▬▬▬▬▬ CHAPTER SEVEN ▬▬▬▬▬

"EVERYONE RETURN TO YOUR CABINS immediately." Chiron said. "Now, please."
       
The campers sent glances at each other full of confusion and worry, some of which was sent to Esmerelda, who had yet to move an inch.
       
Ethan gingerly touched her arm. "Essie?" He said quietly.
       
"She won't be going anywhere," Mr. D said. He and Chiron were standing beside table eleven now. Both were staring grimly at newly claimed daughter of Hecate.
       
"We need to speak with her, Ethan. It's of dire importance, so if you would please return to your cabin with everyone else." Chiron requested kindly.
       
Ethan gave his best friend one last worried stare before hesitantly walking away with the rest of the Hermes campers, all of which were giving Esmerelda concerned looks too.
       
"Please follow us, Esmerelda. We'll be talking in the Big House." Chiron said. The warmth in his eyes was gone and he was looking at her as if she was already laying on her deathbed.
       
Wordlessly, she nodded. She trailed after the them numbly, her mind trying to comprehend what had just happened. She had been claimed. By Hecate. And this entire time she thought her dad had been the godly one. It was her mother all along.
       
That explains why he was actually around when I was a baby. But who was the woman who gave me up to foster care? Was that my mom? Was that Hecate? And... and why are people making a big deal out of this? She had always prayed and prayed for her godly parent to claim her, because she knew it would become one of the greatest days of her life. But now she just felt dread.
       
She had been claimed by Hecate. And there was something wrong with that. She just couldn't pinpoint what it was. Though she had a feeling she'd find out soon.
       
They didn't stop until they entered the Big House's rec room, which was where all the council meetings were held. It was also the room where she first watched the orientation film.
       
"Take a seat." Chiron said kindly, pulling a chair back for her.
       
She stared at it like it was an electric chair, but sat down anyways. Her stomach was doing a bunch of loops and she felt dangerously close to throwing up.

Something terrible was going on, and all she knew was that she was the reason for it. The gods were angry. What was going to happen to her? She shrunk into herself in the chair she sat on as her mind worked furiously against her, thinking what did I do wrong?, what are they going to do to me?, and I don't feel good, I'm gonna throw up!.
       
"The gods are very displeased." Chiron began.

Mr. D scoffed. "Displeased? They're more than displeased Chiron. They're furious that Hecate went around and made another... that!" He pointed at her.

"I don't understand..." She said nervously. "I-I'm not the only child of Hecate, so why...?"
       
"You're much more different than you're half-siblings, Esmerelda." Chiron said quietly. "Your father was a mortal, yes, but he was a special kind of mortal."
       
"A witch?" She asked.
       
"Wizard, actually." He corrected.
       
"So it's true then," Mr. D narrowed his eyes at her and she tried not to shrink any more. She could feel herself growing crazy under his stare. "You've already been told. Father mentioned an unknown presence entering the camp, and I admit I felt it too but couldn't be bothered to check it out. He and the gods watched everything that happened between you and that Professor What's-Her-Face."

She nodded slowly. "Professor Diakos came to me during kitchen patrol while the Stoll brothers and the harpies were out collecting more plates. She told me that she was a professor from this school in Scotland—Hogwarts, I think. She told me that I was a witch. She even gave me my letter when I accepted to go to school there."
       
"Hogwarts?" Chiron echoed. He looked to Mr. D. "That was where... he attended as well, correct?"

Mr. D only nodded.
       
"Are the gods angry that I'm a witch?" Esmerelda asked only for a loud strikes of lightning to answer her.
       
"They're not mad because you're a witch. They're mad because you're a witch and a demigod." Chiron explained. "You see, centuries ago, your mother had son just like you. He was a wizard too, as well as a demigod. His name was Merlin and he became very famous in the wizarding world. He became known to the gods too. Now, Merlin was never aware of his demigod heritage due to his mortal father keeping it from him. And Merlin never suspected it either, even though monsters were constantly attacking him since birth."
       
Since birth. Now that sounded familiar.
       
"Lady Hecate cared greatly for him, for he was her pride and joy. He was possibly the most powerful wizard alive. The magic from his father combined with the embodiment of magic herself—it was no surprise Merlin was so powerful. The gods felt threatened by his growing power and sought to destroy him. And so they did."
       
