Recovery
Kassandra was still yelling when she came around, still lying down. Her skin was a lot cooler and the roar of fire had left her ears, replaced by the sound of clattering shoes on marble. Marble? Where was she?
When she went to open her eyes it was like they were sealed with some sort of glue, but a quick rub solved that. The thick sleep left her eyes and she forced them open. Instantly she was hit by a bright light, one that momentarily stunned her. She hissed like some damned cat.
"Woah there ma'am!" said some woman, who she could faintly see through the light.
Kassandra scampered off the table that she was lying on and wiped her eyes again.
"Where have you taken me? Is this Enceladus' lair?" Her eyes darted around the room like a cornered animal. She was ready to fight if necessary.
But looking around, this couldn't be the lair of the giant. Columns of white stone, bright lights from braziers and statues of some warrior dotted around the place. The room was a bleached medical white, almost unnatural. It was like the inside of a temple.
The woman, who she could now see more clearly, spoke.
"No ma'am, this is a hidden temple of Bellona."
The woman wore a chiton, similar to Kassandra, brown luscious hair flowing from her head like a river. There was a cheery demeanour about her, initially leading the goddess to be suspicious but she could sense it was genuine.
"Mother?" she said, frowning.
"Yes," smiled the lady, "She brought you here after your little run in with the giant Enceladus."
Of course, the giant! She had been pulled from the fight and left her friends to deal with the giant alone. Oh gods, they were probably being cut to shreds as she took her time in her own mothers temple.
"Don't worry," said the woman as if she was reading her mind, "Your friends defeated Enceladus. They're currently freeing Hera, or Juno, at the Wolf House."
"I need to help them!" she announced, swiftly turning on her heel and heading for the nearest door. When she turned though, she was struck with a great pain, collapsing to the floor and letting out a string of curses.
"Perhaps you didn't notice, but you didn't escape Enceladus unharmed," spoke a strong, masculine voice.
Kassandra picked herself back up again.
"Hector? What are you doing? There are people around!"
The prince of Troy, clad in his armour and holding his helmet to his waist, bowed politely.
"Do not worry m'lady, Miss Angelina here is accustomed to such characters like myself. We've become quite acquainted whilst waiting for your burns to recover."
"My burns?"
She looked down at herself. She still wore a white chiton, but she could tell it was new, not the same one gifted to her by Aphrodite. But her revealed skin...
Her once tanned bronze skin was cracked, a perfect contrast to her once smooth perfect skin. It felt worst on her shoulder. Pulling back the white dress revealed a charred black block, one that when she touched stung like Tartarus.
"The results of the fire from the giant's fire breath are... possibly permanent. When you were torched, Bellona swooped in and protected you from a majority of the flames whilst whisking you away. However Enceladus is a powerful being, rival of Athena herself. So since there were no major healing gods on stand by when you were brought here, I did the best I could. Treating your mothers battle wounds and burns from Enceladus are a different story though."
Kassandra looked around again. If her mother had cared enough to break their little break-away, where was she? She looked back, and realised that instead of being on a table she was actually on the altar of her mothers temple.
Keeping silent, she wandered over to one of the many statues of her mother. She could feel the eyes of Hector and her mothers personal assistant/doctor on her back. She stroked the marble face tentatively. It was so beautifully carved, it had to have been a work of Hephaestus himself.
"How long have you worked for my mother, Angelina?" Kassandra asked, still entranced by the statues face.
"About 400 years now. I deal with paper work, injuries and whatever other maintenance there is."
"And has she ever done something like this before? Abandon her child out of the blue just to save their life and then disappear again?"
She could sense Hector and Angelina looking at each other, feel the nervousness of the two, like at any moment she may snap and blow up on them. The personal assistant gulped.
"Well, you are a special case ma'am. I believe your father is missing too, so I doubt it's your fault. Besides, she's an older goddess, perhaps she lost track of time or has something important going on."
Then, Kassandra turned again, holding the dress by the shoulder to expose her burn to the air. She found the need to be careful to move, but she put up with the pain spikes.
"Then has she been here in the last 6 months? Have you seen her recently?"
Angelina squirmed on the spot. The daughter of war took one step forwards, and then with blinding speed she was just inches away from her face. The two held a staring contest, short-lived when the assistant backed down.
"Alright, she does come here every now and then. Half the time she's injured and the other half the time... well I don't wish to put the mistress in bad taste but I believe she's drunk."
