Thora awoke to darkness, her bright eyes scanning the nothingness that lay around her. Panic blossomed in her chest as she realized that she was in a dream. Her initial thought was Micra, whom had admitted to being a child of the God of dreams. Narrowed violet eyes roamed pointlessly as her teeth caught her lip, biting it as she hummed. A jolt of recognition flew through her as she realized she could feel the pain of her teeth digging into her skin.

She sighed heavily, releasing her lip, staring at the darkness around her once more. She knew this wasn't a dream; that Micra had penetrated her mind and forced images into it. Her mind was being projected into a different place. A different time. She was asleep physically and awake mentally.

A sudden light pierced her vision and the glare blinded her. Waves of heat rolled off of her and filled the space with a gentle warmth. Her eyes shut themselves as she brought an arm up, hiding her face in the crook of her arm. The light died down and she slowly opened her eyes.

The ceiling glowed navy blue as silver constellations sparkled gently. A huge hearth sat in the middle of the room, glowing with a dull flame as Thora walked around it slowly, her footsteps echoing in the empty room. The space was huge, much larger than anything she had ever seen before. It seemed like it would be a room made for giants, perhaps cyclops to live in. Or the gods.

Violet eyes landed on the twelve thrones stood proudly as they curled in a semicircle, each unique. One was made from woven crops; another from leather, with human skulls grinning eerily from the arms; one was silver, laden with thick furs; another was made of dense grey rock; another one from silver, embellished with bright precious jewels, twinkling back as they reflected the colour of her eyes.

Next, her eyes fell onto the largest throne. It sat in the middle of the semicircle of thrones. It was made out of a dark silver material, probably platinum, with lightning bolts carved onto it's sides. A strange tug in her gut made her walk towards it. She longed to be near it, she could feel the power radiating off of it: familiar, intense. Thora reached a hand out towards it, her fingertips just barely grazing the surface as a picture entered her mind. Herself sitting on the house sized throne, radiating control, as the world bent to her will.

"Strange isn't it?" A sudden voice mused. Thora spun on her heel, eyes scanning the room before they fell on one of the thrones to her right. The throne was bright gold and shimmering in the dull light of the room. A man sat perched on the throne, a gold bow slung over his shoulder. His golden hair fell in his blue eyes slightly as he watched her curiously, if he stood, he would tower over her by at least fifty feet "How easily the mortal mind can fall prey to the promise of power".

Thora retracted her hand and folded her arms across her chest tightly, face burning. "Mortal or not. Greed is a disease that plagues even the most righteous".

The man chuckled "Spoken like a true oracle".

Thora scowled at the man. She suddenly felt cold. Like the power of the platinum throne could no longer reach her. No longer entice her. "What do you want, Apollo? Why am I here?".

Apollo appraised her openly "So many questions. Is such curiosity a good thing in times like these, Thora?".

A small, animalistic sound rose up from the back of Thora's throat "Is that it? You've brought me all the way here to talk to me about my curiosity?".

"Not entirely, no."

"Then what?"

Apollo's eyes darkened as he became motionless "Times are changing, Thora. The gods can feel it. Another war will come. And we gods can do nothing but watch like animals watching the butcher sharpen his knife"

Thora began rubbing at her temples. Apollo was hard to deal with at the best of times, but it appeared that he was being even more awkward tonight. "Are you saying you want me to prevent the war?".

"No. We cannot stop it. It has been prophesied" The God replied.

"Prophesied?" She repeated, her voice rising slightly "Everything has been prophesied these days and I'm tired of it! I'm tired of knowing what's going to happen. I'm tired of knowing that I can't prevent anything!" Thora yelled as she strode towards the golden throne, the light of the hearth burning behind her.

"That is the curse of prophecy, Thora. We must grin and bear it" The god of the sun replied.

Gritting her teeth, the daughter of Zeus met his eye "That's not all you wanted to talk to me about, is it?".

