☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ☽

❝ And suddenly, life wasn't about living,
it was about surviving ❞

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ☽

DODGING DEATH WAS NEVER ON ARA'S TO-DO LIST...

"Richard, I need you to drive very fast, and no questions asked, okay?" Megara said in a hurried tone as all the girls rushed to the car. Richard was standing outside with his umbrella opened, waiting for them to leave, but he was a little taken back by their rush.

He gave Megara a confused nod before they all got inside the vehicle. The woman then turned back to her daughters and Cassie. "Girls, seatbelts!"

"I'm actually 20." Cassandra smiled awkwardly, leaving Ara shocked upon hearing such a thing coming from her best friend.

"Years old?!" the redhead exclaimed, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Well, definitely not months..." her sassy tone made Ara close her eyes in disbelief. Everything was happening so fast that she didn't even notice the big change in her friend's physical appearance.

"Honey, go down that road and then take a left and then a right. I'll tell you when we're there." Megara told the man, confusing the blonde girl.

"Cass...?" the redhead stared at her friend's feet after she finally looked down, not knowing if her mind wasn't playing any games with her vision.

"Mrs. Salvatore, how are you planning on getting there...?" Cassandra asked, ignoring Ara.

"There? There where?" Isabella suddenly jumped into the conversation, not even giving her mother the chance to answer Cassie's question.

"Cass?!" Ara repeated, still not getting over what she was seeing, but the blonde's attention was focused on the older sister's question.

"You didn't tell them about camp?!" she turned confused to Megara, who just let out a sigh.

"When do you think I had the chance to?" she sarcastically asked, giving a fair argument.

"Cassandra?!"

"What?" she shouted back, meeting her friend's confused glance as she waited to hear what she wanted so desperately to say, but Ara had to take a breath before speaking the unbelievable words that described what she was seeing.

"Cassandra, why are you turning into Bambi?!" Ara finally asked as she gazed down, making everyone look at the blonde's feet, which were now hooves.

"Ohh, that... it's actually a goat..." the girl said, kinda embarrassed, making her friend raise her eyebrows. "Ohh, right, sorry, you don't know about satyrs yet."

"About what?!" Isabella raised her eyebrows, thinking she hadn't heard that right because of the storm.

"Satyrs! They are protectors of the demigods, like I am for you two." Cass explained, confusing everyone in the car except Megara.

"Protecting us from what exactly?" the redhead narrowed her eyes as she looked back once again to see if the scary thing Cassie and her mother seemed so afraid of was following them, but all she saw were raindrops.

"From what Zeus is sending after you..."

That was when Richard couldn't stay silent anymore and shouted, "This is insane! Please tell me this is just some weird nickname for someone I don't know and that you aren't actually talking about who I think you are..."

"Honey!" Megara snapped, knowing he couldn't concentrate on driving the car and processing what they were trying to explain. "I swear, I'll explain everything later, but right now I need you to shut up and drive this car as fast as possible!"

Richard looked at her for a few seconds, not sure what to do, but, without any more questions, he pressed his lips together and turned his eyes back on the road, gaining speed.

"Mom, where are we going?" Isa asked again, not being able to stop shouting from all the tension.

The woman sighed, "Where I should've taken you a long time ago..."

"That's frustratingly vague, mom!" Ara said, getting sick of receiving half an answer.

"Camp Half-Blood is a safe place for demigods to learn about who they are and develop new abilities, such as fighting skills, or magical powers. And, most importantly, you'll be safe from the monsters."

"I'm sorry, but will someone please tell me why you keep saying monsters are coming after us?! What did we do, exactly?"

The satyr tilted her head after hearing Isa's pretty obvious question, "You were born..."

"Cassandra!"

"Sorry, Mrs. Salvatore!" the girl took a deep breath, clearly not liking that much tension. "Monsters are sent after all the gods' children and, once they reach a certain age or they figure out what they really are, their scent becomes stronger and the Mist can't hide them from the godly world anymore."

