A/N - The other day, an idea occurred to me. And it stuck in my brain. So I decided to write it out. Historical demigods, guys! Also the title... that'll make sense later.
Revolution
Abigail was running. She was always running.
Not that she was usually complaining. It was her favourite thing to do. She loved to play running games with her brothers, Thomas and John, while her mother and younger sister Anne watched disapprovingly.
Abigail laughed just imagining Anne's reaction if she could see Abby now. She was wearing boys' clothes - Thomas's, he was her height now and she could barely believe it - and her hair was a mess. Then she heard the growling of that thing again and remembered the situation at hand.
Whatever it was, it had been chasing her since she'd stumbled across it two hours ago. She'd been running aimlessly between the trees since. It had claws and teeth and that had been enough to get her running.
She collided with something - another tree, probably, Abigail thought. That is, she thought so until it talked.
"Are you alright?" a boy's voice asked. Abigail nodded.
"Never mind that, Will. Tell the boy to watch where he's going and let's keep moving," another male voice said.
Abigail stepped back and looked up at the two boys. Will, the one she had crashed into, had orangey red hair and was several inches taller than Abby. His companion was also taller than her, but not by very much, with brown hair and freckles.
"I'm Will," Will said. "What are you running from?"
She heard the growling again. "That," she responded, pointing behind her. Will was carrying a knife made of a metal she wasn't familiar with. She took it and, after calculating for a moment, she threw it at the monster.
It exploded into golden dust as the knife made contact with it.
"How did you do that?" asked Will.
At the same moment, his companion asked, "What did you do to get a harpy chasing after you?"
"I'm not sure. I just… did," Abigail told Will. She turned to the other boy. "What did you call that thing?"
"It's a harpy," the boy said.
"Alright," she replied skeptically. "Well, we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Abigail, and I am in fact not a boy."
Will laughed. The other boy said, "Sorry 'bout that. Name's Henry." He held out his hand.
Abigail shook it. "Now that we know each other's names, I feel more comfortable saying this - you're completely mad."
"I am not!" Henry replied.
"Harpies aren't real," Abigail said simply.
Will laughed. "That's what they all say. You saw it, Abigail."
Henry gasped. "Will. She saw it. She's the girl Joseph sent us for!"
"She could just be a clear-sighted mortal," Will reasoned.
"I've never seen an untrained anyone pull off a throw like that. Much less a mortal," Henry said.
"Wait just a moment, what do you mean mortal? And Joseph? Do you mean Joseph Hill? Do you know where he disappeared to?" Abigail asked. "He was a good friend of mine, then he just vanished."
Simultaneously, the boys said, "It's her."
"You've got to come with us, Abigail," Will said.
"Where?" replied Abby suspiciously.
"Camp Half-Blood," Henry answered unhelpfully.
When Abby stared at them blankly, Will explained, "It's a place for, er, people like us."
"Like you?" Abby repeated.
"Like us," Henry corrected. "That includes you, Abigail."
"… and they know Joseph, Tommy!" Abigail told her brother as she finished telling him about what had happened. "I'm going with them, Tommy."
"Abby, you can't," Thomas said. "We need you here, and mother won't approve."
"I don't care what mother says. Father encourages me to be independent," Abigail told him. "They say I'm not safe here. And I believe it, Tommy. The harpy wasn't the first weird thing that's come after me. I'm going."
"But Abby -"
"But nothing, Tommy. I'm only telling you because I need to borrow some extra clothes," Abigail responded.
"What if I say no?"
"I'll take them anyway. Asking is merely a courtesy. I have actually picked up something from Anne and mother."
"Did you?"
"Please don't tell them where I've gone, Tommy."
"You know I won't."
Three years later, Abigail (who, it turned out, was a daughter of Athena) and Will (a son of Apollo) were in the arena at Camp Half-Blood, training. Joseph Hill, a satyr, came running into the arena.
"What news do you have, Joseph?" Abigail asked.
"There were battles at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts yesterday," Joseph told them. "Lots of the boys are talking about joining the Patriot army."
"I've been considering joining up if war broke out," said Will.
"I have too," admitted Abigail.
"You're a girl!" both of the boys exclaimed at once.
Abigail shrugged. "Need I remind you, you both thought I was a boy when you first met me. Separately."
The boys looked at the ground uncomfortably.
Several weeks later, Abigail and Will were at the camp's borders.
"Abby, I don't want you out there fighting!" Will insisted.
"You keep saying that, William, but you cannot stop me!" Abigail replied.
"What are you going to tell them your name is?" Will asked.
"I don't know, Anthony or something," answered Abigail.
"Abby, I don't like this," said Will.
Abigail smirked. "You never like my brilliant ideas, Will."
A year later, they were in a makeshift hospital after what would later be called the Battle of Long Island. Abigail had been shot in the battle and Will was by her bedside.
"I knew this would happen," Will told her.
"Yes… I think you did…" Abby replied.
"I certainly did," said Will.
Abby tried to reposition herself, but gasped in pain. "Well… Will… You're a… healer, aren't you? … Can't you… heal me?"
"You know I can't, Abby," Will said sadly. "It'd be too suspicious."
"Will…" Abigail said quietly.
"What?" he asked.
"If you ever… find my… my family… Would you… tell them… I'm… sorry?" Abigail whispered haltingly.
"Yes," replied Will.
"I'll… miss… you…" Abigail told him. "See you… in… Elysium… William."
"I'll miss you, too, Abby," William said.
Abigail never responded.
