Savior

by Tately E DeLaure

chapter 2: wolves

(Luca P.O.V)

I was cold, tried and about to strangle Sophie. Hang on let me rewind and tell you what happen. So me, my aunt and Sophie had just gotten to Mr. Grace's house when, out of nowhere Lupa and her wolves show up and nearly attack Sophie. Somehow she fug a fire ball at them before taking off. I was not expecting her to get very far but when I found her she was crying and holding her legs, if you asked me she looked scared.

"Damn this is not good. We are total lost and Lupa for some reason does not like you." I said sitting down next to her.

"The feeling is mutual. But I can understand why she wouldn't like me. After what my uncle did you can't blame any of the gods." Sophie said pulling her legs closer to her. I had to do a double take but I swore that I had seen a single tear run down her cheek. When I had first meet her this morning she acted like nothing could scare her.

"Hey Sophie, are you alright?" I asked moving closer to her.

"You might not believe this but I am the niece of Luke Castellan, I was cursed at birth so that no one would ever trust me. Heck my own father gave me up fourteen years ago, until I was eight, I grow up in foster homes unsure if anyone would ever want me. I had become depressed and started to eat away my feelings. I weighed a 158 pounds at the age of six." Sophie said before getting up and running away again. I was wondering what was with her and the running but after she told me that I could kind of understand. That and before today I never know that Professor Castellan had a daughter. I was about to get up when I notice Sophie necklace laying on the ground. Next to it was a bracelet that I hadn't notice on her before Lupa attacked. It was a half circle that was thicker in the center with a stone. It wasn't until I looked closer did I notice that around the stone were words.

"You are our everything Sophie... Love Mama and Papa." I read out, so she had been loved by a family. It wasn't until I ran my finger on the underside of the bracelet did I notice something else.

"When I lose my way may the goddess Hestia light it once again." I was thinking that it was just a quote when a man and woman suddenly showed up. I jumped back out of fright and dropped the bracelet onto the ground.

"Calypso where are we?" the man asked.

"Leo I don't know, but I do know that was the verse we put of Sophie's bracelet for when she needs us." The Lady Calypso said. Hang on was this Leo Valdez, the man that gave up his life to stop the giants. My aunt had told me all about him, she said he was a very brave man that never deserved to die.

"Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus and I am guessing Calypso daughter of the Atlas the titan who currently is hold the sky up." I said remembering what my mom had taught me as a young kid.

"What it to you?" Lady Calypso said. I bent down and picked up the forgotten bracelet from the ground. I held it out to her before pointing in the direction that Sophie had ran off in.

"Sophie went off in that direction and she was in near tears, I found her necklace and the bracelet sitting on the ground." I said holding my hands up in surrender. Not that I really needed to. I just didn't want to die before I could meet 'HIM'. And by him I mean my father. My mom said that he left when I was six months old. So I have no clue on who he is. I sat back down and closed my eyes when all of the sudden there was a huge explosion coming from where Sophie was.

"Shit, I'm currently to young to die but I can't have others people dying either." I said before running towards the explosion.

(Sophie P.O.V)

I ran until I got to a cliff overlooking the ocean. Before falling to my knees and crying. Why did my life had to be like this. First no one ever wanted me, second I have always brought trouble wherever I go. As I sat there crying I had a lot of thoughts running through my head but the one that struck the most was 'Would anyone miss me if I jumped.' Now don't get me wrong I have been forgotten to many times to remember what it was like to have someone that loved me. I'm pretty sure that one of the many foster families that I had did love me a little bit. I was about to head back when something caught my eye, a lady sitting at a campfire. I moved closer to her to get a better look but she had a hood covering her face so that I could not see anything.

"Come child sit. You look upset." she said moving to make room for me. I sat across from her so even if she was a monster I would have the upper hand of the flames in front of me. I always had a natural ability with the stuff.

"Now child what is bothering you?" she asked. I just looked away unsure of what I should do. Do I trust a complete stranger with my whole life story or do I just bottle it back up like I have for the last fourteen years. I looked at the fire thinking of something to say, when I saw it. Everything that had happen with in the last fourteen years. I kept watching as everything replayed before my eyes. The fire at the york train station. The first time I met the twins. Even this morning. To say I held back my tears would be an understatement. I started crying my eyes out, so I didn't see the good times with Mama and Papa or with the twin and my friends.

"I don't care what people think I'm not a monster. I just have a hard time with controlling my flames" I cried holding onto my head.

"I know my child. But please understand you will need to learn soon because many tough changes are ahead of you." the lady said moving closer to me. She smelt like fresh baked peanut chocolate cookies. One of the few shirts I have left from my mom smelled the same way, although the scent had faded some time ago.