With every word that left Cassie's mouth, both Ara and Isa became more and more confused, and the blonde realized it, so she continued her explanation. "The Mist is like a magical blanket that keeps the mythical world hidden from the eyes of the mortal world. It acts as an illusion for the human's eyes, and it works like that for the half-bloods, too, until they learn how to distinguish the two worlds."

"So... that's how we didn't know Mrs. Bull was a monster?" Ara asked, trying to understand the situation.

"Yeah, sort of... she isn't technically a monster, she is a goddess, specifically the goddess of mischief, Até. It wasn't just the Mist who was hiding her true form, but also her power of manipulation."

Ara shook her head, the amount of information she was receiving in such a short time was overwhelming. What made her feel a little better was that, when she turned to her sister and she met her gaze, she realized Isa was just as confused and taken back by the circumstances as her.

"Excuse me, could you maybe drive faster...?" Cass leaned forward to ask the man behind the wheel, who was regretting his presence there more and more with every minute that went by.

"There!" Megara shouted, pointing at a tree at the end of the road. It was a dark and somber plant which looked like it was gonna die and fall any minute. "Drive in it!"

"You mean past it...?" Ara questioned, not believing she heard her mother right.

"No, in it!" she shouted, sounding very sure of herself, even if everyone in the car was thinking she was crazy. "Trust me! He'll help..."

Richard met the woman's gaze, "He who?"

She thought about an answer, but they all sounded insane, and she didn't have time to get into the details, so the redhead just said, "Just do it!"

The man wasn't even sure if he should listen to her, but, after everything he just heard, he knew she must've had an idea he could not understand. Therefore, he redirected the car and started approaching the tree, trusting Megara's judgment.

Truthfully, the woman wasn't sure if her plan was going to work, for she had no idea if he was listening at that moment. But there was no other way...

Megara closed her eyes, "Please... hear me." she whispered, praying the man she deep down loved would hear her.

And he did.

The moment Richard's car went into the tree, for a second, there was only darkness, but, in a blink of an eye, they were all looking at a long road between a forest and a plain.

Ara looked back to see an eidetic tree left in the distance. It was as if it was the exact same one they've just passed through in Los Angeles... but no. They were now in New York, more exactly, in Long Island.

"Oh my f-ing God!" Richard yelled, sounding scared and relieved at the same time.

"Gods..." Cassandra corrected him. "And don't insult any of them at a time like this!" she added, earning confused and worried looks from everyone.

Suddenly, a loud noise struck the Earth, shaking the road a little. When Ara looked behind through the back window, she thought she saw something running behind them, but the powerful storm made it hard for her to see a lot. And yet, after a few more moments, the girl was finally able to spot the creature her mom and friend were speaking of.

Ara was staring at what seemed to look like a fat dog, but, as it got closer and, ultimately, bigger, she realized they were followed by not just a puppy, but by a bull.

"They're here!" Cassandra exclaimed, turning her gaze to the road ahead of them, wishing to reach the camp faster.

"They?!" Ara questioned, not being sure whose count was off. But, after another lightning struck a little closer to their position, she could finally see the danger.

Following the car wasn't only a bull, but five, and they were catching up at full speed.

"What the hell...?!" Richard mumbled, but was once again cut off by Megara, who said, "Less talking, more driving!"

Ara couldn't take her eyes off the unbelievable creatures that were coming after her and Isa. The redhead reached for her sister's hand out of fear, trying to find comfort in someone she knew she could count on to make her feel safe. And she did.

"Mrs Salvatore..." Cassie mumbled, the fear in her voice sending shivers throughout Ara's whole body.

The next second, Richard's car was hit by one of the bulls who, unfortunately, caught up to them. Then another hit followed, and then another.

"How do we get rid of that, 'cause this car isn't bull-proof!" Richard shouted, anxiety overwhelming him.

"Just drive!" Megara said, hoping an idea would hit her, and, thankfully, it did. "Get closer to the road's end!"

The man looked at her confused, but he knew there was no time for explanations, for the bull started moving forward, on the right side of the car where Isa and Megara were.

Richard rotated the wheel and, in a blink of an eye, Megara opened the door, pushing it open with her foot right in front of the bull. For a second, her plan seemed the stupidest ever, because, with the door open, the creature could easily get to her, but Meg knew what she was doing.

