I gasp and open my eyes. I'm wearing a purple hoodie and faded jeans. My hair is open with the ends dyed blue. I never cut my hair, so it went down to my knees. My brown eyes are straining to focus on the person walking towards me. "Hey. How are you feeling?" a soft and gentle female voice asks. I look around and examine my surroundings. I lay on a bed, some sort of a hospital with a number of beds around me.
"Where am I?" I ask. A teenage girl walks up to me. She's wearing faded jeans, hiking boots, and an orange shirt that says Camp Half-Blood on it. Her chocolate brown hair is cut choppy and uneven, with thin strands braided down the sides. Her eyes seem to change colours-brown, blue, and green. A boy follows close behind her with close-cropped blonde hair and sky blue eyes. He is wearing a purple t-shirt with the roman SPQR symbol and above that, it says Camp Jupiter. He also wears jeans, sneakers, and a thin windbreaker. They both seem to be around 15 years old.
"You are at Camp Half-Blood. A safe place for Demigods," he responds. Oh, no. I'm not supposed to go anywhere near this place. I'm in so much trouble, I think. "And if you're wondering, yes, I said demigod- half-god and half-mortal. So, the Greek and Roman gods are real, like Zeus, Poseidon, Hades and what not. They have kids with mortals. So you're probably going to ask how they're alive and stuff. The gods evolve with Western civilization. Do you think Western civilization is just a thing? No, it's a living force. A collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years. The gods are part of it. You might even say they are the source of it, or at least, they are tied so tightly to it that they can't fade, not unless all of the Western civilization was obliterated. The fire started in Greece. Then, as you know- or I hope you know- the heart of the fire moved to Rome, and so did the gods. They got different names and slightly different personalities. Jupiter for Zeus, Venus for Aphrodite and so on. They are the same person with two different forms and each form has demigod children," the boy answers. I already know all of this, but I act as though I don't so that the demigods won't get suspicious.
"Okay… Then who are you? What do you want? And how did you get me here?" I question, trying to keep my voice steady.
"I'm Bentley and this is Lydia. I'm the son of Jupiter and Lydia is a daughter of Athena," the boy introduces. "As for what we want..." Bentley and Lydia exchange a nervous glance. "We want to know how you killed Beira so...easily". At first, I was going to ask who Beira is but then I remember why I'm here.
I was walking to summer school in the streets of Calgary when I heard a voice. "YOU!" a powerful female voice comes from behind me, bouncing off the 100ft tall buildings. I turned around and there stood a 50ft tall cyclops. It had one eye, white hair, deep blue skin and a bunch of Greek armour. "YOU HAVE A STRONG SCENT, LUNA CRASSUS!" the cyclops yelled.
"Demigod?" I asked. "You must have mistaken me for someone else because-"
"SILENCE!" the cyclops interrupted. Without warning, she grabbed me and threw me at one of the buildings. CRACK. The sound came from my ankle. I was dimly aware of a group of around 7 people running toward me, they were between 16-19 yrs old. Before I could get up she threw a spear into my left side. I grind my teeth, trying not to show pain. Ignoring the pain, I took out the spear and threw it at her heart. The cyclops doubled over in pain. I quickly took my bow and arrow out of my backpack and aimed at her one eye and shot. WHOOSH. The sound comes just as the cyclops turned to ash, like a sigh of relief. I heard a voice.
"How did you do that?!" a kid from the group asks/yells. I tried to respond but before I could respond everything turned black.
I try my best to explain. "My arrows are made from imperial gold which kills faster. All the monsters and giants have 1 weak spot, which is their eyes. It's weird but it's true," I explain. Imperial gold is a really rare gold. It is mined from Mount Olympus, the god's old home.
"How do you know that?" Bentley asks.
"I've fought a lot of monsters in my 16 years of life," I reply. I pull up my sleeve just enough to check the time. 12:08 pm.
"I've been out that long?" I ask.
"Yeah, 4 hours. That spear hit you hard. It's fully healed thanks to ambrosia. It is special medicine that only demigods can eat and it heals wounds really quickly," Lydia explains.
"What's that on your arm?" Bentley asks.
"My watch?"
"No, the tattoo '' Bentley asks. I quickly pull my sleeve down.
"Nothing. It's nothing." I can tell that Lydia and Bentley don't believe it, but they let it go.
"How are you feeling?" Lydia asks.
"Normal. Since I'm fine now can I go back? My sister is probably worried out of her mind. I don't want-" I stop myself. Nobody can know my secret. "I don't want my sister to have a heart attack," I say instead. Lydia shakes her head.
"It's too dangerous for demigods to live in the mortal world, especially during the summer. That's why Camp-Half Blood has a magical barrier, so mortals and monsters can't find it," she describes. "Don't look so glum. Camp Half-Blood is awesome. Once we find out who your godly parent is, you will sleep with your half brothers and sisters in a cabin and eat your meals at the same table." Lydia explains. "This," she gestures all around us, "is the infirmary. The Apollo kids run this place, they are the ones that healed you-" A loud horn interrupts her sentence.
"That means that it's time for lunch," Bentley explains. "You can sit with me at Zeus's table since I'm the only Zeus kid. Now come, you must be hungry." I get up and follow them out the door.
After lunch in the dining pavilion, Lydia takes me on a tour of the camp. She talks about all the magical stuff the camp offers (magic archery, pegasus riding, the lava wall, fighting monsters). Then she tells me that we are in Long Island, New York. "Nico di Angelo is a son of Hades, so he can travel through shadows to get from one place to another. That's how we got you here so quickly," Lydia explains.
"Who are the other four kids?" I ask, referring to the kids that ran up to me during the fight with the cyclops.
"The other four are Nick Valdez, son of Hephaestus, Frank Zhang, son of Mars, Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto, and Will Solace, son of Apollo. Frank and Hazel left to go to the camp for Roman demigods-Camp Jupiter, " she replies. My face must be really funny because Lydia laughs, "It's a lot of names, but eventually you'll get them."
"If I stay," I point out.
"Why wouldn't you stay?" Lydia questions. I hesitate.
"Someone needs to take care of my older sister," I reply.
"I guess. But for now, I'm going to take you to Nick. He's been going crazy trying to replicate your arrows," Lydia says.
Lydia takes me to Nick. He looks like a Latino Santa's elf, with curly black hair, pointy ears, and a cheerful babyish face. We spend all afternoon replicating my arrows. By the end of the day, we've managed to replicate around 15 arrows.
