. The sword shrank back down until it as a bronze hairpin again. Kai stared at it, mystified and wondered what had been in her breakfast. She put the hairpin in her hair again and walked out of the weapon display room to find Grover and Mr. Brunner.

 

Both her friend and her teacher denied that Mrs. Dodds had ever existed.

 

They told Kai that the only math teacher had been Ms. Kerr, a gray eyed blonde. Kai looked at the teacher and felt a sudden urge to throttle her. The gray eyes elicited both regret and fury. Not for the first time since Winter Solstice, Kai wondered if she was going mad.

 

Notes:

It's shorter than I thought.

Next Chapter will be longer!

Chapter 4

By the end of term, Kai was desperate to escape Yancy Academy and everyone in it, including Grover. She knew he was lying to her about Mrs. Dodds, he knew that she knew, but he continued to do so anyway. It hurt that her so-called best friend would try to gaslight her into thinking she was crazy, and she had deliberately distanced herself from him. If he was willing to do this to her, then he clearly wasn't as good a friend as she had thought he was.  

 

Her already poor mood deteriorated, and her rocky grades plummeted. Only her History and Latin grades stayed above a D (the lowest she'd ever gotten in those subjects), and she sent three boys to the infirmary for various reasons, not to mention reducing a dozen other classmates to tears with her sharp tongue. Eventually, after she snapped at the Science teacher, the principal sent a letter to her mother, stating that Kai would not be allowed to return to Yancy next year.  

 

Kai was almost glad. Yancy had been one of the better schools she had attended, but ever since the museum 'incident', she'd been going insane with frustration and confusion, and it had become one of the worst years of her life. She was desperate to get home and reunite with her loving mother, even if it meant putting up with her stepfather's leers and fists.   

 

The night before the final day of exams, Kai had yet another nightmare, this one a dream where she was on the beach at Montauk where she and her mother regularly visited, watching a beautiful horse and eagle fight violently amidst a terrible storm despite her desperate cries for them to stop while a horrible sound, like laughter but utterly terrifying, came from a crack in the earth.  

 

Desperate to escape the confines of the small dorm room she snuck out and went for a walk through the dark halls. Somehow, she ended up near Mr. Brunner's office, where she could hear Grover and their teacher's voices. Her name caught her attention and she decided to eavesdrop, hiding behind a corner to listen in without being caught.  

 

"... worried about Kai, sir," Grover saying. "It's not safe for her to be alone this summer. I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too—"  

 

A Kindly One. The same thing Kai's conscious had called the thing Mrs. Dodds transformed into. Kai discreetly moved closer, trying to hear better.  

 

"We would only make matters worse by rushing her," Mr. Brunner replied. "We need the girl to mature more."  

 

"But she may not have time!" Grover protested. "The Summer Solstice deadline— "  

 

"Will have to be resolved without her, Grover," Mr. Brunner interrupted. "Let her enjoy her ignorance while she still can. Besides, if our suspicions are correct, then we need to keep him from learning of her for as long as possible. You don't remember what it was like the previous two times. I shudder to think what would happen if he lost her a third time, especially as there would be no hope of her return."  

 

"Sir, she saw her...."  

 

"Her imagination," Mr. Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince her of that."  

 

"Sir, I ... I can't fail in my duties again." Grover's voice was choked with emotion. Despite Kai's upset over his lies, her heart ached to hear the anguish in his voice. "You know what that would mean."  

 

"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Kai alive until next fall—"  

 

Kai gasped softly in surprise, but not softly enough. Her teacher's voice felt silent, and she saw a shadow moving. Hastily, Kai fled and returned to her dorm room, where she spent the rest of the night turning the conversation over and over again in her mind.  

 

Who was the 'Him' Mr. Brunner wanted to keep her from and why did they need to be separated? Why did he and Grover think she was in danger? What did the Summer Solstice have to do with anything? The questions circled in her mind, but she was at a loss as to how to answer.  

 

Unsurprisingly after her troubled night, she struggled to get through her exams the next day. Her ADHD made it impossible to concentrate, and the way the letters swam before her eyes made her head pound. She fully expected to have failed when she passed the Latin exam to Mr. Brunner at the end of the test.  

 

"Kai," Mr. Brunner said, stopping her from leaving. "Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's ... it's for the best."  

 

His tone was kind, but the words were humiliating. Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing the test could hear. Nancy Bobofit smirked at Kai and made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips.  

 

"Okay, sir," Kai muttered, eager for the conversation to be finished. She kept her face blank with years of practice and inborn skill, but she couldn't help but grip her backpack strap with a white-knuckled fist.  

 

"I mean ..." Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth, looking uncertain what to say. "This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time."  

 

"Right," Kai replied flatly, hiding her hurt at her favourite teacher's words.  

 

"No, no," Mr. Brunner said. "Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say ... you're not normal, Kai. That's nothing to be—"  

 

"Thank you, Sir, but I have to go," Kai interrupted, unable to endure Nancy and her friends' mocking laughter any longer. She hurried out of the classroom as quickly as possible, returning to her dorm to finish packing, though there wasn't much left to be put away.

 

The next day, she and Grover ended up catching the same Greyhound to Manhattan. Kai was surprised, and she realized Grover had never mentioned where he lived to her before, something she found odd.  

 

The whole ride, Grover seemed jumpy and paranoid, eyeing every new passenger like they were about to jump him and Kai both.  

 

"Grover, what's up with you?" Kai asked in exasperation, though Mr. Brunner's words about "keeping Kai alive until next fall" echoed in her mind.  

 

Grover jumped again and looked at her with wide eyes. "Wh-what do you mean?" He stammered.  

 

"You're acting like a frightened jackrabbit," Kai informed him dryly before saying pointedly. "Looking for more Kindly Ones?"  

 

"Wha—what do you mean?" Grover asked, his dark skin lightening to milk chocolate instead of dark.  

 

Kai admitted to eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner and Grover's eye twitched. "How much did you hear?"  

 

"Oh ... not much. What's the Summer Solstice deadline?" Kai replied. "And who's the 'He' you and Mr. Brunner want to keep me away from?"  

 

He winced. "Look, Kai ... I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers ..."  

 

"Grover—"  

 

"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and ..."  

 

"Grover, you're a really, really bad liar."  

 

His ears turned pink. From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer."   

 

It took Kai a few moments to decipher the cursive. Finally she managed to make out the words.  

 

'Grover Underwood  

 

Keeper  

 

Half-Blood Hill  

 

Long Island, New York '

 

(800) 009-0009  

 

"What's Half—"  

 

"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um ... summer address."  

 

"Okay," Kai eyed him suspiciously. He wasn't lying, but he fully wasn't meeting her eyes either. "So, like, if I want to come visit."  

 

He nodded. "Or ... or if you need me."  

 

"Why would I need you?" Kai winced. That had come out harsher than she meant it to.  

 

Grover blushed right down to his Adam's apple. "Look, Kai, the truth is, I—I kind of have to protect you."  

 

Kai stared at him in bewilderment. All year long, she'd been getting into fights, keeping bullies away from him. Even knowing he was lying to and gaslighting her, she had still lost sleep worrying that he'd get beaten up next year without her to protect him. And here he was acting like he was the one who protected Kai.  

 

"Grover," she began slowly, "what exactly are you protecting me from ?"  

 

There was a huge grinding noise from the bus. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs. The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound over to the side of the highway.  

 

After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that everyone all had to get off. The two teenagers climbed out, Grover having successfully avoided answering Kai's question.  

 

They were on an unremarkable stretch of country road. On the far side of the road, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand with some delicious looking fruit piled in boxes. There were no customers, but three old ladies were sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting and staring right at her with shrewd, dark eyes.  

 

Somehow the sight of them made Kai's heart sink and her throat close over in deep, instinctive fear.  

 

They looked harmless, with pale faces wrinkled like leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas and bony arms sticking out of matching bleached cotton dresses. The one on the right was sewing two strands together, one long and bright gold, seeming to almost glow, the other, slightly shorter, a shimmering sea green, mottled with flecks of gold.  

 

To Kai's terror, they were staring right at her.  

 

' Even the strings of the gods can be cut, child ' a hoarse, warning voice echoed in the back of her mind, making her want to throw up.  

 

"Are they looking at you?" Grover asked fearfully. Kai wanted to look at him (and away from the three terrifying old women) but it was like there was some force keeping her in place, eyes fixed on the ladies. She was too frightened to answer.  

 

The old lady on the left took out a huge pair of scissors—gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears.   

 

"We're getting on the bus," Grover declared. "Come on."  

 

Kai didn't answer. Her hands were shaking.  

 

"Come on!'" He pried open the door and climbed inside, but Kai stayed in place. She wanted to run away, desperately, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move.  

 

Across the road, the old ladies were still watching Kai. The middle one took out a third string, this one electric blue, before measuring a short length and the left one cut the yarn unceremoniously. Kai could have sworn that she could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic.   

 

At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life, making the passengers cheer.  

 

"Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!"  

 

Kai stumbled back onto the bus, feeling as if she had developed a sudden cold. Her hands shook violently as she sat next to Grover.  

 

"What happened?" He asked her in a hushed voice.  

 

Kai cleared her throat, but her voice was hoarse when she answered. "One of the ladies, the one on the right, was knitting together two strings. Then the middle lady took out a third string, and the left one cut it."  

 

Grover looked at her sharply at that. "There were three strings?" he asked urgently. "Three? And they only cut one? Are you sure?"   

 

Kai nodded, still shaken, though why she couldn't say. It was just three old ladies knitting. Why did she feel like it was an omen?  

 

Grover looked worried and confused, muttering to himself and occasionally making some strange gesture over his heart. Kai stared out the window, wishing the sun would come out. At least it might make her feel a bit better.  

 

"Kai, when we get to Manhattan, let me take you home," Grover begged. "Please. Once we meet up with your mom, I promise we'll tell you everything."  

 

Kai stared at him. "You promise?" She double-checked.  

 

"I swear," Grover vowed, and she could see that, for perhaps the first time in weeks, he was telling her the truth.  

 

"Okay," Kai agreed softly. She hesitated, then said in a shaky voice. "Grover, those old ladies, the string...does that mean someone is going to die?"  

 

' The Fates ' one of her consciousness voices murmured grimly in the back of her mind. Kai tried to dismiss the thought. The Fates were myths. They weren't real . It couldn't have been them.  

 

She couldn't even persuade herself.  

 

Grover looked at her mournfully, as if he were trying to guess the length of the coffin she would need.  

 

Kai swallowed roughly against the lump in her throat and didn't press for an answer.  

 

She already knew, even if she didn't want to believe it.    

 

__________________________

 

 

As promised, Kai waited, albeit impatiently, for Grover at the Greyhound station. He briefly slipped into the disabled bathroom while Kai watched their bags, brooding on the old ladies (' The Fates ' her consciousness insisted) and the three strings. Surely, Kai reasoned to herself, those strings proved it wasn't the Fates -not that the Fates were real, of course- because if it was the Fates, there would only have been one string.  

 

The argument sounded hollow, even to herself. 

 

Grover returned, still looking worried, and they took a taxi to Kai's apartment. She tensed up more and more as they approached, but now her focus had gone from stress about the old ladies and what had happened at Yancy to nerves about dealing with her stepfather. She wasn't afraid of Gabe, per se, but she hated him fiercely for the way he treated her and, more importantly, her mother. She was ashamed at the thought of Grover seeing how he treated them. How she let him treat them both, because of Sally's pleas. Kai wanted, deep within her soul, to kill him, or at least hit back, but her promise to Sally not to anger him held her back each time. 

 

Gabe was, as usual, playing poker with some of his equally despicable friends when Kai let herself and Grover into the flat. He sneered at her when she entered, shamelessly looking her up and down, as did several of his 'friends' (though Kai didn't think Gabe had any actual friends, just fellow drunkards with cash). 

 

"So you're back, huh?" Gabe scoffed. "Got any cash?" 

 

Kai glared at him. "No," she answered curtly. Gabe scoffed again. 

 

"Oh?" He sneered. "You took a cab to get here. Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. Give it to me." 

 

"Gabriel, darling, here's a tenner," Sally interrupted, entering the living area from the kitchen with a smile. She handed it over to Gabe, who smirked and nodded before scowling.  

 

"Is my bean dip ready?" He demanded. 

 

"Almost, dear," Sally assured him.

 

Kai hated seeing her mother be treated like this, almost as much as she hated the fact that Sally refused to leave Gabe, but she never said a word. Her makuahine was struggling enough already without dealing with complaints from her daughter too. 

 

But if Kai ever got a hint that Gabe had raised a hand to her mother, no amount of pleading from Sally would save him from her. 

 

Gabe now contented and returned to his poker game, Sally turned to Kai and Grover and ushered them into the kitchen, away from her husband. "Who's this, pēpē?" She asked with a warm smile that washed away all of Kai's frustration and anger towards her stepfather. 

 

"Makuahine, this is Grover Underwood," Kai replied. She frowned at the way Sally's smile faded at the name. 

 

Sally closed her eyes briefly, shoulders slumping, before looking at Grover sorrowfully. "It's time then?" She half-asked, half-stated. 

 

Grover nodded, looking grim. "I'm afraid so, Ms. Jackson," he answered. "We can't risk waiting any longer." 

 

"I understand," Sally said softly. Kai was alarmed at the tears shining in her mother's eyes. 

 

" I don't," Kai huffed, coming over to wrap an arm around her mother's waist in an attempt to comfort her. "Since when do the two of you know each other? And time for what? Grover, you said you would explain when we saw Mom. What's going on?" 

 

"Just wait a few minutes, pēpē," Sally begged. "Grab your bags and take them down to the Camaro, I'll get the keys from Gabriel." 

 

Kai frowned, but she hated to distress her mother, and Sally looked upset enough already, so she obediently picked her things back up and took Grover to the nearby garage where her stepfather kept his oh-so-precious '78 Camaro. 

 

Sally arrived a few moments after them with the keys and Kai and Grover put their bags in the boot before they got inside the car and Sally began driving out of the city as fast as she could. 

 

"So?" Kai pressed impatiently once they'd finally gotten on the road. "What's all this about?" 

 

"Kai, there's no easy way to tell you this," Grover began. "But you're not normal." 

 

"Thanks a lot," Kai retorted, her voice going sharp to cover her hurt at being called a freak by her best friend. 

 

"Not like that," Grover said hastily. "I mean, your heritage. It's not that of a regular mortal's." 

 

"Excuse me?" Kai gasped indignantly. Although she had few native Hawaiian features, she'd still dealt with racism her whole life. She'd never expected Grover, himself a Latino, to say something like that to her though. 

 

Grover made a bleating noise like a goat's. "Oh gods, I'm messing this up," he groaned. "Just-just look, okay?" He kicked off his shoes and Kai's jaw dropped in shock. 

 

"You're a satyr," she stated blankly. There was no way those hooves were fake. They were too realistic, too smooth and two obviously not human . A satyr was the word that came to her lips, whispered by her conscious. 

