It's been a while since I've updated this story. I'm really sorry for that.

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Summary: Amelia Babineaux died in a sea of wine, as a daughter of Dionysus she lived again. [SI, Self-Insert/OC-Insert]

Have fun.

Chapter 11

Are You My Family?

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"Families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy. Sometimes the best we can do is to remind each other that we're related for better or for worse...and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum."
― Rick Riordan, The Sea of Monsters

"Those whom we most love are often the most alien to us."
―Christopher Paolini,Eldest

Sometimes Dionysus frightened her.

It wasn't intentional, of course, but it still happened when the god forgot himself occasionally, showing the world his true self. In such moments, his eyes always reflected the madness he personified, his regard full of contempt for those he perceived as lower than himself.

Diana would never forget that one time she had been resting on the porch of the Big House alongside her father, her entire being filled with contentment. Reclining on the wooden floorboards, the girl had looked up at her godly parent's face, only to flinch back due to what she saw. There was a coldness in his eyes she had never seen there before, his lips pulled into a slight sneer at the sight of all the mortals before him.

His opinion about all the children at camp became very clear at that time. To him, both demigods and humans, were nothing but meaningless ants.

Since that day the girl feared having such a look directed her way. She feared that there might come a time when she would lose her father's favor and become just another insignificant milestone in his never-ending life.

Such a thing never happened, even as the years passed, and Diana was happy to note that the same seemed to apply towards her two brothers. Unlike his behavior around most people, their father showed a certain amount of respect towards both Castor and Pollux, remembering their names and not treating them with a blasé attitude.

Another outcome should not have come in question, but in their world it regrettably did.

As such, Diana was incredibly relieved when Dionysus greeted them nicely and then proceeded to calmly explain everything to them. They were told about the monsters outside Camp Half-Blood and everything they needed to know about their new home.

''Diana here will show you to your rooms in Cabin 12 now and take you to dinner afterwards,'' their father finished, throwing a meaningful look in her direction.

Diana's gaze met his, the accusation and exasperation within it clear. ''Sure, Dad.''

Saying that the girl was disappointed with her father's way of informing his sons about their parentage was an understatement, especially as it was very obvious that the boys actually had to mule over the information before they truly realized what being sent to Cabin 12 really meant. At the same time, Diana wasn't stupid enough to believe that she herself would have known of a better way to do such a thing.

She doubted that blurting out, ''By the way, I'm your father. Now, go with your sister. You have to hurry, otherwise you'll miss dinner.'' would have sounded much better.

Sighing, Diana sent one last dirty look in her father's direction. Afterwards she turned towards her brothers and tried to smile encouragingly. Neither Castor nor Pollux seemed to find it all that comforting.

''Wait, does that mean...?'' begun one of the twins, only to be interrupted by his older sister. ''Come on, I'll explain everything to you on the way.''

Although she would have liked nothing more than to leave all the explaining to her father, Diana knew better than to trust Dionysus to be sensitive enough while tackling this topic. Dionysus might have been a good father, but he was still a god. This, more often than not, made him quite callous.

Thus, it was probably better for every party involved that she took over the explaining.

Taking a hold of one hand from each of her brothers, Diana started pulling both of them towards the doors. Considering the looks both of them threw over their shoulders, neither one would have left without any physical prompting.

The short walk that followed their abrupt exit was as awkward as it was unpleasant. Neither of the siblings seemed to quite know what to say and the obvious stares of the other campers did nothing to lighten their moods.

Halfway towards her home, Diana decided that showing her brothers around was something she could do later. There were more important matters to take care of right now.

Relief filled her once they finally came into the vicinity of Cabin 12 and she quickly ushered the boys inside.

''You know, you don't have to stand around the door,'' the blonde murmured once she closed the entrance behind herself and noticed her brothers loitering in the hallway. ''This is your home now too.''

This prompted Castor and Pollux to shuffle towards the living room and then settle down almost hesitantly on the couch. Only a complete idiot would have missed how uncomfortable those two felt.

''Dionysus, for all his faults, is a good father,'' she started after a while of silently staring at her brothers. Then she sighed heavily and sat down next to them, leaving a foot of space between them as to not make the other demigods feel trapped. ''I'm not really sure what else I can tell you. All this mustn't be easy for you, but, well, you're not alone, that's what I'm trying to say.''

Her words did not seem to do much to reassure them.

Dinner ended up being much more of a saving grace than it had any right to be.

Diana wasn't sure how all the other campers dealt with their situations so well, but she was certainly jealous of them. It wasn't that she did not like her brothers and she doubted that they felt any true enmity towards her, and yet none of that changed the fact that they were basically strangers whom had suddenly been forced into the role of siblings.

They did not know anything about each other and this would not make living together easy.

And then there was also the uncertainty the twins felt towards their father. It was to be expected, but that did not stop it from makings things even more difficult.

Quite honestly, Diana felt more than a little overwhelmed by the whole situation. Despite mentally being an adult, she was still decidedly unprepared to deal with the clusterfuck that was their family.

She could not force her brothers into liking either her or their father. The only thing Diana could do was trying to mediate between them and their godly parent, hoping all the while to create something of a familial bond between them all.

''Wait,'' Diana uttered before Pollux could take the first bite of his pasta. ''We have to sacrifice some of the food before we eat it.''

Eyebrows furrowing, the boy put his fork back onto the table. ''What? Why?''

''It's tradition and a way to honor the gods.'' Standing up, she looked at her brothers until they followed her example. ''You wouldn't want to insult anyone by not adhering it.''

Incredulity colored their eyes as they followed her towards the fire. Diana just smiled tightly and pushed some of her own noodles into the fire, thinking first of her father and then of Lady Hestia for good measure. Perhaps the Goddess of the Hearth and Family would be inclined to show them all some mercy.

The fire flared momentarily, surrounding her with both warmth and the smell of freshly plucked grapes.

Smiling ever so slightly, Diana stepped to the side and made room for the two blondes behind her.

She did not comment the reactions both boys displayed to the responses of their sacrifice, smiling just a tad bit wider at the wonder now openly shown on their faces.

By the time they reached their table once again, that same smile diminished a little in size due to the presence of their father. The girl was happy to see him, but the same did not apply to her brothers.

''I hope you haven't forgotten your promise, Dad,'' she said, sitting down at the god's right side.

With a raised eyebrow, Dionysus drawled, ''My promise?''

''Yeah.'' Nudging him pointedly under the table, the blonde continued, ''Your promise of reading something to me tonight.''

''Ah.'' He looked amused. ''Of course.''

Some family bonding was in order and it would happen even if Diana had to force everyone's participation. Spending time together would do them all some good, especially her brothers who who could only profit from their father's affection and love.

Grinning too brightly, Diana turned first towards Pollux and then Castor. The look in her eyes left no place for denial. ''You'll join us, won't you?''

After a short pause, Castor answered hesitantly, surprising the girl with the thinly concealed longing hidden within his gaze. Sometimes, it was just too easy to forget that she was dealing with actual children. ''Yeah, sure, why not.''

''Great!'' She clapped her hands twice in an overexcited manner. Her demeanor mellowed slightly when her gaze caught Castor's and she saw the way his eyes wrinkled a little due to the small smile curling his lips upwards.

These are my brothers, Diana thought fondly as her attention focused on the purple color of their eyes and the familiar set of their jaws. She had never had siblings before, but from what she had seen, not being an only child could be a wonderful thing.

Digging a fork into her food, Diana started questioning her brothers about their life outside camp in between her bites.

(...she never noticed Dionysus regarding the three of them with a most peculiar look within his eyes...

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...never realized what consequences her actions might have in the future...)