At dinner, I sit with Bentley at Zeus's table again. "I think you're a Hephaestus kid because of the way you work with machines. What do you think?" Bentley asks.
"I don't know. I would like to have Hephaestus as my Dad or Athena as my Mom," I reply.
"What about Zeus?" Bentley asks. I shrug.
"I don't like all of the attention."
"I get it. At Camp Jupiter, I was always treated differently. But we'll find out soon. You'll probably be claimed by the campfire," Bentley says. I frown. "
What's up with that? The claiming stuff. How does that even happen?" I ask.
"Well, most of the time, the symbol of your godly parent will pop up above your head. For example, Hephaestus's symbol is a burning hammer, Zeus's is a lightning bolt, Athena's is an owl, Hera's is a crown, Ares's is a war helmet. The only exception is Aphrodite. With her, you get a 'blessing' dress, makeup, that kind of stuff," Bentley describes.
"So either way It's going to be embarrassing," I say. Bentley nods.
"Yeah. Pretty much."
The campfire is nothing like what I expected it to be. The amphitheatre steps are carved into the side of a hill, facing a stone-lined fire pit. Hundreds of kids fill the rows, clustered under various banners, standing in the front of the fire. A half dozen campers with guitars and strange, old fashioned harps are jumping around leading a song about how their grandma got dressed for war. Everybody is singing with them. As the energy level gets higher, the flames do too, turning from red to orange to gold. After the song finishes, a centaur (Half-horse, half-human) walks forward.
"As some of you know, we have a new recruit, Luna Crassus, who single-handedly defeated Biera, the queen of Winter," he introduces. He looks at me and nods, urging me to come forward. I take a few steps forward. I can feel everyone studying me.
Suddenly, everyone gasps. I assume I just got claimed, but why everyone looks so shocked, I don't know. I look up and instead of one symbol, there are five. Ares: God of war, Aphrodite: Goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, passion and procreation, Athena: Goddess of wisdom, Hephaestus: God of blacksmiths and fire, Hera: Goddess of Marriage, Birth, queen of the heavens and Zeus: God of the sky, lightning, and thunder. A gust of wind pulls up my sleeve, showing a tattoo, SPQR with 4 lines underneath, on my right forearm. That gets another gasp. The gust of wind also undoes my bun, my hair blowing in the wind like a scene from a movie. A white light comes out of the tattoo and shoots into the clouds. When the light fades, 6 faces appear in the clouds. "Welcome, daughter of six gods," they say in unison. It is then I realized that the faces are the six gods that just claimed me.
"She will stay in my cabin because-"
Ares interrupts Zeus. "Yeah! Yeah! You're the best. BLAH! BLAH! BLAH! Tell them the prophecy already." Hephaestus speaks.
"Follow the Daughter of 6 Gods
Go against all odds
An Emperor respected by evil creatures
6 shall be chosen
And stay clear of the ocean"
"Bentley Grace, son of Jupiter, Lydia Mclean, daughter of Athena, Nick Valdez, son of Hephaestus, Nico Di Angelo, son of Hades, and Will Solace son of Apollo shall go to Brazil with Luna Crassus," Athena says.
"You will find a lost demigod in Brazil," Hera says.
"Can I at least give her my blessings?" Aphrodite asks.
"NO!" they all yell in unison. They disappear and I collapse.
I heard that demigods have dreams regarding the present and future, but this is more like a flashback… to the worst day of my life.
I was playing tag with my cousins in a park, next to a lake and a lighthouse. The parents watched us while they talked… about grown-up stuff. It was a sunny afternoon when all of a sudden, two giant creatures cast a shadow all over the entire park. Later, I found out that those creatures were Titans. All of us ran to our parents. "What-what are they?" I stammered. My dad didn't answer. I could tell he knew what they were.
"You," The Titan said as he pointed at me.
"You have a very strong scent, stronger than the others," the Titan said. I'll spare you the details, but they made me watch as they slaughtered my family. After that's done, the creature opened it's mouth to said something, but the voice comes as someone else's. "Wake up!"
I sit up shaking. "How are you feeling?" Lydia asks. She puts her hand on my forehead as if she is checking for a fever. She is sitting in a chair beside my bed, with a concerned look on her face. I immediately recognize this place. The infirmary, I think. Beside her, a kid sits in a chair. He has a blonde tuft of hair and thick features. "This is Clovis, son of Hypnos, God of sleep," Lydia introduces. "We called him down here because you were shaking so badly and we couldn't wake you up," she explains.
"Why was I sleeping in the first place...oh," The memories start to flood back. "So, I have 6 parents… how does that work?" I ask.
"You were out all night. It's 8:10 now, so we have had some time to think about it. We think that you were born from clay or rock and then the gods put some of their essences in you or like most of Athena's kids, you were born straight out of Athena's head and don't ask me how because I don't know," Lydia explains.
"Another question, how are we supposed to get to Brazil?" I ask.
"We have a warship called the Argo II," Lydia replies. "Hold on, I'm gonna get Will. You're still shaking." With that, she leaves. I look down and try to stop my hands shaking by holding my wrist, but that only makes it worse.
"You should tell them… about your past," Clovis says. He probably saw what I was dreaming because he is the son of the god of sleep. I shake my head.
"Not now. Maybe later." He sighs.
"I'm not going to be able to convince you," he mutters.
"Yep," I say cheerfully. Just then, Lydia walks in with two guys. One has dark eyes and jet black hair. He looks to be around seventeen years old. He has black jeans and a black t-shirt with a skull on it. The other one has a mop of blonde hair. He wears an orange Camp Half-Blood shirt with jeans. I guess that this is Will.
"Luna, this is Nico and this is Will," Lydia introduces.
"Hi," I wave. They wave back.
"Any idea why you were shaking?" Will asks.
"I was having a nightmare. My friend went missing around a week ago. The dream was giving me a clue," I explain. It wasn't entirely a lie because my friend did go missing and the dream did give me a clue on where he was, although I don't like it.
"What did you see that was so bad that you are still shaking?" Nico asks.
"Um- It was more like a flashback," I explain. When I don't say anymore, Lydia changes the topic.
