Hey! So this is the third installment of the Morisana Crasse series. Yay! So, review please! I really wanna know what y'all think! Thanks!

(PS, Veda is pronounced Vay-duh)

~The Ghost Princess

Prologue

Mori's POV

It's been a year. A year since my boyfriend died. Since I ran away from the only home I've ever had. I think of my brothers, my friends. Most of my friends are my age now, fourteen. Percy and Annabeth are about nineteen. Reis and Drake are probably eighteen, or close. Adrian is now seventeen, and Aeron is probably now sixteen. And I'm gone.

My long, wavy black hair and dark black eyes are the same as I tuck a blanket around the young ten year old next to me. Her hair is curly and blonde, tied in a messy ponytail as she sleeps. Her sparkling gray eyes open and she yawns. "Hey, Mori," She slurs out.

I smile. "Morning, Veda,"

Veda sighs. "We got any food?"

I shake my head. "Nope."

She groans. "What're we gonna do? We need to eat something!" I nod and help her up. We both change, Veda into dirty skinny jeans and an old gray t-shirt, me into my dirty black skinny jeans and dirty BadSpellersUNTIE! t-shirt, along with my black jean jacket. We both slip on our black combat boots with knife buckles. I slide my dagger into a slot and place my bow over my shoulder. Veda slides her two daggers into place and smiles at me. "So what now?"

"Now…we beg for food."

Don't get me wrong, I still hate begging people to help us survive. But hell, I hate my dad, haven't talked to him in a year. Veda is all I got. She's ten, a daughter of Athena who I saved last year from a monster attack. She ran away, like me.

Anyway, Veda and I head over to this big, fancy restaurant where all the rich people in this part of New York go. Women in dresses and men in suits give us some green as they go in, muttering, "Too young," or "Take a shower," Kind of funny, sometimes.

30 bucks. Holy. Zeus. When we get back to our alley, Veda smiles. "Holy crap!" I nod.

Maybe we can live a little easier.

We go through our usual routine of stealing some food and hanging out in our alley. At around eleven, we get ready for bed. When we first met, we had stolen some blankets. We curl up together. Veda's small body wracks with a deep cough. I stroke her hair. "You okay?" I ask.

She nods before drifting off.

A week later, Veda is worse. I'm pretty sure she has a fever and she can't sleep, she coughs so much. I sigh and run a hand through my hair. It's down, dirty and matted. My bangs are actually cut straight; a woman at a homeless shelter sometimes gives Veda and me haircuts. The purple dye had worn out a long time ago, and Veda and I can't afford some more. Veda coughs again. I shake my head and scoop her into my lap. "Veda," I say softly. Her gray eyes stare back at me. "Look, I know a place. I'm going to take you there. Listen, you can't tell anyone I brought you okay? They cannot know I took you. But they'll protect you." Tears from in my eyes and I swallow hard. "They'll take care of you. You need a better home then this and I…I can't give you what you need. But you need to promise me you'll do what I say. Do you promise?"

She nods and whispers, "Promise," before falling asleep.

I let the tears fall silently. Veda is sick and I've been selfish keeping her here for a week. I slide both her daggers in her boots and slide mine in mine. I sling my bow over my shoulder and chuck both of our bags over my shoulder too. Taking two blankets, I wrap up Veda's sleeping form and carry her like a little child. She curls up against me for warmth. I can see my breath in little white puffs and I shiver.

It only takes ten minutes to get there, but its so cold, I'm sure I have hypothermia. It's past eleven, so all the lights are off. It doesn't matter. I can still see the lake. The dining hall, the Big House, the cabins.

Camp Half-Blood.

I look down at Veda. She opens her eyes. I whisper to her, "I love you, baby. You are my sister. You mean the world to me. Don't ever forget that."

She nods. "I love you too, Mori,"

Tears threaten as I climb down the hill. Veda falls back asleep as I climb the few steps onto the porch of the Big House. I set Veda down and she stands, wobbly. I knock quietly and quickly hide as Veda sways. The door opens. A boy, fourteen, my age, opens the door, tired. His shaggy black hair hangs in his black eyes and his skin is pale. My breath catches in my throat as I realize who he is.

Nico…but…but…how…damn…AH!

He turns around and yells for Chiron. Kneeling, he asks Veda is she's okay. Abruptly, his eyes shoot up and meet mine. I don't hesitate before shooting off into the woods, tears falling.

Nico's POV

I hear a knock at the front door and cock my head. Who's still up? Annoyed, I stand and walk over. What I see shocks me. A girl, no older than ten, wrapped in a blanket stands in front of me. I turn and yell for Chiron before kneeling. "Are you okay?" I ask.

I see something move out of the corner of my eye and I look up. Black, sky-blue rimmed eyes greet me. I gasp.

Mori.

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