To Find A Place
By: Moonlightbear
Summary: It's the place where love takes over hate, where confusion becomes clear vision, where once you were lost, now you are found. This is the story of Lilias Connor, a girl who seen too much, but knows so little. Formally, Its a Hard Demigod Life…
Author's notes: Okay all! Be prepared… my method and outline for every chapter of 90 percent of all my stories is as follows: story title, author, summary, author's notes(optional), disclaimer, chapter title, story, end chapter, and review request. The reason it is this way is because it is organized, leaves you (the reader) with no confusion, I can't be blamed for any misconceptions of who owns what, and lastly, you can skip the repeated stuff without wondering where the real story begins.
Also… this story originally had no real ending in sight and I was afraid I would eventually drop this as I have done with so many in the past. Now I have an ending in mind, but the story in general (for me and those of you who have reviewed) needed an update… much is the same but some has changed.
Disclaimer: these books are so good I wish I could say I wrote them, but I didn't… please give it up for the brilliant Rick Rioridan!! Although all characters you know are his, but the ones who are new are mine and I'm proud of it!!
Chapter One: And So It Begins
Have you ever gotten in a situation and you don't even know how you got there? All I did was answer my phone and talk to my mom for 5 minutes; now several hours later, I'm in a hidden hut in the middle of the woods. It's magically protected and enhanced, or at least that what my friend said. I hadn't seen her in years and today we just ran into each other. It's so odd and I feel so lost right now! It's not just me and her either; my little brother is with me too. They're both sleeping right now. I wish I could, but I can't; not after everything that happened and these dreams aren't helping either. They're not normal everyday dreams either; they're vivid, real feeling dreams. It's crazy…
After everything that's happened, this is the closest I've gotten to the truth. My mom never said it out right, but I knew I was different. There was a secret she kept from me…
You might wonder how I know this; well, I have to start at the beginning to explain. Way, WAY at the beginning, like, before I was even born…
---12yrs earlier---
Chloe Shada Connor was a normal girl with smarts and definitely some determination. She was only twenty-three years old when she took a break for the summer to visit her grandparents in Greece before she graduated with her Master's Degree in Art (and a minor in education) in Dec. That was the summer she met my dad. She'd tell me, it was "A romance that made beautiful waves." They spent nearly everyday together.
He even met her grandparents and they loved him to death. They still do, too! They know something about my dad that I don't. You see, in the years to come they will send my mom money to send me and my little brother, Eli, away to school. I just wish they'd tell me why. Anyway back to the story…
My mom and dad loved spending time together and mom told me, he was thrilled when she told him I was coming, but he couldn't stay. "He wanted to!" She'd tell me, but it just wasn't possible. "He's very important and has lots of duties." Anyway, the funny thing was, she never told me who he was. He's always been this mysterious guy who has caused me, my life, and my mom's life to become different from everyone else.
She went back to the states and finished her degrees; just like she planned, the only difference was she had a baby bump and cravings. She got a job at one of the best art museums in San Francisco, but it was short lived. When I was born, things always happened around me. Mom never said what exactly, but I know we moved 4 times from the time I was born till I was about two and a half years old. I'm sure she said this back then, just like she always says it when I have to change schools or leave unexpectedly. "There is always a place for us… A place where you belong and we'll find it!" Then she'd put this one song on and sing it to me.
Prescott, AZ seemed like the right place. It is a beautiful town with the old fashion town square and mall; not many towns still have those things. The woods, the snow, and the people, it's hard to beat. We moved here when I was about two and a half. We met my stepdad there, and he and my mom really liked each other. They just clicked and he treated me like his own daughter. He did construction and on the side he was a metal artist, which mom really liked. He always came home sweaty and his art studio was in a shed in the back yard. It smelled a lot! Mom liked to paint in the study.
They really hit it off in other ways too. So far you know I have a little brother name Eli, but what you don't know is I have 8 half siblings too. When I was three, mom had the twins, Megan and Matthew. Alexandar, my stepdad, was so happy; we went on a road trip to the Grand Canyon and Yellow Stone. A year later, mom had little Andrew. He's the smart one, a year after he enter school he skipped a grade and last I heard, he might skip another one soon.
A few weeks after Andrew was born mom got a call from a hospital in North Carolina. My grandpa was really sick, mom wanted to go but Alexandar couldn't leave, he just started a really big project for work. Mom couldn't take all the kids, it's just too hard to do that and help her father. Alex said we could all stay with him; he had his parents, his uncle, and two cousins that lived in town. Mom was happy, but me and her had never been apart before and mom wasn't gonna start now.
I was gonna change schools anyway 'cause of these candy guys outside of my school… About a week before Andrew was born, my friend, Nikki and I, were walking the block between the school and the daycare, where Meg and Matt were. I'd done it tons of times! This day was different though; these guys were in a van and a nice lady popped her head out, smiling and said, "Do you sweet things want some candy?" Now my mommy told me all about bad strangers and so I told her no. She frowned and I swear I saw her hair go all firey… I tried to pull Nikki with me as I tried to leave, but she pulled back and went closer to the van. "No!" I told her. We weren't super close to the vehicle, but we were close enough. They opened the door and grabbed at us. Nikki realized they were bad people and screamed bloody murder, which I have to say startled everyone. Teachers came running and the van abandon whatever they were going to do. It was really scary. Mom flipped a lid, when she found out. I'd been at home ever since, so if I stayed here when she'd leave to my grandpa's, Alex would send me back to the same school. That made mom nervous, so she took me with her to her father's.
We took a train all the way cross country. It was a long trip, but mom always made it fun. We couldn't talk with grandpa when we got there; he was on life-support and in a coma after he had a stroke. Mom and I sat in the room with him though and mom talked to him. She cried a lot. I tried to wake him, but he wouldn't; I made mom laugh though. She was glad I was there. He died three days later. We stayed, so mom can make all the funeral arrangements.
During the two weeks we stayed in North Carolina, we stay at my grandpa's house. It was my mom's now after all; she was an only child of both parents who were only children and her mom died when she was a little girl. She was the only one left… Actually, I take that back. Her grandparents are still alive in Greece. They love it there and only left once when their daughter died, many years ago.
Sometimes, I have an over-active imagination; at first, I thought there were ghosts in my grandpa's house because on the third night I heard talking. It would go on for hours, and I thought the ghost came into my room sometimes because I felt something touch my face. It felt like whiskers and grandpa didn't have any cats. Mom would tell me it was the wind because on cool nights she would open the windows in my room and I'd get to smell the ocean breeze all night. Grandpa's house was right on the beach, it was so nice, but it was small. Later I found out the talking really was and this lead to all sorts of problems… and I hated him for it.
--End chapter—
How do you like the revamp? Please let me know… yes quite a bit is the same, but I fix a few problems some people have told me. If other things need to be addressed (outline not included), please let me … REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!