You join the titans because you truly believe in them. You lose the war, and you are condemned Camp Half-Blood. But life isn't fair. Ever. To some, the minor gods still don't have the respect they deserve.
[A/N]: Think of what it would be like for the half-bloods in Kronos's army to live at Camp Half-Blood. The insanity! Those demigods joined the titans because they believed that the minor gods didn't have enough respect, the gods were bad, or just because they truly believed in their cause for the lord of time. So when their world, their beliefs are ripped away suddenly, and they are forced to be with and coexist with their enemies…
zynaofthenight does not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
-The Anonymous: Wings of Dark Victory-
By: zynaofthenight
I
"Deserve better," he gasped. "If they just…had thrones—"
The sun was just setting in the horizon, casting dark shadows over the world. In the distance, starry lights lit up the sky, twinkling and twirling.
But they weren't stars. They were a small group of cloaked figures hurried through the town walls, each carrying a blazing torch. Passerby citizens cowered from their dark demeanor, and the group pushed forward, unchallenged.
It was the blacksmith's place they were looking for. Bright, cheery, and shining, the building seemed to be the last place such a group of people would go to. But they pressed on, until they reached the door.
The leader of the group, a tall and thin figure, pushed back the hood of the cloak to reveal a beautiful but cruel-looking girl, her white-blonde hair tumbling down her shoulders and her icy blue eyes cold and distant. Her expression was hard and intense.
Around her, the rest of the group slowly began to cast off their hoods. One by one, their faces appeared in the flickering flame.
"Do we have to do this?" complained one girl, shorter than all the rest. Her auburn hair overshadowed her face as she attempted to keep her cloak on. "Nia, you know Maia said to strike fear into people, not kill."
The first girl, Nia, put her finger to her lips and shushed the other. "Quiet, Kimberly! This blacksmith has been mocking the children of the lesser gods and treating them badly. He takes them in, pretends to be nice, and then kills them slowly, enjoying the pleasure. You know that. We are only here to do what is right."
Kimberly lowered her eyes and nodded slowly, gripping the plain leather-bound hilt of her knife in her hands. Another girl came forward, next to Nia. It was plain to see that the two were sisters. Nia had blonde hair and blue eyes, and the new girl had raven hair and smoky green eyes, but they both had the same intense expression, the same high cheekbones and the same air of aristocracy.
"Nia," the new girl said to her sister. "What is the plan?"
"Half to the right, and half to the left," replied Nia. "Lec, you come with me."
They spoke in hushed whispers, glancing at the top of the blacksmith's building every once in a while. The new girl, Lec, finally nodded, and instructed everyone else in the group to start moving.
They were about ten in number, and for a minute, cloaks swished back and forth as they split up, and surrounded the building. Then, all was deathly silent.
Lec and Nia stepped forward, their paces synchronized. They walked towards the door, both of them gripping their celestial bronze swords and getting ready.
Nia knocked on the door once, and the sound fell with a resonating boom.
It was quiet for a second, then footsteps came into hearing, quick, steady pattering.
The door opened to reveal a motherly looking and elderly woman in an apron and dress. She took in the sight of the two sisters, and stepped back, hand over her mouth in fear.
"What do you want?" she demanded in a shrill, panicked voice. "I have nothing for you."
Lec stepped forward, her face morphing in a somewhat kind expression. "Old mother, do not worry. We have not come to plague you. We are the Anonymous, looking for the Blacksmith Henderlog."
"Henderlog?" The woman backed away further, and put her fingers to her lips. "Do not speak loudly," she whispered. "He will hear you."
The fear in her voice came back, and she shook her head, trembling. "He will kill me if he finds out I am talking to all of you. He—" Her eyes flashed with terror. "He is coming!"
And now, they could hear it. Booming steps, certainly from someone heavy and commanding.
