The First Daughter

Chapter Fifteen:

The house was a two level house, brown and seemed to be made completely house of wood, not like a log cabin or anything just made of wood. It was a good five mile walk, and my feet were sore by the time Darren walked into a driveway. I looked up and Lilly did the same thing and we both breathed a sigh of relief. Darren boldly walked up on the wooden porch and then checked behing to see if we were there and Lilly and I walked the steps and joined Darren behind him. He straightened himself and knocked on the door. There were a couple of footsteps and some talking behind the door.

I looked down at Lilly, and then the door opened and I looked up. “Hello!” She said with a smile, “Can I help you three?”
“Grandma it's me, Darren?”
She smiled, “Darren!” and welcomed him in a great embrace.

She was tall, but not taller than the doorway. Her hair seemed to have been dyed a dark brown color but a slight gray was at the roots. She had a long and slender form. This woman in short was waaay different that the old southern granny that I thought she would be. Darren's Grandmother relented the hug, “What are you doing here?”
“Me and my friends need a place to stay for the night Grandma, may we-?”
“Oh yes kids.” She said with a smile and looked at Lilly and I.

She came out and showed us through the door and shouted behind us, “ROY NEAL! DARREN IS HERE WITH HIS FRIENDS! ARE YOU DECENT?” We entered into I guess the living room and looked up and saw that the inside was also made of wood. Wooden panels over all the walls, but a pale green carpet all over the floors and on the stairs leading up to the second floor. There were two big chandeliers separated by a big fan that was on can keeping the air crisp and fresh: like a forest breeze: Which I really liked.

“YES BRENDA I AM DECENT AND I COMING DOWN!!!” There was creaking from upstairs and out came a average sized, pudgy man came down the stairs. He was bald completely on the top of his head. He wore a lemon pie colored shirt that was tucked into his black pants, and his pants were held up by a brown belt. If there ever was a mismatched couple, Darren's grandparents would be it.
“Darren!” He said with a smile and came up and shook Darren's hand.
“My you've grown into a man overnight!”
Darren nodded with a smile, “Thanks.”

Darren's Grandmother turned to Lilly and me and asked with a smile on her face, “Who are you two?” I smiled a bit and replied, “My name is Hannah Batson and this is Lilly McWish.” She held out our hand to shake, “It's a pleasure to meet you two.”
“So where do you know these girls, Darren?” Darren's Grandfather asked.
“From camp.” Darren replied.

For a moment the smiles were wiped clean off their face, then they looked at each other and then Grandma clapped her hands together and said, “Well we have supper on the stove why don't you wash up and we'll eat supper and we'll get the bed situation together?” Darren's Grandmother (she told us to call her Aunt Brenda and Darren's Grandfather as Uncle Roy Neal) showed us to the upstairs bathroom where we washed up.

I tried to pry why (excuse the rhyming), Darren was mad at me. “Not now.” He replied. “What about your Grandparents? They seemed a little upset that we came from Half-Blood.”
Darren grumbled, “They may love me but they hated my Mom, for getting into trouble with a Ancient Greek god no less. Me they love, but my still don't like my Mom because it just doesn't really happen down here in the South. I mean it does but it's frowned upon.”

Darren looked away, “My Mom wasn't welcomed at home. She never said it was in Oak Grove. I remember when I was little we visited but we never came back. Mom tried to never talk about it, and we didn't have all that much time either: We moved a lot, for work and monster attacks, I remember that clearly.” He said, “You know the longest place I had ever lived in was about a year?”

He looked at me and we just looked at each other for a while, and then I saw a look in his eye that remembered there was a reason why he was mad a few minutes ago and then looked away, and he lost the gentle look in his face.
“DINNER IS READY!” Aunt Brenda called I was thankful for that, it was getting awkward!

All three of us shuffled downstairs and we ate a good, according to Aunt Brenda, a good southern meal. Homemade fried chicken, mash potatoes WITH brown gravy, green beans that Aunt Brenda said that she fried bacon grease in plus it had bacon bits in them, and sweet tea and lemonade to drink. Without fail Darren began to inhale it all. So after dinner Lilly and I got the spare bedroom upstairs while Darren bunked down below on the couch. I rested on my bed but honestly I had this feeling like I wasn't going to be able rest.

But my eyes closed and instantly I felt sucked into a dream.

I fell to my hands and knees and I even felt the black gravel underneath my palms and kneecaps. I looked up and saw the guy Percy above me. We were apparently in a cell that had rocks in it as a floor. Percy had chains wrapped all around him and was hanging by another chain tethered to the ceiling, and was positioned horizontally like he was trying to fly or something. One look at Percy and I knew he had been there a long time. Percy's face was red and he had a hard time breathing but his eyes were suddenly fixed on me.

“You're back!” He announced.

I looked around and guessed it was me, “Yeah I guess so. How can you see me?”
Percy groaned, “I don't know.”
He started to slowly turn away from me but he kept on talking, “But you must be dreaming.” Percy groaned as he slowly was going in circles.