 

"Yes," Grover nodded.  

 

"Greek mythology is real," Kai realized, voice flat. It sounded mad, but at the same time it felt as obvious and certain as the ground beneath her feet. "Mrs. Dodds- you called her a Kindly One." 

 

The car swerved, earning loud beeps from surrounding cars. "A Kindly One attacked you?!" Sally exclaimed, voice horrified after regaining control. She slipped into Hawaiian and began muttering prayers under her breath. Kai caught something about 'having mercy' and 'protect our baby'. 

 

"Yes," Grover confirmed.  

 

"That means she was one of the Eumenides," Kai pointed out. "But why would one of them come after me? I haven't committed any crimes!" 

 

"The Kindly Ones are the enforcers of the God of the Dead," Grover explained anxiously. "She has to have been sent after you by Him." 

 

"But why ?" Kai demanded desperately. "I'm nothing special, I'm just a kid with ADHD and dyslexia!" 

 

"You're a demigod, Kai," her mother revealed. "Your father- he wasn't lost at sea. He's a god. He had to leave when I got pregnant. Those are the rules." 

 

Kai stared at the back of her mother's head in astonishment. She wanted to deny it, but again, something about it just felt right . She already hated it though. The lives of the demigods in the myths she had heard and read (and now she knew why she found them so fascinating and why her mother had read them to her since she was a baby) always ended tragically.  

 

She swallowed and clenched her hands into fists. They had crossed into Long Island now, and the roads were deserted, with Sally picking up speed and driving so fast the scenery turned into a blur. 

 

"Where are we going?" She asked shakily. 

 

"The place your father wanted me to send you," Sally said, voice a strange mixture of pained defeat and grim determination. "I should have sent you there years ago, but I was afraid I'd never see you again. I wanted to keep you with me for as long as I could. I was selfish." 

 

"What do you mean?" Kai wondered, reaching forward to touch her mother's tense shoulder in comfort. "Where is this place? Why wouldn't we see each other again if I go there?" 

 

"It's the only safe place for demigods," Grover explained. "Camp Half-Blood. Its borders are protected from monsters, and no god may harm a half-blood within its grounds. You'll be safe there. Some campers stay there just for the summer, but others live there year-round. The more powerful you are, the more dangerous it is in the outside world. And Kai, you are one of the most powerful demigods I've ever met." 

 

"Camp Half-Blood is a terrible name," Andie said tightly, unsure how to react to Grover's words. 

 

"It was named millennia ago," Grover shrugged. "Things translate badly." 

 

"Right," Kai muttered. "So, who-?" She was cut off by a terrifying roar that made some presence within her soul jerk in instinctive recognition and rage. She and Grover twisted around to stare out the rear window, and Kai saw a horrific sight. "The Mino-!" She snarled, a fierce, deep hatred seething within her.  

 

"Don't say its name!" Her mother warned urgently, cutting Andie off before she could finish the name. "It will draw its attention." 

 

"Makuahine, we already have its attention," Kai pointed out grimly. The Minotaur was clearly chasing them, and despite the speed of the car and its strange, loping gait, it was gaining on them quickly.  

 

She remembered the way her hairclip had turned into a sword when she was fighting the Kindly One, and she quickly removed it, thankful that she always used two clips to hold back her bangs so her hair remained out of her eyes. She'd need to be able to see for this. 

 

She knew instinctively that it would be up to her to defend herself and her mother and Grover, and she was determined to protect her loved ones. All her anger and hurt towards Grover had disappeared. He'd been trying to protect her, and he was her best friend. Practically family. She refused to let him die. 

 

And her dear, sweet and loving mother would not die. Not tonight. Not because of Kai. She deserved a long, happy life, with someone who truly loved her and treated her right, and to write the book she'd always wanted to. Her destiny was not to die on a back road because she'd had a daughter with the wrong person. Not if Kaimana Asherah Jackson had anything to say about it. 

 

"We're nearly there," Sally breathed, beginning to slow down. "Please, gods have mercy." 

 

Kai felt the hair rise on the back of her neck. Suddenly, there was a blinding flash, a jaw-rattling boom! and the car exploded. 

 

Kai groaned in pain, peeling her head off the back of the front seat. 

 

"Kai!" her mother shouted frantically. 

 

"I'm okay," Kai gasped, shaking off the haze of pain. They had been hit by lightning and swerved into a ditch. The driver's-side doors were wedged in the mud. The roof had cracked open and rain was pouring in. 

 

Lightning. Zeus. So not only did the Lord of the Underworld want Kai dead, but so did the Lord of the Skies, the King of the Gods. 

 

What had she (Or more likely, her father) done to earn the ire of two of the three most powerful gods in the pantheon? ' Not the time ' Kai's consciousness instructed her, voice brisk and grim. ' We need to move. Get across the border. We'll be safe there. ' 

 

Kai nodded in agreement with herself and turned to check on Grover. He was slumped over, blood trickling from his mouth, but he was breathing steadily and muttering "food", so she knew it was nothing too severe. 

 

"Kai," Sally urged, "we have to get out of the car." 

 

She threw herself against the driver's-side door but it was jammed shut in the mud. Kai's was stuck too. She looked up at the hole in the roof in assessment. Unfortunately, the edges were sizzling and smoking. No chance of escaping that way, either. 

 

She should have been terrified, but all Kai felt was grim determination to get her mother and Grover out of this mess safely. 

 

"Climb out the passenger's side!" Sally ordered. "Kai—you have to run. Do you see that big tree?" 

 

"What?" 

 

Another flash of lightning, and through the smoking hole in the roof Kai saw the tree she meant: a huge oak tree at the crest of the nearest hill. 

 

"That's the property line," Sally explained urgently. "Get over that hill and you'll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Run and don't look back. Yell for help. Don't stop until you reach the door." 

 

"Mom, you're coming too!" Kai objected. No way in hell- Tartarus , was she leaving either Sally or Grover behind. 

 

Sally's face was pale, her eyes as sad as when she looked at the ocean. 

 

"No!" Kai insisted. "You are coming with me. Help me carry Grover." 

 

"Food!" Grover moaned, a little louder. 

 

"He doesn't want us," Sally argued. "He wants you. Besides, I can't cross the property line." 

 

"But..." 

 

"We don't have time, Kai. Go. Please." 

 

Kai ignored Sally's pleas as she climbed across Grover and pushed the door open into the rain. "We're going together. Come on, Mom." 

 

"I told you—" 

 

"Mom! I am not leaving you. Help me with Grover." 

 

Kai didn't wait for Sally's answer. Instead she scrambled outside and dragged Grover from the car. Together, the Jackson’s draped Grover's arms over their shoulders and began stumbling uphill through wet waist-high grass. Kai kept hold of Grover's waist with one arm and her hairclip with the other. 

 

She wished she knew how to activate it. She could only hope it would appear when she needed it, same as with the Kindly One. 

 

The pine tree was still way too far—a hundred yards uphill at least. 

 

"His sight and hearing aren't good enough to notice us," Kai murmured softly to Sally. "But he'll smell us soon." 

 

Sally glanced at her in surprise, but nodded. "I know," she confirmed.  

 

As if on cue, the Minotaur bellowed in rage. Kai felt another spike of rage at the sound. The damned thing picked up Gabe's Camaro by the torn roof, the chassis creaking and groaning. He raised the car over his head and threw it down the road. It slammed into the wet asphalt and skidded in a shower of sparks for about half a mile before coming to a stop. The gas tank exploded. Despite herself, Kai felt a small bit of satisfaction. Served Smelly Gabe right to lose his precious car. 

 

"When he sees us, he'll charge," Sally warned her. "Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way— directly sideways. He can't change directions very well once he's charging. Do you understand?" 

 

"How do you know all this?" Kai asked, though she'd been about to say the same thing. She wasn't sure how she knew so much about the Minotaur, but she assumed maybe demigods had some sort of inbuilt encyclopedia of monster-related information. 

 

"I've been worried about an attack for a long time. I should have expected this. I was selfish, keeping you near me." 

 

Before Kai could object there was another bellow of rage, and the monstrosity started tromping uphill. 

 

The pine tree was only a few more yards, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker, and Grover wasn't getting any lighter. 

 

The Minotaur began closing in. Sally was clearly exhausted, but she shouldered Grover, who seemed like he was beginning to stir. "Go, Kai! Separate! Remember what I said." 

 

Kai, despite her reluctance to leave her mother, knew it was their best chance. She sprinted to the left, turned, and saw the creature bearing down on her. Their eyes glared at each other with matching hatred as the stench of rotten meat filled Kai's nostrils. 

 

He lowered his head and charged; his razor-sharp horns aimed straight at Kai's chest. 

 

Kai waited until the last second, then jumped to the right. The pearl on the tip of her hairclip twisted and the clip elongated into a sword. She didn't pause, simply slashing at the monster with it, but in the rain she misjudged the length needed and he was able to swipe the sword out of her hand, leaving her weaponless. 

 

She jumped out of range, but the monster had turned away from her, and charged instead at Sally. 

 

"Makuahine!" Kai screamed. 

 

"Run Kai!" Sally cried back as she backed away. "I can't go any further! Run!" 

 

Kai ran, but not towards the large farmhouse she could dimly see in the distance through the darkness and the lashing rain. Instead she ran towards her mother. 

 

She was too late. As she watched, the Minotaur snatched her mother up and closed his fists around Sally's neck, and she dissolved before Kai's distraught eyes with a blinding flash. 

 

"No!" Kai screamed in anguish and rage. The young demigod was still weaponless, but she had her mind, and the voices of her consciousness whispered a plan to her. 

 

She backed away and braced herself. This time, when the monster charged, she jumped, not to the side, but up . She jumped high enough to get a grasp on his shoulder and clamber atop the monster. Then she grabbed hold of his right horn and pulled with all her might. It came off with a snap and Kai used it like a knife, stabbing downward, directly into the centre of the Minotaur's head. It turned to dust, the same way the Kindly One had, and Kai fell out of the air to the ground. She curled into a ball as she fell, and came up standing, still clutching the horn in one hand. 

 

Just then, because the night hadn't been mad and emotional enough, a young looking man appeared before Kai in a shower of golden light. He had burnished golden eyes, like miniature suns, and was the epitome of male beauty in Kai's opinion. He wore an Ancient Greek chiton and sandals that showed off his elegantly muscled calves and his long blonde curls were pulled back into a loose ponytail. He clutched a golden bow in one hand. And he was staring right at her, like she was a miracle sent to bless him. 

 

Kai stared at him with wide eyes, feeling something shatter within her mind. Suddenly, she was flooded with memories of her previous lives, as Crown Prince Hyacinthus of Sparta, son of the Muse of History and King Amyclas of Sparta, and as Icarus of Crete, son of Daedalus and Adrasteia, a naiad daughter of Poseidon, loyal follower and foster son of Artemis. Devoted lover of Apollo in both lives.  

 

The heartache, happiness, grief, pain all enveloped Kai's mind in a maelstrom and she released a loud scream of pain, clutching her head in agony as the memories of over twenty years of life shoved themselves into her mind. 

 

" Apollo !" She screamed for the only person she could think of who could help her, even as her pain and anguish caused the seas to rise in response. 

 

The last thing she saw before blacking out was Apollo rushing towards her, his strong arms held out to catch her as she fell. 

 

_______________________ 

 

 

Apollo tenderly cradled his beloved in his arms, the warmth of her body and the soft puffs of breath against his skin a beautiful reassurance that once again his beloved lived. He'd known of Hyacinthus's second rebirth for twelve years now and spent all of them desperately searching for his lover. Now, holding his love in his arms, he realized why he hadn't found her. He had assumed, foolishly, that Hyacinthus would be reborn a male again, just as when he was Icarus of Crete. He had forgotten that the Moirai loved to laugh at him. He'd been searching for a boy, but it was very clearly a girl's developing body that Hyacinthus's soul now resided within. 

 

He'd recognized Hyacinthus's soul the instant he laid eyes on Kai Jackson when she emerged from the wreckage of her car with her mother and the useless satyr 'protector'. He and Hermes had been watching together as Zeus attempted to kill Poseidon's newest child. Hermes had held Apollo back when he made to rush to save his lover from the deadly monster, but finally Apollo had escaped his half-brother's grip and hurried to intervene before Kai could be harmed. By the time he'd arrived, however, Kai stood victorious over the Minotaur. Apollo felt a surge of pride for his beloved. Hyacinthus and Icarus were not remembered for their fighting skills, but Hyacinthus had grown up as Crown Prince of Sparta and Icarus was partially raised by Artemis. They had been formidable opponents to all who fought them. Icarus, despite being only a legacy, had given full demigods a run for their money in the sparring ring, and Hyacinthus had held his own against sons of Zeus and Ares when training under Chiron. 

 

 No doubt Icarus would have been delighted to have finally been able to kill the monster he so despised. He had longed to do so for most of his life, but the Oracle of Delphi had declared that only a child of Poseidon could kill the beast, and Icarus was only a grandson of the sea god. 

 

Well, Icarus was a grandson, Apollo amended mentally as he scanned Kai's aura. As Zeus had suspected, Kaimana Jackson was the daughter of Poseidon. His first mortal daughter, if Apollo recalled correctly. He smiled fondly at her. Of course, his love showed her uniqueness even more in this life. She truly was one of a kind. 

 

Apollo pushed those thoughts aside and focused on scanning Kai for any injuries. She had a few cuts and bruises and a mild concussion from the car crash (Apollo held back a growl of anger at the thought of how his father had tried to kill his beloved) but was otherwise unharmed. Yet, she was unconscious despite having no physical cause for it. Even stranger, she had recognized him. She shouldn't have been able to identify him the way she had, given she had never met him in this life. 

 

Holding her tenderly in one arm, Apollo pressed a hand to Kai's forehead, seeking answers in her mind. He inhaled in shock as he realized that she was remembering her past lives. Apollo knew instinctively that the memories were doing no physical harm to his beloved, but Kai needed to be unconscious to keep from being overwhelmed by it all.  

 

How her regaining her memories was possible, he didn't know, but it was clear to see from the images that were flooding her mind. He smirked smugly. Of course, it was his beloved who overcame the strength of the River Lethe's waters and regained the memories of her past selves. Everyone thought, foolishly, that it was Hyacinthus's looks that had drawn Apollo in, and it was true that Apollo had fallen for the prince's physical charms at first. But it was Hyacinthus's charisma, his personality and keen mind that kept Apollo devoted to him all these years later. 

 

"L-Lord Apollo," a voice stammered, drawing Apollo's attention away from Kai to the frightened satyr who had been so useless while Andie was being hunted. Apollo glared at him and the satyr flinched violently, swallowing before asking in a timid voice, "I-is Ka-Kai o-okay?" 

