Prologue
Early in the morning on August 18th, a woman gave birth to two children. The babies, a boy and a girl, took after their father, with black hair and pale skin. The little boy looked up at his mother with wide green eyes, while the girl peeped around the room with eyes that were blue-green.
"Poseidon, I wish you could be here to see your children," whispered Sally Jackson.
Late that night, when the babies had been put to sleep and the nurses were in their beds, a man appeared in the hospital room. Poseidon looked lovingly at Sally, sound asleep in her bed, then approached the two children.
"Perseus and Andromeda. Beautiful names for beautiful children," he said quietly, looking down proudly at the sleeping forms. "I won't burden her with two children. It would kill her." He reached down and picked up Andromeda. Looking once more at Sally, he disappeared, taking the baby girl with him.
Chiron was woken late at night by the sound of a wailing child. He sleepily rose and clopped to the door. When he had opened it and looked down, he saw a baby girl, still wrapped in her hospital blanket, with a letter on top. He scooped up the now quiet child and returned to his room. He rocked the baby back to sleep, and then lay her down on the pile of blankets that served as his bed. He then opened the letter, wondering who would leave their child at Camp Half-Blood.
Dear Chiron, it read.
I loathe to do this, but I must ask you to raise Andromeda for her mother and myself. I would not ask you, but Andromeda has a twin brother, and her mother could not raise the two of them without killing herself. Many thanks and blessings to you.
Ποσείδων ≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
Chiron smiled down at the baby girl. "Of course I will raise her, Poseidon," he said, seemingly to himself. Distant thunder rolled, as if in acknowledgement.