Spinning. Spinning, spinning, spinning. Not wanting to stop. Feeling the hot light on my face. Hearing the violins in the background. Confidence; knowing that this was my chance.

I know what you're thinking. Well, no I don't, but I'm going to pretend I do anyways: twelve-year-olds don't go to Julliard. This isn't a fairy tale, and I'm not a princess; no exemption card here. But somehow, here I am. About to make history, set records, break rules. I wasn't smart, but I was about to get a scholarship. So close, inches away.

My ankle twisted in the middle of a pirouette. I fell, hard. It happened so fast it took me time to process what had happened. I looked up at the faces of the judges; one cold, one sympathetic, one disappointed.

"I-I'm sorry. I d-don't know how th-this happened." I stuttered. Two of the faces looked downwards. The other, the cold one, Ariana Indìq, shook her head.

"Sorry, sweetheart, but this was already a big jump. You're still a child, and we can't take the risk. You understand, right?" I bit my lip hard, trying to hold back the tears of defeat I could feel heating up my eyes like a backlight, but that just made me want to cry more from the pain.

A tear leaked from my eye, and I tried to get up; of course, in my rush of emotion, I'd forgotten that my ankle was twisted. I promptly collapsed back to the wood floor, and the two other judges, Marcus Antiello and Kiana Jones, rushed up to the stage. I had to get walked to the area outside the concert hall, where my mother was waiting. Her expression switched from excitement to concern almost immediately; her large amber eyes growing wider, her lips parting slightly. She raced over to me, and I loosened myself from the judges' arms and was instantly enveloped in my mother's familiar embrace, the familiar smell of mint and green apple comforting the pain. Not enough, though.

"Sweetie, what happened?" My mother inquired gently, but it was enough to make me start sobbing. I was so close. So close. How did this happen? I ruined everything…why? Why me? My dad was gone, my sisters were perfect, and I had to live up to that and I ruined it. I hate myself…I hate myself, and my life, and my sisters, and the judges, and the universe, and everything. What point is there to me? I've practiced for this for months! Why did I have to mess it up the only time it mattered? I'm useless.

The judges were quietly explaining what had happened, and I could feel my mom stroking my head, even though it must've been sweaty.

She was always there for me, even though I was such a disappointment of a daughter. Kelsie was a genius; Olette was one of the best trumpet players in the country; Danielle the best player on the girls' soccer team. Then my mom had me. Dumb, tone-deaf, absurdly uncoordinated. I was the anomaly child, born while my mother and stepfather had been in a short divorce, sharing only half the blood of my sisters; the ones born of my stepdad, the ones who were all flower girls at the wedding where my mom and stepfather were re-married. They all had strawberry-blond hair along with my mother's amber eyes, while I had hair that was an obnoxious, coppery red nothing like my mom's auburn locks; my dark brown eyes way plainer than my mother's gorgeous amber. My sisters had healthy tans, but if I went outside with anything less than SPF 50, my cream-toned skin burned to a crisp. They were better than me in every way, physically and mentally.

The car ride was silent, except for the sound of my own sniffles. My mom took a quick glance at me before turning her gaze back to the road.

"It's going to be okay, Marissa. You're only twelve; it's not your only chance-"

"How can you say that anything about this is going to be okay? You're only saying that to try and make me feel better, which is stupid. Why can't you just tell me the truth? I'm a screwup of a daughter from a screwup of a relationship that's surrounded by perfect sisters and a perfect mother in a perfect relationship! Just admit it already!" I yelled, but then shut my mouth and stared at my lap. I loved my mother; we never fought, and she always managed to act like I wasn't a disappointment. She was trying to comfort me, and I yelled at her.

"You are not a disappointment, or a screwup, or a failure." She said, looking over at me with an intense passion in her eyes. I stared at the road, but I could feel her gaze on me. I saw two kids dart across the street, but I didn't really think about it, of course, until it was too late.

