Chapter 4

Hello, everyone! Forgive me for my slacking, but work and family has been very busy lately. Thank you so much for all of you who have decided to follow this story and leave a review, I absolutely love it! Not much of a docket, but here it is anyways:

Quihi - I'm glad that you like it! I wanted to do something that usually isn't done, something before Percy Jackson enters the story. Anyway, thanks a ton for leaving a review!

Mariah Dawnsinger - You may be right... I'll try and see what I can do, but in the meantime, keep giving feedback. I love hearing other people's suggestions to improve my characters, so thank you very much! Also, I look forward to your next chapter ;)

Disclaimer: Own Percy Jackson, I do not. Too awesome, Rick Riordan is... Speaking like Yoda, I enjoy :)

I have only one thing to say about demigod dreams: They suck. Worse than a broken vacuum with the lint on fire. You get the point. My dream went something like this:

I was back in the Place Between Places, right outside my mother's palace. I was standing on the little hill in the middle of the grounds that used to be a giant tree anchored to a real willow tree that had stood along the banks of the Mississippi river since the Civil War. Naturally, some mortal decided to cut it down to make way for a fancy resort. The stump still stood, however, regardless of the worker's attempts to grind it out. The stump was one of my mother's favorite places to cross between the Place and the mortal world.

Something felt wrong when I looked at the palace – something was different about its silvery turrets and shadowed walls. Then, I noticed the massive magic storm surging towards the palace. Part of me knew that there was no way for the violent mass of energy to breach the heavy wards placed on the stones, but I watched in horror as the storm threw all of its energy at the shimmering walls of Mist. Like a sword through air, it sliced through the enchantments and unleashed its fury on the palace.

This will be the fate of the gods, a voice hissed, the noise echoing in my head, Their seats of power destroyed, their palaces razed to the ground… rebellious children to be thrust into the depths of Tartarus as their fathers were! I slammed my hands over my ears in an effort to drown out the sound, but to no avail. Instead, I was swallowed up by the dark anger of the storm as Hecate's palace crumbled.

I tried to run through the inky black cloud around me, but there was no escaping it. The same horrifying voice rang in my ears, now shouting in rage and pain. A pact in revenge, unbalance will cease, and blinded by love will choose war over peace… A single choice shall end his days, Olympus to preserve or raze! The words repeated through my mind endlessly, etching themselves into my memory until I knew that I could never forget them. The darkness seemed to deepen as the words took hold, pulling me down towards what seemed to be the depths of Tartarus itself.

I jolted awake, nearly hitting my head on the bottom of Luke's bunk when I sat up. I let out a few shaky breaths as I placed my arms behind my head in an attempt to calm myself. Still shaking, I slipped on my shoes and tried to be quiet as possible as I snuck out of the cabin.

The moonlight poured over me as I made my way to the lake, the soft glow soothing my worries as I walked. The night always seemed to invigorate me more than the day – I owed that to my mother's status as a goddess of the night and moon. As I walked, I replayed the dream over in my mind. I felt like it was a warning, somehow, to the Olympians. Hecate wasn't an Olympian technically, but a Titan that sided with the gods in their war against Kronos. I knew that she still supported them now, but what if that changed in the future? Would the gods take more retribution on her children, and banish them from their homes like they had done to me?

My thoughts were interrupted when I came to a halt, staring at another shadow sitting at the edge of the docks. I cursed my stupidity for coming out here without making sure that I was alone. The figure must have heard me, and stood up to turn in my direction. I tried to retreat, but my shoes gave me away when they clacked against the wood of the docks. I blushed furiously as I realized that I was wearing my bright pink Minnie Mouse pajama pants and a white tank top, therefore making me very visible.

"Wait!" I winced when I recognized Luke's voice and slowly turned to face him. He was in his camp shirt and a pair of shorts, his blonde hair rumpled from lying in his bunk. Curiously enough, he was shoeless.

"I didn't follow you out here, I promise," I mumbled as he jogged up the dock, his bare feet pounding the wood, "I didn't know anyone was out here this late."

He cracked a small smile, "I guess I'm not the only one who can't sleep tonight." Luke tilted his head towards the end of the dock where he'd been sitting, "I wouldn't mind some company." I joined him on the end of the wood planks, taking off my shoes so that my toes could lazily skim the water below. Luke's legs were longer, allowing his feet to almost be completely immersed in the inky water.

"So…" he trailed off, splashing his feet around in the water, "Why're you out here?"

"Dreams," I replied flatly, not meeting his gaze, "You?"

"Dreams," he countered, a ghost of a smile flickering across his lips, "Sometimes being a demigod can really suck, huh?"

I gave a snort and drew one of my knees up to my chest, resting my arm across it. "Sometimes? I really think you mean all the time. Being a demigod has brought me nothing but monsters and more scars than I care to admit." Luke was silent for a little while before he shrugged.

"Okay, it sucks, but would you rather be a clueless mortal?" I huffed a sigh and dropped my knee, crossing my arms defensively.

"No…"

Luke gave a soft laugh as he stared out over the reflective water, "Exactly… the gods suck." Even though it was a clear night, I heard thunder rumble ominously in the distance. Apparently the gods don't like it when their kids say they suck at parenting – which they do. "They just forget us, and leave us to be trained or whatever."

I gave a shrug and went back to skimming my toes over the water. It was relaxing, even if my feet were getting cold. "They don't all forget their children here, you know," I said softly, "Some actually try to protect their kids. It's easier to stay alive when you aren't being hunted by monsters."

