CHAPTER 1

In the middle of November, 2020, I was alone. This in and of itself wasn't odd; I was often left on my own. I had only one family member—well, okay, only one that I talked to, only one that I had any kind of closeness with. I'd had to relearn that closeness after…

Ahem…

More on that later.

Anyway, I was just sitting in my—empty—living room, having plopped down to read a book. It was a day off from school; the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Why do we always get that Wednesday off? Is it really necessary? I mean, I get that a lot of kids would skip even if we had school—week-long vacation or whatever—but some would come.

Sorry, rambling. I do that a lot. Please disregard it.

The book I was reading was actually Rick Riordan's Blood of Olympus. I know, I know…I'm way behind the loop on that one. In my defense, though, I'd only actually found out about the series like a month ago. I'm a fast reader, though, so it was easy to catch up that far. I'd also taken the time to read a few of the companions—mainly because the characters are so good. I wanted to really get to know them, you know? Especially Percy, Luke, Nico, Annabeth and Thalia. Reyna and Zoë, too, though there isn't much to see about them.

So, I was sitting and reading.

Suddenly, a soft light surrounded me, making me jump up in surprise, dropping the book in the process.

When the light cleared, I was standing in a familiar building. Well, familiar to my brain, at least. I'd never actually been there.

Is this the Empire State Building? I thought. Yes, yes it is.

"Can I help you?"

I spun around at the chipper voice. A woman stood behind the desk, smiling. She was taller than me by nearly a foot, with blond hair and violet-blue eyes.

The woman repeated the question, still smiling. "I guess," I replied slowly, taking a step toward her. "I don't really know how I got here, or why I am here. Do you?"

Her smile grew into a grin. "What is your name, dear?"

I hesitated. "Um..."

She shrugged, still smiling. "That's alright. You don't have to tell me." She held out a key. "Elevators are in the left. Put this in the keyhole, then press the glowing button. It goes to the six-hundredth floor. Good luck. Tell them I said hello..." She glanced at her computer, then toward the door. Following her gaze, I blinked. The glass doors glittered in the sunlight, a rainbow of color; through the light, I could just barely see a golden carriage. "Or not," she continued. "I'm sure the boss has messages for most of them, anyway...Have a nice day!"

By the time I looked back at her, she was gone. I just shrugged. She must have gone into a back room or something.

I walked over to the elevators, slipping inside one of them and putting the key in. After I pressed the button that appeared, the door slid closed. The music was White Rabbit, which I ignored, waiting patiently until the door opened.

At my floor, I stepped out into the marble walkway hesitantly.

It won't collapse, I told myself. It was repaired after the last war. Besides, it's just a dream, right? Can't die here, anyway. So, I was in Olympus. The path was pretty empty, no gods or satyrs or anything out. I walked quietly up the stairs, arriving at the end of a long street.

On the other end stood a temple, so large that it needed fourteen columns to hold it up. Each was a different design, symbolizing the twelve Olympians, plus Hades and Hestia. (I almost wondered wet they were included, but let it go; they're my favorites, anyway, and they don't get enough credit if you ask me.)

Having approached the temple as I admired the columns, I was startled from my thoughts by the large doors opening.

I stepped inside, walking deeper into the temple as I called out. "Hello? Is anyone here? What's going on?" I jumped as the doors slammed closed behind me, but continued through the building. Another staircase, directly in the middle, led up to a second...third...fourth...fifth level. I sighed, climbing up the steps.

At the very top was a short hallway, leading to a new set of doors. I rapped on the door, the sound bouncing off the walls behind me. "Hello? Anyone in there? Can you tell me why I'm here?"

I was about to knock again when the door opened, revealing a small girl. Shorter than me, even. She looked about twelve, and so skinny she probably couldn't tip the scale at ninety pounds dripping wet. Her brown eyes were curious, her hair in a messy ponytail. She had on a brown dress and matching ballet flats.

"Hello," she said quietly, smiling serenely. She stepped back into the room featuring me inside. "Please, come in. I cannot answer your question, but you are welcome to wait inside until the others arrive."

Stepping through the door, I looked at her in bemusement. "Others? What—"

"What do you want to be called, dear?"

I paused. Obviously, I want supposed to give my real name. I never did in dreams, actually. I always said... "Belle. Call me Belle."

"Are you sure?" I nodded, making her grin. "Alright. The others should arrive soon. They are so excited to meet you."

"Why—" I stopped. "Right, you won't answer."

At the center of the room was a semicircle of twelve thrones— though they were the sizes of normal chairs—surrounding a large fireplace. I glanced around as the girl knelt by the hearth, waving her hand over the flame—it jumped up to meet her skin, circling her wrist.

That's when it dawned on me. "Are you Lady Hestia?"

The girl smiled, letting the flame settle. "Yes. Very good, Belle. Few notice me anymore, I'm afraid."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "You're one of my favorites..." She raised a brow. "I always tell...my brother that if I'd been born in another time, I might have been a Vestal Virgin." I laughed.

She blinked. "Oh. That's...interesting."

"I just...I'm very supportive of families, I guess. And I've always loved fire."

"Good," she replied. "Family is very important."

I stayed silent, looking around again. Finally, I took a deep breath, sighing. "So why was the path so empty? Aren't there usually, I don't know, people around here?"

"Usually," Hestia admitted. "But Olympus is closed today. Only certain people are allowed in. You and I, for instance, but also the other Olympians, including my...brother."

