Finding the Sun

Chapter 23

Warning: This chapter contains some mildly descriptive depictions of graphic violence, and descriptions of a body.  Read with caution!

The demigod's name was Siobhan Phelan. She was a daughter of Tyche, which Aster thought was incredibly ironic given the circumstances. But just like Jenny, Caleb and Riley, Aster had never met the girl. Staring at an old school picture of her pinned to the board, Aster felt something akin to rage boiling up inside her. But bigger than this rage was the guilt she felt. She was confident at this point that she was the real target, but still, innocent demigods were dying. It wasn't fair, but then again, when has anything ever been fair for them?

She didn't bring this up to the agents sitting around the room with her. They would likely assume the want for a confrontation with this thing was a suicide wish.

After Aster had informed everyone that Siobhan had been found dead only a few paces from Camp Half-Bloods border, chaos had ensued. The team was ready to pack up and fly to New York immediately, but Aster managed to talk them down.

Siobhan had been discovered by a group of demigods on patrol, not by the police. This meant the team had no official records of Siobhan's murder, and Aster thought it best to keep it that way for now. If the team went to investigate, then mortal police would have to be involved. And with the crime scene being that close to Camp, it was way too risky.

So they went back to the previous conversation of where they would set up the base of operations for the joint demigod-BAU investigation. They decided Penelope's apartment would be best. After she was shot, she moved to a more secure and heavily monitored apartment complex, so it was less likely for the unsub to try anything there. Also if they worked at Penelope's, the technical analyst wouldn't have to worry about moving around her tech set up.

They had made the decision pretty quickly, which was great, but Aster only realized the team fully intended to pack up in the middle of the day and head to Penelope's once they went back to their desks. Standing in the bullpen, Aster stared at them bewildered for a few moments.

"You guys realize you still have half a work day to get through before you guys can go home right? You can't just.. leave." Clearly, Aster thought, they had forgotten that as far as the FBI was concerned, they hadn't had any updates on this case. If the entire team left, it would defeat the point of trying to make people not suspicious.

They all looked at each other, realizing that both Hotch and Rossi were back in their offices and didn't look as though they would be leaving them. Slowly, they began to unpack and sit down.

"But what are we supposed to do? Nothing?" Spencer asked, not loving the idea.

"Do your job, it's not like you're lacking other things to do. I already talked to dad, Nico and I are going to do some preliminary investigating at camp and then meet you guys at Penny's at 5. See you guys then." Aster told them, waving as she walked towards the glass doors of the office.

That was how Aster found herself staring at a photo of Siobhan Phelan, her headshot last in line right after Caleb Blackwoods. It was now 5:25 pm in Penelope's apartment, and the team had just finished setting up the usual case board on Penelope's pink sparkly former vision board.

In a weird way, staring at her photo was harder than staring at her body. Aster had seen plenty of dead people, and while it never got easier, the dead were the dead. An empty shell of who the person used to be. But Siobhan's eyes in her photo were full of life, as bright as her smile. It was easy to envision the future she could have had when she looked like that.

Her horribly depressing thoughts were interrupted by Nico, who upon seeing the agents had finished putting everything together, went to stand in front of everyone.