"Nico will take you to Cabin 1, which is Zeus's cabin," I get up and follow Nico out the door. Nico leads me to Cabin 1. People keep turning their heads and murmuring among each other as I pass by. I get bits and pieces of what they are saying. "6 gods all at once-" "An SPQR tattoo without being in the legion-" "6 parents, technically not a demigod" Nico breaks the unnerving silence. "How did you get the marks on your forearm? SPQR. Senātus Populusque Rōmānus meaning 'The Roman Senate and People' or 'The Senate and People of Rome'. Only people who are in the Twelfth Legion have that tattoo. And you didn't come from there. Did you?" Nico asks. It feels like a weight of sadness has been put on my shoulders, recalling the memory.
"It's...complicated," I respond. I can tell Nico isn't convinced, but he says no more. "Where are Bentley and Nick?'' I ask to change the subject.
"Nick is trying to repair the Argo II and Bentley is waiting for you here." He stops at a huge cabin. It has white marble with big columns out front and a polished bronze door emblazed with lightning bolts. "This is Cabin 1," Nico says. As if on cue, Bentley walks out.
"Hi! Come on in," Bentley greets.
"I'll go back. To much white," Nico scowls and walks away.
"That guy is married to black and divorced from white," Bentley mutters.
I follow Bentley inside. Inside the domed ceiling is decorated with a blue and white mosaic like a cloudy sky. The cloud tiles move across the ceiling, changing from white to grey to black. Thunder rumbles through the room, and gold tiles flash like lightning. Alcoves line the walls, each holding a rusty brazier or golden eagles statue. In the center of the room stands a twenty-foot tall statue of Zeus in classic Greek robes with a shield in one hand and a lightning bolt in the other, ready to electrocute someone.
"Does it come to life?" I ask.
"If it can, it hasn't yet. We call him 'Hippie Zeus'," Bentley answers.
"This looks like a bank rather than a home," I point out.
"Oh. This is just a respectful area. Follow me," he leads me through a door into an open space. Now, this can be home, I think. The walls and the ceiling are made out of polished logs. There is a row of beds on either side of the space. At the far end, there are 2 bathrooms.
"What do you think?" Bentley asks.
"It's nice," I reply.
"This wasn't here when I first came. We added this extension around a year ago," he adds. Gods… this place reminds me so much of my old place back when my life was perfect. I lean against the wall.
"Hey. Something wrong?" Bentley asks.
"Ye-No, maybe," I stutter.
"You know you can talk to me. We're technically family," he convinces. I couldn't hold it in anymore. I took a deep breath and told him.
"Two Titans made me watch as they slaughtered my parents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. Afterward, I stole a car and drove… back home. That's where a group called The Platinum Eagles 'adopted me'," I say, making air quotes. "They are made up of ex-legionaries and retired campers from here. They found and took me in. They gave me a mission to kill the lieutenant of another group, knowing that I'd probably die. I did it. Ever since then, people I love or are close to, have started to go missing. Most likely the work of that other group. My friend Natalie is missing. I was searching for her when you guys came around," I explain all in one breath.
"That's… disturbing," Bentley speaks. I laugh.
"Yeah. Anyway, I'm gonna take a shower. Afterward, will you take me to Nick? I don't know where he works on the ship."
"Sure," he answers.
After a nice shower and a change of clothes, I find Bentley sitting on his bed writing a letter. "Your sister?" I guess.
"How did you..."
"Grace is your last name. Thalia Grace is a hunter that follows Artemis, she's immortal until she dies in battle. She goes across the country killing monsters. To say the least, I have crossed paths with her and her hunters," I explain. "Anyway, will you take me to Nick?" I ask. Bentley nods. He still looks confused about what I just explained, but he takes me to Nick.
I follow Bentley through a thick and huge forest, which says a lot because I come from the Rockies. We come to a halt in front of a wall made out of rocks. Bentley knocks on the wall.
"Nick! It's me! Bentley and Luna!" Bentley yells. The rock moves aside to show Nick, covered in soot and oil.
"What did I do to earn this wonderful visit from her majesty?" Nick jokes. I scowl.
"Can you not?"
"You're no fun," Nick mumbles.
"Your type of fun is very different from mine," I state.
"Anyway," Bentley interrupts. "Luna wants to help you repair the Argo II," he explains.
"Sure. Come on in."
The cave is the size of an airplane hanger, with endless work tables and storage cages, rows of garage-sized doors along either wall and staircases that lead up to a network of catwalks high above. Equipment is everywhere-hydraulic lifts, welding torches, hazard suits, air-spades, forklifts, plus something that looks suspiciously like a nuclear reaction chamber. Bulletin boards are covered with a whole bunch of blueprints. Some are tattered, old, and faded. Others look brand-new. Weapons, armour, and shields litter the place. War equipment.
"Holy mother of god," I mutter. Nick grins.
"I know, right? Welcome to Bunker 9!" I suspect that this place is at least 60 years old due to the erosion and cobwebs at the corners.
"I'm gonna go now. Have fun," Bentley says and with that, he leaves. I turn to Nick.
"Now let's repair a ship."
He leads me through a few hallways until it opens up into a vast cavern. Instead of a ceiling there are glass doors. There's a huge ship in the center. The Argo II, I think. The enormous warship is in its dry docks. The bronze dragon figurehead glints in the morning light. The riggings and armaments are complete but somehow I sense that something is wrong. I study the ship.
Finally, I say, "The electromagnetic wiring has short-circuited." Nick's jaw drops.
"I've been trying to find out what is wrong for days!" He starts moving around, collecting tools, when he stops dead in his tracks and turns to me. "Wait. How did you know that?" he asks. I shrug.
"I guess I have special senses or something," I joke.
After that, Nick and I spend a few hours repairing the ship. We are under the ship, repairing the wiring when suddenly, a horn blows in the distance signalling that it is time for lunch. It is so startling that my hand bursts into flames.
"Gah!" I yell.
"Woah!" Nick yells at the same time.
"Um- okay. Luna, focus on putting the fire out. Don't panic. Just take a few deep breaths," Nick explains, surprisingly calm. Just as quickly as the flames came, they left.
"What-what just happened?" I ask, still shaken up.
"I think that you have a special power from Hephaestus, like me." He demonstrates by lighting his hand on fire. "Only one demigod every few generations gets chosen to have this power." He eyes me curiously. "Never has there been two demigods in one generation. Demigods that have this power usually tend to cause mass fires. For example, a guy named Thomas Gaynor. He started the Great Fire of London. Now come on out." Nick helps me to my feet.
"Can we keep this between us? At least for now," I ask.
"But-"
"Please," I plead.
