Chapter Text
Vi let out a violent gasp as she stumbled through another bush, Powder tightly clutched in her arms.
She's been running for long enough now to lose sense of anything that wasn't her own heavy breathing, the burn in her legs or the pounding of the hooves following hot on her heels.
They've been in plenty dire situations throughout the years but as she zig-zaged through a more dense part of the forest, Vi thought this might be the worst one yet. Somehow, Powder's grip tightened impossibly further where her dirtied nails dug into the skin of Vi's shoulders, her shallow, panicked breaths hitting her tear-stained neck.
“I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorryI’msorryI-”
The rustling of leaves behind them grew closer. Vi could feel the bile rise up her throat, sick with exertion but she pushed through, gasping out words that were barely audible. “It's- you didn't know- it's gonna be fine Powpow-”
A wolf's howl rang through the woods, close, and the next moment, she felt weightless. Only later would she realise that she stumbled over a tree root. Time slowed as the ground fell away underneath her feet, the ravine before her prolonging their fall. They impacted hard, Vi turning reflexively mid-fall to cushion Powder. As her back hid a rock formation, Vi distinctly heard a crack coming from her ribcage.
Almost absentmindedly she hoped that whatever rib snapped wouldn't puncture a lung. At least the adrenaline currently shooting through her entire body numbed the pain of her side, the sharp stabs coming with each breath drawn barely registering as her survival instincts took over.
“Vi you're bleeding!” Powder was pale and shaking in her arms as she stared at the torn up skin of Vi's side and arms. Ignoring the feeling of warm blood trickling down her skin, Vi sat them upright.
She shifted them to her knees before she tried to stand up but her knees buckled halfway through and she quickly pushed Powder to the side before she threw up her misly breakfast on the forest floor.
Once there was nothing left and her head stopped spinning as she drew in desperate lungfuls of air, Vi froze. Dread now pooled in the emptiness of her stomach and made itself at home as she noticed one very important thing.
Quiet. Which could mean only one thing-
“Powder get up on that rock.” Her baby sister stayed kneeled, shaking with fright and clutching her rabbit plushie. “POWDER GET ON THAT ROCK NOW !”
Jumping as if electrically shocked, Vi watched as her sister scrambled up the formation before further raising her gaze towards the tops of the ravine.
On the one side stood the abnormally large boar that's been chasing them, tusks massive enough to spear and hold a pig, its red-eyed stare burning into Vi’s soul.
And on the other side…Vi almost did a double take. A truly massive wolf, eyes almost appearing to glow silver with clear intelligence, surveyed the situation.
A small part of Vi couldn't help but wonder if there's something wrong with California's ground water cause what the fuck? The rest tried to take long, deep breaths, preparing for a fight.
Her eyes flickered rapidly between both animals, watching as they too mustered each other. The sixth sense that Vi stopped questioning years ago told her that the wolf wasn't her current concern from where it stood, looking between Vi and the boar with interest as if it was waiting for something, so she instead turned all her focus towards the boar.
Her hands fell towards the top pockets of her cargo pants, never straying her eyes from the boar's while she slowly reached in and pulled out the carabiners Powder modified into brass knuckles a year ago.
The boar huffed, its hooves scraping against the dirt the moment Vi bent her knees and lowered her stance into that more akin to a wrestler than her usual boxing stance.
Her legs barely held her as she flexed her hands. Open, close, open, close, open-
“Come on then you oversized piece of ham!”
The boar squealed before charging down the ravine and Vi could almost feel the moment her brain shut out everything that didn't have to do with the fight in front of her.
Within the blink of an eye the boar was only mere feet away from her and in a move that went against common sense, she closed her eyes.
Inhale. An image flashed within her mind. The boar, throwing its head in an arch from left to right.
Exhale. Eyes still closed, she dug underneath the left tusk’s arch and stepped to the side. The moment she opened her eyes to face her target the balled fist of Vi's right hand already struck at the joint of the front leg.
A crack. A squeal. She was about to retreat out of rang, when-
“VI, LOOK OUT!”
