Oh my gosh, you guys. One hundred and eleven reviews. Nineteen thousand plus views. I can't believe so many people like this story! I'm literally crying a little right now.
Thank you, THANK YOU ALL, so very much, for reading this! It really means a lot to me.
Disclaimer: I do not own PJO. Wrong gender, wrong age, wrong place of residence.
General P.O.V
April 8th, 1999…
The night nurse walked into the room at the maternity ward to find the young mother was awake.
"She's crying." the mother said, gesturing weakly toward the bassinet beside her bed. "Could you…"
"Of course." The nurse walked over.
The baby was crying, still swaddled in her striped blanket, a tiny pink hat on her head. The nurse lifted her and placed the baby in her mother's arms.
"Shhh…" the mother soothed as her baby stopped crying and began to nurse. "There we are, baby." She gave the nurse an exhausted smile. "Thank you. I'm still sore from the surgery."
"Don't worry about it, of course you are. Those C-sections aren't fun once you wake up, I know." the nurse bustled around for a second, checking that everything was all right, adjusting the bed so the mother was sitting up a little.
"Julia."
A tall young woman, a little older then the new mother, stood in the doorway, long black hair pulled up into a ponytail and stern brown eyes examining the entire room, lingering on the nurse's proximity to the woman and the baby.
"Julia, do you need help? Is she all right?" The woman crossed the room while the young mother sighed, her own brown eyes showing amusement and affection.
"Macy, I'm fine. She was just hungry."
"And you got up?"
"Of course not, Kathryn was kind enough to help me." She nodded towards the nurse, whose name tag was on full display. Macy relaxed slightly.
"I'm sorry, but what are you doing here? Visiting hours are over."
"I'm staying here with my sister." Macy replied, lifting her chin. Her eyes challenged the nurse to say one word about her staying there.
The nurse accepted the challenge. "You can't stay here unless you're an immediate relative, I'm sorry."
"These are special circumstances." Macy said calmly, walking over and sitting down in a chair beside Julia's bed. The nurse opened her mouth to say something else, but Julia gently raised her hand to stop her.
"The baby's father isn't here, and my parents won't get here until tomorrow. I'd really like her to stay here with me… please? So I'm not alone?"
The nurse studied the two women, then sighed.
"All right."
"Thank you." Julia smiled.
The nurse left. The baby stopped nursing and lay quietly in Julia's arms. Macy leaned forward.
"Has she opened her eyes yet?"
Julia shook her head. "No, but the nurses say that's fine. She'll probably open them tonight or tomorrow." Julia gazed down at the baby, her voice taking on a reverent tone. "Isn't she beautiful?"
Macy glanced at the baby as well. "Gorgeous."
Julia pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead. "Are you sleepy, little one?" The baby, full and warm, had fallen asleep. Julia made to get up and winced.
"Here, I'll get her." Macy swooped in and lifted the baby from Julia's arms, laying her in the bassinet. As she lifted her arms away, one little arm emerged from a fold in the blanket, and the baby's features scrunched. Macy let the tiny fist grasp her finger. The baby calmed and continued sleeping.
"She's got a tight grip." Said Macy softly.
"She's a fighter." Said Julia from her bed. She had laid back and closed her eyes. Macy gently extracted her finger and went to her sister's side.
The two talked for a while longer before Julia fell asleep and Macy did the same, slumped on the edge of the bed, one hand resting on Julia's.
All was quiet in the little room… before a soft breeze wafted through the door. A moment later, a young man suddenly appeared in the middle of the room, wearing a nurse's uniform. He had a deep tan, curly black hair, and green eyes that, at the moment, looked furtive. He glanced over at the two sleeping women before sneaking past them and bending over the bassinet.
He examined the baby carefully, reaching for her, his fingers barely brushing her soft cheek. A smile spread suddenly across his face and he let out a soft chuckle.
The baby had opened her eyes, which were green and a little bleary. Her fist waved in the air. She focused on the man beside her bassinet.
"Well, hello there, little one." He whispered.
He watched the baby for a moment before speaking.
"I know you're too young to understand. But you should know me, and your importance."
He took a deep breath. "I'm your father, child. My name is Zephyrus, the god of the west wind, and you, little Annaliese, are my only daughter, and my first demigod child."
Baby Anni was still waving her fist. Zephyrus nudged his finger against her hand, which grasped his finger. He smiled a little.