Apollo sighed, running a hand along the gold edge of his throne "Wars are dangerous, Thora. Ares thinks they are mere childs play" His blue eyes lingered over the skull and leather throne next to him "But they can have dire consequences. Most people would shy away from the idea of war. But not demigods. Not my children" His fallen gaze rose to meet hers ""Nathaniel is no different".

A frown wormed it's way onto Thora's face as she took an unwilling step back. "What, exactly, are you saying?".

"Stereotypes are often wrong, but in this case they might be wise to obey." He stated.

Why couldn't this guy just give a straight answer. "Answer me, Apollo! What do you need me for?! Why have you chosen me?" Thora shouted at him, daring to step forward.

"You know what I want you to do, Thora. I've given you your job!" Apollo's voice boomed and the light of his throne illuminated the room and Thora had to turn away to shield her burning eyes from the light.

The stubborn ivory-haired girl would not be deterred "You're supposed to be the God of reason!" She cried "Why don't you do this yourself?!"

Apollo sighed, resting his face in his hands "It's not as easy as that" He murmured, his blue eyes meeting hers "You know gods can't have any interaction with their mortal children. You can thank, Zeus, for that. But he never said we can't get help to protect our children. Indirect help".

The halfblood shook her head, sending her curls everywhere "I shouldn't have agreed to this".

"But you did"

"I know I did" She pointed out, glaring at the hearth "But I shouldn't have". Her eyes softened slightly as she stared at the flames. The silver chain that hung around her neck seemed to weigh much more then it should. The flames flickered as Thora folded her arms across her chest, trying to absorb some of the warmth that they offered, now that the absence of power left her feeling frozen.

"Did you give him my gift"

Thora looked up at him in annoyance from the corner of her eye. Was this really the time or place to be discussing birthday presents "Yes, I did".

"And you didn't tell him it was from me".

"No. Of course not" She answered.

Apollo frowned slightly "Then what did you tell him?".

Thora's mouth fell open slightly "I don't know. I don't remember".

"Try"

She bit the inside of her cheek in annoyance and her face screwed up as she tried to recall the information "I must've told him I got a child of Hephaestus to make it for him".

Apollo relented, seeming to trust her judgement. He stood from his throne and, in a bright flash of sunlight, was standing at a mortal six foot two. He walked towards his mortal half sister, his gold bow falling against his shoulder at a constant rhythm as he moved.

"You're a lot like him you know".

Thora turned to him in confusion "Like who?".

A typical smile crept onto Apollo's lips. A smile filled with boyish charisma and a hint of narcissism. "Like our father".

Thora snorted, a very unladylike sound. And she was sure that if the Hall of the Gods was filled with the majority of Goddesses it usually held, she would get a harsh rebuke for such an unattractive display. "What? Prideful? Blinded? Detached? Obstinate? Wow, thanks, Apollo. Don't you make me sound great?" She finished sarcastically.

A bolt of lightning struck the hearth in the centre of the room as the dark blue sky was blotted out by a dark cloud that roared angrily.

The sun god stared up as the cloud began to disperse, allowing the constellations to take their pride of place once again. He stared at the halfblood before him, giving her a look that clearly read 'Really?'. "You asked for that" He stated shortly.

His companion waved him off as she sank onto the steps that lead to the hearth, her feet dangling off of the large side precariously.

Apollo sat next to her, warming her chilled form slightly with the light he radiated, and followed her gaze, towards Zeus' throne. "You know that wasn't what I meant ".

Thora laid her head on her hand and stared up at him, unamused. "Oh really?".

Apollo flashed a dazzling white smile in her direction and Thora realized just how attractive he was. Tanned complexion; golden blonde hair that shone in the fire's light; bright blue eyes that Thora could imagine on a darker haired individual; a strong, muscular jawline. For a brief moment, she wondered if he was on the list of banishment for messing with the nymphs like Mr D. "I meant you're a natural born leader. When the time comes, you'll know what to do".

