January—2007—Six months before the Battle of the Labyrinth—Long Island, New York

Bria leaned against a tree, watching the campers come and go sadly. She knew that no one would notice her. No—it was probably best that way. They did not need her to mess up their camp with her secrets haunting her every step of the way.

She laughed quietly to herself. Although Percy Jackson is certainly turning this place upside down, she thought to herself amusedly. Him and his two friends, Annabeth and Grover.

Bria watched the few campers that stayed year-round from the shadows of the tree she was leaning against, glad of her dark skin and short stature. Hestia gave her a little wave from her hearth. Bria smiled back at her, her eerie golden eyes crinkling—Hestia being the only one in long years to have seen her, and vice versa.

It was fate, Bria guessed. She had what was coming to her, now a full century ago. Now, the warrior, Percy Jackson, shared the fateful day that she was cursed by Kronos, on his birthday. Coming back to bite me in the butt, of course, she mused, ruefully smiling. Maybe, someday, when Kronos wasn't out there somewhere, she could make a reappearance at Camp Half-Blood. Maybe Percy Jackson didn't know it, but he had one more person that had hopes of him defeating Kronos. Maybe, just maybe, she could come back to her home without bringing danger—correction, more danger. Someday.

Bria refused to let her hopes get up. She knew her fateful day was coming. Percy Jackson would be the one who made the choice. But always, she would be in the background, protecting her fellow demigods when she could. She had been the first to die in a war. She had sacrificed her mortality the moment she backhanded Kronos's fragile form, effectively shattering him into a million pieces again.

Hear the words of Kronos, demigod: as long as I live, you will live as well, cursed to watch the ages pass you by. Your fellow demigods will look into your eyes and shun you, for you bear the mark of Kronos!

The pain had been incredible, her very soul fused to the Titan of Time's, nearly burning her inside out. Her father was the one to find her, half-submerged in the River Phlegethon, badly burned, her soul fused to the Titan Lord's, unconscious. Bria had been in a coma for months, and a wheelchair for two years after that.

And then she'd tried to walk. Hades had fairly sprinted from the Throne Room in her father's palace to her own room, to find his daughter clutching her dresser, screaming in agony, but standing. She'd passed out for a week after that, of course, but she was standing. Bria de Louge was standing. But it all went downhill from there.

Bria trained. Her powers increased as she was supposed to get older. She walked, she ran, she fought against monsters and armies of the dead, and she disappeared. She knew for a fact that Hades tracked her down several times, but she moved out of the area before Hades could get a lock on her position and drag her back to the Underworld.

Now she was in New York: Long Island, to be exact. There were several places she could have gone in New York for a place to stay, old friends that would've offered a couple of days of R&R, but it had been so long since she'd seen Camp Half-Blood. There were rumors in the magical world, of course, but rumors weren't as good as being there herself.

Seeing that the Camp was safe for the time being, Bria turned to go, before she stiffened. She whirled around, disappearing into the shadows quickly, and realized it was Chiron who had just come very close to her.

"A child of Hades," he said softly, stopping.

A child of Hades, Kronos had mused. Bria had stayed well away from the edge of Tartarus, but it seemed like it wasn't enough to stay out of Kronos's sensing—

"Yes," Bria admitted.

—she dreamed of the horrible Pit, a horrible voice echoing out of the darkness, goading her against the gods, coaxing her to join the Titans, praising her—

Chiron stiffened, his eyes going wide. "I would never forget that voice, Bria," he breathed. "How are you not dead?"

—The gods never did anything for you, Kronos urged. You should be dead a dozen times over if it wasn't for your cunning. Even though it was true, Bria stubbornly remained silent, resisting the urge to snort with laughter at how true it was. But she chose the lesser of two evils—the gods—

"I was cursed," Bria said softly. "This is not the first time Kronos has come close to rising, Chiron."

—a horrible voice echoing through Bria's mind. Help me, daughter of my son, and you will be rewarded beyond measure, he said. She tried to shut him out, but he battered down her defenses as if they were paper. A form took shape behind her closed eyelids, the form of Kronos, him trying to coax her over to the Titans'—

Chiron exhaled, looking to the heavens. "Almighty gods," he said softly.