"Protect them like Zeus protected Thalia?" Luke replied, a note of bitterness creeping into his voice. I remembered what Chiron had told me about Thalia Grace, the only daughter of Zeus to be born in more than fifty years. After World War II, the Big Three swore an oath on the River Styx not to have any more children – they were just too powerful. Despite his oath, Zeus fell off the wagon and had Thalia. Hades, infuriated that his brother broke his word, unleashed all of the nasties of the Underworld on Thalia. She survived by herself for a while until she found Luke and Annabeth, eventually finding a satyr to take them to Camp Half-Blood. Injured and exhausted, she told the satyr to take the others ahead. The daughter of Zeus made her final stand atop the hill, saving her friends by sacrificing herself. As she died, her father turned her into a pine tree, creating the barrier that would keep out monsters for years to come.

"It wasn't her fault, Luke," I soothed, "It wasn't hers or yours that she did what she did."

He let out a heavy sigh, all of the tension draining out of his shoulders. "I know… but sometimes I still think that I can hear her calling out to me on the top of that hill, or she'll be right in front of me asking why I didn't come back to save her, or-"

I cut him off with a fierce glare. "Listen to me: you can't change the past, only the future. You control your destiny, not the gods." Luke looked stunned as if I had just knocked his sword into the dirt and bowled him over. He gave a surprised blink and began to laugh.

Now it was my turn to look at him in concern until his laughing fit subsided. He wiped away a few tears from his cheeks as he turned his bright blue eyes on me. "You said that just like her… Just like Thalia used to."

"Thanks… I think," I hedged, still looking at him strangely.

He sighed and laid down on the worn wood. "She never met her dad, not once, and she was still convinced that he was out to help her. To make herself feel better, Thalia always told me that she blamed Hera for her troubles… How many times have you met your mom?"

I hesitated – most kids at Camp Half-Blood had only met their godly parents a few times, if at all. Those that were still undetermined hadn't even been claimed. A lot of demigods – especially the unclaimed – were understandably bitter. "A few times," I lied, "You?"

"Once." The way he said it made me feel like it wasn't a happy story. "I don't think dreams count, though… they're not really there, you know?" I gave a slow nod of agreement and laid down beside him, staring up at the stars above us. This was one of the first times I had ever just looked at the stars, since the Place didn't have stars, just lots of Mist and a single, lonely moon. We sat in silence for a little while, letting the cool summer breeze coming off the lake wash over us.

"Hecate," I finally said, prompting him to turn to me in confusion, "You asked who my mom was earlier – it's Hecate, the goddess of magic."

Luke's blue eyes widened in understanding for a moment, then a cocky grin appeared on his face. "I knew it! Oh, man, Travis and Connor better pay up!" he crowed triumphantly, giving an enthusiastic fist-pump. "I guess that explains the magic charm bracelet thingy?"

I couldn't help but to laugh at his excited face. "Yeah," I admitted, jangling the metal chain and charms that were always present on my wrist, "It took me a long time to figure out the spells… I'm not the greatest at incantations, but I can manage a summoning without too many problems."

Luke stared at me blankly for a second as if I'd suddenly started speaking in Latin. For all I knew, I could have been – understanding how magic worked was never easy to me, it was all instinctual. I had met several other children of Hecate during my travels, and many were way more skilled in the art of spell casting than I would ever be. Most were scribes in the House of Life, but I had met a few loners that far exceeded my own magical capabilities. Like the mother that bestowed them upon us, the nature of our godly gifts were ever-changing from demigod to demigod. While I was lacking the magic department, I made up for it with a strong connection to the Mist, being able to bend it to my will with ease. Like most other children of Hecate, I was able to converse with dogs, her sacred animal. Unfortunately, my mother was also the goddess of ghosts and necromancy, which gave me the uncommon gift of communication with the dead.

"If your mom's the goddess of magic, are you really good at card tricks?" Luke blurted suddenly, looking a little sheepish once he realized what he said.

I gave him a strange look and slowly shook my head. "No… That's not real magic, just sleight of hand. Why?"

He gave a quick shrug, "I don't know… just curious, I guess. The only gifts I inherited involve picking locks, quick reflexes, and being really good at bluffing. Not so helpful being a son of Hermes. All of the other gods' kids have really cool powers, but the only thing I'm good at is stealing and sword fighting."

We were quiet for a few more minutes as I thought about what he'd said. It was true that the more powerful the god or goddess, the stronger their demigod children were. However, those powerful demigods practically screamed their location out loud and clear to any monster in the area where they were, inviting all kinds of trouble. I could only imagine the aura coming from Thalia, the daughter of Zeus – it was a miracle that she even made it as close to the camp as she did before being overwhelmed. I could sense Luke's to some degree with a bit of concentration, the ever-shifting pulse of life that was laced with the godly power of Hermes.

"We should head back," I said softly, noticing the lightening of the sky in the east. It was hard to believe that Luke and I had talked for so long, but I liked the comfort he brought after my dream. He gave a wordless sound of agreement, pulling me to my feet when he stood. We walked soundlessly back to the cabin, our feet causing the wooden stairs to creak and groan. Luke stopped me before I could open the door, leaning casually against the front post of the porch.

"I'm sorry for scaring you earlier," he apologized, a half-smile pulling at the right side of his face, "But for what it's worth, thanks for staying with me, Arian." I felt heat rise on my cheeks at his words. He didn't scare me, not really, but it was kind of sweet that he said sorry anyway.

"You're welcome," I said simply, opening the door gingerly to keep it from squeaking and waking up the entire cabin. I'd learned quickly that Cabin Eleven was full of light sleepers and how to avoid them. Once I was inside, I dashed to my bunk and tried to ignore the sounds of Luke climbing into the bunk above me. I could still feel the blush on my face as I closed my eyes and let sleep take me.