Before they knew it, the door hit a lamppost, sending the car door right into the monster and leaving it behind.

Ara caught her breath before speaking her mind, "That was so scary and amazing at the same time..."

"It's not over yet!" the satyr yelled, seeing how the rest of the bulls were still onto them.

The woman nodded, pursing her lips together, "No need to remind me, Cassandra!"

Luckily, Megara had another plan. Through the storm, she noticed how they were approaching a high bridge over a strong river. "Everybody, hold on!"

The adult demigod took her head and hands out of the car, directing them to the bridge's base. To everyone's surprise, the construction began to tremble, forming a crack in the hard rock.

Richard pressed the accelerator pedal as he went over the now-falling bridge and, right after they passed it, the rock completely broke, sending the bulls into the water below and leaving the river to wash them away. For now...

"What the hell did I just witness?!" the man shook his head, looking at the woman he loved with pure shock.

Megara didn't know how to answer, but, unfortunately, she didn't even get the chance to try...

A blinding light struck the Earth, this time landing right on their car, sending it flying out the roadway and rolling through the hard soil. Ara felt weightless as she was being thrown up and down. What kept her alive was the seatbelt, otherwise, she would have flown out of the car a long time ago.

Even after the car stopped and got stuck in a recess, the redhead still couldn't think straight, her head feeling dizzy and her vision rolling.

"Girls?!" she heard her mother's scream, who was putting all her strength into getting out of the car and walking to the back to get her daughters out.

"Mom!" Isa spoke as she held the redhead in her arms, not letting go since the lightning hit.

Ara started coming to her senses as her sister and mother got her out of the car and then helped Cassie. "Is everyone okay?" Meg asked.

"As okay as someone can be..." the youngest daughter mumbled, still a little dizzy.

The woman looked around, worried, "Richard?!"

"I'm okay." he responded, coming from the back of the car. "How far are we from the mystery place, cause our ride is too fried to keep going..." he added, leaving a slight smile on Meg's face upon seeing he hadn't lost his sense of humor.

Cassandra looked worried, knowing they were like halfway to the camp. "We need to move, really fast!"

Suddenly, a scream made them all turn around to see Richard being grabbed by a bull's teeth and then thrown in the distance into a nearby tree.

"No!" the mother yelled as she used her magic to send the monster into the car, causing a fatal explosion.

Ara held her hand over her mouth as she watched the closest thing she had to a father give his last breath. Even if she had never really shown it, she cared for the man and was grateful for everything he'd done for her family over the years. But, what made her respect him the most was seeing how well he treated her mom.

As all the girls felt heartbroken from witnessing such a cruel circumstance, their gazes moved in the vast distance and spotted the other three bulls quickly approaching them.

"Get behind me!" Megara's trembling voice confused the girls.

Isa frowned, "Mom, you can't fight these three monstrosities!"

"She's right, they'll tear you apart!" Cassandra added, receiving shocked and angry looks from the three girls.

Suddenly, just as one bull was about to get to them, an arrow sprouted from the creature's mouth, leaving it dead on the ground. From the distance approached four men who, to Ara's shock, had their lower half of the body just like a horse. They were all armed with silver bows and arrows.

Megara and Cassandra's expressions softened, a little relief finally settling in. The centaurs galloped to them and grabbed their hands, lifting each girl and placing them on their backs.

"Mrs. Salvatore, it's a pleasure to meet you." the creature that took Meg said, confusing the two sisters. "Chiron sent us."

"Finally, some luck..." Ara mumbled. Even if she had no idea who that Chiron was, she was relieved someone finally showed some will to help. Little did she know it wasn't gonna last long...

For some time, the centaurs were able to take them closer to camp without any more complications, but Zeus didn't like that. So, the god sent another thunder from the sky, making one more of his signature creatures appear right in front of them, specifically, right in front of Ara.

The centaur, who had no time to bypass the bull, ended up hitting the angry monster. The girl flew off his back, landing out the road and into the watery soil.

