DEUS EX MACHINA | PERCY JACKSON

Prologue

4 years ago

The wind whistled through the tall buildings of the city. It was obvious the rain was no where close to stopping as lightning cracked through the clouds and thunder rumbled.

Seraphina sat on her bedroom window sill with a book in her lap, and her eyes focused through the pane. Rain drops tapped against the glass in a harmonious tempo.

Infatuated with the storm outside and the heavy beat of water on the roof of the penthouse, she could barely hear the rapping of her fathers knuckles against the door.

"Seraphina? May I come in?" Her Pa's deep and hoarse voice echoed through her room.

"Yes Pa, come on in." She replied nonchalantly, still watching the raindrops dance and stream down her window.

Her father opened her bedroom door, his shoes clicking against the floor as he approached his daughter. He placed his callused and rough hand gently on her head. Her almost white-blonde hair shone in the light of every lightnight strike outside her window.

"What do you think of the book I gave you? I hope it cleared some things up about what we had discussed earlier." He asked, wacthing the storm outside alongside his daughter.

"It seems impossible." She stated frankly, shaking her head and looking up at her father. His bright grey eyes that resembled her own looked down at her. Seraphina and her twin brother, Leo, didn't look much like their father, but their striking eyes were always an indicator that they were indeed Gold's.

"I thought it was impossible too, until I met your mother. That women changed everything. She turned the impossible, to possible." He smiled and held her cheek in his hand.

"You both look so much like her." He patted her head affectionately and sat down on the wooden chair beside her bay window.

"I can't believe I am a Demi-God, this is the stuff we learned about in school, Pa, myths and legends." She looked at him, eyes pleading, hoping he would tell her it was a joke.

"You are so much more than a Demi-God, Seraphina. You are a Gold, my daughter and Leo's twin sister. Never forget that, never forget who you are." Dr. Gold said. As if on cue, her twin brother walked through the door and flopped face first onto her freshly made bed. She giggled softly.

Her brother, Leo, was her best friend. The two siblings were inseparable. Since they were born they've never spent a day without the other. Seraphina adored Leo, and Leo adored her.

Their father stood up and dusted off his pristinly ironed slacks. He patted Leo's back and Leo grumbled into Sephs duvet in return. James just smiled.

"We have to leave home for the whole summer? What about our friends here, and our lives. What about my games and Seph's shows?" Leo whined. Leo was most upset about not being able to play in his lacrosse games while he was gone. He was their private schools star player, he went on and on about how the team would "seriously lack" without him there and how it was "unfair" he was being taken out mid-season.

Seraphina was sad that she wouldn't be in this years variation of Swan Lake. She was determined she would be awarded the role of Odette this year. Although she was sure there wouldn't be a ballet studio in this summer camp, she packed her point shoes anyway.

"Have you finished packing? The driver is waiting for us outside." Dr. Gold asked softly, saddened by the thought of having his children sent away.

They nodded. Seph closed the book on her lap and placed it in her hand bag. She began to stand and grab her belongings. She watched as her father walked out her bedroom door, and just as he was about to close it, he looked at his beautiful children and just smiled.

He shut the door, giving the twins some privacy in their final moments in their childhood home.

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The ride was long, hours spent driving through the terrential downpour outside. Until they reached a tree-line, and a dead end road. Seraphina looked at her father sitting beside her, and quickly embraced him in a hug.

"I love you, Pa." She whispered into his shoulder.

"I love you more, my darling girl." He rested his chin on her head. Leo only cleared his throat and went to shake his fathers hand, but James quickly enveloped his only son in a hug. He patted his back and nodded.

Their driver opened the car door, and before stepping out, Seph thwacked open her designer umbrella, and held it over the car door, to ensure she wouldn't get wet. Her boots clacked against the pavement as they walked from the car. As the door closed, she turned to see her fathers face inside, one last time. He nodded reassuringly as she studied him, so she would never forget the face of the man who raised her.

The car slowly backed up, and headed back down the road she came. Seraphina knew better than to cry. Gold's love fiercely, but never show weakness. Leo wrapped an arm around her shoulder before they started their trudge up the hill, somehow Sephs heels remained in tact and she didnt get a drop of rain on her.
So
And with that, she entered Camp-Half Blood with her brother, ready to begin the start of the rest of her life.