"No I will never trust this power. With it I have killed people and I never want to do that again." I whispered softly remembering the york train station. Because of the fire that day over fifty people lost their lives and all due to the fact that I had lost my necklace during gym that day. Sure the next morning it was back in my jewelry box like every morning. But still I had caused death and destruction.

"Sophie Emily Rose Castellan, you are not at fault here. Nor have you ever been." the woman said pulling me closer to her.

"You my child are stronger than you believe. Trust in the hearth and you will know what to do." And with that she was gone. It was as if the lady was never been there, but I know she had because the fire was still ablaze.

"Thank you mother, for sending an angel to tell me your words of wisdom." I said looking up to the sky. I never understood why but I know that my mother had always been watching me from heaven, sure most of the girls in my class had a mother to do female activities, but I never did because the day I was born my mother died of complication. Sure I had Clissare and Emily, but it was different than the stories the other girls told. I was about to get up when I notice something in the shadows.

"Who's ever there show yourself?" I said quickly getting up and slowly backing up until I nearly fell off a cliff. What had come out of the shadows was this massive hellhound, sure a little fire here and a knife there and I could kill the thing. But the last time I had faced a hell hound was the day I set the york train station on fire. I reached for the knife hidden in my hair when I notice that my hair had fallen down.

"What do I do?" I asked myself, and than the words from the 'angel' came back to me. 'Trust in the hearth and you will know what to do.' In ancient times the hearth was the thing the women cooked on and heated their homes with. In other words fire. 'Thy hearth which heats thy world...'.

"Burn to ash." I whispered, before pointing at the hellhound. However my flames were stopped by a wave of water from behind me.

"Hey you monster show your true form." a guy said.

"I am not a monster. My name is Sophie Castellan. The monster is the hellhound that you are protecting." I said holding my hands out in front of me. I should mention that I am totally terrified of heights. The guy just kept moving forward sword held in front of him with both hands. Everything started spinning and it was getting hard to breath. I know that I should of ran but for some reason I just couldn't move. Out of nowhere there was this massive explosion in the middle of the clearing. There stood another hellhound, which had thrown the other one to the other side of the cliff.

"Mrs O'leary." the guy yelled before running over to his hellhound. 'Today just keeps getting weirder and weirder.' I thought before running in front of the other hellhound.

"Hey mugly, where you born that ugly." I yelled before taking off towards the woods. The faster I got the farth the one on my tail was from the guy and the other hellhound, the better I would be. Me and the twins when they spent the holidays with me in York, and we would go running in the woods near my great uncle's house. So out running hellhounds in tight spaces was a good thing to know. It wasn't until Lupa jumped over me and attacked the hellhound.

"Bloody Hell! Why does this keep happening to me?" I said trying to catch my breath, it didn't help that I was still having a hard time getting air into my lungs.

"Sophie what the heck was that?" Luca asked stopping in front of me. I watch as he put his hands on his knees, while trying to get air into his lungs. Sure I know that I had past him, a man and a woman; while I had been out running the hellhound. I leaned back on the nearest tree so that I could see him better.

"Out running a hellhound. You're gonna have to be faster incase it every happens to you, or you'll be food for them." I said standing up at my full height. Which was surprising the same height as Luca.

"Oh that reminds me here you dropped your necklace early." he said handing it to me. I hadn't even notice that my necklace had come off let alone me taking it off.

"By the way when did you cut your hair?" Luca asked standing up. I slowly reached my hand up to see what he was talking about when I notice that my once long hair was now short and uneven. To say I freaked out would be an understatement. I went bloody mental.

"Luca what's going on?" the guy from early asked coming to stand next to Luca.

"I don't know. All I did was ask when she cut her hair, and than this." Luca said

"Hey Percy, she freaking out because for so long she has only had long hair, that right now she has no idea what is going on." The man that I had past said.

"Leo Valdez... What? How? Why?" Percy said. I had stopped freaking out and was now giving them a glare.

"Would someone please explain who you people are?" I asked looking at Luca.

"Sorry Sophie, the guy with the oil stains is Leo Valdez, and the other guy is Percy Jackson."Luca said, putting his jacket over my shoulders. Valdez why does that sound familiar to me, something from my childhood maybe one of the families that fostered me. I felt my wrist where I keep the bracelet from mama and papa; hang on papa's name was Leo Valdez.

"Papa?" I asked looking at him, before turning on my heels and running away for the fifth time today. I somehow made it back to the Graces house, I was about to head home when a pair of arms were wrapped around me. I tried fighting but I was almost out of energy for the day.

"Sophie shh my child you're okay. Calm down my little ember. No one is going to hurt you." a voice said softly in my ear.

"Yeah right you don't know anything about me." I said finally breaking free from the persons grip. When I turned around I saw mama standing there looking shocked as to why I was acting like this. I was getting so sick and tired of everyone telling me everything was going to get better but most times when I was around everything just got worse.