"We wanted to eliminate her pet world too," Mr. D said bitterly. "But we settled with just killing that one."

Chiron continued. "Afterwards, they made Lady Hecate vow on the River Styx to never have a child with a wizard ever again."
       
Esmerelda turned impossibly pale. Breaking an oath on the Styx would earn you a punishment worse than death. The Fates would have their eye on you once you swore on it. But gods who break oaths had the tendency to get off lightly since they were immortal. Their children, however, weren't...

I'm going to be punished, she realized. The Fates are going to punish me for being born.
       
"That oath is almost as important as the Pact of the Big Three. And it's been broken." Mr. D stated. He looked straight at her as he said: "You never should have been born. Tomorrow, the gods will be expecting you on Olympus."
       
"F-for what?" She said in a shaky voice. She was glad Chiron had her sit down. Every part of her was shaking now. She wouldn't have been able to stand.
       
"For your execu—sorry, judgement." Mr. D replied.

"My... judgement?" Her voice came out timid and weak.
       
"The gods will vote on whether they will... execute you or let you live." Chiron clarified. "It is the same as they had done with Merlin."

Yeah. And they decided to kill him.
       
"Oh." She croaked.
       
Chiron gave her a pitiful stare. "They will be expecting you tomorrow at precisely eight in the morning. We will have Argus drive you there. You will have to wake up early as a precaution. Arriving late will only anger them further."
       
She nodded choppily. "I understand."
       
They dismissed her, and she walked out of the Big House with trembling legs and heaving lungs. She barely made it ten feet away when she couldn't hold it in anymore. She hunched over the nearest shrubbery and vomited all over it.

"...Essie?" A voice said.

She looked to the side and saw Ethan standing by. She was able to see him clearly in the dark. In fact, she had always been able to see in the dark. She thought it was normal at first, but now she knew that it was a daughter of Hecate thing.
       
"The gods—they're gonna—" tears began welling up in her eyes. "They're gonna kill me." Saying it out loud made her feel even sicker. She opened her mouth vomited again.
       
He cursed and sped over to her, holding her against him to keep her steady. Her legs were shaking and if Ethan released her, she knew she'd collapse. Breathing heavily, she pressed a hand over her mouth to cover her sobs and to hold in whatever was left in her stomach.
       
"Don't wanna die," she mumbled, wiping her mouth. "They want to kill me because I—my mom, she—"
       
"—I know." He interrupted her quietly. "The whole camp kind of figured it out. I mean, a whole thunderstorm and you getting claimed by Hecate? Plus, all your weird powers... It wasn't hard for us to add it up. Hecate broke the oath again and now you're..."
       
She gagged, her hand shooting out to cover her mouth. She felt even sicker if that was possible.
       
She didn't want to hear him say it.

"Sorry," he muttered apologetically. "You won't die, okay? There's a good chance they won't kill you. They only killed Merlin because the gods saw him as a threat. He was too powerful. You haven't done anything threatening. You haven't done anything wrong...! They can't just—they won't kill you for this."
       
She whimpered, but she tried to feel some comfort with his words. Maybe he was right. She hadn't done anything wrong. Her powers were weak. She was no threat to the gods, so maybe they'd let her live.
       
I don't want to die yet.
       
"I'll help you walk back to the cabin. You need some sleep." Ethan said. With his arm still around her, he helped walk her back to Cabin 11 where every camper laid waiting. They all exploded once she walked through the door.
       
"Are you in trouble with the gods?!" The Stolls demanded, looking scared for her.
       
"What did Chiron and Mr. D say?" Another child of Hermes asked.
       
"I don't want you to be punished, I just realized you're my sister!" Cyrus Pagan exclaimed tearfully.
       
Though it warmed her heart to see everyone so concerned for her safety, she couldn't force herself to smile.
       
"Quiet down guys, can't you see she's shaken up?" Luke said sternly before turning to Esmerelda with a sad look. "Take my bunk, okay? You look like you need it."
       
She nodded gratefully and whispered, "Thank you."
       
She crawled into the bottom bunk as Luke said something about light's off. When everything went dark, she could still see the bottom of the upper bunk clearly. She closed her eyes and forced herself to sleep.
      
She was dreaming again, but it wasn't about her past as a baby with her mortal father. Instead, she was eleven years old and she was standing in a grand room. It was humongous, wider than a football field and as tall as a skyscraper. Pure white massive columns rose to a domed ceiling, which was gilded with moving constellations, as if they were currently in space.
       
