୨⎯ GOOD GRACES ⎯ ୧ ☾P.J & A.C × OCS☽ on Pause Until S2

31. "Why am I here?"

❝FOR ZEUS'S SAKE.❞ Erika whispered to herself as the daughter of Ares jolted awake from her nightmare. She looked around her cabin room, trying to get her heavy breathing in control as she placed her feet on the floor and slid her slippers on. She took a cardigan to cover herself since she was wearing some flared Pyjamas pants and a tank top.

Her throat was dry because of thurst as she slowly made her way to the camp's kitchen. She used her demigod powers to break the lock as she stepped inside and took a glass, filling it with water as she began taking a sip before she noticed an odd room behind her in a corner.

Taking soft steps, she went over to the room as she began eavesdropping to the conversation, which seemed as if it was the gods against Chiron.

"She can't leave." Chiron argued. "Her life is already in danger. Your own daughter was sexually assaulted by that man while she was six years old. Six. Fucking. Years. Old. She didn't deserve that for three years. You CAN'T let her get back to that house." The man with a lower body of a horse commented. Erika poked her head a little further to look at the mirror. Holy fucking shit. It was like a little path from the Olympus to the camp.

"Every woman has dealt with this. She's not alone." Zeus argued as he looked at Chiron. "She's a nuisance. She's Ares's daughter after all. She's the one who was being disrespectful to my wife."

"You mean our sister?" Demeter asked, looking at Zeus as the gods were having a little meeting. Since the mortal parents weren't being active. The gods were forcefully kicking the demigods out of the camp.

"Shut. Up." Hera commented as Demeter rolled her eyes and leaned against her seat.

"Just because every woman in greek mythology has dealt with this doesn't mean your children should. Ares, do you seriously want your own daughter get back into that house and die before she could even prove herself?" Chiron asked as his gaze went over to Ares.

Ares hesitated. Looking around at the meeting. He didn't know what to say. Like they were the worse parents ever, but Erika wasn't safe with her mother. He looked at Chiron before saying, "That impure child is no child of mine."

Erika gasped as soon as she realised this conversation was about her. She took a step back before she accidentally dropped the glass.

"Who was that?" Aphrodite asked as Erika immediately began running away.

Sliding into her cabin within seconds. She just closed her eyes, keeping her finger crossed the whole night as she'd rather die than spend a moment in that house.

❛ ━━━━━━・❪ ❁ ❫ ・━━━━━━ ❜

The next morning, Erika woke up to find herself in a strangely bright room. Everything was white.

"Good morning, sleepyhead. You've been asleep for a while." A lady teased as she looked at Erika. Fixing something that made Erika sit up.

"No." Erika said as she realised. She was on the fucking hospital bed. Erika looked at the lady.

"Yes- Aren't you excited? You're out of coma-" The nurse smiled as she looked down at Erika. Being oddly happy.

"Why was I in a coma for?" Erika asked, even more confused. Maybe the gods DID kick her out of the camp and made it seem like she was in a coma for a long time. Not even sure if it could work or not.

"Uhh.. You had a car crash five years ago." The lady responded as she gazed over at her. Before she could ask ANYTHING else, the lady left the room.

"I was not in a coma." Erika responded with an eyeroll. Kicking every wire connected to her as she stood up. Before she could leave the room, another woman barged in as she pulled Erika in for a hug. Wrapping her arms around Erika as she seemed to hold in her tears.

Erika was speechless. She would notice this woman miles away, but this time, she didn't even acknowledge her.

Her own mother.

Erika wrapped her arms around her mother, hugging the blonde woman tightly. The woman pulled away as she placed kisses everywhere on Erika's face, tears flowing down her face. "You're such a stupid...." Aurora, Erika's mother said as she broke out into tears, "Don't ever, and I mean EVER run away from home like that again." Aurora sobbed.

Erika's heart seemed like it was close to forgetting everything. Close. Erika didn't forget anything, and she was sure Aurora didn't as well.

The rest was a blur. Erika wasn't sure what was going on. But her room had improved... not really. But it seemed like Aurora would spend almost all the time in the room.

Richie still was in the house. It was not fun. Erika always had to stay silent in order to spend her time with her mom. Especially when she had children, who were four and three already. Unaware of the crimes their father did.

So, at a family reunion happening at the Lovelace residency. Erika was taking care of her siblings.

"Do you know her?" Erika's little sister, Veronica, who was at least 5, asked as she pointed at HER cousin. Not Erika's.

"No. But in the clerb, we're all fam." Erika responded mockingly, looking back at Veronica.

"Huh?"

"In the clerb, we're all fam."

"I don't -"

"In the club, we are all family." Erika responded as she rolled her eyes. Looking down at the pile of cousins we was with before noticed her step-father dragging her mother to the different room. Being the curious kid she was, unfortunately, she slowly began going closer to the door to eavesdrop on the conversation they were having.

"Okay, first of all, I do NOT want your daughter in my house." Richie's voice said.

"You mean MY house?" Aurora argued.

"Yeah, whatever. I don't want Erika in the house." Richie responded. "Especially after she tried to murder me." He added.

"Okay? Well, she's my daughter. So she'll stay with me as long as she wants. You, on the other hand, stay away from my daughter. Or I will call the cops on you." Aurora responded.

"For what? That slut to frame me for raping her? Be for fucking real. No one wants her. Her own father had left her."

Aurora backhanded him across the face. "Don't you ever, and I mean EVER call my daughter that. I've spent five fucking years without my child. I won't let you, out of everyone, take my daughter away from me again." Aurora argued as Richie's face was stinging with pain. She rolled her eyes. "Keep yourself away from my child, love." Before she left.

After the whole family reunion thing, Erika was asleep. Trying to shake the whole thing away. What if Richie tried to do THAT to her again.