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TWO, bathroom blast
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FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS, Aster made sure to stay by the mystery boy's side. Besides the fact that Lee Fletcher had asked her to grow special herbs for his and Grover's recovery, she wanted to be there when he woke up. If Chiron was to be believed, he supposedly had all the answers for what was happening in the mythical world, and Aster wanted to know what nature had been trying to tell her—or not tell her. Annabeth had joined her once or twice, eyes wide with curiosity. Aster knew they were thinking the same thing about him.
Aster especially noticed the longing look in Annabeth's gaze. She'd been wanting to leave camp since they were seven, dreaming of exploring the world. They hadn't gotten the opportunity to leave in five years, and Aster had a feeling this kid would be a way out. Aster didn't quite know how she felt about that; camp was predictable, and the outside world... was not. Plus there was a chance people would find out about her dad and—
She didn't want to think about it. She'd never told anyone about her father. Not Annabeth, not Luke, and not even Chiron. It was her business, and Aster felt a lot more comfortable keeping her cards close to her chest. The closest she'd ever gotten was when Chiron had asked about going home for the winter session, and she told him it wasn't an option; there wasn't a home to go to.
Because of Lee's lacking bedside manner, Aster had been the one to feed the boy ambrosia and nectar, unfortunately, and he had drooled all over her hand when she had done so. Sure, the guy was unconscious, but rude! She had to wash her hands three times after that. Argus, who was standing guard over the stranger, had laughed when it had happened. Then, Aster threw a knife that landed two inches to the left of his face, which left him considerably less amused.
Since the mystery boy's arrival, Aster kept waking up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat. Demigod dreams always had meaning, but she couldn't seem to remember the ones she'd been having over the past two nights. On the third night, however, Aster seemed to be aware in her dream.
Aster was standing on Half-Blood Hill, next to Thalia's tree. Since that fateful day that the daughter of Zeus had sacrificed herself, Aster had tried to speak to it. She desperately hoped that her soul was still trapped, and with her powers she could hear her friend's voice again. Much to her dismay, the grand pine seemed to be the only plant Aster couldn't communicate with. It never spoke to her, even though she tried for years.
As she walked towards the tree, Aster's attention was captured by a familiar cry of anguish.
"Mom!"
It was the mystery boy. The minotaur was standing over him and Grover, the monster holding a woman in the air.
"No!" the boy shouted.
With an angry roar, the monster closed his fists around the woman's neck and she just dissolved, melting into a shimmering golden form, as if she were a holographic projection. A blinding flash, and she was simply... gone.
