To say things weren't going my way was the biggest understatement ever. My life was filled with ugly monsters, useless mortals, and a bunch of clueless demigods trying to hunt me down and drag me back to camp.

Yup, by demigods, I mean demigods: of the half-human, half-god variety. And by camp, I mean Camp Half-Blood. It's supposedly the one place demigods like me can be safe, but I seriously doubt it. I spent a week there dealing with harmful pranks before things really went to Hades for me.

The third Titan War was over. Kronos was back in the ground, minor gods regained the favor of the Olympians, and all was right with the world… pretty much.

Most of the demigods that had taken up arms with Kronos and the demigod kid who organized the titan's revival were pardoned and allowed into Camp Half-Blood if that was what they wished.

Most, not all.

Fortunately, I was one of the demigods allowed back. I had done a pretty bad thing during the war—something no one could forgive me for. I had changed sides.

Twice.

Look, it's not my fault, okay? I'm the daughter of Nike, the goddess of victory. If I sense a loss, I have a tendency to change sides because, hey, I don't take loss well. That might just be my fatal flaw. It's definitely tried to get the job done recently. I've had poisonous creatures left in my bunk, serious injuries inflicted during training (supposedly by accident), and more than one instance of hazing including me running across the courtyard to my cabin in nothing but a towel.

I learned a valuable lesson through all that: demigods are as unforgiving as their parents.

Once safely inside my cabin, I moved over to my bunk, checking twice for any scorpions or spiders, before sitting at my bed and sorting through a pile of clean clothes I'd left there earlier.

One of my cabin mates quickly walked over. I didn't look up at her, but I knew who it was, and I just knew she had her hands on her hips, the way she usually did, with an impatient and disgusted look on her face, something I became familiar with lately.

"They did it again?!" she exclaimed. "That's it; I'm going to Chiron about this. They can't treat you that way!"

I scoffed. "You'd treat me the same if I wasn't 'family,' Jess. Heck, I'd treat me that way," I admitted, skillfully getting on underwear without removing the towel and flashing the other two people in there.

"Well, I understand why you did what you did." That was probably true. We had the same mom. But she didn't feel that urge to switch sides when times got tough. She just became more determined to help her own side win the battle.

Jessica was more a 'daughter of Nike' than I'd ever be. We had a lot of the same features: athletic build, hazel eyes, red hair (though hers was shorter and much curlier then mine). The noticeable difference between us? She seemed to radiate greatness while I was seen as little more than a traitor and a hypocrite.

Daughter of Nike? More like daughter of hypocrisy.

"You really have to stop humoring me. I know how everyone feels, and I'm sure you feel that way too."

She seemed to have a silent argument with herself before responding. "Camp Half-Blood is supposed to be a safe place for kids like us, and everyone here is ruining that. You're supposed to feel the safest you've ever felt. You shouldn't be living in fear of some Ares kid sticking a poisonous scorpion in your bunk!"

"You heard about that?"

"What?!"

I pressed my lips together a moment. "Oops."

"I'm seeing Chiron about this," she decided, stomping out of cabin 17 with her shoulders squared, head up, and quite the intense, brooding expression.

I sighed and pulled on a pair of frayed jean shorts. I grabbed my orange Camp Half-Blood tee and gave it a once over.

Putting it on would have been a lie. I hadn't worn the thing since I'd got it, and that day's events hadn't given me a reason to. That was something I was still waiting for.

In the end, I just folded it up and threw it back on the pile, pulling on a plain, white tee.

"I understand your indecision there," came the voice of another Nike kid, my brother Stephan. "If you wear it, they'll just mock how you aren't one of us. If you don't, they'll mock you about that too and ask if you plan on picking sides again."

I rolled my eyes. "What are you, my shrink?"

"More like 'one of the only people that can tolerate you.'"

"Gee, thanks." I knew he was kidding by that smile on his face, but the whole situation with the other campers was weighing heavily on me. I didn't need his jokes right about then. I wasn't in the mood.

"You need to relieve some stress," he sighed, getting to his feet and grabbing his sword. "Come on, we're going to the arena for some training. You need to hit something."

I'm glad he said that. I was reminded of why I liked him.

The sheath of my sword was around my waist in no time, and I strapped on my leather sandals even faster than that, out the door in no time at all. I turned around to see if Stephan was on my heels, but he wasn't. In fact, it took him what felt like several minutes to get out the door.

"You forget something?" I asked.

He looked confused for a moment, but then he smiled. "No, it's just you."

I asked what he meant, but he just retained that smile. My guess was that I just had one of those moments where my sense of time was off.

As a daughter of Nike, I'm created for competition, I have a highly competitive nature, and on top of that I'm super-strong and super-fast…

No, seriously.

Demigods sometimes had superhuman abilities, like superheroes, that somehow relate to their immortal parent. I think it would have been cooler to have wings. Having ADHD and being able to move super-fast meant that I was able to drive my father and step mother absolutely off the wall.

I couldn't outrun a train or anything like that, but I was noticeably faster than the others. I tried to slow up when around other people, and it had worked so far with most, but around my siblings and tree nymphs, the urge to win takes over, even if we aren't actually racing. I just automatically go into hyper-drive. As such, there were a select few who knew about this enhanced speed ability. This included Stephan.

He was able to keep up with me as we walked toward the arena so I figured I was much more conscious of not showing this ability to the other campers.

"Capture the flag is tonight," Stephan said. I don't know what brought that up randomly. I had almost forgotten about that. Stephan was just making my day worse and worse.

"Who are we allied with again?" I asked, though I regretted the question immediately.

"Don't worry, you don't have to keep track. Just wait till the battle starts. I'm sure you'll change your mind anyway." Ares kid. Didn't know his name. Didn't care to. I just kept walking.

Hah, hah. Yes, it's very funny. The girl who switched sides twice during the titan war needed to be reminded of who she was allied with for capture the flag. "Kudos, you made the same joke the entire camp has been making all week. I hope you feel a sense of accomplishment," I couldn't help but mutter.

That's when I hit the ground.

Maybe guys couldn't hit girls in the mortal world, but this was gods and magic and nothing was normal. Those rules didn't apply. He'd hit me in the back of the head with the butt of his sword.