A sudden pain hit the back of Thora's head and she suddenly felt like she was falling. Her mind was fuzzy and she briefly registered the wave of warmth that disappeared when Apollo left her sight. She thought she had lost her balance and fallen of the step and any second she'd feel her body make contact with the cold marble.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Feeling returned as her consciousness became tangible once more. Thora bolted upright, breathing heavy, as her wide eyes scanned the room. Violet eyes were met with the familiar and comforting four walls of Cabin one. The dome-shaped ceiling with a tile mosaic of the sky that shone with clouds as lightning bolts flashed across it. The sounds of thunder hit her ears and she sighed happily. That was one thing she loved about her cabin; it was always thundering inside.

A small smile came to her lips as she watched a lightning bolt crack across the ceiling and the sounds of rain filled her ears. It was strange, she thought. How much she loved storms now when she was terrified of them when she was younger. She would huddle in the corner of her bedroom until the storm would pass, or until her mother found her. Even the slightest rumble in the distance or a cloud even slightly darker than normal would send her running inside in a panicked frenzy.

Thunder boomed in the sky, screaming it's protests and anger to the world. Lightning cracked across the sky, illuminating the world momentarily in its ethereal glow.

A small cottage sat, nestled between two cherry blossom trees. It was a small modest structure. With a thatched roof and mismatched brickwork, it was just holding it's own against the brutal storm that raged above. Trees of bright wisteria grew against the building and clumps of purple and white flowers dangled in front of the windows. Window boxes hung from the sills, filled to the brim with bright flora that struggled in the harsh weather.

Exterior window shutters banged against the glass panels as the wind grabbed ahold of them and shook them mercilessly. The wind that could gain entrance to the house, slithered into the house by worming it's way through the gap under the door.

The wind traveled through the house, winding through the halls and creeping up the stairs, until it reached a lilac door. Inside the room was average for what you would expect of a six year old girl. A small bed, ripped clean of it's blanket; a bookcase filled with a random assortment of basic reading books; walls plastered with crayon drawings.

A small whimper came from beside the unkempt bed. A six year old Thora sat, huddled in the corner, her blanket clutched around her tightly. She shook as another crack of thunder echoed in the skies above her. Small hands clamped themselves over her ears as tears rolled down her cheeks. Eyes squeezed as tight as she could possibly get them.

The door creaked open and light footsteps sounded in the room. A woman entered the room, gaze scanning the contents. She was attractive, definitely in her late twenties. She had coppery red hair that fell to her shoulderblades in loose curls. Her eyes were a bright and independent purple. They scanned the room before landing on the shivering bundle in the corner. A small frown worked it's way onto the woman's gentle face as she knelt by the child "What's wrong, Thora? Is the thunder scaring you again?".

Thora nodded staring up at her mother with glistening eyes that matched. Her mother smiled and swept the child up, blanket and all, as she began to climb to her feet "Come with me". Her mother then proceeded to walk out of her room and down the hallway. She made her way down the stairs until her feet hit the cold surface of tile.

Thora's mother made her way to their living room. The incense that constantly burned during the day was snuffed as night fell but the air was still thick with lavender and lily fragrances. The furniture was old and covered in bright throws. The walls were a basic cream but decorated with random paintings that Thora's mother enjoyed doing. One that always caught Thora's eyes was one that took up the large space on the only empty wall. It was a painting of a meadow, the grass was jade green seemed to bend in an invisible wind. A large oak tree sprouted from the ground, standing tall and proud as it supplied shelter for the two beings underneath it. One was female, with wild red hair and bright eyes. The other was a man. His hair was black and wild, eyes a sparking electric blue.

Thora's attention was drawn from the wall as her mother gently placed her on the sofa before she moved to the far side of the room where double glass doors stood in the wall and, in one swift movement, Thora's mother unlocked the doors and pushed them open, letting the wind gain full and easy access into the room as it swirled around Thora.

The six year old cowered as a bolt of lightning illuminated the room and thunder soon accompanied it. Her mother sighed as she made her way to the sofa and kneeled down in front of her daughter. "There's no need to be scared, Thora. It's not going to hurt you".

