Chapter Text
Hypnos is the Greek god of sleep and the personification of sleep itself.
Which was probably why Aurora was always sleeping—or at least half asleep. Sometimes she liked to nap beneath the tree where Thalia Grace had once stood. It was the perfect place to sleep: a gentle breeze, warm sunlight filtering through the branches, and enough shade to keep her comfortable.
Okay, sure, Aurora wasn't always one hundred percent awake. There had been more than a few occasions where she'd fallen asleep outside and somehow woken up in her bed in Cabin Fifteen with absolutely no memory of how she'd gotten there.
But this time, she was one hundred percent certain she'd fallen asleep beneath the pine tree.
Not in a dark void with a suspiciously glowing mirror standing in front of her.
And as far as she could tell, this wasn't entirely a dream either. She couldn't wake herself up, nor could she leave whenever she wanted. For a daughter of Hypnos, that was unusual enough to make her suspicious.
Was this her father's doing?
One of her older brothers, maybe?
Aurora turned around, intending to walk away, when suddenly her body locked up.
Before she could react, an invisible force seized her and pulled her back toward the mirror until she was standing face-to-face with it once again.
"What in the gods' name—"
A voice echoed from within the glass.
"Ah... my dearly beloved."
"A lovely and noble flower of evil."
"Truly, you are the most beautiful of all."
"Mirror, mirror on the wall..."
"Those who are guided by the dark mirror..."
"As long as your heart desires..."
"Now take the hand and do not let go..."
"Okay, what the fu—"
Suddenly, pain exploded across her back.
Aurora gasped.
The sides of her temples began to throb, then burn, as if something deep inside her skull was trying to force its way out.
"What in the Underworld?"
A groan escaped her lips as she stumbled backward.
A sharp pain shot through her shoulder blades, forcing the air from her lungs and sending her collapsing to the black floor.
Fast, uneven breaths escaped her.
For a brief moment, the pain eased.
Then the second wave hit.
A scream tore from Aurora's throat.
Tears instantly filled her eyes.
"Fuck!" Aurora cursed. "What the fuck is happening to me?!"
The pain spread to the sides of her head.
It felt as though something inside her was pressing against her skin, trying to break free.
Something large.
Something that shouldn't have been there.
Aurora couldn't even pass out.
The pain made sure of that.
There was something beneath her skin.
She could feel it in her shoulder blades.
She could feel it along the sides of her head.
It was like being stabbed from the inside by a dull blade over and over again.
Then came the sound.
A wet, sickening tear.
Her skin.
Her own skin ripping apart.
Aurora choked on a gasp.
Something was forcing its way out of her back.
Every crack.
Every jolt of agony.
She felt all of it.
Then finally—
It burst free.
The grotesque sound of flesh tearing made Aurora lurch forward, gagging violently.
Blood.
She could feel it running down her back.
Warm, Wet.
Far too much of it.
At last, her eyes rolled back into her head.
Her body went limp and collapsed onto the forest floor, red blood and golden ichor staining the abyss beneath her.
At least now she wouldn't have to feel her skull cracking apart.
Wouldn't have to feel the bones reshaping themselves.
Wouldn't have to feel two more foreign limbs burst from the sides of her head.
• • •
Aurora's eyes snapped open with a ragged gasp, her lungs desperately clawing for air.
For one terrifying moment, she thought she was dead.
That the pain had finally killed her.
That she'd somehow woken up in the Underworld.
Yet she didn't feel dead.
Just sore.
Really sore.
She couldn't smell any blood.
Couldn't feel any blood either.
Then again, she couldn't really see anything.
Everything around her was pitch black and eerily silent.
Her pulse thundered in her ears as she tried to move, only to discover she couldn't.
Not really.
Her limbs were pinned tightly against her sides by smooth, cold walls.
No way.
Aurora pressed her hands upward.
Wood.
Solid.
Thick.
Unmoving.
The faint scent of ebony reached her a second later.
Her stomach immediately dropped.
"I'm... in a fucking coffin?!"
That was impossible.
Right?
If she'd died, her body would've been wrapped in a shroud and burned.
That's how demigods did things.
This couldn't be real.
"This is annoying," Aurora thought. "And I'm tired, but I refuse to take a nap in a fucking coffin."
Her fingers fumbled for the bracelet on her wrist.
Click.
The bracelet unfolded into a scythe.
One swing later, the coffin split apart.
Aurora climbed out and finally took a look at her surroundings.