Powder's shriek came too late when- shoulders hanging and fists drooping from exhaustion- Vi was too slow to bring up her guard as the boar snapped its head back to the right, its right tusk hitting Vi's temple without enough force she could feel her teeth chatter and white spots filled her vision as she lost her balance.
She tumbled backwards until her back hit the rock formation and an answering spike of sharp pain shot through her torso all the way into her legs. The boar squealing bloody murder did nothing to help with her new headache and more blood flowed down the side of her face and stuck to her neck. The spots hadn't fully cleared from her vision, in fact the blood loss seemed to finally have hit her as well.
She was running out of time.
She had to protect Powder.
While she recovered from the hit as best as possible, the boar tested its leg only to squeal once more. Yeah she definitely pulverized that joint. Now if she timed everything just right they should both live. (Assuming she didn't lose any more blood. Assuming the wolf didn't change its mind and tear them to shreds. Assuming she isn't bleeding internally as well-)
Reaching into energy reserves she wasn't sure she even had Vi used the rock formation to stand up properly once more. Before she could retake her stance, she felt a tap on her shoulder.
“Vi take this!” Trusting her sister, Vi opened one hand without looking away from where the board started to charge, this time slower, only on three legs.
When she felt wood touch the palm of her hand Vi had only a moment to glimpse at the hastily constructed javelin. The boar swung its tusks at her, aiming to skewer.
It all happened in the literal blink of an eye.
Dodge. Side step. Stab , right into the boar's vulnerable flank. Throwing her entire body weight behind it, Vi pushed the sharp rock in as deep as possible, twisting her wrist to create the most damage.
In a final act of vengeance the boar used the last of its energy to trash around, the javelin in its side clocking Vi right in the jaw.
As her vision turned black and she dropped to the ground, the last thing Vi perceived was a dusting of ashes raining down on her.
-
Vi wasn't sure where she was or how much time had passed. Her limbs felt heavier than rock and every single part of her body ached like never before. The only thing she could do as she faded in and out of consciousness was listen to the nearby voices.
She could hear pacing footsteps a few feet away from her. Then a posh voice. “I still don't understand why you wouldn't let me help them.”
An ancient, female voice, speaking matter-of-fact. “Prevail or perish. The rules are the same for everyone, you should know that better than anyone.” Now, a bit more pleased. “And they have proven themselves worthy.”
The posh voice turned brittle. “Her sister has yet to stop crying.”
Her sister. Powder.
“Careful with your tone, Senator Kiramman.”
Powder. Was she safe? Vi tried to form the words in her mouth but not a sound escaped them. She needed to get up, she needed to find Powder.
“I'm- shit, she's awake.” Rapid footsteps moved towards her and then, a warm hand on her arm, giving her a gentle squeeze. The other hand landed on her hot forehead, pushing it back on the cot.
“Hey it's alright, you are safe. You are in- would you please stop moving you fool! You're still healing.” Try as she might, Vi realised her struggle was pointless, the hand on her forehead might as well have been steel, she wasn't moving an inch.
Finally managing to lift one of her heavy eyelids so her eye may convey what her lips won't, Vi froze at the crystal blue eyes that were mustering her face.
From what Vi could tell with the blurred vision of one eye, the girl was around her age, with a sharp face and an adorable gap between her front teeth.
“You've taken quite the hits, it'll probably take a couple of days to fully heal you up, if you're not careful with ambrosia it will burn you from the inside out, you know?” Vi did not know. Thankfully it seemed to be more of a rhetorical question, the girl talking more with herself at this point than Vi.
“Your sister is also safe and taken care of,” when Vi's gaze dropped to the empty seat by her cot, the girl explained, “my friend Jayce is currently trying to get her to eat and drink something but they'll be back any minute.” Her lips ticked up in a smile Vi could only think of as sweet. “Good job, by the way.”
At Vi's blank stare, she elaborated. “The Erymanthian boar. No one has put that one down in centuries.”
Vi simply continued to stare, not really understanding half of what this girl is talking about but that's alright. All that mattered was that Powder was safe. With that knowledge, the fatigue doubled-down on her consciousness once more.