Judging from her expression, the two were estranged. I guessed. "Lord Hades?"

"Yes." She gazed at the fire. "It pains me to say it, but we gods simply are not perfect enough to have good relations amongst ourselves. And Hades stays in the Underworld so long, hardly visiting for the solstice meeting. He is...separate from us in many ways."

"It's really too bad," I replied. "Lord Hades is very important to the world—will rule over his kingdom long after humanity and the other gods are gone—but he is still not accepted. Even in his own family, it seems."

Hestia turned to me, her brow scrunched in thought. "That is an interesting philosophy, Belle. Is Hades another of your favorite gods?"

"Yes. I read a lot of books...One of them had this great story about him, and I'd seen hints of the same in a few myths about him."

"What do you like about the gods?"

I paused. "Well...I suppose I admire the sky, as well as storms, which I guess would be Lord Zeus. But I don't like how he cheats on Lady Hera. She is a good wife, if jealous. I've always thought marriage was very sacred, even if it's not for me." Deep breath. "I love the sea, and Poseidon's water powers are pretty spectacular. I'm a gardener in my spare time, which I suppose links me to Demeter, and I love walking in wheat fields. I like that she isn't a girly girl—at least, not from what I heard. I wish I could grow grapes like Dionysus. And his followers were pretty cool, too." I paused for a long moment, and Hestia looked over at me.

"Please go on," she said with a smile. "This is a new perspective, hearing of my own family from a mortal who has never truly meet them. Demigods, all they do is complain about their parent, and the few mortals with sight simply ignore the signs. You, though, Belle...are very interesting. You have perfect sight, it seems, and yet...you do not believe in us."

"I do..."

She shook her head. "Allow me to rephrase. You are a religious believer, but you also believe this to be a dream."

"True," I replied. "I basically believe in all gods, actually..."

"There is something about you..." She trailed off, staring out at space, before continuing. "It's blocked from my sight, though...perhaps we will find out?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. As far as I know, I'm pretty normal, other than reading all those mythology books."

"Well, go on then! Tell me what you think of the others!"

"Which would you like to hear about?"

"Any you can think of," she said, twirling a bit of fire around her hand. "The council won't arrive for a little while—they want you to be comfortable with one of us, just to get an idea of how you will react to them."

I shuddered, then sighed. "Well, you already know why I like you. Lord Hades ought to be more respected, I think, but I like that he doesn't constantly need other's to like him. Plus, I bet the Underworld is a pretty cool place. I mean, I've heard a lot about it, and it seems amazing-looking. Then, I really like Lord Apollo. Sunshine is very pretty, I think. Plus, he's totally a multitasker. You know, sun, music, medicine—all very important. Um...Lady Athena is really smart—I usually try to say something nice in prayer during school. It probably doesn't help, but I'll do it forever, probably. And, you know, she's very supportive of heroes, which I think is nice." I paused for breath, looking over and counting chairs. "My reason for looking Lady Artemis is similar to my reason for liking you—she had good ideals, and protects those around her. Lord Hephaestus is very good at building things, I've heard. That's pretty cool. Then again, everything I've ever tried to build has fallen apart, so..." I laughed.

"What of Hermes, Aphrodite and Ares? Are there others you have read about?"

"Lord Hermes is very important, I think. He's quite the trader, and I'm also a strong believer in communication and travel. Lord Ares...I don't particularly like war, but I can understand that it is essential to balance. I mean, if everyone was always happy, there wouldn't be any need for progress or invention." Hestia nodded thoughtfully. "And as for Lady Aphrodite..." I sighed. "Well...as much as I hate it, beauty is very important in society. Therefore, I suppose it's just as well that some have it and some don't. Physical beauty, I mean. I've always seen personalities, myself. Though, now that I think about it, people don't necessarily have those, either. Plus, I like how she helps people in bad situations find love. I mean, she really should have just started out of the whole Helen situation, but there are other stories. Like the guy with the statue—Pygmalion and Galatea. I like that story." I stopped, thinking. "I suppose there are others. Lord Thanatos, I guess, but only because I—"

"What?"

"I..." I hesitated. "I think I met him once...And the other one, Lord Hypnos? I saw him just the other day, I think..." I shrugged. "Then again, I was really sick when I thought I saw Lord Thanatos. And I was—duh—dreaming when Lord Hypnos appeared. I always have been fascinated with sleep and death; they're so similar, and yet different. I suppose their darkness is also why I like Lady Nyx."

"And Hercules? Young people like Hercules, right?"

I pursed my lips. "I guess. Strength is very important, yes, but...I don't know. I mostly only read about him because he's more...human? He had more human problems than a lot of the others."

Hestia nodded. "I can understand that." He eyes locked back on the fire. "Is there anything you like to do besides read?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. I like to write, I guess. And draw, though I'm not very good at it. Oh." I looked down, and sure enough, I was wrong a sweatshirt. I reached into the pocket; as I suspected, my trusty notebook was inside. I yanked it out, flipping through the pages. I got to my favorite drawing—one of my brother, with a story is written beneath it. I handed it to Hestia. "That's my brother. He fell asleep when he was studying for his finals, and he didn't wake up for a couple of hours so I took the time to draw him. The story is something I made up."

She looked at it for a moment, then smiled. "This is lovely, Belle."

My cheeks burned as I took it back, putting it back into my pocket. "I guess..."

Hestia blinked. "The others are arriving."

I raised a brow. "When—" I was cut off by a flash of light.