The place looked like a five-star hotel designed by someone with an obsession for dark aesthetics.
Everything was crafted from polished black marble. The walls curved upward into elegant arches etched with strange runes.
But what really caught her attention was the ceiling.
A massive crystal chandelier hung above her, dripping with green-tinted light.
Thankfully, it looked like electricity.
Not ghost fire.
Then she noticed the other coffins.
There were at least half a dozen of them scattered throughout the room.
All identical to the one she'd just destroyed.
Dark wood.
Gold trim.
A keyhole embedded in every lid.
"Damn. Somebody has a kink," Aurora muttered.
Turning away from the coffins, she glanced toward one of the mirrors lining the room.
"Maybe one of them is a portal home."
She vaguely remembered an Aphrodite camper who could travel through mirrors and communicate through them.
It wasn't a common ability, but stranger things had happened.
Stepping in front of the nearest mirror, Aurora froze.
Gone was her Camp Half-Blood shirt.
Her flare jeans were missing too.
Styx, they had even stolen her sleeping mask.
Why would anyone take her sleeping mask?
At least she still had her earrings and Camp Half-Blood necklace.
Inspecting her new outfit, Aurora decided it wasn't terrible.
Just uncomfortable.
Black slacks.
A fitted sleeveless shirt with decorative buttons running down the front.
Polished dress shoes.
A long hooded cloak lined with deep purple fabric and embroidered with gold.
A belt with an ornate buckle tied everything together, making her look like she'd wandered out of some royal fantasy novel.
She could appreciate the star patterns, though.
Aurora absentmindedly twirled a strand of hair around her finger as she examined herself.
"It's uncomfortable to move in..."
With a sigh, she turned away from the mirror and began exploring the room.
Then a voice behind her made her jump slightly.
“Ah, I knew we were missing a student. There you are, Mr.”
Aurora whirled around.
Standing a few feet away was a tall man wearing an elaborate mask.
The man looked like he'd stepped straight out of a Victorian drama that had somehow collided with a high-end fashion show. He wore a deep indigo suit beneath a long black greatcoat, its collar lined with raven feathers. The coat flared at the bottom like a bird's tail, and black gloves adorned with golden claw-like rings completed the look.
Honestly, he looked like some kind of bird-themed Bond villain.
He reminds me of the crow from Maleficent...
Aurora blinked.
Wait a minute.
Did he just call her Mister?
"I'm not a Mr. Sir, you're quite—"
She was immediately cut off as the man continued speaking as though he hadn't heard a word she'd said.
"Well, of all my students, you certainly are the most... enthusiastic. Every other student has had enough restraint to wait for me to open their Gate."
The man sighed dramatically before glancing toward the remains of Aurora's coffin.
"And how, pray tell, did it become so thoroughly destroyed?"
Aurora casually slid the arm holding her bracelet behind her back.
"I dunno," she replied. "I woke up on the ground."
Then she pointed toward the shattered coffin.
"And what? Those things were Gates?"
The masked man's mouth twitched upward.
"Have you not fully regained consciousness yet?" He peered at her curiously. "No matter! I shall simply explain everything as we walk."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and strode away.
Aurora stared after him for a moment before reluctantly following.
Strange bird man.
"This is Night Raven College," he announced as they stepped into an elegant garden. "Surely you know that much."
"The last school I attended blew up," Aurora said flatly.
The man paused mid-step.
"...Well."
A brief silence followed.
"I can assure you that this school will not be blown up."
Aurora wasn't entirely convinced.
The man glanced at her again, his gaze oddly calculating, as though he were trying to determine whether she was a threat or simply strange.
Probably both.
"My name is Dire Crowley," he continued. "I have been entrusted with this institution's care by the chairman himself and serve as its Headmage."
Aurora looked him up and down.
"You're the principal?"
The amount of disbelief in her voice was almost impressive.
Crowley paused.
"...Yes."
Aurora frowned.
There was absolutely no way this bird-themed supervillain was a principal.
Crowley either ignored her expression or chose not to acknowledge it.
"Well, as I was saying, Night Raven College is an institution dedicated to nurturing those with exceptional magical talent."
Aurora's eyes widened.
Not because she was shocked.
Because this was apparently an actual magic school.
Did Lady Hecate create an entire wizarding world without telling anyone?
Was Harry Potter real?
She kept those questions to herself.
"Students are chosen by the Dark Mirror," Crowley continued, "and summoned here through Gates that may appear anywhere."
Aurora pointed over her shoulder.
