Their has always been hope. Hope that when needed a female warrior would rise from the ashes of apparent defeat to fight in the Great War. Her name was forgotten though it had always meant 'Immortally Strong'. She was not a God, yet not Mortal as well. And she most certainly was not half of each.
Never to fall her journey, an impossible feat, was too great for the young child. She was trained in the Ancient Code of the Preliator. She is...
Annabeth's stormy grey eyes opened slowly, taking in her surroundings Annabeth realized that she had fallen asleep in the Poseidon cabin. She could feel the soft breath of Percy on her neck, who lay on his side his arms wrapped loosely around her. Annabeth shivered slightly inside at Percy's soft hands that touched the bare golden skin of her stomach where her shirt had ridden up. Mom's gonna have a heart attack. I mean it's not like we did anything, I just fell asleep. Hopefully she doesn't blast Percy to pieces. Annabeth though but she didn't care, the moment felt perfect. She wished that they could be frozen in time at this exact moment. A soft murmured from behind made Annabeth from her side so that she could face Percy yet, stay in his embrace.
"Wise girl?" Percy murmured softy again.
"Hey Seaweed Brain." Annabeth said just a softy, after she had kissed him softly.
"Time to get up?" He asked, dreading the answer.
"Afraid so," Annabeth smiled slightly as she climbed out of the bed, followed by Percy. Taking note of her tank top and fade jeans that she had fallen asleep in Annabeth sighed and walked over to the dresser and pulled a small bag of cloths she kept in here, because yes, Annabeth falling asleep in Percy's cabin had happened before, whether it was bad demigod dreams or just falling asleep while hanging out. Taking the bag into the bathroom Annabeth quickly changed while Percy did the same from his jeans and tee shirt. Annabeth quickly dressed in worn faded skinny jeans, a white tank top with orange cropped tank top over and classic grey Vans. Her favorite owl pendent hung around her neck.
"Ready?" Percy asked, he had changed into jeans and a royal blue tee shirt.
"Yeah." Percy nodded as they walked out of the cabin, just as the breakfast bell rung. As Annabeth was about to walk into the dinning pavilion she looked back at Thalia's tree only to see a dark figure racing towards the borders of camp.
"Percy!" She cried as she sprinted to the tree, Percy quickly catching up. A tall girl with charcoal grey hair fought against five hellhounds, and a really nasty demon that even Annabeth couldn't identify. The girl, who was clearly extremely injured, stood her ground whipping her twin silver swords with deadly precision that Percy didn't even have the Hellhounds turned to dust. The unknown monster laughed and charged the girl, who attack furiously, yet seemed to be losing. When Annabeth and Percy drew their weapons to help the girl turned her attention to them.
"NO! Stay back!" She cried, lowering her guard as the monster attacked. Landing a direct hit to the girls abdomen causing her to cry out in pain as the monsters claws raked clean through her sleeveless tie-dyed blouse and golden skin. Fury rose in the girl's eyes, the calm lavender and gold eyes burned as her swords lit up with silver fire. After saying a few words in a language Percy and Annabeth had never heard of she attacked. Using the hooked ends of the swords to pull out a black heart and then in one final blow decapitate the monster, it turned to dust instantly.
"Are you okay?" Percy asked as he and Annabeth raced towards the girl, who stumbled forwards, her swords vanishing in bright white light.
"I- I'll... be...fine.. just need... a minute..." The girl stumbled again, her voice was edged in pain that she tried not to show. Blood had seeped from her torn shirt onto her white skinny jeans, and had begun to spew from her mouth.
"We need to get you to the Big House." Annabeth said.
"NO! DON'T... not yet." She pleaded as she collapsed. "It-it's not... time."
"Go get help!" Percy hadn't even finished his sentence before Annabeth was in a flat out sprint to the Big House. She might have been gone just over a minute, returning with Chiron, Mr. D and a few head councilors. By the time they had returned all the color had drained from the girl's tanned skin.
