▬▬▬▬ CHAPTER SIXTEEN ▬▬▬▬

THIS CHAPTER'S GONNA GET INTENSE AF NEAR THE END SO BUCKLE UP BITCHES!!!

ESMERELDA EXPECTED HERSELF TO STILL be suffering some side-effects, but she woke up refreshed the next morning, much to her relief.

So it really was just food poisoning, she mused to herself as she stretched her arms out.

"Morning," she chirped to her still slumbering roommates.

One of them—and judging from the red-haired lump on the bed, it was Susan—groaned in reply and didn't say anything else.

Undeterred, Esmerelda hopped out of bed and headed off to the bathroom to freshen up. She was only planning to stay in Hogwarts for one day during the winter break, and that was only for the Yule Ball. She had no plans on staying in the castle any longer, so once breakfast was done, she would be Mist traveling herself back to New York.

There weren't many people in the Great Hall, which was to be expected, but Esmerelda was pleasantly surprised to see Étienne already up. A portion of his oatmeal was left untouched in front of him, a large looking tome serving as a distraction.

Étienne. Her half-brother. At least, she was 99.9% certain of it. The .1% of her was still confused as to why the boy couldn't understand a lick of Ancient Greek. That sort of thing just didn't happen. She had never met a demigod who couldn't understand Ancient Greek, their brains were literally hardwired for it.

But nevertheless, Étienne was still her brother, however weird he was. Other than the lack of Ancient Greek fluency, there were other things about him that checked out the 'are you a demigod?' quiz.

Do you have ADHD? Check.

Do you have dyslexia? Check.

Are one of your biological parents not in your life? Check.

He fit the parameters of being a son of Hecate too. He had the midnight form like she did, he attempted to Charmspeak her, spells were ineffective on him, and now that she remembered it, he had an affinity for the dead too.

She had another little sibling, and already she was willing to do anything for him—like keeping him safe. Which was why she would refrain from telling him the truth of his godly heritage. For now at least.

Because once you knew you were a demigod, there would be no turning back. A demigod's scent would enhance once they were aware of what they were, which meant even more monsters would be hunting them down. There was also the fact that the Ancient Greek world was currently at war right now and Camp needed as many demigods as they could get.

Étienne didn't know how to fight, let alone how to handle being in a war. He'd be nothing but canon fodder if he was sent to Camp Half-Blood right now, and that was just something Esmerelda couldn't allow.

So if the world didn't burn in flames by the end of the summer, then she would tell Étienne the truth. But for now, she would let him live in blissful ignorance.

As she moved to sit down beside him, she caught a glimpse of the large tome he was reading and realized that it was a spellbook written entirely in Latin.

"Is that Latin?" She asked, just to be sure.

He looked up at her and smiled shyly. "Oh, yeah. It's a textbook for healing spells and the history of magical medication. I found it at the library and your librarian—Madam Pince, I think?—said that I could take it for a read."

"...Do you have trouble reading it?" She asked, a sense of unease settling in the bottom of her stomach. She didn't know why, but she felt that something about this whole conversation was wrong.

"Latin's pretty easy for me, actually," he explained with a fond smile. "Ever since I was young, my father would buy me these books that were written in Latin. I understood it perfectly, while the rest of my siblings couldn't. I can't read anything else, but Latin. It just... I don't know, knowing I can read something just makes me feel a little... better about myself, you know what I mean?"

She forced a smile. "Oh," she said lamely. "That's... interesting. I feel the same way about Greek."

He just nodded in agreement and went back to reading, unaware of how uncomfortable she was feeling from this particular revelation.

Étienne knew Latin but not Ancient Greek. Esmerelda had a pretty good guess on what that meant—and it only made her feel even more unnerved by it all.

The agitation didn't disappear even after she Mist traveled to the Underworld for a quick visit. Nico had been pretty upset because of the dance, and she wanted to make sure the boy was okay now (and to reassure him that she was alright too).

"Nico?" She called out to him as she walked through the empty hallways of her mother's palace.

An onyx black door quietly opened. It was one of the many guestrooms of the palace but since Nico often stayed here more than his father's place, that guestroom had become his bedroom. She even helped him decorate it, mainly because he always opted for dull, dark, and dreary colors and obviously was in dire need of interior designing tips.

Nico stepped out of his bedroom at the sound of his name. "You're ba—" The words immediately died out in his voice the second he saw her.

She blinked. "What's wrong?"

"Y-your hair..." He stammered uncharacteristically. "You... uh, changed the style..."

She lit up. "Oh! Yeah, Silena told me that I suited the 'forties movie star' look and well, I'm actually really into it," she rambled on excitedly, gingerly touching her black vintage curls. "Why? Do you think it looks bad?"