"You mean the coffins?"
"In a sense, yes."
"So they're basically magical teleportation pods."
Crowley visibly chose not to comment on that comparison.
"A black carriage should have transported you here."
"I got kidnapped while I was asleep and only remember a mirror."
Aurora yawned.
Honestly, she wanted to go home.
Or back to Cabin Fifteen.
Or sit with one of her brothers.
Or take a nap.
Preferably all three.
Crowley continued explaining something.
Aurora stopped listening approximately thirty seconds later.
Instead, she let her mind drift while automatically following him wherever he happened to be going.
Eventually they arrived before a pair of enormous doors.
"Please remain quiet as we enter the Mirror Hall."
Without another word, Crowley pushed the doors open.
The room beyond was bathed in soft blue light.
Rows of hooded figures filled the chamber.
At the very front stood five individuals dressed in matching robes.
And was that a floating tablet?
Aurora quietly pulled her hood farther over her head as they entered.
The people at the front varied wildly in height, but all of them seemed focused on the ceremony taking place.
"Just step forward and approach the mirror," Crowley instructed.
Before Aurora could protest, he placed a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her toward an enormous mirror framed in gold.
Its surface was black as ink.
Aurora stopped in front of it.
"So..." she said uncertainly. "Do I say something?"
Nothing.
No instructions.
No explanation.
No helpful guidance whatsoever.
Okay.
Cool.
Aurora stood there awkwardly, staring at the mirror.
The creepy face inside stared right back.
Slowly, her brain caught up.
This was the exact same mirror that had kidnapped her.
"Motherfucker," Aurora muttered in Greek, narrowing her eyes. "If you don't send me back home, I swear to the gods—"
The mirror spoke before she could finish.
Instantly, the entire room fell silent.
"State your name."
Aurora tightened her grip on her jacket.
"Aurora Celeste."
The mirror remained quiet for a moment.
Then its voice echoed through the chamber once more.
"This one's soul is shrouded in mystery. A veil of sleep and dreams overlays it."
Aurora blinked.
Okay.
That was a little creepy.
"The nature of your soul fits Diasomnia."
"...Kay, cool."
Aurora glanced around.
Was that it?
Did she get a certificate or something?
Before she could ask, the massive doors at the far end of the room slammed open.
Or rather—
Were thrown open.
By a cat.
A cat whose ears were literally on fire.
Aurora blinked.
How the hell did a cat throw open doors that big?
She glanced around to see if anyone else found that concerning.
Then she remembered she'd spent years at Camp Half-Blood.
Compared to some of the things she'd seen there, a fire-eared cat barely cracked the top twenty.
The Stoll brothers alone had permanently altered her standards for what counted as normal.
So, ultimately—
She didn't care.
Suddenly, a wave of blue fire shot across the room.
Straight toward her.
Aurora's body reacted before her brain did.
She sidestepped automatically.
Unfortunately, that meant crashing directly into someone standing behind her.
A smaller guy.
Or maybe a man.
Aurora had long since learned not to guess people's ages.
Looking down, she found herself staring into a pair of unfamiliar green eyes.
"Oh my, are you alright, dear?" the stranger asked.
Aurora blinked.
Okay, wow.
His voice was significantly deeper than she'd expected.
And—
Pointed ears.
Just like hers.
That was nice.
Back at camp, only Clovis, some of the Hephaestus kids, a handful of nymphs, and a few other people had ears like that.
Realizing she'd been staring without answering, Aurora quickly straightened up.
"Ah—yes. Thank you, sir."
The stranger's eyes widened slightly.
Then a small smile tugged at his lips.
"It was no trouble."
Before either of them could continue the conversation, another warning tingle raced across Aurora's skin.
Danger.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the stranger by the arm and pulled him sideways.
A second later, another blast of blue fire shot through the space they'd been standing in.
His eyes widened.
Aurora released him immediately.
She was officially done with whatever this nonsense was.
I'm tired, alright? I just want a nap.
Turning away, she finally looked toward the center of the room.
Two students were desperately firing spells at the monster.
Meanwhile, the headmage stood nearby yelling for everyone else to do something.
Very productive.
"Enough already..." Aurora muttered in Greek.
She shifted into a fighting stance.
Behind her, she could feel the pointed-eared stranger watching her carefully now.
Alert.
Ready.
The expression was familiar.
She'd seen it countless times on campers who had survived wars.
People who instinctively recognized danger.
Was he from another pantheon?
