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chapter one.
( titan's curse )
❝ reunions (sorta?)❞

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I think I scared Mr D.

Hades had me 'Shadow Travel'—as he called it—back to Camp on a hellhound. I wasn't too sure on what to do, but the beast seemed to be tame, and he whispered where we were headed in the dog's ear and we were off. Shadow Travelling was like travelling on water—it made me throw up, and all over Mr D's shoes.

I never thought I'd be reuniting with my old Camp Director like that.

He had been sitting out on the deck of the Big House, sipping his Diet Coke and doing his usual sulky glare down at the camp grounds when we appeared right in front of him. He spilt his Diet Coke, and it melt the snow on the ground. And then I only had to make it worse by stumbling over and barfing up on his sneakers. I hadn't eaten anything, so it was just clear, but it was still the most disgusting thing that I've done.

And probably the most dangerous, because I'm sure Mr D would kill me then and there and I'd have to return to Hades with a sheepish look on my face saying, "Um ... I didn't get past the front porch."

For a while, the two of us stared at each other. One in complete anger, the other in complete fear, awaiting my death that was hanging in front of my face like a carrot on a stick.

In the end, Mr D spoke first, "You're back."

He didn't sound surprised, or angry—rather, Mr D sounded unbothered. But then again, that was him with everything.

"Uh, yeah..." I muttered, stumbling forward slightly when the hellhound that had brought me here nudged his head for a pet. "I ... uh ... got called back."

"Oh, I know," the god of wine narrowed his eyes. The hellhound nudged again, and Mr D clicked his fingers in his direction, and the poor pup burst into shadows and sent back to hell. "Don't forget I'm a god too."

I frowned, "Does everyone know?"

"We've known about you for a long time, Clary—"

"—Claire—"

"—and about your future," he finished, ignoring my correction. "Most of us Olympians knew you would die, and that it was prophesied that you would return."

"How exciting," I felt angry. "And no one bothered to tell me any of this?"

"You're a child of Apollo," said Dionysus. "You should know how risky it is to let someone know their future."

A thought crossed my mind, and I pursed my lips, "Did Chiron know?"

Dionysus shrugged and summoned another Diet Coke out of thin air. But I knew that was a yes.

How many people knew? How many people let me grow up absolutely oblivious to it all? Why. I don't know why that made me feel so betrayed, but it did.

I pushed past Mr D and opened the door to the Big House. There was a fire raging in the sitting room, I could see it, but I couldn't feel it. For me, inside was just as cold as outside. I dusted the snow off my shoes, suddenly feeling rather nostalgic.

I walked past the stuffed leopard that sat above the fire—that was actually alive, it was kind of creepy—down past the stairway and towards the infirmary. I don't know what I was expecting to find, but when I opened the door and stepped into the empty hospital, I wanted to cry.

I used to feel so safe here. Whenever I was upset or whenever I needed space, I would always come to the infirmary because that I always felt so welcome and home. The natural warmth that the infirmary radiated—(thanks to the Apollo children)—made me feel better about myself almost instantly. And now, I couldn't feel it. All I was was just cold.

You are under my domain now, Hades had told me, and light does not exist in my domain.

The one thing that made me a child of Apollo has left me. I don't know what to do now.

Smash!

I spun around. The boy who had been carrying the supplies froze. He didn't care that nectar was pooling around his feet on the tiles, instead, the little blonde ten-year-old gaped at the sight of me. Will Solace didn't move. He just stared at me as if he had seen a ghost.

And perhaps I was.

I managed a grimace, "Hey, Will."

"Claire?" he breathed. "You're ... what ... no...?"

"It's really me," I took a step towards him, my hands reaching out for my little half-brother, craving warmth. But he stepped away. "Will, listen to me, I'm here. It's actually me. I'm alive."

"But ... but ... you ... you died..."

"I know—"

"—Percy said—we made the shroud and everything—"

"I don't really understand it either," I told him, taking another few gentle steps forward. "But ... but I'm back, I really am back."

I managed to get close enough to rest a hand on my brothers shoulder. Will winced, as if it was cold. But his eyes soon widened. He turned to look at my hand, tears welling up in his eyes. "You're ... you're ..." he didn't finish his sentence and instead rushed forward and barrelled into my chest for a hug.

