AN: In case you wonder why I updated the story despite all the school works, I found time in writing this chapter. I grew so attached in writing stories recently because of you guys, every review and favourites I receive inspires me so much to continue writing stories. I would really like to thank you for all. About the new OC I put in the last chapter, someone named Walker, I made a really big mistake on forgetting to put him in chapter 5. You will know more about him in the future chapters. I kept on thinking who will be the first pair of half bloods that will fight in the story. Some of the powers of the demigods here might be a little extreme. I added a few powers for them, but tell me if it's alright. Again, I hope you like the 7th chapter!
Katie Gardner sprinted to the backdoor of the mansion. As she ran along the corridor, fresh flowers and green grass sprouted at the wooden floor. Each stem of plants chased her until she found her way out of the mansion. Katie shut the wooden door behind her, and looked at the rather fine garden in front of her. It was too different from the landscape of the front yard, with withered flowers and dead grasses. The back yard seemed so different, blooming flowers, lush green grasses, a pearl white marble fountain, exactly what Katie's dream garden would look like.
"I can see you entered my territory" a female voice was heard behind the rose bush. Katie unsheathed her pair of Celestial Bronze poignard daggers.
Winona Wakefield smirked and looked at the demigod. She let an orchid run up to her palm as she walks to the daughter of Demeter. Katie looked uneasy, she hated fighting, and she preferred to stay at camp and garden with her half siblings.
"Are you the one who's been following me?" she asked, sidestepping slowly and her daggers are still in place. Winona's lavender eyes followed the demigod, a grin playing on her lips.
"I chose you, that is why I followed you" she shifted to Katie and the demigod reflexively pointed her dagger at the demi-titan.
"Introduce yourself, demigod" Winona touched the tip of the dagger lightly and leaned her face to Katie's.
"Katie Gardner, daughter of Demeter, goddess of agriculture. You are?"
Winona grinned wider
"Winona Wakefield, daughter of Eurynome, titan goddess of meadows" a vine swatted a dagger of Katie away and the demigod kicked the knee of the demi titan and ran for her dagger. Causing Winona to fall on her knees, she growled at the demigod. The grass beneath Katie sprung out and held her legs; the demigod slashed the undergrowth holding her back with her dagger.
"You are being so difficult!" Winona hissed, and Katie grinned a little.
As Katie got hold of her weapon, a wooden branch lunged at her. She evaded the branch and charged at the demi titan. Winona was wide open. Katie thought that this might be her chance to land an attack, but roots rose up from the ground and guarded her.
"What?" Katie backed away from the demi titan. The roots went back underground, revealing an unscathed daughter of Eurynome.
"Why don't you try to manipulate plants, daughter of Demeter? Isn't that supposed to be one of your powers?" Winona mocked; she was now holding a bronze whip, with thorns growing on the vine. Katie never saw a weapon like that; she knew she must do something to avoid being killed.
"I'm not that good in using it, I'm afraid" Katie muttered
"Surprised? Don't worry this won't hurt much" she cooed, she lashed her whip at the demigod. Katie barely avoided the attack, if she wasn't lucky enough she could be good as dead. But another branch lunged at her that pinned her to the ground.
"Ugh, what the-"Katie grunted and tried to get up, but another branch pulled her right arm violently. Katie screamed in pain, her arm looked rather funny when the branch released it.
"My plants just couldn't get enough of you. Is this what a daughter of Demeter can do?" Winona said coldly. Katie knew that she will not spare her, now that she was enjoying herself. The whip wrapped her waist, the thorns penetrated the skin under her clothes and blood seeped out of the cloth. Katie gritted her pain, she tried not to scream.
Katie almost lost hope; she thought she failed everyone, Annabeth, the campers, her father, her mother, Chiron and Travis Stoll. For some reason, she felt elated when she remembered the boy who usually pranks her and her cabin. To her, he seemed so important and gave her a spark of hope when she remembered his mischievous grin. Katie smiled faintly; she almost closed her eyes and was ready to face her fate in the Underworld.
She blacked out. Katie was shrouded in the dark, she can barely see a thing, but a woman glowed in the dark, she has an aura of light green light. She was wearing a white silk dress with a green cloth draped her shoulders; she held a red rose and smiled sweetly at Katie. Katie knew exactly who she is, Demeter, her mother. Demeter went to her; she took Katie's hand and placed the rose on her daughter's hand.
Demeter brushed a strand of Katie's auburn hair and looked softly at her green eyes. The goddess did not release her hold of her daughter's hand.
"Do not give up, Katherine. There are a lot of people waiting for you back at the camp. They need you. Do not be afraid to use your powers, dear one. You will need it to save everyone you hold dear. The flowers will hear you and come to your aid, as I will be"
"Mother-"
Demeter hushed her,
"Promise me one thing, daughter. Never give up on anything, you can overcome this fight. You have my blessing, dear one. I would not want to lose you" she said and let go of Katie's hand. Katie looked at her palm, only rose petals were left. She looked for Demeter again, but she was gone. Then Katie woke up.