I was dazed, though not at all confused. Metal clashed above my head as my cabin mate and half-brother made a move to "defend my honor," so to speak. I tried to shake off the pounding headache because I knew that Stephan was outnumbered four to one.

On my feet again, my instincts kicked in. A large, burly girl about my age of fifteen was jabbing at me with her spear. She didn't have to be very skillful to land the blows that she managed to. I was, after all, fighting through a possible concussion.

Still, I kept my blade up and deflected the attacks to areas that would do less damage, ending up with a gash on my right arm and left calf. Not too deep. It stung, but I could manage. Slowly, I regained my speed and overwhelmed her with a blow of my own. After several attacks, parries, and counterattacks on both sides, I managed to lock her spear in one position with my sword, using my foot to keep the point of the spear in the ground before unsheathing a celestial bronze dagger from my belt and nailing her with the hilt right between the eyes. She crumpled, hunched over. I pushed her into a lying position in the dirt with my foot for good measure before moving in to help Stephan out, and just in the nick of time.

I clashed swords with someone trying to attack Stephan from behind, but it wasn't one of the Ares kids we'd confronted in the first place. It was a daughter of Apollo that I recognized.

Before I knew it, the whole camp was in the cabin courtyard, armed and in battle-mode. While fighting, I could make out the cabin six and most of the minor god cabins fighting Ares and Apollo kids. We seemed to have merged into our capture the flag teams. This was different though. We weren't all fighting for a goal. There was no flag. No boundary line. No rule banning tying people up or maiming other campers. There was only hate toward those pardoned after the war: the children of the minor gods. Only a select few had the sense of the Athena cabin.

"We're all supposed to be on the same side here. We have to stick together," I heard on of them say. The boy was tall, tan, and blond, like most of them, with Athena's wise, gray eyes. I knew him to be the head leader of cabin six, Damien. Despite the status, his plea went either unheard or ignored. The fighting continued.

The Apollo chick finally went down and I was now cutting through killer vines and deflecting arrows. My head was still pounding, and little black dots had formed in my vision.

I gazed around at the carnage. Somehow a medic station had formed on the "enemy" side. Apollo kids were helping out their wounded in a makeshift tent. The wounded from our side, Stephan included, were left in the grass.

I didn't see the big deal about this place. There may not have been any monsters attacking me, but I'd take a monster over a demigod as an opponent any day. Monsters repeated passed mistakes. You could study monsters, learn their weaknesses, and exploit them. Demigods were unpredictable. They could slaughter their own without a second thought.

Some "sanctuary" this turned out to be.

I deflected another arrow, finally able to spot the archer that had been messing with me this whole time. I surprised myself with how quickly I took my dagger and flung it toward him. It was instinct, and, unfortunately, the blade had been blessed by a son of Tyche that I knew. The blade embedded itself exactly where I had aimed it: his Adam's apple. I watched a stream of blood trickle down his neck and chest. I saw him convulse and gasp for air only to choke on his own blood. I watched his lifeless body fall to the base of the tree in a crumpled heap. And the worse part? I didn't care.

The moment the body hit the ground, I moved to cut down another enemy, making my way to the boy's body. I didn't "say a few words." I didn't feel horrible for taking his life. I just knelt down, gripped the hilt of my blade, and yanked it out.

Droplets of blood splashed my arm and face. Stephan was avenged. I ran back toward my brother's body, sheathing the bloody dagger, and knelt beside him.

It was as I thought. That archer hit him with the arrow straight through his throat. He must have hit the same artery I did because there was a whole lot of blood. Stephan was dead.

I felt no guilt for the guy I killed. A life for a life; I could have made a decent daughter of Nemesis like I knew the girl tending to him was.

"He's gone," she confirmed.

"I know."

"You killed his killer?"

"I did."

She just nodded. Naiya, I think her name was. "Good."

I looked her in the eye. Through them, she said the same thing my Tyche cabin friend said to me after charming my knife: "We minor demigods have to stick together."

I nodded, and she nodded back.

We went back to war.

Then the war ended unexpectedly.

Vines shot out of the ground, only this time I was absolutely certain it wasn't the Demeter cabin being annoying. These were distinct grape vines which rose from the ground and enveloped my sword, Naiya's rapier, my dagger, and various weapons from all the demigods on the field. Then there was a wave of something which would only be described as "madness."

I was hit with an array of different emotions—bad ones. This included fear, terror, dread, sorrow, and it led to a moment of complete insanity. I remember dropping into a fetal position along with the rest of the camp, all of us a drooling mess.

Then the feeling was gone and slowly the demigods rose, some faster than other. I, for instance, still had a splitting headache, and the madness thing, no doubt from our very powerful camp director, didn't make it any better.

The yelling part was a blur. Generally, you don't want to anger a god. That was something the entire camp had just done. Though, Mr. D wasn't really concerned about the dead demigods or the whole "civil war" thing—just the fact that his fifty years of punishment was up and he was on his way back to Olympus. He didn't want us heroes ruining that.

He really hated heroes.

It took the camp a lot to get over the wrath of the wine god. It would take more time than I had stayed there. We were all made to work for the next few days, tending to the wounded, burying the dead, and getting the camp back in order.

There was no shortage of glares in the direction of the minor god kids, namely me. I had basically started the whole thing, and while it was obvious that the minor god cabins were on my side and the Athena cabin had enough sense to come to our defense, I still felt like I had no one on my side.

"The Apollo cabin's pissed at you."

My lips were pressed together in an emotionless line, my jaw was set, and I glared at his reflection in my mirror. Tall, tan, and blond, gray eyes, "Damien," I said. I hoped my tone was as indifferent as I was trying to seem.

"Ares cabin is pretty pissed to, but Apollo? They're out for blood."

"So was I. I guess that was the problem." I stood up and walked to the far side of the room. I didn't want to face him and I didn't want to see his face in my mirror. "You're not on my side; you're just not on theirs."

"You're right," he admitted. I made a sound that may have been a combination of a chuckle and a scoff. Hey, at least he was honest about it. "Athena didn't choose a side; we were forced onto yours because we didn't agree with them attacking you."

"You didn't have to tell me that. I kind of figured."

"You can't be mad at me for not automatically siding with you after what you did." It didn't come out harshly. In fact, he was calm and rational.