Thora frowned and pulled her blanket further over her head. Her mother sighed and moved away from the child. She looked towards the door, the heavy patter of rain hitting the windows and trickling down the glass in trains. Her mother bit her lip and walked towards the door before she knelt down just before the threshold that lead out into the darkness. "It doesn't have to be scary, Thora. You are the one who can decide if it's scary or not".

Thora peered out at her mother with timid eyes "But it is scary, Mummy! It's bigger then I am".

Her mother laughed "Size is not alway an advantage". The woman smiled at her child and beckoned her over "Come here, Thora, I've got something to show you".

The small six year walked towards her mother, her blanket trailing behind her. She sat next to her mother, leaning into her side as a small, softer, rumble of thunder sounded from above. "You see that little flower there?" Her mother asked, pointing into the rain and the garden. Thora followed her mother's finger and saw what she was pointing at. A small poppy grew out of the grass, the wind throwing it from side to side. Thora nodded and her mother continued, wrapping an arm around the small child and pulling her into her side "Compared to that oak tree" She pointed off further into the distance where the outline of a large oak tree could be seen over a hill. "The poppy is tiny. It could never beat the Oak tree in a fight. So it stays where it is, feeling small and unimportant. But what that little poppy doesn't know is that it could be the reason that a small ladybird is staying dry from the rain. It doesn't know it, but it's keeping that one little ladybird alive for the night. The oak tree might be large and strong, but the poppy has something much more important than size and strength. It has friends. Whether it's a small ladybird, whose life it saved, or a field of other poppies to sway with. The poppy is never alone, while the oak tree stands isolated".

The mother's eyes met with the six year olds and she frowned slightly "Do you understand what I mean, Thora?".

"Kind of" Was the child's small reply.

"You are the poppy, Thora. The thunder is the oak tree. The thunder thinks he is the strongest of all so he shows off to the world with his confident shouts" She looked upwards as a flash of lightning cracked across the sky "But in reality, he is alone" her eyes returned to her child's, her voice stern but not unkind "But you are not alone, Thora. Don't you ever think you are. You are surrounded by people who love you so much, even if they are a great distance away. People will always be around to help you, they will stand by you and fight with you in times of trouble." She paused, seeing the confused look on her daughter's face.

"Thora, what I'm saying is: Don't be afraid of the storm. It is a part of you. It will help you. The thunder and lightning are your friends, do not turn your back on them and they won't turn their backs on you".

The young girl turned her head up to the sky as a gust of wind pushed her makeshift hood back from her head and allowed the wind to make her wild hair dance. Rain water sprayed her as the wind flowed into the house freely and Thora felt a small smile creep onto her face as she watched the small red flower fight against the odds.

Thora smiled as the memory came to a close. Growing up, she always thought her mother was a bit of a hippy, telling her that the storm will bend to her will if she wanted it to. As a child she never understood what her mother's words meant but now, as she was older and the more wiser, she understood completely. If she was to grow, she had to learn to not fear the storm.

Thora fell backwards before she bolted back up again, hands reaching for the soft fabric she had felt. She realized that she was in her bed. Not at the foot of the statue where she remembered falling asleep last night. Someone must have carried her to her bed. Will and Nathan were options but only children of Zeus came into cabin one, because most campers were scared that they'd offend Zeus and the noble lord of the skies would strike them with a lightning bolt. So it must have been one of her half brothers. And Thora was willing to bet Creda that it wasn't Apex. So that left Zane.

The aforementioned demigod walked through the entrance to the large marble building and came to a stop as his tawny eyes met her violet ones. "Thora" He greeted shortly, hoping she wouldn't explode at him unexpectedly.

"Zane"

He relaxed at her tone, despite it holding no recognisable emotion, it wasn't hostile and that spurred him on to continue "We need to talk".

"Oh do we?" Thora asked, eyebrows raised, as she get up from her bed and disappeared behind her closed off section of the cabin "I see no reason to".

Zane sighed, he loved his sister, he really did, but there were times when she avoided important issues that had to be dealt with. "Thora, I know you're upset with me-"

"Upset? Who's upset? I'm not upset" Her head poked around the edge of the curtain, her white hair falling in random loose curls "You only brought a raving lunatic who has a personal vendetta against me to my home. Why would I be upset?" She asked innocently before her face turned thoughtful for a second "Now that you mention it, that does seem like the kind of thing a person would be upset by. So yes, I'm bloody upset".

