Stacey Pendragon-daughter of the sea

STACEY POV

My words did not have the desired effect.

Percy yelped and jumped from his chair. Annabeth and Sam were staring at me as though they were seeing me for the first time. Jason and Piper's mouths were hanging open. Leo, Connor and Travis started laughing, as though I was cracking some joke. Basically, everyone on the table were shocked. Everyone that is, except Clarisse, Calypso and Chiron. Finally, Nico spoke up. "Um...like Hazel?". I nodded. I had only heard about Nico's sister, and she seemed like a sorceress. "Like Circe? Your a sorceress like Circe?" Percy asked me. I nodded my head again. He gulped and moved a little further from me. "What? I am not going to eat you" I reply. Why is he acting so freaked out?

"A few years ago, he was turned into a guinea pig by Circe. So he's really nervous about sorceresses. You really are a sorceress?" Annabeth asks. "No, I was joking. Of course I am a sorceress" I reply. "How? And what is that House of Hecate you were talking about?" Sam asks. I look at Chiron to make sure that really don't know anything about it. He nods. "Since you all were boycotted, the demigods have no idea about it" he says.

"Wait, Stacey was boycotted? Why?" Percy asks. I resist the urge to smack him across his head. "I wasn't boycotted. The House of Hecate was, by Zeus" I tell him, forcing my voice to sound normal. "Why? And what is the House of Hecate?" Jason asks. I take a deep breath and start.

"Many years ago, three sons of Hecate, Petrello, Tolomeo and Borlath, decided to start an own institute of theirs, to train young socerors and demigods. It soon evolved into a race of the children of Hecate and their descendants. It came to be known as the House of Hecate. Even demigods would be trained in there, for magic. It was on good terms with the gods. Every magical item would be made by the sorcerers there. Wherever Olympus was, so was the House".

"And what were those legendary families you were talking about?" Piper asks. "The residents of the House spread all over the world to teach magic to the sorcerors in different countries. There is at least one pureblood family in each country. But there are four in Britain, because the sorcerors there are really powerful. There are five most powerful families in the whole world. The Villehardouin's of France, the Campofregoso's of Italy,...I don't remember the others" I said.

"The Moctezumo's of Spain, the Pendragon's of Scotland and the Kalckreuth's of Germany. Funny you don't remember your own family name" Clarisse said. I just shrug. "I did not understand even a single name. Why do they have to be so long?" Leo asks. "I don't know" I reply. "So you are from the house of Pendragon?" Calypso asks me. I just nod. I don't like telling people that I am from a very noble and powerful family. It gets you forced respect.

"And why was the House of Hecate boycotted?" Nico asks me. "I don't know. There are many jumbled accounts for it" I reply. Everyone looks at Chiron. He takes over from there. "Not everyone is a demigod there. They all are descendants of gods. Close to 500 years ago, a new type of education began there. The students started channeling different gods powers". " How do you do that?" Annabeth asks. "If you want to channel a gods powers, you need to first need to make sacrifices and prayers to that particular god. If the god is willing it, he or she will send you a sign and give you their blessings and help you with your training. You need to take an oath that you will not misuse your powers. It was going on fine. But then Zeus had one of his...how do I call it?"

"One of his mood swings" Clarisse said. I barely controlled my giggles. Clarisse grinned at me."Ah, yes. One of his mood swings. He said that chanelling gods powers when one is not a demigod is not right. He wanted to boycott the House. What he did not realize is that the gods and demigods alike were dependant on the House. But he granted the residents of the House one wish. They asked to be given permission to help demigods, invisibly. So even now, they are helping us in our battles and protecting our camp, but we can't see them. Zeus ordered the gods not to have any connection with the people of the House and no demigods should be born of them. But gods are gods. Zeus did not get them to oath on the Styx. So even now, there are demigod-sorceror's, like Clarisse and Stacey" he finished.

Everyone stared at Clarisse and me. I was getting uncomfortable with all the staring. I could feel my temper rising. "Look, doesn't mean that because I am a sorceress, I am abnormal. So STOP staring at me" I snap. Everyone stops looking at me. I feel at ease. Chiron just smiles at me. "What?" I ask him. "Your temper reminds me of all those previous Pendragon's I have trained. That is the fatal flaw of your family" he replies, his eyes shining. I gulp. But at least now I can blame my temper on my family blood. Its not my mistake, but genetic disorder. Whew!

"Um...who is Titania, Stacey?" Katie Gardner asks me. My throat closes up. That is one subject I don't want to talk about." Titania is a daughter of Hecate. A demigod as well as sorceress " Chiron replies. I give him a grateful look. There was no way I could explain Titania without breaking down. "But how does she know you? Have you met before?" Jason asks. Nobody can answer this for me. "Just say, we have had an encounter before which didn't go on so well" I reply, looking at my hands all the time. Even when I'm saying this, flashes of that day come back in my mind. Me, opening that cursed amphora. Titania coming out of it. Mom...

"Stacey, Stacey" Annabeth snaps her fingers in front of my face. I come out of my trance. Annabeth raises her eyebrows at me. I just shake my head. "If you really are a sorceress, do some magic and show us. I still don't believe all this" Leo tells me. I'm stumped. I didn't train in magic. I think of the most easiest thing to do, something that does not even need training. Fire. I close my eyes and concentrate. I opened my mind and let the darkness come down, the room, the noises in it all fell away and I saw a path of thin light guide me through the shadows. I followed it and the light grew more intense and I wrapped myself in it as though I were wrapping myself in a blanket. My hand began to tingle with with thousand tiny shocks and traveled all through my body. My heart began beating faster. The pressure inside my skin built-I gasped- and my eyes flew open.

It was over.

I looked down at my hand, and sure enough, it was ablaze with blue flames. Everyone on the table gasped and fell back. Leo could not believe his eyes. After what seemed like ages, he spoke. "Fire. It is a Hephaestus power. How did you do it?".

" This is ghost fire. Hephaestus is hungry fire" I explained. "Ghost fire? Hungry fire?" Nico looked at me. "What is the difference?". " Ghost fire glows according to your moods. And it does not burn. Only provides light" I said. And to prove my point, I set fire to his shirt sleeve. He screamed and tried to swat away the flames, but they did not go. Then he relaxed. "Its not burning me" he said. "Told you. Hungry fire is the fire used in forges and to burn. What Leo produces is Hungry fire" I said. "Wow. But can we also do it?" Jason asks. I closed my fist and the flames extinguished. I also felt really tired and famished. Magic does take away your strength. "Sure, why not. You are the blood of the gods, which is also magic. And if possible, you may also be descendants if a legendary family" I told him.

"Your 15 years, right?" Percy asks me. "Almost 16", I correct him. "Then how is it that you were not found earlier by monsters?" He asks me. "Sorcerer blood covers the stench of demigods. If Stacey were the child of another god, she may have never even be found. But since she is a child if the Big Three, she was found later" Chiron explains. Percy's eyes widen but he doesn't say anything. "So you mean, there are many more demigods there, but they are not to be found because they have sorceror blood in them?" Annabeth asks.

"Hundreds. But their parents prefer not to send them to camp, lest they incure Zeus's wrath" Chiron says. Then suddenly a voice speaks out of the blue. A voice I would recognize anywhere.

Of course. Isn't it always Zeus's wrath that gives everyone troubles?

Titania

Notes