She directed her gaze to front of the room where twelve thrones stood in an inverted U-shape like the cabins at Camp Half-Blood. There was a flaming hearth stationed in front of the thrones. The thrones were abnormally large and were currently occupied by people who had to at least be twenty feet tall.
       
She knew exactly who they were. They were the gods. The twelve Olympians to be exact.
       
Zeus, the king of all gods sat at the very middle, the most important spot. His throne was surprisingly simple, but his form radiated with power. It was made of solid platinum with designs of lightning bolts on the sides. He had a very formidable appearance. He was extremely muscular, with shoulder-length black hair with a matching beard. His eyes were as bold as hers, but they instead of being a deep green, they were a brilliant electric blue.
       
Beside him was his wife, Hera, the queen of the gods. Her throne looked more majestic than her husband's. It was intricately designed with pictures of willows and peacocks and looked to be made out of ivory and adamantine. She was very beautiful, with long flowing black hair and seemingly soft brown eyes. Over her shoulders was a bright cloak full of peacock feathers that she would occasionally run her fingers through.
       
The next god she saw was definitely Poseidon. His throne was made of a light-colored wood with waves and sea animals carved all around it. He looked more approachable compared to Zeus. He had a deep tan, black hair and beard, and benevolent sea-green eyes that would sometimes side-glare his younger brother.
      
Her gaze moved over to a goddess that she was sure was Demeter. Her throne and appearance screamed her name, after all. Her throne was woven with apple-tree branches, wheat stalks and dried grass. Like Hera, she was beautiful but to a slightly lesser degree. Her blonde was plaited and elegantly laid over her shoulder, and had eyes the color of freshly grown grass.
       
Up next was Ares. His throne was terrifying. It was made of human bones and had large human skulls built into the arms. He was even sitting on a cushion of what looked like human skin. Ares was just as scary as his throne. He was more muscular than his father, Zeus, had several sword scars on his face, and had eyes that were literally on fire.
      
She immediately looked away from him and looked at the next most pleasant-to-look-at god or goddess that she could find. To her luck, she found Aphrodite, Ares' girlfriend. As expected, her throne was beautiful. It was silver and inlaid with aquamarines, beryls, and other precious stones. At the back was a large seashell. The goddess' appearance was ever-changing, as though she couldn't quite pick out what pretty face to put on at the moment. She finally settled with perfectly curled red locks and sky-blue eyes. Esmerelda also noticed that her attire was different compared to the other gods. While everyone else wore the usual Ancient Greek clothes, her gown looked to belong in the Medieval times.
       
She moved on to Athena. Her throne was silver with golden basket work on the back and sides. Above her was a crown of violets. Despite being a war goddess, she didn't look as scary as Ares. She looked very powerful though and threatening that not even her soft brown locks could cancel away. It was her eyes. They were grey just like all of her children's except they were more piercing, more stormy.
       
Looking at Hephaestus only made her feel sad. While his impressive iron-made throne (which really didn't look that comfy to sit on) was nice, the god himself looked almost miserable. He was a huge, deformed lump of a man with shoulders that were set at different heights, and had a huge, bulging misshapen head. His brown hair was wild and untamed and his beard would sometimes spark with fire. On his leg was a creaky steel brace. The reason why he looked so terrible was because his own mother, Hera, had literally thrown him off of Mount Olympus because he looked 'ugly' and ruined her perfect family. The incident had permanently crippled him.
       
Feeling too sympathetic for the god that deserved better, she looked on to the next throne. It was made out of pure gold just like cabin seven, which meant this particular god was Apollo. He was extremely handsome, and extremely bright to look at. He was almost glowing. His skin was sun-kissed, and he had golden hair that was tied up and equally as golden eyes.
       
She then moved on to his twin sister, Artemis. Her throne was the opposite of his: it was silver and not gold. There were two date palms on the back, full moons above, and she was sitting on a plushy blanket made of wolf-skin. The goddess was very lovely and had an athletic looking body. Her hair was as black as night and she had silver eyes like the moon.
       
Beside her was Hermes, the god whose cabin she had been sleeping in for the past two years. It was made of gray rock and had ram heads on the arms. He had mischievous elfish features just like all of his kids. He had a muscular build, curly black hair, blue eyes that had a somewhat gentle edge to it. Overall, he seemed very benevolent.
       