"Oh Gods." Chiron muttered.
"Goddess... they...they need... protection..." The girl said barely in a whisper as her lavender and gold eyes closed. A blinding flash pulled the campers back from the girl's last words. The thirteen major Gods and Goddesses stood in front of them in human form.
"Step away from...Her." Hera said softly. Everyone obeyed as the Goddess sat on the blood covered grass, placing the girl's head in her lap stroking her charcoal hair that held one streak of silver similar to Annabeth and Percy's. Each of the Gods and Goddesses sat around the body placing a hand on her saying a prayer and then removing their hand, yet remained where they sat. What looked like tears were forming in most of their eyes, Hera, Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis, Demeter and even some of the Gods. Apollo, Hephaestus, Hermes, Dionysus, even ARES! Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades seemed to be keeping it together the best, yet even they were pained.
"Hera..." Zeus began, his commanding voice, soft.
"Don't you dare." Hera began. "Don't or I swear on the river Styx I will do what Kronos failed to do."
"Dru, what did you do this time?" Apollo muttered as he went over her injuries, from the most prominent lacerations on her abdomen to burns and to micro fractures in her arms and legs.
"Damn good warrior, but not even a God can defeat twenty Hellhounds, three Furies, and five elite Sanhelli warriors." Ares admitted
"She did." Artemis said admirably.
"The cost, however was too great." Athena mused.
"She's more us, than them." Hera argued.
"IF, she can break the barrier." Hades said. "She's strong even in her weak state, refusing defeat, only problem when your Dru, they can latch on. Pull her further in. I can't stop them. The Underworld of course, but not were they want her."
"All we need is a spark, something to allow her to gain power." Athena mused. "Zeus, Poseidon, if you will?" The two Gods nodded, Poseidon touched a hand to the girl, who the Gods had called Dru, water began to soak the pale body until she was completely drenched, Hera who continued to stroke Dru's hair pulled a gold chain with, what looked like an eagle and lion coat of arms, medal from around the girls neck. The Gods and Goddesses stepped backwards trying to block the demigods view.
"Come, Hera." Poseidon said softly as he pulled her backwards. Hera seemed extremely resistant to the idea of leaving the girl alone. Zeus raised a hand and lightning clapped in the distance. Bringing his hand down violently, the girl was hit by lightning straight on the heart. Gasps and cries of horror came from the demigods. The Olympians gave their children and the absent God and Goddesses children a warming smile and assured them everything was fine, before returning to Dru's lifeless body. Hera was the first one to reach Dru, the other Gods slightly behind, fearing the worst, hoping for the best.
"She's coming around!" Hera cried out, the Gods rushed to her side.
~0~
Percy couldn't believe his his eyes. First, the grey haired girl showed up fighting like a God against Gods know what, warning Annabeth and himself about helping her. Which, then got her wounded. Secondly, the Olympians themselves, all thirteen, showed up mourning the girl, who they had called Dru, and other things that Percy wasn't quite sure about. Thirdly, Zeus and Poseidon, his Dad!, shot her with lightning! Lightning! Annabeth cried in horror and buried her face into Percy's chest when she had seen it. Absently stroking her hair and trying to sooth her, Percy turned at the feeling of a hand. Only to find Annabeth's mom Athena smiling grimly.
"Thank you, Percy. This is not easy to watch, even as a God–" Athena seemed to want to say more, but Hera cried "She's coming around" and the Gods raced to Dru's side. Percy could see Apollo frantically working on the girls wounds, when she started to cough up blood. The first sign that she was alive.
"ARES! Help her out, she's choking on the dried blood." Apollo said, as he was too busy attending to her abdomen and other injures.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Pat her on the back!" Apollo said. Ares shrugged and slapped the girl on her back, violently, causing her to spit up a large portion of blood. However her breathing seemed to return to normal. "I said 'Pat her on the back!; Not break her spine!"
