Hiraeth | pjo & greek mythology & hp (Hiatus)

Prologue

Arabella Black grew up in a typical New York neighborhood; she had a typical childhood. Her parents, Adrian and Emma Black, were high school sweethearts who married after graduating. Through their twenty years of marriage, they had built a wonderful family together.

As a kid, Arabella had always wished to one day have a marriage full of love and devotion like her parents. She, like most people, looked up to her parents, aspiring to be just like them when she grew up because, in her eyes, they were perfect. But as soon as she reached the age of thirteen, her perfect family and life started to fall apart.

It just so happens that perfect doesn't last.

The day right after her thirteenth birthday, her parents announced their divorce. It turned out that her mom had contracted a deadly illness, and her father didn't want to deal with it. He didn't want to spend his money on the hospital bills that her mom would need. As if the last twenty years of marriage and the family he and her mom had built together meant nothing, he walked away from them without looking back.

After that day, Arabella had to watch as her mom's health got worse and had to be hospitalized. She barely had any time to actually live her life after school, working two jobs to pay the bills. Even though their friends and family offered small amounts of money in support, they could only offer so much. The hospital bills and their taxes cost a fortune.

The house that she grew up in had to be sold in order to pay for the hospital bills. They bought a smaller, more run-down home that was only a step up from the abandoned house across the street, and that was only because this one actually had a solid roof.

She slept on a mattress instead of a proper bed. Her mom didn't really need a room as she spent her days and nights at the hospital undergoing medication. There was no internet. If she needed it, she went to the local library or the coffee shop a block away.

Unfortunately, no one could take her in because they all lived in different states or countries and the doctor that specializes in curing her mom's illness worked here in New York City.

She had found out from some of their family friends that he had remarried and started a new family: two sons and a daughter.

At school, she was more of a lone wolf, not really having the motivation to talk to anyone. Arabella was a dedicated student with good grades, which earned her scholarships from top colleges. Due to her mom's health, she accepted a scholarship to NYU so she could stay close to take care of her mom.

Although she may not socialize as much as she did during her childhood she did manage to make some friends.

Throughout the years, she and her mom had a rocky relationship as her mom kept insisting that she didn't need her to take care of her. It had only gotten worse when she found out that Arabella had turned down her dream school to stay close to her. While Arabella knew that her mom wanted the best for her, it frustrated her when her mom refused the help that she so clearly needed. Despite the disagreements, they loved one another; after all, it was just the two of them against the world.

Arabella hadn't heard from her dad in years, and truthfully, she wanted nothing to do with him. The money from child support she put towards the hospital bills that he didn't want to pay.

One part of her wanted her dad to want to be a pet of her life again, but another part never wanted to see his face again. She loved him because of all the good memories she had as a child, but she hated him for walking away and moving on so quickly.

It was sad, really, that a father could be a daughter's first heartbreak and disappointment.

Not once had she received a call or a message from him. From then on, he ignored every birthday, not a single present or card. She didn't know anything about her half-siblings; truthfully, she had no interest in knowing anything about them.