AN: So, this is the happy story I told you all I would write. Except, I didn't write it alone, but with the help of my friend who is awesome! So, I hope you guys like it!
Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters are not owned by me, but by their respective owners. I do, however, own any and all original characters and plots.
Travis said that my past was similar to that of any other Demigod. I lived with my dad, and my mom had "died." For most others, it was the same way. Except, he had said, until we went hiking in South Dakota, The Badlands to be exact. You see, my father is a weatherman, and he never gets any forecast wrong. So imagine our surprise when a storm blew in through the spires. I remember that day all too clearly.
"Grace, they have found you! Head for the trees, they won't be able to find you as quickly," my dad had said to me that day. And I, being myself, looked up fearfully at the clouds, as they condensed and rain poured down on me. It stung my skin, the acid rain.
"Dad, why?" I asked simply, as I hesitantly took a few steps towards the trees. "Who is coming for me?"
"I don't have time to explain, Grace. I love you very much." He kissed my forehead. Lightning cracked down from the sky, creating shadows that looked slightly like angels. "Go Grace, go!" he shouted, as thunder sounded above us and lightning struck the ground few yards away from us.
I took off running towards the trees, the wind almost lifting me off of my feet, and dust, leaves, and other debris flying past me. As I reached the safety of the trees, I fingered my azurite ring. It was a gift from my mother; a stiff bracelet plated in silver, and my most prized possession. I only had one other object from my mother, a circlet like bracelet that adorned my right wrist with a rainbow moonstone on it.
The wind blew past me in a big gust. And that was when I decided I'd run further into the trees. I ran for a long time. Travis said most demigods would have tried to fight. It was another reason that I was odd, because I didn't even think about trying to. I ran until I reached another group of cliffs. I scaled them quickly, trying not to fall—just trying to get away. At reaching the bottom, I noticed the sky was clear again.
I started to walk, just to get anywhere, anywhere other than where I was now. I started crying as night set in and took refuge under a cliff. I stayed awake the next few days, just trying to make sense of where I went. By the third day, I had given up, curled up into a ball underneath my cliff and fell into a dehydration induced stupor. Later, I woke to find myself being poked by a stick.
"Do you think she's alive?" a voice said, and a hand grabbed my arm. I felt two cold fingers press against my wrist.
"Yes, she is. Tell Aria to set up the tents, I'll wake her up. Go on." I heard footsteps leading away. And then I was poked by the stick again. "Hey, wake up. It's okay, we won't hurt you." I blinked my eyes open. I saw a girl with pitch black hair and pale skin. She had a nose piercing and multiple ear piercings.
"Who are you?" I asked, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. My voice sounded like my throat had been coated with sandpaper. She offered me some water, and I eyed it suspiciously. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that taking water from strange girls in the middle of a nowhere was a bad idea. I took the bottle but decided I'd drink it after she told me who she was.
"I'm Thalia, Daughter of Zeus, Hunter of Artemis."
"Did she say Daughter of Zeus and Hunter of Artemis? It's official. I'm hallucinating," were the first thoughts to enter my head.
"Did you just say what I thought you just said?" I blinked, my eyes flickering to the aluminum water bottle in my hands. I unscrewed the cap and swallowed water. It didn't taste like water, but like my dad's chicken noodle soup, hot while running down my throat. Yes, I am definitely hallucinating. If I died, oh well; I had accepted the fact that I would eventually.
"Yes, you know the Greek gods and goddesses?" I nodded. "They are real, and I can show you the proof."
"Then where is it?" I challenged.
"Give me the water bottle and I'll show you." I reluctantly gave her the water bottle—I wanted to treasure it forever, it tasted so good. She tipped it downwards, and a golden liquid drained out. Where it hit the ground, little flowers grew out of the dust. I'm sure there was some other, more logical explanation for this. "Demeter gave us this, since you were in her territory," she shrugged.
"Wait, you're not kidding, are you?" I said, my eyes widening.
"Nope, now come with me," she said, holding her hand out to help me up. I took it and then I felt my legs crunch as I stood up for the first time in who knows how long. She led me to a group of 20 or so girls that were hustling around a few tents. I smelled food. Good food. It took me a moment to realize that Thalia was talking to me again.
"You can stay with us until we get to the camp in a few days. We have another girl here who didn't join us," she said again, noticing that I hadn't been listening to her.
"Join you?" I asked, looking at her as she led me into one of the tents. There was a fire in the center of their campsite, but instead of casting an orange glow like a normal campfire, it casted a silver one.
"Yes, as I said before, we are the Hunters of Artemis. We are immortal unless we fall in combat. But there is one condition. You have to swear yourself away from men." She looked at me from across the campfire, her bright blue eyes reflecting the flames.
"Oh, then I thank you for your generosity in saving me, and for this food. But I have to decline," I said politely as she handed me a plate of what looked like rice with sauce over it. I took a fork that was in it and ate it quietly. No guys? I couldn't do that for the world.
"That's okay," Thalia sighed, looking away. "We don't get many recruits recently," she said. I didn't doubt it, but I did know a few girls at my school that would be more than happy to join them.
"But if I don't stay with you, where will I stay?" I asked, taking another bite of my food. It was really good, but I tried to pace myself to make sure I didn't throw up.
"I'd better start at the beginning, it's a long story," she said, and launched into a story about how the Greek gods came down to Earth to hook up with mortals, resulting in Half Bloods, like us. And Chiron was a centaur, who had been given the duty to train these Heroes resided at a place called Camp Half Blood, where the Heroes trained all day. That is where they would be taking me and a girl named Laila the next day. How they planned to get across the country in one day was beyond me. After I finished my food, she led me to the tent where the other girl destined for Camp Half-Blood was staying.
"Thank you for the food," I said when she was outside. The night sky was filled with stars. I watched Thalia walk away, petting the wolf that came up beside her. What a day this had been. I walked inside the tent, my hand clamped on my moonstone bracelet.
"Hey! You must be the new girl! I'm Laila!" My eyes fell on the chirpy girl that had approached me. She was petite, with smooth caramel brown skin, and wildly curly, messy black hair that covered half of her face. Everything about her made her look like she was a normal girl of Indian descent-everything except for her vivid green eyes.
"Hi. You're rather cheery," I remarked as I sat down on the ground next to her. We had our own fire in here but it was considerably smaller than the fire outside.
"Well, I'm excited to finally get where I am supposed to be. Happy to have left my horrid aunt's house, and my life is finally starting to look bright for a moment." She smiled at me, laughing quietly. I regarded her gingerly, getting into the sleeping bag she wasn't sitting on and fell asleep quietly. I dreamt that night about my father in the underworld, crossing the Styx on Charon's ferry.
AN: So, how did you like it? Please leave a review telling me what you thought of it, even if you thought that it was totally lame and deserved to be taken off the internet and burned in a bonfire.
