The Silver Ring (PJO)

Chapter 10

The easiest way to get answers was from a god. Preferably, an Olympian.

And what better way was there than to talk to my Dad?

And that's how I found myself on the beach. It wasn't out of my way; I had been planning to come there anyhow, to reflect on my day. 

With its pristine, white sand, waves the color of diamonds, clear, blue sky, and calming aura, it looked straight out of a photo, too good to be true. I immediately felt at home, since it was the closest to my home element.

I closed my eyes, preserving the moment of peace. My senses were begging me to dive into the beckoning water, and just stay there.

But, unfortunately, all good things come to an end. An aura grew in power, as a god appeared next to me.

"Hello, son." The voice came from my right.

I breathed in and out one last time, then turned to the speaker and opened my eyes, smiling. "Hello, Dad."

Dad smiled back. If you ignored his powerful aura, with his tan skin, black hair, and sea-green eyes, you could think he was a handsome, thirty-year-old avid surfer who spent all of his free time on the beach. Many gods had said I was the splitting-image of him, and I had no qualms about that.

A pause ensued as we kept staring at each other. Finally, Dad cracked. "Come and give your father a hug!" He opened his arms out wide.

After the war with Gaea, the gods finally realized (with some pushing from me) that their kids were very dear to them, and now regularly visited the camp to spend time with them. This had a very positive impact on both campers and demigods: the demigods were no longer neglected, and much happier, which reduced the risk of demigods turning sides. Plus, they were much more willing to help their parents; for the gods, they found their inner peace. They all became more humble and down-to-earth, and acted like real parents—or, at least as close as immortal gods could be. 

Gone were the days Lord Zeus used to strike down demigods that were disrespectful or he simply didn't like. Nowadays, he threatened them, but didn't act upon it. After all, he still had to put up the image of a powerful, terrible god.

I accepted the hug; it was warm, comforting, and for a moment all my troubles dissipated away. "Why does this always happen to you, my child?" Poseidon murmured into my hair.

I wasn't surprised that he knew. "I really thought she was the one, Dad. I don't know if I can ever heal . . . " I trailed off, fearful that if I said even one more word I would burst into tears. 

"You still have me. As well as your brothers, Triton and Tyson. And don't forget about Amphitrite."

I chuckled mournfully. "How could I forget about her. She's my mother. Speaking of, how is she?"

Two months back, I figured out something that shocked me to the core, but pleased me nonetheless. My mortal mother, Sally Jackson, was actually Amphitrite but in mortal form. My good step-dad, Paul Blofis, was actually Poseidon. Don't ask me how it works—I don't know. Dad tried explaining it to me once, but it all flew over my head like a bird.

Dad's protective grip on me lessened a bit, as though he was thinking of something. "You know Sall-er . . . Amphitrite. I could use many adjectives: amazing, stunning, resplendent . . . wait a minute . . . stop trying to distract me!"

I smiled into his chest. Talking to my Dad was one of the best things I could ask for in the world. Even though my family was very large and different, I thought they were perfect. After all, nobody was perfect. The thing that mattered was if they would try to get better.

Well, that's not exactly true, my conscious interjected. I could think of one person specifically who's perfect—

I tried cutting the thought off, but my traitorous mind started to think about Artemis. Specifically, the form she was in when our impromptu meeting happened. I shivered unnoticeably at the thought.

"As your father," Dad continued. "I have to and will take care of you, even if I didn't in the past. Therefore, please tell me what is going on in your mind."

His kind and gentle tone broke the dam. All my worries, sorrows, and regrets came shooting out, with almost no pauses. Just talking about what happened was almost as though I was reliving the event again. I collapsed into my Father's arms right after I finished, silent tears coming out of my eyes like a waterfall.

Dad sighed again so sadly, it seemed as though he went through an event as crushing as mine. "That stupid daughter of Athena," Dad muttered. "I knew she was trouble." 

"Don't blame her," I said, sniffling.

Dad stiffened, his muscular body tensing up, as though he heard something he couldn't believe. "You-you're beating yourself up for this? You think this is your fault?" Dad asked incredulously. 

I nodded silently, biting my lip to unsuccessfully try to stop my tears. 

Dad started rubbing his hand on my back tenderly. It was as comforting as a massage, and my body relaxed a bit. 

"Listen to me," Dad said sharply, scolding me for blaming myself for this situation. "You didn't do anything wrong in this situation. It was all Owl's stupid daughter. Being compassionate is mainly a good thing, but you're too compassionate. Learn when to help others by taking blame, and when not to take blame—and sadly, this is one of the rare situations that you completely blame on one person. And she deserves it. Got it?"

I nodded silently again, taking a deep breath and then pulling out of the hug, immediately missing the comforting feeling only your parents can give you. I quickly wipe all the tears off of my face and compose myself again, not wanting my Dad to feel obliged to help me more than he should.

But he knew me too well. "I should kill the scum for hurting my favorite son," Poseidon muttered darkly, looking at me with concern, as though was temped to whisk me to Atlantis, his capital city in the waters, and take care of me there with familiar faces.

And to be honest, I was tempted too. "Don't kill her!" I exclaimed hurriedly.

"Fine," Dad groaned. "For you. But I won't guarantee anything in a couple of months."

I nodded obediently, not expecting anything better. I lifted my hand up to chest height so he could see the silver ring. It glittered like a gigantic gem. "Mind telling me what this is about?"

Dad grinned sheepishly. "It's about time you found out, don't you think?"