"Ah, you're a fighter, aren't you, little one? That's good. I'm not known for being a fighter. It's just as well that you can be."
He paused for a moment before bending and kissing the baby's forehead.
"My birthday gift to you is this." He whispered against the soft fuzz covering the baby's head. "Whenever you wish, my daughter, the West Wind shall be at your command."
He kissed her forehead again, then extricated his finger and straightened. He gazed down at the baby, and she looked up at him.
"Sleep well, Annaliese Marie." Zephyrus whispered, and he dissolved into wind which gently brushed the baby's cheek before wafting out of the door. It closed gently behind him.
April 9th, 1999…
Anni was awake and nursing when she met her grandparents for the first time.
"Julia!"
"Hi, Dad!"
The older man in the doorway immediately comes over and presses a kiss to his daughter's forehead, but the woman with him, Julia's stepmother, hovers in the doorway. Her own daughter, Macy, stands beside her.
"Any sign of him?"
Camilla Brown's voice is low, private.
"No."
Macy's tone matches her mothers.
They watch Liam Brown coo over his granddaughter for a moment before Camilla speaks again.
"Do you think it could be Mars?"
Macy shakes her head.
"Julia doesn't seem his type. She's a sweet girl, but she's no warrior."
Camilla studies the bundle in Julia's arms.
"Let's hope her daughter is. She'll need to be to survive Lupa and her wolves."
Liam turns to the doorway and instantly Camilla's stern face melts into a smile. She comes forward and also kisses Julia's forehead.
"Well, isn't she precious!?" she coos, gazing at the baby, who's watching her with one eye open. "It's nice to meet you, Annaliese."
Macy also comes forward, showing no trace of the conversation she had just had with her mother. For a moment, it's all quiet while they all admire the baby.
Then she opens her mouth and lets out an earsplitting wail. Julia lifts her to her shoulder and gently pats her back. When the burp comes, a sudden gust of wind blows through the room. Macy and Camilla instantly glance at each other while Liam moves toward the open door.
"It's a windy day. Someone must have just come in." he says, closing the door. Camilla nods and smiles at her husband and stepdaughter.
"Yes, that must be it." She sends a significant glance Macy's way before she comes forward, reaching into her purse and pulling out a tiny yellow onesie and a pink sleeper with a purple and blue butterfly on it.
"Now, let's see how Annaliese looks in these, shall we?"
July 7th, 2003…
"ANNI!"
Julia's voice echoed slightly among the trees. She had decided it might be a good idea to take her energetic four-year-old for a weekend hike, but she had lost sight of the blonde pigtails she had been following. Turning in a circle, she called yet again.
"ANNI!"
Anni's P.O.V
Anni could hear Mommy calling her, but she didn't want to be with Mommy anymore. She didn't like holding Mommy's hand and staying on the trail. She wanted to run!
So she did. She ran and ran. Her feet in their little boots Mommy had bought flew, her blond pigtails streamed out behind her like two small flags, and the look on her face was one of pure exhilaration.
When she gets older, she will think back to this early memory and scoff. Running rarely holds joy for her now.
A little way off the trail, Anni spotted a really big rock. Wouldn't Mommy be surprised to find her here! She started for the rock and began to climb.
It was easy to climb up, and soon she was standing at the top, hands on her hips, grinning. The warm breeze blew gently around her and she closed her eyes, grinning. She spread her arms out and spun in a slow circle.
Her eyes snapped open when her right foot slipped out from beneath her and she hurtled toward the edge. A fall from this height could result in a broken bone. She let out a scream.
Suddenly a strong arm looped around her waist and lifted her up, moving her safely a few feet away before her feet found the rock again and she saw her rescuer.
"Are you all right there, little lady?"
He was a man about Mommy's age, with curly dark hair and tanned skin. His green eyes darted over her, checking for injuries. Finding none, he smiled at her. "Yeah, your fine. Where's your mommy?"
Anni blinked. Where was Mommy? Suddenly scared, she spoke in a small voice. "I don't know."
"Well then, let's find her, shall we?" He winked at her and scooped her up, making Anni squeal.
"Watch this."
There was a sudden whoosh of red and gold and a swell of wind, and Anni found herself at the side of the trail just as her mother came around the corner.
"Anni!"
She was snatched up and held tightly.
"Where were you, I was so worried, oh Anni…"
Her mother kisses her cheek and hugs her again.
"Don't you ever do that to me again, understand?"