"Tell me more," she threatened.
"W-w-well, when she returns she seems distressed about something. I can never get her to speak coherently, but from what I've gathered over time listening to her it's all got something to do with something that happened after the battle of Manhattan."
That's when both mater and pater left. Now she had proof that not only were both still out there, but she had met them both. Sure, she met her mother whilst unconscious, but none the less she had come to her in her time of need.
She took a step back and took a deep breath. Calm thoughts. Aspen braiding her hair, archery lessons with Chiron, the garden of her home.
"When was the last time she was here?"
"I don't know if it's my place to say..."
Kassandra's eyes flashed gold and the air crackled. Angelina squeaked.
"Ok! It was about last week, something to do with a quest and-"
"What sort of a quest?"
"All she said was it had something to do with a tree! Some sort of impossible task!"
"Did she say anything else about it?"
Hector coughed, dragging Kassandra's attention over to him.
"Not to interrupt, but I must confess that I did see your mother. It was she who drew me out of your crown. And when she did, she gave me this."
He held out a hand and from thin air produced a pot. A clay pot, no design or decor, simply plain. Kassandra peered over to look inside.
It radiated no power, so she could see it was normal. There was dirt inside, nutrient rich and dark as if it had been recently watered. And in the centre was a tiny green sapling.
"What is this?" asked Kassandra, curiosity getting the better of her.
"Whilst Miss Angelina tended to your wounds, your mother gave this to me. She said it was the final piece. I don't know exactly what that means, but I assume you do?"
He handed it over to her and she held it in her palm. It was so small and innocent looking. Was it meant to be a gift? Something to make up for blocking her out for 6 months? It was a pretty terrible gift if she said so herself.
"Could you send this to my fathers cabin at camp half-blood? I'll take a look at it there thanks."
Angelina nodded, taking the potted plant from her and snapping her fingers, the pot vanishing into thin air.
Kassandra sighed. She had hoped for something better from Bellona. Some sign or message that everything was going to work out all right and the three of them would go back to their home on Olympus. She was beginning to think that was a bit of a stretch now though.
"Say, what do you know about my father Angelina?" mused the daughter of Rome, sitting back on her mothers altar.
"Well, he's the god of divine healing, demigods and endurance. Patron of the two demi-god camps, son of Asclepius. Loyal servant of the gods and-"
"No, as in on a personal level. Did you ever meet him?"
There was silence. Hector lent back against a pillar and watched. He had always been used to watching. When he fought, he was never officially general; his father was. He had to sit and let Priam make all the decisions, and then when he carried out the orders had to watch his men be slaughtered in operations he knew would fail.
"Well yes," said the assistant cautiously. "We met on a few occasions, he was a nice gentleman. Your mother and he seemed so in love, unlike anything I've seen between any other gods before. It was so pure."
She spoke dreamily, as if she too hoped of finding love.
"Did he ever show signs of... changing his allegiance?"
Angelina frowned. "What do you mean?"
Kassandra coughed. She didn't want to go accusing her father of anything, but she knew what she had seen back at the palace of Aeolus. She was just praying there was some sort of elaborate explanation.
"I don't know, signs he could have held a grudge against the Olympians and worked against them?"
The personal assistant shook her head. "No, he really was loyal. Then again, from what I saw of him, he wasn't loyal to Olympus it seems. He was loyal to Bellona, some Annabeth girl and the teacher Chiron. There were others, but I think the whole point was that he stayed true to Olympus for those he cared for, not the gods themselves."
Kassandra had found that of her father. She found that in herself. If it weren't for people like Aspen, Annabeth, Chiron and Percy she would have left camp just weeks after arriving. Now there was Piper, Leo and Jason to fight on for.
She just had to wonder; why would her father associate with beings like Ichiro and Ikari? And why was he a she? A handbook to these sorts of things would be nice, was that too much to ask? It was probably better not to let on though.
"Well, thanks I guess. For healing me too."
Angelina nodded.
"Don't worry. A member of Bellona's family is always welcome in her temples and of my service. Just take care of that burn and don't put too much stress on it. Expose it to air often and perhaps apply soothing creams."
"Thank you, Angelina. For everything you've done for me and my family."
"It's my job," she smiled with genuine care.
Summoning her crown/tiara, she beckoned over to Hector, who stood up straight and re-equipped his helmet. He stood tall and saluted Angelina.
