I hope everyones week has been going well. I am out of school due to Corona Virus so this is what I'm going to be doing for awhile. You're all going to hate me. I've come up with some good plot twists. *evil smile* Anyway have fun reading!

Chapter Twelve: Camilla

The headache had evaporated but it had left something behind. My memories. I stood quickly and gave a forced smile.

"That seems to have helped. Thank you." I rushed past the two concerned campers before they could reply, or stop me. I burst through the doors and ran into the angry blonde girl from the fight earlier. I ducked around her and ran. I had no idea where I was going. But I had to get out of here. These barriers surrounding Camp Half Blood were strong. But me being who I was... I knew they wouldnt hold long. Pretty soon monsters would sense who I was. Large monsters. Ones who usually wouldn't notice this place. They would come marching through the border and find a camp full of their favorite snack. Yeah I had to leave.

I heard an odd noise. It sounded like.. horse hooves. Oh shoot. I tried to go faster but, slipped and face planted into mud in a very un-ladylike way. I laid there for a moment. Then got onto my knees. I spit out dirt and tried to brush the mud from my shirt. I had totally forgotten someone or rather something had been chasing me. So when Chiron spoke I nearly jumped out of my socks.

"Sorry about that."

I glared up at him. But not for long. I got distracted when mud fell onto my nose. I wiped it off with the collar of my shirt.

"Can I do something for you?" Chiron was in full centaur mode. And with his large biceps shining in the moonlight he did look rather imposing. I had never been to Camp Half Blood before, people like me don't get to be safe. But I had heard many stories about the great teacher and mentor Chiron. I stood and looked down with dismay to see my shoes and pants ruined. I tried my best to brush them off. But I still had two dark large stains on each knee.

"Why are you running Camilla?"

"How do you know my name?"

"You didn't answer me." I sighed, this was useless. I needed to work with him here so I could get out faster. I rubbed a pendant on my wrist. My nervous habit.

"Places like this aren't safe for me. If I stay I'll end up causing a lot more trouble than I'm worth. Trust me I've been doing this for awhile." Chiron seemed to find this amusing. He smiled. I rubbed the pendant on my wrist harder and looked down at my destroyed black Converse.

"What do you mean? If you're a demigod you'll be perfectly safe here." I looked up my eyes slightly burning.

"I'm not a demigod. I... I am.." I didn't know how to explain. "I don't know if you are familiar with something called a Champion?" Chirons eyebrows reached orbit. "I am Nyx's champion. I need to leave. If I stay much longer I will attract attention."

You probably don't know what a Champion is. That's because you're normal and dont have to be a Gods servant for eternity. Yeah, thats the simplified story of my life. Want to know more? Alright you asked for it. But if Zeus visits you with his wrath because its the gods biggest secret dont blame me. You asked for it.

My father is a Biochemist. His work is quite interesting. But to this day I do not understand why it attracted my mother. My father met my mother on a college campus. I don't know much about their dating period. But my father told me many times about how wonderful and funny my mother had been. I had found that surprising when I had met her. She was cold and dark. And didn't like me. But that's beside the point.

A month after graduating with his masters degree my father got me. He was twenty six. He had a good paying job but it had long hours. He took me to work with him. I was a good baby and very quiet. I didn't eat much and I slept a lot.

My father had known I would be different. So when the time came for me to go to school he hired a private tutor instead. By this time I still hadnt figured out my abilities. Those were the best years of my life. Then one fateful day I was walking through our house. We lived in a large victorian mansion. On one side of the building there were large arched windows on one wall. I liked that wall. If I looked out those windows all I could see were beautiful mountains. In that one place I felt free. Away from city life. Out in the wild.

I had been walking down that hall when suddenly I slipped into a shadow. I had fallen screaming into the inky black abyss. That had been my first visit to my mother in Tartarus. At age nine. I had landed right in front of the doors to her palace. I had stood outside those cold black doors for what was probably an hour. I had been cold and scared. By the time my half brother Kilan had found me outside the gates I was reduced to a crying baby. He had led me inside.

That's when I met the Queen of Darkness herself. She had smiled at me evilly and then with a few sentences ruined my life.

