Heeeeere ya go!

Being a demigod meant that you were almost always being shoved into situations that were less than ideal.

Lex had only been thirteen when she, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover had been tasked with retrieving Zeus's bolt. A trek across the country and forbidden from the sky, they'd been through harrowing dangers, only to reach their destination of the Underworld and discover in horror that had almost been for nothing at all.

The next four years that followed had been grueling, unforgiving, and harsh. Battles, losses, burials, multiple shroud burnings and so many more when Lex wanted to quit. But she couldn't. Her best friends were depending on her, and she was far from a coward. If there was one thing each Olympian and their descendants seem to suffer from, it was an intense amount of pride.

That being said, the blonde thought she'd done pretty well. She never once complained, never cursed her mother or the other Olympians, (of course, that had always been an obvious no-no) and never questioned why she'd been born into the life she had.

But now, Elexis was cursing every life experience that had led her to this moment. The one that might be her last.

Her body hit the cement with a harsh "Oof!" and the air was expelled violently from her lungs. Her muscles screamed in protest as she scrambled behind an old dumpster, panting.

"Come on out, hero…" The Scythian dracnae crooned mockingly. A slithering noise grinded across the pavement somewhere to Lex's right, and she shifted so she could just barely see around the corner of the dumpster. A cut on her forearm stung, but she ignored it.

"I know you can hear me, little goddessssssss. If you keep attempting to run, ssssomeone elssse might get hurt…"

Lex tugged fruitlessly at the stupid, steel cuff on her arm, wanting to cry. She didn't have either of her rings, this stupid bracelet wouldn't come off, and she was left completely defenseless. After all of the things she'd survive, she was really going to killed by some foot-soldier of Kronos in some damn back alleyway in Brooklyn. What else could-

"Elexis!"

Are you kidding me?!

Steve's voice carried from somewhere to her left, just outside of the alleyway. She heard a sharp hiss, and then slithering. The dracnae had heard her uncle, as well, it would seem. A sense of panic began to well up in her throat as she thought about Steve being caught up in this battle, and she shifted unintentionally. Her knee hit an empty bottle, and the sound of glass clinking on the cement shattered the silence.

Lex was bolting away almost immediately, and narrowly missed the ax blade swinging where her head had been. The blade buried itself into the dumpster, cutting deep, and Lex didn't bother to look behind her as she ran with everything she had down the alleyway. A low growl, followed by an infuriated shriek, told her that the monster knew she was losing her prey. Pushing harder, Lex whipped around the corner-

-and crashed full on into what felt like a solid wall wearing a plaid button up and leather jacket.

Both blondes cried out in surprise, hitting the cement simultaneously. Steve recovered first, most likely due to being bigger and the serum, and got into a crouch to help his niece up.

"Lex, are you-"

"Hurry! Get back, get back to SHIELD!"

"Elexis, I know you're upset, but-"

"No!" Lex cried out in frustration panic, "That's not important, we have to go before-!"

She didn't get to finish her sentence as celestial bronze suddenly glinted in her vision, blurring between their faces with alarming speed and proximity before it embedded into the brick wall behind them with a loud crack!

The bronze ax gleamed in the sunlight, and both Lex and Steve turned slowly to the approaching threat.

"Leave, mortal, thissss doesssn't concccern you!"

Steve was staring at snake/woman hybrid, and in a blank voice, he spoke. "Elexis, what is that?"

"It's, uh, Scythian Dracnae."

"…Ok. And why is it talking to us?"

"She's trying to kill me."

Steve paused. "…Right."

The monster lunged, red eyes wild with bloodlust, and Steve shoved Lex back with shocking force as he threw himself backwards to roll onto his back and up to his feet. Lex mirrored the action, pausing to rip the ax from the brick wall.

"Lex, what are you doing-?!"

"Get back, Steve!" Elexis swung the large battle ax at the hissing woman, nearly taking her head clean off. The snake-hybrid ducked, dancing around the girl as her forked tongue flickered between her lips. "This doesn't concern you!"

