Awakened - T Stoll - Percy Jackson and The Olympians.

XXII

As I stand before the reservoir with an army, Percy and Annabeth in front of us. All of us dressed in armor with weapons at the ready... The last thing I'd expect to see is my mom. 

Yet, she obviously hasn't lost her tendency to surprise me. 

My mother walks out, looking like some long, lost war goddess. Her auburn hair flows behind her with the breeze. She's dressed in silver armor with a golden axe at her side. I'm reminded of the silver and gold dogs. 

Percy's the first one to notice her, grabbing his sword. My eyes widen. "Percy, no! That's my mom!" I yell. This certainly grabs everyone's attention as she walks forward. Standing with Percy. "It's alright, Imena. Percy. And you must be Annabeth, Imena's told me so much about you." 

Travis, standing next to me, clears his throat. "That's your mom. Wow. I have a really strong desire to not fuck this up." 

A chorus of confusion rings out amongst the crowd as Percy stares at her. Before he can say anything, she holds up a hand and the chatter stops. 

Part of me wants to run up and hug her. And cry. But I just stand in the crowd, grinning like an idiot. My mother smiles at the small army. "I know you all have questions, so let me make it quick. I am Farah Mallory. Mother to Imena Mallory, and just like my daughter, I am a demigod." 

Cue a large gasp from the crowd. Annabeth beams. "I knew it all along. No mortal can cross the boarder so when Michael told me, I knew-" 

My mother smiles. "You're a daughter of Min- Athena. Wisdom is in your blood." She says as Annabeth blushes. My mother turns back to the crowd. "I am a daughter of the Goddess of Hope. My gift is spreading Hope to others, and banishing thoughts or feelings of doubt. I am here to help. Percy, have your speech." 

She leaves the front, walking towards me. "How'd I do? I tried to sound all wise and official." She grins. Her eyes catch on Travis and she raises an eyebrow. "You're Travis. Son of M- Hermes. The boy my daughter is dating." 

Travis turns sheepish as he nods. "Yes, ma'am." His voice cracks and he clears his throat. My mother narrows her eyes at him before laughing. "Relax, I'm messing with you. It's nice to meet you." 

Travis audibly lets out a breath he was holding in. "You too." He smiles. 

Despite this warm, fuzzy moment. I remember my dream. More specifically, what I realized. I clear my throat. "Mom. Can I talk to you for a second?" 

Percy begins to make a speech as I pull my mother over to the side. "Mom, I know." I say softly, afraid of someone overhearing. "I know about the other camp. And the... The other pantheons. I know." 

My mother sighs with a nod. "Imena, the two camps can't stay separated forever. There will  be a time where they come together. There's a Greek Goddess. I can't say who. She agrees with me." 

I gulp. "But... The Greeks and the Romans have been fighting for so long. I-" My mother cuts me off. "That's a disadvantage that's only going to kill us all. You can't tell anyone about this yet, okay?" 

I think about the riddle I gave to Annabeth but nod. "Yeah, sure." I mumble. My mom pulls me into a hug and I melt for a moment. She sighs. "I'm so proud of you, Mena." 

"I get it from you." I mumble into her chest. She laughs, pulling me back and resting her hands on my arms. "Damn right." She winks. "Now, let's go kill some monsters." 

We walk back just as Percy finishes up. "That leaves the rest of you with a job just as important. You have to guard the other entrances to Manhattan. You know how tricky Kronos is. He'll hope to distract us with this big army and sneak another force in somewhere else. It's up to you to make sure that doesn't happen. Has each cabin chosen a bridge or tunnel?"