Mana POV:

I sat down next to my aunt quietly. I had this strange feeling. A feeling of anticipation, excitement, and somehow, boredom. I studied my aunt's face, wondering if it was something about her. Her face showed fear, sadness, and exhausted happiness. She stared out of the window, and into the sea that rocked against the shores. "Mana," She began softly. "Who do you think your mother was?"

"I don't know auntie. All I know, is she died after I was born." My auntie stared at me for a breath-taking moment, she was studying my face, seeing what all I had stored inside my head for years. I stared into her eyes. There was a sweet softness in them, like a fresh and ripe strawberry. She finally tore her gaze away.

"Oh Mana. She didn't die. Honey, do you believe in gods and goddesses?" My aunt asked quietly.

"I suppose I do auntie. Do you?" I questioned her with a tiny twinkle in my huge sky-blue eyes.

"Yes Mana, I do." My auntie looked at me for a milisecond, but that was enough to see what I was thinking and the opposite.

Could my mom have been a goddess? I thought. Then suddenly, in my auntie's eyes, it clicked. "Auntie, you mean to tell me that my mom was a goddess?"

"A minor goddess but a goddess at that." My aunt looked straight into my eyes, not moving. Together we had learned the signs of lying and she wasn't. Not at all.

My mouth gaped open in shock. "So, they're all real? Titans, gods and goddesses, monsters, demigods, everything?" I asked in awe.

"Yes Mana. And you are a demigod yourself, born to become a hero. To fight monsters, defeat Titans..." My aunt explained softly, concern showing in her eyes. "This isn't too much for you, is it Mana?" Her eyes scanned my face.

Her question blew by me like the sweet ocean breeze. "W-w-who was my mother?" I asked, stuttering a little.

"Your mother was Anawana, a minor water goddess." My aunt replied, blinking her eyes solemnly.

"So my mother disappearing, being dead, those were all lies?" I asked, tears threatening to stream down my face as I stood up.

"No Mana. Your mother did disappear. Your father didn't know she was a goddess, not a mortal; he thought she was dead."

"So that has haunted him all these years?" Tears streamed down my face. "Poor father. That has been on his shoulders for all this time." I murmured, sitting down and breaking into sobs on my auntie's lap.

"It'll be okay Mana. We'll get your sweet father and brother back." My auntie soothed. "Camp Half-Blood will help us."

"What is that?" I asked, wiping away my tears and looking up into my auntie's face.

"Camp Half-Blood is a camp for demigods, like you and I." My auntie's pale face whispered. "They'll be coming to pick us up soon. Let's hope they hurry."

"Who is your..." I stopped, truly seeing the look on my aunt's face. "What's wrong auntie?"

"Au. We need to get to the safe-house. Now." My aunt's face had turned steadily paler. "No time! Upstairs Mana!" My auntie whispered urgently, half to herself. We raced upstairs, to the door that was always locked, the room I was forbidden to go into. My aunt pulled out a small black key and inserted it in the lock. There was a click and my aunt yanked the key out of the lock. "In! Now Mana!" I dashed in, my aunt following and locking the door, pushing heavy crates in front of the door.

"What ever is the matter auntie?" I asked as quietly as I could.

"Shh Mana. They're coming." My aunt whispered.

"Then why are we hiding?" I asked in a very low tone.

"Not camp. The others. Now get this on." My aunt instructed, pushing a light weight set of armor towards me.

"We're going into battle?" I asked.

"If they don't hurry." My aunt fretted, pushing towards me a bracelet and a chain. "Wear these. The bracelet's a sword, chain; shield." My aunt explained. I put them on my wrist, tying a loose knot with the chain to the bracelet. My aunt suited herself in fine armor, with a bronze tipped sword, a shield, and a quiver of arrows tipped with the same kind of bronze. "Celestial bronze kills monsters, well, it at least sends them down to Tartarus for a while."

"Don't I get arrows?" I asked very quietly.

"Yes, you do. Thank you for reminding me." My aunt gave me a quiver of arrows, not suited with the bronze, they were made out of gold. "Oh Mana, imperial gold also destroys monsters." Bang! Bang! Bang! Something was pushing the crates away from the door, breaking the door in the process. My aunt got her sword ready and mouthed. They're here. BAD! My aunt clarified. I was scared. I had never been in a battle before and now I was going against armed monsters. Monsters! At least I had some bow and arrow training from auntie. I pulled an arrow back in my quiver, ready to shoot anything that came through the door.

BANG! It felt like an earthquake, highest number on the scale and sounded like five jets zooming past my ears as the door broke down, the crates were pushed away, and the monsters began to roar.