"Ara!" Cassandra shouted upon seeing what happened to her friend whom she was supposed to protect. As Megara and Isabella's centaurs turned to see what had happened, Ara's protector had begun fighting the bull.

Megara ordered the centaur to take her to her daughter, despite the incoming monsters. "Cassandra, take Isa to camp!"

The woman's words left Isa shocked, for she didn't want to leave either one of the two most important people in her life. "What? No, I'm staying with you and Ara!"

"Isabella, honey, I need to know you got there safely while I help your sister, okay!' she explained, hurting the older sister with the truth. The woman then looked at the centaur and Cassandra, "Take my daughter to camp safely. Alert Chiron about the attack!"

Meg then gazed back to see the creatures approaching, knowing they didn't have much time left, "We'll be okay, sweetie, I'll get your sister to camp, too. Now go!"

And with that, the woman turned and hurried to her daughter as the two other centaurs ran to camp with Isa and Cassie on their backs.

Megara used her magic to protect the redhead from the bulls who were coming for her as the centaur shot them with his arrows. Even if the monsters were big, they managed to avoid the man's attempts, but that still drove them away from Ara, clearing their path to her. The redhead held out her arm, waiting for her mother to grab it and take her on the centaur's back.

The other horse-man was struggling to hold back the angry bull, trying to fight him off with a sharp arrow, but he wasn't able to kill it on his own, so his brother used one of his last arrows to help him.

After her daughter was safe with her and the centaur finally got rid of the bull, Megara used her magic to break one lamppost, landing on the roadway and blocking the remaining bulls from following them.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" the mother finally asked, making sure Ara was fine, physically and mentally, although the mental part was kinda hard to be intact.

"Ask me once we get to the camp..." she breathed heavily, tension rushing through her veins.

Suddenly, the two creatures started slowing down. "We can draw them away, but not for too long." the centaur said, as they stopped in front of a pathway between a grape-garden and a forest. Ara could see in the distance a tall pine cone tree, and then nothing, as if the hill ended there.

Megara quickly slid off the creature's back and said, "Thank you for your help. We've got it from here."

Her words made Ara question their view on the situation, cause whatever was happening, one thing was certain, she could not handle it. But at least her mother was optimistic...

"We are honored to help, Princess. In the name of our ancestors." he said, confusing the redhead more and more after each word. But she didn't even have time to process what she heard before Meg took her hand and led the way up the hill.

After the centaurs ran off, their hooves echoing even through the strong storm, the girl asked, "What did he mean by that?", but her mother immediately hushed her before whispering, "Be quiet."

In less than a second, Ara turned around at the loud sound of bellows made by the bulls chasing them. Thankfully, they quickly passed, following the two centaurs just like they were supposed to.

The little girl sighed, relief finally settling in. But it wasn't over...

Megara hugged her daughter tightly, grateful she was able to save her life. And yet, in that moment of peace where the two were catching their breaths, another monstrous creature was sent by no one other than the goddess who held the biggest grudge, Hera.

A sudden hiss made Megara's bones tremble as she was more than familiar with that sound. The two girl's hug was broken by a huge snake who was making its way towards them from up the hill.

Because of how fast the monster was moving, it seemed like they had no way to escape, but, luckily, the woman had learned a few tricks from when she was a kid. So, the moment it was about to harm either one of the two, Megara used her magic to stop the snake by lifting it in the air and, after a few seconds of gathering enough strength, she managed to throw it past the roadway, so far away it couldn't even be seen anymore.

"What was that?!" Arabella shouted, shaking with fear.

The mother breathed in, fully knowing why that specific creature was after them, "An old debt..."

At that moment, the mother knew what was gonna go down. She realized how determined the gods were to stop her and her daughter from getting at Camp Half-Blood, where they would've been safe from them. In that second, the woman had to make the hard decision of saying goodbye to her beloved girl.

Megara turned to the redhead, a calm expression trying to break through the pained one. "Okay, on the other side of that pinecone tree is the camp. That's where your sister is. That's where you'll be safe."

"I'll be safe...? Mom, you're coming with me..."

"Once you're there, both you and your sister do not leave. Do you understand me?"