The thought barely crossed her mind before she dismissed it.
She had more important things to worry about.
Like the students directly in the monster's path.
Aurora moved.
A shimmering shield materialized before her, its design pulled from a dream she'd seen years ago.
Before anyone could process what was happening, she'd already crossed the room.
A second later, she appeared behind the monster.
Or rather—
Behind the cat.
The now sleeping cat.
The creature rested peacefully in her arms.
Silence immediately descended over the chamber.
Aurora looked around.
"Are you all done now?"
She yawned.
"I'd really like to go back to bed."
And home.
Preferably home first.
Nobody answered.
The entire room was staring at her.
Oh.
Her hood had fallen back.
Golden-blonde hair spilled over her shoulders, fading into a deep starry blue near the ends.
"What?" she asked.
"It's a girl?!"
"Congratulations, bro!"
"What?"
"Oh, I thought, y'know. Gender reveal."
"No one here is pregnant."
"Oh."
"Whoa."
"She's pretty."
"Her hair looks fluffy."
"I wonder what she uses?"
Water and soap.
That's what I use.
Then another comment reached her ears.
"Are those wings on her head?"
"Are those wings on her head?"
Aurora froze.
Wait.
What?
She didn't have wings.
Dad had wings.
She definitely did not have wings.
Her hands immediately flew to the sides of her head, and her breath caught when soft feathers brushed against her fingertips.
Aurora's eyes widened.
The pain.
The mirror.
The feeling of something tearing through her skin.
The memory came rushing back all at once.
The pain hadn't been random.
Something had actually been growing.
Wings.
The pain in her skull suddenly made a lot more sense.
Then another thought struck her.
Aurora blinked.
Then blinked again.
Slowly, she reached behind herself.
Nothing.
No feathers.
No wings.
No giant appendages attached to her back.
She paused.
Wait.
The pain had definitely been in her shoulder blades too.
She remembered that part very clearly.
So where were they?
Aurora twisted awkwardly, nearly dropping the sleeping cat in the process as she tried—and completely failed—to look at her own back.
Still nothing.
"...Are they retractable?"
That was somehow the least ridiculous explanation she could come up with.
A beat passed.
Then another.
Aurora frowned.
Had she somehow pulled them back in while unconscious?
Was that even possible?
Could wings do that?
She had absolutely no idea.
The only winged person she knew personally was her father, and unfortunately Hypnos had never bothered leaving behind a handbook titled Congratulations, Your Child Has Suddenly Grown Wings.
Her gaze drifted upward.
"Did I do that in my sleep?" she muttered.
Another pause.
"...Or did Dad help?"
Honestly, both options seemed equally plausible.
Hypnos wasn't exactly known for explaining things beforehand.
If anything, dropping life-changing surprises on his children and expecting them to figure everything out themselves felt incredibly on-brand for him.
Aurora let out a tired sigh.
Great.
So far she'd been kidnapped by a creepy mirror, transported to another world, trapped in an all-boys magic school, and apparently developed mysterious wing-related problems.
She needed a nap.
And several explanations.
Because this shouldn't even be possible.
Demigods inherited powers all the time.
But physical traits from a god?
That was incredibly rare.
She was absolutely going to have a conversation with her father later.
Assuming she got home.
Meanwhile, the students had moved on to a completely different topic.
"Wait, what's a girl doing here?"
"better question- why was she grabbing at her back and head like that?"
I just got wings sue me okay?.
"Look at her ears! She's a fae!"
I'm a what now?
"Did you see that?"
"Diasomnia got another powerful student."
"Yikes."
"She didn't even use a magic pen."
Aurora blinked.
Aren't you all supposed to be wizards?
Just use wandless magic.
Harry Potter managed.
Then her brain finally caught up to something else they'd said.
A girl.
Slowly, Aurora looked around the room.
Then around again.
And suddenly realized a very important detail.
A room-sized detail.
A school-sized detail.
"YOU'RE ALL BOYS?!" Aurora shouted.
"YOU JUST REALIZED?!" someone immediately shouted back.
They somehow sounded even more horrified than she did.
Aurora shrugged.
"Maybe?"
The room collectively stared at her.
"Alright," Aurora said, gesturing vaguely. "Can I go home now?"
She turned toward the shell-shocked headmage.
Internally, she let out what felt like her tenth sigh in the last ten minutes.
I just want to go back to bed.
Honestly, why was the principal so shocked?
She was 20% sure she'd already told him she wasn't a mister.