The last thing Vi saw before everything turned black once more was the massive wolf from earlier, stepping up beside the girl, pinning her with an approving stare.
-
When Vi woke up next, Powder was nestled into her side playing with her bunny. The moment she sensed the change in Vi's breathing, she was on top of her.
“Vi you're finally awake!” Vi barely had time to sit herself upright before arms were flung around her neck, holding her tight enough it was hard to breathe. Vi made sure to hold her just as tightly.
Powder was here, she was safe , they both were. “How many days was I out?”
Powder's voice was small as she replied. “Three.”
Guilt enveloped her heart like a vice. “Oh Powder…I'm sorry for leaving you alone like that.”
She heard a sniffle coming from the crook of her neck. “It was just scary, seeing you so still for days. And there was so much blood…but I wasn't alone!” Powder suddenly shot up and Vi followed more slowly. If she wasn't so familiar with her sister's coping mechanism, the sudden change of energy surely would've given her whiplash. As it was, she was glad to follow Powder's lead, even if she felt cautious.
“Oh?” She tried to hide the suspicion in her voice.
“Yeah! There was this guy, Jayce- Vi you need to see the stuff he builds!! Sooo cool. And his girlfriend Mel! She's really pretty but a bit scary. And then there was his best friend Victor! He also builds stuff but mostly he does some mix of alchemy and chemistry and makes cool rocks appear- look!”
Vi felt another headache forming at all the names and impressions and-
“Holy shit.” Her jaw must've hit the floor at what Powder pulled from her pocket.
On her sister's palm laid a tiny but perfectly cut, scarily real looking diamond.
“Powder where-? How-? Is this real ?”
Powder grinned at her happily. “It is! Victor gifted it to me! You know that they use diamonds in medicine to split protein?”
“I-”
“You're awake.” A familiar voice called from the tent's entrance.
This time Vi was mentally present enough to fully take her in. Dark hair pulled into a ponytail, she wore jeans and a purple t-shirt that's been tucked in at the front, making the whole look more stiff than it ought to. Vi couldn't help but find it strangely endearing in a way.
And yet all she could do when meeting those earnest eyes and friendly smile was- “You're British.”
The girl briefly stopped her approach a couple feet away, blinking, before her smile turned bemused. “British, American. Roman, Greek. You'll find people here hail from all over.”
Vi frowned, swinging her feet over the edge of the cot and getting up. “What are you talking about?”
“Your godly parent, of course.”
Vi tensed. Great. So they were saved from mutant animals by some fucking cult, fucking fantastic.
She should've had her suspicions the moment a pretty girl nursed her back to health. Life never was that good to Vi.
The silence felt thick with awkwardness. “Riiiiight, well thanks for helping me recover Cupcake-”
“It's Caitlyn. Caitlyn Kiramman.”
“-right! Thanks for the help and food but you know we really should get going-” Vi slowly started to back away towards the other tent flap, holding a confused Powder by the wrist. “I mean we wouldn't wanna burden you guys-”
“There is no need to run, Violet. Though I'm to see you've made a full recovery.” Vi quickly spinned around. There it was again, the giant wolf. It mustered Vi from head to toe, then it turned towards Powder.
“It is good to see you smile again properly, young Powder.” Vi just stared. Then stared some more. It's not like the wolf's mouth moved to form actual human words cause that'd be insane but that would mean-
Powder waved back shyly but with a happy smile. “Good morning Lupa.”
Vi's face snapped to the side violently enough to crack. “You can hear her too?!”
Powder just shrugged at her happily, entirely too calm for Vi's liking. So either they both were given drugs or simply fully lost their minds.
The wolf let out something akin to a chuckle. This time, Vi realised that the voice had always spoken within her mind. I think it's about time we went for a walk and explained some things to your sister, what do you think, Powder?
Powder nodded her head enthusiastically, her hand now slipped into Vi’s own.
Caitlyn will answer any more questions after I've given you the basic rundown.