Anni nods and her mother scoops her up. As they head back down the trail, Anni looks over her mother's shoulder and sees a single russet-red feather float down to land on the ground.
March 4th, 2004…
"Mom, why don't I have a dad?"
Julia gave a soft sigh. She had rather naively hoped her daughter would never ask this question.
"He's gone, sweetie."
"Whaddya mean, gone?" the stubborn five-year-old demanded.
Julia sat down on her couch and pulled Anni into her lap, taking a deep breath.
"A few months before you were born, your daddy had to go on an ocean trip for business. There was a storm… he never came back."
Anni's nose scrunched in thought. "So… Daddy's dead?"
Julia shook her head and pulled her daughter close, tucking Anni's head under her chin. "No, sweetheart. Not dead. Just…lost at sea."
Later, Macy will tell Anni the truth.
…
Outside their apartment window, Zephyrus watched, shaking his head softly.
"Well." He muttered. "It worked for Poseidon…"
December 5th, 2005…
Anni may have been in kindergarten, but she knew what was going on in the hospital.
Her mother was dying.
Cancer. Anni had learned to hate that word. It had wormed its way into her life right where it was most unwelcome. It would be leaving soon… but it would be taking her mother.
And Anni was not happy about it.
She couldn't scream and yell and kick cancer where the sun doesn't shine like she would have liked too, so she did so with the doctor. And the nurses. And her too-calm Aunt Macy. And basically everyone who looked at her sideways.
Her mother lay there, dying, as quietly as she had lived. Too quietly. Wasn't she trying to fight it? Didn't she want to stay here, with Anni?
At six years old, Anni couldn't do much. But she decided she was going to fight for her mother. She was going to make those doctors in their stupid white coats cure her mother. Julia Grace Brown was NOT dying if her six-year-old had anything to say about it.
Unfortunately, in moments like this, Anni had very little to say about it.
She stood beside her aunt, wearing a scratchy black dress with a black headband and shiny black shoes that pinched her toes. She was gripping Macy's hand hard enough to bruise and staring at the coffin that held her mother's body.
As the pastor began to talk, he was interrupted by sudden soft sobbing. Still standing there, Anni was crying. She dragged the back of her hand angrily across her face, smearing tears and snot across her cheek. Macy, stoic as always, tugged at her hand to make her stop.
The pastor started again. Anni let out another sob and yanked her hand out of Macy's.
Suddenly, Anni's self-control seemed to snap, and she broke away from her aunt and ran up to the coffin, sobbing wildly as she flung herself onto the coffin, sending flowers flying and leaving a long scratch in the polished wood of the coffin with her shoe.
Wind suddenly kicked up, blowing hard, sending Anni's blonde hair flying. Petals from roses and carnations seemed suddenly to grow wings as they soared up and away. Macy, heading towards her niece, had to stop when her skirt almost blew up around her hip. Other women grabbed for their hems as well. The pastor was gently trying to extract Anni from the coffin, but no one was sure if the little girl could hear him.
It was Liam who eventually came forward. He laid a hand on Anni's back and rubbed soothingly, murmuring words to her. Slowly, the wind died down until it was a gentle breeze, and Anni sat up and flung her arms around her grandfather's neck, wrapping her legs around his waist and burying her head in his shoulder. He carried her back to the group of mourners and held her for the rest of the ceremony.
…
Only a few weeks later, Camilla and Liam would die in a car accident, leaving Macy as Anni's main caretaker.
…
Macy was a daughter of Mars, and a veteran of the legion. She had known from the second Julia spoke about her boyfriend that he was a god, and when Anni was born she knew her niece was a demigod. She taught Anni a smattering of Latin, mainly things to say in a situation where a monster was there and Anni had no weapon. She taught her the value of the element of surprise. She taught her how to use a knife. And she taught her a skill most legionnaires could not handle: how to control the Mist.
Macy hoped these skills would help Anni rise above the rest. She had dreams of watching Anni be promoted to praetor. Ambition was something she had learned from Mars, and it was a quality that had helped her rise in the legion's ranks.
However, there were several problems Macy was unaware of. Anni's father was Greek, not Roman. No satyrs lived where they were, so there were none to take Anni to Camp Half-Blood. No wolves arrived to escort her to Camp Jupiter. And there was a young man down the road who had several times asked Macy out, being rejected each time, who was angry and vowed revenge.
May 22nd, 2007…
Anni was climbing a tree when she heard a scream.