Lec and Nia raised their swords, pointing them behind the woman. "Do not fear, old mother," said Nia quietly. "Go and hide yourself. Get all the living half-bloods and your children, and escape from here."
The old woman nodded frantically, and disappeared from sight, just as a heavily build and huge man appeared in view, scowling.
"I heard a disturbance," he rumbled. "What is it—" His eyes widened, and a cold leer appeared on his lips as he noticed Lec and Nia. "Ohoho, a couple of pretty girls. You shouldn't be playing with swords, young ones."
Nia smiled coldly, and advanced forward, pointing her sword at the man. "Blacksmith Henderlog, is it?" Her voice held no inflection of emotion. The blacksmith bared his teeth in a ferocious grin, and from behind his back, whipped out a hammer, smoking hot from the forges.
"Come and fight, weaklings."
Lec tilted her head to one side, and gave him a piercing gaze. "Weaklings, indeed. Henderlog, reconsider your words. We are the Anonymous."
The effect on the man was instantaneous. Even though he towered over the two girls, the blacksmith backed away, his expression uncertain. But soon enough, he bellowed in laughter. "Two girls, even from the Anonymous, shouldn't be much of a problem for me."
"Really?" Lec replied evenly. "But we are not just two girls."
The blacksmith had a split second to look surprised and suspicious before he was surrounded and held down by eight teenagers, each of them with a weapon of some sort pointing at his throat. The rest of the group had crept onto him, without the man noticing.
"Let me go!" he roared. "I admit I killed those useless minor godlings! I admit it! So now let me go!" He attempted to twist himself up, but was met with a jab in the arm from a knife.
"I'm sorry," said Nia sweetly, though her eyes said otherwise. They were filled with a cold fury and hatred. "Henderlog, you have shown too much disrespect to the minor gods and goddesses. And you shall pay for that." She turned to her sister. "Lec, would you like to do the honors?"
The huge man's face paled as the other girl shrugged. "He seems rather big. The two of us, then?"
Nia nodded, and raised her sword above the blacksmith, along with her sister. "Any last words?"
"I'll get you!" spat the blacksmith. "I'll make you regret it! You haven't seen the last—"
"Empty threats," said Nia. "On three. One…two…three."
The two blades flashed down, and it was over.
It was freezing outside—below ten Celsius—but she didn't care. Her fur-lined cloak would keep her warm for long enough. After all, there was a certain limit to how cold weather could get.
In the country next to where Nia and Lec were, Maia continued walking through the falling snow, her boots crunching through the packed ice. In the blurred Russian landscape, all covered in blinding white, she stood out like a dark stain in her sable clothes.
If anyone had been brave, or perhaps foolish, enough to be anywhere near the subfreezing tundra by her, they would have noticed that the girl was different from normal humans, other than the fact that she was insane enough to be in weather this cold.
Maia was different. Her appearance was normal enough; an Asian girl, long black hair tucked in the hood of her furry jacket, average height for a sixteen year old, thin but not anorexic, with an athletic look about her. The only thing that seemed abnormal at first glance was the clearly visible thin black scar that ran from her eyebrow through her left eye and down her cheek.
At a closer look, one would have immediately noticed something that wasn't quite right. For instance, swinging by her hip would be a fine leather sword sheath, with the silver handle of a sword glinting in weak sunlight showing slightly as she walked. There was an air of leadership, determination, and fierceness about her, as if she had nothing to lose, and was going to fight for every breath she took.
And her eyes. Piercing, black irises of inky darkness, they were too old and pained for a normal sixteen year old, yet pride and intensity shone in them. Not your normal teenager.
She continued walking through the snow, intent on some unknown mission of some sort. A shimmering shroud of mist appeared in front of her, and she looked up.
Please deposit one drachma, said a pleasant female voice.
Maia scooped up the golden coin that had appeared too, and threw it in the mist. "O lady Iris," she murmured, "show me the message. And thank you."