"No," he said immediately. "You look good. It's just..." His thoughts traveled to Melinoe, and the particular form she used on him.

"Nico?" She asked in concern.

He swallowed thickly. "Sorry. I'm not feeling good. I'm just gonna stay in bed." He quickly retreated to his bedroom and winced as he accidentally slammed the door shut.

"Nico?!" She fretted, rushing to the door. "You're sick?! Do you want me to make you something or—or do you need any medicine?"

"I'm fine," came the muffled reply. "I'll just... sleep it off. I'm sorry."

She frowned to herself. "Oh. Alright then. I'll be in New York with my uncle, okay? Just IM me if you need anything."

"Okay..."

How odd, she thought as she walked away. I hope Nico's okay.

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

She was still worried about Nico when she arrived to New York.

Sirius, because he didn't know how to cook anything non-microwavable, had ordered some food from the Shake Shack for her.

What she learned about Étienne still unnerved her though, so she could barely enjoy her cheesy fries since she was so busy scrolling through her uncle's phone (which she swiped while he wasn't looking) to Google something important.

That was when she came across this:

While the Greeks envisioned Hecate as a powerful and mysterious being, for the Romans she was better known as the—

Her reading was cut off by a shrill scream.

"ESMERELDA!" Came Sirius' horrified gasp.

Her head snapped up from the screen and she practically jumped up from the hippo couch. "What?! What is it?!"

To her utter annoyance, Sirius was perfectly fine. He was standing over her backpack, a familiar letter held in his hand.

"How could you?!" He despaired.

Her shoulders slumped. "How could I what?"

He waved the letter at her face. "How could you accept an invitation from these snakes?! First it was you going to that awful dance and now this?! Is this some sort of weird form of teen rebellion? I'd honestly rather you just go do drugs like all the other normal teenagers!"

She gave him an uncertain look. "You're joking... right?"

"Well yes," he admitted sheepishly. "But still! An invitation by the Malfoys to attend their stupid New Years Party! How did you even get this?"

"Draco gave it to me," she shrugged. "He said his mom made him do it. Something about us being related and me being the last of the Black family or something like that."

Sirius looked like he was going to throw up. "You can't go," he said seriously. "Do you have any idea the sorts of people who are going to be there?"

"Uh, I dunno. Won't it just be us and the Malfoys?"

"No, it won't just be—wait, what do you mean 'us'?! You're actually thinking of going? And you're dragging me there too?!" His eyes popped wide in horror.

"Well," she drawled, plucking the letter from him. She scanned the contents before pointing at a certain line. "It says here that I could invite my guardian. You up for a little party, Steve White? Can't just leave you alone to celebrate the New Years by yourself."

"No," he shook his head. "No, I won't do it. And you're not going either. In fact, you're grounded!"

"No I'm not," she rejected the idea immediately. "And yes I'm going. My sweet little cousin invited me after all! This could be a nice bonding moment! It could be fun!"

He scoffed. "Sorry, but there's no such thing as 'fun' in these sort of Pureblood parties. The only thing you're getting there is severe depression, misery, and a craving for death. Maybe a little drama too, if you're lucky. No, this kind of party isn't the one you're thinking of. It's like the Yule Ball but without the dancing and joy."

"So it's gonna be stiff and boring?"

"Yes."

Well that was disappointing. But still! Draco invited her (even if he was forced by his mother to do so) and she wanted to get some family bonding in before she ultimately died in the upcoming final battle.

"I still wanna go," she decided.

He crossed his arms. "Well that's too bad, because we're not going."

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

"This is a terrible idea, I'm telling you." Sirius grumbled as he checked his reflection on his phone. She had disguised him with the Mist by making him a light-haired brunette with freckles, hazel eyes, and slightly tanner skin. And to be a little bitch, she also made him five inches shorter than his actual height.

"We'll be fine," Esmerelda smiled as she smoothed down her dress. She was wearing a blush colored tulle dress that showed off her shoulders, and had slightly poofy sleeves. She matched it off with a pair of three-inch heels that made her look five foot ten.

"These heels are starting to hurt," she frowned to herself.

Sirius blinked. "You do know you can just put a cushioning charm on them, right? That's what everyone does. Heck, even the racing brooms have a cushioning charm on the seats."

She stared dumbly at him. "Oh my gods," she muttered in realization, before doing just that. The results were instantaneous. It suddenly it felt like she was literally walking on clouds.

"This is the best! Thanks!" She chirped gratefully.

Sirius couldn't even reply, he was too busy moaning in despair as they got closer to the manor.

"We're going into a literal snakes' den," he muttered to her. "Do you know what sort of people are going to be there? Blood-supremacists. It's more like a political party too. There's absolutely no fun in those."

"We'll be fine," she assured him with a smile. "If anything goes bad, I'll just use the Mist to mess with their memories. It'll be okay."

