Chapter 1
Anemone woke up to the sound of her watch alarm beeping wildly. She quickly shot up, and tapped the alarm off. Her short curly brown hair was even frizzier then normal, but Anemone never let those types of things phase her. She scanned the room with her barely opened green eyes, making sure all three of her siblings that were still fast asleep. In a sleepy daze, Anemone whipped her pale feet on to the hardwood floor of the Demeter cabin. Yes, she was a daughter of Demeter, and she lived in the beautifully gardened (if she did say so herself) cabin with all 5…3, she corrected herself quickly, of her siblings. Anemone sighed, quietly pulled on her thickest sweatshirt, and flew out the door.
These nightly walks had slowly become a routine in Anemone's day. Every night she woke up less tired, and each night she was slowly perfecting the art of sneaking out. Of course, breaking the camp rules was something Anemone would never do normally, but then again, things weren't really normal anymore. She was a thirteen year old half-blood, and as if that wasn't odd enough, she recently became in charge of her three younger siblings. Batya was ten, and she was the most helpful of the kids when it came to cleaning the cabin and activities. Hackett was eight, and all he wanted to do was run around and wrestle. Of course, being the only boy in the cabin, it was hard for him to find a willing partner. Unless he forced Kaia, who was seven, into playing with him, and that usually ended in a screaming match that Anemone was forced to separate.
It's not even the fact that Anemone had to care for them that bothered her about being cabin leader. They were all good kids, and they would grasp the skills they needed to survive. It's the reason why she became the leader that bothered her so much.
Anemone looked up at the starry night sky, and searched for her constellations. She now knew all of them by heart, thanks to the astronomy lessons that were given every Thursday. This had also became a part of her nightly routine, and every might she wondered the same thing; "Do Jorgen and Dianthe still see the same stars too?" Just thinking of her other siblings made her insides curl up into a tiny ball.
Jorgen, 19, was brave, strong, independent, and saw things that no one else ever could. He always was able to read her like an open book, and calmed her down even if everything seemed hopeless. He looked exactly like her, with hazel eyes and the same curly brown hair that never wanted to stay in place.
And Dianthe was 16, with golden blonde locks and chocolate brown eyes. She was sarcastic, and had an odd sense of humor, but was always committed to every little task that needed to be done. Anemone learned almost everything she knew from Dianthe.
Her two most beloved siblings, taken from her. From what, Anemone couldn't say for sure. All the details about the quest were kept very quiet. Anemone didn't even know they had a quest until they actually left that day.
She remembered Jorgen telling her to always be strong, and to teach Hackett and Batya everything he taught her. Dianthe had kissed the top of her head, and whispered; "We'll be back. I promise."
Then she winked, and with the blink of an eye, they were gone. Anemone had stood there, tears quietly rolling down her face, holding the two younger kids hands. She had doubted they even understood what was going on, and that was fine by her. It would be one less thing she had to do.
Then, six months later, there was still no sign of Jorgen and Dianthe, Chiron called a meeting. He spoke quietly, but the words hit the whole camp with a strong force. The whole camp had turned to look at the Demeter table, with looks of pity and sadness written all over their faces. Anemone sat there, crying, clenching tightly to Bayta and Hackett's hands. They were the only family she had left now.
Two days later, Anemone was declared the new camp leader. Two days later, she was still getting those same pity looks.
Now it had been two months, and things were slowly starting to get better. The days were still long, but more bearable now then before. The night walks started about a month ago, and they certainly helped.
Anemone's watch beeped; the time read 1:00 AM.
"Time to get going." She thought as she traveled back up the path to the cabin. The air had gotten slightly cooler, and Anemone couldn't wait until she crawled back into bed and snuggled up und-
She bumped into something and froze. A pair of blue eyes stared out at her from the darkness.