—No! I will not help you! she screamed at him once more. Kronos came closer to Bria, who stood her ground, glaring up into Kronos's eyes, her dress swaying around her feet, which were spread apart in a battle stance—

Bria smiled a little. "It was good to talk to you again, Chiron."

—Kronos crooned at Bria, stroking her face. A fiery little thing. Short. Compact. But strong. You are strong, Bria de Louge. You could be even stronger… In response, Bria noticed the cracks that webbed across his skin like he was porcelain. Before she could lose her nerve, she lifted her right hand, drew it all the way to her left shoulder, and brought the back of her hand across Kronos's face as hard as she could—

"Don't—" Chiron said suddenly, turning around, but the short girl had shadow-traveled away. "Bria de Louge is alive," he breathed, it suddenly sinking in.

Hear the words of Kronos, demigod…

September—2008—A month after the Titan War—San Francisco, California

Bria silently followed the legionnaire, her long dark hair back in braids and tied up in a bun. The legionnaire entered the principia, Bria following, hanging back in the shadows.

She patiently waited as the legionnaire gave his report and left.

"This worries me, Jason," the girl said. She was tall, dark-skinned with long, straight dark hair, and wore her armor proudly. She gave off an air of authority and power. The girl tapped the report. "We just got done fighting a war. Now who is this mysterious savior? She showed up, lit a fire, gave them food, and disappeared. From the description, she almost sounds like Levesque, but shorter."

Oh, Bria realized with a muffled laugh. That would be herself, helping out with a quest.

"This isn't just recently, either," the girl continued, sounding aggravated that she didn't know something. "This has been going on for the past century. A little girl shows up, lights the questers a fire, gives them food, and then promptly disappears! The incidents have showed up in almost every quest report since 1900!" She threw the file on her desk vehemently, frustrated.

"Hey," the other person said. He was also tall, taller than the girl, with blond hair and striking blue eyes, with a scar above the upper lip. "She's helping out the questers. Maybe she's a minor goddess? Or maybe even Lady Vesta. Whoever she is, she's friendly. Reclusive, but friendly. Chill, Reyna. But we could search for her, if you want."

Nope, not quite a goddess, Bria thought, amused. Just a cursed daughter of Hades.

Reyna sighed and put her head in her hands. "Where did she come from? Who is she? Why does she help the people on the quest? Why doesn't she come to the legion? What is she? Is this a team of one or many? Is this a familial thing, helping out questers? I'm grateful that she helped our legionnaires, but I'm also uncomfortable with the thought of a powerful demigod out there, alone."

"Heaven knows I'd be dead if it wasn't for the legion," Jason muttered in agreement. "So we search for her? But—"

"—the legion is still recovering from the war," Reyna finished, sighing. "I know. Maybe in a couple months, we'll send out another quest, with the legionnaires instructed to find the enigma, and hopefully bring her back to the legion if she doesn't turn out to be a goddess."

Bria rolled her eyes. I'm not a goddess! her thoughts screamed. Jeez!

Then Reyna stiffened, her hand creeping towards her dagger. "I know you're there," she announced. "I admit, I don't know where, but you're in the room."

Yep, sure am, Bria thought snappishly. What was it with people sensing her? First Chiron a year ago, now Reyna!

"Reyna…" Jason said slowly, confused.

"There's someone else in the room," Reyna said, her voice a growl.

Bria let the shadows covering her body drop. She was still in a shadowy corner, but Reyna at least could see her if she looked in her direction. Her gold eyes flashed as she reached out of the air and caught the dagger an inch from her nose. "I'm not here to kill you," she said calmly. "Although, I think you dropped this." Bria flicked her wrist, sending the dagger into the desk in front of Reyna.

"Sarcasm," Reyna muttered, exasperated. "I already get enough of it from Jason."

Bria shrugged. "Sorry. Although, it was funny to use sarcasm in the old days. No one expected it from a woman."

"Old days being…?" Jason asked warily.

"Late eighteen hundreds," Bria said easily. "And no, I'm not a goddess. Just a cursed demigod. I highly doubt you want a cursed demigod on your legion."