But Sirius was still upset about this. As they walked down the driveway that led off the lane, he would occasionally look over their shoulders as if expecting an attack.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll help you break into the Malfoys' wine cellar with the Mist," she offered, just to be nice.

His now hazel eyes widened with excitement and his walking pace was a lot faster now.

Pleased, Esmerelda returned to looking at her surroundings. The high hedge curved with them, and running off into the distance was a pair of impressive wrought-iron gates barring their way. For some odd reason, there was a pure-white peacock sturring majestically along the top of the hedge. Behind it was a massive mansion surrounded by elaborate gardens and a fountain. Esmerelda was getting Victorian era vibes just looking at it.

As they approached the gates, the iron bars contorted into a sort of metallic face.

"Names?" It asked in a deep voice.

"Uh," she stammered.

Sirius seemed to know what to do. "Esmerelda Black and her guardian Steve White," he introduced themselves properly. "We were invited to attend the Malfoy's New Years Eve party."

"You may enter," it replied, and the gates magically opened.

"Cool security system," Esmerelda mumbled as they walked passed it.

"Now be careful around these sorts of people alright?" Sirius instructed her as they walked along the path. "I know you can handle yourself, but I still worry. Most of these people are dark individuals who are sick in the head. I think the only person here you can trust is Fudge, and that's only because he's an idiot."

"The Minister? How do you know if he's been invited?" She asked curiously.

"Because he's the Minister. Of course they'd invite him if only to kiss-up," he explained with a disgusted sneer. "Everyone else is not to be trusted, even the kids."

"Got it," she chirped, giving him a thumbs up that only weakly reassured him.

They were about a foot away from the house when the front doors suddenly swung open, thought nobody was there. She could see the hallway from the outside. It was large, dimly lit with candles, and well-decorated with a magnificent carpet covering the stone floor.

A house elf met them at the doorway.

"May I take your—" He began to speak, until his eyes landed on her. The house elf gazed at her as if she was some sort of famous movie star before dropping to it's knees.

"A child of our great Dark Lady...!" He squeaked. "My lady, you've come! Stubby never expected—Stubby does not deserve to breathe in your great presence!"

Beside her, Sirius was staring at the scene in awe. "I wish Kreacher would treat me like this..." He mumbled under his breath.

"Stubby, you really don't have to do this," she sighed. "I'm... undercover, you see. So I would really really appreciate it if you treated me like a normal witch? Pretty please?"

"Stubby will do as my lady wishes! Stubby shall treat my Lady as a regular witch!" He nodded excessively, jumping to his feet.

"Stubby!" A voice barked, and the poor thing jumped five feet into the air.

Lucius Malfoy was walking towards them with a displeased expression on his face as he regarded the elf.

"Enough dawdling," he ordered. "Do your job and let my guests move on."

"I apologize master," Stubby said meekly, trembling from head to toe. He looked back up at Sirius and asked, "Sh-shall Stubby take your coat, sir?"

"No thank you, Stubby," he said kindly, though his cold glare was directed to Lucius.

"Is this your guardian, Black?" Lucius asked her, not even bothering to hide his distaste as he scanned their purposely Muggle attire. Neither of them were wearing cloaks or robes (mainly because they didn't even like them). Instead, Sirius had purposely thrown on an Armani suit whereas Esmerelda bought her dress from a nearby small business that specialized in fancy gowns.

They couldn't look any more Muggle and it was definitely aggravating the shit out of Lucius, not like any of them cared. In fact, they both relished in it.

"Mmhmm," she hummed cheerily, as if she was blind to his dislike. "This my uncle from my mom's side, Steve White."

"The mother you've never met, correct?" He asked snidely.

"Oh I wish," she grumbled under her breath.

"Excuse me?" He rose a brow.

She gave him a sweet smile and ordered. "Nothing. Why don't you just shut your mouth and take us to where you're supposed to?"

He did as he was charmed to do, which earned a snicker from Sirius who fist-bumped her.

Lucius dazedly led them to a ball room where he finally snapped out of the enchantment she put him in. The ball room was extravagantly decorated and it was giving her serious old-money vibes. Columns were draped in silky silver fabric that magically shimmered, candles full of white flames levitated around the room, and the tables and chairs each had an ice sculpture of a moving peacock as a centerpiece.

They must really like peacocks, she thought with a grimace. Aside from the cow, peacocks were Hera's sacred animals and Hera was a terrible person, so Esmerelda wasn't really enjoying the amount of peacocks she was seeing in the room. They could've picked literally any other animal, but they picked that one of all things...

But it wasn't as if Hera was going to make an appearance, so there was nothing for her to worry about!

What did worry her was the amount of stares she was garnering. At first she thought it was about the muggle dress, but she had a feeling that it was something different. She felt like she was stuck in a tank full of sharks from the way people were eyeing her, it was plain creepy.