 

Apollo thought about turning the satyr into something small he could step on, but Kai might be fond of the useless fool (Hyacinthus and Icarus's hearts had always been too kind for their own good, unfortunately) and Apollo didn't want to have her be upset with him when they had just been reunited. "She'll be fine," he answered in a clipped voice, beginning to stride towards the Big House so he could tend to Kai in the infirmary. "Did you know?" He added sharply, eyeing the satyr, who swallowed again, trembling violently. 

 

"K-know w-what?" He asked nervously. 

 

Apollo was getting very irritated with the stammering. He huffed in annoyance. "You are her satyr protector, even if you were useless at it," he snapped. "You have no doubt seen the portraits and statues of Hyacinthus and Icarus I have on Olympus and in my cabin and shrine here at Camp. Kai is a female version of them, with Will's eyes. Did you know she was my beloved ?" 

 

"I-I had some suspicions, but there was no way to be sure," the satyr said uneasily. "And Chiron- we thought it best not to alert you when we weren't sure." 

 

Apollo narrowed his eyes at the satyr. "Oh, Chiron and I will be having a talk about his negligence in informing me of your suspicions," he growled. "But for now, Kai's health is my priority." 

 

They had reached the Big House, where Chiron and Dionysus stood on the porch, Dionysus scowling. "Another demigod brat to torment me," Dionysus huffed. "Lovely." 

 

Apollo glowered at his younger half-brother. "She is not just any half-blood, Dionysus!" He snapped. "This is Hyacinthus! Icarus." 

 

Dionysus's expression softened a bit. Ariadne had dearly loved Icarus, more so than her blood siblings, and Dionysus had inherited a soft spot for the young hunter who had defended his wife's honour and protected her so many times. His instinctive fondness for the thought of how happy Ariadne would be to have her best friend back overcame his dislike of demigods (a dislike more defensive than sincere. Dionysus had been a half-blood once too, and he remembered how hard it was. But he needed to maintain an emotional distance from them for his own protection. Their lives would be gone in the flicker of an eyelash for him, after all). For his wife's sake, Dionysus would be polite to the girl at the least. 

 

"The Fates love to laugh at us," Dionysus stated. "You were fixated on the belief that Hyacinthus was reborn a boy again, and yet that is clearly a girl." 

 

"I'm aware," Apollo said ruefully, with a small undercurrent of bitterness. If only he had thought to search the girls, he could have been reunited with his beloved so much earlier. Still, he soothed himself. He had Kai now, and nothing, not even the Fates themselves, would make him let her go again.  

 

"Apollo!" An annoyed voice called out. The group turned to see Poseidon stalking towards them, trident clenched in one hand. He glared darkly at the younger god. "Give me my daughter," Poseidon hissed. 

 

Apollo tightened his grip on his beloved. "Andie is injured," he replied. "I'm the god of medicine. I'm taking her to the infirmary to heal her." 

 

"I can heal her myself," Poseidon snapped. "I know who she is. I don't want you near her. Your cursed love for Hyacinthus and Icarus killed them both. I will not have Kai killed by you as well." 

 

The arguing gods were too distracted to notice Chiron discreetly ushering Grover away from the line of fire, nor would any of them have cared overly much if they had. They had bigger fish to fry (although none of them were pleased that Chiron and Grover had kept their suspicions about Kai to themselves). 

 

"That should be Kai's choice, don't you think?" Apollo pointed out.  

 

Poseidon glowered at him. "What makes you so certain she would choose you?" He demanded suspiciously. "She has never met you in this life." 

 

"When I checked her over on the Hill, I saw that she is remembering her previous lives," Apollo explained proudly. 

 

Poseidon and Dionysus jolted in surprise. 

 

"That's impossible!" Dionysus objected. "She would have drunk from the Lethe before her rebirth, washing those memories away." 

 

"I don't know how it happened," Apollo admitted, "But I'm certain of it, and I'm glad for it. Not just because it means she remembers me, but because no doubt those memories and skills will aid her in her life." 

 

Poseidon frowned. As angry as he was at the thought of his only mortal daughter becoming involved with Apollo, he knew he needed the other god on his side. Zeus was enraged that Poseidon had broken the Oath, the hypocrite. Poseidon needed as many allies as possible on the Council if he wanted to protect Kai from his younger brother's legendary wrath. 

 

Besides, if it was true that Kai remembered her past lives (and Apollo, as God of Truth, could not lie) then Poseidon didn't want to damage his relationship with her. Kai was a part of the sea, and the sea did not like to be restrained or told what to do. 

 

He couldn't say he was happy about it, though.  

 

"Let's take her into the infirmary," the kind of Atlantis sighed in resignation. "We can speak more there." 

 

"We need to make a plan," Apollo agreed as he carried Kai into the Big House. Dionysus wandered off, wishing not for the first time since Zeus had punished him that he could still drink alcohol. "My father will no doubt blame Kai for the theft of the Master Bolt." 

 

It was a ridiculous thought, of course, and Apollo knew it. No version of Kai had ever been a thief, and Kai had only learned that the Greek world was real that day. Besides, she was far too beautiful to have snuck, unnoticed, onto Olympus. Somebody would have noticed her, especially given her resemblance to the many statues and portraits of her previous lives that decorated Apollo's palace and his shrine in Camp. 

 

"My brother is a fool," Poseidon huffed in annoyance as Apollo gently laid Kai down on the bed nearest the door and began waving his glowing hands over her, healing the cuts and bruises that covered her and restoring colour to her cheeks. 

 

"Agreed," Apollo said with a hint of bitterness. He had never forgiven the King and Queen of the Gods for refusing his pleas to make Hyacinthus immortal. "Artemis will side with us," Apollo noted. "Not only is Kai a young maiden and therefore under her domain, but she loved Icarus like a son, and her oldest living huntress, Polyboea, was Hyacinthus's sister and another of her hunters, Phoebe, was Icarus's cousin and they grew up together as siblings." 

 

Poseidon nodded in agreement as Apollo went on.  

 

"Dionysus will side with us for Ariadne's sake," the Sun God mused as he mentally scrolled through the list of Godly Council members, judging whether they would help, hinder, or remain neutral. "And Aphrodite will side with us too. She's always found Hyacinthus and I the epitome of romance. She'll want Kai to live to see our love flourish." 

 

Poseidon scowled but didn't comment, instead concentrating on the conversation at hand. 

 

"Demeter will remain neutral," he stated. "She always does in cases like this. Ares, though...even with Aphrodite on our side, he will probably vote for Kai's death. He knows we would go to war for her, and that's all he truly cares for." 

 

Apollo scowled in agreement. "Hermes will side with us," he said. "He knows how much Kai means to me. And the queen will probably stay neutral. Hyacinthus and Icarus were always very respectful of her and she was fond of them for that." 

 

Not fond enough to acquiesce to Apollo's pleas to make Hyacinthus immortal, but fond enough to at least not vote for Kai's death, Apollo hoped. 

 

"Athena and Zeus, though," Poseidon scowled darkly. "They are certain to vote for Kai's death." 

 

"They're outvoted," Apollo replied, a dark look flashing across his own expression. "And if my sister is as intelligent as she claims to be, she won't go after Kai. I will make the fall of the Bronze Age seem like a few collapsing houses if Kai dies." 

 

"And I will help you," Poseidon vowed, expression stormy with grim determination. 

 

____________________________

 

Now, don't get Poseidon wrong, he cares and cherishes his nephew, but there are things that he's just not willing to lose.

 

Kai is his first mortal daughter and he wishes to keep her as safe as the Fates allows, he knows that Apollo loves Kai, even if they've only just met, he would do anything to keep her from danger.

 

Poseidon also knows that had Kai not been his daughter, Apollo would have taken her as soon as he put his eyes on her, but because his nephew cares and respects him, for that he refrains from taking Kai to Delos, where she would be safe.

 

It's obvious in the way that Apollo looks at Kai, the way that he looks at her as if she's the only thing that's stopping him from going insane and putting the world into chaos, as if she's the only thing that matters in the world, Apollo just loved her and he didn't really know her.

 

He had seen how Apollo weeped for Hyacinthus and Icarus, how even after years Apollo continued mourning and grieving the loss of his beloved, he was there when Apollo swore to not give his heart to anyone else other than Hyacinthus's soul, how he called upon not only the name of the River Styx but the name of the Creator Chaos swearing to not LOVE anyone else until Hyacinthus was back at his side.

 

And sure, over the many years, Apollo took lovers as distractions to keep him from sending the world into another dark age but he never gave his heart to them, he cared for them, yes, but never like he did with Hyacinthus and Icarus.

 

He cared for their son, Asclepius, with all he could, with all the heart he could give to his son, but the fact that he never loved anyone else was still there.

 

Poseidon could trust Apollo to love his daughter and keep her safe but he also was not willing to just give her away so easily, so he would test his nephew as he loved her and should he feel satisfied he would give his daughter away to Apollo for him to love. Until then, he would see how far Apollo was willing to go for his Kai.

 

He would not be disappointed, he just knew.

 

_______________________ 

Chapter 5

The Sun's Most Beloved, Chapter 5Will was asleep in his father's cabin with the rest of his siblings, his dreams were as usual, a sun light field with delicate flowers, he was enjoying his father's sun when suddently a tree he knows so very well grew along with flowers that are his biggest closures from the day he was born to today, the Icarus tree and the Hyacinth flower, they were glowing, calling for him, begging for him to come closer, he obviously went.

 

The tree, where he was gestated, and the flower, which had the original essence of his mortal parent, were both glowing and growing, vines began going at him, gently pulling him nearer, and the beautiful flower glowed stronger than ever before. He felt at peace, like he was finally exactly where he was ment to be. He wondered if his brother had felt like that when he was near the flower of their mortal parent. He was confused when voices started calling him in his dream, it was like the tree and the flower but at the same time it was different, like when his dad would be immersed in his Prophecy domain.

 

He strained his hearing to hear what the voices were saying but he only head little of what was said.

 

".... finally reunited at last..... Wonder if it will be like the previous two.... Well, she already has the gift..... or maybe it will finally be completed...."

 

The voices were talking at the same time, they came from everywhere and nowhere, from inside his mind and from the flower and the tree.

 

His ears hurt from hearing those voices, like he was not supposed to hear that much, like something was deliberaly deciding what he could hear and what he should not hear.

 

He was confused, what did those voices mean? What gift? And who is she? Was she important? Was she okay? Was she in danger? What did 'the previous two' mean? He was so confused.

______________________

 

He awoke in a start, panting and with a headache but he ignored it for now, because his father was sitting on the edge of Will's bunk, gently running a hand through Will's blonde curls to calm him. 

 

"Dad!" The eight (nearly nine) year old boy cried in excitement and relief, sitting up to fling his arms around his father's neck. He had missed his dad, Will rarely saw him, and it was always a great treat to see the god. However, now he was just relived in seeing him as soon as he woke up from his dream, he was confused and also scared on what his dream could mean, he wanted to ask his dad on what he thought.

 

Ever since he was born, Apollo had raised Will on Delos with the help of his grandmother, Leto, and her nymph attendants. Unfortunately, when Will was three years old a Nereid had caught sight of him and informed Zeus, who had demanded Will be sent to Camp Half-Blood if he had no mortal parent to care for him, as per the Ancient Laws the king had instituted after the end of the Bronze Age. Apollo had argued for days before being forced to give in due to threats to Will's life. Zeus had, however, agreed to allow Apollo to see his beloved son for one day twice a month (discounting the yearly Winter Solstice visit to Olympus, so technically it was thrice a month) in order to put an end to the scorching heat waves and epidemics that were tormenting the world due to Apollo's rage. 

 

The most recent visit had been only two weeks ago, so although Will was puzzled as to why his dad was here again, he was pleased to see him all the same.

 

"Dad?" Victoria, Apollo's eldest daughter said in surprise. "What're you doing here?" All the Cabin Seven children knew Will was their father's favourite, but it was impossible for them to resent the sweet adorable boy for it. Especially since, due to Will's presence, they were able to see their father several times a year, eat breakfast with him and get gifts and hugs from him. Their dad obviously loved them and made everything he could to show it to them, he spend some moments alone with each of them and also with all of them together, It was very little in comparison to normal kids, but way more than anything the rest of the demigods got, so they were grateful for it. 

 

"I have a surprise for Will," Apollo announced, his golden eyes twinkling in joy. The half-bloods exchanged uncertain looks. Their father was in general a jovial god, at least around his children, but he had never seemed so truly light-hearted and happy in any of their memories. They knew their dad was still heartbroken at having been separated from Will all those years ago but he tried to be there for them, and he was, he would teach them to play any instruments that they were interested in and many other things more, always saying that next time they could do more things that they wanted before he was forced to leave again, but he was still saddened to have to leave them each time.

 

"What is it?" Will asked eagerly, curious and momentarily forgetting his dream.  

 

Apollo's smile broadened so much that it seemed to split his face in two. "A special demigod arrived last night," Apollo informed his precious son. 

 

Will, an intelligent child, caught on quickly. "Is it-?" He began to ask before faltering, afraid to hope. He'd longed to meet his mortal parent all his young life. The stories Apollo, Artemis, Clio, Ariadne, Polyboea and Phoebe told him of Hyacinthus and Icarus, and the images the sun god showed him only increased Will's longing, Will wanted to meet his mortal parent, wanted to be held and loved by them but recently, Will quietly began to wonder if he would ever meet his mortal parent or if they would even love him. But now, he dared to believe that his mortal parent's embrace was within his reach, both by what his dream and his dad smile meant, he dared to hope. 

 

Apollo nodded, literally glowing a bit in his happiness. "Your mother, Kai Jackson, the daughter of Poseidon and the reincarnation of my beloved Hyacinthus, is here at Camp," he declared. "Would you like to meet her?" 

 

"Yes, yes, yes, yes!" Will exclaimed, scrambling to get out of the bed and pull out his chest of clothes. He would finally meet his mother, he would get to know her, he would do anything for her to love him, he faltered and turned to Victoria, who usually took responsibility for choosing his clothes. "Tori, what do I wear? I want to look really nice for Mama." 

 

"Why don't you wear these?" Victoria suggested kindly, pulling out Will's best pair of jeans and his favourite shirt. He was so nervous, and she thought he had no reason to be, surely his mother would love him just like they did.

 

Meanwhile, the other children of Apollo were exchanging anxious glances. Will was so excited, but they were more wary. Not only was Will's mother a daughter of Poseidon, meaning she was a forbidden child and at high risk of dying and causing a civilization collapse due to Apollo's grief, same as what happened when Icarus died, but she was also probably only about twelve or thirteen at most. How would she react to having an eight-year-old son with someone she'd never even met before? It would be impossible to even blame her if she freaked out. Still, for their brother's sake the Apollo children would hope only for the best. 

 

Once he was dressed, Apollo took Will's hand and, after giving quick hugs to his other children, escorted him away to meet his mother, leaving Will's siblings to spread the word to the other campers that the reincarnation of the famous Hyacinthus had arrived at last, in the form of a teenage daughter of the sea. 

 

Whether that was a good or bad thing, none of them knew yet. 