She was held by the whip of Winona, and she had an aura of light green. She felt better when the cloud uncovered the sun. Plants started to rise up on their own and Katie was replaced by a weak whirlwind of rose petals. And a blade was pointed at the neck of the demi titan.
"I was never called a cabin leader for nothing, much more a daughter of Demeter" she said, Katie felt her wounds are starting to heal.
Winona sent more vines and shot flurries of thorns at the demigod, but with her skill in teleporting, she was able to evade Winona's attacks. Petals of roses fell on the ground, Winona was stunned. She never saw such ability.
"It's a rare ability of a child of Demeter to be able to teleport. I never showed it to anyone though" Katie explained.
Winona screamed in anger and launched a vine filled with poison tipped thorns at Katie. But it wilted just a few inches from the demigod. Winona gasped
"The ability to control plants isn't just about manipulating them everywhere," Katie's eyes narrowed, "It's also a rare ability of a child of Demeter to wither or cause the death of plants, making plants grow instantly is very common among us chlorokinesis users"
Winona's plants withered and died. Trees were uprooted; flowers lost its beauty and colour, and the grass became brown and dry. The once beautiful garden became a dead wasteland with dead vegetation everywhere.
The demi titan fell on her knees and gripped a clump of dried grass. Katie towered Winona, her aura was now glowing faintly. She looked down on the daughter of Eurynome.
"You are defeated, daughter of Eurynome" Katie stated, though her eyes softened as she heard soft sobs from the demi titan.
"All we need is a family..." Winona tried to hold back her tears. Katie crouched and faced the girl.
"Is that why you joined the Titan Army?" she asked calmly, her aura was now completely gone
Winona wiped her eyes and avoided eye contact with Katie.
"My twin and I, we're abandoned" she started, "Father is owns a flower shop in Ohio. He was a very good man; he encourages me and my brother to plant more trees and flowers. He said it would please mother when she comes home"
Katie nodded and continued listening,
"Of course, my brother and I also began to hope that one day our mother would come home, but she didn't. She never did. Father kept on waiting and waiting, until he forgot about the flower shop. He never watered the plants and tended the bushes. He was heartbroken. We always try to cheer him up again, but that caused a scar on my brother's neck. He almost died; if it weren't for the neighbours we'd be dead" the memory caused her tears to flow on her cheek; Katie took a handkerchief and wiped it away.
"Tell me more, please" she said softly,
"Then mysterious people, approach us and tried to get us, not to mention, kill us" Winona trembled and Katie pondered for a moment, why would someone try to kill them?
"In our dreams, our mother claimed us. Demi-titan is what she called us. I hated her, if it wasn't for her, things wouldn't be this way. I shouldn't be fighting a war right now"
Katie wrapped an arm around the demi-titan's shoulder. Winona shakily wiped her tears. The demigod wasn't sure of what she would say.
"Yet you survived the frequent attack of those men? How about monsters? Do they attack you?" Katie asked and Winona nodded
"I wanted to win so that mother will accept us, I killed many demigods before. I did it for mother, the same thing with the others. The group of lost children, spawns of the titans are looking for a family. The Titans never looked at us as their children; they too never cared for us..."
Katie knew it was time for her to convince the demi-titan to go to Camp Half Blood. She took a deep breath and started,
"There is this place, Camp Half Blood, where you can find a true family. We were asked to claim you guys. I now know, you half bloods are the lost ones in the prophecy. You must go there, you will never go astray again"
Winona looked at her; her cheeks were red from crying,
"I hope the others will listen to you, I'm not yet even sure about it"
Katie shook her head, perhaps it really is going to be a hard time convincing them,
"Let's just have a rest, shall we?"
Winona gave a soft smile and nodded yes
On the rooftops, the cloaked boy watched the two half bloods. Luke Castellan was also present.
"I see, Winona Wakefield has failed" Luke said coldly, staring at the cloaked boy
The boy sighed and removed his hood, revealing a raven black hair that was ruffled from the rush of wind. Luke eyed the boy; he still wore his blindfold and his emotionless expression
"I knew they have their own weaknesses. Kronos will not be pleased" the boy said
"Why does he need these demi titans anyway?" Luke asked,
"Never underestimate these half bloods, Castellan" the boy walked past against him. Luke snickered, he disliked the boy.
"Kronos is hard to understand. I never get to know his plans" Luke stated,
"Luke, do me a favour. Stop being annoying. A part of me tells me that you and I are not in good terms" the boy snapped before leaving the rooftops. Luke humourlessly chuckled,
"So he's not that lost as I thought"
AN: How's the chapter? I hope you like it! What do you guys think of the fight scene? How about the cloaked boy? I would really love to hear from you! Thanks for reading! R&R please!