She pushed that to the back of her head though and looked around, finally spotting a familiar head of platinum blonde hair. She perked up.

"Well," she said brightly and patted her uncle on the shoulder. "I'm gonna head over to Draco. You go on ahead and mingle. I'll help you steal their liquor when it's time to leave."

"You better," he muttered bitterly before they parted ways.

Draco was in some weird group huddle with his Slytherin friends: Blaise, Pansy, Theodore, and the Greengrass sisters Daphne and Astoria. They were talking in hushed voice for a bit until they gradually started to notice her approaching figure.

"Hey, Draco," she greeted the younger boy, smiling.

"Esmerelda," he acknowledged with a nod of his head. What a dull greeting, she couldn't help but think.

"You invited her?" Pansy scowled.

Esmerelda smiled sweetly while telekinetically causing the drink in Pansy's hand to spill over her dress robes. The short-haired girl let out a panicked cry, dropping the glass on the floor in shock. Several heads turned towards their direction.

"Be more careful Pansy, these glasses don't belong to you," Esmerelda clicked her tongue in feigned disappointment as she effortlessly repaired the broken glass. A few of the onlookers rose their brow in surprise. "By the way, the spell to get rid of that stain is Tergeo. You knew that, of course, right?"

"O-of course I did," Pansy stammered quietly, cleaning herself up.

"So the rumors are true," Theodore murmured, staring at her with glinting eyes. "You can do wandless and non-verbal magic."

She blinked at him. "What, like it's hard? I thought you supposedly superior Purebloods could do it too... Don't tell me you guys are still using your wands."

"Esmerelda...!" Draco complained beside her and she decided to stop messing with them.

She let out a good-natured laugh. "Sorry about that, don't mind me. I just came over here because I wanted meet my little cousin's friends. We may be school-mates and all, but it's really nice to officially meet you guys."

My little cousin's racist friends, she mentally corrected herself. She knew Draco himself was racist as well though, and she wished he had better people to surround himself with so he wouldn't have those sorts of beliefs ingrained into his head in the first place.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Esmerelda," Astoria returned politely. "I'm honored to meet the scion of the Black family."

She had heard her dad say that word a couple of times. Apparently, 'scion' meant a descendant of a notably wealthy family. She didn't really know why Astoria would be honored to meet one of the Blacks (unless she was just saying that to be nice) since 99% of the Black family were all rotting in the Fields of Punishment right now, but oh well.

"Blaise Zabini," the tallest boy introduced himself, reaching out for a handshake. Esmerelda recognized him as one of Draco's closest friends, though she only ever saw Blaise hanging around him whenever his cronies were gone.

Speaking of Draco's cronies, Crabbe and Goyle were all the way at the dessert table stuffing their faces.

Not even a second since she pulled away from her handshake, Theodore stepped forward and seized her hand.

"Theodore Nott. You're truly not a Pureblood?" He asked straightforwardly.

"No," she answered firmly. "And I don't think blood status really matters." Especially when they're non-existent. You all are descended from regular muggles, after all.

"You don't really believe that, do you?" Daphne asked her in an almost patronizing manner. "I understand that you're half-blood, but you're also a Black. The Black family are considered royalty around here for a reason, so if you want to know where you got your skills from, it's from them."

It was from her mother, unfortunately, but they didn't need to know that.

"No more of that, Daphne," Theodore scolded her. "She just doesn't understand how things work yet. She'll learn in her own pace."

"She better learn quickly," she heard Pansy mutter under her breath.

Esmerelda's sharp ears picked up on it instantly. "What do you mean by that?"

Draco took a hold of her arm immediately. "That's enough now, all of you," he growled in annoyance. He glanced over her, looking almost nervous for some reason, and started tugging her away. "Come on."

"What's going on?" She blinked. "You're acting nervous. And it's making me nervous."

"How do you feel about politics?" He asked her rather than answering her question.

"I'm a democrat." She said automatically.

"I have no idea what that means. Is that a muggle thing?"

"An American muggle thing, yeah."

"Great," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "How do you feel about marriage?"

"Dude, I'm fifteen..."

"I know you've been raised in the... muggle world for all your life," he said 'muggle world' as if imagining her living in such a way was appalling. "But you're at least close to Andromeda Tonks aren't you? Haven't you been told anything about how Pureblood society works?"

"Uh, well, I know it's super racist—"

"—Aside from that."

Well at least he wasn't denying that it was racist. "And kind of elitist—"

"—Aside from that too."

"It also reminds me of Nazism," she added helpfully.

He scowled. "Is that another muggle thing? Oh forget it, you're hopeless. Esmerelda, people here want you."

Her face fell. Her mind immediately went to: "Like in a murderous way?"