The last throne belonged to Dionysus. It formally belonged to Hestia, but she had given up her seat to him a long time ago. A bunch of grape vines were growing out of it and he was currently lounging on a leopard skin cushion. He looked nothing like his appearance at camp. He still had his black-purplish hair and blue eyes, but he looked more refined and—dare she say it... handsome.
       
Esmerelda felt like throwing up from her own thoughts.

Suddenly, one of the gods spoke.
       
"You're here. And you are late." Zeus boomed and for a second, she thought he was talking to her.
       
A steady voice with a nervous edge to it replied, "I apologize for my tardiness, my lords and ladies."
       
She whirled around. Behind her was a lanky young man of around twenty. He was also wearing Medieval robes. She noticed that he had her exact features. Pale face, black hair... and striking green eyes. The only people who had eyes so bold were children of Hecate.

Was this Merlin? Was she dreaming of her half-brother?
       
No wait, she paled in realization. This was when he died, isn't it?
       
Dear gods, she was going to watch him die.
       
"This is the so-called 'threat' you warned us about, father?" A sneering voice asked. It was Ares and he was glaring at Merlin so fiercely that the flames in his eyes grew wilder. "I could be starting wars right now!"
       
"I also still have some deliveries to make," Hermes muttered, looking very stressed.
       
"Can I leave?" Apollo asked randomly. "I was in the middle of swooning a princess and—"
       
"—Do you think I look better with red hair or blonde?" Aphrodite asked loudly, directing her question at Ares.

"SILENCE!" Zeus boomed, slamming his hands against the arms of his throne. Poseidon rolled his eyes and mouthed something about his brother's theatrics.
       
The hall went quiet.
       
"As I've informed you all before," Zeus seethed impatiently. "Today we are making a judgement. On Merlin, the son of Hecate and a wizard."
       
"Wizard?" Dionysus rose a brow, acting like he had never been informed of this. "Those stick-waving mortals that Hecate blessed with magic?"
       
"Yes, Dionysus. Them." His father said dryly. "You are aware of this. We had a whole council meeting on this!"
       
"I apologize, father. I simply forgot."

"For gods' sake, can we have anyone competent in this council?" Hera muttered to herself, pinching the bridge of her nose.
       
"I wonder as well." Athena said, equally as annoyed.
       
"CEASE ALL THIS CHATTER!" Zeus roared, making both Esmerelda and Merlin flinch. "We are here to place judgement him!"
       
"Let us get this over with then, brother." Poseidon said. "There are things we need to do."
       
"I know that, Poseidon." Zeus narrowed his electric-blue eyes at him. "We will begin at once. Standing before us today is a child of Hecate and a wizard. They have sired a demigod with immense powers over magic. He is deemed a threat to us and must be terminated immediately."
       
Merlin's eyes widened. "My lord," he said hastily. "Please have mercy upon me, Lord Zeus. I only discovered my godly heritage three nights ago! I was not aware—"

"Do not interrupt me!" Zeus snapped. "Whether you knew of your blood matters not, the amount of power you have and will continue to harvest is considered a threat that we cannot turn a blind eye to! All those against the execution?"
       
Demeter's hand went up in the air immediately, followed by Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Apollo and Hermes. Esmerelda's stomach dropped. That was only five people.

Zeus looked very pleased as he asked: "And all those in favor?"
      
His hand raised, and Hera, Ares, Dionysus, Athena, Artemis and surprisingly Poseidon rose their hands too. Seven people were for the execution.
       
She couldn't look at Merlin, but she heard him pleading with them. "Please, my lords and ladies, I beg you not to kill me. My father—he has raised me well, I'm no danger to you or anyone! I swear it!" She heard a thump and realized he had fallen to his knees. "Please, I wish to live! I'll stop using my magic if that's what you desire!"
       
"He's actually begging," Ares smirked in amusement.
       
"Enough," Zeus ordered, but Merlin didn't stop. The lightning bolt in his hands crackled to life. "The judgement is done. There is nothing more that can be done for you."

A bright white blast launched at her, but went right through her. She could hear Merlin's terrified scream die out over the booming of the lightning strike.
       
Finally, the nightmare ended.
       
"Essie," someone murmured as they shook her awake.
       
She opened her eyes and saw Luke peering down at her. His face showed concern. "Demigod dream?" He asked knowingly.
       
