Artemis's daughter….
Artemis POV
"Zeus, please may I break my vow for a night?" I ask as we are alone in his chamber so that we will not be overheard. He looks down at me skeptically I had just finished explaining my case,
"Only for a night my maiden, do not make me regret this." Zeus says waving his hand and I age until I look old enough for sex and down right attractive.
"Thank you" I say and exit his chamber popping right into a bar where everyone was to drunk to notice me popping up out of thin air. A boy who isn't even legally allowed to be in the bar sits in the corner alone. Eyes glassy and red, not from the beer but from heartache, I had gotten a heads up from Aphrodite that he was willing to do a one night stand to get over his ex that cheated on him. I saunter up to him and crash my lips onto his, and I'm leaving the rest to your imagination…
Nine months later…
I'm lying on a table in Hera's chambers as I have just given birth. Aphrodite comes into the room holding a baby in a pink blanket.
"She's adorable!" Aphrodite squeals, "What are you going to name her?"
"Luna?" I suggest sitting up sorely and shrinking back into my twelve year old state as I take the babe in my arms. A tuft of auburn hair on her head, my pale silver yellow eyes. A spray of light freckles across her cheeks, her eyes closed sleeping in my arms.
"Luna's good, but everyone will know she's your kid… How about…. Cora? It means Maiden so in a way it's connected but it sounds cute enough to be mortal thought."
"Coraline?" Hera suggests, another form of maiden.
"Coraline sounds beautiful. Coraline Echo" I state and a flash of sadness goes across Aphrodite's face as a tear roles down her cheek.
"I miss her." Aphrodite says wiping it away, then producing a mirror to fix her slightly smeared makeup.
Twelve years later
Coraline POV
Jonas and I sit on my bed studying for our latin finals tomorrow when he rubs my knee with his hand and I look up at him,
"Cora, you fell asleep again." he says looking at me through his black bangs in his lie eyes,
"Sorry Bonus" I say leaning my head on his shoulder and he chuckles closing his textbook.
"you win Coraline, let's go to bed." He says and I stuff my book and notes in my book bag and crawl under the covers next to Jonas. My dad opens my door to see Jonas crawl under with me and he turns off the light, unfazed by this normal act by my best friend. I shiver and snuggle up against Jonas and he laughs wrapping his arm around me.
"Night Cora"
"night Jonas" I mumble into his side falling asleep.
The next day after all the finals are over my head is aching along with my hands, and my body is extremely cold.
I lean against the wall across from Jonas's testing room as the bell rings and kids spill out of the room ready for summer break to start. Jonas walks up to me with a brain dead look on his face that mimics my own and leans against the wall next to me when I hear a teacher call my name. I look over to see Mr. Crackthorp sticking his balding head out of his class room,
"I need to see you please Miss. Echo" he says and both Jonas and I start towards him until he adds, "Alone please" and Jonas stops,
"I'll wait out here for you Cora" he says retreating back to the wall shooting a look at the teacher as I walk into the room, closing the door behind me.
"Yes Mr. Crackthorp?" I ask because I have no idea why he needs to talk to me, and suddenly he transforms into a huge tiger/lion looking thing with a spiked tail. I scream as thorns come flying at me and impale themselves into my shoulder and leg making me scream again.
Jonas bursts through the door wielding a bronze sword and points it straight at the beast, unfazed,
"Coraline, can you get the stakes out of your shoulder and leg? The poison won't kill you it just makes pain for the impaled." He says never taking his eyes off of the beast. I reach up and tear the first one out and instantly fell some pain leave my body. I use my now flowing adrenaline to rip out the rest, I feel better but I'm bleeding, but there's no time for that,
"Jonas what do I do?" I ask holding the stakes in my hand, and the tiger/lion thing laughs,
"Foolish girl has your latin teacher taught you nothing of greek mythology? I am a manticore, and you are about to die. Both of you half-bloods." A manticore, a huge lion like beast with an invincible coat of fur, theoretically only killable from the inside. I step forward with an idea in mind, with my best blank look I ask,
"What's a manticore? A giant cat?" The manticore laughs, and I throw a spike into it's mouth and it whales in pain. Taking Jonas's sword from his hands as Mr. Crackthorp wails with his mouth wide open I jump at him kicking up off a chair to send me up, flying towards its head. My lean body flies right into the large beasts mouth, my stomach scraping its bottom teeth drawing blood. I stab upward into the soft pallet and drag the blade forward then push off the tongue and impale the blade through the skull and it blows up into a pile of dust. Jonas rushes forward to me, panic and worry evident on his face.
"Oh Hades! Coraline!" He yells in a panicked/angry voice before everything fades to blackness.