Reincarnation to the Past

Chapter 84

Persea's POV (dress & hairstyle as above)

I shouldn't have come. I should have locked myself in my domain until the anniversary was over. That is what I should have done. I wasn't in the right mood or headspace to interact with others. The closer it got to 'that' day, the more suffocated I felt, the more it hurt, and the more the memories—which I tried so hard to bury—attempted to resurface, the more questions arose. It was like a never-ending, vicious cycle.

I couldn't allow myself to mourn because if I did, I may not be able to put back the broken pieces of myself, so I would bury the memories and the pain, and I'd bury them deep, lock them up with chains, and hope the days pass fast. I would have just ignored it, but the waters won't let me. They want me to feel, to cry, and to hurt so that I can heal. But I refuse, so they mourn in my stead.

I should have just stayed locked up in my room like I planned, but I could never refuse Hestia, and though she didn't bring it up until I insisted, I could see it in her eyes—her pleading for help, her hesitancy to ask. And here we were the next day, in the middle of a crowded market place (the rain does not seem to deter these people from hanging out here), with Hestia glued to my side, clinging to my arm, her eyes whipping to the right and left, although I couldn't tell if it was out of terror or fascination. Hestia doesn't get out much, usually confining herself to Olympus, so she wouldn't be comfortable around so many strangers. At my request, the rain had subsided but still fell. I held up an umbrella to protect us from the water droplets. The umbrella felt heavy in my hands, and not because every inch of it was made of metal, no—it was because of what the umbrella represented, who had gifted it, a time of my life where everything was nothing short of perfect and a reminder of how quickly everything changed.

"It's a wonderful umbrella." Sister Hestia commented in awe. "So beautifully crafted! Was it made by Hephaestus??" She asked, her eyes shining with curiosity that I could not ignore. Although I'd much rather swallow a thousand nails than have this conversation.

"My father made it..." I confess in a small voice, my answer making her face whip in my direction in shock. While Poseidon had a fleet of Cyclops who took care of his crafting and forging needs, he has never crafted a weapon with his own two hands, like ever. Yet he personally crafted me this umbrella.

That was my second mistake. I should have never taken this umbrella out. I should have kept it locked and suppressed; better yet, I should have thrown it away. But I couldn't... I buried it deep within my power source and ignored it for the past seven to eight months. And this morning, before Hestia returned, on a wistful impulse, I took it out. It was a reminder that once upon a time, my father did love me very dearly. I never doubted that. I knew with every bone in my body that, at one point, Poseidon did think of me as his favourite child.

"The umbrella—when he gifted it to me, I could see it; his smooth skin was covered with calluses, burns and scars. He didn't need to; you know, he could have asked Hephaestus, who's a whiz at building stuff, or any of the Cyclops under his command who he could have asked to make or at least help. But, instead, he spent three months learning from them and then spent another four months creating it from scratch. Every time he pounded the hammer, he etched his blood, sweat, power and will into the umbrella. 'This weapon must protect my son!', was what he repeated in his head like a mantra the whole time he forged it." I smiled nostalgically at the memory. I had turned 20 that day, and it would have been one of my best birthdays—just for those fifteen minutes when he gifted me the umbrella—if only that memory had not been ruined by what came after.

"I suppose that's why I could never truly understand... How could such love change??? It was a few months—such strong love shattered in a matter of months. I still remember the nervousness as he gifted me the umbrella. 'I hope you like it... It turned out pretty good for a first attempt, didn't it?? I hope it protects you and reminds you how much I love you.', that was what he said. I had to force back the tears as I accepted it." I refused to allow the tears to fall as I spoke. In the end, it didn't matter that there was a time when he did love me. In the end, he chose his new son over me. In the end, I was replaceable. The day he threw me into the cabin was the day my father died in my heart.

I decided to take the umbrella out in memory of my father, the father who loved me, who faught for me, who broke the rules for me, who spent time with me, the father who went out of his way to make me something I had just mentioned in passing. That father died after Xander came into the picture. But once upon a time, that father saw me as his world.

We walked in silence after that. I could tell Hestia was too scared to say anything for fear that it would unintentionally hurt me. Instead, she took the time to look around the market; her initial fear slowly replaced with curiosity. I slowed our pace so she could enjoy herself, and we stopped at a few stalls to buy some sweets and snacks. If it were any other day, I would have been able to say I had fun. But today I settled for a small distraction. Maybe we could come back some other time and enjoy it properly.

"So what did you need help with?" I inquired. She hadn't really given me any details last night, just that since the issue was in the mortal world, her hands were more or less tied.

"Do you know about the beasts that are born from—what do humans call it—qi? Hestia questioned me and continued on after seeing me nod. "Well, there was this one beast—a fox beast—that I was particularly close to. She helped me on multiple occasions and died, saving me from another rouge beast. What I was unaware of at the time was that she had given birth a few days prior. By the time I came to know and rushed to find the cub, I found that it had been taken by humans. According to what the nearby dryads heard, the humans plan to sell the cub in an underground auction. I'd like to save the cub. It's the least I could do after his mother sacrificed her life for me."

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Pic of Umbrella: I took the same umbrella, along with its features, from 'The King's Avatar' so if there is anyone who has read the manga, you can guess what it really is and what it is capable of. I will bring in the features in future chapters. It looks the same as below; maybe instead of white, it could be a sea-green color, but otherwise the same.

I can write a sidestory story about how Poseidon came to build it and gift it to Percy. So if that is something you guys would like to read about, give this sentence a thumbs up or leave a comment.

Don't forget to vote, comment and follow.

See you all next week!