Chapter Ten

At that very moment, my whole life changed. I wanted to cry because my father was the lord of the dead. Not parties, not archery, not oceans or skies or even sleep, my dad was the god of the underworld. Then I wanted to cry because I felt bad for crying, everything was too mixed up and I wanted my father to like me. Bianca, I felt like I'd heard that name before. It was the name of the girl Lucas had told me about, Nico's real sister, the daughter of Hades that had died three years ago. Why did Chiron call me that? Was it because I looked like her? Maybe having my hair down and wearing the green cap reminded people or her, but there's now way I could actually be her.

I watched almost in a daze as some of the bravest demigods began to fall apart before me. Nothing prepared me for seeing Nico. He took one look at me and turned his back. I saw Percy rush after him and I couldn't help feeling guilty for bringing so much sadness. This was suppose to be a happy moment. I'd won capture the flag, I should have glory right now, not sorrow. Then I realized Hades hadn't even claimed me. The only reason they knew I was the daughter of Hades was because the flag had changed. Artemis had done the rest.

"But how is that possible," Thalia said. "Bianca died three years ago. Percy saw her."

Just then something even more horrific happened. It started out as what looked like a shooting star but soon looked more like an asteroid falling to the earth. I was just about to scream and duck for cover when the asteroid because sparkling light and the ghostly form of a girl appeared. All of the huntresses knelt before her.

"Rise my sisters," the girl said. "You have served our mistress well."

"Zoe," Thalia breathed.

Then I remembered, this was the girl Percy had told me about, the original owner of Riptide. She was a star.

"Ella," she said turning to me. "I am sorry for your trouble. When thy chose to be reborn in the underworld I made sure thy were reborn to a wonderful family."

I didn't know what she was talking about. I'd never died, so how could I be reborn?

"The trouble was," Zoe continued. "We still needed you. When thy twas in your first life you spent time at the Lotus Casino. Though they did not realize it the hotel leaves room for the years to be stolen back that you lost. When thy twas born again you really went back in time and I was able to manipulate it so that you'd be about the same age that you were when you died the first time, thirteen."
I stared at the ghost unable to believe what I was hearing. It didn't even make sense.

"It takes unbelievable power to come down here Ella so please try to understand," Zoe, the star said. "Heed my words, the stars are falling, and soon I will too. If the quest is not given soon Acras will tear apart the sky. Remember, it is not often that a hero receives a second chance. Use it wisely."

Then Zoe began to fade.

"Farewell my sisters," she called and then turned back to me. "When the time comes to chose, you are as free as anyone, we will not hold you to your previous commitment."

Then Zoe was gone.

The whole camp broke into madness. Some of the Hunters were shedding tears and others were just gaping at me. The people that knew Bianca were trying to come up to me and touch me to see if I was real but Percy held them back. I could tell he was trying not to look at me. How had this all happened?

"Get away from her!" Lucas suddenly yelled and everyone froze. He and Maggie stepped forward and grabbed my right and left hand, squeezing them tight. I knew they were trying to make me feel better and get me out of there but it made everything worse.

"Look," Annabeth said. "The Dove and the Forge will rise again," she quoted. "If I'm not mistaken, Maggie is the daughter of Aphrodite and Lucas is the son of Hephaestus."

"Ella is the one who long was sought," Thalia said. She wouldn't meet my eye either.

Lucas, Maggie and I stared at each other in amazement as well as concern. I wasn't ready to go on a quest. I wasn't ready for any of this. Bianca di Angelo may have been a hero but I sure wasn't. It was all too fast.

Someone grabbed my hair and pulled on it, making me recoil and more people started to close in on me. People who claimed they knew me started saying random things, apologizing for things I never had heard of. They tried to hand me things and make me remember them but in the almost darkness I could make out only torchlit faces.

"Enough," Lucas said and fire shot out of his hand. He drew a circle around us and the crowd so they were forced to back up.

"Careful," Leo said, he'd made his way over as soon as he spotted the fire.

"Let them through," said Chiron and forced campers to make a path for Lucas, Maggie and I to walk through. As I did I spotted the leaders of camp, the bravest demigods I'd ever seen, refusing to look me in the eye or rather looking to the spot directly to my left. It was agonizing.

As soon as I made it out of the woods I took off running as far away as I could leaving even Lucas and Maggie behind. It was too much to face anyone I just wanted a place where I could be alone.

I found a moonlit rock overlooking the sea as far away from everyone else as I could possibly be without leaving the borders. Instead of sitting on the overlooking rock I hid in the shadow under it where the ocean lapped at my feet. I sat there for what felt like an hour but what was more like ten minutes trying to forget everything that had just happened and focus on the rise and fall of the tide. It was a long time before anyone found me.

"Hey," Lucas said, as he ducked under the rock with me. My hiding place had been discovered. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said, even though I wasn't. "Thanks for saving me from those guys back there," I said to fill the silence.

"That's what friends are for," Lucas said. "I probably shouldn't have used fire though, sorry about that, I didn't mean to scare everyone."

"Where's Maggie?" I asked.

"Still looking for you I guess," Lucas said. "We split up a few minutes ago."

There was a long pause where Lucas and I just stared at the huge moon, a full moon I realized.

"Do you think we're really part of the prophecy?" I asked finally.

Now that I'd had some cool down time it was time to start thinking critically and figure out where to go from there.

Lucas shifted uncomfortably. "Well I don't know about me. There are a lot tougher kids in Hephaestus cabin that would be better qualified, but you."

"You mean Bianca," I said and immediately regretted it.

"I don't see you as a different person you know," Lucas said. "You don't have to think that. Heck I could be some random reborn person and not even know it. It's not your fault you're... her."

I was glad Lucas still saw the real me. My cabin mates, or rather my former cabin mates might never talk to me again. Speaking of which I didn't know where I was suppose to sleep that night. I knew there was no way I was ever stepping foot in the Hades cabin, it was too spooky and I was convinced those where human bones that made up the archway. Not to mention there was Nico that I had to avoid. Now he hated my guts for something I didn't even do. I didn't want to be his sister and he probably didn't want me either. Apparently Bianca use to be older than him but now he was the oldest sibling at fourteen. That's when I remembered something Lucas had said; children of Hades often have tragic lives.

I didn't know if I would last through the week as a child of Hades.