Nick sighs. "Fine."
During lunch, I try to act normal but considering that I just learned that I could summon and control fire, it is really hard. Everyone keeps asking if something is wrong, but Nick and I just reply with, "We're just tired," or "It's been a long day."
After lunch, Bentley and I head back to Cabin 1. As soon as we enter Bentley turns to me and says, "Spill." I give him a confused look.
"What?" I ask.
"Oh, please. Something's wrong. You and Nick have been acting edgy all lunch," Bentley points out.
"Nope," I shake my head. Bentley crosses his arms and waits, stubbornly determined.
"You know I can easily get past you," I warn.
"You can try," Bentley says. I smirk and sweep him off his feet. I am nice enough to make him fall on his butt rather than his face.
"I wasn't ready!" he whines. I grin and walk away. Bentley gets up and runs up to me. "Are you going to tell me or not?" he asks.
"Or not," I reply. After that, I continue to repair the Argo II with Nick.
The next morning after breakfast Nico, Will, Bentley, Lydia, Nick and I assemble in Bunker 9, ready to go to Brazil.
"How long will it take to get to Brazil?" I ask.
"Around 8 hours. Assuming that no monsters decide that we are a good meal," Nick jokes.
"And that never happens," Nico grumbles sarcastically. Everybody gets on board and we go airborne.
Nick and I take turns steering the Argo II. When I'm not steering I am perched on top of the foremast. It is one of the few places where I don't have to talk to anyone, plus it is quiet, so I can sketch in peace. A shadow lumbers over me.
"Hey," I turn and there stands Nico. He sits beside me.
"What are you drawing?" he asks. I look down at my sketch. It's a girl. She's 16 with mid-length, but crazy blonde hair, her intense brown eyes staring up at me.
"It's my friend- Natalie. She's the one that's gone missing," I respond.
"We'll find her," Nico insists.
"I hope so. She's like family. I don't know what I'd do without her," I confess. "I wish I can shadow travel, like you. It would be easier to find her."
Nico shakes his head, "It's not all that good. Trust me. If you shadow travel too much, you will start to dissolve into the shadows themselves. And sometimes you can end up far away from where you want to be," he explains."Bentley told me about your past, but there's something you aren't telling us. What is it?" Nico asks.
I laugh bitterly. "There's so much I haven't told you guys and those things are some things that I don't want to share." After 30 seconds of awkward silence Nico changes the subject.
"You know, this used to be my spot. I hated talking to people. What makes you like this spot?" Nico asks.
"Same reason as you. I don't like getting asked too many questions and I guess I like the feel of the wind against my face," I reply.
"Well… You haven't seen the entire ship. Let me be your tour guide," Nico volunteers.
"Sure."
The first deck of the Argo II has a central corridor with crew cabins on either side. The oars on this ship are automated and retractable, so they don't take up much room inside the hull. The ship's power comes from the engine room on the second and lowest decks, which also has the sickbay, storage, and the stables.
Nico leads the way down the hall. The ship is built with 10 cabins. At the stern is a pretty big mess hall/lounge. The cupboard is lined with magic cups and plates from Camp-Half Blood, which fills up with whatever food or drinks you want. We go inside and find Will, Lydia, and Bentley sitting at the table with a map of Brazil in front of them. Probably trying to find out where we'll find the missing demigod- who we discussed is most likely Natalie.
"Hey," Nico greets. We walk in.
"Hi," Lydia says. "We're still trying to find out where to stop. Our guess is Brasilia since it's the capital of Brazil," she explains. I still have my pad and pencils in my hands from sketching.
"I am going to put these away. After, I'll come help. I think I know where we should go." I turn to go to my cabin before anyone can protest.
I put my pad and pencils away and I go to get Nick because he is steering the ship so he'll need to know where to go.
"Why don't you turn on autopilot and come down to the mess hall?"I ask him.
"Sure. Festus, turn on autopilot," he says. First, I was going to ask him who Festus is, then I remember that the bronze dragon figurehead is Festus, our eyes at sea and air.
"You should tell them about your fire," Nick suggests.
I sigh. "I will. Now, come on."
This is not how I want to tell them. As soon as we enter Nick yells, "Luna has something to tell you!" All eyes turn to me. Oh no, I think. I sigh and will my hand to go on fire. At first, only sparks flow off my hand, then it turns into a fire. After a few seconds, it goes away, leaving nothing but shocked faces. I put my hands in the pockets of my hoodie.
Nico is the first to recover, "This means that this is-"
"The first time that there are two fire users in one generation," Will finishes. I explain how the horn scared me so much that my fire erupted from my hand. For the count of five, there is no noise except the humming of the ship.
"I wonder if you can summon lightning and control the air as I can," Jason wonders out loud.
Suddenly, a feeling of dread settles over me. "Festus, where are we?" I ask, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. Festus answers with a bunch of creaks and cracks. I turn to Nick since he is the only one who can understand Festus.
"He says that we are in Porto Alegre. Why?" Nick asks.
"I- I'll be right back." With that, I run up the stairs. I hold on to the railing to keep my balance. My breathing becomes more shallow and laboured each time. Great. A panic attack now! Well done, brain. You always find a way to embarrass me, I think. I look down at the city and instantly spot the place where my life turned into a living hell. Bentley walks up to me.
"Are you okay?" he asks. I point at a clearing in a forest.
"Moinhos de Ventos Park. It's the last place- the last place I saw my parents," I manage. Bentley frowns.
"What…. Oh. That's where it happened." I nod.
Ever since my family died in that park, I felt hollow, incomplete. Like a jack-o-lantern, if you will. Most of the time I felt nothing, like a robot following orders, a pawn of the chessboard. I had built a dam inside of me holding in all my feelings, so I wouldn't trust or love someone. I couldn't afford to tell someone else. I felt the dam loosen when I first started to become friends with Natalie. Now it is starting to break.
"Everybody is worried about you. The way you're isolating yourself from everyone. You need to start letting people in," Bentley lectures. I turn to him. My eyes stinging.
"You don't get it, do you? If I let anyone in, something will happen to them. They'll get captured, killed, tortured or-or worse. Whatever happens, they'll never be the same, they won't act the same toward me. My life has been one misery after another! I allowed myself to let one person in and now look at what happened. She's gone and now I'm on this quest instead of searching for her. I can't... I can't watch someone else I love perish," I say the last part in a small voice. For once, Bentley seems to be speechless. He opens his mouth to say something, but before he can speak something hits the ship hard, making it tilt and throwing me overboard.