"MOM!" I yelled, and her head swiveled back to the road and swerved to avoid them. If only I hadn't been so panicked sounding. If only my mom's reaction hadn't been quite so jerky. If only we hadn't swerved off the road. If only the road hadn't been on a hill. If only, if only, if only. It's all I had time to think about before we crashed and everything went dark.

"Hey…hey…hey! Wake up!" Someone was shaking me, trying to get me up. It was the day of the audition…I'd had the worst dream ever. I opened my eyes, ready to see Olette or Kelsie with an excited grin, no doubt already dressed. That wasn't what I got.

I looked up to see a girl with curly blond hair and gray eyes, concerned but serious. She turned around to look at someone, and I noticed how matted and tangled her hair was.

"Perce, she's conscious." She said, and a guy with a metal baseball bat jogged over.

"M…mu…ma..." I mumbled, trying to speak. My mom was all I was worried about, even though I felt a sharp pain in my left arm and felt a stickiness somewhere on my head.

"I'm so sorry…I think your mother's…passed…" She said, and I started weeping again. I did my best to turn and looked at my mom. She was too pale. I moved my right arm pained inch by pained inch, and touched her wrist. Everything went black again and I could hear Annabeth shouting, panicked.

When I woke up, everything was milky white, and the only thing there was my mother, standing with her auburn hair gorgeously styled in a white and gold halter dress. I bolted right over to her and hugged her. She hugged back tightly, putting her chin on top of my head.

"Mom, where are we?" I asked, looking up, but still clinging to her. A tear traced down her fair skin, but it was golden, not clear.

"Marissa…I'm…not going to be with you anymore. I'm going to…I'm going to be…with great grandma, and Jasper, and Smash." She managed, crying even more.

"Mom…they're all…they're all dead." I was crying, too, now.

She was sobbing now. "I…I am, too, Issa."

I collapsed crying. She hadn't called me "Issa" since my dog, Smash, died when I was 10 years old.

"Then…then…how am I…?" I tried to ask through my tears.

"There's something I never told you, Marissa. Your dad…your dad is Hades." I hate this, I hate myself, but I laughed.

"Are you kidding? I get to see you and you say this? This isn't a joke, mom! This isn't funny!" I yelled, in disbelief.

"Marissa, I'm not joking… I wouldn't joke at a time like this." Her tears were drying, making her face look it was made of melting gold. "It sounds ridiculous, but it's true. I-I wanted to tell you, but…just…know that I love you." She was crying again. "Tell your sisters and your stepfather I love them."

"Wait!" I reached out to my mother, not wanting her to be gone. She can't be gone. I love her. She…she can't be...

"I love you, too, mom. I always will," I said, as everything started going dark again.

"Percy!" I heard the same voice shriek. "Percy, she's back!" I opened my eyes.

"Wh…who are you?" I tried to ask, my voice hoarse. She looked into my eyes quizzically.

"I'm Annabeth. That guy back there," She said, pointing towards the guy with the dark hair and the baseball bat…why was it pointed? "Is Percy. You were unconscious, woke up, and then passed out again for two hours."

I coughed again, and felt how dry my throat was. My arm pain had diminished slightly, but I still managed to push myself up. I was on the grass by the road, the car's wrecked body a few meters away.

"Is…is my mom…is she really…" I sniffed. "Is she dead?" Annabeth nodded grimly.

"I can't tell you how sorry I am. It's all our fault." I shook my head.

"It was mine. I was upset, and ignoring her, and she was trying to get me to talk to her, and…" My eyes started to sting, tearing quickly.

"I saw you…and…and I yelled and I think…I surprised her too much, and we swerved off the road…" I was crying again. So much crying, too much crying, not being able to stop, even though I wanted to. I felt Annabeth's hand on my shoulder. I looked up at her.

"I- I saw her, when I touched her hand. I think t-that's what-it's what happened when I blacked out." Annabeth frowned.