Ara knew what she meant, but she was not gonna accept it. "No... No! I'm not leaving you!" she shook her head.

"Ara, this is bigger than the bulls, I can not fight this basilisk and keep you safe at the same time." she sighed, knowing well enough the low chances of her defeating the creature sent by Hera as revenge. "I have to do this on my own."

"You said we're all gonna get there! You said we're all gonna be okay!"

"I'm so sorry, sweetie, but I have to do this, I need to buy you enough time. You'll have to go through those woods and once you reach their end, you run as hard as you can till you get past that tree, and you don't look back!"

"No, no, no! I can't do this, mom! I'm just..."

"Ara, listen to me!" she cut her off, knowing they couldn't waste even a second. "You. Are. Not. A. Mistake." she assured the redhead, looking into her teary eyes. "You are a miracle, a blessing. You are so strong. And I love you...so, so much."

Even with the raindrops landing on both their faces, Ara could still see the tear that rolled down her mother's cheek as she said that, so she knew that what she was going to say next will not be of her liking.

Megara took a deep breath, "That's why I need you to go now, sweetie.". Those words broke Ara's heart, as well as her mother's, who, deep down, didn't like that she had to part ways with her daughter, but she knew what was gonna go down between her and Hera's spawn.

"It's not your time!" she added. She didn't sound sure, more like determined. "Not today..."

"Please..." tears rolled down Ara's cheeks as she felt like she couldn't even finish the sentence.

The mother cupped her beloved girl's face with both her hands, "I'll see you on the other side..." Megara smiled warmly, taking one last look at her daughter before parting ways.

Ara couldn't believe what was happening. A part of her hoped it was all just in her imagination, but the sudden hissing that came from the other side of the road made her realize they were out of time, and her mother's plan was the only way for her to make it up the hill.

"Go!" Megara spoke in a stern tone, encouraging her daughter to do as she'd told her. "Now!"

At that moment, Ara did what she never thought she would be capable of... she took a step back. After that, another, then another, followed by so many more. Before she knew it, she was inside the forest, looking to her left to see her mother's gaze following her before turning all her attention to the monster that was approaching awfully fast.

Fulfilling her mother's wish, Arabella started running through the forest, closer and closer to the tree on top of the hill. With every step she made, she had to fight the urge not to look back, despite all the sound made in the battle, but she could not hold herself once she heard a scream that came from the woman's mouth.

She turned back to see her mother lying on the ground, her leg bleeding as she tried to crawl away from the huge snake. But it was too late.

Ara felt frozen as she watched how the monster grabbed Megara with its tail and lifted her in the air. "No!" the little girl screamed, making her mother turn her head in her direction. She looked so exhausted.

Then, in a blink of an eye, the basilisk tightened its grip on the woman and she dissolved before Ara's eyes, melting into light, a shimmering golden form, as if she were a holographic projection. A blinding flash, and she was simply... gone.

The heartbreaking realization hit Ara harder than any rock. Her beloved mother was dead, and she had done nothing to help. The woman who spent her entire life caring and looking after her was killed because she wasn't strong enough to do something. The monster unlived her mother as she watched. And now, she was next.

The huge snake started crawling up the hill, getting closer and closer to her. For a few seconds, Ara was too shocked to move an inch, but once reality hit her, she turned around and started running, but she knew she had no chance. The tree was too far away, and the monster was so much faster than her.

Once she turned around and saw how close the basilisk was, her feet got tangled in some branches from a fallen tree close by. As she hit the ground, all the hope seemed to have vanished, leaving her with her mourning thoughts.

At that moment, she thought about the possibility of just giving up and letting the monster inflict the same fate as it did to her mother, but, as she watched it getting closer, thought about Megara's last words, her last actions. They were all about helping her stay alive. That was what she gave her life for, so how could she just stay there and wait for the thing her mother fought so hard to spare her from?

No, it wasn't gonna be Ara who found her end that night, the thing was...

Suddenly, she felt a powerful new strength rush through her body, giving her the capability to roll to the side when the snake's huge mouth was close to eating her. She looked to the left as the basilisk hissed loudly once it raised its head, leaving a fang stuck on the ground.