"You and Papa abandoned me, when you said we were going to be a family. None of the other families hurt me like that, because they didn't lie to a seven year old." I screamed at her. Letting everything I was holding back out. I know I was acting childish but seeing as I had a hard time trusting adults as it is; it was understandable. I was about to run away again when all my energy left me. I fell to my knees unable to keep myself up any longer. I ended acting just like that seven year old girl that had been left on the front steps of the school. I hadn't cried than but I was crying now.

"Oh my sweet ember, we never abandoned you. The teachers at your school notice bruises on you, and they called the police. And before we could say anything they had already taken you to another family." Mama said sitting next to me. I throw myself at her and sobbed.

"Mama please don't make me go back. I don't want to be alone anymore." I said into her stomach, while she was rubbing my back.

"We finally catch up to her." Luca said bracing himself on his knees. Papa and Mr. Jackson were sitting on the ground trying to also get air back into their lungs.

"Hey Sophie, next time you want to run a marathon, let's not do it in the woods." Papa said getting up. All of the adults were staring at him like he was a ghost or something. I looked up at him before getting up and limping over to him. I had not only twisted my ankle but also broke the heel of my shoe. I lend my head on his shoulder, loving the smell of grease and oil that was part of papa's scent.

"But Leo everyone saw you die that day." Mrs Grace said moving to stand next to us.

"You remember the symum that brings the dead back, while I might of figure out the line promise keep with final breath. It was about me keeping my promise to my lovely wife of fourteen years Calypso. Piper I promised her that I would come back even if it meant I had to die and take her off that island." Papa said wrapping his arm around me. So papa know these people. I yawned before nesting my head back on my papa's shoulder.

"Why don't we all go inside, looks like these two could use a nap." A man I had yet to meet said.

"While I have to get going, it was nice seeing you all but Annabeth is waiting at home for me." Mr Jackson said putting his fingers in his mouth, and gave a cabby whistle, than out of nowhere the hellhound from before came up to him. I grabbed on to my papa's overalls and tried to hide from it.

"Mrs O'leary and me have to go. It was nice to meet you Ms Castellan, and fate might have it that we will meet again." he said, before getting on the hellhound and leaving. I was about to ask what he meant but my papa turned me towards the house, I could tell right now that something was not right. I always thought that my mother was an angel and nothing more. Sure I know of the monsters in this world but for some reason they just didn't bother me, maybe it had something to do with my uncle, or something like that. Sure my dad is the son of Mars, and my uncle is the son of Hermes. But I never thought that my mother was a goddess. Just as my papa pulled me all the way into the house, everyone stopped and looked at me, I was looked up only to see flame over my head. I was about to ask something when Lupa started growling at me.

"Okay, what's going on?" Luca asked standing next to me.

"I should of seen it coming Sophie is the daughter of Hestia goddess of hearth and home." Mama said standing in front of me so that Lupa could not get to me. I shocked my head trying to get myself to wake up from this bloody nightmare.

"No. No. No. I am not a demigod. I am granddaughter of a Roman god and a great niece of a Greek god. My father gave me up before I was born, fourteen years ago. My mother died giving birth to me, and I was put into the foster system. I have lived with seven families total nothing more than a few months." I mumble under my breath, trying to keep everything that I have know to be true together. If you couldn't figure it out my life as I knew it as currently falling apart.

Everything was spinning and it was getting harder to breath again. I couldn't hear anything, expect the screams from the past that haunted me for so long. Darkness was clouding my vision when all of the sudden a voice broke through my painic a voice I know only in my dreams.

"My sweeties flame don't cry, mommy right here and will always be here for you. Believe in the hearth and all will be revealed to you my child." I breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth, and I kept doing it until I could feel my heartbeat slow down. When I open my eyes, which I don't remember closing, I was surrounded by a ring of fire.

"What the bloody hell did I do this time?" I asked, standing up. I also don't remember falling to my knees.

"You started freaking out, and than the flames around you sprung up when you fell to the ground." Luca said trying to put them out with a pail of water. I raised my hand and the flames were gone but I ended up getting a bath. I looked at Luca with nothing on my mind expect getting out of my now wet dress. Luca looked about ready to wet himself, with fear. I tilted my head to the side not sure why he would be afraid, this isn't the first time I been hit with a pail of water, and I can tell you right now it will not be the last either.

"Luca I'm not mad. This happens all the time to me. Annie and Katie do it to me when I refuse to get up in the morning. When I've only had an hour of sleep." I said, looking at him. Before moving to get my bag from the car. My mind had been telling me that I would not be returning home tonight or any time soon. I had thrown my duffle bag in the trunk of his aunt's car incase I had been right. But first thing first, I needed to get out of this dress before I end up get sick again. Luca looked at me like I had just grown a second head, or that was until I sneezed.

