Prologue
Selma Yorkshire was nothing ordinary. Her mind was overzealous with wild thoughts, creating strands and turning them into tangles that meshed cohesively. She was obsessed with the colour maroon, was dyslexic – much to her dismay – and had a severe case of ADHD. She could never sit down in one place for too long, always moving to find a comfortable position, never held the greatest attention span and could only read Greek and most Latin fluently.
She had a love for myths, specifically Greek mythology, and had fallen in love with the Percy Jackson series the moment it was given to her as a present. Sure, Harry Potter was a favourite, but it wasn't the one. It didn't make her heart thump a thousand times in a span of seconds. She didn't memorise everything word for word. To put it simply, she thought it was the less amazing distant cousin of her series.
"Selma Lyra Yorkshire!" Her mother screamed angrily, heated jade eyes staring daggers at her daughter. "Why did I receive a call from your university that you've been expelled? Again."
Her mouth twitched, clouded emerald eyes meeting the others before returning to her Greek book.
Elizabeth could no longer handle the disrespect her daughter continuously showed her, over a fictional book! "I've had it up to here with your behaviour!" She snapped, snatching the book from her daughter and slamming in onto the floor with a heavy thump. "If you don't pick up your act and act like the adult you are, you can kiss those books of yours goodbye!"
"I do." She replied with stormy eyes, blocking the images of her leaving this wretched place. Ever since those books landed into her hands, her mother had reacted negatively to her that any previous feelings of towards her evaporated into thin air. "However, with the arguments, we constantly regale to each other, I've given up trying to please you."
"What are you going to do with your future?! You need a job and a good education." She continued, ignoring the reddening face of her daughter.
"What I want is a family. Children surrounding me and a loving husband." She retorted sharply, bending to grasp her book with gentle hands. "I don't want that. I want to be a mother, not working a nine to five job that I will quit on the first day."
Elizabeth snorted, running a hand through her cropped hair. "You don't need to settle for something like that."
"And yet, that is what I want for myself." Selma walked away, pausing to throw a look over her shoulder with burning eyes. "Please have some sort of respect for your daughter. I don't intend to uphold your wants and desires. I am my own person and I have the right to follow whatever path I choose to. Good or bad. Right or wrong. My choices are what matter most. Not a petty argument dragged on daily."
"Whatever place you think of is only a dream." She sighed, whatever fight she had in her compressing. "This is reality and your dream is just that; a dream."
"Then I'll dream wonderfully and continue to do so forever." She shrugged, walking to her room.
Opening the door with closed eyes, she fell through an unending pit, forcing her eyes open to stare at the blinding white around her. Blonde hair swirled around her face, hands shielding her eyes as wind billowed around her falling form. Whatever had caused this, wasn't ending any time soon.
Or so she thought.
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"Who brought a mortal here?" Thundered an age-old voice in anger, booming echoing throughout the whispering room.
"Brother, calm down. You'll fry the demi-god before she can answer our questions." Another sighed exasperatedly.
Bleary emerald met knowing blue. Apollo winked discreetly at her. "Dad, Uncle P, it seems she's awake."
'Traitor.' She thought fleetingly, kneeling and rubbing her eyes. "Would anyone be so kind as to explain as to why I've come to an unknown…" She looked around with annoyed eyes "…somewhere blinding?"
Apollo and Hermes snickered under their breaths, only stopping when Zeus sent them a look. "Why don't you tell us." It wasn't a question.
She blinked, taking in the appearances and something clicked. "You're the Gods and Goddesses of Olympus…" Her eyes narrowed as she pointed at them all. "Do you have any idea what your stupidity has done?! Your stupid law of having no contact with your children is utterly and completely moronic, you stupid idiot!"
They were too stunned by her bold words; Zeus couldn't form the thunder to smite the puny half-blood.
She rounded onto Hera with furious eyes. "I despise hypocrites. You despise your husbands' children, yet treat ones like a king and another demigod like garbage! Shame on you for that! The children your husband sires are not at fault! Have some respect and dignity, you're classless!"
Ares was her next target. "All you do is sire bullies and completely disregard them until they are useful to you. Shame on you and your malfunctioning brain! Teach them some manners, you cretin!"
"And you two…" She glared fiercely at Poseidon and Zeus. "Your brother indefinitely deserves his place here on Olympus, to think otherwise is insulting as his domain is just as important as your own." Perhaps she wasn't directing those words to Poseidon – more so the pigheaded Zeus – but was it too much to ask that he had some better feelings towards his older brother.
The gods blinked down at the panting half-blood, before Zeus glared down at her with heated eyes, reaching for his bolt.
A light surrounded Apollo, downsizing to push the young woman behind him. "Sorry dad, can't let you do that."
"And why ever not?" He growled.
He grinned cheekily, swinging an arm around her and kissing her cheek loudly. "She's my daughter. Can't let you smite her."
Chaos descended. Hermes downsized and zipped closer, inspecting her closely. "She does look like you, but her eyes are completely different."
He nodded. "That would be from her mother."
"Apollo, is there something you aren't telling us?" Poseidon inquired curiously. His nephew rarely hid his children, and while she shared traits there was something old about her.
"Nope." He grinned. "Sorry dad, I've got to grab Selma and have a chat with her. She'll be at camp in no time."
The two vanished before the others could object.
