Sword of the Immortals

Prologue

September 26, 2021. America. 9:43pm.

The night was powerful. Winds swept throughout the neighborhood, its might buffeting the few trees rather sparingly planted on the edge of the pavement, their swaying looking like people quavering and begging for mercy. Thunder boomed and lightning crackled in the distance, adding a hardly subtle addition to the fray. A few desperate cars bravely drove their way through this storm, their passengers wishing they could be out of this nightmare and safely home with their loved ones. And all in the midst of this, a single figure stormed through this hellish manifestation of Nyx. A hero whom you all know too well. Thalia.

She walked through the street at a brisk pace, her black combat boots making absolutely not a single sound as she strode toward her destination, the rather cheery looking house at the corner of the road. Short black hair adorned the back of her head, for the most part spiky, and her eyebrows were furrowed in a frown. Thalia held her figure rigidly, like a taut bowstring, always on the alert. Her startlingly electric blue eyes darted around nervously, subconscious looking for places where a possible enemy could be hiding, or perhaps to take cover, never stopping. A silver circlet encircled her brow, shiny in the moonlight, representative of being the second in command of Artemis' hunters. Lucky there was no one here, and she did not want to deal with an inquisitive policeman or pedestrian. Fancy jewelry, indeed! The bundle of cloth under her arm she cradled against her chest, for to her, it was more important than most of the things she held dear, yes, even the gods.

Thalia finally stopped in front of the door and ignoring the doorbell gave a strong, businesslike knock, not wincing when her knuckles turned slightly red.

She waited impatiently, fidgeting, biting her nails, as she heard the sounds of the people inside. Finally, the door opened, revealing a young woman with long blonde hair and stormy gray eyes. Her hair was pretty much a rat's nest, minus the rats, and there were bags under her eyes from sleep deprivation.

"Thalia!" she cried loudly. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm not meant to be here," replied Thalia. "Listen! Annabeth, there isn't much time."

"I'm listening," replied the other woman.

"Okay." Thalia took the bundle of cloth out from under her arm, and pulled part of it away, revealing a baby girl, sleeping contentedly, sucking her thumb. She was almost bald, with a thing layer of black hair. Her features were strong and imposing with arched eyebrows, a prominent nose, and a small, hard mouth. Annabeth gasped, and the baby opened her eyes. Her irises, like the woman who carried her, were startlingly electric blue. Annabeth opened her mouth, and then closed it again.

"How…"

"Annabeth," the other woman said sternly even though she looked just sixteen, "I need you to raise this child as your own daughter."

"Whose child is this? Is she…yours?"

"No, of course not! I would not be a Hunter if it were so. This child is the offspring of a dear friend of mine, who is now gone and lost," she lied, biting her lip. "Take care of her, and do not tell her who she really is, alright? Please?"

"Thalia..."

"What?"

"You know me, right? I want to know the answers before I do anything."

"Please. For me."

"You'd better explain someday." replied Annabeth.

"I will."

"Good. By the way, what should I name her?"

Thalia closed her eyes for a second, searching around for a possible, good name to use, and found none.

"It doesn't matter."

"Then what should I tell Percy?"

"Whatever you want, okay?"

"Fine, then."

Annabeth turned to go. "Wait!" Thalia cried. Quickly she pulled out of her pocket a silver chain pendant shaped like a circle, with a lightning bolt through it.

"Give this to her. Tell her to never take it off." she said, a little abruptly.

"Why?"

"You'll see. How old is Luke?"

"He turned two recently."

Thalia committed that fact to memory. Two years between them. A little fitting perhaps, considering the child for who she is.

Then she snapped out of her mental reverie. "I must go. Take good care of her for me, okay?"

Annabeth nodded. The two women exchanged hugs, and without waiting for a response to the rhetorical question, Thalia turned and sprinted away into the night.