Chapter Text
Anna awoke to the sound of a baby crying. This was unusual for multiple reasons, the least of which being that there was no baby in her apartment complex. And of course, the fact she didn’t remember falling asleep.
She rolled to her side, wincing at the pounding in her head. What had she been doing last night? And why was she on this hardwood floor?
Her eardrums were assaulted by a heart-wrenching wail. She groaned in frustration and pulled herself to her feet. Whose baby was this, anyway?
She uneasily made her way to the nice looking crib in the next room over. A wooden arm was attached to it, where a mobile of the solar system hung above the crying infant. The bright, cheerful colors stood out against the pastel blue-painted walls, to which glow-in-the-dark stars were pasted to.
Her heart sank. This was not her apartment.
But there was no time to worry about that. This baby was crying his little heart out. Where were his parents?
Anna peered over the edge of the crib and felt her heart melt at the baby within. He was a small little guy with tufts of blonde hair, his face red with anger and distress. Fat little tears rolled uncontrollably down his cheeks.
“Oh, shhh, baby, please don’t cry. Your mommy and daddy will be here soon,” she said, surprising herself. The house was deserted except for her, if the amount of time he’d been crying was anything to go by. But what could she do to soothe him?
It was almost second nature to pick him up and hold him close. The little guy’s wails turned into sniffles at her touch, his chubby cheeks burrowing into her chest.
Babies cried when they were hungry, right? He probably just needed some milk. Anna was pretty sure there was a fridge she passed by on her way here.
Humming softly to herself, she took careful steps into the kitchen, not wanting to jostle the precious bundle in her arms. Whoever his parents were, they were lucky to have him.
Luckily, there were bottles in the fridge helpfully labelled “Luke’s Milk.” After five minutes of fumbling she’d prefer not to think about, she managed to get the bottle ready.
As Luke drank in big, greedy gulps, her thoughts drifted.
Whose house was this, anyway? Anna lived alone in a high COL city. Even with her Big Tech salary, there was no way she would ever be able to afford a nice house in the suburbs like this.
There was also the baby. Anna was no one’s mother, last she checked. The idea that this might have changed in the last 24 hours was highly distressing.
When Luke finished his bottle, he made small, needy noises. She watched with bemusement as his little blue eyes followed the bottle as she placed it on the kitchen sink. It could sit there until his parents got there to wash it.
Didn’t she have to burp the baby now or something? She turned Luke around and started patting his back. He let out a little “urgh” sound that was just the cutest thing ever, then started blinking slowly. The poor thing was probably worn out and wanted to go to sleep.
“Okay, Luke. It’s sleepy time~” she whispered, making her way back to the nursery.
Once she put him down for his nap, she decided to investigate the house. If nothing else, she needed to know who decided to kidnap her and make her their babysitter!
Careful not to make too much noise, she managed to locate an office. Thankfully, it was unlocked. Papers were scattered around the desk, which was empty except for a few cups of pens. Anna frowned. Who didn’t have at least a laptop in 2025?
Gingerly, she picked up a paper that was noticeably thicker than the others. OFFICE OF VITAL STATISTICS CERTIFICATE OF BIRTH, it read at the top. She read down a few lines.
Name: Luke Castellan.
Mother’s Maiden Name: May Castellan.
Father’s name: -
Luke Castellan. Something about that name niggled at her brain.
Still, May Castellan? Who was she? She dug around on the desk and managed to find a wallet. Perfect.
Anna moved to brush back the strand of blonde hair that had fallen on her face. Except. She didn’t have blonde hair.
Something was seriously wrong here. She hurried to the bathroom, wallet in hand.
A stranger stared back at her in the mirror. She had fair skin, and long, golden-blonde hair that fell down to her shoulders. Her hazel eyes were shadowed by dark bags, and when Anna reached up to touch her face she could feel the dried blood at her temple.
Nonono. There’s no way.
She flipped through the wallet with shaking hands and fished out May Castellan’s driver’s license. A smiling blonde woman stared back at her.
Her knees met the cold tile of the bathroom floor. She’d been transmigrated into some random woman like some trashy isekai novel! Wasn’t this only supposed to happen in books?
Wait a minute. She’d probably transmigrated into a book of some kind. A fantasy one, if Luke’s missing father was anything to go by.
It hit her like the truck that had probably brought her here. Luke Castellan was a character in the Percy Jackson series, wasn’t he? The one about the son of Poseidon, and all of his wacky adventures? It’d been years since she picked up one of the novels, but she was sure she remembered at least this much.
Oh shit, she thought, she’s May Castellan. May Castellan is the mother of Luke Castellan. No wonder holding him had felt so natural! He was hers.
Okay, Anna, think. What happened in Percy Jackson? There was a Camp, right? Full of the children of the gods? And they were fighting–
A war. A war with Kronos. She felt cold sweat trickle down the back of her neck. Kronos possesses Luke Castellan, and he is forced to sacrifice himself to save everyone.
A god is after Luke to take his body. A god is after her son.
Fuck, where was she in the timeline? Was she anywhere near Camp Half-Blood? She needed more information.
She couldn’t let her son die. She couldn’t.
Suddenly, she heard a voice speaking softly from around the corner. From the bathroom she could see a tall shadow creeping from the nursery.
“Oh, my sweet Luke. Everything will be fine, don’t you see? My little hero,” he murmured. His voice sent shudders down her spine.
That was no man. His form blurred, like the stars in Luke’s room had melded into humanoid form. Though his face was shadowed by the brim of his hat, she could still see their inhumanly blue glow from across the hallway.
A god was standing over her son.
Luke started to fuss in his cradle, and the god chuckled. He leaned over the crib and crooned, “Shhh, my little Loukas. We wouldn’t want to worry your mother now, would we?”
Did he know she was here?
She forced herself not to breathe. She couldn’t afford to show weakness. Not while Kronos was here.
The god pressed a kiss into Luke’s forehead before vanishing into the breeze, sending the mobile into a gentle spin. The baby began to cry, clearly unnerved by what had just happened.
Anna rushed into the room and held her son close.
They needed to get out of here, now.