He looked at her like she was crazy. "No, you idiot! You're important to them because of what family you come from. Half-blood or not, you are the last sane Black alive, that's a big deal here. People want you to marry into their family—"

Had she been drinking anything, she would've choked.

"—What?!"

"It makes sense," he told her. "You're the owner of Black family fortune now and if you marry into their family, your fortune would be theirs too. Not only that, but any of children you have—while no longer Pureblood—they would still be part Black and for some, that would be valuable enough in their eyes."

She highly doubted she would live long enough to have kids, but still!

"That's crazy!" She gawked.

"Yes, I'm aware. I know Theodore's father is already interested in getting you to marry his son. I don't think he was really into it until he saw you perform wandless and non-verbal magic."

She winced. Oops. She really ought to use her wand more...

"Arranged marriages... gross. Don't tell me you're in one too." Her eyes widened.

He scoffed. "My father was tempted to pair me up with Pansy when we were little kids, but thankfully my mother talked him out of it. So no, I'm free to choose as long as she's Pureblood and from a respectable family." Which she was pretty sure translated to 'as long as she's a blood supremacist'.

She heaved a sigh. "Well, I'm not planning on marrying anyone, especially not now. So those guys should probably take a hint."

"Just be careful," he said seriously. "Most of the people here are aware that you're new to all of this, so they won't be so straightforward. They'll try to ease you into it, introduce their sons to you, invite you over to their homes as a ruse to welcome you when they're really trying to get you to fall for one of their sons. Some might not even bother with being discreet."

Pureblood society was akin to the food chain where elite families like his own were the apex predators. The Blacks would've been up there too had they not all died out or went crazy. Right now Esmerelda was standing on a very thin line between producer and consumer. She could either adapt and stand with them or fall and be swallowed up by the blood-thirsty Purebloods.

Draco wouldn't call himself worried, but he had seen what these families would do to those they deemed unworthy and, well, it wasn't a nice thought.

Esmerelda pursed her lips, having noticed the serious look in his eyes before giving him a reassuring smile and returning to her teasing self. "I'll handle it. It's really sweet of you to be concerned about me though."

He scowled as she snickered. "Don't get the wrong idea," he huffed. "I'm trying to keep you from marrying any fools. If you want my opinion, Blaise is the best option. Or Theodore."

She shuddered. "Thanks but no thanks. I'd literally rather drown."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't tell me you plan on marrying some lowlife muggle-born... or worse, an actual muggle."

Her face flushed. "I don't have plans on marrying anyone! I'm literally fifteen."

"You can still be engaged," he shrugged.

Oh right, she deflated. But the point still stood that she wasn't interested in that yet. She doubted she would even have the chance anyways.

Draco's eyes trailed over to as another pair trickled into the room. It was Bernadine, dressed in an elegant silvery gown. Étienne trailed after her, looking like a kid who had been forced to go to some party against their will. He was dressed well too, but his bow tie was lopsided and kind of sad looking.

Draco sneered upon seeing them. "They're late."

"Maybe they're just fashionably late," Esmerelda defended, already straightening up and getting ready to approach her younger half-brother. She was about to call out to him until she suddenly groaned, spotting Cormac McLaggan walking around the room. He seemed to be in a deep discussion with Minister Fudge, Narcissa, and another burly blonde man that was probably his father.

"Oh no," she said miserably.

Draco looked over his shoulder. "What?"

"It's Cormac," she groaned again.

"Trouble in paradise, I take it?"

"No," she fumed. "He tried to approach me the morning after the Yule Ball. I kept telling him that we weren't dating and that we were only going together for the dance, but he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer." He had been very upset with her rejection, even going so far as to blame her for 'leading him on' and so forth.

She didn't really like to think that she 'led him on' per se. Yes she had mindlessly accepted his proposal, but it was just a proposal to attend the Yule Ball with him. Not to date him. There was a difference between those things. But when she tried to point it out to him, he only got even madder. It got so bad that she had to Charmspeak him to calm down and leave her alone.

"I can have him kicked out," Draco offered.

She shook her head. "No it's fine." It would cause a scene. Plus, if he tried to bother her, she could always Charmspeak him to leave her alone again. "You mind if I chill at your garden?" She was still a little overwhelmed by everything she was learning after all and she didn't want to have to mull over the new information she learned while trying to get away from Cormac's advances. She needed a little breather.

"Fine," he sighed. "Just come back in time before food is served."

She beamed. "You're my second favorite cousin, you know that?" Tonks would be the first.

"Fuck off," he scowled.

Outside there were, to her utter disgust, a bunch of peacock shaped hedges and even some stone statues of them. She tried to ignore those and focused on the different kinds of flora instead. She saw a bunch of thorny roses, dahlias, hollyhocks and so forth. They were pretty dark in color, so it made the garden look kind of Gothic in a way.

