"Bye dad!" I called out as I walked out of my house. I wobbled slightly in my heels, given they were three inches tall. They were black boots that came up to my midcalf, long enough for me to store a Celestial Bronze dagger my mother had given me.

"Be careful! Drive safe." My dad called after me. I nodded and told him I loved him as I got into my Jeep. My Jeep is '90 Cherokee Pioneer, a rusty blue and was fabulous.

I was on my way to meet my Winter Formal date at a Home Depot. His name is Nico Jackson, and he went to a totally different school than I did, seeing as he lived in a different town even somewhere farther from Manhattan Island.

I realized I was fifteen minutes early, which didn't surprise me in the least seeing as I had always had a problem with being late. I grinned as I adjusted my dress, which I adored. It was pure black and spandex material. It was one shoulder, with the shoulder that had a sleeve the sleeve was long and flowing and had rhinestones embroidered on it. It went down to about mid-thigh, and underneath I wore sheer black nylons with my three inch heeled boots. I stared contently out the window, excited for the night of fun I would have.

Then I frowned. I watched out my window as a empousa walked down the street, casually. It stared down boys it saw, and with the assumption it was going to find someone to feed on, I opened the door and leaped out of my vehicle, planning on having plenty of time to take the creature down.

The she donkey hissed as it saw me. "Get away, half-blood." It sneered at me as it launched at me, briefly knocking me down. I had already grabbed my dagger and blocked it's teeth from getting at me with it. With a swift kick in the gut I knocked the monster off me. Slashing at it while it was surprised, I earned a faltering kick to the nose as it died.

I cursed as the monster turned into golden dust as I ran back to my vehicle. I clutched my nose, grabbing wildly for an old shirt as I tasted metallic blood. Sadly, this is how Nico found me five minutes later, leaning back in my seat with a grey, maroon soaked tee-shirt in my hands pressed against my nose.

"Becca, are you alright?" Nico asked in alarm as I unlocked the door for him. His dark hair fell over his concerned eyes, which were as dark as the night around us. He wore a black suit with a silver dress shirt and a black tie. He looked snazzy.

"I'm… fine. Just give me a moment." I said through my teeth. My nose throbbed, and ached with every move I made.

"You need to go to the hospital." He commented, examining the blood soaked shirt. "What even happened?"

"I…" I thought for a moment. "Someone rear ended my car and I smashed my nose against the steering wheel. No big."

Nico frowned while looking at me. "No hospital?" He questioned.

"No hospital." I agreed, shifting my position. I made to start the car when he grabbed my hand.

"Becca, do you trust me?" He asked, reaching somewhere where I could not see. I nodded my response and he reached into the bag. "Eat this. I promise it'll heal your nose instantly."

I stared at his hand, looking at the white creamy cube in his hand. "Nico," I started "why do you have Nectar?"

Shock was written all over his face as he stared at me. "How do you know what Nectar is?"

"I asked first."

"I asked second."

I stared at him for what seemed half a minute, before he conceded. "Fine. My real name is Nico di Angelo, son of Hades instead of Nico Jackson. I borrowed a friend's last name. Who are you really?"

I gave a soft smile. "I'm Becca Collins, daughter of Aphrodite. My father and mother raised me and my mother has kept me away from monsters with her perfume she gives me. One spritz a day gets rid of the Half Blood smell."

"And you've never been to camp?" I shook my head.

"I've never even heard of it." I replied back, confused. "Are there more than a few scattered?"

Nico nodded, a smile breaking on his face. "Indeed, there is actually a giant camp, Camp Half Blood for children of Greek gods and goddesses." Frowning for a moment, he realized something. "You really didn't get hit from behind?" He asked as I took the square of Nectar from his hand and popped it into my mouth.

I smiled as the taste of warm brownies went down my throat. Instantly I felt my nose snap into place and the blood stop. However, the uneasy feeling that I needed to be somewhere did not leave my system.

"No, I didn't. I saw an empousa hunting and attacked it. I managed to kill it, but not before getting kicked in the face." I paused for a moment, considering something. "Nico, have you ever gotten a feeling that tells you you need to do something?" I questioned. When he had nodded his response, I continued. "I need to get to camp. Something's guiding me there."

"Alright, but you're going to have to ditch your car, and let your dad know where you're going." He looked up and down at my clothes. "And even though you look beautiful, you may want to change."

"Alright." I replied. "We can drive back to my house." Once he had nodded his affirmative, I started the car and drove off towards my house.

