Chapter Text
Which story to start with?
Hmm… maybe the one about the girl who loves stories just as much. But first a familiar face :)
Chiron didn't know what he was expecting. After over five centuries of teaching and, let's be honest, caring for demigod children, he thought he was used to the traumatic stories of said children. He knew all of the "types" of kids, what behaviors indicated what stories, he could tell now how long they might survive based on their motivation and drive, he could recognize which deity a demigod might be claimed by, and could understand what traumas they may have faced beforehand, all off knowing them for even just a few hours. So he doubted he would be surprised by this girl. And maybe he wasn't all that shocked, but... that didn't make her story any easier. Let’s see what she’s written on December twenty-second of 2021…
12/ 22 /21
I really really like writing stories. Like, I bet if there was a whole universe of stories, i’d live in it! Okay, I guess that doesn’t make that much sense. Hi! I’m Kiara, and today I turn nine years old! I’m so excited because today I’m gonna be officially able to have the big kids privileges like Nova! She’s my foster sister, but we like to say we’re real sisters because we’re so similar! Oh, mother’s calling me, i’ll be back! Signed, Ki-
“ARA! KIARA!!” a loud voice sent a jolt of anxiety through her body like an electric current. She ran downstairs as fast as she could.
“What are you doing? Finish these now!” Her foster mother pointed at the dirty dishes in the sink.
“Uhm… Mom-” Kiara said quietly, nervously.
“-Mother.” Mother corrected.
“Sorry!” Kiara cursed herself for the mistake. She wouldn’t be making that one again. “Mother, the dishes in the dishwasher are still clean?” Kiara said questioningly. She appeared tiny next to Mother. Not that she wasn’t tiny regardless. Adults usually chalked it up to genetics, though not much was known about said genetics. Kiara had never known her biological parents.
Mother rolled her eyes, exasperated. “So put them away! God, do I need to tell you everything step by step?” Kiara hung her head. “Sorry mother,” Kiara mumbled with her head down as she made her way over to the dishwasher and started putting away clean dishes. Mother walked out of the kitchen.“What are you doing here-? Ugh, never mind.” Kiara heard from the hallway. Moments later, a sunny girl with golden blonde hair and freckles walked in.
“Hey, Ki!” She said, energetically but quietly enough so Mother wouldn’t hear. Kiara’s face lit up instantly.
“Nova!” Kiara put the dishes down and ran to hug her foster sister. Nova embraced her and spun her around. Kiara giggled, eyes wide as she watched the room spin around her and Nova, who then put her back down.
“Well, looks like Mother’s been keeping you busy on your birthday,” Nova observed. Before Kiara could respond, she walked over to the living room nearby and grabbed the TV remote. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t think birthdays should be celebrated by doing dishes.” she said, turning on Bluey for Kiara, who giggled and happily squealed, “Bluey!!”. Nova smiled. Her smiles were always something to look forward to because there was something about them that could just melt a person in seconds. It was one of the things that made her and Kiara so similar.
“But who's gonna do the chores?” Kiara asked.
“I’ll handle that,” Nova said confidently. Then their younger foster brother walked in. “Jack will help, too.”
Jack looked up at Nova, raising a brow. “I’ll help with what?” he asked skeptically. “This better be a good prank.”
“No, doofus, it’s Kiara’s birthday! We’re not going to have her do chores all day on her birthday.” Nova answered. Jack looked like he was going to protest, but Nova smiled warmly and innocently at him, and he relented.
“Fine. For Kiara.” He grumbled. Jack, who looked nothing like his two foster siblings, had copper hair, blue eyes, and freckles, and also happened to be the scapegoat of the family, always getting into some sort of trouble wherever he went. He didn’t do his chores, would seemingly purposely stir up tension in the “home”, and would sometimes be gone for hours on end. Though he got good grades, this wasn’t enough to “compensate” for his “delinquent behavior” and he would get punished by the foster parents, whose names were Scarlette and Brandon Caste, by the way. Not that it matters, since our story doesn’t linger here for long. Anyway. Jack usually listened to his siblings as long as there weren’t any adults around to witness it.
Kiara was grinning from ear to ear. This already seemed like the best birthday ever! Nova and Jack split the chores between themselves and Nova sat down to watch Bluey with Kiara while Jack worked on dishes. Eventually, Kiara couldn’t sit still anymore and Nova gave her some coloring papers while she took over hers and Kiara’s chores and Jack lingered nearby. If Scarlette or Brandon ever came by, Kiara would pretend to put away her coloring supplies and whoever wasn’t working would start cleaning or doing something similar. Kiara was overjoyed to have free time. She ran around outside (barefoot), climbing trees while her siblings watched over her from a distance. When she came back inside, having washed off her feet outside, however, her smile fell off her face.
“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?” Scarlette screamed as she slapped Nova’s face. Nova was facing away from Kiara, so Kiara couldn’t see her face, but she knew, unfortunately, what it probably looked like. Nova didn’t make a sound. Scarlette’s face was… well, scarlette. “Don’t you dare pull something like this again. If you don’t get your act together, you’ll be spending the week in the basement without dinner!” Mother said, her voice dripping with rage.
“Yes Mother.” Nova’s voice said, quiet but clear. And that’s when Scarlette looked up and saw Kiara. “And you… if I find you’re responsible for this…” her eyes bore in her soul. Kiara whimpered.
“Yes, Mother.” she said.