Title: Fault in Our Stars
Pairing: Luke/OC.
Warning: OOC. Original Character. AU!verse.
Summary: Luke has always been contemplating his fate. He decided to join Kronos. This happens in the present. But, what if the fates have another plan? What if they manage to create a girl, who is their only hope? But, there's one problem. She's forbidden. And to the Gods, she doesn't exist. Yet.
Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or The Heroes of Olympus series. I only own Cassia and the plot.
/The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves. /
Chapter 1: Stand in the Pouring Rain
We all know the story of creation. In the beginning, there was nothing but Darkness. We knew them to be Erebus, and his wife, Nyx. Then, there was love, and light. Or Hemera, and her consort, Aether. And of course, you know the rest of mythology, where there was Gaia and Uranus, and their children, the Titans. Then, the birth of Kronos' children, the Gods, and where it was foretold, that Kronos would be overthrown by his child. Of course, everyone knows that Zeus came, and overthrew his own father, thus becoming King of the Gods. Some of us know the stories of the children of the various gods, called Demi-gods, or Half-Bloods. These stories, although believed to be myths by some, but are reality, hidden from the mortal eye by a special veil known as the Mist, were all pre-told by an even stronger force. Fate.
On September 12, 1987, as Clotho began to spin the string that would determine the life of a young hero, Lachesis, saw the young boy's fate. Destined to become bitter, and vengeful, he would go down a path that only led to sorrow, and death. Feeling merciful, which was a rare disposition, the Fates decided to change and bend his path, with just a touch. With just the addition of a young girl, whose birth had not be foretold or designed just yet, would change his whole story. The boy's name was Luke. And he was a Demi-god; A son of Hermes to be exact.
But, our story does not begin here; where this is just the background for an even more epic tale, it begins on a dark day in December, the year being 1989.
December 21, 1989.
In a hospital in the heart of New York City, a young man stood in the centre of the Newborn ward, wondering whose child had appeared on his doorstep. After debating with several nurses, all of them determining that the child was not missing, nor had her birth been recorded, the nurses ruled that the young child was now the man's problem, and had given him paperwork to fill out.
The young baby, a healthy, perfectly tanned baby girl laid in a soft, dark purple blanket, her fingers curled into the fabric. The man looked over to the sleeping babe, sighing. He couldn't just leave her alone. He'd take her; raise her in the best way he could, well, with advice from his mother, of course.
He ruled that night, that her name would be Cassia, due to her hair being as dark as cinnamon. Her middle name would be Imogen, after his grandmother. Cassia Imogen Eaton was to be the child's name. And that name, was the most befitting of all names. But, this child wasn't just any old child. She was special, and her father, Alexander Eaton knew this.
Taking the small child home, holding her close to his chest, he saw a woman waiting on his doorstep. She had a black coat wrapped around her frame, her cheeks reddened from the cold. Her eyes were a dark brown, almost black color, and her skin was as white as snow. Alexander knew this woman, her name being Cassie. His former lover, who disappeared almost, well, nine months ago. Could Cassia be his child?
"Oh, you found my daughter." Cassie stated. "You're the first to notice her."
"Why hasn't anyone else noticed her?" Alexander asked.
"Because, simply, they cannot see her. My name is Chaos, and you, are a clear-sighted mortal, Alexander Eaton."
September 5, 1995.
Cassia Eaton just couldn't sit still. With a terrible combination of ADHD and Dyslexia, along with the overriding news of her first day of school being tomorrow, Cassia was nervous. She wiggled uncomfortably, and swung her feet as she sat in the chair outside her new principal's office as her father finished her paperwork.
She pressed her tongue to the small gap in her teeth, crossing her eyes. A brown-haired woman walked in front of her, smiling.
"Hello there, dear. My name is Tabitha," She smiled. "And I'll be your teacher tomorrow. So, you can call me Ms. Evans if you like, but you can call me Ms. Tabitha too."