"There's a snake monster in New York and that shouldn't concern me?!"

Lex's answer was to bring the ax down with a battle cry, nearly taking off one of the dracnae's tail-legs. The monster laughed cruelly.

"Child of beauty, you insssssult me! Do you think a puny thing like you could wield ssssssuch a powerful weapon?"

Lex swung again, this time towards the dracnae's torso. But a pair of green-tinted hands with long black fingernails caught it, and the monster smirked.

"Sssssuch a young age to die."

The hand clamped around her neck and threw her, the air whizzing past her and blowing her hair into her face. It felt like such a long distance before her back met solid brick, and pain exploded throughout her body.

She fell to the ground with a solid thud, but the pain didn't stop. Her world was spinning from the way her head had cracked against the wall, and she rolled onto her back, the world seeming to tilt and blur around her. Her eyes felt heavy, and she struggled to suck breath into her lungs. Through the haze, she sent up one last prayer.

Mother...please…don't let me die here…

"Your head will be my trophy, daughter of beauty, and I will carry it to Camp Halfblood where I will throw it to your brotherssss and ssssissstersss, and watch asssss they cry for you-"

SCHLINK!

"AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHH!"

The dracnae's boasting was cut short by the sound of something whizzing through the air, and then she was shrieking in pain. Elexis forced her eyes open, pushing her palms against the concrete and forcing herself up.

The dracnae ripped a large disc from where it had been imbedded in her bicep, and colors of red, white, and blue caught Lex's eye. She turned in shock to see Steve, standing broad and at the ready. The dracnae growled.

"This is of no concern of yours, mortal." She snarled and threw the shield right back at Steve. He caught it, but the force actually sent him sliding back a few feet. Lex, however, was gaping at the blonde man and the weapon in his hands in disbelief.

Human weapons can't cause that much harm to a monster…

With a renewed sense of urgency, she staggered to her feet and acted on pure instinct as the dracnae reared her ax back to fling it at Steve. Grabbing the handle, she planted her feet on the monsters back and swung her leg around its neck, using her momentum and core strength to flip it onto the concrete. With a battle cry, Lex yanked the battle ax from the dracnae's hands and in one swift movement, slammed the blade into its twin tails.

The dracnae screamed in pain and fury as the blade seemed to pin it to the concrete. It didn't cut off any limbs like Lex had been hoping, but with the monster occupied for now, she planted her hands on the ground and did a back walk-over to a standing position. She ran towards Steve.

"Steve, you need to get out of here right now-"

"I already told you, I'm not leaving!"

"Gods, Steve, I know you're all about standing up to bullies, but that thing is not something you've faced before! She's powerful, a monster straight from the depths of hell!"

"I'm not leaving you here." Steve told her firmly, his voice carrying a strong sense of finality. "We're family, and we fight together."

As the dracnae hissed and struggled to free her tails from under the battle ax, cursing Elexis and promising to gut her, the younger girl stared at her great uncle, feeling touched and frustrated all at once. Why did he have to be so damn honorable? She couldn't find it in herself to reject his offer, not when she was so unsure if she would win this battle or not.

"When I found out you'd ran," Steve told her, "Fury gave me these and told me to give them to you. Said you'd need them."

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out two gleaming, gold rings. Lex's heart jumped in her chest.

The twin rings each had their own jewel. One a gleaming, blood-red ruby, and the other a glittering black diamond the color of obsidian. She raised her wide eyes to Steve.

"You've seriously had these the whole time?!"

"Well, yeah-"

"Why didn't you say anything?!"

"I'm not entirely sure how jewelry would help us right now, Lex-"

Rolling her eyes, Lex took the rings from him. As the dracnae screeched and ripped the battle ax from her tails, the blonde demigod tapped each jewel. Steve's eyes widened in awe.

From each ring came two daggers that appeared to be made from something resembling gold. They seemed to almost glow, like they were radiating light. They were each about a foot long, and on each hilt was a large jewel, one red, one black. Steve realized with a start that they matched the ones from her rings. On each blade, unfamiliar symbols and letters ran from the hilts to the tips.