Bentley manages to stay on board but when he sees me he jumps over the railing. He manipulates the air so he is basically flying. I look behind me and see the ground closing in fast. I am about to hit the ground when Bentley grabs me. I almost blackout.
"Hey!" Bentley yells, getting my attention and making my eyes fly open. "Focus on my voice. We need to get you back up there, but I don't think I can lift us back up there," he mutters. "Going really fast is hard. Got any ideas?" he asks. I shake my head and try my best not to close my eyes. Every time I do I relive the moment my parents died.
Suddenly, Nico and Will appear. Shadow travel, I think. They both run towards us.
"You okay?" Nico asks.
"I'll be fine," I reply. Which is true. I am starting to feel better. I gently pull myself away from Bentley and stand on my own two feet.
"What hit the ship?" Bentley asks.
"No idea. There is no monster or storm spirit that could have done it," Will answers. Only then do I take in our surroundings. We are in a clearing of a forest. The trees are at least 50 ft tall each.
I don't know why but I start to walk to the edge of the clearing. Bentley, Will and Nico follow me. I spot a man standing beside one of the trees. He is wearing a white toga, with curly blonde hair and startling hazel eyes. He is holding an imperial gold sword.
"You," I snarl. He smiles cruelly.
"Nice to see you again, Luna. I have been keeping a special eye on you. I saw you come here, right where my base is," he greets.
"Now, come with me and we can avoid bloodshed," he says rather fast.
"What do you want?" Nico scowls. If his smile can get crueller it does.
"I need this one," he points at me with the tip of his sword. "The rest of you aren't needed for the ceremony." Suddenly the truth settles in.
"What ceremony?" Will asks. I unsheath both my swords.
"You wouldn't dare," I growl.
"Wait, what's going on?" Nico asks, confused.
The man puffs out his chest. "I am Augustus. The first Roman emperor." They all gasp. "I was in Tartarus, the place where monsters go after they die, but there are many ways to get out without anyone noticing. I become a small, minor god, but now," he looks at me, "I need you and the spawn of Jupiter to become a true, powerful and respected god." Nico and Will look at Bentley.
"Me?" Bentley asks.
"No, Natalie is a daughter of Jupiter as well," I inform him. "You'll suck out our essence to make yourself a proper god," I realize.
Augustus smirks, "You are smart. Now come with me, so I don't have to kill these kids too."
"Tempting," I say. I turn to Bentley, Nico, and Will.
"Go and bring some more weapons." Nico seems to understand and grabs Bentley's and Will's shoulders. Then they just disappear. I turn to Augustus. Augustus smirks. "I'm about to wipe that smirk off your face," I threaten.
"You can try." With that, he lunges. I sidestep and hit his head with the butt of my sword. He gets up, his smirk replaced with a scowl. He keeps attacking, while I keep blocking. He rolls and slashes my leg. I hold back a scream. Augustus grins.
"You're good, but not good enough." Just then I hear Bentley land behind me. I turn.
"What took so long?" I ask.
"Sorry," he apologizes. I turn back to Augustus. He puts two fingers on my forehead.
"Rule #1: Never take your eye off of your opponent," Augustus says. I hear my swords fall to the ground as I blackout.
I wake up sitting in a cage. The bars are made out of imperial gold. I can't get out. My leg is bandaged. Outside my cage are crates and boxes with labels that say FRAGILE. The room is dimly lit by torches lining the walls. There is a door in the corner of the room. I try everything I can think of to get out of this cage but nothing works. I remember how I know Augustus. There are two groups of demigods outside of the camps- The Platinum Eagles and Modern Rome. Unfortunately for me, Augustus is the leader of Modern Rome. I am about to give up when I hear footsteps coming toward me.
"You finally woke up," Augustus says. I look away from him. "There is nobody to come save you and you can't get out, so come with me," he says.
"Never!" I growl.
As if on cue, Lydia, Will, Nico, Bentley, and Nick run in. My eyes widen. Just as Augustus turns around, Bentley kicks him in the head. Augustus falls and starts snoring. I get up, ignoring the pain coming from my leg. Stupid cut, I think. I must have looked really pale because Will asks, "What's wrong?" I sigh.
"Well, I'm stuck in an imperial gold cage with no way out." They frown at the cage.
"How did you get in, then?" Nick asks.
"Not sure. Magic," I guess.
A voice in the back of my head says, 'You know how to get out. Use your magic'. The voice gets louder and louder. "I have an idea. Step back." They do so. I get on one knee and place my hand on the bottom of the cage. I concentrate and mutter in ancient Greek. A black aura appears around me and I close my eyes. I open my eyes and the cage is gone.
"How-How did…" Nick stutters.
"I'll explain later. Now let's go find my friend."
While we roam the halls of the mansion, Lydia explains that after I blacked out, Augustus disappeared with me. They only found me because Nick placed a tracker on me (which is NOT cool!), so they found me in a huge mansion. They suspect that the gust of wind that hit the ship was some kind of magic. They also explain that I'd been gone for about an hour. They also say that Augustus has a huge monster army.
After searching the halls with paintings and other historical stuff for what seemed like hours I ask, "Does someone have a phone?"
"Why?"Lydia asks.
"I think I know a way we could track him," I respond. Lydia takes out a phone from her pocket and hands it to me. It is a drug dealer phone, aka a flip phone. I open it and start muttering some more ancient Greek. The phone starts to float by itself moves down the hallways.
"Couldn't you have done that before?" Nico mutters.
"I didn't think that it would work. Now come on before we lose it."
We follow the phone through 5 or 7 hallways (I lost track) before it stops in front of a door.
"I guess this is it," I say. In the distance, we hear a familiar voice yell.
"Get them! Find them! He gave me a concussion!" His voice is getting closer and closer.
"Well, we don't really have a choice," Lydia points out. I twist the doorknob and walk in, only to stop after 5 steps. We are inside a stadium, only with no seats. The golden walls form a 50 ft circle and then opens up to the open sky. There is no ceiling whatsoever. In the middle lies a cage much like the one that I had been in. Inside, Natalie is sitting against the cage barely conscious. I run up to the cage.
"Do your voodoo magic," Nick suggests. I concentrate, and after a few seconds the cage is gone. I catch Natalie just as she is about to fall. I instantly feel the backlash from using the magic. A wave of fear washes over me, but I force those feelings aside.