Cassia stopped crossing her eyes, and cocked her head to the side innocently. She began to fiddle with the hem of her dress, before moving her hands to the ruffles of her socks.
"Oh," She said softly. "I'm Cassia."
Tabitha smiled. "A beautiful name."
Suddenly, as Cassia was about to respond, the door behind her opened. "Come on, Cassia," her father said, looking over to the woman in front of his daughter. "Don't talk to strangers…"
His words trailed off as he laid eyes on Tabitha. Cassia whispered, "She's not a stranger, Daddy. She's my teacher."
She slid out the chair, and grabbed her father's hand. Tabitha stood to her full height, her cheeks reddening at the appearance of Cassia's father. "I'm Tabitha, uh, I mean I'm Ms. Evans. I'll be Cassia's teacher tomorrow, and for the rest of the year."
"Alexander. Alexander Eaton." Cassia's father introduced, as a smile curved onto his lips. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"You as well," Tabitha said, smiling softly.
"Daddy, come on!" Cassia whined, pulling on the sleeve of her father's shirt.
"Cassia," Alexander softly chastens. "Stop that."
Cassia frowns and crosses her arms, making a humph noise.
"I should go, I'll see you tomorrow, Cassia." Tabitha waves. "Good-bye Alexander."
"Bye," Alexander said back.
After Tabitha has left, and Alexander has carried Cassia to his car, buckling in her seat, Cassia cocks her head at her father. As they drive, Cassia bluntly states, "You like her, don't you Daddy?"
Said child can't ignore the blush that rushes onto her father's face.
April 19, 2005.
Cassia hated Mondays. She was fifteen years old, and she officially hated school in general. Still with her ADHD, and her Dyslexia, Cassia saw it more of a curse than a blessing. Simply because, it was the center of much unnecessary teasing. Cassia pulled the hood to her jacket over her head, as she jogged with the rest of her class out in the April rain. The water made her black hoodie stick to her toned, lithe body, and her shorts seemed to be glued to her thighs. They ran down the side of Fifth Avenue, her body tensing. She turned around, feeling what seemed eyes watching her. She looked to the left of her, seeing at the corner of the stoplight, was a man, wearing a hat that fell over his eyes, or well, eye. She shivered, seeing that she was falling behind. She picked up her pace, turning around, seeing the man follow behind her from the other side of the street.
They, her and her class run back inside Galemonte High School, shivering as the cold water soaks through their clothes, keeping them cold. Cassia lowered the hood to her jacket, showing her soaked brown hair. She walked towards the locker room to change when an another girl called out,
"Hey Freak!"
She turned around on her heel, and looked at the crowd of kids that began to laugh at her. She turned away from them, pressing her lips into a tight, fine line. She held her head high, and walked inside the locker room. She took the towel, and dried herself, and then took her shirt off. She stripped her clothes from her body, and grabbed her white tank top, slipping it over her head. She slipped on her red flannel shirt, leaving it unbuttoned. She pulled on her black skinny jeans and combat boots, before putting her hair up into a loose ponytail.
She tucked her wet clothes into her sports bag, and put it across her, holding the strap in her hand. She fiddled with her IPod, the only difference being that there was a Greek Omega on the back. She put one of her headphones into her ear, and then fiddled with the helix piercing in her right ear.
She came out the locker room, her other classmates bumping into her as she did so. She shoved past them, and walked to the front of the school.
There, as if he were waiting for her, was the strange man with the hat and one eye.
"Hey, are you lost or something?" Cassia asked, raising a brow.
"Or something," The man growled, before seeming to grow right before Cassia's eyes. Cassia took a clumsy step back, falling onto her rear end. She scrambled to her feet, and took off.
"Come back here, Girl!" The one-eyed creature called out. Not Creature, Cassia thought. Cyclops.
She began to run, before something, more like someone smacked into her, knocking both of them onto the ground.
"Watch it!" Cassia yelled, looking over to the blonde boy who lied on the ground, rubbing his temple.