"What do you mean, you saw her?" She asked. I coughed, and I could taste the saltiness of my own tears.

"We…we were in this place…it was-it was all white, like we were floating. She was in this…this white dress, and her tears were gold, and she told me she was…d-dead…and that…" Annabeth was staring at me, obviously expecting me to keep talking. But she would think I was crazy…I think I'm crazy.

"Listen, I know this is all really weird and really sad, but you need to tell me what else she said. It could be important." Her stormy gray eyes were unnerving and serious.

"She…told me I was the daughter of Hades." I whispered.

"She said that? Are you sure?" She asked, and I was surprised. Her expression was still grave, and she didn't seem like she was dismissing me. I bit my lip and nodded, one last tear falling down my face.

"Percy! Get over here!" She yelled, and he ran over. His baseball bat was covered in dust, and so was his hair, but it wasn't a baseball bat. It couldn't be, it was way too pointed. But then…

"Does…does he have…is that a sword?" I asked, because swords aren't a good sign, but Annabeth just stared at me, nodded quickly, and turned.

"Percy, she says she had some sort of vision when she blacked out, where her mom said she was a daughter of Hades, and she's seeing through the Mist." I wasn't sure what she was talking about, but apparently it was a big deal, because the Percy guy bent down to look at me, then in a lowered voice asked "Do you think she's…?"

Annabeth nodded. "I think we need to get her on the ship. Maybe Nico can tell." Percy nodded, then picked me up. I whimpered, because my arm still really hurt, just not as bad, and it felt like a few of my ribs might've been bruised, but I didn't fight.

I don't know when I fell asleep, but when I woke up I was in a room with Annabeth and some dark haired guy that looked about 14; definitely not Percy…he was paler, smaller.

"We have to stop meeting like this," Annabeth said with a small, grim smile. I tried pushing myself up, but noticed the crude cast on my arm and then had to manage with my other hand.

"How long was I out this time?" I asked, groggy.

"Two days." She said. The grogginess shot out of my system instantly.

"My sisters are going to be freaking out, and so is Mark, and I'm going to be in so much trouble, and they're going to be so mad, and so upset…mom…" I started crying again when I remembered what had happened. My mom was dead. The reality of it sank like a rock.

"I'm sorry, but you might not be able to see them for a while…we have to do something first." She kept looking at me, her gray eyes even more unsettling than I remembered.

"Do you know about demigods?" She asked, and I shook my head. I might've, but it wasn't any focus of mine right now.

"Well, in Greek mythology, there were gods and goddesses. Sometimes, they would fall in love with mortals, and have children. Those children…well, we have certain special powers sometimes, and generally have to take care of the gods' messes." The dark haired boy chuckled.

"That about sums it up," He said, raising his hand briefly. "I'm Nico, and also, probably your brother." Annabeth looked at him pointedly, like she was saying 'Hey, we were only supposed to completely shock her and essentially upturn her life once today!' Nico shrugged.

"Actually, that's what we're trying to figure out. What's your name?" The blond asked.

"Marissa. Marissa Reymond." I said, starting to feel dizzy.

"Do you live in Rome?"

"No, we were here because of me and my sisters. We were going to be here for about two months." I responded, but thinking about everything made me more upset.

"Πόσο χρονών είσαι;" Annabeth asked another question. Why she needed to know how old I was, I didn't know, but I just answered and kept crying.

"Twelve." I said, and Annabeth and Nico shared a look, and they engaged in another wordless argument. Annabeth stared at Nico, like she was trying to convince him of something, and Nico, looking unconvinced and kind of angry. After what had to have been at least a minute, Annabeth got up and left the room without saying anything. Nico looked up towards me.

"She'll be right back." He put his elbows on his knees and held his head in his hands. "So Annabeth said you had some sort of vision…?"

I did my best to explain the vision to him, but unlike Annabeth, his face remained almost disturbingly stoic. He lifted his head from his hands.