"Demigod dream," she confirmed, sitting up. With dread, she realized that today was the day of her judgement. "What time is it?"
       
"It's 5:30. You should get dressed and eat breakfast. Argus will be waiting for you." He told her in a low voice as to not wake up the rest of the campers.

She nodded and got out of bed. "Thanks for waking me up, Luke." She would've been in a lot more trouble if she went to Olympus late.
       
"No problem... And Essie?"

"Yeah?" She turned to face him.
       
"You're a good kid," he murmured, looking at her sadly. "You don't deserve this. What the gods are planning to do to you—it's just cruel." His face hardened, the way it always did when his father, Hermes had been mentioned. Esmerelda sometimes felt that Luke resented the gods. Like he genuinely hated them with every fiber of his being.
       
Years ago, Luke had went on a quest. Quests were a big deal at camp; it was one of the few times you could really be out and experience the real world with all the monsters and it was the chance to prove yourself. Campers could only be sent on a quest if they were issues a prophecy from the Oracle and only three people were allowed to go unless stated other wise (if more than three left when it wasn't allowed, then only three would come back alive).
       
Luke was issued a quest from Hermes. He wanted him to steal a golden apple from the Garden of Hesperides and return it to Olympus. Long story short, Luke failed and returned with a scar that was given to him by a dragon.
       
But that can't be the only reason, she thought, staring into Luke's hateful gaze. She had a strong feeling that there was more to it, but she wasn't going to pry.
       
"Promise me you'll be brave out there?" He asked her. "Don't show those gods any fear. Don't give them the satisfaction."
       
She thought about her half-brother Merlin—on his knees and begging for mercy. That wasn't how she wanted to go down.
       
She nodded firmly. "I won't, Luke. I promise."
       
He smiled at her, but it was sad. He ruffled her hair like any good big brother would do. "Good luck."
       
She showered and got dressed and afterwards, her breakfast was interrupted by Ethan.
       
"Essie!" He shouted her name, running towards the table. "Essie, you..." He trailed off, feeling something in his chest tighten at how pale her face was and how frightened her eyes looked. Essie shouldn't look like that.
       
"Good morning," she tried to say pleasantly.
       
"You shouldn't have to do this."
       
"Greet you?"
       
"No, be judged by the gods like you're some criminal! You've done nothing wrong! You're innocent!" He angrily cried out.
       
"I know," she said gently. "But they think that I'm a danger to them."
       
He collapsed on the bench across from her and ran a hand through his black hair. "This world isn't fair," he mumbled. "This is just like what happened to my dad..."
       
"Your dad?" She straightened up. He never told her much about him, only that he sucked. 
       
He nodded. "He... the cops arrested him for attacking a man who was hurting a woman. The man had a lot of power, so he got away scotch free while my dad was taken away. He was gone for most of my life, but I stayed with my grandparents. When I was eight, the cops finally set my dad free, but he came home addicted to beer and cigarettes and he'd... hurt me and my grandparents sometimes. According to them, he wasn't always so mean and scary... Prison was cruel to him. It changed him. I wanted to leave, but my grandparents didn't want to. So I ran away without them, got attacked by a monster, then found a satyr that took me to camp."
      
Ethan's hands were shaking. Esmerelda was left speechless. She knew that his father wasn't a good man—Ethan would always scowl at the mention of fathers—but she never knew of his history. He used to be a good man, he was trying to protect a woman after all, but prison hardened him. Nevertheless, Ethan did not deserve to go through such hellish treatment from his father, and go to camp only to be abandoned by his mother as well.
       
"I hate my dad, but I hate what happened to him even more. The injustice of it all... I can't stand it. And I can't stand that it's happening to you too but instead of jail time you get a gods damn death sentence. It's not right."
       
"Ethan," she said, and reached out to grasp his shaky hands. "I'll make it through this. I won't let the gods kill me, not so easily at least."
       
"I don't want you to die at all," he said weakly, and Esmerelda had never seen him so vulnerable before.
       
"I—"
       
"—ESSIE!" Two voices screamed. Ethan and Esmerelda hastily pulled their hands away as the Stoll brothers came running over.
       
"We came here as quickly as we could—" Connor panted.
       
"Luke told us," Travis' lips wobbled. "Is it true? The gods are going to kill you?"
       