"It has been an honour to meet you, assistant of Bellona."
"As it has been a pleasure to meet you, prince of Troy," giggled Angelina.
Nodding at the daughter of Bellona, he was absorbed into the crown.
Kassandra turned to the exit once more, before realising that she had no idea where she was or how exactly she would get back to camp.
"Do you think you could get me a ride back to camp? I would use air travel but I'm a little unpredictable with that sort of stuff. I'm training though."
"Of course. Your mother also asks for taxi service every now and then. So straight to camp?"
The daughter of Rome nodded, and the personal assistant began to draw hand signals in the air.
"Your friends may already be back when you arrive, time moves differently in these sorts of places. But good luck with your quest!"
Kassandra waved as her body faded into the air.
Kassandra practically spawned into her fathers bedroom, right at the foot of his bed. She squeaked and jumped out of the room, determined not to spend a second longer. He would be the first to step back in this room, not her. Even if they had a home on Olympus this was still his room, his space.
When she looked back into the room, there was something sticking out; the potted plant from her mother. It sat on the window, looking out into camp and basking in the summer sun. It seemed harmless, so she left it there.
On a cabinet next to her she reached for a brooch that she had discarded before leaving. It was a standard gold, no particular design, and when she attached it to her chiton it matched rather nicely. Now she had something better to wear around camp to express her status. Not that she believed herself to be superior, but she was still a goddess.
Still dressed in her chiton, she bounded downstairs and burst out the front door and onto the porch. Her sandals from Hermes were still immaculately clean somehow, and the weight of her crown was still on her head.
"So, this is camp half-blood? I'm not really sure what I expected," mused Hector.
"It's a wonderful place," replied Kassandra aloud, "You just got to get used to it, that's all."
She collapsed in a rocker chair that had been there since she got to camp. Rocking back and forth, she contemplated the second of her two prophecies.
It all seemed to have tied up, except for the tree part. She was still perplexed why her mother had given her the plant, but it had to have been a part of the prophecy. Maybe it would grow into a little dryad.
Her first prophecy was completed. It was a satisfying thought, but not something she had ever expected to accomplish. Hopefully there wouldn't be much more to do, but then again she still had her first prophecy to complete. She could only wish it would't be that hard.
But then again, if she had people like Piper, Leo and Jason it might not be that much of an issue. She just really felt ashamed of not helping them as much as she could have during their fight against Enceladus and freeing Hera/Juno. She hoped to serve better in the future.
Kassandra was then struck from thought with a loud sound from somewhere not so far off; one of the cabins erupted in cheer. Curious, she jotted down from the porch to take a look.
Sure enough, the cabin door of the Aphrodite cabin burst open, and out came all the campers, carrying none other than Piper on their shoulders. She was still wearing her pajamas, but looked so happy. The daughter of Rome watched in amusement as McLean was carried off and towards the dining pavilion.
She could do with some breakfast, so she took off to the pavilion after the campers.
By the time Kassandra made it to the dining hall the place was full. Nature spirits carried platter of food around whilst demi-gods feasted together,chatting and laughing. The Aphrodite table was the most bubbly, but one spirit caught her eye.
Sneaking across the pavilion with stealth to rival the goddess of the hunt herself, she eventually made her way directly behind the pale spirit. She wore a lovely dress, one that she hadn't seen on her before. It went down to her knees and was similar to a wedding dress. Kassandra giggled at a silly thought that brought on.
Unfortunately, the nature spirit heard and she spun around, catching Kassandra off guard. A few cups fell from the tray she was carrying, but she grabbed them mid air last minute. She had impressed herself.
"Kassandra!" said Aspen breathlessly, "You're back! I thought- Holy Hera your shoulder!" she panicked. "What happened!"
"Just a minor incident with a giant, nothing terrible," she responded, "It'll heal. Probably."
Aspen tentatively reached out to touch the wound, her gentle fingers feeling the charred skin. Kassandra gritted her teeth and scrunched her hand up into a fist. She would put up with the pain though.
"You look like you've been spit roasted by cannibals, this is unacceptable."
From the touch a cold feeling spread over the ex-hunters body. It was like an ice bath, except she'd never had an ice bath before. But the shock quickly subsided, and was replaced with a the smell of pollen and tree sap. Then again, she had never smelt any of those either.
Withing no time when she looked down her skin was as smooth as before. The only sign of her burns was a heavy scarring on on the area.