"I know!" I said, kind of blowing up. "I was saved by a demigod on the titan's side, so I sided with them. Then I killed one of them to save someone from camp, gaining me favor with you. Then I defected back to the titans because I thought the camp was gonna lose. I'm sorry. I didn't want to die. I didn't want to lose. It's in my nature. But don't forget the person whose life I took was my best friend's and person whose life I saved was you."

He was silent for a long time. "Why did you save me?"

"I don't—" I had raised my voice so I stopped and took a breath and started again. "I don't know. My mom, she told me to."

We didn't speak or anything, but my mother's symbol appeared over him while we were fighting. The same symbol that appeared over my head when I was claimed appeared over his chest. It was dim and brief, but I'd seen it. I was sure I had… so I couldn't kill him. And I didn't know why until I found out that he basically brought victory to their side. He was destined to win that war for the gods. The prophecy that foretold the outcome spoke of him.

"She marked me for victory… then why did you think we would lose?"

"I don't know. Paranoia," I answered with a shrug.

"You should have considered history."

"Next time," I nodded reassuringly.

He laughed, as did I. Then I could see him staring at me strangely from the corner of his eye. "You knew I was the one in the prophecy. We even became friends." He had hesitated before saying friends, and I knew why. Romantic feelings had definitely ensued. "So, why would you feel like the other side was going to win? It doesn't make sense. There's no way to explain that."

Okay, so maybe I hadn't been completely honest with anyone, especially myself, about why I defected back. But the way I gazed around the room cautiously and jumped when one of my half-siblings slammed the door behind them on the way out, I saw that look of realization in his eyes. It was like he'd been trying to remember something on the tip of his tongue and it had just came back to him.

"You could tell that not all of us trusted you," he guessed, though it was more of a statement than a question, which it should have been because he was wrong. There was that look of realization again. "You didn't trust any of us."

"Give the boy a prize," I said coldly, crossing my arms. "How about you guess the reason behind that now? You can see if you've 'figured me out' yet."

"We didn't trust you: you didn't trust us."

"Strike one."

"You held a grudge against Alexis." The quizzical look on my face forced him to clarify. "She was the daughter of Apollo that shot you."

"Oh right," I muttered. I was taken back to the battlefield in my thoughts.

The sun was setting and my friends and I were just passing over Half-Blood Hill. It was just the two of us. We were on a scouting mission. Unfortunately, we were greeted by a lookout: a six foot tall, gray-eyed, tanned, and muscular blond—a son of Athena—Damien.

He wasn't exactly easy to overcome on his own, but two against one is never good, no matter how clever you are. My companion had taken him down with a gash to the abdomen and a blow to the head. I raised my dagger to finish the job. No one could know we were there. Then, I noticed the mark, the same as the one with which my mother claimed me. It was brief, but it had been there.

"Wait," I muttered, questioning myself.

My companion just laughed. "There are more where he came from. No one will miss him." Then he raised his own blade.

Without a second thought, I whipped my blade around and stabbed my companion in the gut. He was surprised, but he didn't have time to question me. I twisted the blade and ripped it out to the side. He bled out in seconds. It was instinct. I didn't have time to think on it.

The son of Athena was fading fast, bleeding too heavily. I sheathed my dagger and grabbed a small, glass jar from my pocket. In it was something I'd been saving for an emergency. The jar contained gel, which was basically highly concentrated nectar and ambrosia. I smeared it onto a banana leaf it came with, and before I could place it on his wound, I was held at crossbow-point.

"Get up slowly and step away from him," the girl wielding it ordered.

I had to make a choice. This girl didn't believe I was trying to save him, and she wouldn't if I had told her. She would, however, shoot me with that bolt if I didn't do exactly what she said to do.

I had to save him. I felt a surge of adrenaline and knew that my powers had kicked in. Faster than humanly possible, I place the leaf over the length of the wound. If I had just laid it there and moved, I could have avoided the bolt, but I needed that extra moment to smooth it over the wound.

Once done, I felt two jolts of pain—something hitting my shoulder in quick succession. The blows landed with so much force that I was thrown back. I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder, then my head smacked the ground and I was just dizzy and numb.

My hearing and sight were distorted.

I heard a loud gasp and saw the boy sit straight up. The girl removed the leaf and gasped herself, probably watching as the remnants of the gash connected and healed.

"You're alright?"

"What happened?" There was a pause. He must have seen my friend's body. It was out of my view. "He knocked me out."

"Then his friend must have killed him."

I saw him turn to me. His features were out of focus.

"Why?" he asked.

"I don't know… but then she healed you." She sounded suspicious and skeptical.

"So you shot her?"

"I didn't know she was healing you until after I shot her!"

He knelt beside me. I tried to focus, but that just made my head spin more, so when my eyes started to drift shut, I let them. I heard him ask me something. It might have been, "Who are you?" or "What's your name?" or "What side are you on?" but I couldn't make it out. Then I felt myself being lifted and I let myself pass out.

I sighed and pushed the memories away. I knew why she shot me. I would have shot me. There was no grudge. "Strike two," I shrugged.

He was silent for a long time—thinking. Eventually, he just shook his head. "Tell me," he insisted. "I hate not knowing things."

I smiled, genuinely, my first smile in a long time. It must have taken him off guard because a look of shock crossed his face. Then, an endearing look followed. I missed that look.

Snapping out of it, I allowed my expression to slowly shift back to emotionless. "I didn't trust any of you because that's what experience has taught me."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't understand."

"Before the war," I began with a sigh, "A satyr at my school gathered me and another demigod, and we started on toward Camp Half-Blood. We traveled together for a while. Eventually, we ran into an Ethiopian Dracone. After trying to fight it off, the other kid was bleeding internally and my leg was broken. The satyr turned to me, and said 'he's a child of one of the big three. I need to get him to camp.'"

Damien shifted uncomfortably, glaring at the ground.

"I was confused as to why he said that. I mean, I knew where we were going. He gave us the speech. But later, I realized he was saying 'bye, sorry.'

"I got up and we started to run, but I couldn't keep up. Normally, I could keep up with him. I run pretty fast. But my leg was broken. Walking on it was excruciating. Each step was like a stab to my calf, but I jogged along with them for as long as I could.