"It's a judgement." She corrected them, trying to keep her stomach from lurching. "They're going to decide my fate."
       
Another figure walked over. Basil. He looked like he had been crying. "I just heard from one of the wood nymphs," he said before stopping to blow his nose in the tissue. "Tell me it's not true..."
       
"It is," she said grimly. "It's at eight. The gods are going to judge me..."
       
"But—but you've never done anything wrong!" He exclaimed. "I can't believe this. Essie, when the car was falling with us in it—if it hadn't been for you—! You saved us! I just... I just wish I could do more for you."
       
"Don't cry, Basil," she handed him a napkin. "Everything's going to be okay." She kept telling herself that in her head. She didn't want to die. She wasn't going to accept this as her fate. She wasn't going to die, but she wasn't going to beg for mercy either.
      
After breakfast, she hugged Ethan, Basil, and the Stolls goodbye before heading off to the bottom of Half-Blood Hill where Argus would be waiting to drive her over to Olympus. On the way there, several nymphs and satyrs shot her sympathetic looks which she tried desperately to ignore.
       
I'm not going to die.
       
Luke's words had filled her with determination. She was going to face the gods head on and she wasn't going to show an ounce of fear even though she was sweating buckets of it.
       
"Hi, Argus," she greeted the hundred-eyed guard of the camp. He was a buff, blonde, surfer-like guy who literally had a hundred eyes all over his body. He was created by Hera to work as a servant, and was then sent to Camp Half-Blood to act as a security guard.
       
He just nodded at her and got into the driver's seat. Wordlessly, she went at sat at the back.
       
The drive from camp to the Empire State Building was a little over an hour, but the traffic was horrendous. They had just reached 8103 57th Avenue at Elmhurst where they were currently stuck for the past half hour. She glanced at the clock. It was passed six.
       
"Is this going to move?" She asked worryingly.
       
Argus shrugged. He never talked. Maybe it was because he had eyes in his mouth too and didn't want to poke one of them with a tooth or something.
       
She bit her lip. "I hope I won't be late..."
       
Argus jutted his chin towards the window. She looked. Outside were a bunch of joggers. It was like a lightbulb lit over her head.

"You're saying I should run there," she realized.
       
He nodded.
       
"How far do you think we are?"

He held up six fingers.
       
"Six miles," she murmured. She glanced back at the clock. She was a pretty good runner, though she was nothing compared to the Hermes kids. She knew she could run a mile in about seven minutes if she sprinted, but she would most likely be out of breath after the third or so mile. She'd have to run at her usual pace then, and could run a mile in under ten minutes if she ran at her regular speed.
       
She calculated it in her head. Or at least tried to (she wasn't very good in math). She'd probably make it to Olympus in over an hour. She could still make it.
       
She was already unbuckling her seat belt. "Thanks for driving me all the way here Argus—and thanks for the advice too. Will you be okay stuck out here?"
       
He gave her a thumbs up as confirmation—and maybe even for good luck.
       
She exited the car and began her run.
       
Remembering how angered some of the gods were with Merlin when he arrived late only fueled her to run faster. She ran passed the Johnston Mausoleum at Laurel Hill Blvd, almost got ran over by a moving fan outside of Storage Plus on Review Ave, and jumped a couple fences for shortcuts.
       
It wasn't until she reached 231 Borden Ave did she run straight into danger.
       
"You've gotta be kidding me..." She breathed out, wiping the sweat off her forehead as she stared at the scene before her. She had just managed to reach the Milea Truck Sales and Leasing auto store, which sold a bunch of large white trucks and showcased them out in their lot. Unfortunately for her, the Chimera was on top of one and she accidentally interrupted it's meal of pigeon flesh.

It was growling at her now and was getting ready to jump off the truck.
       
She ducked behind a parked car, her breathing growing heavy. Her face was all red from the four mile run she had made to get here and she wasn't about to let some Chimera stop her now. Not when she still had less than an hour left.
       
I have two more miles to run, she thought. Could I make it? Even with the Chimera?

Not like she had much of a choice. She heard it jump off and land on the ground with a loud THUD! She breathed out and looked down where it's shadow was approaching her hiding spot.

Now or never, she decided, brandishing her labrys.

— author's note —

For all those who are wondering, yes, Ethan's dad is Joker from Persona 5. It is canon.

JK JK, Ethan's dad is trash, that'd be an insult to Joker.