"Okay, here is perfect." Nico muttered as he walked down an alleyway. I followed him as I hooked my bow to my shoulder and my quiver to my back. I wore dark blue skinny jeans tucked into a pair of brown furry boots. My dark brown hair was in a French braid that went down the front of my shoulder and held a golden headband. My brown coat was over a tan camisole I had found on top of my bed. My dagger was hanging from my belt.

"What are we going to do?" I questioned, staring apprehensively at the wall in front of us. "All there is down here is shadows and walls."

"Which is perfect." Nico replied happily. "Being a son of Hades, I am able to Shadow Travel through the folds of the Underworld and turn up basically anywhere I want. It'll be the quickest way to get to Camp."

"If you say so." I muttered, not sure whether this would work. Nico had changed out of his suit and tie and now donned black jeans and converse, over a black aviator jacket and black tee shirt. "What do you need me to do?" I asked, curious.

Nico studied the surroundings. "I need you to jump onto my back, then hold on tight and don't let go till I tell you you can, alright? Some people find that closing your eyes helps."

Hesitantly I did as he asked. After I had jumped onto his back, he glanced black and gave me a reassuring grin. "Hold on!" He said as he broke off running. I freaked, burying my head into the nape of his neck. Many thoughts were running through my head, mainly the fact that I could not believe how much I trusted Nico, only learning he was a Half-blood under an hour ago. Even then, I had only known him for about a month. We've hung out a couple of times, but nothing too serious.

"We're here, you can let go." Nico whispered to me. I opened my eyes and lifted my head as I jumped down from his back. I gasped in awe as I looked around me. To my left I saw a tall house and to my right there was an arena, which I suspected was for fighting and training. A mountain with lava spewing out the top was facing me.

However, before I could take everything in, I felt something pulling me to turn around. When I did turn, I looked in surprise that a girl about twelve in plain clothes was staring at me. Her hair was an ashy brown, and her eyes were a golden orange. I made my way towards her without thinking, Nico following me.

Something told me to bow, which I did. The girl laughed a twinkling laugh. "Stand, daughter of Aphrodite."

I did as the girl I presumed was a goddess asked, trying to figure out who she was. "Are you Hestia, goddess of fire and the hearth?"

Hestia's smile got larger as I got it right. "Indeed I am, young Half Blood." As she studied me she started to frown. "You have a many trials set out in front of you. Once you talk to Chiron you seal your fate."

I took a step back. "What… what do you mean?" I asked. I ran into Nico, who was behind me, as he tensed up at the sound of her words.

Hestia shook her head. "You will be challenged beyond your wildest dreams. You may lose people close to you, and you may lose yourself along the way. You may even die."

"Is it a good cause?" I asked the goddess with my stomach filling with butterflies, the words were sickly sweet to my ears. Almost as if I had heard this before.

Hestia smiled. "Of course it is, darling. Soon Camp will be under attack and you will be one of the only ones who can stop it." She paused as she looked back at Nico. "You won't be spared from hardship either, Nico."

"What can we do?" Nico asked standing next to me. "I didn't bring her here to get slaughtered."

Hestia smiled. "Of course not, Son of Hades. She and I both understand that. It was prophecy that she was brought here by you, the Fates are at work." She looked back at me again. "Darling, I cannot offer you a peek at the future ahead, nor can I hand you the prophecy. I can offer you one thing that will help you on your journey; it comes without a price out of respect for your mother. You are one of the first people to come to my hearth in quite a while."

"I would be honored, Hestia." I said. She grabbed my hands, and held them as I felt a burning sensation go through them. I felt tears going to my eyes, and Nico's hand on my back. Hestia was rapidly talking in Greek, too fast for me to understand. The burning sensation almost became too much to bear, and after what seemed an eternity it stopped. I fell to my knees, catching myself on my sore hands. I could see that a dozen or so campers had crowded around me, Nico keeping them back.

As I slowly regained sight I examined my sore palms. Both of them had the insignia of a flame etched into the skin in a lighter pink. I looked up at Hestia in wonder.

"The burns now give you strength; you can call upon flames to be there for you when you put a word to it. Choose wisely, because the word matters. The stronger the word is the stronger the flame."

"Fuego." I whispered, my palms up to the sky. Out roared two flames, coming up above my skin and licking the sky above. They had to have stood at least three feet. Hestia smiled and slowly walked back into her flame. As she disappeared, the campers who were crowded around me, backed away slowly.

"C'mon Becca," Nico whispered. "Extinguish your flames and come with me. You need to see Chiron, it's not every day that Hestia talks about Fates."

I swiped my hands through the air to extinguish the flames, leaving my skin the same as when I ignited the flame. "Alright, lead the way." I replied, marching with Nico.