"Eventually, I cried out, saying I couldn't keep up. The monster wasn't far behind, but we could have taken a small break. I stopped, but the satyr kept running with the other kid in his arms. I called out to him to stop. I tried to get up again, but the pain was too much, and I fell. So I started crawling in their direction—begging and pleading. But, he kept running and pretended that he couldn't hear me."

My eyes were watering by then, though my facial expression was still relatively emotionless. That was the first time I'd ever told anyone that. It was a lot of buried memories coming out.

My expression went from emotionless to royally pissed, and that's when I sank to the floor and punched it, splitting the floorboards. From the mirror, I saw Damien flinch. He was scared of me? He should be. I punched the floor again for good measure. My knuckles were bleeding with splinters, but I kept punching through the ground. I made quite the hole before Damien knelt beside me and caught my arm firmly.

His touch sent a jolt through me, and I stopped. He took my wrist, firmly, but gently. I let my hand go limp and looked away. There was a burning pain and my hand was shaking.

I felt him pulling out the large splinters and I cursed. "Just leave them in," I said, moving to pull my hand back, but he tightened his grip a bit.

"I'd suggest the infirmary, but everyone there wants to kill you," he smirked.

I let out a half-hearted chuckle. "Oh well."

He was quiet for a long time as he patched up my hand. "Why didn't you tell me any of that?" he finally asked.

"I didn't feel like it." I didn't mean to hurt him when I said that, but I could tell that I had done just that.

"But we were friends." He hesitated at first again. It was annoying and kind of adorable at the same time… though mostly annoying. "Is it because my immortal parent isn't a minor god?"

Ouch. "Damien…"

"Did you tell the other minor god cabins? Is that why they blindly followed you?"

I scoffed and shook my head, locking my jaw and facing him. I didn't appreciate the accusatory tone. "No," I answered truthfully. "If they were fighting for anyone, it was Stephan. He was a good, likable guy, and they were all friends. They told me 'the children of the minor gods have to stick together.' They don't know my story." He sighed, almost in relief, and nodded. "But they could," I continued. His gaze snapped back to me. There may have been a little fury and fear in his eyes. "If they fought with me before," I threatened, a little payback for his accusation, "I'm sure they'd fight even harder knowing what I went through. They feel oppressed as it is. I could start a civil war if I wanted, and you may be supposedly more powerful, but there are a lot more of us than there are of you."

"We're not your enemy," he pleaded.

"Well it sure as Hades feels like you are," I responded. I tried not to use my intimidating voice, but in doing so I may have seemed whiny or at least really sad.

The whole thing sent me into a frenzy. I had finally admitted it to myself: I didn't trust anyone there at camp. Any one of them could sneak up on me and gut me at any time. I wasn't even sure if I was safe from Damien.

"Maybe you should go," I said quietly, barely a whisper.

He nodded slowly, which I could see out of the corner of my eye. "I guess I should." He stood up and walked toward the entrance of the cabin. Before he got there, he turned around, giving me another once over before walking out completely.

I sighed audibly. That boy was my emotional roller-coaster. We shared some mutual attraction back before the war, but now, it was hard. I basically blamed him for what happened. This camp, the one that was supposed to protect me and keep me safe, had failed me.

I couldn't stay.

I moved to my bunk and slid a bag I packed earlier out from under it. Inside were a few things I'd collected over the last week: two refillable water bottles (one with water, the other with nectar), a Ziploc bag of ambrosia squares, a small jar with barely anything left of that healing goo, two changes of clothes, a Greek mythology book, and duct tape. There was also a camping roll clipped to the bottom. In my pockets were a box cutter, a lighter, and a wallet with about $170 dollars and 20 gold drachmas. That would keep me going for at least a little while.

Moving over to the side window, I slid it open and threw the bag out before climbing over myself. No goodbyes, no notes; I was just going to disappear.

At least, that was the plan.

I thought I had until morning until people would notice, but Damien had to be that guy. While outside the window, I heard him walk back in saying, "Okay, we really need to talk," before he noticed the window open.

I cursed under my breath and reached for my bag. My natural battle reflexes flared up and I withdrew my hand. An arrow protruded the wall where my hand had just been. I reached for my sword but someone was pushing the blade back into place and stabbing me in the stomach with his or her own weapon.

I was still trying to process before my attacker spoke into my ear. "For Apollo," the female voice whispered. I felt the blade being yanked back out of my abdomen, then I watched her dark figure and two others walk calmly away, back toward the infirmary in the Big House (the main camp building).

I looked down at my shaking hands. Blood. Mine. I didn't expect to be killed off so soon. Like I said, I thought I had until morning before things started coming after me. I had barely made it out of my cabin. I was right about camp though. It was a safe haven for any demigod not named Adelyn Mohr.

"Adelyn!"

It was Damien's voice. The sound was muffled, but I had the feeling he was speaking quietly to begin with. He knelt down beside me, but I was pretty much out of commission at that point. I'm not sure why I was sitting there in disbelief, but I couldn't form a sentence of more than a few words.

"Ouch," I muttered indifferently.

"You're gonna be fine. I'm gonna get you to the infirmary." He started to put my arm around his shoulders to lift me, but I resisted.

"For Apollo," I remember muttering, laying my hand down on the wound. "Keep pressure here," I told myself. My head was spinning. Probably from blood loss.

"Okay, not the infirmary," he said, his breathing uneven. He seemed to have registered the message, as if the arrow in the wall wasn't enough of a hint. He also must have noticed the pack because he said, "You weren't gonna say goodbye… again."

The following few hours were a blur, but he must have nursed me back to health with the supplies in my pack because I was conscious.

The nectar bottle and the ambrosia squares were tucked neatly back inside the pack, which was leaning against the wall. Damien had me in his arms. His jacket was around me and the bloody tee shirt I was wearing was now soaked and lying at our feet. He stroked my hair out of my face and I gazed out at the rest of Camp Half-Blood. This could never be my home… not after this. But this was Damien's home, so the next words out of my mouth were pretty selfish.

"Come with me."

He sighed. It had to be partially a sigh of relief because he laughed a little and held me closer. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to be lost in the moment.

"I don't think I can."

I nodded. "I know," I said with a sigh, trying to stand.

