Percy Jackson And The River Star

The Amazon Goddess-Warrior

We were at Mr. Rocha's living room, it was big and furnished with rain forest theme. The wall was full of pictures of relatives in family moments. Irani and Daniel Rocha Junior were together in a big armchair holding hands. Mr. Rocha and his wife were just across them in a smaller sofa. I was sitting in a wooden chair. Grover and Vitória were changing clothes in Irani's bedroom. I had no need for that.

"I'm sorry for all the inconvenience I caused. I didn't think my mother and Chiron would send you, Percy."

"Let me get this straight. You weren't kidnapped, you ran away from home?" I asked.

She got up and came to me. She was the type of girl you see in the cover of Vogue magazine. Her face showed she hasn't gotten much sleep.

"I can't call a river home!" She protested. "Living in ponds of water, in the middle of nowhere. I hated my life."

"But, your mother, Chiron told she was worried sick." Grover questioned her while he was arriving in the living room along with Vitória.

"Grover, I always told my mother I didn't want to live in the jungle. I never liked it. I wanted to study, see the world, live a normal life in the city, doing real work, as an ordinary girl. But nooo, my mother, the well-known Iara, Lady of the River, cousin of the Avalon's Lady of the Lake, wanted to stay in the woods, singing to men."

"She was just trying to protect the forest from men like him." Vitória pointed to Mr. Rocha. "He sent beasts after us."

"I truly apologize for that, Vitória. I sent those beasts after you, not my father-in-law." Irani came to Mr. Rocha defense.

"Why?"

"As soon as I heard my mother had sent a demigod after me, I knew it I had to do something. I just wanted to scare you off, never hurt you. Daniel was just doing me a favor pretending to be the bad guy.

"Nice way to scare us off. You should be an actor, Mr. Rocha." I criticized their tactics.

"I must also apologize." Mr. Rocha said. "Sometimes men-eating trees can be a bit aggressive. Please, I never intended to hurt you. Since my son met Irani, we have been changing our ways. The illegal logging has been shut down, and Irani and Daniel Junior are opening a new office."

"We have been implementing sustainable development in the farms and passing our knowledge to others." Irani explained as a true entrepreneur.

"The old days are over. Irani knows better than anyone this ecosystem. We want to change things around here. Theirs is the future." Mr. Rocha pointed at the young couple.

"What about your mother and Chiron?"

"They have to accept it. I'm eighteen, I make my own decisions. No one else, not even my beloved husband can tell me what path I should follow." She smiled at him.

"Well, I guess our work is done here. If there was any, in fact." I was glad.

It was just a big misunderstanding. Vitória was off the hook. She didn't have to sacrifice herself to save us. I was relieved. All I wanted was to take her to New York with me. She was radiant too. She knew it was over.

One of Mr. Rocha's men entered the living room. He was holding a small radio set. He put it on the table.

"Boss, you should hear this. Más notícias."

We have news that a creature, nobody can give us an accurate description, has been attacking and destroying several villas and farms around this area. Eyewitnesses confirm that a big animal resembling a giant wolf or a caiman is responsible for the destruction. Right now, it is headed to Fazenda Delgado.