| The Rising Moon: The Awakening of a Demi-Goddess |

█▓▒­░⡷⠂ɢɪꜰᴛꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴠɪꜱɪᴏɴꜱ⠐⢾░▒▓█

frisson

(n.) a shiver of pleasure

—————————————————————————————————————————————————— It was about midnight when Celeste had woken up. Her stomach growled so loudly, and she regretted not eating dinner. She pulled herself out of her bed, her hair a tangled mess and her mind soothed. She didn't have any nightmares while sleeping, which was something good- right?

She stumbled out of her room, walking down the hallways to get some fresh air. She climbed up the stairs to the deck, and saw a silhouette of a figure, both arms leaning on the railing. She cautiously approached the unknown person before recognizing him. After what had happened earlier, she debated going back to her cabin.

"Celeste," He called out without looking back. She tensed, and walked up towards him, leaning her elbows on the railing.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked as she gazed out at the beautiful night sky. She nodded, her body anchored to the ship, but her mind up in the stars. He glanced at her for a moment before pulling something out. Her breath hitched. My backpack, he handed it to her, giving her an awkward look.

"You left this last night- so I should probably give it to you," he mumbled to her. Her heart skipped a beat. Did he read her notebook??

"D-did you open it?" She stuttered nervously. Her heard stopped when he nodded, her fingers quivering. Oh gods, he probably thinks I'm a freak! He read about all the voices in my head; and worst of all- he saw my question about him! Her face turned a bright red and she turned away from him.

"I didn't touch anything in there. I just put something in," He added. She turned to him, unable to tell if he was telling the truth or lying. Gingerly, she opened the black bag and picked up a light aqua mist box with a white ribbon laced around it.

She felt the smooth texture, the color feeling familiar. Slowly, she unfurled the ribbon, opening the box to reveal the beautiful moon crescent bracelet she had been admiring at the shops. Her breath stopped. Nico put his hands in and didn't meat her gaze.

"When you- uh- passed out; I went back to the shops and was able to convince the dude to-" She cut him off, wrapping her arms around his with a hug. He froze, his arms in the air, before he slowly wrapped them around her waist.

"Thank you," she whispered to him, pure delight in her voice.

Click! SHHTTT! Celeste sprang apart, trying to find out where the noise had came from. I'm getting serous deja vú, she thought of the day when they had both played capture the flag.

"What do we have here?" Leo was holding up a printable photo from his Polaroid. She sucked in a breath, her face burning up as usual. It had happened so many times that she was used to it at this point.

"You know, when you angle it at just the right degree, it kinda looks like you too are..." He trailed off, looking at the printed photo with his head tilted. Holy Hera this has to stop happening to me... she exhaustedly picked up the photo and tossed it overboard, which made Leo pout.

"Hey! That could have been used for good blackmail!" He said mournfully. She glared at him, picked up her backpack, and walked back to her cabin and tossed herself into bed.

Glancing down at the bracelet, she smiled, and fell into sleep.

Instead of waking up to her usual nightmare, Celeste found herself in a familiar living room. There was a gleaming chandelier with candles and lights strung on it, a deluxe table with fine chairs, several glass coffee tables, and multiple bookshelves. She froze.

A little 7 year old girl with fully brown hair, blue eyes, and an electric smile was swinging her legs on one of the chairs and reading about Greek mythology, fascinated by the enhancing stories and robust myths. An older women with black hair stepped into the room, her stern expression signaling discipline had to be required. She snatched the book from the little girl and slapped her, burning the book in the fireplace.

"Young women; quit your tears! Women of this family will not be framed on a photo if they cry. Pull yourself together and go to your room," The women told her. The girl continued crying, but picked herself up and stumbled to her room, her eyes red and her throat hoarse. A knock sounded on her door. She quickly stood up and opened it to see her brother, Helio- no, James, scowling at her.

"What'd you do to get Portia mad? Now I can't go to any of the parties," he complained with his fake British accent. She looked at her feet.

"Yeah Charlotte, why'd you mess things up?" Her step sister, Elizabeth, asked from behind.

"You always get in the way of things! Why don't you just.. disappear?" Jessica asked her snootily.

The scene changed dramatically, glitching until it was a completely different moment.

Celeste found herself looking at the same brown haired girl trapped under rubble from the fallen roof. The fire raged nearby, threatening to close in in on her. She saw called out; nobody answering, until she saw her brother.

"Helios- James! Help me!" She wailed, coughing from the smoke surrounding her. Her brother turned to her, his eyes widening. She thought he would come get her. She thought she could trust him. His head turned to the exit, just a few yards away, and back to her. He took a step away from her. The horror on her face made her white.

And he ran. He ran to the exit, leaving his twin sister behind, leaving her to die. Celeste numbly looked at the dream. At the memory. Her fists clenched. She saw the brown haired girl start to cry, waiting for her doom.

After a few moments, the girl's head shot up, her eyes widening. She turned around the room, as if she heard someone speaking to her. She closed her eyes and listen to the unknown thing, before trying to stand up. She pushed, and pushed, and put all of her energy being used to make sure she wouldn't surrender to death. And she didn't.

She shoved off the top piece of rubble and slowly climbed out, tears welling in her eyes as she realized what her own brother had done to her. The whole house was on fire now, slowly rumbling closer to her. The exit had been blocked off, so she hurriedly ran through the halls, trying to jiggle various doors to see if there were any windows. She saw the hallway window and ran towards it, and her eyes caught on the moon.

"I think you know what happens here," The voice said, the memory freezing. The fires were still, like monsters about to catch their prey. Celeste closed her eyes, her breathing shallow.

"Why are you showing me this?" She whispered hoarsely. The voice cackled, as if joyed to see her suffering over such a painful past.

"To show you the truth, of course! Nobody can be trusted. Look at your twin brother; your own blood. He left you, and you know it. Your friends will leave you too; I know you can feel it," The voice warned her. She felt herself freeze all over.

"Thats... not- true," She said numbly. What if it was, though? What if they were all lying to her?

"Don't believe them! Just think; you lost your mother; you lost your brother; and now your about to loose your precious little 'friends'. You put this upon you by making yourself too vulnerable," the voice chided. She clenched her fist weakly.

"That's not true!" But what if it is? Her own inner conscious whispered to her dismay. The voice cackled, the world around her starting to fade.

"Make yourself believe any lies you want, Celestial; just know that I will not be responsible for your pain..."