I could hear him crying. I wrapped my arms tighter around him, closing my eyes to try and stop my own tears, but I couldn't. Holding someone familiar when all I've felt this whole time was ice and snow, made me sob in relief. I couldn't feel the physical warmth, but I could feel the warmth of his heart, thawing away at the ice encasing mine. That was all I needed.

° ° °

"How did you come back?" Will asked.

As we walked down the corridors of the Big House on our way to find Chiron, I tried to find a way to explain to Will the complex story that just happened. Even I don't know what truly happened. So, in the end, I just shrugged. "Hades brought me back."

Will's eyes went wide. "Hades?"

"Well, he is the god of the underworld," I smiled at him.

A bright smile soon grew on his face. "I prayed to Hades to bring you back! He listened!"

That wasn't what happened, but the thought that Will would do that made me fill up with a weird sort of gratitude. I never thought anyone would do that for me. I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him into a side hug. Will protested as I messed up his hair, but I could tell he enjoyed it. He missed me even more than I missed him.

We travelled upstairs. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. Everyone thought I was dead; the idea of seeing everyone again—especially Percy, Annabeth and Grover—made me want to throw up again.

Arriving outside the door to Chiron's personal chambers, Will gave me a nervous glance before knocking on the door. I fidgeted with my fingers and tried to flatten my hair. Seeing Chiron again was even more nerve racking. He was albeit a second father to me.

When the door opened, a thousand expressions passed Chiron's face. At first he was smiling, then surprised, then sad, and then a weird smile mixed with a frown made me frown (because that is just confusing) before I was pulled into a hug by the old centaur.

I wanted to stay in that hug forever, but I pulled away, narrowing my eyes at my instructor. "You knew," I said. "You knew that I would die."

Chiron let out a sigh. "Come inside, child, have a cookie."

I turned to Will. "I'll see you back at the cabin?"

He nodded, and left. But not after giving me one last glance before he rounded the corner.

Chiron let me enter the chamber first, and I glanced at his record player—and his terrible collection of jazz music—remembering this summer's expedition with the pigeons.

Chiron closed the door behind him and turned to me kindly, "You spent a lot longer in Transition than I predicted."

I made my way over to grab a chocolate chip cookie from his cookie jar as if it hasn't been months since I've last been here. I took a bite, holding my hand out to catch the crumbs. "How long did you know?" I asked with a full mouth.

"Since you first came here," said Chiron sadly. "Apollo told me about your future."

I nodded, swallowing. "And you knew that I would come back?"

He hummed in agreement. "But how long, I wasn't too sure."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked him, taking a seat on the couch. "All those years I've asked about my powers and you knew but never told me."

"It is unwise, Claire, to know your own future," he said with a tight smile. He grabbed a cookie himself.

"But it could have helped me so much," I frowned. "All those times I sat on my bed, cursing my father for giving me these powers, cursing Percy for not knowing what their purpose was ... you knew ... you knew my father was raising me up for slaughter ..."

"That is where you are wrong," said Chiron kindly. "Your father didn't raise you up for slaughter. He guided you on a path you were always meant to take. None of us can choose what the Fates have in store for us."

"Percy told me I can choose my own destiny."

"Percy is in an entirely different situation than you. You are a child of a prophecy, he is a child who has been given freedom."

I was taken-aback. "What do you mean ...?" I leaned forward, "What do you mean he's not the child of a prophecy? The Great Prophecy always referred to him, what changed?"

There was a grave look on Chiron's face. "A fair amount, it would seem. Come," Chiron stood up from his wheelchair, and his fake legs folded away to reveal four, splendorous white horse limbs. "Let's have a walk. But first, let me have Will find you a jumper."

"No need," I told him. "I'll feel the cold anyway. I'm not fully alive, remember?"

He grimaced, "Indeed."

Chiron led the way out of the Big House. We passed Mr D, who was back at his pinball machines, but he did not give me a happy look as we did. I gulped and turned away. I had a feeling I would receive at least three more years of Mr D forgetting my name before he sort of forgives me for spoiling his godly shoes.