"Too late," Jason commented.

Bria arched an eyebrow, stepping out of the gloom of the shadows. "So you really want someone who got on Saturn's bad side?"

"Anyone who pisses off Titans is my friend," Reyna said, instantly sheathing her knife.

"Even one who is cursed to be tied to Kronos until he dies?" Bria asked calmly.

Jason did a double take. Bria smirked. "Not so hot on that idea, are you?"

"Saturn cursed you?" Reyna asked. "In the eighteen hundreds?"

Bria shrugged carelessly. "This isn't the first time Saturn has attempted to rise. The 18th of August, turn of the century, Saturn appeared to me in my dreams for the last time. Like always, he tried to turn me against the gods, but I finally had enough of it and backhanded him across the face."

Jason's mouth was hanging open. Reyna looked torn between laughing at Jason's face or following Jason's lead.

"In response, he cursed me. My soul would forever be tied to his until he died, and it showed the moment I came out of my coma," she said, gesturing to her eyes.

"August 18th is when this war ended," Reyna protested.

"August 18th is funny that way," Bria said bitterly. "August 18th is when the gods defeated Typhon as well." And when the Titan war on the other side of the country ended also. What a great day to have a birthday.

"Typhon," Jason repeated, his voice going a little high on the second syllable. "Okay, now you're making things up."

Bria shrugged. "You can believe what you want. I'm a loner. I'm not tied down to a specific area. And I don't know about you guys, but to me, being a loner, unnoticed by all but those you want to know about you, is a great way to achieve information. For instance: history repeats itself. In 1900, Saturn stirred from the depths of Tartarus. In 1942, my sister sacrificed herself to defeat Saturn's mother. Figure it out from there."

Jason and Reyna looked away from the short girl to glance at each other. When they looked back, she was gone. Vanished without a trace, except for two indents in the carpet from where she had been standing.

May—2009—A month before the Argo II sails to Camp Jupiter—Brooklyn, New York

Half-heartedly cursing, Bria stumbled out of the shadows, dead tired. The people whose room she'd just appeared in jumped up, yelling in surprise as Bria crumpled to the floor, tired beyond belief.

"What the— Someone get me Jaz ASAP!" A girl with pale skin and blonde hair with dyed streaks of color rolled Bria over onto her back, who just moaned as she was moved. "Hang in there, you're going to be all right," the girl reassured. "But bloody hell, you need to teach me that trick!"

Bria gave a weak laugh. "I'm fine, not stabbed or anything like that. Just drained. It's been a long day." Understatement, Bria thought wryly.

The blonde haired girl laughed. "Looks like it. You're fine, you can sleep. We're used to crazy stuff around here."

"Awesome," Bria slurred. "'Cuz if you're anythin' like me, then you should expect an influx of enemies, just a heads up."

"Duly noted," the girl said, amused. Then Bria pretty much passed out right there.

When she woke, she was in a large bed, which was in a large room. Bria sat up slowly, taking note of her surroundings, which were top-of-the-line and very modern. She wrinkled her nose. Modern wasn't Bria's style.

Bria looked down at her clothes. Someone had changed her into loose white linen pajamas while she'd slept. Joy. Said someone had gotten to see all of the many scars that she'd accumulated over the years. Then again, she was lucky to not have lost a finger or three.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, wincing as her sore muscles protested. Nevertheless, she swiftly walked to the closet, opened it, and saw her usual white tank top, cream turtleneck, black leather jacket, grey scarf, and dark jeans hanging in the closet. She hopped around on one foot comically for a moment as she got her knee-high black boots on, giving her both a little bit of height (a saving grace for a girl standing at four-foot-three) and some sturdy footwear.

Bria clambered down the staircase of the five-story mansion, making only a little noise. Judging by the sun, it was about two in the afternoon, so Bria had slept for a solid fourteen hours, at least. That was assuming that she hadn't fallen asleep for a day or four.

"Hey! You're up!" the blonde-haired girl exclaimed.

"No, really?" Bria said, smiling to take the bite out of her comment.

"Sarcasm," she said, snorting. "I love you already. My brother still doesn't get sarcasm, even after living with me for a year."

