Is it not strange, that after all these years, Persephone and Hades never had a child? Well, they did. In fact, they had her a long time ago, but like Zeus when he was born, she had been carefully hidden in the Himalayas until now…
For the Himalayas are huge in area, and they are the home of so many mystical creatures like Nymphs, Satyrs, and River Gods, it is rich in Mist. That's why they managed to hide her. She was tucked away safely for so long, until Percy Jackson's wish brought her out of her comfortable days…
I'm Aileen. I'm just a normal teenage girl, homeschooled, isolated, and cursed. I don't know why, but I see ghosts at night and strange voices creep inside my head every night. I don't mind, though, because they never threaten me. In fact, I actually share pleasant conversations with them when my Great Aunt Garland (G.A. Garland, we say) isn't around.
G.A. Garland tells me that it's perfectly normal that I see ghosts and creepers. She also tells me that all aunts are supposed to have hooves and horns like horses and a body and a face like a human.
I never believed her.
But it's great living here; wherever I am. Grass glows in the sun and the lakes sparkle like they can't keep their beauty to themselves. Beautiful ladies dressed in gowns of white laces wander around the forests, hugging trees, dipping their legs into the water, smelling flowers. Half-horse-half-human men run with bows and aims randomly into the air, missing most of their shots, but still cheering over their victory. All these years, I've wondered if they were drunk, or just naturally crazy.
Anyways, that's not the important stuff. The thing is, I'm turning sixteen today. I run into our small wooden cottage and almost-break open the door.
"GEE AIE GARLAND!" I squeal, "GUESS WHAT DAY IT IS!"
She turned her head enthusiastically, and her eyes beamed. She was baking something. "Hmmm… Let me guess," she said, sarcasm hitting notably in her tone, "your birthday?"
"And it's three 'o clock, so you promised me that…"
"That we would do the cake?"
I squealed like a sugar-high 3-year-old, and spun, which lifted my dress to a dangerous level. I panicked, and shoved my hands down my legs to weight the dress down. I looked at my Aunt expectantly, waiting, but her face suddenly darkened. "Sweetie, there's something I've got to tell you," she said. What? Is she displaying a poker-face? Is she serious? "Sit down."
I sat down.
G.A. Garland's eyes looked straight at me, and she began to speak. "There's something I should've told you a long time ago," she said. The tension was increasing. I never liked those books that held the tension for too long; it makes me feel tight and trapped. That's exactly how I felt now, and I wanted it to end now. In frustration, I tapped my fingers on the wooden table.
My Aunt shook her head. "Aileen, you are a god."
I laughed. "Hah, good one, Aunt Garland. Now you're going to tell me that I can f—-"
"Your mother is Persephone and your father," she flinched. "Your father is Hades. That's why you've been seeing abnormal things." She pointed at her horns.
What?
A million questions popped into my head. Do you mean Gods, like the Greek Gods that are born from Titans? Are all the stories true? I am a talkative girl, so I spat all questions out as they appeared into my head. Aunt gave me a troubled look, and I stopped talking. Her mouth was in a straight line, which meant there was more bad news.
"You need to go to camp half-blood. Even though you aren't a demigod, it's dangerous if you don't know how to control your powers."
My rebellious puberty-self hit in. "No! No, I'm not a god. I'm not some mythological being told only in stories-"then, she grabbed my hand, pun a necklace on my palm, and pulled me into the car. "I need to protect you, darling, I'm a Protector." Her look was dead serious.
It was a long and silent drive to the lake. I asked why I was going there, I never got an answer.