DEUS EX MACHINA | PERCY JACKSON

Hi, I think we're supposed to fall in love?

The next morning

Seraphinas eyes blinked open and she shot upwards. Her breathing and heart rate picked up as she looked at her surroundings.

The last thing she remembered was flying into camp half blood after stealing her mothers scepter back from Ares and being chased by a pack of angry Arae before she fell out of the sky.

  Before she could process anything happening around her, Rose tackled her within seconds.

  "We're home, Seph, we're home!" She laughed into Seraphinas hair. Seraphina cracked a small smile. She looked around the room to see familiar faces.

"Clarisse." She said, tears welding in her eyes and opened her arms for the friend to join in the hug.

  "You're alive." Clarisse cried happy tears and squeezed Rose and Seraphina so tight they thought they would die.

  "What happened? Where have you guys been." Clarisse wiped her tears away and tore away from the hug.

  Rose and Seph shared a look and smiled. "Its a long story." Rose laughed.

  "We have time." Grover said, putting a hand on Rose's shoulder.

  "Grover." Seraphina nodded and smiled.

"Your highness." Grover snickered and bowed his head dramatically.

  Percy stood behind Grover and began bowing as well?

  "I'm not a real princess. Please dont bow. Its just something Grover, Mr. D and Chiron likes to tease me with." Seraphina cringed.

He stood completely still. His face and ears flushed and he couldn't speak. Grover and Rose laughed and nudged each other.

  "My name is Seraphina, and you are?" Seph introduced herself.

  Percy's mouth didn't work. He just stood there, completely red. Grover explained everything to Percy last night. The prophecy and how it was most likely about Percy and this mystery girl who he'd never heard of before. Grover didn't think to include that she was drop dead gorgeous and a year or two older than him.

"Breathe man, breathe! She wont bite! Well..." Grover began and Clarisse flicked his forehead.

Seph only raised her eyebrow and awaited his response.

"Percy. I gotta go." Was all the boy said and walked out of the room.

  Seph looked confused, and watched as he left. "That's him?" She asked.

"Thats him." The others replied in synch.

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  Seraphina showered and was returned to her Cabin to change and settle in.

Nothing had changed since she left. The front doors opened for her as she climbed the porch steps and entered. The curtains then drew themselves open and a warm fire was lit in the hearth.

Her canopy bed was made, like it was ready for her to come back. The curtains around her bed were drawn open and candles began lighting around her room. A vase of lilys was placed on her nightstand with a note in between the petals.

Welcome home.
- D

She smiled. She never realized how much Dionysus actually liked her until she left. He frequently sent her Iris messages and letters wherever her and Rose ended up.

The messages slowly began to stop when Seph and Rose stopped answering. Towards the end of the first few months they were on their quest, they were too busy to write back and answer Iris calls. Dionysus assumed they were gone.

  Seph glanced up to the statue of her mother carved into the wall of the cabin. "I did it, mom. I saved dad, and won back your scepter. Are you proud? How is Leo? Do you know?" She spoke sadly.

  She sighed and walked to the mantle above the now roaring fire. A large portrait of Leo and Seph was painted and hung in their cabin. He was sitting and Seph was standing with both hands on one of his shoulders.

  A tear fell from her face, and the cabin door opened.

   "Who is that?" A boyish voice asked. She turned and quickly wiped away her sadness. Percy stood at the entrance.

   "How did you get in here?" She asked him, suprised how he managed to open the cabin doors. Usually only herself or Leo could do that. Hera frequently kept the doors locked.

  He stared blankly. "I walked in."

  "Right." She said in return, confused. He walked up to her and stood beside her, looking up at the painting.

  "A friend of yours?" He asked. "My twin brother." She responded. He studied it closely.

   "I should've guessed, you guys look very similar." He noted. "Thank you." Was all she could muster. She hadn't spoke about Leo since she left 3 years ago, at least not out loud.

   "Where is he now?" He asked. And looked at her, he was slightly taller, but only slightly. She was tall for a girl, with strong legs and lean arms. Her eyes were a bright grey color, resembling her brothers in the portrait, and had bright blonde hair that looked nearly white in some lightings.

  She walked away from the fireplace and looked out the window. "Dead." Was all she said.

Percy didn't know what to say after that. Nothing he thought of was a good response to finding out his soul mates twin brother was dead.

  "I'm sorry. What was he like?" He asked. Her nose scrunched and she looked at him over her shoulder. She sniffled and wiped another tear away. Shes been crying a lot recently, she never used to cry.

  "He was funny. Really funny. And kind. He was brave, and strong. Everybody loved him." She smiled and held herself in her arms. Percy walked closer to her.

  "How'd he... pass?" He asked and Seph felt her heart crack all over again. Power exploded from her, that same glow that Percy saw when he first saw her, radiated off of her and pushed him backwards a few feet.

  "Why do you care? Why do you want to know? Just leave me alone!" She yelled before the thrum of power in her veins quieted, and the energy dispersed through the room.

  He put a hand on her shoulder. "I just thought it would be good for you to talk about. I've... lost people, too. It helps sometimes to vent." He explained and she looked up at him. He seemed genuine. His eyes still twinkled in the mid-morning sunlight. She sighed.

  "Thank you for the incentive, but I'd rather not." Was all she said. Percy scratched his neck, he had absolutely no clue what to say to this girl.

  "I- I like your glow." He blurted. The girl looked at him and blushed, then burst out laughing.
 
"Thank you, Perseus." She said, he hadn't seen her laugh yet. She had a pretty laugh and pearly white teeth.

"Just Percy is fine."

"Absolutely not."