A/N:
I hope you enjoy the story! It takes place post-Last Olympian and sometime during the Heroes of Olympus. I don't own any of Rick Riordan's characters!
Run.
That was the only thing on her mind. It coursed through her veins, matching the frantic beat of her heart. Whatever was behind her was relentless in its chase, and it let out a scream of frustration that echoed eerily in the dark forest.
The girl stumbled over the roots that covered the forest floor. She was familiar with the darkness, but not without the moon to guide her. She wanted to scream out, though she knew she had to save her breath. She was somewhere deep in the woods of Long Island because a woman in her dreams had told her to find a place called Camp Half Blood. She didn't know anything about the woman or the place that the woman had told her to go. She had only told the girl one other message.
Run.
And that's how she had ended up rushing through the darkness. She had left her father, but she knew he wouldn't care. It wasn't the first time she had run away.
The thing screamed again. It was gaining ground and the girl knew this had to be the end for her. She spotted a clearing through the trees and she started running towards it. She figured that if she was going down fighting, she wouldn't be cornered against a tree. Silvery light filling the small meadow and it filled her with hope. Maybe she would stand a chance against whatever monster was behind her. Maybe she would survive.
She sprinted ahead, knowing she was about to turn and face whatever was trying to kill her. She stumbled into the moonlight and she felt stronger. She looked down at her hands and they were glowing silver, like someone had injected her skin with moonlight. I can win this, she thought as the monster crashed into the clearing after her. She swore it was laughing as it came to a stop.
"Look at your shine, you poor unfortunate child of the Moon. Every inch of you should be cast out of being. You shouldn't be alive." The girl shuddered as she took in the flaming hair, pale skin, and bared fangs.
"I have been sent to kill you. You are a disgrace to Olympus and you don't even know why." It eyed her hungrily . "I normally don't kill girls, but since I have been sent from Olympus, I shall consider it the greatest honor." The girl couldn't take it any longer.
"NO!" She launched herself at the empusa and scratched it across its horrible face with her nails. It screeched and bared those horrible fangs. "You are your own last stand. No one can help you and no one will help you. And you shall be destroyed."
Someone help me, she prayed silently. Instinct took over and a feral snarl escaped her lips as she launched at the terrible creature. She clawed and scratched and the thing screeched, but it wouldn't die.
"Foolish demigod! You really think you can defeat me without celestial bronze?" It gave a sharp laugh as it threw the girl to the ground.
This is it, she thought as the empusa loomed over her, I am going to going to die by this creature's hand. I'll never know why I had to find this camp. Or who my mother was.
The empusa smiled, flashing its fangs in the girl's face. She screamed with it slashed its claws down her arms. She screwed her eyes shut and she saw lights flash from behind her eyelids and she knew it was from the pain. Another scream echoed through the meadow and there was an even brighter flash of light and then the girl tumbled into darkness.