"Feel any better?" asked Aspen.
"Plentifully," Kassandra responded cheerily.
"Then you'll be in perfect health for that date you owe me," she purred.
Kassandra blushed a deep scarlet. She didn't know much about relationships, but she must have truly been blessed to earn even a chance with Aspen. She wondered how many others had fallen for her before.
"Well when do you think it would be an acceptable time?"
Aspen looked around. No one had noticed the two talking, no one had taken sight of Kassandra herself.
"Well, how about now?" she asked, trailing fingers up Kassandra's chiton.
The child of Rome's legs shook as if she had been caught in one of Poseidon's earthquakes. Ikari and Ichiro would be the least of her problems when Aspen was around.
She laughed nervously, "Why not?"
They slipped away, no one the wiser Kassandra had arrived at camp. The daughter of war didn't have a plan, so she'd have to think on the go. Luckily, a plan had already started to come to her. If her skills as a goddess had improved, she might just be able to pull it off.
They walked through camp in a comfortable silence, and soon enough Kassandra found their hands were brushing against each other as they walked. Without looking at the other, they both instinctively slipped their hands together. It took both a while to even realise they had done so.
"So," spoke Aspen first, "Where do you plan on whisking me away to?"
"Well, have you ever left camp before?"
The nature spirit shook her head. "Never. I've always been confined to camp because of the bond between me and my tree."
Kassandra nodded. "What if I gave you an offer to bypass that connection? Break free of this 'imprisonment'."
Aspen looked around as if Kassandra had just told her she was going to try and overthrow the gods.
"Can... can you do that?" she asked nervously, a contrast to how she usually acted.
"Well, it's not something I've tried, but with everyday I grow older I get a little stronger, striving towards godhood. And before I came here, I was at a sanctuary, my mothers sanctuary to be specific."
"That's great!" said Aspen, a cheery smile jumping to her face from her originally nervous look.
"Not really," she confessed, "I didn't actually see her. Her personal assistant was there though, she was nice. But anyway, whilst I was there something must have happened, because between getting this burn and now, I feel stronger."
"And you can cut my ties to my tree with this strength?"
Kassandra put a thumbs up and smiled cautiously. Aspen looked warily at her.
"Probably. Although there could always be some unintended side effects."
Aspens eyes squinted even more as she studied the goddess in front of her. Then, she cautiously stretched out a hand.
"Ok then."
Thinking back on it, it wasn't the smartest move to attempt such a powerful technique on the girl that she loved. Fortunately, Tyche must have been in a good mood that day as somehow the process succeeded.
They stopped outside the amphitheatre, the building empty and bordering the forest for them to conceal themselves in.
Kassandra stretched a hand out and met Aspens, gently touching fingers. There was a stark contrast between the temperature of their bodies, easily noticeable. The daughter of Rome wasn't exactly sure what she was going for, but some divine spirit must have been guiding her.
There was a brief surge of energy through her body, power pulsating through her veins, and then it was gone. Zapped from her, and transferred between the bridge of their fingers. The nature spirits eyes shut tight, squeezed as hard as they could. It was all over in a few seconds, and neither really felt a thing from the initial transfer.
Then, Aspens spirit hit a height it never had before. It soared into the domain of Zeus, flying free in the clouds and gliding as if it had been locked in a tree trunk for the past hundred years. She had never felt more alive.
Then it was all over. Aspen gasped and opened her eyes, and they blazed a brilliant fluorescent green. She stumbled to the ground.
"Are you ok?" asked Kassandra, rushing forwards to grab her crush before she could hit the floor. She made it just in time, and helped her regain her footing.
"Yes, I think so," gasped Aspen. "Everything feels so... so clear."
"Do you think it worked?" asked Kassandra nervously. She was praying to every god and goddess in both the Greek and Roman pantheons for everything to be all right.
"Well there's only one way to test it."
The ex huntress nodded, and the two continued their walk.
As they walked they could hear the campers spreading out for their daily activities, so she knew they'd have to hurry if they wanted to escape unseen. Thankfully, it wasn't long until they made it to a place Kassandra knew the camp border to be.
"Are you ready?" asked the daughter of war.
Aspen nodded. "You go first."
To reassure the nature spirit, Kassandra took one leap forwards, slightly larger than she normally could thanks to her sandals, and was then outside the camp. She gestured for Aspen to try and do the same.
With a deep breath, she followed in her steps.