The son of Zeus sighed, running a hand through his ashen hair. From where he laid on his bed, Apex snorted "I told you she'd be pissed".

Zane winced as Thora walked out from behind her curtain, fully dressed, glaring at him with dangerous eyes "What? You told Apex about your quest but not me?".

Apex swung a leg over his knee as he laid on his bed, smirking to himself "Yep". Thora glared at him from the corner of her eye and summoned a small air current that pushed her blue haired half brother off of his bed, where he landed on the floor with a thud.

"...Ow!"

"Thora, just listen to me, alright?" Zane pleaded.

Thora rolled her eyes before perching herself on the end of her bed, folding her arms over her chest "Fine".

"Look, I wanted to tell you but Chiron told me not to. He didn't want to worry you so he made me tell you it was just your everyday quest. Mr Insensitive here was eavesdropping on me while I was planning with Everett and Clarke". Zane explained, glaring at his younger male sibling.

"It doesn't matter if Chiron told you not to tell me. You should have. Regardless to the rules"

"You know what? Even if I could have told you, I wouldn't have" Zane stated, pointing at Thora as he shook his head angrily.

Thora's mouth fell open like a fish out of water. "Excuse me?".

"I know full well that if I told you, you would have followed me to Andressis and tried to do things your own way. Well I'm sorry if this seems harsh but rushing into things is not the way to deal with anything other then a death wish." Thora glared at her brother with a storming intensity. She grit her teeth as she turned from him, trying to distract herself from her brother by grabbing her full quiver, examining it. She ran her hand over the familiar silver feathered arrows, vaguely registering it was slightly lighter then when she left it the day before. Despite her distraction, she could still hear every word Zane said.

"I know this must be hard for you, Thora. Don't think I'm saying this for the spite of it but you need to get a hold of yourself and deal with this maturely, you're almost seventeen for crying out loud. You can't spend the rest of your life running and hiding from your problems. You just have to deal with them" Zane argued, watching Thora carefully. He felt a knife of irritation stab him as she didn't seem to be paying attention to anything he had just said. She had put her quiver down on her bed along with Creda and was now engaging in a battle with her unruly hair.

Thora eventually gave up her losing fight with her hair and let it fall down her back for once, oblivious to the ticking time bomb whose fuse she had lit "That's what normal people would do, isn't it? But we're not exactly normal are we?".

"Just because we're demigods doesn't mean the rules don't apply to us. Like it or not, we are still human" The ashen haired young man replied.

"Which is exactly why you shouldn't have gone to Andressis in the first place!" Thora yelled as she rounded on him.

Zane's eyes burnt with tawny flames "Why do you care if I went anyway?!" He yelled, finally losing his temper.

The ivory-haired girl shook her head at him, sending her hair flying everywhere (A feeling she would have to get used to). Words didn't seem like they could express how she felt at that moment so she opted for silence. Her hands moved to pick up her bow and quiver as she swung them over her back, ignoring the burning pair of tawny eyes boring holes into the back of her head as she made her way to the door.

"Look, Apex" Zane announced, turning to the blue haired boy, who had long ago gotten up from the floor and was leaning against the wall watching the pair argue like it was his favourite sitcom. "Thora's running off again. Like she always does when something doesn't go her way".

Thora froze at the threshold as Zane's words met her ears, followed by Apex's stupid sneering. She spoke through gritted teeth, keeping her eyes on the treeline in the distance "You want to know why I don't like the idea of you going to Andressis, Whitescar?".

Her half brother seemed slightly off put as she referred to him by his surname, something no one but Kleiss or Mr D ever did, but he suppressed it and spoke confidently, refusing to lose face "Humour me".

She turned her head to the side slightly, barely looking at him over her shoulder "Because I know what he's capable of. No one else does. He's a demigod, Zane. A child of Hypnos. And if he got his hands on another child of Zeus, it's not even worth thinking about. He would have destroyed your mind, tortured you into insanity. I wouldn't know what to do if we lost you to that".