"Luna?" Natalie mutters.
"Don't worry. I'm here now. You're okay now," I say, blinking back tears. I rip off my sleeve, revealing the SPQR tattoo and tie it around her arm to stop the bleeding from the cuts on her arm.
"Glad you found her." I turn to find Augustus standing with a bow and quiver, in front of the door we came from, which is disappearing behind him.
"What did you do to her?" I demand.
"She wasn't behaving," he says. Will seems to read my thoughts and helps Natalie while I get up. I face Lydia.
"Swords?" I ask. She tosses me my swords with a grin on her face. Nico and Bentley unsheath their swords, Lydia gets her dagger and Nick sets his hands ablaze.
"How did you even find us? I put ancient Greek magic on us to prevent anyone from tracking us," I say.
"Dear, I am thousands of years older than you. I know much more magic than you do. The Titans may have given you your powers themselves, but I've had practice," Augustus proclaimed. The Titans, I think bitterly. They are the children of Uranus (heaven) and Gaea (earth). The Titans hate the gods because the gods overpowered them-twice.
"Hold on," Nick makes a time out sign. "Titans? Magic? I'm confused." Augustus tilts his head slightly.
"You haven't told them?" he questions. No. They don't need to know. Is what I would've said if my voice worked. I can feel my fingers starting to get hot like it is going to catch fire.
Suddenly, red dots appear on everyone's chest.
"It's up to you, Luna. Come peacefully or they die," Augustus says.
"Don't do it. He'll kill us anyway," Bentley warns.
"Oh well. I hope you've had a nice life," Augustus says. Celestial bronze bullets shoot at their chests.
"No!" I thrust out my hand and the beams of light stop centimetres from their chests. I realize that I am pushing the air against the lasers making them stop. I redirect them toward Augustus. He gets thrown back and crashes against the wall. In a blink of an eye, Augustus knocks an arrow in his bow and shoots at me. I don't know why or how, but I feel like time slowed down. The arrow comes toward me, but I am not scared. I catch the arrow and snap it in half with one hand.
"Potest!" Impossible., Augustus yells in Latin. Any fear that was left is quickly replaced with anger. I send a ball of fire at him. Unfortunately, he dodges it. All us charge at him. Augustus glares at me. "This is between you and me," he growls.
WHOOSH! Walls of fire surrounds me and Augustus.
"You know Nick is immune to fire, so he can just walk in here," I say. Augustus smiles cruelly.
"How will he have time to come in here, when he's too busy fighting my army?"
Through the flames, I see a door open and dozens of ogres spilling out. They are about 7ft tall. Each has six arms-one pair in the regular spot, then an extra sprouting out the top of their shoulders, and another set shooting out from the sides of their shoulders. Earthborn, I think bitterly. Augustus lunges at me. I dodge all of his attacks, pouring my energy elsewhere. While defending myself, I am urging the fire that is surrounding me to spread to the Earthborn, turning them into dust.
Once the fire gets out of my control, I start to attack. From the corner of my eye, I see that Natalie is standing and helping Nick, Lydia, Bentley, Will and Nico. Nico has summoned a skeleton army, him being the son of Hades and all. All of them look exhausted but unharmed. Augustus scowls.
"Do you have any idea how long it took me to bandage your leg?" he complains. I look down and realize what he meant. The wound has reopened, blood seeping through the bandaging. Augustus took this chance and slashes my arm. My arm goes numb and I drop one of my swords.
"Yee!" Augustus yells in delight. "After my minions capture your friends. I'll make them watch as I suck your essence. All that will be left of you is a body with a shattered mind," he says cheerfully. I start shaking with anger. Every hair on my arms stands straight up. I raise my sword with my good arm. Lightning races through the sky and directly hits Augustus. When the light subsides all Augustus has are a lot of scratches.
"That hurt!" Augustus growls like a 2-year-old. He kicks me in the gut so hard that I go flying past the walls of fire, past the battle and I slam into a wall, leaving a human-size dent.
I fall to my knees and blink the black spots out of my eyes. I see Natalie and Lydia run toward me. I struggle to get up, but I do. Augustus walks towards me. The walls of fire that I had been in has disappeared. Natalie and Lydia stand beside me.
Augustus laughs. "Nice try. But you don't stand a chance against me." I realize that the cut on my arm has poison in it. My veins start to turn black. I also realize that since Augustus is somewhat of a god that he can control it and I know that he'll use that to his advantage. He curls his fingers. He is nowhere close to me, but my gut wound convulsed, sending hot skewers into my rib cage. I cry out in pain and squeeze my arm, in hopes to get the pain to stop. Natalie grabs me before I can fall.
"What are you doing to her?!" Natalie demands.
"I had poison on my sword and I can control the poison," Augustus replies.
Bentley, Nico, Will and Nick are too busy fighting Earthborn to help. Black streaks quickly race across my arms. Lydia grabs her dagger and throws it at Augustus. Augustus stops it with a wave of his hand and redirects it to Lydia. It shoots across the room back to her.
"NO!" I cry out. Suddenly, everything turns silent. The dagger falls to the ground and then I realize my mistake.
I sent out a wave of pain and sadness. Everybody in the room experiences my pain- the day my parents died and everything else I'd been through. Augustus claws at his head as if trying to get the memories out. Lydia takes this chance. She picks up her dagger and throws it at him. This time he doesn't move it away, so it hits him directly in the chest. He slowly dissolves into a pile of dust along with the Earthborn. Bentley, Nico, Will and Nick walk toward us. I can see the tension in everyone's shoulders as a reaction to the wave of pain. The black lines are slowly fading away, along with the pain. Will hands me some ambrosia.
"Lydia filled me in on everything," Natalie says.
"I did but..." Lydia looks around. "How are we supposed to get out of here?" she asks.
"I could smash these walls down," Nick suggests. "Actually... That's a bad idea, these walls would collapse on us," Nick decides.
"I don't suppose you can somehow call the Argo II from here?" Nico asks. Nick thinks about it.
"I could but the oars are broken, so it can't fly here. The ocean is next door, but the prophecy said 'Beware the ocean' and all so that would be a bad idea." No one else offers any brilliant idea. I look up at the sky which is now orange and pink with the sun setting.
An idea pops into my head.
"Bentley, can you fly over these walls and find a way to get us out of here?" I ask.
"Yeah, I could do that," he says, "Be right back." With that he flies above the walls and disappears.