I shivered when we stepped outside. Camp Half-Blood was a winter wonderland. Usually, during the summer, the camp had a barrier that kept all the weather out, but any other time, they didn't. Mr D allowed for the snow to cover the grounds and for rain to pelt against the cabin windows.

It became very annoying when it would be raining while we were having food, but we always got used of it. (Well, used of rushing to get our food, scrape half of it to the gods and run to the covered seats that were spread out around the camp. Jay, Lee and I used to always run as fast as we could to get to the nearest one before Clarisse would kick us off).

Jay...

I shook my head, trying to forget him. But unlike for others, Jay's betrayal was still fresh in my mind as if it was yesterday—and technically, for me, it was yesterday.

I didn't understand it. All we ever showed him was kindness and love. We welcomed him and cherished him as our brother. He was one of my best friends. Jay told me he loved this place, he would never leave—he wanted to help it ... it was his home ...

Chiron's words brought me back, and I was glad. I didn't want to think about Jay right now. "Percy and Annabeth are off on a quest to bring back three demigods that Grover found out during his usual protecter rounds. So, I'm afraid you won't be able to see them today."

"That's fine," I tried to convince him. "They wouldn't be here anyway, for it's winter."

"Yes," he nodded. "Of course."

"Is Lee back to being cabin counsellor?"

"Yes, but now that you're back, I'm sure they'll be ecstatic to have you return to your position."

I shook my head, smiling. "I would rather co with Lee. He's really good at his position."

Chiron smiled as well. "If you wish," he said, in a tone that told me he was proud of me. I'm not sure what of though.

A thought crossed my mind. If Chiron knew about all this, and what I was meant to do, did he know about all the things Hades said as well? "Chiron," I asked, as we passed the volleyball courts.

"Mmh?"

"Hades, when he—well, when he talked to me—he said that I needed to consult the Oracle. And then you said I was a child of my own Prophecy. What does that mean? What's happening?"

"I knew about the Great Prophecy a long time before you and Annabeth knew," said Chiron. "However, this time, the Oracle hasn't given me the prophecy. I'm as much in the dark as you are, Claire."

"No, you're not," I said. "You knew I was going to die. You knew that Hades would find me and bring me back. You know that the Fates will refuse to cut my string. You knew that by doing that, I become part of Hades' domain. I'm no longer the Light's Kin, Chiron. I have nothing that links me to being a child of Apollo. I can't heal, I don't have my powers—light cannot exist in Hades' domain," I added bitterly, quoting the god with a sour taste in my mouth. "He said that all that exists in me now is the dark, icy chaos that is Death, and I don't know what that means."

"It's not as terrible as it sounds, Claire," said Chiron. "All Hades is saying is that you've never left the Transition between life and death, and your soul isn't sure on how to react to that."

"No, what it means is that I'm powerless. I'm dead."

Chiron sighed, but he didn't say anything. He led the way up towards Half-Blood Hill and Thalia's Tree. I began to get confused.

"Why are we heading up here?" I ask him, jogging a little to catch up with his long horse legs.

"As I said," he had a grave look upon his face again, the grave look I hated because it always made me feel like something terrible was going to happen—and it usually did! "You were in the Transition for a long time, Claire, and a lot has changed since you've last been here."

"Well, we got the Fleece back, didn't we?" I asked him. "I don't see the Camp overrun with monsters."

"Yes," he chuckled dryly. "Yes, Clarisse did come back with the Fleece. But its magic ... we weren't exactly expecting."

"What do you mean?"

He didn't need to answer, for the answer was right in front of me.

And the breath blew right out of me.

Where Thalia's body usually lied, wrapped up in roots and moss and grass, there was a gaping gash, big enough for a body to fit in. Glistening in between two branches, was the Golden Fleece, guarded by a baby dragon—that didn't look so baby, but trust me, they get a lot bigger than that. I didn't focus on that however. I couldn't stop staring at the gash where Thalia used to be.

I didn't want to get my hopes up ... I didn't ... was that what Chiron meant? When he said that Percy had freedom now and could choose his own destiny, one that was against the Great Prophecy?

I glanced back at Chiron, and I wanted him to reassure me that I wasn't right, but the look on his face told me otherwise.

Thalia was alive.

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      Short chapter. Soz not soz.

      Question timeeee: what are you most nervous about for this book?