Bria snorted. "One would usually pick up sarcasm after that long."

"See?" the girl said, gesturing towards Bria dramatically. "Finally, someone agrees with me!"

There was a collective groan behind her, coming from the table on the balcony. Bria had a wry smile on her face.

"Oh, shut up," the girl huffed towards her friends.

"Yes, because you're obviously the perfect host," someone else said from the table, rolling his eyes. "Have you even asked her her name? Or even introduced yourself, huh, Sadie?"

Newly-named Sadie huffed again. "Shut it, Walt."

"So, I'm Bria," Bria prompted, amusement written all over her face.

"Right," Sadie muttered. "I'm Sadie Kane. That's Walt, my boyfriend; Carter Kane, my brother; Jaz, who healed you; Felix, who you really don't want to let near ice or penguins; Cleo, who is our resident librarian and probably smarter than all of us put together; Shelby, who really doesn't need to be coloring something on the table; Alyssa, who is awesome with earthy-things; Julian, who is just about to Carter's level when it comes to fighting abilities, and yes, that is an accomplishment, and no, Carter, that was not a compliment; Zia, who is Carter's girlfriend and possibly my sister-in-law to-be; Amos, who probably shouldn't be here but is anyway—"

Bria held up her hands, laughing. "Okay, hold up. I'm still stuck at somewhere around, uh, Alyssa, I think. And I don't think I'll be staying very long, anyway."

Sadie's face shifted into an expression of confusion and a little suspicion. "Why?"

Bria smiled wryly. "I'm a loner, Sadie Kane. I have been that way for years. I am well aware of what you are, and no, it does not surprise me in the least. I've gotten mixed up with more crazy stuff than you could ever dream of, and I am glad I met you, but all I bring is sorrow."

It was dead quiet as Bria turned towards a shadow. As she was half way into it, she stopped, and her voice rang with amusement when she spoke: "Oh, and good job annoying the House of Life. They were always a bunch of stick-in-the-muds."

And then the darkness of the shadows twinned around her, enveloping Bria in a layer of darkness, and when they relaxed, the daughter of Hades was gone. Sadie stared at the spot where Bria had been. Then the shadows spit out a small bottle with a note attached.

Thought Jaz might find this interesting to look at. Yes, it tastes disgusting, but it heals anything. Think of it as a thank-you. ~Bria de Louge

"Jaz," Sadie called. "Come look at this. And perhaps Cleo. Bria sent you a present."

Hector: How d'you do an Author's Note?

Mora (impatiently): You bold it, silly. See?

Hector: Right. Anyway.

Mora: Hector apparently wrote this ages ago, basing Bria off of me (yes, I am African American, and yes, I do stand at 4'3"), and apparently he wanted more insight into my thoughts... Just so you know, I'm not as sarcastic as Bria...that was Hector's fault.

Hector (gaping): You use sarcasm all the time!

Mora (rolling her eyes): No, you insinuate that I use sarcasm all the time because I hang out with a bunch of people that use sarcasm twenty-four/seven.

Hector (shrugging): Ah, whatever. I like Bria being sarcastic. So, was it good?

Mora: It was good, not entirely likely, but hey, that's fanfiction. Turning the unlikely into a story.

Hector (snickering): Wonder how long it'll take the others to realize we posted a story without their knowing about it?

Mora (also laughing): If they keep it up, a fortnight!

Hector: Anyway, we'd like some feedback? You know, reviews?

Mora: Constructive critism?

Hector: Something to that effect?

Hector: Also, note that Bria knew about the Romans (Heroes of Olympus), Egyptians (Kane Chronicals), Wizarding World (Harry Potter), Norse Mythology and what has happened on Midgard regarding Thor crashing into it (Marvel's Thor), and probably other things once I think about it too hard.

Mora: Gallager Girls, Maximum Ride, The Colossus Rises?

Hector: *lightbulb* Yeah! Wait, what's Colossus Rises?

Mora: *hands inch-thick book to him* Read. You'll find out.

Hector (scratching his head): Well, this complicates things...it'll be awhile before we update again, just warnin' ya.