At the very center of the garden was an iron gazebo. She could spy at least four chairs circling around a table. It looked like a pretty good scene for an outdoor meal in her opinion.

Before she could start approaching it, a hushed voice called out her name. When she turned around, she was surprised by who she was seeing.

It was Bernadine.

"Uh... yes?" She said awkwardly. They had never talked to each other before aside from that one time she had asked to speak to Étienne.

"I need to talk to you," Bernadine said breathlessly, grasping her arm and dragging her over to hide behind one of the dreaded peacock topiary. She didn't know why that was necessary since night had fallen hours ago and it was already so dark out. Nobody would've been able to see them either way.

"Okay..." She forced a smile on her face. "Is something wrong?"

"You have been close with Étienne, haven't you?" The older girl asked her in a hushed whisper, as if she was afraid of being overheard. Or if Étienne was somewhere around.

"Well yes, we're friends," she replied.

Bernadine turned pure white, and she shook her head frantically. "No, no, no..." The blonde muttered under her breath. "You need to stay away from him."

Esmerelda frowned. "Look, I know you don't have the best relationship with your brother, but you can't just tell me to ditch him. Étienne is my friend, alright?"

"You don't understand!" Bernadine hissed, grasping both of her forearms now. The panic in her blue eyes made the younger girl falter in concern. Why did Bernadine look so... scared? "I don't know what he did to you, but you must snap out of it now! Étienne is not to be trusted, he is dangerous!"

Esmerelda pulled herself free and stared at her in disbelief. "W... what...?"

This... was not what she had been expecting to hear.

"Please listen to me," Bernadine said desperately, her eyes darting around wildly. "Our father never listened to us, never cared, but Étienne can do these... these things. He makes us see differently, makes us do things we don't wish to. And—and when he gets angry, it's like his magic lashes out. It's so—so violent...! Comme de la magie noire. Je n'ai jamais rien vu de tel. Il ne devrait pas—ne devrait pas être possible!*"

"I-I can't understand you—" She tried to say, but Bernadine cut her off.

"—He killed Topsy," she said so quietly Esmerelda barely heard her. "One of our house elves. She—she raised him and he blew up and killed her...! But then... then he brought her back."

Her blood ran cold.

"We buried her body but she came back as a—as a ghost. Topsy only obeys him now. D-don't you see? Étienne is dangerous. You have to stay away from him. I've been trying to tell you, but every time I see you, he is always there!"

But Esmerelda could barely listen. She was absolutely floored. This was a lot more shocking to hear than the news that Draco had given her.

All this time I thought his family hated him, she thought. But I was wrong. They didn't hate him. They feared him.

"He—he must be controlling you somehow," Bernadine continued to say, unknowingly referring to Étienne's Charmspeak ability. Esmerelda was certainly not being enchanted, but Bernadine seemed so astonished at the fact that someone was hanging out with her apparently sociopathic brother that she seemed to think the only reason she was doing so was because she was being mind-controlled. 

"So you have to snap out of it or—or he'll—"

"—What are you doing?"

Both girls whirled around. Bernadine made a feeble noise in the back of her throat. Standing just a few feet away from them was the subject of the matter: Étienne.

Fuck, Esmerelda thought. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

She watched tensely as Étienne seemed to piece everything together. His facial expression shifted from horror to panic and lastly, to rage.

He turned to his sister, jaw clenched. "You..." His body shook with emotion. "You told her everything didn't you?"

"...I had to warn her," Bernadine said quietly.

He snapped.

"You're trying to turn her against me!" He screamed, and Esmerelda could feel a powerful wave of magic surge from him. Both girls jumped as every window in the manor shattered. She could even hear startled screams from inside the house, but paid no mind to them.

"Étienne," Esmerelda tried to say, but he was too angered to even listen to her.

"You just won't let me have one good thing, will you?! You always have to keep me miserable!" He roared, storming towards Bernadine, who was stumbling back and wearing a face full of absolute terror. His eyes were glowing a familiar shade of green and she could feel a deathly energy in the air.

Esmerelda had felt this before, when Nico had attempted to summon—

Her thought process was interrupted when Bernadine let out a terrified shriek. Translucent figures had manifested all around her, trying to force her to the ground. They held grotesque shapes, like ghosts who had died angry, brutal deaths.

Étienne froze upon seeing them, but Esmerelda reacted quickly.

"Get off of her!" She ordered them harshly. "Go back to the Underworld! Leave!"

The ghosts lifted up their faces. Some of them snarled at her, some hissed, but Esmerelda stepped forward, her green eyes flashing threateningly. They seemed to realize just who she was and quickly evaporated from the scene.