Her head whipped around. The scream had come from her house.
Right after the scream, there were four gunshots.
Anni scrambled for the earth, falling the last few feet and getting the wind knocked out of her. This saved her life: as she lay there in the leaves, a young man she had seen before raced past her and into the woods, carrying a shotgun. Had she been seen, she probably would have been dead too.
As it was, she scrambled to her feet and ran for the house, bare toes digging into the leaves and soil, breathing too hard to speak, or even scream, when she pushed open the door and saw the carnage.
Macy had been shot at point-blank range with a shotgun, three times in the chest and once in the face. Blood had spattered on the wall behind her.
Anni raced out, gagging, falling on her hands and knees a little way from the house and letting the contents of her stomach fly. When she finished, she staggered to her feet and ran as fast as she could to a neighbor's house. In the mountains where they lived, neighbors were few and far between.
By the time the paramedics got there, Macy was dead.
Anni didn't speak for the three days it took for her to be picked up by Child Protection Services, where she was taken to her home state of Texas. She said only two words, a soft "thank you" to the neighbor who had housed her, and was silent until she met her social worker Matthew Jacobs.
When she heard that she was to be placed in a foster home, she suddenly spoke up.
"Aunt Macy had friends who I'm supposed to go to."
Mr. Jacobs smiles and shakes his head. "Sorry, Annaliese…"
"It's Anni."
"…but no one lives at the place your aunt's will describes."
"Yes they do, and I'm supposed to go there."
Mr. Jacobs continues saying no, even as he dragged her down the hall. Anni stopped talking again, though her face remained in an angry scowl.
In the room Mr. Jacobs takes her to, there is another little boy who has just lost his mother. Anni, who has always been rather good at making friends, starts up a conversation.
When she leaves the room, Anni never expects to see the curly-haired boy again.
…
The young couple who foster Anni bring her to court when the young man who killed Macy is caught. She is brought to the stand as a witness, a small eight-year-old girl who can barely see over the witness stand.
She is asked a series of questions. For one question, the prosecutor holds up a picture in a plastic sleeve.
"Anni, do you recognize this young man?"
A nod.
"Could you speak up, please, sweetie?"
"Yes."
"How do you recognize him?"
"He came by a few times to see Aunt Macy."
"Why did he want to see your aunt?"
"He wanted to ask her out."
"And what did your aunt say?"
"She said no."
"Did you ever see him again?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"When Aunt Macy died. I heard a scream, then gunshots, and then I fell out of the tree I was climbing. I was lying there when he ran by. I saw his face."
"Was he carrying a shotgun?"
Anni's voice is tiny. "Yes."
The lawyer gave a significant look to the jury, then the judge. "No further questions, your honor."
…
Anni is plagued with night terrors after the trial, after reliving everything in gruesome detail. Her foster parents, unable to stop her screaming in the middle of the night and unable to deal with her ADHD, give her back a few days after her ninth birthday.
A week later, she is taken in by a young woman named Teresa Brewer, who's last foster kid ran away. She was kind to Anni, up until her first night and first night terror.
"SHUT UP YOU LITTLE BITCH!"
The scream wakes Anni up, but before she can truly process what was happening, Teresa is upon her, her breath stinking of whiskey and vodka.
Anni has a bloody nose, a sprained wrist, and a swelling cheekbone the next morning.
She learns pretty quickly not to scream in the middle of the night. She clenches her jaw hard enough to crack a tooth, "don't scream don't scream don't scream" playing in her head like a broken record.
She cries afterwards, huddled on her bed with her head on her knees.
It's after one of these night terrors that she hears it. She looks up.
A boy is standing outside of her window. She vaguely recognizes him.
Anni is impulsive, not thinking straight. When the boy states he's here to get her out, she doesn't hesitate, packs what little she owns, and leaves.
The boy's name is Leo, and he becomes her best friend.
…
After Leo shoves her onto the train, she sits back and takes a deep breath.
She can still remember the address like it was told to her yesterday.
"The Berkeley Hills. California."
She's going to Camp Jupiter.
…
Anni hates Camp Jupiter.
No one there remembers her aunt, and they are all suspicious of her because of how she arrives. She has had no training from Lupa, none of the usual things a Roman demigod has when arriving. Her time on the streets plus her own volatile temper and impulsive ways have made her nearly uncontrollable. She hates being restrained, hates being made to walk in lines, hates being forced into an alien rhythm.