 

"Let's hope that she will at least be able to control herself from resenting Will, after all, she doesn't even know she has a child...." Kayla said in a small voice, clearly afraid for Will, afraid that he will be hurt when his mother either rejects him or ignores him, just like the parents of the Athena cabin members.

 

"Let's just hope that she'll love Will just as much as we do for now" Lee said as he began rounding his siblings to go for breakfast.

 

"Should we tell the others that she's a daughter of Poseidon?" Victoria asked her brother, who took a moment to think about what to do.

 

"No, not for now, let's just say that a demigodess came to Camp and is the reincarnation of Hyacinthus and Will's mother, let the gods deal with announcing that she's a daughter of the sea, let's just focus on Will for now" Lee said as all his siblings agreed with him, a daughter of Poseidon coming to camp was not their announcement to make.

__________________________

 

The morning sun had barely risen over Camp Half-Blood when the campers awoke to a startling revelation. A new demigod had arrived in the dead of night, chased into the camp by none other than the Minotaur. The news was delivered by a satyr and the Apollo Cabin, who revealed that the newcomer was the third incarnation of Prince Hyacinthus of Sparta, Apollo’s greatest love.

 

Charles Beckendorf, the head of Hephaestus Cabin, remembered the drones he and his siblings had placed around the camp’s barriers some years ago when a accident with Will and some others Apollo's children had happened when Apollo himself was at Camp. He quickly gathered the campers between the Hephaestus and Aphrodite cabins, where a sheet hung displaying the footage captured by the drones.

 

The campers watched in awe as a car was struck by lightning, and a beautiful girl emerged, challenging the Minotaur with a sword. The monster easily batted the sword away, but the girl was not deterred. She leapt onto the Minotaur, ripped off its horn, and used it to stab the beast to death.

 

Elis Wakefield, a son of Ares, could hardly believe his eyes. Not only was the reincarnation a girl but those movements were of those who had already mastered there weapon. He wondered if they were instinctive or if she was tutored.

 

“Hyacinthus reborn as a girl? He was a boy both times!” he exclaimed.

 

His brother Sherman was equally surprised, remarking, “Apollo’s beautiful tragic flower can actually fight worth a damn.”

 

 Elis shook his head and reminded him, “Hyacinthus was a Spartan prince. Of course he knew how to fight.”

 

Beckendorf hushed them as more footage played. They watched as Apollo appeared before the girl. She seemed to recognize him, then fell to her knees, screaming. The ground shook violently, and then the footage ended.

 

Katie Gardiner, a daughter of Demeter, wondered aloud if the new incarnation could be a child of Demeter, given the shaking of the ground. Her sister Miranda had caused similar tremors when she was really angry. The Demeter campers seemed both uneasy and elated at the prospect of the fabled Hyacinthus being their sibling. The day had just begun, but it was clear that it would be anything but ordinary at Camp Half-Blood.

 

Drew Tanaka, a daughter of Aphrodite, pointed out that the demigod was really pretty and was dressed fashionably, so it was possible that she was a daughter of Aphrodite. This comment drew laughter from the Athena campers, making Drew and her siblings angry.

 

One of the Athena demigods retorted, “She killed the Minotaur with her bare hands, she didn’t flirt with it.”

 

Luke Castellan asked, “Has anyone seen Will Solace?”

 

Lee said, “Dad took Will to meet his mother. I hope she doesn’t freak out at having an eight-year-old son. She looked about 12 or 13 years old. Imagine having an entire child thrown at you by someone you didn’t even have an affair with.”

 

Victoria added, “Not in this lifetime at least. Hyacinthus, the first incarnation definitely did, and so did Icarus, the second incarnation.”

The Athena campers looked uncomfortable. This was very close to their situations. Their mother produces them by meeting minds with their mortal fathers and then just drops the babies on the mortals out of the blue. Their fathers rarely react well, leading to Athena’s Cabin having the highest number of year rounders. The Ares cabin also had a fair few but that was because their mothers were solders or police officers who died in the line of duty. Annabeth Chase especially looked angry, muttering something unflattering about her father. The rest of the campers pretended they did not hear, especially the Apollo cabin, they feared the reaction of the daughter of Poseidon at having a son enough already, they didn't need more reasons to freak out now.

 

The camp was abuzz with speculation and anticipation for what was to come. Who was her godly parent? Was she a Demeter kid or something else? Was she a Aphrodite kid or something? Was she nice? Would she freak out about having a eight-year-old son at 12-13?

 

Suddenly, Dionysus arrived, clearly unhappy. He whined, “I have to be civil to a spawn of Poseidon or risk getting shot or burned.”

 

Silena caught on and asked, “Is the third Hyacinthus a daughter of Poseidon?”

 

Dionysus, calling Silena ‘Serena’, confirmed, “Yes, the new incarnation is Kai Jackson, daughter of Poseidon and adopted by Amphitrite.”

 

The campers were caught between surprise and disbelief, the new demigod was a forbidden child and was accepted by the Queen of the Seas, her stepmother?

 

Silena and Drew recognized the name. Drew, in particular, remembered Kai Jackson as the star of Galaxaura’s agency. Drew had done a few gigs with them but was kept away from Kai Jackson, now she knew the reason why.

 

Dionysus snorted, “If I were harbouring a taboo demigod, I would keep her away from other demigods that might give the game away too.”

 

Drew was disappointed, she was so sure Kai Jackson was an Aphrodite girl. Luke confirms that she was on the list of suspected demigods as a potential daughter of Aphrodite.

 

Just then, Chiron arrived, telling Beckendorf and his siblings to pack up the projector and screen. He also told the rest of them to go back to their schedules.

 

Annabeth approached the centaur, wanting more information about the new camper and if she will get a quest. Dionysus laughed at Annabeth, calling her ‘Annie Bell’.

 

“There have been no quests since the one of the golden apples failed pathetically and spectacularly,” he said.

 

Luke flinched, his hand going to the scar on his face.

_________________________

 

When Kai woke up, she found herself in a strange bed in an infirmary. She sat up, disoriented, not sure who she was or where she was. Was he Hyacinthus? Was he Icarus? Was she Kai? She was a bit confused. She felt the presence of two powerful godly auras nearby. One was unmistakably Apollo, and the other was a mix of sea and storm, unfamiliar but powerful.

 

Just minutes before Grover knocked at the door of the Montauk beach cabin, Sally had told her that her father was the god Poseidon. Kai burst into hysterical laughter. She hadn’t quite believed it then, but now it was undeniable. The sound of her laughter brought in Apollo, a little boy with blonde hair and green eyes, and a man in a hideous Hawaiian shirt whom she recognized as the ice cream seller she had met a few times at the beach in Montauk. He was nice to talk to when she was sad, she had even met his wife some times, she was very pretty and nice to talk to, she was gentle with Kai whenever she was there. That was probably Amphitrite, the Queen of the Seas and Kai's stepmother.

 

Kai looked at them and said, “So, it’s all true. I’m the daughter of Poseidon, and I’ve lived two past lives. This is… a lot to take in.”

 

Apollo replied, “Indeed, Kai. But remember, you’re not alone. We’re here with you.”

 

Looking at the little boy with blonde hair and green eyes. Kai startled. The boy looked like a mini copy of Apollo, but he had her green eyes and her smile. She knew that boy, she had seen him not once but multiple times in her dreams over the years, but she asked any way, she had to be sure, she didn't want to hope but couldn't find it in herself not to.

 

“Who is he?” Kai asked Apollo, her voice shaky.

 

Apollo looked at her, his eyes filled with a strange mix of joy and sadness. He understood what she meant, he always did.

 

“While you were asleep I monitored your dreams to check what was happening to you. Do you remember the art gallery you and Grover visited while attending Yancy? The one filled with paintings of my romances with your past lives, Hyacinthus and Icarus?”

 

Kai nodded, her mind flashing back to the last painting. The Icarus tree, created from the corpse of Icarus, birthing a child. She dreamed of that for the longest time.

 

“Is it true?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper. “Did you somehow create a child with the Icarus tree?”

 

Apollo nodded. “I asked Persephone to create a connection between the Icarus tree and your soul. When you left the underworld to be reborn, the tree pulled your demigod essence to alert me that Hyacinthus was once again alive. Several years after the event, I infused the tree with my essence, trying to see a vision of you, trying to find your whereabouts. But, instead of the vision, our essences combined to create Will Solace.”

 

Percy looked at Will, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt her heart pounding in a painful way, her heart threatening to escape her chest and embrace the boy itself if she did not do it anytime soon.

 

“Are you… are you my son?” she asked, her voice trembling and filled with a hope that she desperately tried to hide and bury in the deepest part of her soul.

 

Will smiled, his green eyes sparkling with unshed tears of joy. That was his mother and she was beautiful, she was reacting calmly and was obviously willing to love him.

 

“I am William Alexios Solace,” he said.

 

Kai whispered the name Alexios in a broken voice, looking at Apollo with desperate hope, the sun god nodded sadly.

 

“It wasn’t just you who was reborn,” he said. Confirming what she suspected, what she already knew, a mother would always recognize her child and the same goes for her, Alexios was her son when she was Icarus, Icarus lost him in a cruel way but she would not lose Will, not this time. Even if she had to accept the gift that she had always rejected in her dreams. And so, in the quiet of her mortal existence, Kai vowed to protect her son. She would break the cycle, rewrite the stars. For love, even when touched by death, was the only magic worth fighting for.

 

Kai grabbed Will and hugged him close, crying and peppering his face with kisses. “Thank you,” she said over and over again, her voice muffled by his shirt. “Thank you.”

 

Just then, Poseidon spoke up, his face a thundercloud. “What is going on here?” he demanded, brandishing his trident. She knew it was a test, her father cares about her beloved but he had to test him, she knew deep down that Poseidon was already preparing their wedding but for now Apollo had to accept her defending him, in front of her father, he had to silently step back and let her handle her protective dad to pass the first test. He had to let his pride aside and allow her to defend him, because that way Poseidon would know that Apollo trusts her with his life. He did, Kai had no trouble in believing that and defending him now is no trouble at all for her.

 

Kai held her son, Will Solace, close. Alexios had been his name before—a child of sun and water, just like he was now. Losing him had shattered Icarus in a way the fall from the sky hadn’t. She understood now as the memories flooded in every minute—the agony of loving something death could touch.

 

“Father,” Kai said, keeping her voice steady even though she wanted to weep and scream. But someone had to stay calm. Poseidon was reacting enough for the two of them, “no one chooses to fall in love. It binds us, defying reason and fate. There is nothing more horrible than loving something death can touch.”

 

She shuddered at her own words, remembering Hyacinthus’s blood staining the earth, Icarus’s feathers aflame. Her words were cruel but only that way Poseidon could see that she meant it, for Apollo to love her, he had to suffer a heartache that could had made him fade. She recalled Apollo’s sobs and howls of agony each time. Daedalus’ screams of despair, his pleading to any god who would listen. The only one who had a vested interest in keeping Icarus alive was Apollo. The Fates had bound him with threads, forcing him to watch from his chariot, unable to do anything. Still better than them throwing him in Tartarus. She knew that better than anyone, her loved ones had no place in that cursed and cruel place.

 

Apollo, watched his uncle rage silently, letting Kai defend him. His golden eyes held regret—the weight of eternity. He had loved her twice before and now again, and each time, tragedy followed. He could not protect her before but that was because she had a fate and no one can escape fate. The gods were not immune to heartache, yet, he desperately hoped that this time would be different, that he would succeed in keeping her alive this time. Long enough to feed her one of the golden apples of immortality or have her drink from Ganymede’s chalice.

 

Reach sixteen against all odds, little Della had spoken then. He could not risk going against the Fates again, but he would act the moment she hit sixteen. No asking for permissions from Zeus and Hera. They had the chance to give him what he wanted the most but they had as always disappointed him.

 

Kai whispered to Will, “If love were a choice, no god would willingly fall for a mortal.” She kissed his forehead, feeling the pulse of both sun and sea—the legacy of gods and their mortal creations.

 

Kai’s gaze shifted to Apollo. She knew of what he planed but that would not be necessary. Her godly beloved remained unrepentant. Empathy was a mortal trait, and gods were distant and detached, their hearts as unyielding as marble statues. Apollo had tried, he had tried so hard—for Hyacinthus, for Icarus—but he never quite got it right. He could empathize with the pain of those he loved, but hardly anyone else. Hyacinthus and Icarus had never held it against him. Apollo was not human, they could not expect him to react like one. Kai searched her feelings and found that she didn’t either.

 

She recalled Clio, her first mother whispering a secret to her, back when she had been a son of History, a Prince of Sparta.

 

“Loyalty. Personal loyalty. I fear that is your fatal flaw my darling child. Beware, it is very dangerous. Especially in a leader. Check yourself. Don’t allow it to drive you off a cliff.”

 

Poseidon huffed. "I don't like this," he grumbled. "Kai is only twelve. She's too young to be a mother, especially to an eight-year-old boy!" They both knew that deep down that was a lie but he still disliked that his daughter had a son and he did not know it until now, even if there were clues. She could understand that.

 

"Will is a gift," Kai told him. "I'm aware that I'm young to be a mother, but back in Greece, girls younger than me had babies and stepchildren of their own. And don't forget that, as his grandfather, Will's achievements will reflect well on you as well as his father. With a heritage like his, my son will doubtless be one of the great heroes of the age. And now that he knows of your connection, I'm sure Will shall be sure to give you the honour as his grandfather." 

 

Will nodded. Poseidon softened more, looking at his earnest grandson. "I may be frustrated with your father, Will, but you are my grandson and I am proud to acknowledge that," the sea god told the child. "Know that you have my blessing and will always find safety in the sea." He liked the boy, his grandson, had liked and loved him as soon as he heard that he was his daughter's son but he had to pretend that he was at least a bit frustrated.

 

"Thank you, Granddad," Will smiled from his place in his mother's tender but firm grip. 

 

This was the best day of Will's life, as far as he was concerned. He had longed since infancy to meet his mortal parent, and finally he had. Even better, Kai had accepted him without batting an eyelid. On the contrary, she seemed delighted with his existence. Already, the mother-son pair adored one another. 

 

"Father," Kai said, her expression turning troubled. She already knew but until she could talk to her father privately she would pretend.

 

"Yes, Daughter?" Poseidon replied, raising an eyebrow at her. 

 

"May I ask why Lord Zeus and Lord Hades are angry with me?" Kai asked carefully. "I have never done anything to offend them, even before learning that the gods are real, yet Lord Hades sent one of the Eumenides after me, and Lord Zeus hit our car with a lightning bolt." 

 

Poseidon looked away, a hint of guilt and shame crossing his expression, while Apollo pursed his lips.  

 

"It's because of the Oath," the God of prophecies explained. 

 

"What oath?" Kai frowned, tightening her grip on Will protectively. She knew but still, it was really hard to not fully be aware of how much the Oath had messed with the Fates Tapestry.