Apparently, the monster rushed with so much strength that, when she moved from its raze, it ended up biting a stump, getting its fang stuck in it. The snake moved back, the pain blinding it and making the basilisk forget about Ara. And that was an advantage she couldn't let pass.

She quickly got up and took the huge branch in which the sharp fang was stuck. As she noticed the monster coming back to its senses and turning its attention back on her, Ara put all her strength into freeing the only thing she could use against the creature, but it didn't move an inch.

The basilisk made another attempt to bite her, which she quickly deflected by swinging the piece of wood and hitting the snake as hard as she could while holding onto the fang. To her luck, she noticed how the impact seemed to weaken the branch's grip on the tooth, which only meant that after a few more strong hits, the sharp fang would be freed.

So, after two more swings, Ara was finally able to part the fang from the branch and, seeing how the creature kept coming at her with its mouth open, she lifted the wood she used as a shield right into its mouth, blocking the basilisk from harming her.

The next second, Ara drove the fang right into the monster's throat, punching it through its skin with all the anger she was left with from watching her mother's death.

The basilisk started to disintegrate, turning into sand blown away by the wind from the storm.

As she caught her breath, the redhead suddenly heard footsteps coming from above and, when she looked up, she saw a bunch of armed kids rushing down the hill, closer to her. But they were too late. The monster was gone, and so was her mother...

"Ara!" shouted Cassandra as she hurried to her friend, worry visible on her face, but, after a few steps, she stopped, her expression becoming confused just like everybody else's. They were all staring at her with shock.

At first, Ara thought it was because she had just defeated a snake three times her size, but she soon realized that was not the reason.

When she looked down, she was standing in the middle of a shining grayish circle on the ground. The light seemed to be surrounding her, creating what seemed like a portal through the ground. That wasn't all...

Above her head was what looked like a crescent with a sphere in the middle, attached to some kind of cross. The royal scepter...

Not understanding what it meant, Ara looked up, worry growing inside of her, trying to see if someone knew what was happening, but none of them said a thing. At least, not to her. They all started whispering to each other. The only ones not saying a thing were Cassandra and a dark-skinned girl with beautiful long brown hair.

"She might be the one..." the girl finally said to a tall dark-haired boy who was holding his sword down.

Her words confused Ara, but before she could say anything, a tall man started approaching, coming from behind the kids. But, as he walked past them, she realized he wasn't just a man, he was a centaur.

At that moment, all the kids knelt, but not before the man... before her? Geez, she must've hit her head.

"You have been claimed by Hades," spoke Chiron from afar. "God of the Dead, King of the Underworld. Hail, Arabella Salvatore, Daughter of Hades."

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ☽

Three years had passed since the night which left a mark on Ara's life. She'd spent every day at Camp Half-Blood, knowing it would be too risky to leave the only place where she was actually safe. Technically, the camp became her home. Practically, she only felt like an outsider.

Being a forbidden child was bad enough, but to top it off, she had to be the daughter of the most hated god of the Big Three, Hades.

Since her father had no cabin dedicated to his children, meaning her and Isa, she was forced to stay with all the Hermes kids in Cabin 11, like all the unclaimed kids. And, truthfully, she wished she was unclaimed.

There was nothing good from being the only child ever claimed by Hades. The truth was, Hades never claimed his children. It was like an unwritten rule, and that made her the exception.

Something like this would make people think she was special, and that only made kids treat her the opposite. No one paid attention to her, no one wanted to be her friend, except Cass and, unexpectedly, the brunette girl who had not judged Ara from the start.

Annabeth and her would usually train campers together, the Athena girl sometimes coming to her and Cass at the empty table Ara always sat at. It made the redhead feel good about having at least two friends in that place, especially cause she and Isa weren't close anymore, not after that night...

It was the beginning of the summer, when most kids came back to camp after spending a year with their mortal parent. Ara had always spent the whole year behind the border, knowing it wasn't wise to go into the real world, not because she was scared of the monsters, but because she was scared of the possible consequences. So that's why she hadn't stepped one foot on the other side since then.