Ares shrugged while Apollo finished with most of her wounds. Artemis poured nectar over her wounds sealing them while Hera fed her Ambrosia. Dru, who now seemed healthy, the color returning to her golden skin, seemed throughly annoyed by the Gods actions.
"I'm fine. Really!" She said as she fought her way to her feet.
"You almost died Dru. Again." Aphrodite said.
"Key words being almost and again." Dru said. "I just have really bad luck when it comes to monster and really, really good luck when it comes to staying alive."
"You could say that again." Ares muttered.
"Hey!" She protested. "It was a light pack... for me at least."
"Light?" Athena cried. "Next time take someone with you."
"You were all busy."
"Busy! Hera! Please talk some sense into you daughter." Wait! Hera has a daughter? About a million questions rang through Percy's mind.
Hera only smiled, "We've all been trying to do that since the day she was born."
"I'm not that much of a trouble maker. Trouble just seems to find me."
"Very well."
"So can I go now?"
"To camp. Yes."
"Seriously?"
"Your a demigod, you go to camp."
"Technically, I'm half demigod." Dru pointed out.
"Dru." Hera said warningly.
"Okay, okay." Dru sighed. "But, I expect payment for this."
The Gods sighed as if this was normal. "What do you want?" Zeus asked.
"A new conjuring spell for Khopesh, that is faster and cleans and sharpens the blades when dismissed."
"Fine." He agreed and snapped his fingers. Hera stepped forward and placed the coat of arms necklace around Dru's neck.
"Thanks."
"Of course. Oh and before we go... let's just make it official." Hera smiled as the campers gasped. Dru's eyes flickered up, and a lion with peacock wings symbol that floated above her head.
"All hail, Dru, Daughter of Hera." Chiron called, everyone, including the Gods bowed before whispered goodbyes. "Look away!" All did, and in a bright flash, the Gods vanished. Leaving a still-weak Dru being stared at by the wide-eyed campers of Camp Half-Blood.
"Dru, with me please, Annabeth and Percy too. All other camper return to normal activities." Dru followed Chiron and Annabeth and Percy towards the Big House.
"So is this when I get bombarded with questions with how a demigod is born to Hera?" Dru asked.
"Not at all Drusilla. It has been many years."
"Fourteen, if I remember correctly."
"You had no more need for me, I hope you understand that."
"Of course I do."
"Umm... I have a question. How?" Percy asked.
"When a child of Hera is needed, one is born. Dru here was born without a mortal father, yet also without a Godly father. It gives her the title Demigod, except she's more god than mortal."
"I like to think of it as a seventy-five to twenty-five ratio."
"And what just happened out there?" Annabeth asked this time.
"I got trapped, in between this dimension and the next. Had to get shocked back to where the living dwell."
"Yes," Chiron said. "She can be easily be brought back to life if she dies, yet she tends just to get stuck in between. She's not human enough to be mortal, not godly enough to be immortal."
"I call it 'Catch 22 from Hell'"
"Nice name." Percy said.
"Moving along," Chiron interrupted. "Why don't you get cleaned up and meet us for breakfast."
"Yeah, breakfast and me don't mix very well after my 'trips' I'll just clean up and hit the area – Oh crap! Aphrodite!" Dru waved her hand, an an image of Aphrodite appeared before her. "Aphrodite, I need a favor."
"What?"
"Cloths. Monsters blew up the house."
"Say no more." Suddenly a large silver trunk floated down to Dru, the same coat of arms that was on the necklace was inscribed on the trunk.
"Thanks, your the best."
"I know." Aphrodite smiled and waved her hand, breaking the connection.
"Annabeth, Percy, please show Dru to cabin two." Annabeth and Percy nodded and lead Dru towards the new cabins, and cabin two, the only cabin that had never had an occupant.
You can see Annabeth's outfit and Dru's Coat of Arms Pendant on my profile