"Look, you ran into…" The boy trailed off, looking Cassia up and down. He looked to where Cassia had come from. "Come with me!" He said, grabbing Cassia and pulling her up to her feet.
"Like hell I will! I've already got one creeper chasing me, and I certainly don't need another!" Cassia said.
"Trust me!" The boy said, and Cassia paused, before nodding.
"Alright, but if you try anything, I will castrate you." She said sternly. He grabbed her hand and they sprinted across the busy New York traffic, getting honks and beeps from various cars. They even got a couple of choice words.
The boy pulled Cassia into Central Park, and pulled her behind a tree, seeing the Cyclops behind them.
"I smell two godlings that are about to become my dinner!" He growls, and Cassia sends the boy a look.
"Well genius, do you have a name?" Cassia asks.
"Luke. You?" Luke asks.
"Cassia. I'm Cassia," Cassia pants. "What do we do?"
Luke looks at her. "You don't know."
"Know what?" Cassia hisses.
"How many parents do you have? Do you have ADHD or Dyslexia?"
"My dad and stepmother." Cassia says. "I never met my mom. And, both. Why?"
"The Greek gods, Zeus, Poseidon, Hermes, Athena, they're all real."
Cassia looks at him crazily. "Oh, great. I've run off with an insane person!" She shrills. "Now I'm going to die!"
Suddenly, a growl erupts. "I've found you, godlings!"
Luke pulls out a bronze sword, and looks at Cassia. "Stay here." Cassia looks at him as if he was insane.
"Are you crazy?"
"Do you want to die?" Luke asks.
Cassia sends him a look that says, Really?
Luke nods. "Thought so." Before Cassia can respond, Luke dashes off in the pouring rain, showing himself to the Cyclops.
Said Cyclops swats Luke and sends him flying into a tree. Cassia runs over to Luke, and touches his head.
"Are you okay?" She asks, as Luke gives a groan. The Cyclops runs over to Cassia and Luke, and Cassia gives a yell, a purple light shooting from her palms, making a shield. It surrounds her and Luke, the light dying off from her hands, as she scrambles to get the sword. She picks it up, after struggling, and holds it in her hands.
Suddenly, the sword feels easier to use, and Cassia feels confident in herself. She walks through the shield like water, the shield rippling around her before staying around Luke.
"Hey Minced Meat!" Cassia says. "You need a tic-tac! Let me give you some!" She growls, and charges the Cyclops. Her body curves as she does a backflip, surprising herself, as she swipes the sword at the Cyclops' calf, golden dust spilling from the cut. The Cyclops growls, swatting at Cassia, and she dodges all the swats, stabbing the Cyclops in the hand. Instantly, he implodes into golden dust, the dust settling into her hair, and the rain clears up instantly.
Cassia waves a hand, and the shield falls, disappearing into the air. Luke sits up, hazy, as Cassia holds his sword.
"Hey, are you okay?" Cassia asks.
Luke opens his eyes, seeing Cassia's amber ones with her silver rings around her irises. Golden dust sits in her hair, as her wet hair embraces her face. Her perfectly arched brows are furrowed together in a look of worry, and his sword lies in her hand. A cut runs across her cheek, and she gives a carefully placed smile.
She was beautiful, in a strange and unorthodox way.
She holds a hand out to Luke, pulling him up. She holds out his sword, and smiles. "I'm okay," Luke tells her.
"Good," Cassia says.
Luke reaches his hand out, and strokes her cheek with his thumb, wiping the golden dust off to keep it from getting in her cut. Cassia smiles softly, a blush rising to her cheeks.
"Let's get you home," Luke said.
"I don't think I can go home. Not after today." Cassia said. "I think you might be right about this whole Greek God mess." She didn't want to risk the safety of her father and her stepmother, Tabitha.
"You'd be the first to think so," Luke tells her. He sends her a reassuring smirk, worthy of Hermes himself, but he can't help but notice when she slips her fingers in between hers to steady her from the unknown.