Bernadine slumped to the ground, having fainted from everything that had transpired. Esmerelda could hardly blame her.

She then turned her sights to Étienne who met her gaze. His own green eyes widened when he witnessed hers glowing, but she stalked over to him before he could utter a sound.

"Sorry about this," she muttered. "But it has to be done." She pulled her arm back and punched his lights out. Étienne crumpled to the ground, just a few feet away from his equally unconscious sister.

So now here she was, standing in the middle of the Malfoy garden, the windows of the house all shattered, a party of people probably wondering what the fuck was going on, and there were two unconscious people with her.

It was a shitty situation to be in, but Esmerelda couldn't focus on that. Her mind just kept rewinding back to the time when Étienne had summoned those ghosts from his rage, and how he had done this before when he 'brought back' the house elf he killed...

Summoning ghosts... even she couldn't do that. The most she could do was make them corporeal, but that was if they were already near her. She couldn't summon them from the Underworld. She didn't think any of her other siblings could either.

Her hands trembled as she remembered when she had stolen her uncle's phone to do a quick Google search on something. She had done it on a whim, out of her concern when she realized Étienne could only understand Latin. She didn't want to believe what she was reading, but the website had said:

While the Greeks envisioned Hecate as a powerful and mysterious being, for the Romans she was better known as Trivia, the "Queen of Ghosts" because of her role of guarding the borders between the human world and the realm of the dead.**

Hecate to Cate. Trivia to Tricia. She couldn't believe this was real.

"Roman," she breathed out, staring down at Étienne's motionless form. Her heart was beating wildly.

"So now you know," a velvety, but cold voice spoke up from behind her.

Esmerelda stiffened. That woman was the last person she wanted to deal with right now. She turned around and tried to refrain from glaring at the intruder.

"Hera," she said tensely.

The queen of the gods was too busy admiring the peacock topiaries to even acknowledge her. After a whole minute of watching her look around and nod in satisfaction, the goddess finally turned to her.

She smiled. It was almost warm, but Esmerelda knew what sort of deity she was.

"You know, I always knew you would be the one to discover the truth first," she began. "You've always had that way with the Mist, after all."

"There are Roman demigods and you gods have been hiding them from us," Esmerelda glared. "That's where the large numbers are coming from in Kronos' army, isn't it? He's been recruiting Roman demigods too."

"And legacies," Hera added. "When the Romans took over, they adopted the belief of gods, but made them more Romanesque, you could say. Some were given Roman aspects, some were abandoned, and a few were purely Roman."

Esmerelda's brain was racking with ideas. "So... so my mother and Trivia are like different people sharing the same body?" Then Hecate's vow to sire no more hybrid children... Her eyes darted over to Étienne's body. "When you all made my mother swear on that oath, did that pertain to Trivia too?"

Hera knew exactly where she was going with this. "Unfortunately no," Esmerelda's body relaxed upon hearing that. "We all believed Trivia would be smart enough to heed the warning and avoid her Greek counterpart's mistake, but... it looks like we were wrong."

The goddess looked over at Étienne with such disgust that Esmerelda had to step to the side to block her view of him.

"But we don't need to talk about that right now. It's not important," she continued. "What's important, is that you keep this a secret." She pointed over to Étienne when she said 'this'.

Esmerelda's frown only deepened. "Camp Half-Blood needs to know about the Romans, my lady. It could help us."

"Not right now," she shook her head, her brown waves gracefully bouncing. "It is crucial that both sides are oblivious to each other. They cannot know of the other's existence—that will be for a later date. You are lucky that I concealed you from the other gods' vision every time the very idea of Roman existence was brought to you. They will not be happy that you are aware. We have worked hard to keep both sides separate."

Esmerelda was automatically suspicious. Why would Hera bother to conceal her finding out the truth from the other gods? Hera could care less about her after all... And what was it she had said? 'That will be for a later date'?

Why would...

"You're planning something, aren't you?" She realized.

The goddess' face hardened, and she took that as a confirmation. "I need you to make a vow of silence," Hera said coolly. "You are right that I am planning something, but I cannot have you blathering about the Romans. It will ruin everything that I have worked for."

Oh is that so? She thought darkly.

"Let's make a deal then," she said bravely.

Hera's expression was turning colder and colder, but Esmerelda wasn't backing down. "Oh?" She said in a challenging tone.

But Esmerelda did not back down. She stepped forward, looking the queen of the gods straight in the eye. "I'll keep quiet about the Romans, but in exchange, you vow to give amnesty to the demigods who sided with Kronos when we finally defeat him."

It was 'when' now, not 'if'. She couldn't afford an 'if'.

