𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐒 - luke castellan.

xii, stranger danger

s t r a n g e r  d a n g e r 
venus

━━━━━━━

What is it with Gods and their hatred towards their children?

That was what she was thinking of as she sat next to Percy, silently. She was sitting with two kids who were ignored by their God parent. And she wanted to laugh at the irony. 

Having an absent parent makes you realize you don't need them. But there's always that question in your heart, why? what could the child have possibly done that made the parent back away and think, yeah, no, this is not going to work?

She thought of Luke. Luke hated his father yet his hatred for his father remained a mystery. He never told her why he hated him. He always avoided her curiosity and her questions. And not wanting to upset him, she never pressured him.

She believed he didn't tell her because he wanted only Thalia and Annabeth to be a part of his history.

He was a mystery to her and she was an open book to him.

"Venus," she blinked out and looked at Annabeth. She raised a brow a silent way to ask 'What's up?' Venus shook her head.

A woman walked up to them and tapped Annabeth's shoulder. "Do you mind if I sit?" She asked and kept her dog bag on the opposite seat. "Oh, you poor deers." She said, sitting next to Venus who sat closer to Percy to make space.

"Your parents aren't here, are they?" The lady asked, Venus watching her with a skeptical look. The dog whimpered in the bag and the woman looked at it, "Isn't that right, precious?"

"Don't children get scared when they're all alone?" The woman asked, "It's okay. I'm a mom. I know how scared you must be."

"Excuse me. Would you mind giving us a little space? I think... I think you're making them nervous," The woman said turning to the officer.

Venus looked at Annabeth raising a brow. She shrugged and looked back at the lady. Whoever the lady was, they didn't like her.

"I want you to know... I don't actually think you made that mess back there. I just wanted a moment alone with you," The lady said, looking at Grover and then Venus and Percy.

"There are some things you need to understand--" She said but was cut off by Grover.

"There's something on your jacket," He said, making the other three look too. 

"It's glass," Venus said.

"No one smashed out the window from the inside of our cabin. Someone smashed them in from outside," Grover said.

The lady hums when her dog suddenly growles, "Oh!" They stared at the bag that was violently shaking. 

"It's not a dog," Venus muttered.

"Yes, sweetheart," The lady said, looking at the bag and taking to the creature inside. The woman talked to the bag before standing up and looking at the teens.

"This isn't your fault," She said, Venus held onto Percy's jacket feeling protective over him. "But sadly, you're going to have to bear the burden of your parents' mistakes today."

"Listen, lady. I don't know who you are but I think I know what you are," Percy said. "We've run across a few monsters like you and we all sent them packing,"

The lady scoffed, "Monsters like me?" She asked. "Well... of course they're like me. They were my children," She said as her smile dropped.

"Children?" Percy repeated, "What does that mean?"

" The Mother of Monsters," Grover said. 

"Echidna," Venus and Annabeth said, glaring at her. Echidna smiled when her creature growled violently again and the bag shook violently.

"Monster. It's an odd word, considering my grandma is your great-grandmother," Echidna said, pointing at Percy. "And this has always been a family story,"

"But to my eye, the demigod is a more dangerous creature." She said before the dog growled again and she sighed, "Disruptive, violent. If I exist for anything, it is to stand in the way of monsters... like you."

 "My little one here. She's just a pup," Echidna said. "Today... you will be her prey," She said, looking at them.

"Are you afraid yet?" She asked, looking between them. "Oh, it's all right. Fear is natural. It's also essential to the hunt. Your fear. Your doubt. Your confusion. I needed you to understand what was happening so that she could track the scent." 

"So, that she could learn and grow, because..." Echidna said as the zip started opening itself and Venus felt her heart in her throat. "that's what a good mother does for her children."

"Not that you would know," She said, looking in between Venus and Annabeth. The bag was completely unzipped and the growling was loud.

"You should run now," When a tentacle came out Venus yelped, moving away as it stung Percy and Annabeth jumped on it, stabbing it. 

"No, sweetheart!" 

"Go! Annabeth yelled, Venus grabbed Percy's hand and they ran away. Grover and Annabeth were behind them.