"Careful," Damien suggested as he moved to steady me. "You're still—"

I pushed him away. "I'm fine," I insisted. I really wasn't though. I knew I wouldn't last out there very long on my own. I'd always had at least one person with me who I knew had my back (even if I never fully kept my guard down around anyone). This time around, I would be completely on my own. I didn't know how long I would be able to survive.

"We wouldn't last a minute out there," Damien said, as if reading my thoughts, or at least my facial expression.

"Well, I don't think I'm going to last another day in here either. A lot of people would love to see me dead, some more than others and all for different reasons," I sighed, putting on a shirt from my pack on under his jacket before slinging the straps over my shoulders. I struggled a bit and exhaled heavily, still pretty sore and trying to ignore a splitting headache that meant I nearly had enough ambrosia and nectar to melt my insides. "I would have a better chance of surviving if you were with me," I said quietly without looking at him.

"I spent a long time on the run by myself… finding this place was such a relief. I don't think I can go…"

"I understand," I said quickly. Really, I did. But I wished things were different. He really had become somewhat of a best friend to me. He could have been more than that if things weren't so messed up. But he wasn't going to leave with me. This was his home. But, it wasn't mine, and it would never be. "I guess this is goodbye then."

"It doesn't have to be. Things will get better, Adelyn. I can protect you. The Athena cabin will always be on your side."

"Great, that's 1 of 13," I said sarcastically.

"I give you my word that what happened today won't happen again."

He was really pleading here. "I'm sorry."

Damien was quiet for a long time. "I won't let you go."

"I didn't think you would," I admitted. "So, I had a strategy put in place."

He rubbed his eyes sleepily and shook his head. "Well, whatever it is, I'll see through it," he yawned. "Did you forget who my mother is?" he asked, clearing his throat. He seemed confused. "Why am I so tired?"

"Did you forget who my friends are?" I asked with a smirk.

Realization hit him, but it was too late. He fell to his knees, and then fell over in the grass, out like a light.

"Thanks, Jeremy," I sighed. The demigod showed himself, moving to my side sluggishly. His dark hair was unruly, a natural bed-head, and his eyes seemed darker with the bags under them.

"No problem," the child of Hypnos said with a tired smile. "He should be out for a while. Either way, you should run now," he said. His voice sounded more alert than normal.

"What happened?" I demanded. I was planning on leaving as soon as possible anyhow, but I didn't need any surprises.

"There was a meeting. The oracle spoke a prophecy."

I relaxed a bit. I was done with this camp so the prophecies didn't really apply to me. I didn't care anymore. But, I was still curious, so I asked, "So what?"

Apparently, hearing the prophecy would be better than explaining himself, so he began:

"Sealed until the end of days,
The Great Destroyer soon be raised.
With victor's will—death, then life—
She'll raise, and with her: endless strife."

It took a moment to process. "'Victor's will,'" I repeated.

"The magic phrase," Jeremy suggested with raise eyebrows.

"So the council translated this to 'a child of the goddess of victory will resurrect this 'Great Destroyer,'' and that person is me," I questioned, though it was more of a statement when I said it. The look on Jeremy's face proved my suspicions. "What are they planning?"

"Nothing is decided, but they're talking about getting rid of 'the problem,'" he said, raising his hands to insert air quotes.

"I have to leave NOW," I said, slightly panicked.

"I would," he sighed, stifling a yawn. "They might pursue you. They don't doubt for a second that you'd try to unleash whatever the prophecy is about for revenge."

I scoffed. They didn't even know just how much I had to be vengeful for. But there were people in this world that I cared about enough to not free some all-powerful being of destruction. They wouldn't believe me if I told them that though.

"I'll slow them down if they do decide you should be apprehended."

I looked up at him. "Why?" It was an excellent question. We didn't know each other that well, and he would be risking a lot.

He shrugged. "Children of minor gods stick together," he said simply.

"You're risking civil war."

"They'd be the ones starting it. I'd just be participating, that's all," he chuckled lightly. For an eleven year old, he was pretty cryptic. I had a feeling he meant it too.

"As a favor to me, don't interfere, I'll be alright. I've got this," I said, unsheathing my dagger.

He smirked. "You gotta love the children of Tyche."

I smiled. "I wouldn't intentionally summon anything to destroy the world, Jer." He didn't respond to that.

I'd like to think it was because I didn't give him a reason to, but I didn't take my leave that quickly. He could have said he believed me. He didn't.

Gripping my dagger tightly and giving the unconscious son of Athena one final look, I took off running across the field and up Half-Blood Hill to the borders of the camp.

It didn't take long at all considering I run faster than most humans and demigods. I reached the pine tree that marked the border in no time, Thalia's pine. I wondered for a moment why it was still named that since I heard that the girl Thalia, a daughter of Zeus, was the tree until the Golden Fleece brought her back to life and what not.

That's when an arrow shot passed my ear.

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. Looking out at the plains below, I saw a number of archers making the trek up the hill. They'd never catch me on foot, but the arrows could certainly slow me down.

I turned around and disappeared behind the hill, noticing a number of arrows that somehow missed me. I blamed the horrible aim of the Apollo cabin, which made me feel good inside, but I knew it was the work of the dagger: my good luck charm.

Suddenly, I wasn't so worried about my survival. This dagger was the best thing in my arsenal to keep me alive, besides the medical supplies in my pack.

I ran as fast and as far as my legs would take me, which just happened to be the center of Central Park. The entire trip was a blur, but in the end, I fell over from exhaustion, left looking up at the sky.

I was shaking. It took me until just then to realize that I was afraid. I could almost feel the tension in the air, stretching all the way from Camp Half-Blood. I put on this tough exterior for Damien and Jeremy and anyone else that was temporarily on my side. Now that I was alone, I cried. My face remained completely emotionless, but tears still streamed down the sides. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

This was what it felt like to be completely alone in the world. To have multiple people and forces bent on taking your life. I didn't want all that stress at fifteen. My entire life had been one mess after another, even after finding out what I was and being quote unquote "accepted" into the supposed sanctuary for half-bloods.

Lost in my own despair, I failed to notice movement around me. I cursed under my breath and sat up abruptly with my dagger in hand, pointing the tip of the blade at my stalker.