And just like that, was outside the camp she had spent her life inside.
"H-holy Hera," stuttered Aspen, moving forwards like a robot taking its first steps.
"How does it feel?" asked Kassandra, finding amusement in her crush's actions.
"Invigorating," said the spirit, slowly learning how to properly move. "I truly feel alive!"
Aspen took a few running steps and jumped into Kassandra's arms, the two laughing like children. They interlocked fingers and then they started to, of all things, dance. It was a slow dance, one Chiron had insisted on teaching all of them, demi-gods, satyrs and spirits alike. Now learning it was paying off.
"So, now part one is complete, what else do you have planned?" asked Aspen, resting her head on Kassandra's chest.
The daughter of (Y/N) thought for a second, then a light bulb practically illuminated over her head.
A while ago now, she had heard of a date between Percy and Annabeth that sounded most pleasant. She had always wanted to do something similar and now she was being presented with the chance to do so.
"How would you feel about visiting New York?" she offered, looking down at the beautiful girl.
"Wow," said the two love-stuck ones simultaneously as they materialised in the centre of the infamous Times Square.
The place was entrancing to say the least. Everywhere the ex-huntress looked something peaked her interests, her attention dragged in every direction at the same time. It was nothing like the quiet atmosphere of the hunters camp back with Artemis, nor even the bustling nature of camp half-blood.
"Shall we?" asked Kassandra, offering her hand out to Aspen.
"We shall," giggled the nature spirit, taking the goddesses hand in hers.
As they walked through Times Square, Kassandra was mesmerised by the neon lights and the sheer number of people- mortals scurrying around, each with their own stories, their own desires. It reminded her of her encounter with Adam, the mortal her father had healed of a mortal illness to defy the Olympians who had tormented him for so long.
Aspen grinned wide, twirling in the centre of the square like a child who had found the ultimate playground.
"This place is crazy!" Aspen exclaimed, looking up at the billboards flashing above them. "So many lights, so much... everything!"
Kassandra chuckled, her voice soft. "It's overwhelming, but in a good way. Shall we get lost together?"
Aspen tightened her grip on Kassandra's hand, a spark of mischief in her eyes. "Let's!"
They began to wander the city, hand in hand, letting curiosity guide their path. First, they ventured into Central Park. Aspen's energy shifted the moment they entered the greenery, her eyes alight with joy as she ran her fingers over the leaves of the trees, whispering to them in a language only she could understand. The trees seemed to respond, their branches swaying a little more, the breeze growing softer.
"This is better," Aspen sighed, inhaling the rich scent of earth and damp foliage. "Nature always makes sense to me."
As they walked along the paths of Central Park, they came across a small pond. Aspen crouched down, dipping her fingers into the water, causing tiny ripples that seemed to shimmer unnaturally for a moment.
"Want to see something?" Aspen asked, her eyes twinkling with a secret.
Kassandra nodded, intrigued.
With a playful grin, Aspen stood up and raised her hands above her head, the wind suddenly picking up around them. The trees rustled, and the air grew warmer. In a blink, a cascade of autumn leaves began to fall all around them, even though it was late spring. They danced in the air, swirling around Kassandra and Aspen, a private show for the two of them. It was like a shower curtain, an area of privacy just for them.
It was nice knowing with full confidence the goddess of love wasn't interfering in their little moment.
"You know," said Aspen, closing the distance between the two, "I've never been this close with someone before."
"That's... a surprise to me," admitted Kassandra.
Aspen frowned. "What, you think I just go offering myself to every satyr that comes my way?"
Upon realising how her words could be taken, she held her hands out and shook her head frantically.
"I'm sorry, not like that! I meant that I expected someone of your beauty to have been on more dates with more attractive people than myself."
Aspen tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "I'm flattered you think so highly of me. I must admit, I thought you were... well out of my league at first."
Kassandra was stunned at the thought.
"Not at all! What'd make you think that?"
"Well you're a goddess, a goddess! I don't know about your mother, but your father (Y/N) is enough to put you miles above anyone else at camp. And I'm just an ordinary nature spirit."
"Trust me, there's nothing ordinary I see in you," flirted Kassandra.
Aspen bit her lip. "Well, I'll say the same about your kisses."
"Really?" said the daughter of Rome, pretending to be shocked, "Well, would you like one then?"
"Of course," teased the nature spirit, before they locked lips and got lost in the flurry of autumn leaves and passion.