"Hello dear. I hope your fall to Tartarus wasn't absolutely mortifying." I had stood frozen in the ancient goddesses presence. I had been cold, young, and absolutely alone.

"Who are you? Why did you kidnap me? My daddy will find me!" Nyx just laughed. Then she faded from her throne and appeared behind me. She traced her pale fingers against my shoulders. I froze. It was like she was pouring cold cement into my bones. Petrifying me in a rigid stance.

"Oh, so he didn't tell you about me. Well Darling.." she said darling like it was a sickening word. "I am your mother. Nyx, Queen of the night." I had found this funny. "You're not my mom. You're just some weird lady." She looked very offended. But in my defense I was a nine-year-old trying to figure out where in the heck she was. Nyx crossed in front of me. "There will come a day when I need you. That day will be sooner than you imagine. Tell your father hello for me."

And then I was falling again. and before I knew it I was at the end of the hall. I promptly collapsed. I heard boots and saw my father. He ran to me tears glistening in his eyes. "Cami!" he dropped to his knees and pulled me into his lap. We sat there for awhile and I sobbed into his shirt. Policeman rounded the corner and I clung to my dad tighter. He stood and held me. "I found her. Thank you for your time officers." The chief gave a curt nod. "Glad to see she's safe." He bent down to my eye level and ruffled my hair softly. "Try not to get lost next time ok kid?" I nodded and watched as they left. My dad set me down. When I looked in his eyes I saw something in his eyes. Anger. i scooted back and for the first time in my life my father yelled at me.

"Camiliana Rey Golding! Where have you been? I've been worried sick!" I stared back blankly. What was he talking about? He ran his hands through his already messy hair. "You've been gone for six hours! I've been looking everywhere!" I didn't know what to say. Where to even start.

I've been told my fatal flaw is that I cant bring myself to put burdens on others. Nyx told me that, another amazing girl chat with my mom. That night I just couldn't stay home. I left. I snuck out and left my dad a note. It looked something like this.

DAD,

I'm so sorry. I just can't explain where I was.

I can't stay here. I feel like I'm a danger. Don't

come looking for me, please. You're safer this way. I love you. This wasn't your fault. -Cami

I had stolen three hundred dollars cash. I didn't know where to go. So I slept outside a library for two days. I saw a couple missing papers. And I ate out of trash cans. You would be surprised at how little people eat sometimes.

And then a week later I was walking down an alleyway I stepped into a shadow and..Poof! I was falling again.

Ok thank you for enduring my monologue. It's easier to explain what a Champion is if I explain my life story. Weird, huh?

I appeared in Nyx's palace again. But this time I was ready. She lounged on her throne. I stood awkwardly. (I'm still nine just for clarification.) She looked over and smiled.

"Hello again my dear. Back so soon?" She grinned in such a malicious way that it made me want to throw up. She waved her hand and shadows collected and then dispersed around her palm. A tiny white piece of paper floated lazily down to land softly on her fingers. It was the note I had left for my dad. I cringed. Nyx read the note with a satisfied grin on her face. Then she disapated and appeared in front of me. she tossed the note and shadows consumed it.

"Well now that's out of the way!" She brushed my hair sideways. "Oh dear. You haven't figured out your powers yet. Well we can fix that."

For the next six months I trained. I learned my powers and grew strong. I am Nyx's champion. That means I go out and fight whatever monsters she wants dead. Or extract vengeance on some mortal that disrespects her. That sort of thing. Very few Champions exist. We aren't exactly Demigods. But we definitely aren't Gods. We are quite powerful and usually die young.

Well apperently my mother in an attempt to keep me out of the war with Gaea had erased my memories and made me think I was a goddess. Oh when I saw her again she was going to get a smack to remember. I guess when Tartarus had started to destroy things my mother had lost control of her spell. The headache was my memories coming back. I shook my head. Why was life so confusing. I snapped back to the present as Chiron spoke.

"Camilla? Oh, good. You've been staring blankly behind me for the past three minutes. Are you ok?" I blinked a couple more times. I had been so wrapped up in my past. I was not ok but I was an expert at giving fake smiles.

"I'm ok. For now."