Lex turned to him with a dark look as the dracnae stood, hissing.

"Stay back."

The snake woman approached, her red eyes blazing. "I've waited a long time for thissssss-"

She swung the battle ax down towards Lex's head, and Steve started to run forward. But he didn't even get the chance to shout.

In a one graceful movement, Lex threw up her daggers and caught the blade of the ax, pinning it between her own and throwing it to her left. The force ripped the battle ax from the dracnae's hands, and Lex took advantage of her surprise. Surging forward, she shoved both blades directly into the monster's throat.

"Keep waiting, bitch."

And with a cry, ripped the blades through the monster's neck.

Steve was expecting blood, but that wasn't what he got. Instead, the monster's body crumbled, like sand, and began to blow away. He watched in disbelief as every part of the creature turned to dust and disappeared, save for a small pile at Elexis's feet. Soon, they were surrounded by silence and the muffle sounds of New York a few blocks away.

The silence between the two was stifling. Elexis sat, completely still, and watched her uncle. He had been extremely quiet the entire time back to SHIELD, after nearly begging her to come back with him. They'd both been on edge the entire time, eyes roaming the crowded streets around them. As a daughter of Aphrodite, Lex's scent had never been as strong as one such as Percy's or Thalia's, or even someone like Clarisse or Annabeth. But incidents such as the one she'd just experienced had been sprinkled throughout her life, and always left her startled and jumpy.

She'd been waiting for some kind of reaction from Steve. An explosion of questions, confusion, maybe even some fear. She knew the story of Captain America and the things he'd faced, but these were gods and goddesses. It was a completely different level.

But the entire time, he'd been completely silent. He appeared to be watching around them, but Lex had assured him they'd most likely be safe for the few miles it took to get back to headquarters. After arriving again, Fury had been there to greet them. Lex glared as he merely cocked a single eyebrow.

"I told you, you're not a prisoner here. And there are reasons for me keeping you here."

Elexis didn't bother to ask; she was exhausted and emotionally drained. For once, Fury hadn't tried to control anything after they got back. Merely let them walk away for Lex to sit with Steve in her room and get ready for the interrogation coming her way.

But it had been about fifteen minutes since they'd arrived, and Steve was still completely silent. They sat in the quiet for about thirty more seconds before Lex couldn't take it anymore.

"Are you going to say something?"

Steve still didn't look at her, his hand on the lower half of his face as he kept his eyes on the floor. Finally, he spoke.

"Just… start from the beginning."

Lex took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "Alright." She began, clearing her throat. "I'm sure you know the stories of the Olympians. Greek gods and goddesses."

"Yeah, they told us the stories when I was young."

"Except, they're not stories." Lex shook her head. "That thing we just fought? A Scythian dracnae. A snake-woman from Tartarus with one goal: kill me. That's what all the monsters want when they smell us."

"Smell who?"

Lex smiled ruefully. "In the stories you were told, what's one thing the gods all had in common? What's something they all did, multiple times, with no intentions of stopping and no remorse no matter what happened?"

Steve still looked confused, and Lex rolled her eyes.

"They had babies, Steve. And more often than not, they had babies with mortals. And then, demigods are born."

Steve's eyes widened, and he froze. Finally, he spoke.

"You're…"

Lex tapped her rings again. The daggers formed, and she showed him the blades.

"Since you can see these for whatever reason, you can see the letters. Agapi," she held up the dagger with the ruby, "and polemos." She held up the black diamond. "Love and War. Given to me by my mother. The goddess of love and beauty. Aphrodite."

"…Ok."

Lex's mouth dropped open. She stared at her uncle in complete disbelief, almost unable to comprehend what he'd just said. "'Ok'?" She jumped to her feet. "What- what do you mean 'ok'? I just dropped an entire bomb on your head about the existence of celestial beings that have been spoken about since ancient times, and you say 'ok'?!"

