This is the story of how I lived, loved and ultimately died.

When you're born you don't really think that at some date you're going to expire. Of course when you get older you know that you're going to expire. That of course is one of those logical things that as you learn and grow ends up something that, well scares the hell out of you. I'm Nathalie Soteria Spencer, what a mouthful name but it's mine and for a long time I think that's all I could say was mine. I was born a demigod. My mother Hecate had me, with a mortal man by the name of Marcus Spencer; he was in London when he met her. I came into play; my dad had no idea what to do with me. I was for better terms, or is that worse terms, a bastard. I spent almost four years of my life in London with my dad; he took me home to Iowa when I was just turning four. Last thing you want to do is be in Iowa in October. Did I forget to mention I was born on all hallows eve. Yeah I was surprise. So, let's just say that my grandmother hated me. When I say hated, I mean loathed with a burning passion that no amount of water could put out. To say she wanted me dead would be an understatement, and to not admit to the fact she tried to drown me leaving me with these awesome fingernail marks on the back of my neck and two on my throat would be a grave mistake. She really hated me.

So, my dad was a wimp, he let my grandmother boss him about. I lived in some horrible part of the house, with no real anything of my own, just my name. She might have even begrudged me that if she could have. My cousins where a part of my life I wish to forget, they were horrible. They abused me to the point, I don't think I could tell anyone what all happened. I have scars; people just should never have asked me about it. But, after granny tried to drown me and just about did strangle me at the same time my dad was done. Come to think of it, likely mom told him to get me out or she'd be pissed and when your mother is Hecate and totally a fence hugger if you piss her off enough to make a choice something must be up. Mom loved me; I was one of her favorites. Not that mom had that many of us, unlike some of the other gods she wasn't the kind to just have a ton of kids everywhere. No she planned lots of us out. I was one of her big plans, not that I knew it but I guess with all the things that happened to me I should have guessed it. Hearing a voice in your head, whispering things likely is the first sign your nuts. I wasn't nuts it was my mom talking to me; it was all she could do especially when you could control the mists. Oh yeah, you know I'm not sure I want to go all into details about the demigod world. But the mist keeps mortals from seeing all the nasty stuff, like monsters in the world and making it into mundane things. Cool if you not one of Hecate's kids.

Alas I was one of her kids. But, in the end I got the gift of being able to mask my demigod smell from monsters. At least I could after I learned to control it. Sometimes I wish I couldn't, maybe I would have died a lot faster though, and it really was a gift just not one you can love when you're on the run, or not understanding of how freaking useful it is. After granny tried to kill me dad took me out to a cornfield, he said it was something fun for Halloween, and he left me. Said it was better off that way and I had to get to camp on my own. Who tells a six year old kid to get to New York all by themselves? My dad, he did what a guy right. I don't regret never seeing him again. That started my life on my own, six years old learning how to get food, find shelter and con my way into being the cute kid you couldn't help but give a little food or help out. Worked, but the bad part about that is the not so nice people, those that prey on easy little girls which I can tell you I was not. Even at six I could throw a knife with a deadly accuracy. That got me by, I found out pretty much any weapon in my hand was dangerous. Even later found out the bracelets my dad said was from my mom were really two swords, curved and wicked cool looking. And could scare a grown man away from me faster than the cops could, that was always useful. But did my dad realize it was a thousand miles to get to New York. Even with normal travel that could take time, I was hoofing it. I was doomed. It was no wonder it took me till I was fifteen to get to that camp.

Over the years I was growing, and it took me what nine years to get to camp, I learned a lot of things. Some bad, like not trusting men. My dad abandoned me, my male cousins abused me and just about every man you met while travelling could turn into a pedo-bear at any time. And not once did I have another demigod to travel with, it would have been nice, but in that time I grew up quiet, reserved and all together a loner who never thought she'd met someone she could love. And in my case someone that could love me back, I mean when your mom isn't there you think, she doesn't love me. When your dads dump's you in bum fuck nowhere and leave's you. You really think no one loves you. Yeah, I was screwed up, it was no wonder Aphrodite took notice of me later. I learned how to ride the trains, sleep only lightly and for a short time before you got up and to never stay in one place for too long. Even if I wasn't accosted by monsters all the time the human monsters could really screw with you. I was a skinny, horrible looking thing when Kyrian Katsaros found me. I didn't trust him, it took a week of him coming to the shelter to get me to trust him enough to listen what he offered. I was thirteen by then and I think later I was glad to meet him more then I realized.

Kyrian and his kids really became my family, more so than my blood ever could be. Kyrian looked every inch an Adonis. Greek, sweet and completely scatter brained. When I came in he had four kids, by the time I left he still had four kids, the introduction of me causing one of his sons to finally give up on his eccentric dad and weirdo siblings. Remember when I said that it was no wonder Aphrodite took interest in me, this was that moment it started. My first time meeting another demigod, and to say that most mortal parents of demigod kids don't know that the other parent is a god would later be a shock to me. My dad knew what my mom was; he could see threw the mists. And Kyrian knew his kid's mother was Aphrodite, he loved her just the same. It might have also been that he was just eccentric enough to believe in Greek gods in the first place. Megara and I became sisters, we were the same age. Arik became my big brother and Dominikos or Dommi for short became that annoying cute little brother. We never talked about the last brother, Arik's twin anymore after he left, he didn't believe in what he was and it was better that way. They had never gone to camp, felt no need and Kyrian needed them anyway when he was off in Greece or I think he may have starved to death one day.

After two years though I had to leave, Kyrian could only get me so healthy in that time, I tended to hoard food and hide it so I rarely ate as much as I should have. And lack of sleep never could be good for a growing teenager's body. But, I needed camp and my mother's voice was in my head, dreams vivid running me towards my goal, I had to leave the cushy life and become a hero, a demigod and whatever else it was I had to be. My mother's voice was drove me, made my feet move forward and it still took me four months to get to New York. I wasn't even that bad away. I just kept hitting snags, in the form of more monsters then I felt I should have had to fight. Or in my case, run screaming away from. Whatever it was about New York, and trust me when I say I did not know Olympus was there, had monsters out like birds in a park. I hated the place already. I soldiered on, instead of the girl that had been able to smile; I went back to survivor mode. And that's how I literally rolled into camp as.