"Interesting. Well, kids of Hades usually have involvement in death. One girl on board, who's a daughter of Pluto, has power with gold and gems, stuff like that; Pluto's a different story that we really shouldn't get into right now." He said, and it hit me again; apparently, I was a daughter of Hades. Nico laughed, a bit louder; it sounded part joking, part bitter.

"Yeah, the whole 'You're a demigod, have fun' thing. I'm the youngest of everyone here but Hazel, so I kind of remember how it feels."

"It's just…how is that even possible?" I put my hand to my head, and felt a bandage near my hairline, the pressure making me wince.

Annabeth walked back in, holding what looked like a lemon square. Nico grimaced and looked away.

"Try this," She said, handing me the yellow square. I examined it for a second. It looked just like a lemon square; nothing suspicious, but I was cautious. You know this is a bad idea, I thought. Yep,I thought again, then took a bite.

It tasted like my mom's coconut vanilla cookies, and my dying tears kicked back up, remembering her. But then I started to feel better, like I was being warmed up from the inside out. My arm stopped hurting, and the area on my head where the bandage was tightened, then released and didn't hurt anymore, either.

Annabeth looked at Nico like I told you so, then looked back toward me. Confused, I chewed the bar and waited for someone to say something.

"So do you know what you just ate?" Annabeth asked, and I blushed, and I felt my cheeks color. Had I made the wrong choice? Was I about to pass out and die? I shook my head slowly.

"That was ambrosia; it's the food of the gods. If any mortal were to eat it, they would burn up and die." She said, and I couldn't help but get what I imagined must've been a bemused smile.

"No big deal, right?" I managed to get out. Nico laughed, and Annabeth grew a hint of a smile, but she kept talking with those stormy, stern eyes.

"You might not be a daughter of Hades, though. We can't know that for sure." Annabeth looked at Nico. "Unless there's something you know that can prove it?"

He laughed again. "You could try talking to him, but he can be a bit of a deadbeat."

"Talking to him?" I asked, not sure which teenager to look at.

"Like praying, kind of. Just call out, see if you get any responses." Annabeth confirmed, then inclined her head slightly, as if saying Well, go on then!

So I closed my eyes and started thinking.

Hey, um…so, dad I never knew I had that might not be my dad, if I'm your kid, um…give me a sign, I guess. Well…bye? If you're listening?

I opened my eyes and blushed.

"That was…weird. Is anything different?"

Annabeth shook her head. Nico pushed himself up.

"Well, my area or expertise has passed." And he walked out, leaving me alone with Annabeth, who walked over and sat on the foot of my bed.

"You're taking this all really well, Marissa. I'm impressed." She stated simply, and I could tell she'd seen a lot of kids my age who freaked out. I was freaking out, yes, but emotions are layers I choose not to wear. But for some reason I decided to just stay silent.

"I'm really sorry about your mom." She said, and tears started to overflow in my eyes yet again. I was pretty sure I'd cried more in the past three days than I have in the past year.

"Why did she have to die?" I was crying now, but softly. "And why can't I see my family?"

It might've been my imagination, but I though I saw tears in the older girl's eyes.

"It's not safe for you there anymore, Marissa. I'm so, so, sorry." I started to get angry. What makes her able to tell me what I can do? My mom just died.

"What do you mean, not safe?" I questioned, my face getting redder by the second. "How is it that my family isn't safer than some random strangers that found me and took me to some random hospital? I'd really, really like to know." I was getting more and more worked up, and my vision started to go dark, and I thought I was going to black out again, until I noticed that Annabeth was staring at me. I looked at my hands, and I promptly freaked out, because they were surrounded in a sort of black glowing aura. It died down fast, but Annabeth

"Listen, I know this is a lot, and you can talk to your family later, but it isn't safe to go back. Right now, I think you need to at least introduce yourself to the rest of the crew."