My eyes widened. I inched myself away, but when I reached the base of a tree and felt the bark at my back, I froze. My hand was shaking uncontrollably. I was staring down a white wolf.

My first instinct was that the creature wasn't a threat to me, but that was crazy right? I kept my blade raised, but I doubted myself. The wolf kept its distance and took a seat before me. It observed me for what felt like forever. Eventually, I let my hand fall to my lap and we studied each other for a while.

Slowly, it rose onto its legs and took one step forward, as if to test my reaction. I remained still and it took this inaction as an invitation forward.

I crossed my legs and the wolf laid its head down on my thigh. It was nice to have a companion. "You gonna keep me company?" I asked with a weak chuckle. The loneliness weighed down on me again and the tears came. The wolf raised its head momentarily to lick my tears away. I leaned back on the trunk of the tree. "Thanks," I said hoarsely, just then noticing how weak I felt. Then, there was a pain in my abdomen and I winced. My stitches must have come undone. I hadn't even noticed. I blame the Adrenaline, which was wearing off fast now. My eyes started to drift closed and the wolf licked my face again. Was he trying to keep me awake?

"I'm tired," I told him. He gave me a low growl and got to his feet. He scanned the area impatiently, like he was waiting for something or someone.

"I'm tired," I said again, but the words didn't seem to fit in my mouth. "I'm dying," I rephrased, looking down at my wound. There was more blood than I originally thought. How much time had passed? Why didn't I notice the bad shape I was in?

I reached toward my pack for the supplies, but only managed to knock it further out of my reach. My hand fell to my side in willing defeat. I didn't have much to live for anyway, did I?

The wolf grew impatient and howled up at the sky. He seemed a bit frantic. "What are you worried about," I asked slowly with a weak chuckle.

More wolves gathered in an instant. A girl came into view as well. She was about my age, maybe a bit older, and her blonde hair and gray eyes reminded me of Damien. Realization hit. She was a daughter of Athena. I raised my blade toward her and got to my feet. I felt the skin tear at my abdomen and nausea swarmed over me before I crashed back down onto my knees.

The girl made a move toward me, probably to help, but the fact that she was a demigod overrode anything else I thought. I raised the blade again. Though I was probably a lot less intimidating on my knees, I still managed to belt out a warning. "Stay back!"

She raised her hands in surrender. "I can help you," she said carefully. I noted a light British accent.

"You're a daughter of Athena; a demigod from camp. You're here to kill me. Damien promised, but I know better. I know," I muttered. It sounded crazy even to me. Maybe the blood loss was getting to me, but she wasn't getting anywhere near me.

A quizzical look crossed her facial features. "Why would Camp Half-Blood be trying to kill you?"

"With a victor's will she'll raise, the Great Destroyer," I poorly explained, suddenly having the urge to defend myself. "I wouldn't do that! It's not me, it's not me," I repeated it over and over as if trying to convinced myself. My vision blurred.

The girl inched toward me.

"It isn't me," I cried again, holding the blade up. My free hand went to the wound at my side and I fell forward. The dagger slipped from my hand.

I passed out, though I think I remember being carried.

A lot of images seemed to blur into one montage in my memory. There was white fur, blonde hair, gray eyes, then another girl with red hair and more wolves. The group of girls grew steadily; different people were tending to me. The same wolf from before, at least I think it was the same one, pacing around me, licking my face.

I didn't know how much time had passed when I finally regained consciousness for good. I slowly sat up and the world came rushing back. My head spun, but I was alright.

"Welcome back."

I reached for the dagger at my belt, but it was nowhere to be seen.

"Your weapons were removed. Just in case." The girl from before—with the English accent, the blonde hair, and the gray eyes—was sitting across from me. My weapons were lying beside her. "I'll give them back once I know you're sane."

Taking a closer look at this girl, I noticed something different about her. She didn't feel like just another demigod to me. There was something else. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but it was both enticing and intimidating.

"Who are you? Where am I?"

"My name is Sage."

"Daughter of Athena," I concluded.

She smirked. It was a bit unsettling how much she resembled Damien. "Yes," she answered simply. "But I'm a Hunter first."

"Hunter?" I repeated in the form of a question. Before she could continue, I was basically tackled by something huge and furry. I laughed as the wolf licked my face. "Hi," I chuckled. "I think you saved my life," I said, petting the top of his head. He howled in response and paced around me as he did before while I sat back up.

"He's taken a liking to you," Sage smiled.

I was trying to keep my guard up around this Sage girl, but, like with the wolf, I found my instincts deciding that it was cool to relax. She wasn't a threat to me.

I took a moment to fully examine the girl in front of me. The blonde hair and gray eyes indicated her immortal parent, but the rest of her said something else entirely. She wore a silver jacket over a white shirt with silvery, camouflage pants and black combat boots. There was also a silver circlet around her head.

Taking a minute to assess myself, I was wearing something similar. Though I was barefoot and my arms were bare, I was wearing a similar shirt and pants.

After examining myself, I looked up at her again. "Nice outfit," I chuckled nervously. "Do I get a jacket like that too?" I joked.

"If you want one," was her answer. She sounded kind of overly optimistic about it, as if getting one of those jackets would be the best thing that ever happened to me.

"What happened to my clothes?" I said blankly, clarifying my earlier statement as a joke.

"They were soaked in blood," she shrugged. "They've been cleaned," she said, getting to her feet. "If you're well, it's time you met your savior."

"I thought that was you two." The wolf helped me as I slowly got to my feet.

"Partially," she answered vaguely. "Follow me."

We stepped out of the tent and into the wild. It was nighttime, though I was pretty sure a couple of days had passed since I had passed out. One thing was for sure, we weren't in Central Park anymore.

"Where are we?"

"Pennsylvania," she answered, "Mount Nittany." That took me a moment to process. "You were being hunted so we brought you with us. I hope you don't mind."

Of course I didn't mind. If they had left me where I was, I would have either bled out, been killed off by the party of Apollo kids that were after me, or been dragged back to Camp Half-Blood to answer for crimes I may commit in the future. I was grateful to this girl.