"Hey Jason you got somewhere Sophie can change out of her wet dress?" Luca asked looking at Mr Grace. That snapped the adults out of their shock, be it from my mother claiming me, to Luca throwing a pail of water at me.

"Yeah, Piper do you mind making her something warm to drink. I show her where she can change out of her wet clothes." Mr Grace said before putting his arm around my shoulder and leading me inside of his house. My duffle bag was slug over his shoulder because he refused to let me carry it. He lead me up a flight of stairs and into a room, from the looks of it; it had to be the master bedroom.

" Sophie wait right here okay? I am going to get some of Piper's old things." he said putting my duffle bag on the floor. He was gone a total of ten minutes before coming back into the room with a black long sleeve and a pair of ripped up dark skinny jeans. I looked at him out of confusion seeing as I had clothes in my duffle, but he was giving me some of his wife's old things.

"Here these should fit you." he said holding them out to me. I slowly reached for them but half way I stopped feeling the overwhelming need to cough up my lungs. Mr. Grace started rubbing my back, hoping to pull me out of my coughing fit. Guess I wasn't fast enough, because I could feel the cold come on. Oh how I hate having a weakened immune system.

"Are you okay Sophie?" Mr. Grace asked, looking at me with worry.

"I was born with a weak immune system, so this often happens. It will past in a few days." I said before grabbing the cloths that had been forgotten. I slowly make my way into the bathroom and change into the clean -dry- outfit. While Mr. Grace was getting the clothes I had put a set of undergarments in the bathroom. I unzipped my dress with ease and quickly change into the outfit Mr. Grace had brought for me. The long sleeve was a size to big, but luckily the jeans fit just right. I rolled up the sleeve of the shirt and that was it. When I came down stairs everyone was sitting around the table talking. I sighed before pushing my glasses up from the bridge of my nose. I usually wear contacts, but when I was crying they had fallen out so I had to wear my glasses.

"Hey there's my sweet little ember." papa said getting up from the table with all the adults. When he tried to pull me into a hug I just pushed him away from me. It was mama that pulled papa away from me because I felt like total crap. She didn't even have to ask she already know what it was like with me when I am sick.

"Leo leave the poor girl alone she doesn't feel good. And the last time you tried to cuddle her when she was sick, it only made Sophie worst." Mama said pushing him away from us. Mama put her hand on my forehead, to feel if I had a fever. Which I didn't my head was just killing me.

"Mama I'm fine. I don't have a fever, I just have a killer head ache." I said before taking a seat at the table, I was next to Luca and Mama not that it matter who I sat next to. Luca waved a hand in front of my face trying to get my attention for some reason. I looked at him before looking back at the table from under my glasses, not wishing to meet anyone eyes now that my contacts were out people that had known my Uncle could tell you that I had the exact same eyes as his. True fully I never liked my eyes they make me look like I was up to no good. It was than that Luca turned my head so I was looking at him. The big smile on his face just made me want to hide them even more. When I pulled away from him did he say something.

"Sophie why are you trying to hide you beautiful eyes?" he asked trying to meet my eyes again.

"Their not beautiful their cursed to the point that no matter what no one wants to be around me when I run out of contacts." I said putting my hand on top of his head and push him away from me. Usually when this happens I end up missing a couple of weeks at school to the point that the twins threaten to come to York and make me go to school. Emily know that I hated my eyes so she made sure to get contacts that change my stormy blues to forest green.

"So what. It doesn't matter to me what other's think about your eyes, all that matter is that I think they are the most breath taking thing in the world." Luca said looking up at me. I wanted to be anger at him, but I couldn't help the slight smile that graced my lips, before it vanished again.

"Luca have anyone ever spread a rumor around that everything you look at dies with in two days? Or have they every said that no one should go near you for fear of been set on fire?" I asked closing my eyes and tighting the grip I hand on the ripped jean legs.

"No but that doesn't matter that was all in the..." Luca was saying before I couldn't take it anymore and slapped him hard.

"They were saying that just the other day. Literally I go to school year round, I've had to hear all of those rumors from the age of eight until yesterday." I said tears falling from my normal dry eyes. I turned and ran, not caring if anyone missed me or not. I just wanted to go back to York and live with my great uncle and Emily. I didn't feel the hand that grabbed me or see who turned me around before being pulled into a back breaking hug. To say that my tears were falling would be an understatement but seeing as all I've done to night is cry, would be an understatement because this is the first time I have cried since the age of five years old.

"It's okay Sophie, you can cry all you want." Mr. Grace said running his hand up and down my back. I ended up letting nine years of pent up emotions out until I just couldn't keep my head up. I was swaying on my feet and my head hurt. I actually felt Mr. Grace pick me up and carry me back to his house, but I was too tried and could not keep my eyes open any longer.