Prologue: Loss

It had finally happened. After six years of never stopping, never truly living, the day had come. Seraphina Jackson was only three months old when the first monsters came looking for the Daughter of Poseidon. Hellhounds and Dracaenas cut down the door. Her mother had gathered her up, the baby girl wrapped up in her sea green blanket, and run, setting off the protections the Earth-Shaker had left for his mortal love and Demi-God daughter.

Age two. Here comes the Hydra. Seraphina killed it with a wave of her pudgy little hands, the water from her bathtub rising, forming spikes and skewering all five heads at once. Her mother had walked in to see the monster turn to golden dust. They had moved the next day, heading south. It hadn't been a week since they had moved into the small apartment.

Age four. A young Drakon tears its way through her pre-school, killing the teachers and injuring several students. This time, the beast was pinned to the floor by an army's worth of bronze blades. They had appeared out of thin air. Again, she and her mother, Sally, are gone the next day. No one ever saw them leave town.

Age five. An empusa tries to devour her in the super-market. It doesn't get within five meters before the ice in the freezers melts and lashes out, cutting the demon to dust. They were in Florida, at the very edge of her father's domain. Sally had railed at the ocean for hours into the night before they hit the road again.

And today, the monsters had found them again. Her mother was running, carrying her little girl through darkened streets of LA. The monsters had cut the power to the city. It was chaos. Sera watched with wide eyes as Harpies, Hellhounds, Drakons and Chimera tore through civilians with impunity. She didn't understand what was going on at the time, she'd just woken up from her nap. All she was aware of was that her mommy was scared, the scary things were chasing them and she was very tired.

His mother was breathing hard, she'd been running for over half an hour already, but the monsters were only getting closer. She hid behind a dumpster and held her daughter tight. If we could get to a working car, she thought desperately, we can get out of here before they catch us…catch her. Sally turned her head to her daughter, the six-year-old's sea-green eyes looking around curiously. She never cried, it often seemed as though nothing phased the poor girl. She should've sent her to Camp Half-Blood sooner, she would've been safer. But she hadn't wanted to be separated from her baby girl. She knew what would happen sooner or later. She accepted it. All she cared about was her daughter's survival. The hiss of the Drakon drew her from her thoughts and she bolted, as quickly and quietly as she could.

She ran. She pushed her tired body as hard as she could, running as fast as she could and she could still hear the monsters getting closer and closer, each of her steps ten for the quadruped monsters. She silently prayed to Poseidon, begging him for help, to save their daughter. If he heard her, he never answered. She only had a growl for warning before a massive paw struck her side, sending the woman flying though a shop window. Luckily, she had managed to turn her body so that Sera was protected. Sally gingerly pushed herself up, clutching her daughter to her chest as she looked out the shattered window. What she saw stopped her heart. A Nemean Lion had decided to join the hunt. The size of a tank with a golden pelt and mane, massive fangs shimmering in the night as it growled at her. The shop window wasn't very big, but it wouldn't hold the beast back more than a few moments. She didn't hesitate and bolted to the right, her tired body screaming in protest as she evaded the Lion's paw. She rolled and slid to a stop, pushing herself to her feet and moving toward the back of the candy shop. She had meant to open one when they finally settled down. It seemed she would no longer get the chance.

Sera began to whimper, the gravity of the situation finally began to sink in. She knew they were in terrible danger, and her power reacted to that danger. The Lion burst through the front of the shop, only to be back-handed back out to the street by a massive spout of water from below. Light shimmered overhead and countless blades rained down from above, skewering countless monsters. The swords, daggers and spears clattered off the monster's hide, doing nothing more than angering it. She prayed again, this time not to her former godly lover, but to her ancestors. Her mother had told her the stories of their lineage. She could only hope that the stories were true.

She didn't ask for her life, but for her daughter's. She asked for the innocent child in her arms to be spared, for her to have the strength to live the way she chose to. Not as a plaything for Fate, or as a pawn for the gods. She prayed for her to choose her path, whether that path be Hero or just as a normal girl. It didn't matter to her, so long as she had that choice. Unlike when she prayed to Poseidon, she felt something. A warmth in her heart, something that made her feel safe for a split second, and she smiled. Thank you, she whispered in her mind. Thank you for giving her this chance. She saw a car up ahead, what kind she didn't know, all she knew was it looked very fast. However, it seemed as though she wouldn't make it. Behind her she heard the rumbling growl of the Lion and knew what was about to happen. She didn't hesitate.

With a great heave, she threw her daughter as far away from her as possible and turned to face the Lion. The last thing she saw was the razor claws and gaping maw coming at her. She smiled. Be strong, Seraphina. The world went black.