“Why am I here?” I asked.

“Dunno.” Percy groaned again as he started to complete his circle, “You tell me.”

“Well I can't do anything,” I paused, “And no offense nothing apparently important is going on.”

Percy groaned again. “You need anything from me?”

“What could you possibly do to help me from here?” I asked.
Percy groaned again as he was starting to turn away from me again,
“Depends.” He paused, “What do you need right now?”
I thought again as Percy kept on turning, “Well the biggest thing now is transportation.”
“See!” Percy groaned again, “There is something I can help you with. I can talk to horses and-”
He groaned again and let his head drop, “I can send some your way.”
“Cool!” I replied.

BOOM!!

I turned around startled.

Percy groaned again as he faced the opposite of me, “Something wrong?”
“You didn't hear that?” I asked

BOOOOM!

Percy thought for a moment, “No.” He groaned again.
I began to feel vibrations against me. I heard someone yell and -

BOOOOOOMM!!!

I felt myself being drawn out, like water down a tube. I felt my soul being sucked before my body, I choked and then I turned back to Percy who was nonchalantly still turning. I yelled to hear my voice over the vacuum of space that is sucking me away.
“PERCY WHERE ARE YOU!?”

Percy raised his voice, “WE ARE IN-”

My body was forcefully pulled away and I was traveling seemingly faster than the speed of light to somewhere. I screamed as my body traveled through this dark tube, and then there was a whisper in my head, “San Francisco...”

Then my body came to a complete stop, my stomach lurched and I almost vomited as I looked up and saw I was still dreaming, if I were awake I'd would have thrown up. I groaned as I sat up and looked around and saw the four square walls around me keeping me in like a box. I felt my fears of closed in spaces get to me, rising up in me, I wanted right then some woods and space. I had to get out of here. I screamed as I tired to get out of my box.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!

I looked up and saw Artemis use her body to slam to the wall.
“LET ME OUT!” She demanded. She slammed her body against the wall again.
Mom slammed her fist against the wall, “LET ME OUT YOU PESTS!!!” There was no answer, Artemis clenched her fists and sank down to the ground. Her face was the face that got mad when I took the cookies out of the cookie jar when both of my parents took me on vacation, or when I disappointed her by getting a boyfriend without even thinking to tell her. Or... Never mind: Let's just say Mom was mad.

Just then Hades came through the opposite wall that Artemis was beating on, and when I says through I mean through, the wall was like I dunno something out of the Matrix: The wall was still solid but somehow was liquified Just enough for Hades to pass through then solidify itself again. “To do such a thing would break the ruling of the Council,” Hades replied, “Aand the ruling of your Father.”

Artemis growled, “I know what you plan to do while everyone is in disarray and it won't work.” Hades smiled, “I believe my plan is working.”
To me Hades put a little too much emphasis into “my” for it to be real.
“The original eleven heroes are incapacitated, two of my children are doing my bidding: Soon all of Olympus will be at it's knees.”

“Why do this Uncle?”

“Cause I am sick of tired of being just Lord of the Underworld. I keep my dues and take my oaths seriously, and yet I have the smallest realm to rule.” Hades turned from Artemis, “Not anymore.”

“You mean to overthrow my Father?!”

Hades turned back around and then slapped Artemis in the face, “Of course I mean to overthrow your Father you stupid child!” Artemis gently touched her injured cheek and stood up abruptly and then stood up and sized up with Hades staring him directly in the eyes, Hades wasn't moved by the threatening gesture, and stared back at Artemis.

“Your persona maybe still the same Niece but you have lost your powers and you have a lot to learn kid.”

Artemis clenched her fist, “I maybe a younger goddess but I am-”

“What?” Hades asked, “You must remember that your goddess title and power has been taken away.”

For once I'd ever seen my Mother speechless, Hades smiled, “So little Niece who are you?” Artemis looked down and serious thought for a second, then she clenched her fist again and this time punched Hades directly in the stomach, “I AM THE GODDESS OF THE HUNT, THE MOON, CHILDBIRTH, ANIMALS, AND MAIDENS.”
Hades doubled over and pressed his hand against a wall to catch his breath. “I AM THE DAUGHTER OF ZEUS, SISTER OF APOLLO, LEADER OF THE HUNTERS AND A PROUD MOTHER.” “proud Mom.” brought tears to my eyes.
Hades slowly stood up again.
“And there is nothing you can do that can take that away.” Mom finished.

Hades narrowed his eyes at Artemis and then he backhanded Artemis and sent Mom to the ground. “Mom!” I shouted as I bolted from my bed covered in cold sweat and tears. I bit my lip as I saw like a dream within reality Mom laid on the floor and I saw one thing that I'd never thought that I'd with a god or goddess: Red Blood.

Notes

Hey guys! Love all the comments and positive stuff! Hey just wanted to say that I currently have a prequel to the Roman side (coming soon!) If you wish look up "I loved a god of war" (i wish i could post a link but i cant!)