I DO NOT OWN THE PJO/HoO SERIES!!! ALL RIGHTS GO TO RICK RIORDAN!!!

Chapter 2

Celeste heard her own screams as if they were a million miles away.

Her arm felt like it was being torn out of the socket as the man pulled her farther away towards a small blue car.

Celeste started to struggle in his grasp, kicking and thrashing with her free arm, screaming until her lungs hurt, and once biting down on the man's hand which got her a slap across the face.

"I'm trying to help you, stop squirming!" The man boomed so loud he could be a thunderstorm.

Celeste's screams gradually died down.

She was shoved into the car and the man drove for what seemed like an eternity.

"Now, Celeste, you don't know who I am, but i'm your father. You're going to live with me so you better get used to it." The man said.

Celeste blinked, surprised. Their mother had always told them that their father had gone out to sea once and disappeared.

Obviously, that was a lie.

Of course, the man could be lying, but Celeste had a feeling that he was actually her father.

Celeste still couldn't contemplate the fact that her own mother had kicked her out.

She remembered the worried face of her brother as the door slammed between them. It felt as if someone was mashing her heart with a mallet.

"So, where do you live?" Celeste asked quietly, avoiding eye contact.

For some strange reason, the man's voice softened. "Celeste, you may not believe me, and you're still so young, but I'm Poseidon, god of the sea, and you are a demigod. You're going to live in my palace in the ocean, but most of time I'll be at Olympus, so the subjects there will watch over you. Understand?"

Celeste soaked in the information like a sponge.

A demigod?

Celeste had never heard that word before, but she remembered the name Poseidon from a book she read about Greek mythology.

With Celeste's dyslexia, her preschool teacher had had to read it for her, but the teacher said it was all just make believe.

Wasn't it?

Sighing, Celeste sulked in her leather seat and stared out the window.

The views of the city no longer excited her.

But then she realized, it may be the last time she ever saw land again if she was going to live underwater. And then, another thought occurred to her.

"How will I breathe?" She asked.

Poseidon laughed. "You're my daughter, Celeste. You can breathe underwater."

Celeste decided to stop asking questions. It was better to just listen instead of talk.

But curiosity got the best of her.

"Will I ever be able to talk to Percy?" She asked.

She didn't ask about her mom and she didn't care. If her mother didn't want her, then she didn't want her mother either.

"In time." Poseidon said, but Celeste detected pity in his tone and her heart clenched in fear and worry. "But, you'll spend most of your days training like a demigod should. I'd take you to Camp Half-Blood, but your powers are too powerful. If anyone got their hands on you...well, they could rule the world. Celeste, your powers are special. They could probably destroy the gods if you knew how to use them properly. That's why you're going to live with me. It'll be like a normal life, i'm sure of it."

Again, Celeste soaked the information in. It was pretty shocking, learning all of it at once, but she accepted it as if it was nothing.

Finally, the car stopped and her father motioned her out. "We're here."

•••

When she reached the edge of the pier, she hesitated.

Never seeing Percy again.

"Celeste? You can go now." Poseidon said.

"I know. Sorry." She mumbled.

She sat on her butt on the edge of the pier and then pushed off.

She landed in the water with a loud splash, and she immediately felt reborn.

The water gave her strength and power.

As soon as she was in the water though, Poseidon followed her.

He grabbed her hand, his much larger than hers, and dragged her farther down below.

If she hadn't been Poseidon's daughter, she knew the water pressure would've killed her already.

They swam for what felt like eternity until a palace came into view.

She gasped and smiled in spite of herself.

It was truly a beautiful sight. It reminded her of the story of Atlantis.

"Come. We must get you settled." Poseidon said, bringing her to the door.

When the door opened, she found herself in a large room. There were chandeliers made of seashells and sea creatures of myth and non-myth swimming around in a hurried fashion.

"Wow." Celeste muttered.

"Yes, it is quite the sight. Now come on, I'll show you to your room." Poseidon said, dragging her once more.

She obediently followed and glanced around at the creatures around her. She saw several merpeople who gave her smiles or simply a formal bow. She was the daughter of Poseidon after all.

It was like she was their princess.

She smiled at that thought and continued to follow her father.

A hippocampus passed by, brushing past her with surprising gentleness. She stroked it's head and if nuzzled her hair before snorting bubbles and swimming off.

She smiled brightly and finally found herself in her new room.

A small bed was in the corner made of ivory. The mattress was woven out of seaweed and seashells decorated the sides.

A small coral chandelier was on the ceiling where glowing jellyfish cast a dim, colorful glow of the room.

Celeste gasped in excitement.

She immediately jumped onto the bed and let herself sink into the soft material.

"It's beautiful." Celeste sighed.

"And specially designed for you. When I heard you were coming, I cleaned up." Poseidon said.

Celeste sat up onto her elbows. "So, does Percy have a room? When does he get to come?"

Poseidon tensed and looked down with a sigh. "Don't worry, Celeste. I'm sure Percy is fine. He'll be here soon, but until then he doesn't have a room."

Celeste's smile wavered. "Oh. Well...I guess that's okay. When he comes though, I can't wait to see his face."

Poseidon gave his daughter a weary smile. "Of course. Now, I must get back. Gods are very busy. One of the merfolk has offered to help you get used to life around here. Her name is Nora, I think you'll like her. Now, I must get going."

Poseidon moved towards his daughter and gave her a small kiss on top of her head. Celeste jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

The god flinched in surprise and then slowly wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you." Celeste mumbled into his shoulder.

She let go of him with a beaming smile on her face.

As Poseidon left the room, he knew Celeste's happiness would eventually dissipate.

She didn't know that she'd never see Percy again.

She didn't know that her smile would probably be the last act of kindness she would ever show to her father.