Relieving Memories

Kiara's Interlude I

The Last Days of School

She didn't quite know when she first noticed she was different.

As far as Kiara could tell, she'd always been a little distant from the others in her life.

No one else seemed to be connected to everyone all the time.

'Connected?' Thalia wondered.

People always claimed about having to guess what everyone else was feeling. Arguments between people over the misunderstanding a tone made no sense to her.

Poseidon closed his eyes.

He'd had a son a long time before the oath with this power. A rare power for his children. The sea was many things but at some point in history, it was decided by the mortals that the ocean was a direct example of emotions. Emotions that could be crazy or constant ever flowing the same way. His son had been born with this power. Or Talent as he and now, his daughter insisted on calling it.

The Talent of Empathy.

"Why are you fighting?" she'd asked once. "He's happy to see you and she's happy to see you, but both of you are filled with nervous."

Her mother had scolded her for talking to strangers but Kiara clearly remembered how much lighter and happier the air got when the couple stopped being so False-Angry and Nervous-excitement.

"Empathy," Nico confirmed his suspicions to the rest of the demigods.

Or really just Thalia as Percy and Annabeth knew about the young girl's ability.

Kiara's Talent with emotions had been there all her life. Everyone praised her for being so empathic to everyone but she'd simply assumed everyone around her was playing a game or just deaf and blind. After all, she couldn't possibly be the only one seeing all the colors and hearing all the emotions.

"You see colors?" Aphrodite interrupted herself to ask.

"If I concentrate on the emotion, why?"Kiara confirmed.

"It sounds a little like my own power." the goddess of love explained. "I don't have to concentrate though."

She returned to reading very intrigued.

She was wrong and she was the only one.

That had been earth-shattering for her little mind that assumed this was normal and everyone could do it.

Preschool had been one of the hardest times of her life as everyone was just so open. Children freely shared their emotions and proudly left them on display for everyone.

"Demigods creeped me out because of that," Kiara remarked. "Even the really young campers were super guarded and that was strange to see."

She hadn't intended the words to be a barb or an insult, but every immortal with children flinched a little at the comment. Emotions so well blocked off that the empath acknowledged it was never a good thing.

'I wonder if they'd forgive us if we went to apologize,' Apollo thought to himself sadly.

Artemis stiffened when she saw the dejection on her brother's face coupled with the sunny light he emitted constantly dimming a little. She reached out and rubbed his back soothingly. He may be a pain in her butt, but he was still her brother and they'd always look after each other.

[Thanks big sis,] he told her.

Artemis smiled slightly. He'd never admit she was older out loud but that was Apollo for you.