Steve watched his niece blow up, noting how her eyes flashed colors again. They never stayed a single shade, especially whenever she was experiencing an intense or wide array of emotions. Right now, they were bouncing between gold, blue, and violet. But as he watched, his heart panged. She looked just like Lucy. And that little line between her eyes reminded him that this wasn't just some girl that looked like his baby sister.

Super-powers or not, Elexis was family. And he was the only mortal one of hers. It sounded weird, but it also sounded like she didn't get along with her mothers, er, side.

"Well, what should I say?" He asked, not unkindly. "I don't think you'd lie to me. And that thing that just tried to kill us was pretty convincing."

Lex stared at him for a few more seconds, eyes narrowed, before she plopped back down into her seat. "I… I didn't expect you to take this so well. I guess I've never really told anyone."

"So, you've lived with this secret your whole life?"

"Well, where I'm from, it's not really a secret." She told him, smiling ruefully. "You heard that thing bragging about how she was going to cut my head off and show it off to my brothers and sisters?"

Now Steve's eyes widened. "You're saying there's more of you?"

Right as he spoke, thunder rumbled lowly in the distance. Lex shifted in her seat uneasily as she watched the dark clouds approach them through the large window by her bed. The forecast had been predicting rain for weeks now, but it was always a little suspicious for it come to around at certain times. Like when she was spilling secrets about the Olympians to a mortal.

But is he a regular mortal? A voice whispered in the back of her head.

She looked back at Steve, who didn't miss how her mood had changed. "I- I don't know how much I can-"

Suddenly, the world tilted. An intense feeling of dizziness swept over her, and Lex grabbed the edge of her chair, swaying. Steve tensed, leaning towards her.

"Lex? Lex, are you ok?"

"I-" She couldn't finish her sentence as the room began to spin, and she placed her feet on the ground. "I think I need some air…"

As she began to walk towards the door to the hallway, the world turned completely on its side. A hollow pain echoed in her right arm and hip, and she realized through a haze of confusion that it was because she was now lying on her side.

She could feel hands grabbing her and pulling her closer, but she couldn't pay attention anymore. The world had begun to color black at the edges and was slowly creeping towards the center of her vision. Steve was shouting some more, and someone was carrying her. The last thing she heard was a panicked yell for medical help before she completely lost consciousness.

Colors.

They were flashing all around her, like some spectacular light show. At first, they were blurred together and going much too fast for her to recognize. But, as she was suspended in this place, she realized that six colors were on repeat. A bright, intense blue. A glowing gold. Deep red, almost black in some areas. Green like nature, like a jewel. A brilliant violet color, and an intense amber. They began to flash faster and faster, until she was having trouble keeping up-

-and then it all stopped.

It took about five seconds for Lex to catch her bearings. As she blinked, she realized with a start that she wasn't lying down. Instead, she was standing straight up. The world around her was white; white enough hurt her eyes. She blinked several more times as her eyes adjusted to the color and got a good look around.

The building was huge. Large enough that her own breathing seemed to echo around her. As she looked around, she saw the pillars. Marble, with swirling cream and gray tones. She moved to turn in a circle, and soft fabric brushed her legs.

The chiton was a brilliant purple, and Lex realized with a start that it was the same color as the shade she'd seen before now. As she mussed with the skirt, her bare feet moving over the cool marble floor, her eyes caught another flash of color. Looking up, her lips parted in shock.

The alter was built for worship. It had been decorated to the highest degree. Large arrays of flowers, baskets of juicy and plump fruit. Plates full of steaming, rich meat and fabrics of the softest material. Just looking at them, she could almost feel them on her skin. The alter was outfitted with gold accents. As Lex began to walk towards it, her mind was coming to the conclusion to exactly who it had been built for when the voice nearly made her scream in surprise.

"You grow more beautiful every day; did you know that?"

Lex whipped around, her heart pounding, and froze in disbelief. The woman in front of her smiled softly.

"And you should know how much that means, coming from me."

