"Are you even hearing yourself right now? This is why we believe you're fully competent for this initiative. Whatever you've gone through has been training you for these moments. You don't ever stop fighting, there's always another threat. A threat...
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I stared deeply into the Portal of Hermes, as if I were manipulating the smooth shudders of magic. I burrowed my hands deep into my jacket pockets, my nails were piercing my skin as I balled my hands into fists. I was going back to Greece, to Old Panteleimonas, back in mortal clothing again.
I could hear my heartbeat racing through my ears, like a Pegasus about to take flight. The terrible thumping rushed the blood in my body to go straight to my head. I could hardly breathe, my chest felt as if thousands of spears at been thrown into it, each breath I take sending shivering strikes of pain through me. A thin line of sweat coated the entirety of my forehead and the palms on my hands. My eyes flickered from my mother to the portal, endlessly seeking out any kind of guidance, only I wouldn't get any, especially not from Artemis.
It was time to go home, to see my father.
Only I wasn't sure I was ready.
I spent the entirety of the last two years yearning to see my fathers soft, brown eyes once again. Every single day of fighting for my existence was for him, so I could be in his life again, so I could return to some form of normality of my former, much simpler life.
The possibility of being back, it sent nervous goosebumps to swell all over my body. Not having to constantly fear for my life at all moments, not having to worry about Zeus calling me to the Pantheon at any hour of the day. Leaving all that behind to go back to Old Panteleimonas.
"Ready?" Artemis asked, her voice almost a bored tone. I got the general sense that she truly didn't care of my success. I had thought maybe things had changed, after I united the two realms but no, my mother, the Goddess of Hunting, the same as ever.
"I-" I started, choosing to swallow the words on the tip of my tongue and simply nodded my head instead. "Yeah." I said, knowing she wouldn't care either way.
I drew in a deep, shaking breath and zipped up my jacket with trembling fingers, ready to leave the eternally pleasant weather of Olympus. Looking at shimmering portal, I took one step forward and felt myself fall through space.
I blinked wearily a few times, adjusting my eyes to the change of surroundings. I attempted to press my tittering hands ever closer to my sides, pressing them into line down my jeans to stop their nervous movement. My chin was wobbling dangerously, a sign of the welling tears in my eyes threatening to fall down my rosy cheeks at any moment.
I felt the villagers pass behind me and their voices begin to rise. I paid them no attention as my eyes laid upon the the painted sign of 'Ariti's Taverna' that my grandfather designed just before it was passed onto my father. The tears finally fell when I noticed the mellow seasonal flowers draped across the entire front of the restaurant, far more sloppily than usual as I usually stung them up, not Dad. The slight smoky smell of freshly made taramasalata wafted towards me. The chattering of the customers filled my ears but they were nothing but white noise to me as I caught sight of my father through the open door at the front counter. His eye bags were far more prominent than they usually were and I knew he was not being consistent with taking his vitamins. His hair was streaked even more with lines of grey which only drew more notice to his soft eyes.
As a customer stepped through the door, I was finally awoken from my trance.
"Μπαμπάς (Papa)," I whispered, my hands coming up quickly to wipe away my tears.
It was then when I no longer had control over my own body. My legs were automatically moving, faster than they probably ever had done before, through the family restaurant door to my father who I had not seen in over two years. I couldn't even stop myself from running straight into his arms.
I felt his wild confusion as my arms wrapped around his neck. But as soon as I placed my head into his warm chest, he knew it was me and the towel in his hands fell to the floor as he embraced me.
"My princess, my princess, my Selene, oh thank God," he repeated over and over again as I sobbed violently, soaking his apron completely with my salty tears. "You're okay, you're okay, oh Selene."
He look my face in his hands, sticky with tears, and gazed into my eyes, unbelieving that I was back.
"Gods, I missed you so much father," I mumbled, my throat coated thickly with emotion. "Everything I did, all the blood and the tears, it was to see you again."
"Oh Selene, you truly are a warrior, my warrior-princess," he said, pulling me back into his arms.
~
and that's the final chapter for the first part! i hope you all enjoyed the beginning of the book because i had a lot of fun writing it. please let me know what you thought, don't be a silent reader! the second part will be based on 'the avengers' film and a little au section for the second half of the second part. thank you so much for reading!