She could already feel her previous fears of the war diminish and become replaced by a hardened and desperate sort of determination. She had always been intent on getting their side to win the war, but now that fixation had grown a hundred times stronger due to this. If Hera agreed to the deal, then not only will Ethan and her siblings be spared, but so would the loved ones of every other camper. They just had to make it to the end of the battle alive for the amnesty to be granted.

Hera's eyes widened at her audacity. "You wish for me spare the traitors?"

"If you want me to keep my mouth shut, then yeah."

The final decision would go to Zeus, but she knew Hera could persuade him when needed.

Her eyes flared. "And what makes you think I won't smite you on the spot for making such an outrageous deal?"

Esmerelda stepped forward again, getting closer to her. "Because you need me," she stated darkly. "I'm a part of whatever plan you have. You wouldn't have bothered to protect me from the other gods if I wasn't. So you vow to give the surviving traitors amnesty at the end of the war and I'll vow to stay silent about the Romans. I'll even offer you my assistance if need be."

There was a horribly tense silence between them. Hera looked seconds away from killing her on the spot, but Esmerelda stood strong and held her gaze.

"...Alright then," Hera said in a dangerously quiet voice. She cleared her throat and smoothed down her already wrinkle-free dress. "You've got yourself a deal, daughter of Hecate. I swear on the River Styx that I will do everything in my power to spare the surviving traitors. But that amnesty is only granted if the traitors accept it."

It sounded reasonable enough, Esmerelda noted with a nod of her head. Besides, who would be crazy enough to deny amnesty anyways?

"And I swear on the River Styx to keep silent about the Roman demigods if only for the sake of your plan." Esmerelda finally spoke up. A rippling surge of divine power coursed through her, and she knew the deal was set and their vows were held.

"I shall take my leave now that we're done here," Hera murmured, eyeing her critically as if she couldn't believe someone like her existed.

Yes, please do leave, Esmerelda thought, but wisely kept her mouth shut. Instead, she turned away as Hera teleported out of the garden.

As if on cue, the two bodies on the ground started to stir to consciousness. Bernadine was the first to open her eyes, and Esmerelda rushed to her side.

"Bernadine, can you stand?" She asked her worriedly.

"The—the ghosts..." The older girl whispered frightfully, looking around with fear in her eyes.

She shook her head. "They're gone now. Let me help you up." She took the girl's hand and slowly helped her back on her feet. There were dirt stains and pieces of grass stuck to her dress, but she easily used her magic to clean everything up.

"What happened...?" Bernadine wondered.

"Nothing good," she muttered before activating her Charmspeak. "I need you to listen to me, Bernadine, but breath calmly first," the poor girl looked close to getting a panic attack. When she finally steadied her breathing, Esmerelda continued. "I'm sorry to do this to you, but I need you to forget everything that just happened, okay? Go back to the party and if anyone asks, you only wanted to get some fresh air."

Bernadine nodded dazedly and walked back to the manor, leaving her alone with Étienne.

He woke up next. His green eyes cracked open and he let out a groan as he nursed his growing bruise. He locked eyes with Esmerelda and froze.

"We've got a lot to talk about, Étienne."

— author's note —

* Comme de la magie noire. Je n'ai jamais rien vu de tel. Il ne devrait pas—ne devrait pas être possible! = Like dark magic. I've never seen anything like it. It shouldn't—shouldn't be possible!

** Got that entry from Hecate's pjo wiki

ESSIE KNOWS ABOUT THE ROMANS NOW! ABOUT FUCKING TIME RIGHT?!?!! And she made a deal with Hera! I need you all to pay extra attention to that scene with Hera and especially the deal they exchanged because it's IMPORTANT!!! ⚠️⚠️⚠️

I know some of you guys are gonna be like "but author!!! Hecate said that she doesn't have a Roman counterpart!!!" well I'm changing it for the sake of my story so sorry if you're upset about that. Besides, the wiki did state that Trivia was supposed to be Hecate's Roman aspect anyways, but Rick just didn't add that. It also suggested that maybe she wasn't that affected by the split, but whatever. I'm gonna do my own thing here.

Now who saw that thing with Étienne coming lol. Some of you guys thought he was a sweet, sad baby but nope. He's an unhinged bitch! Or is he...???

PARALLELISM EVERYONE!!!

Sirius: Your daughter is the antichrist!!! 😱 😱

Regulus, holding baby Essie: No ❤️

The Rosiers: Étienne is evil!!! 😱 😱😱 😱

Lazare, holding baby Étienne: No ❤️

PANSY PARKINSON
played by LYDIA GRAHAM

BLAISE ZABINI
played by REECE KING

DAPHNE GREENGRASS
played by MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG

ASTORIA GREENGRASS
played by ADELAIDE KANE

THEODORE NOTT
played by MICHAEL FJORDBAK

HERA
played by ANGELINA JOLIE

(miss angelina, I'm so sorry for casting you to play that bitch, I really am 😭)