 

"After the end of the Second World War, the Great Three made a vow on the River Styx not to sire anymore demigod children," Apollo informed her grimly. 

 

Kai went white. "An oath on the River Styx?" She echoed in horror. "But how can I exist then?" She had wonderful acting skills, she was proud of that, they would be quite useful for the years to come.

 

"Gods can break oaths on the River Styx," Poseidon admitted. "But they bring terrible fates down on their mortal children when they do so. However, the day you were born I went to the River Styx, I drank from her water's and negotiated a deal with her to limit the consequences for you. You are safe from her wrath, unlike Zeus's daughter." 

 

"You have my thanks, Father," Kai replied, her voice still slightly tense. She was still upset with Poseidon for being so foolish as to break the most sacred oath a person could make, and she doubted she was entirely free from the goddess of hate's vengeance, especially as Poseidon had said he 'limited' the consequences, but she really was grateful that Poseidon had tried to at least reduce the impact on her life, to the point to drink from the water of the River. It was a surprisingly selfless thing for a god to do. Although she could guess what the goddess of Oaths wanted, she agreed to the goddess demand.

 

The most important thing, Kai decided, was that the Styx's rage didn't impact Will. Kai could deal with any consequences to her own life, but she refused to lose her son a second time. 

 

"So Lord Zeus also broke the Oath?" Kai asked, changing the subject. "What happened to his daughter?" She already knew, she had dreamed of the tree and even talked to Thalia once or twice before in a dream.

 

"Her name was Thalia Grace," Apollo sighed. "Daughter of Zeus and a minor TV starlet named Beryl. Thalia was tormented by monsters from her birth. She ran away when she was about ten and spent a few years on the streets where she met up with two other half-bloods, a son of Hermes and a daughter of Athena. 

 

Eventually they made their way to Camp, but they were pursued by a legion of monsters, mostly sent by Hades, who was angry because Zeus had murdered his last lover and their two children at the end of the War.  

 

Thalia sacrificed herself to let her friends escape, and Zeus turned her into an pine tree to protect her spirit from being tormented by Hades." 

 

Kai nodded absently. "Why would you make an oath like that anyway?" She asked carefully, eyeing the two uncomfortable looking gods suspiciously. "It seems very- drastic ." 

 

And out of character for Zeus and Poseidon, who it sometimes seemed had more demigods than all the other gods combined. She already knew but they didn't need to know that when they could be overheard, she would act like she had no idea for now, it would be best that way.

 

"There is a prophecy," Apollo confessed, unable as God of Truth to lie and unwilling to obfuscate when it came to his beloved. "One that speaks of a half-blood of the Elder Three who reaches sixteen and will either save or destroy Olympus." 

 

Kai's eyes widened in horror and she pulled Will closer, as if to shield him from his father's grim words. "I would never destroy Olympus," she breathed. She was a loyal subject of the gods, and at a purely selfish level, the love of her lives, her former foster mother, her first mother, her father, her stepmother and her half siblings were all gods. To destroy Olympus would be to destroy them, and Kai would never even consider doing such a thing. (Okay, she had to get an award for her acting, it was too good)

 

"I know, my love," Apollo assured her. 

 

"Rest assured, Daughter," Poseidon added. "We know you are no threat to Olympus, and we will keep the others from harming you." 

 

"As long as Will is safe, I don't care what happens to me," Kai stated, kissing the top of her son's head as he listened in silence to the conversation with his eyes open wide. 

 

"Everyone else does, though," Apollo retorted, his eyes dark with remembered grief. "I will not lose you a third time." 

 

Kai decided to leave that conversation for another time and instead changed the focus of the conversation again. "Makuahine," she murmured. "My mother, Sally, she disappeared. Asterion doesn't kill like that. Is she...?" Kai's voice trailed off. She knew her mother was in the domain of her Uncle Hades, she was not all that worried, Lord Hades was honourable and would not do anything to her mother.

 

"Sally lives," Poseidon assured Kai. "My elder brother has taken her captive, though why I do not know. Do not fear for her. Hades is honourable and will not harm her." 

 

"I know," Kai murmured. "Lord Hades has always been a just and honourable deity." Her memories of her time in the Underworld were fuzzy and disjointed, but she knew that from her soul (and her sight) that Hades was honourable. 

 

She could understand why he had taken Sally in the first place. 

 

The door to the infirmary opened again and a familiar, impish looking god came in, expression uncharacteristically grim. "Apollo," Hermes greeted his brother. "Uncle Poseidon. My father has summoned the Council."  

 

The gods exchanged grim looks and squared their shoulders as if bracing for battle. Kai clenched her jaw. That would be very bad for the world, the storms and the scorching heat would be a problem.

 

Apollo kissed Will's forehead and Kai's cheek (earning a threatening growl from Poseidon), and Poseidon rested a hand on his daughter's shoulder briefly and nodded at his grandson before the trio of immortals left the room to flash away to Olympus. 

 

Left alone, Kai took a deep breath and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, forcing a smile for her son's sake. "Well, Will, pēpē," she said to him. "Why don't you show me around the camp?" 

____________________

 

Kai could feel the eyes on her as she followed Will around the camp. If she were still just Kai, she'd have been a bit uncomfortable with the attention, but Hyacinthus of Sparta, as both a renowned beauty and the heir to the throne of Sparta, was well-used to being the subject of stares, and she ignored the looks with years' worth of practice. Will chattered on cheerfully as he showed her the camp. Kai listened indulgently, even as she worried about the gods' meeting in the back of her mind. There was nothing she could do to affect it, unfortunately, so focusing on her son and letting the Fates weave their tapestry was all she could do. 

 

It wasn't something Kai was used to doing, but her past selves were older and lived in harsher times. She had inherited their understanding that sometimes, you just had to accept that all you could do was let things unfold the way the Moirai wanted them to. She knew that if she wanted to change it she could but for now she would let things play as they should.

 

"And this is the archery range," Will announced at they came to a wide, flat area with several targets scattered around, some of them moving (no doubt the Hephaestus children had created those ones). A group of kids and teenagers, all older than Will, were armed with bows and practicing their shooting. Even without their perfect aim, Kai would've recognized them as Apollo's children anywhere. They all had his sun-kissed features and curls, though one of the two girls had red hair with a lock dyed dark green. They turned to stare at Kai when Will led her inside the range.  

 

Kai smiled at them charmingly. These were her son's siblings, her love's children and thus for that, they were hers. While Apollo generally kept a bit of distance between himself and his mortal children, same as all the gods (and Kai couldn't even blame them for it. Losing Alexios had nearly destroyed Icarus. She couldn't imagine going through that utter agony more than once), Kai knew he still loved them and showed it. She wanted them to at least like her, for Apollo and Will's sakes, if nothing else, although she knew that they would adore her just as she adored them.

 

"Guys, this is my mom, Kai Jackson," Will introduced her proudly, beaming widely as he used his free hand to motion towards her, his other hand still clutching tightly to Kai's own. "Mom, these are my siblings. That's Lee Fletcher, he's our head counsellor. Then that's Victoria Sole, Michael Yew, Kayla Knowles and Austin Lake." Will gestured to each of his siblings in turn as he named them. 

 

"It's lovely to meet you all," Kai smiled. "Thank you for looking after Will for me." 

 

Victoria eyed her warily. "You seem to be taking everything rather well," she noted. "To be honest, I expected you to justifiably freak out over having an eight-year-old kid with someone you just met." 

 

"Fair assumption," Kai acknowledged. "But when I saw Apollo, I remembered my past lives. As Hyacinthus, I was Crown Prince and needed to have an heir, and when I was Icarus, Apollo and I had a son, Alexios, together. Will is Alexios reborn. I'm not upset to have a son, I'm relieved that I have my baby back." 

 

The Apollo children looked startled and thoughtful. 

 

"How can you remember your past lives?" Austin, who seemed about eleven or twelve, wondered with a frown. "Didn't you drink from the Lethe before being reborn?" 

 

Kai shrugged her free shoulder. "I think so? My memories of the Underworld are very fuzzy. I suppose it was the Fates' will that I remember. It can't do any harm, and will be a help I'm sure, so I'm grateful for it either way." 

 

The Apollo kids nodded understandingly. 

 

"Do you know how to shoot?" Kayla, the girl with the green hair who seemed to be mid-way between Austin and Will in age, asked. 

 

 "When I was Icarus, I was trained by Artemis herself," Kai smiled fondly in remembrance. Artemis had been a stern teacher with high expectations, but a kind one who had encouraged Icarus's potential to flourish. Icarus would have been a very different person without her influence. "She taught me to shoot of course. And as Crown Prince of Sparta it was expected that I be able to use any weapon available to me, so I was a decent archer then too. That being said, I'm a child of Poseidon now, and they tend to be abysmal at archery with some rare expectations. We'll have to see if the Divine Twins have gifted me with any skills in archery." 

 

She released Will's hand with reluctance and made her way over to the pile of bows. She paused when she saw a familiar, beautifully engraved bow made of cypress, a quiver of matching arrows made of silver-coloured leather beside it. She had known it would be there but still, she smiled as she picked it up and automatically went through the motions of stringing and testing it. This was the bow Artemis had given Icarus as a gift when he became a man in the eyes of the Greeks. She had made and blessed both it and the quiver herself, a symbol of her favour. 

 

Kai carried them back to the centre of the range and set the quiver down by her feet. She glanced at her son's sisters. "Do either of you have a band I can tie my hair back with?" She requested. Kayla pulled a hair tie off her wrist and handed it over. Thankfully, Kai and her makuahine had spent many hours playing with her long, luscious waves, so it was easy for the young half-blood to weave her hair into a deceptively elaborate braid, leaving her gaze free. 

 

"I've never seen that bow before," Michael noted, eyeing it with a hint of envy and interest. All the archers could tell this was a great bow. 

 

"Artemis gave it to Icarus when I turned fifteen," Kai explained, unconsciously veering between pronouns. She both was and wasn't her past selves, and it reflected in how she spoke of them.  

 

Under the Apollo cabin's amazed and awed eyes, Kai proceeded to hit every target dead centre, even when they were moving. She didn't rush her shots, taking care to aim and shoot with deadly accuracy each time. Impressed, the Apollo cabin members cheered her on, turning the settings of the moving targets higher and higher to increase the challenge. Other campers were drawn by the noise and watched in equal amazement as Kai shot target after target. The worst shot she managed hit the second-to-centre ring, and that was due to a sudden breeze. 

 

It seemed the Divine Twins had blessed Kai after all. 

 

"That was impressive," a young man called out when Kai's quiver was empty (only a few people noticed it refilling, a part of the enchantment Artemis had laid upon it for her foster son). Kai turned and eyed the approaching boy -closer to a man really, he looked to be in his late teens- warily. He had dark blonde hair and blue eyes, with familiar elfin features and a charming smile. His charming visage was marred by a long claw-scar that raked down the left side of his face, barely avoiding damaging his eye. 

 

"I'm Luke Castellan, son of Hermes and Head Counsellor for Cabin Eleven," Luke told Kai, sticking out his hand for a shake. She shook it briskly with a mild smile, hiding the unease she felt in his presence. He had a fate and his thread was already cut, she couldn't change his fate even if she tried, he was in too deep to change the course of things. He even reminded her of the people in the royal courts of Sparta and Crete who sought power by brownnosing up to the heir to the throne and the famous inventor's son, but not quite. 

 

"So you're the famous Hyacinthus, huh?" Luke asked. 

 

"It's Kai Jackson now," Kai answered mildly. "But yes. That's me." 

 

"We heard about the Minotaur," Luke told her. "Pretty impressive, taking it out singlehandedly without a weapon. How about showing us how they fought in Sparta?" 

 

"With or without weapons?" Kai replied calmly. 

 

"Swords," Luke grinned. "They're uh, kind of my specialty." 

 

"Luke's the best swordsman in Camp for the past three hundred years!" A girl with dark skin, braided hair and the storm-cloud grey eyes of an Athenian child announced proudly. To judge by the look she was giving Luke, she had a massive crush. She also had a fate and it was intertwined with Luke's, poor girl, her fate wasn't kind.

 

"Well then," Kai said mildly. "Let's see which wins; Camp or Spartan training." 

 

They made their way to the sparring arena, just beside the archery range. Kai withdrew her hairclip from her hair and summoned her sword. Now she had a chance to examine it, she could read the word Anaklusmos inscribed on the blade. Riptide. It was made of Celestial Bronze, obviously, and judging by the power of the sea she could sense pulsing within it, it had been made in Atlantis, or at least imbued with the power of a sea-deity. This sword had a story and she knew it, but it was beautiful in a haunting way.

 

It fit perfectly in her hand, better than any sword she had ever wielded before, even in her previous lives, and as Crown Prince Hyacinthus had used only the best.

 

"Ready?" Luke asked her cheerfully, slashing his sword through the air to prepare himself. 

 

Kai nodded and took up a basic defensive stance. She could see in Luke's eyes that he was underestimating her. He was cocky, used to being the best in Camp, and she looked dainty and small. He no doubt assumed that her killing the Minotaur was a fluke. 

 

Well, she would prove that just because she was American now, didn't mean she didn't have the heart and strength of a Spartan. 

 

Luke attacked first, and Kai easily deflected him. She could have taken him out quickly, but for several reasons she didn't. For one thing, she didn't want to show off and get enemies from jealousy if avoidable. She also didn't want to reveal all her skills. The Spartans had drilled into her that not even your allies should know all your skills, because you never knew when someone was a spy. 

 

Because of that, Kai made it appear that she and Luke were relatively equal in skill. That being said, Kai still won the bout, because while she didn't want everyone to know how good she was, she still wanted to make it clear that Spartan training was the best. 

 

She had Hyacinthus's love for his kingdom, and she had no intention of shaming her trainers. 

 

She disarmed Luke and knocked him to the ground after almost ten minutes sparring, holding her sword to his neck. "Do you yield?" She asked, grinning a bit from the familiar feeling of strength and adrenaline rushing through her body. There was nothing quite like fighting to get your blood pumping. She spotted the glint of anger and humiliation in Luke's eyes before it disappeared in favour of an impressed expression. He smiled back and nodded. 

 

"Yeah, I yield," he confirmed. She helped him to his feet and he collected his sword. Around them, their spectators were whispering to each other in shock and awe. "That was impressive," Luke commented. "I haven't had that good a workout in years." 

 

"You're good," Kai replied. "Your problem is you have a select set of moves that you're really good at, and you fall back on them continually. You need to broaden your range of default moves, and not repeat them in a pattern. I won because after a while I was able to predict what you'd do next." 

 

Luke nodded thoughtfully. "Thanks for the tip," he said. "I hadn't realized." 

 

Kai shrugged a shoulder. "Happens to the best of us," she stated. "I had the same problem in my first life, but my trainers knocked it out of me quickly." 