Natalie frowns. "So, you're my sixth-half-sister?" she asks. I'm not sure why, but that thought disturbed me.
"I guess not. Since Zeus and Jupiter are kinda different people and I have the blood of five other gods," I say. "Right?" I ask Lydia. She laughs.
"Don't worry about it. The only thing you'll get out of it is a really bad headache," she responds. Will gives me a concerning look.
"You don't look so good."
"Little dizzy," I admit.
"Here." He gives me a stick of gum. "It will keep you alive and alert for the next few hours." I put it in my mouth. It tastes like tar and mud, but I don't complain.
Suddenly a door appears and Bentley walks out of it.
"Hi! I'm back!" he greets.
"We can see. Now let's go. I have a feeling that we haven't seen the entire army," I say.
Unfortunately, I am correct.
I'm walking along the coast of Guaiba lake. Buildings line the coast. We managed to escape Augustus's mansion. I have healed thanks to Will. We're on our way to the Argo II when we hear a faint battle cry in the distance. All of us stop dead in our tracks and unsheath our weapons. I knock an arrow in my bow (which appears magically when I need it to) and shoot at a figure on one of the rooftops. I can tell I hit someone because the person yelled a lot of unflattering Latin curses.
"Nice shot," Will compliments.
"Thanks. But it wasn't good enough. He's still alive," I say bitterly.
"Which means that we should hurry," Bentley points out.
Before we can move, dozens of creatures jump off of the rooftop. Some are Earthborn and others are Centaurs, but these ones are much different than the ones at Camp-Half Blood. They have tattoos all over their hairy arms and basically everywhere. They look like Gregory Paul McLaren (most tattooed man) with horse legs. "I'll slow them down. You guys get the Argo II," I say.
"And how will you do that?" Lydia demands. I shoot a few arrows right where the monsters are about to pass.
"HA! YOU MISSED!" One yells. As soon as he steps on my arrow it explodes.
"Go!" I yell. Everyone turns and runs except Natalie. "Go," I order. She shakes her head.
"There is no way you're going to be able to handle an army all by yourself." We have a mini staring contest. I expect her to look away but her eyes stay fixated on mine, annoyingly determined.
"Fine. Just… don't die." We fight side by side for a few minutes and the Argo II still hasn't shown- weird. There aren't many monsters left, but I know that we won't be able to defeat them all. We are getting weaker, while the monsters are getting stronger.
"I have an idea," I tell Natalie.
"Do it," she answers. I throw an explosive arrow at the ground and quickly push Natalie away from it. There is a blinding light and I get thrown back. My head is spinning and there's a ringing in my ears. I feel the waves of the ocean. I lay on my side. I am only half-conscious when Natalie turns me on to my back. "Luna!" Natalie shakes my arms, sounding panicked. "Come on, please! Wake up!" I groan and sit up painfully. She breathes a sigh of relief and pulls me to my feet. "Don't ever do that again. You scared me," she admits. I smile.
"Yes ma'am," I joke. She punches my arm, but there is no force in it. I look at her brown eyes. "I hate you for making me worry. You were gone for almost 2 weeks!" I say.
"I could make it up to you," she offers.
"Yeah? How so?" I ask.
"We could watch Avengers: Endgame for the millionth time," She says. I laugh.
"You also have to let me wear your Avengers hoodie," I say. Natalie pouts. "I'm not taking no for an answer," I pursued.
"Fine."
"You're my best friend you know," I say, burying my head into her shoulder.
"I know, you tell me that every single day," She says. I sigh.
"As much as I want to stay here and stay out of danger we have to go. The others might be in danger," I tell her. Natalie frowns.
"You're in no shape to walk." I look down and realized what she meant.
I am covered in soot, ashes, and cuts from shrapnel. "We could fly," I suggest. "It's easier and gives us a better view."
"Sounds good," she replies. She puts her arm around my waist and we fly up. Natalie and I have done this before when we needed a break from reality, but this is different. It is easier because now I know that I can also control the air, so it is faster. "There." Natalie points at a clearing in the woods where Bentley, Lydia, Nick, Will and Nico stood facing 4 people, all dressed in Roman armour. One is a female, dark-skinned, with curly hair sticking out of the sides of her helmet. Beside her is a young woman with pink hair. They seem to be guarding two people in purple cloaks. Praetors, an elected Roman magistrate and commander of the army, I think. One of them is a male, he looked like a wrestler, maybe 17 or 18. The other praetor wears many military medals, her dark ponytail swept over her shoulders like a horsewhip. Sadly, I recognize all of them. The one with pink hair is Lavinia, Daughter of Ceres, the goddess of agriculture. The two praetors are Adrain, son of Mars, God of war and Eva, daughter of Bellona, also a goddess of war. And the other one is Ateia, daughter of Euterpe, the muse of lyric poetry. All of them are in the twelfth legion so they all have an SPQR tattoo.
We descend until we touch down beside Nick and the others.
"Oh, my gods," Ateia mutters. They all look like they are about to cry.
"Wait.. do you guys know each other?" Nick asks us. All of us politely ignore him. I give them a lopsided smile.
"Hi, guys. Long time no see," I greet, my voice hoarse. Ateia runs and hugs me so tight I think I am going to explode.
"Ribs," I gasp.
"Sorry," she apologizes.
"We thought you were dead! What happened?!" Eva demands.
"I'll explain later," I say. "We should get going. And this is Natalie, daughter of Jupiter," I introduce. Natalie waves. "We've held off the army for now. But they'll be back, so I suggest that we hurry," I explain.
THUMP. THUMP. I hear heavy footsteps behind me. I quickly turn. There is a centaur holding a rocket launcher the size of a truck tire. He grins.
"FOOD!" it yells and shoots. I thrust out my hands and the missile stops midair.
"What do I do?" I ask.
"Do your voodoo magic!" Nick yells. I grind my teeth.
"Can't! Can't-do-this-much-longer."
"Ocean!" Lydia shrieks. I redirect the missile to the ocean. The missile explodes and water splatters all over us. The centaur shrieks and runs away.
"A bath is just what I needed," I mutter while wiping the water out of my eyes. Lavinia, Adrian, Eva, and Ateia still look shell shocked.
"You're- You're a daughter of Zeus?" Adrian asks. I cringe.
"It's… complicated." Nick doubles over laughing.