She has learned to never rely on others, to trust only herself and one other person. It's hard to train the streets out of her. It's so hard, in fact, that Reyna slips up. She calls Anni "a useless legionnaire, a danger to everyone around her."
That night, Anni runs away. She has only been there a month.
She goes to the meeting place she and Leo had arranged. She goes back every day for five months, begging food and money from tourists, and watches for Leo.
Until one night, when she dreams of him.
She dreams of Leo on the streets, mouthing off to Nick. She dreams of Nick beating him before pulling out a knife and stabbing him.
She's screaming when she wakes up.
Juno appears to her when she falls asleep the next night, expressing her sadness at the 'truth' of the dream. Convinced Leo is dead; Anni decides to return to Texas.
Hera, content in her knowledge that Leo will now be completely focused on his quest and that Anni won't try to find him, Hera stops watching Anni.
When Anni ends up in Tennessee, she's still grieving. She stays withdrawn and barely eats or sleeps, too scared of the terrors that live in her dreams.
She would probably have actually died there in Tennessee if that cop had never recognized her.
After fleeing to Boston, Anni's walking down a street with her head down, trying to find a place to sleep, when someone barrels into her, knocking into her.
"What the…" Anni untangles herself and looks over.
A boy about her age stares at her with wide gray eyes from behind a curtain of blonde bangs. He's panting from running and looks like he's just seen a ghost.
Anni looks at the boy, then look off in the distance and sees a plume of smoke rising in the distance. Sirens wail.
Anni curses and grabs the boy, hauling him to his feet. "Come on!"
They take off, running farther and farther away from the smoke.
…
They end up in a Boston alley to catch their breath.
The boy, who's skinny and pale and kind of reminds Anni of a kicked puppy, shyly introduces himself as Magnus.
She replies with a short "Anni."
They sit in silence for a little longer before Anni speaks again.
"What the hell were you doing, anyway? Did you set fire to something?"
Magnus blinks at her for a second before his face crumples and he starts to cry.
Anni sits uncomfortably, reaching over once or twice to pat the boys shoulder awkwardly. She waits until he's done, then speaks quietly.
"We'll sleep here tonight, okay? I'll get you a jacket tomorrow. You got anywhere to go?"
The boy hesitates, then shakes his head.
Anni shrugs and leans her head back. "Well then, Magnus, guess your homeless now."
She shoots him a smile, something that has become rare for her, and nudges him with her foot.
"Like me."
…
She stays in Boston for a few months. The entire time, Magnus stays at her side. She teaches him a few things so he can survive on the streets. She likes the kid. He respects her privacy and she respects his.
A month before she leaves, Magnus meets Hearth and Blitz, two homeless guys Anni is almost certain are gods, or at least sent by gods. She stays a little longer to make sure.
When she leaves and finally makes it back to Houston, she decides she is done with being afraid. She remembers something she hasn't thought of for a long time.
"…and in the event my daughter, Annaliese, turns eighteen, I will to her our house, 347 Bluebell Court, and all the savings in my bank account." The lawyer read.
Anni hadn't really been paying attention, but her aunt had later explained. When she turned eighteen, she would get her old house and the money her mother had lovingly saved for her.
So to keep herself alive until then, she went into work.
She found a job at the town pool concession stand. It didn't pay much, but she was given free food and free showers. She had a place to stay. For the first time in a long time, Anni allowed herself to hope.
She had had the job two months when she came back to her decrepit apartment and found her best friend standing in the hallway.
…
It was silent on the roof for a while as Leo absorbed this news.
"So you're a demigod, huh?"
"Yep."
"Any idea who?"
Anni's quiet for a moment before she answers.
"Zephyrus. God of the West Wind."
"How do you know?"
"While I was at camp, I learned how to somewhat control my power over wind. I knew it wasn't Jupiter, and so I kinda narrowed it down from the four wind gods. Then, when I was looking up his name, I realized it couldn't be Favonius, because if it were, Lupa would have come for me. It has to be Zephyrus."
They are quiet for a moment before Leo pulls away from her and sticks out his hand.
"Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus. Nice to meet you."
Anni laughs and takes his hand.
"Annaliese Brown, daughter of Zephyrus. Likewise."
They shake once before dissolving into giggles.
There you go, guys!
Have all your questions been answered?
If not, PM me and I'll answer them or clarify things.
Sorry about the sudden switch in my writing style. My brain was malfunctioning when I wrote it.
Love you!