 

"Luke! Are you okay?" The same Athenian girl who had boasted of Luke's skill came rushing over to him, eyes wide. She shot Kai a dirty look. Kai raised an eyebrow in reply, so the girl had already chosen her path. What a pity. She wasn't about to indulge a child's petty attitude. This was sparring, and Luke wasn't even hurt. If the girl thought that spar (which was beginner's level compared to the Spartan training Hyacinthus had endured) was intense, she'd never last in the outside world. 

 

"I'm fine Annabeth, no worries," Luke assured her. Kai, meanwhile, was distracted by her son rushing up to her and flinging his arms around her waist excitedly, ignoring the sweat on her orange Camp t-shirt (and seriously, why had they chosen this horrid orange shade for the shirts? Why not blue, or even red if they wanted something to stand out? The orange was just hideous.). 

 

"Mom! Mom, that was amazing !" Will exclaimed. "You beat Luke! Nobody ever beats Luke!" 

 

Kai felt her heart swell with love and pride as her son gazed at her in adoration and admiration. "Thank you pēpē," she replied. "It all comes with practice and training. Sparta didn't raise many scholars. Not unless they were warriors too." 

 

Will nodded. "I'm not very good at fighting," he admitted. "I'm okay at archery, but I like healing better. I don't like hurting people." 

 

Kai smiled sympathetically at him, combing a hand through his blonde curls. "I understand pēpē," she told him. "Nobody should ever take pleasure in hurting people. But as a demigod, it is important that you be able to fight, and not just with archery. If you want to survive, you need at least one long range and one short range weapon. We'll work together to find something that suits you, okay?"

 

She loved the clear gentleness of Will's spirit, just as she had loved how sweet and kind Alexios had been, but she refused to lose him a second time, especially because he was too kind for his own good. 

 

"You'll help me?" Will double-checked hopefully. 

 

"I promise," Kai assured him. 

 

"Hey! Jackson!" Kai turned to see a Latino girl about her age with dark curly hair held back by a red bandanna approaching. She was obviously a daughter of Ares. Kai could see the resemblance to the other children of the War God she had known (and there were many in Sparta, Ares's favourite polis). Kai raised an eyebrow, wrapping an arm around Will's shoulders and giving a mild smile to the other girl. This girl had a fate and it was wonderful, she would be a warrior that many would tell the story for hundreds of years, she would be by her side and would be equally happy about it.

 

"Yes?" Kai asked. It was a pity that she couldn't tell people their fates but she could at least help them reach their full potential.

 

"I'm Clarisse LaRue, Head Counsellor for Ares," the girl announced. "I want you to fight me!"  

 

"What weapon, or do you want to go hand-to-hand?" Kai replied. 

 

"Spear, if you know how to use one?" Clarisse said challengingly. 

 

Kai smirked back at her. She knew how to get on the right side of an Arean child. "I'm a child of Sparta," she answered. "I know how to fight with any Ancient Greek weapon you show me." 

 

The arena cleared again, and once again Kai fought. This time, she ended the spar quicker. Not quick enough to humiliate Clarisse, that would only make an enemy of her, but quick enough to prevent herself getting too tired and becoming sloppy. After all, Kai had gone from archery to sparring with Luke to this, all without even having breakfast or a break longer than five minutes. She knew how to endure, this was kids' stuff for a child of Sparta, but she wasn't used to it anymore and she didn't want to risk embarrassing (and thus undermining) herself. She needed to establish her place in the hierarchy beyond being 'Poseidon's daughter' or 'Apollo's favourite lover'. 

 

Clarisse stared at her in wide eyed shock when Kai pressed the tip of the spear to her throat, around five minutes into the spar. "Do you yield?" Kai asked. 

 

Clarisse's expression turned into a smirk and she nodded as best she could. Kai had successfully earned her respect.  

 

"Yeah, I yield," the other girl agreed. Kai helped her to her feet. "So, Jackson, which team are you going to be on for Capture the Flag on Friday?" Clarisse asked. "Ours or Athena's?" 

 

Kai eyed her thoughtfully. "A war game I suppose?" She already knew what the outcome would be but she didn't want nobody to know of her sight for now.

 

Clarisse nodded. "My cabin has already allied with the Apollo cabin," she added, spotting Kai's eyes drifting to where Will was hurrying over to them, beaming with pride at his mother's clear skill. 

 

Kai grinned. "Then I'm with you," she promised. "I won't fight my son and his siblings." 

 

"Awesome," Clarisse chuckled. "I like you, Jackson. You may be pretty, but you're no delicate flower. You've got sharp edges." 

 

Kai showed her teeth when she smiled back. "I like you too, La Rue," she answered. "You'd have done well in Sparta." 

 

"Mom! That was brilliant!" Will exclaimed, dashing into Kai's welcoming embrace. Clarisse's expression softened a bit at the sight of the young camper's excitement and adoration for his mother, as well as his mother's returned love, before she wandered off to gather up her cabin for lunch. 

 

Kai followed the others to the dining pavilion, listening indulgently to Will's excited chattering. After a brief argument with Chiron, it was agreed that she could sit at the Apollo table, or Will could sit with her at the Poseidon table. She chose the former for this meal, so Will could talk to his siblings, but she would sit at Poseidon's table at dinner so as not to insult her father. 

 

After sitting, Kai picked up a spare plate and filled it with offerings for several gods. All the Olympians, of course, with larger bits for Apollo, Poseidon, and Artemis of course. She also added some grapes for Hestia, as was standard in ancient times, some kolokythokeftedes for Clio and Amphitrite, some flatbread for Hades to beseech him to be kind to her mother (and Kai wanted to tell him that the Fates were kind to her, she knew he would understand) and for Zagreus to thank him for giving her son back, and finally some courgette balls for Tyche, Nike, Asclepius and her half siblings. 

 

It was dangerous to insult the gods by not sacrificing to the Olympians, and equally it was only sensible for a demigod to send offerings to the goddesses of luck and victory, Kai explained to her puzzled son and the other Apollo children, noticing other half-bloods listening in from their tables. After all, with the dangers involved in being a half-blood, earning the favour of the goddesses of luck and victory was just common sense (she phrased it more delicately when explaining that to the others, of course. She'd spent two lifetimes at the centre of two royal courts, including one ruled by a tyrant, and she knew the best way to phrase things to get her way without insulting anyone.). It was typical in Hyacinthus's time at Camp to sacrifice to the pair along with all of the Olympians, with larger sections for your godly parent and any other god you favoured. She couldn't imagine why Chiron had let the tradition of giving offerings to every deity whose favour you wanted fade away. If they weren't in public, she'd have had some sharp words for him. But she didn't want to give a bad impression to the others, so instead she told Will and his siblings about the Calydonian Boar, elaborating on why it was important not to neglect any of the major gods, or the minor ones whose favour you wanted and/or needed. Better to show them and subtly influence them into improving their standing with the gods.

 

She had Will fill a plate with offerings to the same gods and when they sacrificed them, Kai felt the sun brighten overhead in approval (she had always been able to decipher Apollo's emotions through the sun). She smiled softly at it, hoping everything was alright on Olympus. 

 

She settled in to eat lunch, hiding a smile as she heard the others all sacrificing to the rest of the Olympians, Tyche and Nike as well as their parents. It could do no harm, and could do a lot of good for them all. She would change this camp into the best and safest place for the demigods, it would take time but she would do it. The Roman's would have a run for their money when she was done.

__________________________

 

That night, Kai had her first sing-along. The songs were amusing, things like This Land is Minos's Land,' (though the thought of that tyrant made her hands curl into fists. Only the fact that she'd recently cut her nails kept them from drawing blood), 'I Am My Own Great-Great-Great-Great Grandpa,' and 'Down By the Aegean'.  

 

To Kai's much needed relief, the bonfire changed colour and grew in strength as the half-bloods laughed and sang. She enjoyed herself, sitting with the Apollo children, her arm wrapped around Will's little shoulders, eating s'mores and singing. All her lives had enjoyed singing and dancing. In fact, Hyacinthus performing at the festival for the Divine Twins when he was fifteen had been what first attracted Apollo's attention. 

 

She did notice that her voice, always nice and enchanting in this life, had improved by leaps and bounds since the last time she sang. She suspected that Apollo had layered her in every blessing he could while she was sleeping and remembering her past selves. He'd done the same thing to both Hyacinthus and Icarus. Absently, she made a note to get her hands on a lyre. Alexios had always loved it when either his Táta (Icarus) or his Patér (Apollo) sang or played for him, and she was sure in this life Will would be equally delighted to hear her play and sing for him. He was so like his first self. Besides, it was an excellent teaching method, especially for demigods with their short attention spans. 

 

While she was thinking, she heard Victoria tell Will it was time to sleep, he protested a bit and clung to her side but he was tired and almost sleeping on her.

 

"Your sister is right, Will," Kai replied firmly, suppressing the guilty feeling she gained at the disappointment in his beautiful eyes. She couldn't call herself a proper parent if she gave into him every time he looked at her disappointedly. Besides, Will's siblings had raised him until now, as much as it pained her to have missed out on so much of his life. She didn't want to be undermining their rules. This did make her realize that she needed to sit down with Will's siblings to learn his routine and their rules for him, and to establish that while she truly was very grateful they had taken such good care of him for so long, she'd be taking over now, as was her right and responsibility as his mother.   

"You're half-asleep already," she went on. 

 

Will pouted, but she stood firm, rising to her feet and pulling him up with her. "Come on, say goodnight to your siblings and I'll put you to bed." 

 

Will sighed in resigned acceptance and hugged his brothers and sisters goodnight before grasping Kai's hand and walking back to the Apollo cabin. 

 

"Will you tuck me in please?" Will asked shyly once they'd reached his cabin. 

 

"Of course, pēpē," Kai assured him. "I can sing you a lullaby as well if you like. Or maybe you'd prefer a story?" 

 

They entered the cabin and Will headed to his bunk, pulling out his pyjamas. Kai barely resisted the urge to coo at them. They were light blue with little smiling suns decorating them. She had no doubt that Will would be adorable in them. 

 

"Which did you do in our past lives?" Will asked tentatively. 

 

Kai swallowed in instinctive grief. Although she had him back, practically the same in every way save his eyes being sea green instead of ocean blue, the mere thought of Will's previous incarnation filled her with grief. It was a wound that would never heal and that she was determined never to experience again. This time, she would protect her son and she would do it well.

 

"Alexios, that was your name, meaning 'defender', loved stories and lullabies," she answered after a moment, before Will could voice the apology she saw forming in his sweet face. "I would sing to you one night, then the next tell a story, then sing the next and so on. On special occasions, or if you were struggling to sleep, I would often do both. Your favourite lullaby was one my mother Clio had sang to me when I was Hyacinthus, one she wrote just for me and that Apollo taught me as Icarus when we were expecting you. As for stories, you loved anything about your Patér. But your favourite was the story of how he defeated the Python." 

 

"Today was a special day," Will said hopefully. "We finally met." 

 

Kai laughed and kissed his forehead. "Alright," she agreed with an amused smile. "A song and a story tonight, but not tomorrow, alright? And just one each. It's been a long, emotional day, and growing boys need sleep. Especially children of the sun at the point when Artemis is driving the moon." 

 

Will brightened again and, after a quick hug, hurried to get changed in the stalls at the back of the cabin. Once he returned, Kai sang him the song Clio had written for her beloved son, and told him the story of how Apollo, only days old at the time, had bravely avenged his mother for the torment of being chased by Python while pregnant. She was a bit surprised that he was still fighting (though losing) the battle for wakefulness by the time she finished. 

 

"Why don't you want to sleep, pēpē?" Kai asked in concern. 

 

Will's gaze darted away, but he didn't try to dodge the question. "I'm afraid," he admitted quietly. 

 

"Afraid of what?" Kai pressed gently, though she thought she might be able to guess.  

 

"I'm afraid it was all a dream, and when I wake up you'll still be gone, and Dad will be sad, and I won't know you," Will explained, voice shaking a bit, tears in his lovely eyes. 

 

Kai sighed sorrowfully. It was exactly as she had suspected. She thought for a moment, then unclasped the delicate golden necklace around her throat and put it around Will's own neck. "This was a gift from my current mother, Sally Jackson, for my sixth birthday," she told him. "It's a family heirloom, passed from her great-grandmother to mine, then to Makuahine, then to me and now to you. When you wake up, you can touch it and know that today was real. I'm back with you, and I'm not leaving you alone again. Not without giving the Moirai themselves one hell of a fight." She would fight with the Fates if she had to, she wasn't about to give in, she would live for her beloved and theirs sons, even if she had to pretend to not know about the threats in the future.

 

Will leaned in to hug her tightly. "I love you, Mom," he whispered. Her shoulder grew damp, but she didn't mention it, instead hugging him back just as firmly. 

 

"I love you too, Will," she murmured. "So much." After releasing each other, Will lay down properly again, and Kai began to run her hands through his curls gently, singing Clio's lullaby again in a soft voice. She waited until he was deep asleep to leave and, instead of going back to the campfire, she headed to her own cabin. 

 

Her things had been retrieved from the wreckage of Gabe's Camaro at some point and were beside her door, so she carried them in. She went to the Head Counsellor room which was the biggest and had excellent view of the beach, sat on it, and finally released all her pent-up emotions from the day (and the memories that continued to crowd her mind) in a bout of heaving, painful sobs. 

 

"I won't break! Even if the world tries to take everything from me again! I WON'T BREAK!" She whispered while painful tears slowly dropped her face, she looked at the Fates, because there they are, with the tapestry behind them.

 

"We know', 'It's why we have so many expectations for you', 'you won't break" The Moirai had spoken to her.

 

And she just knew, the Fates were being both kind and cruel to her at the same time.

 

Because she had a fate, and she could change it as long as she could See the Tapestry and the Threads.

 

"I'll See what's on the Tapestry and I'll change it if I can and if I should, this gift and this curse will both be mine to bear! Mine alone!" She said with a firm voice.

 

"I've been dreaming of this for a very long time, I didn't understand then, no, I didn't want to understand, I didn't want to See, but now I do, and it was always mine." She said that remembering her many dreams of the Fates and the Tapestry, of the many futures and possibilities, she hadn’t accepted it then but she does now.

 

"Yes, just like we, our mother and Chaos themselves had wanted." The Fates smiled at her, gentle and very clearly happy with her answers.

 

"Now, go and Dream, αψηφώντας, See what we wanted for you." As the Moirai said that Kai felt sleepy and soon was Dreaming and Seeing the possibilities for herself and those around her.

______________________

 

Artemis was extremely happy with the news that Hyacinthus had once more been reborn, as she drove her chariot across the sky, she risked a glance at Kai, who was at the beach of Camp Half-Blood with her sleeping clothes, walking where the sea meets the sand.

 

She was beautiful, just as Artemis knew she would be.

 

She looked closer and saw something wrong, while Kai looked peaceful and completely innocent as she walked, Artemis felt that something was amiss, so she called her brother, her uncle Poseidon and her aunt Amphitrite to also watch the young maiden on her walk.