When he finally catches his breath he says, "Your family is the very definition of complicated." I glare at him and he instantly stops. Eva frowns and points at my tattoo.
"How?" she asks. I forgot that I ripped off my sleeve to bandage Natalie's head. I turn to Bentley, silently asking for help.
"I'll explain," he volunteers.
We start walking toward the Argo II, while Bentley explains all the things that happened: The Platinum Eagles, my parentage, and why we are in Brazil.
"That's… disturbing," Lavinia says. Lydia scoffs.
"Tell me about it. And why are you guys here?" Lydia asks.
"Augustus launched an attack on Camp Jupiter and he was planning another, so we came here to kill him," Eva replies.
"Job's done. He's dead," Natalie informs.
"What! How?" Adrain asks.
"I killed him. With a lightning bolt, some sword wounds, and harsh words," I say.
"Wow… We had over 200 warriors and we still couldn't kill him," Adrain says. "Yeah. Well, he was stupid enough to challenge me one on one," I say jokingly.
Finally, we reach the Argo II. After showing everyone the ship, we all settle down. I am in the infirmary sitting on a bed, while Lydia cleans up my cuts. Eva walks in and she doesn't even have to say anything and Lydia walks out, closing the door behind her. She seems to understand the situation.
"We thought- I thought you were dead. Where were you?" Eva demands.
"Hi Luna, how are you? I'm good thanks, you?" I grumble. She leans against the door frame, crosses her arms and waits. I sigh. "I got captured. The group Bentley told you about- The Platinum Eagles. They have a way of tracking lost demigods. They snuck into Camp Jupiter without anyone noticing. After that, I tried contacting you, but it wouldn't work. All I could do was hope that you were okay," I explain. Eva sits down beside me, her eyes brimming with tears. I try my best to compose myself. Eva, Atiea, Lavinia, and Adrain were like older siblings to me. It was hard not to be able to see them or check on them. I imagine that it was just as hard for them, probably harder because they didn't know what happened to me.
"We spent weeks searching for you. Eventually, we were forced to give up. Everyone promised not to speak of you again unless you were found because Juno-or Hera if you prefer, came to us and told us that you were important and she also told us a prophecy, the same one you heard. 'Follow the Daughter of 6 Gods. Go against all odds. An Emperor respected by evil creatures. 6 shall be chosen. And stay clear of the ocean," she explains.
"Don't worry. I'm here now," I ensure.
"I just wish that I could've been there for you."
"Hey. No. Don't do that to yourself. If I didn't leave then you wouldn't have gotten this," I say, taping her praetor's badge. She smiles wearily.
"I guess. Now let's go explain to the others before they go crazy."
We go above deck to find Bentley, Lydia, Nico, Will and Nick basically harassing Atiea, Lavinia and Adrain. Asking them over and over how they know me, with Natalie watching with an amused smile. When Nick sees us he asks.
"So, are you guys gonna tell us how you guys know each other? These guys won't say anything," he asks and points disapprovingly at Atiea, Lavinia, and Adrain.
"To make it short, after my parents passed I stole a car and went as far north as I could, which was San Francisco. I went on a rampage, killing every monster in sight. That's where these guys found me. They took me to Camp Jupiter. That's where I met Bentley's sister. I spent 162 days there, but one night the Platinum Eagles snuck in and took me. I guess they knew I was 'important'," I explain.
"How did we not hear about this?" Nico asks. Eva explained everything that happened after my disappearance. Lydia frowns.
"If that group knew how to get into Camp Jupiter, why haven't they planned an attack or something? They got kicked out, so wouldn't they want revenge?" she asks.
"It's forbidden to go anywhere near either camp unless given permission by the leader. Most of the people have PTSD, so they'll pass out or something if they're anywhere near the camps," I say.
"Millionth pesto question. Where did you learn that magic stuff? And how are the Titans involved?" Nick asks. I gaze out into the horizon.
"My sister had stayed in Calgary when my family and I went to Brazil. When I came back my sister was missing. I went searching for her when I came across these ruins that weren't there before. It had looked thousands of years old. I looked around the ruins when I found a person in chains. At the time I didn't know who it was. He told me that if I freed him I would get my sister back and I would get some type of reward. All I wanted was to get my sister back, so I freed him. That was when he told me who he was. It was the Titan Atlas. He said that the gods imprisoned him there. He gave me my sister, but he also gave me a curse. Which was the magic," I explain.
"How is magic a curse?" Will asks.
"Every time I use it I get this backlash. I feel whatever emotions Atlas felt in the past few millennia. Which, to say the least, is some pretty nasty stuff." I explain. The sky was now black.
"So, you have this magic stuff and you didn't tell anyone?" Nick asks.
I scoff. "I only told Natalie, but otherwise no. It's hard enough to get to the top of the Platinum Eagles, being a female. If they found out that I freed a Titan I would probably be executed," I say. Eva frowns.
"Why is it hard to get to the top as a female?" she asks.
"Not very many females get kicked out of Camp Jupiter and females from Camp Half-Blood are harder to find. So, I am the only female in the group," I say.
"So, the group is more like a gang," Bentley says. I shrug.
"Kinda," I reply. After that I politely excuse myself to go to bed.
Once I'm in my cabin, I start sketching. I have started to add the finishing touches on Natalie's portrait. I was almost done when I heard a knock on the door. "Come in." Natalie walks in. I quickly close my sketchpad and start to feel my cheeks turn red. I get up and give her a half-hearted death glare. "What happened? How did you get captured?" I demand.
"I was on my way to your house when these guys crashed into my car. I must have blacked out because I don't really remember anything after that," she replies.
"I hate you for making me worry," I say. She smiles.
"Think about how I felt. I had to sit in a cage and think about all the things that I should've done." I give her a lopsided smile.
"Like?" I ask.
"Giving you my Avengers hoodie," She grins. My jaw drops. She never gave me her Avengers hoodie. She knew how much it would annoy me that she had an Avengers hoodie and she still can't name everyone in the Avengers. "I'm serious!" She says.
"Finally!" I yell. My face hardens. "Okay. Now go get some rest," I order.
"But-"
"Go." She sighs.
"Fine. Goodnight."
After Natalie leaves, I get ready for bed. So many thoughts are jumbled up in my head that I have trouble falling asleep. But I knew this for certain:
Before, I had felt scattered, lost. I didn't know who I was or what I was supposed to be. After today I know.
I am Luna Crassus
A half-blood
And the Daughter of Five Gods.