Six-year-old Sera hit the ground hard, rolling until she hit the back tire of the sleek red car. She pushed herself onto her hands and knees and looked back toward her mommy just in time for sticky red liquid to cover her face. Her mother hit the ground a few feet from her, four long tears in her blue blouse, which was quickly turning purple as more red liquid soaked into it.

Ignoring the giant golden kitty, she toddled over to her mommy and crouched down next to her.

"Mommy," she whimpered as she shook her mother's shoulder. "Mommy, wake up."

Her mother didn't move. She couldn't even tell if she was breathing. The little girl's heart stopped in her chest. The red stuff was leaking from the corner of her mother's mouth and her mommy's pretty blue eyes were dull and empty. The little girl whimpered again and shook her mommy harder, hoping she'd get up and they could keep running. Her mommy didn't even twitch. Tears begin to drop from little Sera's face as she realized what had happened. She was shocked back to reality by the bone-shaking growl of the gold kitty. Her sea-green eyes snapped up, sorrow gone, replaced by rage. A rage so powerful that even the tank-sized Lion paused. All the other monsters could feel the power now pouring off the toddler. They turned tail and bolted, leaving the Lion to growl menacingly at the little girl as red light swirled around her.

Crack. The earth beneath Sera's feet shattered like class, crimson energy hissing and spitting as it lashed out. The world seemed to stop and the girl felt a warm presence, like a pair of hands on her shoulders. She looked up and saw two women smiling down at her. They looked the same. Same blonde hair, same face, same green eyes. Like my eyes… Sera thought in wonder. The woman on her left was elegant, dressed in silver armor with blue markings over light blue breeches. Her blonde hair was pulled into a neat bun. In her free hand was a two-handed longsword with a gleaming gold blade, blue markings running up and down the blade. The woman's smile was warm and compassionate. Like mommy's…

The woman on her right had the same face as the one on her left, but with distinct differences. Her messy blonde hair was pulled into a messy ponytail, with her bangs framing her sea-green eyes. The woman was clad in bulky silver armor that looked almost draconian (whatever that meant. She'd heard mommy say it a few times when the lizard things were around so…), crimson markings covering the breast-plate, shoulders, legs and arms. In the woman's cruel looking gauntlet was a two-handed longsword of shimmering silver with the same red markings from her armor emblazoned on the blade. The woman had a cocky smile on her face, but not an unkind one. It made the little girl feel like she'd just surpassed something and the woman was proud of her. She liked making people proud.

As one, the little girl and the two phantom women looked to the now hesitant golden Lion. The crimson light ran down to Sera's right hand as blue light ran down to her left. She let the women guide her as she focused on something she could use to make the bad monster go away. She stared in awe as the women's blades blazed into existence in her tiny hands. They didn't feel heavy to her, but she could feel the power running through the silver and gold swords. It made her wince a little bit, but the reassuring hands on her shoulder helped her stand strong. She crossed the blades in front of and focused. She pushed her drive to protect her mommy and desire to make the monster go away into the golden sword, the blade filling with golden light. Her rage at what the monsters had done over the years, forcing them to run, killing innocent people…hurting mommy. All that anger and hate flowed into the silver sword, the blade filling with harsh crimson light. The power from both blades merged and Sera could feel the power building. She heard the women whispering to her, telling her to wait until the right moment. She listened and let the power build up, coursing through her and the swords. The Lion stopped waited and leapt at her. Now! Cried both women. As one, the three of them screamed and Sera unleashed the power as she stuck at the Lion. Thunder cracked across the sky and red-gold energy washed over the land. On the other side of the country, a certain Centaur looked to the west as the energy washed over the camp. He frowned, wondering at the cause of such a blast. Without knowing why, a wave of sorrow washed over him.

Back in LA, the little girl now stood in a silent city as the two swords dropped from her hands and vanished, no more monsters, no more people. Just her and her mother's body. She looked to the phantasmal women and saw them standing side by side with warm but sad smiles on their beautiful faces. The one in silver-red armor gave her a wide grin and a thumbs up, while the woman in silver-blue armor rolled her eyes at the other's antics and gave a deep bow toward the little girl. Sera blinked and bowed in return, causing the woman's sad smile to brighten ever so slightly. The two turned, the one in silver-blue armor putting her arm over the one in silver-red armor's shoulder, causing the woman to stiffen and look to the other woman in surprise before grinning widely and throwing her own arm over Silver-Blue's shoulder. Sera giggled at the sight. The two women looked over their shoulders and gave a single nod, before they walked off together, fading into blue stars that dispersed and vanished. Little Sera looked around at the ruined city before her eyes fell on the still body of her mommy. Tears pricked her eyes and she sunk to her knees with a sob. She was alone.