Around us, there were a number of other tents of the same white silk. The grandest of them all, bigger than the one I awoke in, was the tent Sage led me to. Inside, there were the pelts of many different types of animals. Some were recognizable, some weren't. Several wolves like the one at my side were crowding around a girl who seemed to be much younger than me, but I could sense a power greater than mine within her. She had long auburn hair and her gaze met mine, I stared into silvery yellow eyes.

"I see you have awoken," the girl said, getting to her feet. She was a little shorter than me, and she couldn't have been more than twelve years old.

"Yes, I," I couldn't seem to find the words. "Thank you for helping me." Speaking to her and taking into account everything I had seen and heard, I couldn't help but blurt out the next thought that came to mind. "You're Artemis."

"I am. It was my pleasure to help an injured maiden," she said. "What is your name, child?"

"Adelyn Mohr."

"Adelyn, how did you come to receive that wound?" she asked.

I was hesitant to say, but for some reason, I didn't want to lie to her. I also kind of felt ashamed given everything I had done and everything that happened.

I answered her truthfully, telling her about the daughter of Apollo that attacked me, though I made sure to tell her that it was because I ended up killing one of the girl's brothers in a battle that broke out between the minor god cabins and the other cabins at camp.

Before I knew it, I was telling her my entire story, everything from my roles in the Titan War, the reason behind my choice of sides, the dangerous pranks played against me at camp, to the stab wound received from the daughter of Apollo. I kept out the prophecy part, but I did mention that the entire camp was probably hunting me as we spoke.

She just nodded where appropriate and listened as though she really cared.

"You're honesty is intriguing," she began, probably trying to consider everything I told her before deciding what to do with me. "The life you have led sounds like a lonely one." That word 'lonely' cut into me. "In all you have told me, I do not see why the camp would be after you."

I shifted uncomfortably, not sure of what I should say. Without the prophecy part, it was still believable that they'd want me dead, right?

Sage spoke up for me. "There was a moment, milady, when the girl mentioned some prophecy." I clenched and unclenched my fists. "She was going into shock, but I believe this prophecy is related to her troubles."

Before she could ask me what the prophecy was and how it was relevant, I recited it, remembering word for word:

Sealed until the end of days
The Great Destroyer soon be raised
With victor's will—death, then life—
She'll rise, and with her: endless strife

"The part about a victor's will… I'm a daughter of Nike. They think it's about me, and with everything else that's happened, they were quick to accuse me and hunt me down for crimes they think I'm going to commit."

Something about the prophecy seemed to rattle the goddess. For a moment, I thought she might strike me down, but the softness returned to her.

"It is unjust to assume that this prophecy is describing your future. It would mean eliminating every child of Nike and the goddess herself to ensure there will be no candidates to fulfill this prophecy. It could speak of the victor of any event. You were right to run, and I offer you my protection. Join the Hunt. You will never be without those who would not defend you and fight by your side."

The speech threw me off guard, and it probably took me several moments to answer. "You mean to make me one of your Hunters?" I asked. I knew the answer, but I was too in shock to form a different sentence I suppose.

"You must first speak the oath," Sage answered. "'I pledge myself to the Goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt,'" she recited.

"Turn my back on the company of men?"

"You must never fall in love," Sage clarified.

I considered this. I thought a long time about Damien. I really liked him, but was it love? I didn't know. It was something complicated that I would never understand. I needed to put him behind me, but I didn't know how to define my current feelings. "What if I'm already in love?"

"If you were, you wouldn't have asked that, you would have simply declined," Sage smiled. I chuckled lightly. That sounded like a pretty good argument. "If you make this pledge, you must abandon these feelings and never act on them. You must live by the oath for the rest of your days."

"And how long would that be?" I asked, remember something about immortality being part of this deal.

"You will be granted immortality and can only die if struck down in battle."

"So I can still be killed," I muttered thoughtfully.

"We look out for each other," Sage insisted.

I sighed, turning to the goddess. "What do you choose?" she asked me.

It wasn't a difficult decision aside from the little feelings I had for Damien. It was never going to happen anyway. I was going to spend the rest of my life running from the one place on earth that I could be safe from monsters. On my own, I wouldn't stand a chance. With the Hunters, I could belong, and I would have companions to fight with me should I need them.

My four-legged friend brushed up against my leg. I smiled down at him. "I pledge myself to the Goddess Artemis," I began. Sage brightened up and I heard giggling behind me. Turning slightly, I saw the other Hunters had gathered at the entrance of the tent. "I turn my back on the company of men," I said through a nervous chuckle. It kind of became real with all of them anticipating the end of the oath from the new arrival; their new sister in arms. I finished the oath, pledging to, "accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt."

The moment Artemis agreed, I felt different. Perhaps not physically stronger, but what I felt was a sense of belonging and a sense of security. For the first time in a very long time, I felt safe.

The other Hunters crowded around me introducing themselves. Including Sage, the goddess, and myself, there were fifteen of us. If I included the wolves and hawks that made up the rest of our hunting party, there were a few dozen of us. I went from having no one I could fully trust to having a small army of people that I felt an immediate connection to.

I could also suddenly understand the wolf that stayed by my side. His name was Kainan, and I adored him from the beginning. He had saved my life after all.

The girls dispersed. A hunting party went off to search for dinner while the rest tended to me. Back in Sage's tent, she handed me a silver jacket identical to hers. I slipped it on and we shared a laugh.

Artemis presented me with my own silver bow and hunting knife. Usually, the girls were given two hunting knives, but she handed me my dagger instead.

"This is blessed by Tyche," Artemis said all-knowingly. "I suspect you will still be needing such luck. Keep it with you."

I smiled and attached the new sheathe to my belt.

Sage later taught me how to summon the bow and knives at will. It was strange having access to this weapons cache with the ability to materialize at will. It was definitely easier than carrying them around all the time.

My first tries with the bow and arrow were better than I expected. No bull's-eyes, but mostly in the yellow circles of the target I was shooting at.

"I'm guessing my accuracy has something to do with the whole 'Hunter of Artemis' thing," I said. "My skill with a bow, which I've never shot before, comes with the immortality, right?"

"Actually, you did a lot worse than most of us on our first try," Sage stated emotionlessly.

I looked out at the target, unsure of myself. "Oh," was all I could get myself to say.

"I'm kidding," Sage admitted with a smile after a long, uncomfortable silence.