The image blurred, and a short, plump, brown-haired girl with glasses appeared, in front of a street scene of bodies littered everywhere. Behind her, the Empire State Building rose above all, blinding sun rays striking its surface.
Maia winced at the scene, noticing that most of the people lying there were half-bloods, from the swords and shields cluttered around the streets. "What is it, Tessa?" she asked warily. "What happened?"
"Horrible, horrible!" The girl in the Iris message shook her head frantically, and choked back a sob. Tears glistened on her cheeks in the Manhattan sunlight.
On the other side of the world, the other girl looked sharply up at her. "Tell me," she demanded, a note of fear in her voice. "Who won? The titans or the Olympians?"
A pause. Then softly, almost barely audible, the girl whispered, "Olympians. Maia…and Ethan…he…he's been killed."
Maia reeled back, a thousand emotions flashing in her dark eyes as she took in the news. After a few seconds, she gave a sardonic smile, and shook her head. "No way, Tessa. He can't be dead. It's just some silly rumor."
Tessa was almost convinced by her words that Maia did not believe the news, except she noticed a slight shaking in the other girl's voice.
"It's true," she said sadly. "I-I've seen his body falling from the Empire State Building."
"How? How?" Maia gave up any pretense and clenched her fists, trembling. "What happened? Tell me!"
"The…the titans lost…in America…" Tessa's words spilled out of her mouth without any restraint. "Ethan was fighting for the titans. But at the last moment, he changed sides, and Kronos killed him. But the titans lost, and Percy Jackson won in the end."
Maia blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay. She couldn't cry in front of the people she led. "Alright then," she finally said, when she was sure the lump in her throat was gone. "Where are you now?"
"Hiding," responded Tessa. "The half-bloods on the Olympians' side are looking through the streets, so it's best that they don't find me."
Maia nodded. "Good. Come to the headquarters once you can find a double rainbow. Nia and Lec should be back with their group soon. If that's all—"
Tessa shook her head. "I have some good news, though. For the Anonymous."
Maia glanced around to see if anyone was near. "Yes?" she said, lowering her voice.
"Percy Jackson made the Olympians promise that they would give more respect to the minor gods and goddesses. Score one for us, eh, even though the titans lost?"
Maia smiled humorlessly. "Score one," she agreed dully.
"Ethan's not the first we've lost," ventured Tessa quietly after a silence. "He wasn't even part of the Anonymous."
The other girl's reaction was quite venomous.
"But did anyone mean as much as he did to me?" snapped Maia, fury blazing in her eyes. Even though it was only an Iris message, Tessa shrank back, her expression worried. She had a reason; children of Nemesis were not good to have as enemies.
"I…I'm…s-sorry," she stuttered. Maia breathed in and out, slowly, before speaking again in a calm but dangerous voice.
"Don't mention that again." Her eyes softened a fraction. "But don't worry about that. I forgive you. People do make mistakes from time to time."
Tessa nodded hastily. "Well, Maia, if we're done now…"
The other girl waved her hand, and the Iris message disappeared, leaving Maia by herself in midst of all the snow.
She shivered; it was getting cold now. Even in summer, Russia was an icy expanse of nothing.
A silvery, warm tear sneaked its way down her cheeks, but it was quickly frozen by the harsh wind. Maia ignored it, and tipped her head to the sky, howling her grief.
"Why?" she screamed. "Why? Stupid, irrational! Never…never…good at thinking…" She dropped to her knees, chest heaving with sobs.
The wind swirled around her, causing her hair to snap in the air currents.
A movement in the white snow next to her caused the girl to look up quickly. Snarling, a huge white wolf lunged at her, frothing at the mouth.
Almost by reflex, Maia gripped her silver sword and sliced through the rabid animal, causing it to loll back into the ground, blood pooling from its stomach. The girl stared at it numbly, then walked away. It had been a wolf struck with some sort of incurable illness; killing it had relieved its pain.