 

She felt the presence of the three gods immediately, all worried as soon as she said Kai's name.

 

The three gods watched carefully each and every movement, and agreed that something was happening.

 

And then, Kai stopped and looked at them, truly Looked at them, they felt the weight of the Fates as she gazed at them, Kai's eyes were just like the sea, always changing and shifting, just like a storm, her eyes were glowing in a way that was both natural and unnatural, just like the Fates.

 

They heard the voices of Kai and the Moirai at the same time, on their mind and everywhere.

 

"The path was set, this is the best outcome the fates could make for the favorites of the Creator, the Dreamer has Seen the Tapestry and accepted her rights"

 

As they were frozen, Kai had returned to her Cabin and slept peacefully again, while the gods that had seen her were concerned about what had just happened.

 

"She's a Prophet of The Fates, a Daughter of the Seas and the Beloved of the Sun, she has a fate and she'll never fail as we'll watch her" The Moirai voices was still talking to them as they thought about what to do.

 

"Let's all calm down for now, we always knew that there would be a child of the sea that would be more important than we had ever thought, husband" Amphitrite said as she put a gentle and firm hand on her uncle's arm, calming him down as she continued to speak.

 

"Kaimana Asherah Jackson, Daughter of Poseidon and my adopted Daughter, a Princess of the Seas, Beloved of Apollo, and the Child of the Prophecy, is a Prophet of the Fates, she has gods who'll protect her if she's threatened and the Fates very obviously favour her, and they were always known for their cruel punishments" Her Aunt said and she found herself agreeing, Kai had many on her side, she would be fine.

_________________________

 

It was Kai’s third day at Camp, she was walking to the archery field as the sun was bright and warm on her skin, Apollo was so happy, she was sure that Apollo was doing something so he could meet her, he always did that. She was right of course, there he was, at the center of the field waiting for her. As she approaches him, the sun was getting brighter and brighter just as his smile.

 

"Hello, my Dear" Apollo said while pulling her into a hug full of love and longing.

 

"Hello, love" Kai responded as she rested her forehead on his shoulder while smiling, she was glad that she no longer had to pretend to not know what would happen, at least with her lover and godly parents, Poseidon and Amphitrite.

 

"I've been able to escape my father's gaze for sometime, so I can spend some time with you and my children today" Apollo said happily.

 

"I'm glad, your children are very nice and they deserve all the time they can get with you" She said as they separated from the hug but the god still held her hand.

 

"Yes, they are, they've been praying much to tell me about how much they adore you, love, if they were not as happy as me to have you here, I would think they're doing it to make me jealous" Apollo said with teasing voice.

 

"It seems that you have stolen their hearts just as I knew you would, my daughters Katie and Kayla and my sons Michael and Austin have even started to call you their stepmother" Apollo continued with his teasing voice but there was pure happiness in his eyes and voice.

 

"Oh..." Kai blushed at that, she was happy that they like her so much but still, that's a bit embarrassing to hear. She had always known that they would adore her just as she adored them.

 

"Come now, beloved, I wish to see how good you are at archery, although I have no doubt that you are wonderful" He said as he began to direct her into position.

 

They spend some time there just the two of them, just like in her past lives, just Apollo watching and talking to her as she let the arrows fly and hit billseye.

 

She thought about Artemis, Apollo’s twin sister and the one who had taught Icarus archery, she missed her, she's been waiting to meet her for sometime now.

 

As if summoned by her thoughts, a glowing silver deer emerged from the forest. Kai’s breath caught. She recognized Artemis’s sacred animal. The goddess herself awaited, and Kai run to meet her.

 

Kai Jackson’s heart raced as she followed the glowing silver deer deeper into the forest at Camp Half-Blood. The sacred animal was unmistakably Artemis’s sign, and Kai’s memories stirred. She was no ordinary demigod; she carried the echoes of two past lives—the tragic Prince Hyacinthus and the daring Icarus, both entangled in Apollo’s love— and she is a Prophet of the Moirai.

 

Apollo trailed behind her, concern etching his features. When Kai had been Icarus, Artemis had saved her life at the tender age of four. The goddess had taken her as a student, teaching her archery and hunting. Artemis had been a surrogate mother to the motherless Icarus, and he’d been devoted to her beyond measure.

 

Now, Kai stood in bright clearing, her breath catching. Artemis awaited her, the goddess had assumed the form of a twelve-year-old girl. Close by stood Polyboea, Hyacinthus’s sister, and Phoebe, the Cretan girl whom Icarus had rescued and delivered to Artemis. But further back, scowling fiercely, was a tall, dark-skinned young woman wearing a silver circlet— Zoë Nightshade, her fate could and should be changed.

 

Kai chose to ignore the scowling girl for now and focused on Artemis. She dropped to one knee, her heart pounding. Artemis helped her up, cupping Kai’s face. A rare smile graced the goddess’s lips.

 

“Congratulations on rising back from the dead once more,” Artemis said.

 

“And this time, your only defect—being male—is fixed.”

 

Kai couldn’t help but laugh, Artemis would never change. Here, in the presence of the huntress, she felt a bit more whole. Apollo watched, looking very proud, as his reincarnated love stood before the goddess who had shaped her destiny in her second lifetime.

 

Polyboea approached, drawing her into a quick hug. Kai closed her eyes, stinging with tears. This was her little sister, now much, much older than her.

 

“Kai, do you recall your life as Hyacinthus?” Polyboea asked, meeting Kai’s eyes.

 

Kai smiled and decided to tease her a bit.

 

“Ah, my dear baby sister. I remember it well. You followed me around like a little duckling, those puppy dog eyes begging for extra honey cakes.”

 

Polyboea, never one to take bait to teasing retorted.

 

“And you taught me archery, hoping I’d join Artemis’s Hunters and escape a horrible political marriage.”

 

Polyboea aimed that at the scowling girl with the silver circlet. Kai frowned, she could understand as to why, but there was no need to, she was about to say something but her attention was drawn by Phoebe, who briefly patted her shoulder.

 

“We saw your archery practice, Kai.” The redhaired girl told her with a sing song voice "You are as good as I remember"

 

"Thank you, Phoebe" Kai thanked the girl.

 

The girl with the silver circlet scowled more.

 

Kai, now looked at Artemis and wondered briefly if they knew that she's a Prophet, as the Fates whispered, she asked.

 

“Who’s she?”

 

Artemis replied, “Zoë Nightshade, Lieutenant of the Hunters. She joined me shortly after your death as Icarus.”

 

Artemis looked upset, as if relieving something deeply painful. Kai chose not to press further. Zoë, moved closer.

 

“True, Kai is a girl this time.”

 

Apollo glanced at Zoe with mild dislike.

 

“The Fates likely did it to make my job harder, I checked every single boy to find the third incarnation but none of the girls.”

 

Kai snorted, amused despite herself. They did.

 

“Got to give to the triplet grandmothers. They really know how to get under someone’s skin. Respect to the trolls.”

 

“I don’t find it even remotely funny! First they force you to fall and now they prevent me from finding you until that satyr got desperate enough to pray!”

 

Artemis turned to her brother, her expression flinty and furious.

 

“What do you mean they forced Icarus to fall? I thought it was the curse acting up!”

 

All Kai could think was oh, oh.

 

“Icarus was forced by the Fates to fall from the sky,” Apollo had said, his voice heavy with regret.

 

Artemis’ eyes blazed with fury. Kai was reminded of the few times she had seen the goddess angry. The first time was when a strange and unsavory man had tried to furtively follow Icarus into the woods. Icarus, who had learned tracking and stealth in Artemis’ knee from the age of four, immediately spotted him and prayed to the goddess. Artemis had spoken in his mind and told Icarus to lead the man to her. Once there, Artemis had slowly and painfully transformed the man into a platypus. The other time was when Aura had done the unthinkable and questioned Artemis’ virtue. Polyboea had quickly ushered Icarus away.

 

“I thought it was the curse of that unknown foul god that caused his fall,” she spat, her voice trembling with anger.

 

Kai took a deep breath, ready to explain.

 

“It wasn’t just the curse, Artemis. The Fates appeared to me shortly after the murder of Alexios, mine and Apollo’s son. They were furious that Apollo tried to defy them to save Icarus, who had a fate, from the curse. They gave me an ultimatum: either I died while Apollo watched, or they would throw Apollo into Tartarus for all of eternity.”

 

Artemis’ face paled, her anger giving way to shock.

 

“You.. Icarus had no true choice,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

 

Kai nodded. The hardest thing had not been choosing to die, since there was no other choice to make. But keeping it hidden from his loved ones. Apollo, Daedalus and Ariadne had of course noticed but they had thought it was because of Alexios.

 

“He chose to die, to let his wings burn and fall into the sea, to save Apollo and the world.”

 

Polyboea, Hyacinthus’ younger sister, and Phoebe, a Cretan girl rescued by Icarus, listened intently. Polyboea had a death grip on her bow, her eyes wet with tears and her lips quivering. Phoebe just looked furious, clutching her bow as if wanting to go hunt the Fates for sport. Zoë Nightshade, Artemis’ lieutenant who had joined the Hunt shortly after Icarus’ death, stood silently, her eyes filled with suprise. The former disdain was quite reduced. She looked at Kai as if she did not know what to make of her. Kai could deal with that.

 

Artemis was speechless, her fury now directed at the Fates.

 

“It’s not safe to defy the Fates. They will win in the end and cause such suffering to ensure that the lesson sinks,” Kai cautioned gently, her voice filled with understanding.

 

Reluctantly, Artemis agreed.

 

“We need to keep you alive until you turn sixteen,” she said, her voice firm.

 

“Then we can feed you a golden apple or make you drink from the chalice of immortality.”

 

Apollo nodded at his sister, his golden eyes blazing with ferocious determination. Kai, grateful, looked between them.

 

“Thank you, so much” She said, her voice tinged with gratitude, even if she would not accept the apple, as there would be no need to. She couldn't tell them yet about that but soon she could.

 

Artemis placed a hand on Kai’s shoulder.

 

“We, Apollo, myself and Poseidon, will do whatever it takes to protect you, Kai. You are even more important what than we realize.”

 

Apollo stepped forward, his expression serious and vaguely afraid. Kai’s heart stuttered, she had seen Apollo afraid only twice. When the disc had struck and when the wings had burned. She knew he was afraid but there really had no need for him to fear, the Moirai wanted her to live and she had their favour, she would succeed and survive.

 

Artemis and Apollo exchanged a glance, their expressions filled with determination and resolve.

 

“We will protect you, Kai” Artemis said firmly.

“No matter what it takes.”

 

Polyboea noticed Kai’s difficult position and asked Apollo, “Have you told Kai about Asclepius yet?”

 

Apollo sighed, he knew that they would misunderstand him.

 

“There had never been a need for me to”

 

Apollo grimaced as Polyboea and Phoebe glared at him.

 

“I already know, sister, I'm a Prophet of the Fates” Kai explained to her first sister and her cousin, who were shocked as they heard her explain just as Zoë.

 

“How?” Her cousin stuttered.

 

"I was always meant to live three lives, it was what Ananke and Chaos wanted, it was what the Fates had planned to happen for the longest time. It happened just as it had always meant to." She spoke with the Moiras, who were always present with her, even if not visible.

 

"I was always meant to See the Tapestry." She said with the same voice as the night she revealed her gift from the Fates.

 

As the Huntress's were still reeling from the revelation, Kai looked up at Apollo and Artemis.

 

“What do we do now?” She said with her normal voice, the Moirai retreating to their own domain where they could tend to the Tapestry, she would wait until it was the time when she would get to meet her firstborn son.

 

Artemis and Apollo exchanged a determined glance.

 

Artemis recounted how the council would be divided on the matter of Kai and the prophecy.

 

“Apollo, myself, Poseidon, Dionysus, Hermes, and Aphrodite will vote to keep you alive.”

The goddess ticked off each god with her fingers.

 

“Apollo, I, and Poseidon for obvious reasons.” Artemis smiled slightly.

 

“Dionysus because Ariadne was Icarus’ best friend and she has a deep attachment to you. He would do anything for his wife."

 

Kai though that's true, she had been pleasently surprised as she Saw that Dionysus would have only a handful of children over the millennia. Ariadne had always been there when he took lovers and it was always her that had to push him to even have demigod children. Ariadne would then adopt the children and would some times even claim them as her own with her husband. In fact, Ariadne had claimed the twins as hers. Ariadne asked her to be kind to her's and Dionysus’ two sons, even if there had been no need to ask. Due to their father being so awful to the campers, the two boys were fairly isolated. She could understand both sides, it was unfair to the campers and it was unfair to Dionysus to have been punished for something as stupid as Zeus' favorite nymph, he had been punished to not drink wine, his own domain, and he had to see many of the demigods die, it was cruel. She had liked the twins when she talked to them, she can See their fate, and it is bright, even if there are quite a few scares.

 

“Hermes is Apollo’s favorite brother and vice versa,” Artemis continued, before her face twisted in distaste.

 

“Aphrodite has always thought that Apollo and Hyacinthus were peak romance. She loved the first two runs of their reincarnation love story and is eagerly waiting to watch the third re-run.”

 

Artemis looked like she was badly in need of mouthwash. Kai recalled the many rants about Aphrodite that she had heard in her second life.

 

“Unfortunately, Zeus, Athena, and Ares will vote to kill you. Zeus has grown too paranoid, Athena because she is strategic and cautious, and Ares because he loves war and chaos.”

 

“Demeter will stay neutral. She is not fond of Poseidon but does not want Apollo to scorch crops in a rage and damage her domain. Hera appreciated Hyacinthus’ respect for the sanctity of marriage but will likely stay neutral to not fully go against her husband. Hephaestus will either be neutral or side with keeping you alive because he does not want another civilization collapse. His domains and followers fared very poorly until the world recovered from Apollo’s wrath.”

 

“That will give us a majority.” The goddess of the Hunt spoke, hope infusing her voice.

 

Apollo vowed, “If something happens to you, the Ancient Greek Dark Age and the Late Bronze Era Collapse that I caused due to the death of Icarus will be child’s play compared to what I will do this time. I was not actually trying back then. It was just collateral damage. My father and Athena need a reminder of that!”

 

Kai hugged him to calm him down, feeling the weight of her past lives and the love and support of those around her. Together, they would face whatever challenges lay ahead, determined to protect Kai and preserve the future of Olympus.

 

“Calm, dear, the prophecy was always meant to be mine either way, I will survive.” She told Apollo, who looked sceptical. She had to change the subject now before he panics.

 

She smiled at him.

“When can I meet Asclepius?” She asked. She already knew when, the wait would not be that long.

 

Apollo winced.

 

“We might need to wait a bit. My father is still furious. Artemis and I might get way with a lot due to our positions, but our son is a minor god. Clio also wants to meet you but is holding back so Zeus does not take umbrage and does something rash.”