I turned to her, my mouth agape. "You don't even get how mean that was," I laughed.

"I assume being a daughter of Nike means being super competitive," she replied.

"An assumption worthy of Athena," I said with an over-exaggerated bow, receiving a laugh from my companion.

"In all honesty, that was better than most. Perhaps it has something to do with your parentage. A daughter of Nike with a dagger blessed by Tyche getting close to a bull's-eye with every shot on her first try at archery does not seem like a long shot to me."

"Well, when you put it that way," I laughed, turning my attention back to the target. This time, I focused fully on the target. My silver bow materialized in my hand. I notched an arrow, lifted the bow, drew back the bowstring, anchored the string at the side of my lip, aimed at the target, and let my arrow fly. Bull's-eye.

I was able to do this with every following shot, though I made sure to narrowly avoid hitting every other arrow. Instead, I lined up the others to encircle the first.

"Not bad," Sage assessed.

"I could have used every arrow to split the last, but I didn't want to show off," I shrugged.

Sage laughed out loud. "You know what? Surprisingly, I don't doubt your ability to have done that," she admitted.

"Your mean teasing actually pushed me to try harder. So thanks for that," I laughed. She eyed me strangely. I would guess she felt a tiny bit guilty and maybe a little proud. 'Or maybe I should stop analyzing people and guessing what they're thinking,' I said to myself. "What's that look for," I asked with a smile.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just glad you're okay I guess. I didn't say it before. You gave me quite the scare."

"Why did you save me anyway? How'd you find me?"

Her bow disappeared from her arm, unneeded. "We were on a hunt," Sage began and she took a seat on a tree stump. "Kainan and I," she said nodding toward me to gesture toward the wolf at my side "We were one party." I took a seat on the grass with my legs crossed and he laid his head on my thigh. I stroked his fur as she continued. "We were supposed to be on the left flank for the take down when suddenly, Kainan stopped and changed direction," she said, absently picking a blade of grass. "He must have smelled your blood. I didn't notice he veered off until several minutes later, though it wasn't difficult to follow his tracks. It is said that I am the best tracker among us."

"It's a daughter of Athena thing," she smirked, appreciating the compliment. "You're much cleverer than the rest of us."

Sage smiled. "More clever," she corrected.

I smiled, knowingly. "You couldn't help yourself, could you?"

She rolled her eyes. "I followed him to you," she said, concluding the story.

"He led you to a crazy person bleeding out and spewing some random nonsense," I muttered jokingly. Hearing a howl in the distance, Kainan got to his paws and raced off. I chuckled lightly and watched him go. When I turned back to Sage, her expression was quite serious.

"That person turned out to be a maiden with a great heart running from the one place on Earth that she was supposed to feel safe in. He led us to someone who needed us more than anyone ever could."

"I think we're having a moment."

Sage rolled her eyes at me again. "It's amazing how easily you ruined it," she scoffed, crossing her arms. "Is that a daughter of Nike thing?"

"Nah, it's an Adelyn thing," I admitted with a shrug.

We shared a laugh and walked back to camp.

The next morning, we left Camp Half-Blood even further behind. There were several states between us in no time. Being a Hunter offered greater agility and stamina. I was fastest of us all, able to outrun everyone except Artemis herself. I think she may have been slowing up for me though.

We accidentally left several miles between us and the other Hunters, that's how caught up we were in running. I felt free and at home at the same time, but we had to stop in order to let the others caught up.

"I needed to speak with you privately," Artemis admitted abruptly. I guess she wasn't as caught up in it as I was. She had an ulterior motive.

"What is it?" I asked, sounding mostly curious though I was also a bit annoyed and more than a little suspicious.

"The Great Destroyer in the prophecy," she began. "I know of this being. Her release would mean the end."

I scoffed. She thought I was the one in the prophecy that would release this Great Destroyer person. Unbelievable. "Did you offer me a place among your Hunters to keep an eye on me?"

"No, child. I would have made you the same offer without knowing of the prophecy." She said it in such a careful and kind tone that I couldn't help but believe her. "However, prophecies always come to pass, though not always in the way they seem. You may very well be the one in the prophecy, releasing this creature without knowing how or having a reason why. Just know, that if it happens, I will hunt her down as every other monster, and I will not blame you for her release."

I stared blankly at the goddess for a long time. The sun was setting when I finally snapped out of it and found the other Hunters and animals had caught up to us.

"You two are way too fast," Sage chuckled. Her cheery expression faded upon seeing mine. "What's the matter?"

I blinked a few times and shook my head. "Nothing," I nodded, turning to Artemis. "Thank you."

The goddess smiled genuinely at me before addressing the others. "Come, let us make camp here."

"Yes, milady," several of the girls said before they moved to unload supplies and set up tents.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Are you sure you're alright?" Sage wondered aloud. Her expression showed deep concern.

I smiled reassuringly. "Yeah, I'm alright," I nodded.

This wasn't exactly a lie. I was glad I would have a goddess and a band of immortal Huntresses on my side should this prophecy come to pass, but knowing that it was going to happen and I could do nothing to stop it was a bit unsettling. With the summer solstice only days away, I felt even worse about it all. The gods' powers were at their strongest on this day, but that meant this Great Destroyer would be at her strongest, too.

"Let's rest up. I have a feeling we'll be hunting something pretty dangerous in the next few days."

Sage seemed taken aback by this vague news, but that was good. At least she'd be emotionally prepared for whatever it was we were going to be facing. The prophecy spoke of this being bringing 'the end of days.' She probably wasn't going to come quietly. I made a mental note to enjoy the time with Artemis and the others while I could. Surviving this 'end of days' was probably something I wouldn't be doing.

Author's Note: Thanks for taking the time to read this. Reviews are always welcome and appreciated. I wrote this for Camp NaNoWriMo a few months back with a goal of only 10,000 words since I started pretty late (with a week left in the event). I decided I wanted the story occur well after the events of the books or be set AU so I could create my own little band of characters, with the exceptions of Dionysus and Artemis of course. Anyone know who the Great Destroyer goddess chick is? I guess, in a sense, this is a crossover fic. :P This isn't meant to be continued, just a little one-shot I had some fun writing. Hope you enjoyed!