𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐚; percy jackson

𝟏𝟗 | the child of the storm

Left alone in the temple, Meara couldn't shake off  a feeling of unease.

Percy had been injured by the Chimera back on the train, and despite everything, she felt the need to check on him. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked, her voice tinged with genuineness.

Percy's gaze locked onto hers, intense and unwavering. "Are you feeling alright?" he echoed.

"What?" Meara blinked, taken aback.

"I watched you the whole way here. Something's... off," he said, his eyes narrowing as he examined her.

Meara felt the nagging ache she'd been trying to ignore again. She opened her mouth to respond, but a sudden pounding in her head silenced her.

Percy instinctively stepped closer, his hands gently cupping her face. "Your face is burning!" he exclaimed, concern etched across his features.

Meara barely registered the distant voices around them as everything started to fade away. Her eyes closed weakly. Then—everything shifted.

She was no longer in the temple. Instead, she found herself in an almost blank place. The air buzzed with energy, and a storm gathered above, dark clouds swirling in silence.

"Meara." A deep, resonant voice called.

She spun around, searching for the source but saw no one. Flickers of memories flitted through the darkness—fragmented and incomplete, yet hauntingly familiar.

"Meara, you've grown strong," the voice persisted, filling the space around her.

Her heart pounded with confusion. "Who are you?" she demanded.

The storm intensified, and out of the shadows stepped Zeus, his expression stern, a tempest brewing in his gaze. "I am your father," he declared "you're my daughter."

Meara's breath caught, her stomach twisting. The words felt like chains, heavy and cold, reminding her of a legacy she wanted nothing to do with.

He paused, a strange silence settling before he spoke again. "And I know your mother has been trying to reach you through your dreams."

Meara staggered back, a flashback of the night she told Percy about a woman showing up in her dreams flooded her mind. "That was... my mother?"

"She's trying to awaken the power that was hidden inside you. But there's a reason your memories were locked away, Meara—a consequence of her defiance."

The words hit her like a blow. "Her... defiance?" she echoed, disbelief settling in. None of it made sense.

With a flick of Zeus's wrist, the scene shifted, and Meara found herself pulled into a dark memory.

She was in a dim room, watching as her younger self clung desperately to a woman with the familiar brown eyes—her so called mother. Zeus stood over the two, fury twisting his features.

"Please!" her younger self cried, her small voice shaking. "Just leave her alone!"

Zeus's expression hardened. "Begging is beneath you. You are the daughter of the storm." He started walking towards them. "This is what you taught her?" His voice got to a dangerous volume that sent shivers down Meara's spine as she watched the horrifying scene.

Meara's younger self, filled with a desperate bravery, stood up, her voice breaking. "I said, leave her alone!" A force surged from her, knocking Zeus back a few steps.

Her mother glanced at her, panic visible in her eyes. "Run," she whispered a single command filled with finality.

Before Meara could react, Zeus regained his stance and struck her mother down with disgusting ease.

It all happened so incredibly fast. Meara watched her younger self reach for the weak body, helpless cries filling the room.

Then, just as abruptly, the memory dissolved.

Meara stumbled back as a sharp pain tore through her mind, fragmented pieces of her past snapping into place.

Zeus's figure reappeared, the storm intensifying around him. "You were hidden away for a reason, Meara. A prophecy too dangerous to ignore."

He gave her no time to pull together after the devastating sight and recited the prophecy, his words laced with thunder:

"When the child of storm and mortal flame
Breaks through the chains of death and shame,
A force unmatched, to rise or fall,
Will decide the fate of all.

"With memories lost, her wrath contained,
The heavens spared by mortal pain.
Yet should her fire ever ignite,
The end of gods, the dawn of light."

Meara felt the weight of the situation, and it was simply too much. Her mother's death, her forgotten memories—her entire life had been stolen from her, all for a prophecy she not only never chose, but also never knew about.

"The gods didn't fear you—they feared what you might become. The power within you is strong enough to shatter Olympus itself. And I am not foolish enough to let that spark go unchecked."

Meara's fists clenched as she met his gaze, defiance simmering beneath the grief. "You tore my life apart because of a stupid prophecy?"

"You were supposedly born with power beyond what most can fathom. If you ever learn to harness it... well, you may very well burn down everything in your path. I had to make sure you wouldn't." Zeus's eyes gleamed, a flicker of cold pride within them.

Her heart pounded, the memories now painfully clear. "You... you killed her."

"Yes," he replied, his voice low and unremorseful. "She defied the order of the gods, protected you against our decree. She took you and fled to an old cabin in the woods, thinking she had escaped," He paused, his gaze almost mocking.

Meara's fists clenched at the sight of his absurd expression, clenched so tightly that it hurt.

"But you're too strong to contain forever. Your powers are awakening, Meara, and it was only a matter of time before the truth broke through. So I'm telling you now, before the power consumes you."

Meara's eyes narrowed as she realized his intent. Fury surged through her. "You think if you tell me now, I'll fear my powers? I'll fear myself? You want me to keep myself controlled—for your survival?"

"Remember, child—the gods act for their preservation. And you must remember that the cost of rebellion isn't a burden we will bear—it's one you will." His voice resonated with coldness, each word striking the young girl. "You will be watched."

The vision faded, and Meara found herself back in the temple. She stumbled, her breath catching as Percy's voice cut through her haze.

"You're back!" Percy's relief was evident as he reached for her, grounding her with eyes full of worry.

Meara blinked, her heart racing. "He was... in my head. Zeus was talking to me!" Her voice shook as the truth shattered her composure.

Percy's expression softened, disbelief and compassion in his gaze. "What? How did he do that?"

"I don't know, but what I do know is that he wants to manipulate me." She tried to mask the rush of unpleasant feelings, but the weight of everything settled heavily on her shoulders. She slowly sank down to her knees.

"You're not alone in this," Percy said softly, kneeling beside her. "I'm right here."

Meara looked into his familiar, steady gaze, feeling a flicker of hope amid the despair. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around him, seeking comfort in the embrace.

He held her tightly, as if afraid she might vanish. Just minutes ago, he thought he'd lost her, and the fear that had risen within him felt all too real.

Wrapped in Percy's arms, Meara felt a rare sense of safety, but the memory of Zeus's voice in her head still made her skin crawl. She'd felt his power, his control—a cold weight pressing down on her, as if he could crush her spirit with a single thought. My daughter, he had called her, and all she felt was a sickening fear that his darkness ran in her veins.