Right foot forward, left foot follow. Right foot forward, left foot follow…Maia focused on her footsteps, numbly refusing to think of anything else.
But the prints that were left, though quickly covered by falling snow, gave the presence of a lonely girl who had just lost her beloved older brother.
They were the Anonymous—the centuries-old organization of demigod children of the minor gods and goddesses. Aptly named, for they were the ones who were never recognized, never known. They didn't care about the titans or the Olympians; all they cared for was respect. Acknowledgement.
Their headquarters were in an uncharted area of Russia. The members came from all over the world. Through protests, attacks, and negotiations, they slowly gained some power and name for their parents. But only some.
And then, their new leader came.
Maia Nakamura, the unknown younger sister of Ethan Nakamura, was extremely young by standards. Barely sixteen, she was the basic essence of the Anonymous. With her, the organization was driven forward with a new goal: revenge.
Being the daughter of Nemesis, it was quite obvious that Maia wanted revenge for her mother. But not the "let's join the titans and kill the world" type of revenge. The Anonymous despised that—after all, you didn't gain much if the titans won, because minor gods and goddesses would become even more minor.
No. What Maia wanted was to make the Olympians pay through her hands. A rebellion; Olympians against the minor immortals.
It was like this: When they were small, a satyr had come to their home in California, telling them they were half-bloods. Ethan had gone with the satyr to that camp, while Maia stayed behind. She refused to go.
California was a bad place for demigods, and Maia experienced that firsthand. Day and night, she fought monsters, ran from them, got hurt by them. When she finally found out that she was a child of Nemesis, and that Nemesis was a minor goddess, she was angry.
From Ethan's letters, she knew that there were no cabins for the undetermined, or the minor demigods. Some camp, if they didn't even give proper respect to all the gods.
So she joined the Anonymous. A diverse, complex organization by now, it was made up of five main departments: the Spies, who used ways to eavesdrop and transport people; the Spellmakers, who used magic for an advantage; the Sleepers, who used sleep and dreams to spread messages about the minor gods and goddesses; the Fighters, a group of skilled fighters who lead the attacks; and the Darkness, who used fear and darkness to spread confusion among enemies. All demigods fell under the category in which they belonged in the most.
Maia rose quickly in rank. Soon, she was a leader of the Fighters, then the leader of the whole organization. Her silver sword and fighting skills became legendary. Her piercing black eyes gave her the air of someone knowledgeable, the black scar running down her left eye from a monster attack showed that she was experienced. Her long black hair was usually tied up in a ponytail to not be in the way in case of battle. She was a strong leader, firm, and capable despite her age.
Why not? After all, she had nothing to lose for the cause she fought for. So she spent all her time training, planning, thinking. The Anonymous consumed her—it was her life.
Maia Nakamura wanted acknowledgement for the minor gods and goddesses, and what she wanted, she was going to get. With the death of her brother, something in her hardened, and she drove herself relentlessly, aching to change the world for her better.
Percy Jackson's gift from the gods was supposed to change it all. "All children of the gods will be welcome and treated with respect." The minor gods were to finally get the respect they deserved.
A victory for the Anonymous, yes.
Yet…
[A/N]: Phew! This chapter took quite a few rewrites. I went through this over and over, trying to capture the basic elements of the story in this prologue-ish first chapter. Well, I hope you enjoyed it :D Like usual, this story starts in third person, and the rest of the chapter will be in first.
Reviews always make my day, so please tell me what you think ^.^ Plus, I update faster if I get more reviews…and if people are actually interested in the story.
To clear some things up: some of you right now are probably like, "uh, why does Maia want revenge? Nemesis is the goddess of retribution; or in other words, vengeance. Not revenge. Well, my dear readers, you know how Ethan wanted revenge? Yeah, that's basically what Maia's like, it's just that she's…er…more logical…and she doesn't care about the titans…
*sighs again* Review please! Pretty please?