Artemis sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She should have realised that her brother would continue his pursuit of the girl's mother. Yet, why bring her back now?
"Do you know anything?" Athena queried, grey eyes never moving from her half-sister.
Apollo would owe her a large favour for this. "I know nothing of my brothers' trysts. I do not oversee who he is with and who he derives his pleasure with."
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She blinked deliriously, mind spinning like an unending whirlpool. "Do I need to call you dad?"
He grinned cheekily, ruffling her messy locks, letting her swat his hand away with a loud smack. "I wouldn't mind really, kiddo."
She frowned, poking his cheek before tilting her head. "You're unusually cheerful after creating more chaos than you ever have. Why am I here?"
"Your mom and I thought it was time we brought you back to interfere with a few things." He answered nonchalantly, ignoring the doubletake she did and her wide eyes.
"So, Marie isn't my biological mom?" She paused, blinking furiously. "That unexpectedly makes an uncommon amount of sense. So, dad, are we expecting another family reunion?"
"Your mom can't come here. We talked about it before, but we're going to wait a little more until you're of age and the other gods, well most of 'em, Uncle P, Uncle H and Arty won't kill you or agree to kill."
She blanched. Suddenly, her entire existence was looking a little too colourful and deadly. "They won't turn me into anything, will they?"
"Not where you're going." He assured, his cheerful eyes changing as his voice deepened at the thought of them trying anything on his daughter. He shrugged, waving the serious moment away. "You'll figure it out on your own. See ya, Lyra~" With a snap of his fingers, she was engulfed by a blinding light and swept to the mortal world below them. "She looks like you."
"Of course. I am her mother, Apollo." A cold voice reverberated. "I…am not completely disappointed that she too shares thy own features. Perhaps, she takes more of thy than I."
"A perfect mixture." He conceded. "Dad is going to be furious when he finds out."
"Our daughter wasn't completely wrong with her words towards the gods, thy father's idiocy is entirely correct." She mused, cold voice softening slightly as she walked out. "I shan't stay long; my presence will be missed if I am gone too long."
As she walked away, Apollo hummed loudly. "If I'm claiming her first, maybe I should send her first present to her."
Ruby lips curled into a sly smirk. "How does thy know she hasn't received her first gift?"
He chuckled loudly as she left, throwing his head back, hair sparkling like golden thread. "Sly as ever."
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She screamed; eyes wide as her body fell through the sky quicker than she would have liked. "Grandpa! I'm sorry, but please don't let your granddaughter die yet! I still haven't finished chewing you out!" She and her big mouth really needed to think before she spoke. She was sure a bolt of lightning barely missed her.
"Worry not child, thy shall be safe and sound in but a moment." A cold voice spoke softly, gaining her immediate attention.
"I'm falling hundreds of miles because daddy dearest got a bit too excited, so pardon my rudeness, but please put my feet on the ground!" She hissed, shivering as she slowly landed safely on the ground. "Grandpa isn't exactly welcoming his newest granddaughter warmly. Stupid gods and stupid laws."
The voice laughed lightly, finding amusement at her daughters' words. "Thy is safe, for now. Make haste and enter the camp before monsters arrive."
"Can I have a refund on this new life?" She joked weakly, noticing the tiny hands. She blinked once, twice before freaking out. Patting her chest frantically, her pallor blanched. She was a child. A child. "Daddy dearest didn't de-age me, did he?"
"I wouldn't de-age you!" He cried dramatically. She was sure if he was here, he'd be the best actor she's ever seen. "That was your mom! Tell her!"
A beat of silence passed, causing her to droop her head. Her mother spoke to her and she hadn't even realised. Kneading her forehead, she sighed. "Just – just tell me how far I'm away from camp."
"Thy needs only to run straight and thy will find camp."
"Yeah, better hurry. Some monsters caught your scent and are coming for you."
"I take back wanting to live here. I want to go back to my room and books." Hearing the roar behind her, she didn't dare dawdle. Pushing off the ground, she sprinted straight for a few minutes, thankful for the burst of speed when she felt the air behind her shift and the loud chomp of teeth.
Panting, her eyes snapped to the tree she knew was the border. Only, to find it missing. No sign of a tree ever having resided there. She gulped, mouth running dry at the thought that entered her brain. Was…was she brought here before anything happened?
Apollo watched the scene, eyes narrowed as he knew he couldn't help. As much as he wanted to help, interfere with anything to do with his children, he could never do so – all because of that damned law.
A melodious voice echoed through her mind, the pure power all but overshadowing her mortal soul. "As a favour to thine brother, I shall gift thee. Touch thy neck."
Reaching for her neck, her fingertips grazed the cold steel hanging limp. Narrowing her eyes, she ripped it from her neck, expecting a scratch only for something both light and heavy to land in her hand.
"Close thy eyes, imagine the mist surrounding thee." Her mother coaxed. "With thy arrow, pierce their flesh."
She imagined fire billowing fiercely with her arrow, notching the arrow, she let it go in a flurry of fire, her face blank despite the howls of pain. Shaking her head, she swivelled on her feet and sprinted to the hill.
Vision blurry, she was sure she had seen her mother for a split second, a small proud smile lightening her face before she fainted to the sounds of hooves galloping and shouts for medics.
She had arrived at Camp Half-Blood.
Safe and sound.