𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗗𝗜𝗘! 𝙥. 𝙟𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙤𝙣 ¹

Stop Interrupting Lydia's Love Affair with the Dessert Table!

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: LYDIA

Lydia and Percy waltzed around Olympus (very terribly, FYI, Percy cannot dance for his life) for a little while longer until Percy went to go call his mom. He conveniently remembered he needed to talk to Sally right when Mirrors started playing. Hmm...suspicious.

He asked Lydia to come with him, but she thought it would be better if she left them alone. And frankly... Lydia wasn't done with the macarons.

She skipped over to the banquet table with the biggest smile on her face. She looked so happy, you'd think she just won the lottery.

As she stuffed her face with not one ounce of shame in front of the most powerful beings in the world, she felt a tap on her shoulder...again. How many times was she going to get interrupted? Lydia internally groaned before turning around with a fake smile on her face.

Lydia's mother rolled her eyes. "Did I interrupt?"

"Uh..." Lydia's jaw hung open. "Yes?"

"Have you considered a more plant-based diet?"

"Not really, no."

"All you eat is junk." Demeter sighed. "At least chew with your mouth closed!"

"How do you know what I eat?" Lydia asked incredulously, finished the last macaron on her plate.

"You don't think I pay attention to you?"

Lydia didn't know what to say to that. She's never imagined her mother cared, let alone cared enough to know what kind of food she ate.

"I know it may seem like I don't." The goddess began, putting another macaron on Lydia's plate. "But I do, and there's not much I'm allowed to do to intervene."

Her face softened, and for a second there, Lydia could see a resemblance to herself. When Demeter wasn't acting all godly (and wasn't fifteen feet tall), she looked like an ordinary person.

"That troubled Hermes child...he's causing a lot of worry here." Demeter admitted. "I would hate for you to become like him."

"I'd never be like him, mom." Lydia gritted her teeth. "He's a monster!"

"I know that, of course. I just wanted to clear up any...misunderstandings."

Lydia nodded slowly, understanding exactly what Demeter meant. Her mom was worried she'd turn on the gods. Understandable, but improbable.

Unlike the other cabins, cabin four was always shown the most love from their mother. She'd given all her children a gift when they were claimed. And they were all claimed fairly soon? At least as far as she knew. She doubted any of the unclaimed kids in cabin eleven were her siblings.

"You don't have to worry about me," Lydia reassured. "Even if, I'm hardly a force anyone should be worried about."

Demeter's brows knit together. "Do you not understand, child? You don't have to be like that Patrick boy to be powerful."

Lydia frowned. "Um, Percy?"

"Whatever." Demeter muttered. "What I'm saying is...your power is immense, and your importance is great, and it may not be obvious now, but it will be later."

Ooookay...very ominous. Thanks mom, Lydia thought.

She'd been hearing different versions of this speech all week and she had no idea what to do with this information, but she decided every time she heard a god tell her some important stuff was riding on her, she'd delete it from her mind and merrily go on about her day like she hadn't heard a thing.