Elexis couldn't speak, merely staring at the woman in front of her. It was almost impossible to believe, like it shouldn't have been happening. And yet, there she stood. Glowing in a soft light with impossibly flawless skin, dark chocolate hair to her waist and ever-changing eyes regarding the young woman in front of her with pride like Lex had never seen before. She held beauty that Lex had never seen in her life, and before she could stop herself, the young woman spoke.

"Mom?"

Aphrodite smiled gently at her daughter and stepped closer to her. "You are so appropriately named, my gem. So strong, and clever." She reached up and brushed a piece of blonde hair from Lex's face, and the girl almost melted at how soft the goddesses hands were. "And so beautiful."

Mentally shaking herself, Lex stepped back. Something flickered across her mother's face, but it was gone before the younger girl could distinguish it.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"I think you mean what are you doing here, Elexis." Aphrodite told her, raising an eyebrow. "This is my private temple, up on Mount Olympus."

"So, I'm…"

"In a dream." Her mother confirmed, nodding sagely. "Yes. Zeus was… less than happy when your uncle saw the Scythian Dracnae. He's much different than other mortals. Stronger, sharper sight. Not easily fooled by the Mist. Or fooled by it at all, it seems."

Elexis shifted, looking down at her bare feet and manicured toenails. It was forbidden to tell mortals about their world, she knew that. But Steve had seen the monster, and her daggers. As she thought about the fight, something occurred to her and she looked back at Aphrodite. The goddess had now moved over to the altar, stroking some petals on the flowers and touching the food.

"Mom?"

The goddess hummed, and Lex took that as a sign to continue.

"Steve's shield, it… it hurt that monster. Human steel can't do that."

Aphrodite turned to face her daughter, eyes dancing mischievously. "No. You're right, it can't."

"So, how did-"

"Is your uncle's shield human steel, Elexis? Is it a weapon forged by man?"

The blonde pondered that question, head tilting to the side. Everyone knew Captain America's shield was the first weapon to be made of vibranium; the strongest element known to the man. But that was the kicker. Known to man.

Was Aphrodite really suggesting that it had never belonged to man at all?

"I can see I'm starting to confuse you." Aphrodite smiled ruefully. "I'm sorry. That's not why I brought you here."

"So, why did you bring me here?"

"Aside from saving you from Zeus's disciplinary wrath?" The goddesses voice sharpened, and Lex's argument died on her tongue. It was often hard to remember the goddess of love and beauty, the great seducer of men and gods, was also a mother to thousands of children over time. Her withering stare was enough to shut Lex up right then and there.

Upon hearing her child's silence, Aphrodite continued. "The Olympians had met for counsel, Elexis. As your mother, it is my duty to tell you: Be ready."

The air changed around them, like an electric current had run through it. But Lex was too captivated by her mother's words to notice.

"A different time, a different war, is coming." Aphrodite warned the young hero. "You will fight battles among mortals and among gods. Different gods," the goddess's nose scrunched slightly in distaste, "but gods all the same. Don't let them forget where you come from, or who you are. You are the child of an Olympian. If anyone needs to be reminded of that, then you do what you need to."

The goddess walked past her, leaving the young woman completely confused and even more lost than before, but she suddenly stopped. "Oh! I almost forgot. I have a gift for you."

She held out her hand, palm up, and Lex hesitantly placed hers on top. Aphrodite smiled warmly as she took her daughters hands and, using her middle finger, traced it down her forearm, to the back of her hand and each of her five knuckles.

A warm, tingling sensation started in Lex's skin. It followed the path of her mother's finger, and Lex's eyes widened as she watched what was happening.

A glowing gold light followed Aphrodite's drawings. It wrapped around her wrist, going down the center of the back of her hand and the center of her palm, before wrapping around the base of each finger. Eventually, the glow died down just enough for Lex to see what it was.

The chain was golden and warm, and more beautiful than anything she'd ever seen. It looked like a strange, expensive bracelet, but a finger under her chin pulled her gaze from the newly designed jewelry. Aphrodite observed her daughter's face.

"The mortals need you now, Elexis. Wake up."

Next chapter: Elexis is called to join a group of extraordinary people to fight an extraordinary fight.