One night, she was having dinner with Cassandra while she was watching Isa laugh with the Hermes kids as if she was one of them. The older sister was very liked by everyone, despite knowing who her father was. That was something Ara did not understand, but she knew there was nothing she could do to make herself liked, so she didn't even try.

That was when a strong storm started, making Ara feel uncomfortable as she could not help but recall the night when she arrived at camp. But she didn't give it any thought, getting used to Zeus' chaotic moods.

Once the dinner was over, everyone went to sleep as they were supposed to. But not Ara...

The redhead had a lot of trouble sleeping, dreams disturbing her peaceful rest and leading her to waking up every single time in the middle of the night. And, once again, Ara was woken up from her sleep, but this time was different, it was an unusual dream.

The redhead pictured in her mind an immense creature with horns, making her realize it was the big, deadly minotaur. She heard a few voices through the strong rain, a male's voice sounding particularly familiar.

But before she could see more, the girl woke up from a loud thunder. Knowing she couldn't go back to sleep, she got up and made her way out of the cabin, going up a hill and sitting against a tree near the training area. She stood there, trying to clear her mind, but, not long after, she started hearing loud roars from what she thought was the hill where the pinecone tree was.

She hurried back to the main path which led to all the cabins to see some kids rushing from their beds, one of them being Annabeth.

"What's going on?" Ara asked, worried, but, when she looked at her friend, she knew she didn't know much more than her.

"We think there's been another attack..." the brunette said before heading to the tree.

Ara knew what she meant by another attack. First, it was Thalia's sacrifice five summers ago, when she fought many monsters all by herself to give her friends, Annabeth and Luke, enough time to get to camp, and then there was her mother's sacrifice, which led to Ara having to fight the basilisk by herself. And now, another half-blood was facing the same fate.

As she made her way to Thalia's tree, the redhead crossed paths with Cassandra, who looked so worried. "They think it's Grover..." she spoke, tears filling her eyes.

Ara knew why she was devastated, because not many demigods or even satyrs were able to survive a deadly attack, she just hoped that wasn't the case...

Looking down from up the hill, the campers saw two boys lying on the ground, clearly exhausted, if not worse. But there was no sign of any monster, only a horn held by one of the kids.

The demigod had killed the minotaur... somehow.

"Grover?!" Cassandra shouted before hurrying to him to make sure he was okay. Ara knew the two had been friends for a long time, probably longer than anyone at camp, for they were raised together as satyrs, so they both meant a lot to each other.

The redhead followed her friend to the two boys, one of them lying unconscious on the ground while Grover was half-asleep, half-daydreaming. He kept mumbling the word 'food', as if that was the only important thing at the moment.

"Grover!" Cass shouted in his ear, trying to bring him back to that earth as she grabbed his hand, lifting him from the ground and getting him on his feet. Or hooves.

But Ara didn't pay attention to the satyr, because the more she looked at the boy collapsed on the ground, the more she felt as if she knew him. But her mind couldn't put the pieces together until she heard Grover mumble what she made up to be a name.

"Percy...?" she asked. At that moment, the redhead was taken back to the time when she first fought a mythical creature, and a dirty blonde-haired boy saved her life. She wasn't totally sure if he was the one, but the chances were huge.

"He's one of them. He must be." Annabeth spoke up from beside the girl, bringing her back from her memories. She didn't know what the brunette meant, but she recalled her saying something similar when they first met.

"Silence, Annabeth," Chiron spoke from behind them. "He's still conscious. Bring him inside."

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ☽

(5,980 words)

DEDICATIONS

avaawritesz avgustluvs blacksired02 dinastolenchair everm0res grimeslvr_ grimesstories aishawritess_ BerxshiresWp ginaherron Br3adb0tter temptr3ss Elliewillamsfilms
(if anyone else wants to be added, let me know;))

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AUTHOR'S NOTE
Hi, baes!!!
Here is the third and last part of the prologue. Hope y'all liked it.<33
Tysm for reading, ily all and don't forget to vote and comment cause I love reading all your opinions and it does wonders for motivation ;)

~elenaswanwp