Chapter One-

I cupped my hands above the dying hearth at Camp Half-Blood. The dimming embers barely lit up the dining pavilion. Even though I promised Chiron that I would try not to practice my trick a thousand times, I wasn't tempted to keep it. I slowly spread my hands and the embers glowed brightened. I stretched my hands as far back as I could go and the fire rekindled itself. Sparks flew towards the ashes and somehow set alit, I wasn't surprised. I've done it a million times in secret, but Chiron didn't know that, he was just worried that I'd burn everything to Tartarus. I slid back into my sleeping bag and faced the dancing flames. Unlike all the demigods in the camp, I liked sleeping outside. That wasn't a problem to Annabeth, she didn't have to design a cabin. Plus I would be the only one with no siblings, so what's the need for a cabin. I wasn't even a demigod. I was a technical full on god. Except, somehow, I was mortal. I wasn't supposed to be born either. My mother is a maiden goddess, Hestia. My father? Thantos. I have no idea how that work, but it made me really powerful, and somehow, mortal. Maybe that was the price for being born. I stretched my raven black wings in which I inherited from my father.

My eyes fell shut and I welcomed the sleep. I seeped back into an old memory.

Chiron's face turned pale when he answered the door. My mother shuffled, out of her usual nine year old girl form, she was now disguised as a woman in her early twenties. Either way she was beautiful. I flapped my wings nervously and stepped back from the towering centaur. Chiron stepped onto the porch, ducking under the doorway.

"Hestia?" His face attempted to mask uncertainty and bewilderment.

"Chiron, this is my..." Hestia's face explained the struggle of her sentence, "...daughter, her father was not able to come with me."

I flapped my wings, shaking out the loose baby feathers that lived with me for nine years. I wanted to launch away from the Big House and fly away forever now that I could.

"Thanatos, her father..." Chiron mused, "well, what's your name?"

"Hethilea." I whispered, barely managing to use my voice.

Chiron nodded, then turned to my mother, lowering his voice, "So why do you bring a young goddess to Camp Half-Blood."

"I'm not immortal, or a goddess." I blurt at regular volume, I didn't know why, but I spilled everything out, "I'm mortal and I don't know why. That's why Mom wants me here, because I'm a mortal but with godly parentage, so I'd just be a demigod. I can't do stuff that gods can."

I burned with embarrassment, feeling as scorched as I had been when I tried to control Hephaestus' forge's flames. Demigods were gathering around us to eavesdrop on a talk that was taking to long. Chiron nodded understandingly and shooed the campers away with a glare. With that, Hestia disappeared with a warm soft light. I excused myself and ran to a pine holding a golden skin of a sheep and sat on the ground, silently crying to myself. I heard a hissing sound. I wiped my tears and turned towards the sound. A beautiful dragon flicked its tongue at me. I smiled.

"Hello."

More hissing. I realized I had ran to a pine that held a story Hestia told me long ago.

"You're Ladon." I reached out and pat his head.

Other campers were back doing the original activities like nothing happened. I was glad I could have some time alone.

I scooted closer to Ladon and ran my hand along his scales. He didn't seemed bothered.

"I guess you and I have a lot in common. We're different. You're a dragon, and I'm..." My voice faltered. What was I? A demigod, a god? I didn't know what to think anymore. I leaned on Ladon, trying not to cry. I heard footsteps.

"Get away from Ladon!" A voice screamed from across the field. I looked up. Ladon flicked his tongue again. I rubbed Ladon on the back and looked at the dirt.

I heard hoof steps and footsteps, but I didn't look up again. I knew Chiron was coming, but I stayed by Ladon. Then it hit me. I was sitting next to a dragon that could kill people. But why wasn't it killing me?

"Hethilea! Ladon can kill." Chiron voice projected from above me.

I looked up at Chiron and squinted from the sun, "I know."

"Find something else to do, I'm surprised you're still alive."

"Thanks." I grunted.

"This is Will Solace, the boy who first noticed you." Chiron stepped out of the way and two boys, much older than me, waved.

I stood, "Bye, Ladon. I'm Hethilea."

"Will." The blonde one said.

"Nico." The other grunted, "You have this… aura of death around you, daughter of Hades?"

"Nope. Thanatos."

"Oh, the wings."

"Yeah." I muttered awkwardly.

"Thank you for noticing Hethilea getting a little too close to Ladon, Will. You two may go now." Chiron nodded at them dismissively.

I decided to have some fun, flying around, inspecting the area. I lifted off the ground and headed towards a climbing wall, dripping what looked like some sort of red liquid. I flew closer and noticed sparks flying off the liquid.

"Oh, its lava." I laughed. I set down on the ground and grabbed a stone.

I heaved myself up, dodging random dripping lava. I had an idea. Standing on the climbing wall, I let go of my handholds and spread my hands out at the lava. Fire decorated the climbing wall and I let the lava go back to normal. I jumped off the wall after reaching the top, and caught myself with my wings at the last second. I flew around more and got a little too ambitious. I flew higher and spotted two giant birds flying towards me. As it entered view I realized it was two flying horses, pegasi. I waved at the driver of the chariot, whose eyes bugged out, and I followed it back to the ground.

I decided to walk from then. I received puzzled, amazed, and jealous looks from the campers who saw my wings. I ended up wandering the strawberry fields, helping the satyrs because they were like me, with an extra feature. Apparently they thought I was a great help flying around and quickly grabbing all the perfect, red strawberries. I plopped on the grass, exhausted and a conch horn filled the air with the commanding call. I followed the other campers, who were heading to the dining pavilion and I sat down right in front of the hearth.

Campers threw me aggravated look.

"You need to go to go to your table." The camper's gentle voice surprised me. I looked up to see a girl with blonde hair, probably eighteen. "Have you been claimed? Oh, probably Thanatos."

"No. Well...Yeah." I murmured nervously, "and uh, Hestia."

The camper's face morphed into confusion.

Suddenly the sparks flew out wildly. The campers near the hearth backed up fearfully. I sighed and reached into the flames. Screams filled the air as my fingers gripped around a hilt. I pulled it out, my arm unscathed. Gasps of amazement rose around me. Black leather grip cradled my hand. The hilt was ebony and rosewood, black, but tinged with red. The blade was Stygian Iron. The bottom of the hilt was an inverted torch, a symbol of my father and perhaps my mother, the flame. The bottom never fed on the hilt and kept burning without fuel. I remembered playing with it as a child. It was a helpful tool, I could set things on fire and slice them up. A note was written in black ink. It was from my father. I skimmed the words and pulled a black ink pen from my pocket and scratched a note and threw it back into the flames. The paper disintegrated and the sparks flew out. I grabbed a sheath from the hearth, black leather again, and sheathed the sword. The campers looked on in amazement.

Chiron pounded the ground with his hoof. "Hail, Hethilea! Daughter of Hestia, goddess of the hearth, and Thanatos, god of death."

So, here we go! We're entering the story of a mortal goddess. I'm sorry that I haven't been posting and creating stories and dropping them, it's kind of my nature. Just so you don't get confused, I changed my user to Griffin Wish, but I'm still the same person as DandelionGriffinCloud. Well, I hope you enjoyed! See you in the next chapter!

-Griffin Wish