The elder son of the king of the gods frowned "Then how did you avoid it?".

Her voice was tight as she tightened her grip on Creda "I had help". Without turning back to look at him, she strode from the cabin and towards one of the archery fields. She ducked under the cover of the trees until she got to the field. She disliked that they were so far but, after one misplaced arrow from a new demigod, they were moved for good reason.

Once she reached the large field that was peppered with targets, She stepped out of the shadows and into the sunlight. As soon as the sun made contact with her skin a piercing pain jolted through Thora's head, a pressure steadily increasing. She gripped her head as a dull ringing began in her ears. She hunched forward as the ringing began increasing it's pitch in a sort of crescendo style. Suddenly, a hoarse, croaky voice resounded inside her head.

Brother and sister of shadow will rise in the house of monsters

and install fear into the hearts of half bloods

To save their home, the eye of the storm must be closed

and the earth's light will venture into the dark

while the thieving sea shall provide as it stands alone.

The darkened spirits return when war is near

and hope shall shine through the darkness

When the kings symbol ignites with the discarded sons power

And the messiah is saved from death's grasp

Fortuna's hand will tip in the side of the righteous

and the gods will show their approval

The voice echoed slightly as it left along with the ringing. The pressure continued to build up and Thora's legs buckled as it peaked, the last few lines reiterating inside her mind. She was unaware of the dark brown eyes watching her from the shadow of a large tree, their white teeth glinting in a malicious smirk.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Thin bars of sunlight escaped through the small window that sat in the wall. Micra sat in the darkness, hands knotted and at his lips if he hunched over in his seat. His cognac eyes nervously twitched back and forth as his foot tapped the floor repeatedly.

"Micra" A hoarse voice greeted.

The elder demigod froze in his seat, though his eyes flickered to where the voice came from. "I didn't think you'd come" He spoke as he stood up and faced the cell bars.

The electricity had not yet been fixed from Thora's outburst and the shadows veiled the speaker's identity. "I wouldn't miss this. Not when my right hand man is in jail".

Micra smiled "So, are you going to just stand there or are you going to let me out?".

"Neither" The voice replied, now laced slightly with a sultry tone.

Micra's eyebrows knotted together. "Then what are you planning?".

The voice chuckled, the sound gravelly "You know that I have high expectations for those who work with me. They must be strong physically, mentally and psychologically". Micra stayed silent as the voice seemed to come from different directions, like the speaker was circling him like a predator. "You've played your part well, Howard. But I'm afraid you let that wretched girl escape and I cannot stand for anymore blunders on your part".

Micra began sweating "There won't be anymore blunders, I swear on the Styx".

The voice laughed ever so softly "You are quite right. You won't be making anymore blunders. I'm sorry, Micra, but I'm going to have to let you go".

Cognac brown eyes glared aimlessly into the darkness "So what? You're just going to leave me here to rot?!".

The voice didn't speak for a while and when it did, the voice was slow "Not necessarily. You see, if I leave you here, who's to say you won't tell everyone about what I've got planned? Or, more importantly, who I am?" A quiet click echoed throughout the enclosed space.

Micra's eyes widened "You wouldn't!".

A guttural chuckle. "You were a great help, Howard, but I'm afraid your time is up."

"I hope you rot in Tartar-" Micra snarled, but he was cut off as a force hit him in the dead center of his chest. Pain blossomed through his body as he staggered backwards. His body fell on the creaky wooden chair, reducing it to splinters. He landed on his back, wide cognac brown eyes landed on the familiar silver feathered arrows that protruded from his chest. He felt his body descend into shock as his blood pressure dropped. The arrow had pierced his aorta. The son of Hypnos had only ever met one other mortal who could have such a good shot.

The owner of the voice stared at the body without a hint of remorse. "Say hello to my father, Micra" a pair of greyed teal eyes twinkled in the shadows "I'm sure he misses his wayward daughter".