_______________________

 

"Kai!" Kai turned at the sound of the familiar voice. It was her fourth day at Camp Half-Blood, and she had joined the Apollo and Demeter cabins to do her part in working the fields where Camp Half-Blood grew their produce. The residents of Cabin 4 and the two sons of Dionysus did most of the work, but naturally everyone (who wasn't a danger to the plants, as most of the Hephaestus cabin was) was expected to do their part to help out.  

 

Kai enjoyed working in the fields. As Hyacinthus, Kai had often gone gardening in secret to relax away from the stress of the royal court, and her father Amyclas had frequently had her work in the fields among other chores alongside the peasants and slaves to teach her humility and to make her understand the work their people did. And Sally, while she couldn't indulge her green thumb as much as she wanted in their little Manhattan apartment, had a fondness for tending her little flower pots on the balcony, and Kai would often join her. Her knowledge of gardening helped her to become quick and firm friends with Katie Gardner, the Head Counsellor for the Demeter Cabin. Judging by her aura, Katie was the most powerful demigod in Camp bar Kai herself, but she was quiet and overlooked by most, as were her siblings.

 

It amuzed Kai to know that the children of Demeter, the second-born daughter of Kronos and Rhea, and the children of Aphrodite, the eldest of the gods and the last child of Ouranos, were considered weak and powerless. Kai knew from experience that was not the case, and she could see the bitterness and resentment lingering in her cousins' eyes at the constant dismissal they endured, just because their mothers weren't obviously powerful. She was horrified to see the Aphrodite children being left on the sidelines during training, as if their lives weren't in constant danger as well. 

 

She couldn't understand why Chiron had allowed it to happen, just as she couldn't understand why he'd removed strategy and healing lessons from the curriculum, leaving demigods to rely on Athena's children for battle planning and Apollo's children for healing. How many half-bloods had been killed because they couldn't properly strategize, or heal their injuries after a fight? Was the centaur trying to sabotage his students, or had he just become so jaded and tired after so long and so many dead students that he didn't care anymore? He was a far cry from the stern and intense but caring teacher who had trained Hyacinthus. 

 

He wasn't even implementing a proper hierarchy in Camp, the way there had been in Hyacinthus's time. Instead the campers simply followed the lead of their head counsellor (typically the eldest sibling, but as shown by Annabeth Chase being head of the Athena cabin instead of her older brother Malcolm Pace, not always), whether that head counsellor deserved that trust or not. 

 

Luke Castellan at least had some reason for his clear high status in camp. Everyone seemed to respect him for his swordfighting skills (decent enough, Kai supposed, but unimpressive to a former Crown Prince and General of Sparta) and because he had been a Head Counsellor and full-time camper for five years, longer than anybody else.  

 

He was nothing but friendly and welcoming to her, but she just couldn't bring herself to trust him fully. She knew his fate and knew they would be enemies sooner rather than later, and it was the hint of resentment she occasionally glimpsed in his eyes when he mentioned the gods, or the subtle tightness in his jaw when he spoke to Will, that she knew his path would not change. Both Hyacinthus and Icarus had grown up in the shadow of the royal courts, where knowing a person's opinions could be a matter of life and death, and she had inherited their ability to read people. She hid her wariness, however, and concentrated on caring for her son and ingratiating herself with the other campers to allow her to establish herself beyond her heritage and relationship with Apollo

 

Soon, she had become excellent friends with Silena Beauregard, Katie, Charles Beckendorf (who everyone called by his surname), Malcolm Pace, Castor and Pollux, Travis, Connor and Clarisse in particular, but she had charmed pretty much everyone except a few of Malcolm's siblings, who seemed determined to dislike her, on account of the feud between Athena and Poseidon, and some unclaimed demigods who Kai knew were resentful on account of her being acknowledged by Poseidon (and Amphitrite) so quickly. It was convenient that most of her close friends were Counsellors, because it softened their siblings towards her but she really did like them. And of course, Will was almost constantly by her side, something she had no qualms about. The closer her son was to her, the easier it was to protect him. 

 

She would not lose him again, she knew but a mother's fears would not be erased by her sight.

 

"Grover!" Kai greeted her friend with surprise as he ran up to her. "Where have you been the past few days?" She already knew that but no one should know that she's a Prophet of the Fates for now.

 

He grimaced. "Uh-I was giving my report to the Council of Cloven Elders. They took a while to make a decision." 

 

Kai eyed him shrewdly. "A decision about what?" She asked suspiciously. Seriously, she deserves an award.

 

Will, at her side as practically always, brightened. "Oh, oh, do you have your searcher's license now Grover?" He asked excitedly. "That's so cool! When do you leave? Where are you going to start looking, can you say?" 

 

"Searcher's licence?" Kai echoed in bemusement. "What's that?" 

 

Grover shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, no, Will, I don't," he stated. Will blushed, looking guilty and embarrassed. Kai eyed her friend and turned to her son. 

 

"Will, pēpē, would you go and help your siblings while Grover and I talk?" She requested gently. 

 

"Yes Mom," he agreed. "Sorry Grover. I didn't mean to upset you." 

 

Grover smiled genuinely at the young son of Apollo. "Don't worry, Will," he said kindly. "I know you meant well." 

 

Will nodded, gave Kai a quick hug and hurried off to help Victoria and Lee carry some full baskets to the shipping containers. 

 

Kai turned to Grover and looked at him expectantly. "So?" She said pointedly. "Spill. Why did the Council of Cloven Elders need to take four days to make a decision about your report? What was the decision and what's a searcher's licence?" 

 

Grover sighed ruefully and began helping Kai pick the strawberries from their bush. "The great god Pan disappeared two thousand years ago," he told Kai, who gasped in horror and shock. "A sailor off the coast of Ephesos heard a mysterious voice crying out from the shore, 'Tell them that the great god Pan has died!' When humans heard the news, they believed it. They've been pillaging Pan's kingdom ever since. But for the satyrs, Pan was our lord and master. He protected us and the wild places of the earth. We refuse to believe that he died. In every generation, the bravest satyrs pledge their lives to finding Pan. They search the earth, exploring all the wildest places, hoping to find where he is hidden, and wake him from his sleep. That's what the searcher's licence is for." 

 

"And you want to be a searcher," Kai stated.  

 

"It's a family tradition," Grover replied. "My father, my uncle, my grandfather...for seven generations, my family has been searchers. Getting you to Camp was my last chance, and I screwed it up." 

 

"What was your first chance?" Kai asked gently, knowing this was a painful topic for her friend, but also that he needed to get it off his chest.

 

He looked down at his hands briefly before turning to point at the oak tree that had once been Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus. "It was five years ago. I was sent to retrieve Thalia and get her to Camp safely. She was-"

 

"Daughter of Zeus," Kai murmured. "Apollo told me about her. You were her protector."

 

"Yes," Grover confirmed. "I was sent to bring Thalia here. Just Thalia. But she had picked up two other half-bloods, Luke and Annabeth. You've met them."

 

Kai suppressed a grimace despite knowing Grover's empathy would pick up on her distaste for the pair, giving a brief nod as her friend continued.

 

"Neither of us were willing to leave her, and I-I thought I could get them all to safety. I was wrong. Hades sent monsters to kill Thalia, and I got scared. I took some wrong turns, ended up leading us right into a Cyclops's lair, where Thalia got hurt. We made it as far as the Hill, but, well, you said you know the story." He looked at Kai. "I can tell you don't like Luke and Annabeth very much, but they're good people who've had a rough time. They didn't blame me for Thalia. They're my friends."

 

"I don't like them, but I don't have any particular problem with them either," Kai told Grover. "Anyway, them not blaming you was the right thing to do. It wasn't your fault. Thalia was born against a broken oath on the River Styx. That has consequences. If the Fates decided it was time to cut her string, there was nothing you could have done that would have saved her."

 

Grover swallowed heavily, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "At any rate," he said, changing the subject. "You have to get your assigned demigod safely to Camp to earn a searcher's licence. I failed, so I should have been blacklisted. But Chiron was able to convince them to let me try again. But you saved yourself, and then Apollo carried you over the border, so I technically failed." 

 

Kai was silent a moment. "I agree with you," she told her friend at last. "I don't believe Pan is gone. And if he's only lost, he can be found. And I know that if anyone can do it, it'll be you." 

 

She heard the echo in her mind of Atropos's threat to Icarus, all those centuries ago ' Even the strings of the gods can be cut, child '. It was true. She knew. They hadn't lied. Still grieving Alexios, Icarus was unwilling to risk it. Gods were immortal but they could fade. It was possible.

 

Grover flushed a bit and ducked his head. "Thanks Kai," he murmured. "You always seem so sincere when you say things like that. Like you mean it, instead of just saying it to comfort me." 

 

"That's because I do believe it," Kai told him firmly. "If anyone can find Pan, you can." 

 

Grover smiled, but she could see the doubt in his brown eyes. Well, that wouldn't do, he was meant to find Pan and he would.

 

"So, what did the Council say?" She pressed. "They felt you failed your assignment even though I got here alive?" 

 

"Mr. D sent a part of his consciousness to participate in the talk and he suspended judgment. He said I hadn't failed or succeeded with you yet, seeing as you were unconscious when we arrived and were brought in by Lord Apollo, not me, plus your mom..." He trailed off, wincing. Kai didn't say anything, pressing her lips together and suppressing the surge of grief at not being able to have her mother now to meet with her son but it would happen soon. Despite regular sacrifices, she'd had no signs from Lord Hades except the one on the first night at Camp where she Saw him nodding in his throne, but it was enough.

 

Grover cleared his throat and continued, "Anyway, Mr. D says that means that our fates are still tied together. If you got a quest and I went along to protect you, and we both came back alive, then maybe he'd consider the job complete." 

 

"That's not so bad, is it?" Kai said reasonably. The time for her quest was not that far away.

 

"Blaa-ha-ha!" Grover bleated in response. "He might as well have transferred me to stable-cleaning duty. The chances of you getting a quest... and even if you did, why would you want me along?" 

 

"Of course I would, you're my best friend! I can rely on you, and that's the most important quality needed in a quest partner!" Kai exclaimed. "And what do you mean, 'the chances of me getting a quest'? Aren't they common?" 

 

Grover shook his head. "Not anymore," he said, dropping his voice a bit, though there was nobody around. "They used to be, but three and a half years ago, Luke, you know Luke Castellan? He was sent to steal the Apples of Immortality from the Garden of the Hesperides. His father wanted him to get some glory. His girlfriend, Stacey Brass and their third quester, Evan McEntire, were both killed, and he barely survived. There haven't been any quests ever since." 

 

Kai frowned. "I can't imagine it will be that way forever, though," she said reasonably. "Frankly, I'm surprised one bad quest stopped them at all. The gods need heroes too much. And as a daughter of Poseidon, I can't imagine I won't be called on at some point. And I promise if I am, I'll bring you with me. Deal?" 

 

"Deal," Grover smiled, though there was still a glint of sadness in his eyes. There was no need to be, she had to get what was stolen after all.

_________________________

 

"His fate is not yet defined, his thread not yet cut, child, if you can convince him of staying, we shall grant you a surprise gift, we have held it back for long years now" The Fates voices sang in her ears at night as she dreamed. "The one who loved and protected shall be back if you can help the one who loves the wild"

 

"We shall give you a change to return the god who's lost but it will only be one time"

 

"I thank the Moirai for this chance" 

 

The Fates disappeared after that but not before showing her a vision.

 

"Oh!" She exclaimed delighted at what she Saw.

 

"I'll definitely do it! No mistakes will be made if He can be found!" She said happy and confident.

__________________________

 

"The Fates don't wait for anyone, we take what was always meant to be ours, but perhaps, we have been waiting for this"

___________________________

 

Pan was tired, he was just waiting in pain, clutching to his chest where his essence would be concentrated, where his heart would be if he were human.

 

His domain so broken and dead no longer bringing him the comfort it once since had, his domain so devastated and him fading along with it. He could wait for a bit longer, could wait for the one he had chosen to find him for a bit longer.

 

He was still fighting the ever present tiresome sleep that threatened to make him fade quicker when he suddenly felt a presence that felt just like him but different, more ruthless and wild, more relentless and merciless and yet, It felt calm and gentle, so kind and forgiving, he relaxed and felt peacefull in that comforting presence.

 

He then heard the voice, so gentle as the waves in the sea, saying;

 

"Just a little longer, lost god, the one you so eagerly waits for is coming in few years, just for a little longer, hold on for just a little longer"

 

"I'm tired....." He found himself saying, "they are killing me and my domain, it's so painful, and it's been a long time since it has not hurt" He said tired and with soft tears in his eyes.

 

"I understand that, but you are not done yet, your domain is still there and some have fought for you and the wild, don't give up yet, lost god, your family still looks for you and are still waiting for a single word, or a call from you, they wait for you because they love and adore you, you can't give up just yet" The voice said in a gentle but firm tone, it had been a long time since the voice had said anything to him except for whispering encouraging words.

 

"Alright..... I'll not give up just yet, I'll hold on for a little while longer, I'll wait for my champion for a little longer..... But please, sing for me once more?...." He said even though tired of holding on, he desperately asked the voice for a song, any song, so he could sleep for a while not in pain.

 

"Of course, lost god, anything to keep you from your pain and anguish, I'll sing for you a song of old that brought me peace in times that hope seemed so distant from me" The voice said gently as he felt the presence get closer and felt a gentle hand on his cheek.

 

The voice began to sing a song that brought hope just like the waves in the sea would come to meet the earth, the voice sang a song that would cleanse the pain just like the sea would do.

 

The god let the song wash away the pain like waves in a gentle ocean, allowing himself to relax and enjoy the song that the voice would sing for him, allowing himself to feel at peace in the gentle and cool presence of the voice that had kept him company for so long.

 

The lost god allowed himself to sleep under the loving and caring voice.

 

".... You deserve so much more, my dear and lost god, at some point in your pain and suffering, you lost yourself in your misery but worry not, as long as I'm here, I'll remember you of what you are, who you are and who you once were, I promise.... You'll not end up like me in the end, not if I can help it...." The voice said in a whisper as it looked at the sleeping god.

 

'You will not lose this son, dear.... I will not lose this son.....' The voice thought.

 

______________________

 

Kai smiled sweetly at the vision she saw, she would ensure that neither of them would lose each other again.

_______________________ 

 

"Why are you smiling like that, mama?" Will asked shyly as he looked at Kai, who was lovingly looking at him.

 

"Nothing for you to worry about, pēpē, I'm just happy to spend time with you" She said gently to her adorable son.

 

"Oh! Me too, Mama!! I'm really happy to be with you!" Will exclaimed happily smiling like a bright star in the sky.

 

"So adorably cute, my son is!" Kai said smiling and hugging her son tightly.

 

'I'll help you, my dear brother..... I'll help your lost god.... I'll help your Beloved God to not lose this favorite son....' Kai though as she followed her darling son to the dining pavilion to have breakfast.

_____________________ 

 

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of The Three Reincarnations of The Sun's Beloved