The wolf, Lupa apparently, sent her one more glance before turning around and leading the way outside. Welcome to Camp Jupiter, Violet.
-
“So to summarize you're telling me the Greek and Roman-”
“And Norse and Egyptian as well.”
“-gods are real and still banging ‘mortals’-”
“Do you have to be so crass?”
“-oh my bad- still fucking mortals-”
“You're a child.”
“- you're the one unable to say the word ‘sex’ even though that's literally how you came to be!” Caityln rolled her eyes from beside her on the bench. Vi clung onto her empty bowl of stew like it was a lifeline, hoping it wasn't entirely obvious. Lupa ditched them after changing Vi's entire world view and here they were now.
They both watched Powder play with some other kids in the park of what Vi was told was “New Rome”.
A safe haven for people like them. A safe haven for-
“So. Demigods.” Vi couldn't help but drag out the word as it left her lips. Over the last hour her panic over a potential cult kidnapping had lessened, but a part of her still wasn't sure if she wasn't whacked into the head a bit too hard by that boar.
Caitlyn just hummed in the back of her throat, giving Vi the time to word the rest of her thoughts.
“And you're saying Powder and I are…demigods.”
“Most certainly. If not demigods, then descendants of one's. Although with how you both handled the situation I'm pretty sure you're quite far up the bloodline.” Her expression turned thoughtful and Vi could see the way she approached their tale like a court case.
She started to list off her fingers. “You are both able to see through the mist.”
“Still not sure what that means.”
“Your body managed to stay standing far longer than any mortal’s would have.”
“I exercise a lot.”
“Powder was able to build a functional javelin out of a rock, a branch and nick nacks in her pocket.”
Vi couldn't keep the pride from colouring her voice. “She’s very talented, always has been.”
Caitlyn sighed, not unkindly, at Vi's arguments. “Have there never been…moments in your life that felt off?”
Vi shuffled in her seat. “I mean…I guess? There was this one time at the orphanage when they took us to a petting zoo and Powder swore up and down that the pony was breathing fire. Or when we went to the park and the ‘trees talked’. Maybe that one time earlier this year where some creepy old guys kept wanting to touch Powder, saying he could make me rich.” She shuddered at the thought before freezing. Fuck, was she rambling ? Since when did she even talk this much with anyone that wasn't Powder? (Or Mylo and Claggor in the past.)
Dreading the look of pity in those eyes, Vi was surprised when she instead found understanding painted all over Caitlyn's face.
Still feeling way too vulnerable she attempted to change the topic. “So who is your godly parent then?” Nope, it still felt weird to say out loud.
Vi watched with curiosity as Caitlyn's posture became a tiny bit more perfect and her expression grew more serious.
“My godly parent is my mother, Justitia.”
Vi blinked. “Your mother is the Lady Justice?” She took the following silence as confirmation. Then, she chuckled. She chuckled until she couldn't hold back the full-bodied laughs anymore.
Beside her, Caitlyn appeared less amused. “I should tell you now that no god takes kindly to being laughed at and it can get you into some serious trouble.”
Vi took some deep breaths as she whipped away at her tears. “Sorry sorry, there's just something incredibly hilarious about Lady Justice's daughter living in,” she couldn't hide the sarcasm in her voice, “The United States of America, wouldn't you say?”
Vi could practically see the cogs turning in Caitlyn's head but before the girl could dive into a whole ass presentation on the American justice system, she cut in.
“So who do you think are our parents then?”
Caitlyn looked at her, eyebrow raised quizzically.
“Same mom, different dads.” Cutting off the follow-up questions before it could be raised, she added. She's also dead.”
Thankfully, Caitlyn didn't say anything like ‘Oh that's so sad. I'm so sorry.’. No, she seemed to have taken Vi's words and was now twisting them around her mind like her personal rubik's cube.
She must've come to some satisfying conclusion because when she looked at Vi, she was gifted with another tooth gapped grin. “Well if you want help figuring it out, I have some ideas.”
Cult or not, faced with the genuine offer to help by a cute girl, can anyone really blame Vi for her decision?