fear not, my dear,
for the winds will soon
echo your name
and the earth
will shudder beneath your feet.

•❅───✧❅ ONE ❅✧───❅•

     HER NAME WAS...

     Forgotten. It was lost underneath the many carcasses of archaic visions and the debris from the broken altar erected out the bones of her past dreams. Her mother's raging tsunami eyes obliterated the syllables of her name; her mother's tears dripped the essence of her name into the barren grounds, bleeding into the unkept soil. The hollow sounds are the only remnants of her name, and even then, her name was still lost in the passing wind.

Wasted. Spat like it left a bitter taste in one's mouth. It's buried in abandoned lands, like someone, years before, thought that her name had potential, only for it to grow in solitude. Like a tapestry made up of stars and ichor torn into two; one half searching for its other half for eternity, while the other half is floating away in the transient currents of the wind.

     Dead. It teetered in the gap between cerise lips and untrusting eyes, the rope of their breaths acting as the noose. It lied on a stiff mattress with a white cloth over it — no one, not one single thing, is beside the motionless name. Sheets with dried bloodstains of her name are used as kindling for the fire, and no one bats an eye.

It doesn't matter, anyway, whether she was important or not. There would always be some use for her; she was a pawn waiting to be introduced to the game. An eternal puppet for the selfish gods. And the worst part about all of this was that she allowed this to happen.

Anastasia Nishant was used to it; used to feeling like rubble; used to being pushed aside in the name of good; used to the pain and the anger that washes over her; used to it all.

Her only solace from a world engulfed with sorrow is the idyllic universe of her evocative dreams. A dream where, in the meadows of soft lullabies and warm hues bathing the lushes greenery, she was content. A dream where, on the streets of Blissful Lane and Serendipity Avenue, she finds her tranquil oasis with someone standing beside her. A dream where, in a room filled with people, she was the one that people wanted to converse with.

Her mother once told her, on the drive from fate to misguided freedom, that "dreams are the gateway to both heaven and hell. One takes, reaping your triumphant soul. The other gives, offering solitude to your grieving soul." Despite the vagueness in her mother's words, they both understood the underlying message hidden amid the words.

Anastasia Nishant had dangerous dreams. Only she had the power to control them. Or they would control her.

It was, however, easier said than done. When Anastasia was 10 years old, her dreams of beautiful fields turned into wastelands. Her dreams of enchanting cities morphed into ghost towns. Her dreams of living turned into simply existing.

When Anastasia was 10 years old, her mother — her own flesh and blood — left her alone in the woods after promising to come back for her.

"I'll be back soon," her mother had promised. "Count your dreams for me while you wait."

Anastasia hadn't dreamt since she was 10 years old.

Fortunately, a grumpy satyr, known as Gleeson Hedge, and an angsty girl, known as Clarisse La Rue, stumbled upon her sitting patiently underneath a tree. Her eyes were scrunched close, as if she was thinking hard about something. Hedge took a small step forward, startling Anastasia.

His eyes softened for a fraction of a second (although he was quick to deny it if anyone asked). "Get up, cupcake," he grumbled, "we're going to go someplace safe."

Anastasia wanted to refuse. She wanted to say that her mother was coming back for her. She wanted to say that her mother was safe. One look from Hedge, however, made her silently nod, and she followed him, along with her new — friend? — Clarisse, to a place called, Camp Half-Blood. A camp where demigods are supposedly to be safe from any harm.

As soon as they arrived, Clarisse was claimed by the Greek god of war, Ares. Anastasia watched as Clarisse got swept with the other children of Ares, and she looked up, trying to see if the god, or any god had claimed her. Imagine her disappointment when she only noticed the whorling clouds on the pale blue skies. Chiron, the camp director, calmly mentioned that her godly parent will make himself known overtime.

So Anastasia waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited. Nothing happened.

5 years later, still shoved in the overpopulated Hermes cabin, Anastasia realized that her godly parent abandoned her, just like her mother.

Without her claiming, she was an outcast in a camp full of outcasts. It was like she was peering through the window into the joyful paradise the campers had concocted. The door to the paradise was open to all, but it felt like the minute she walked inside, all eyes were turned to her with judgmental gazes and lips curled into a sneer.

The only people she felt close to were Clarisse La Rue and Luke Castellan. After his betrayal, Anastasia was lost. Wandering the woods around the Camp under the guise of patrol was the only way she could escape the tensions.

She sat down on a rock blanketed with moss, wrinkling her nose at the feel of the dampness staining her pants. Anastasia glanced at the watch on her wrist: 3:00 a.m. Chiron was going to take away her dessert privileges for a month, but for some reason, she couldn't care less.

She sighed, looking up at the stars. She could point out the constellation of a recently departed hunter friend, Zoë Nightshade. Anastasia wasn't close with the hunters, and she didn't want to get close with them (the less people she gets close to, the less of those who will abandon her), but Zoë was nice enough to offer comfort when no one had.

The sound of twigs snapping close by made Anastasia perk up. She raised a hand to her necklace, feeling 5 Camp Half-Blood beads around it. She jumped off the rock, wincing at the sound of leaves crunching beneath her feet. Anastasia surveyed her surroundings, trying to even her breathing.

     She pulled the beaded necklace, and it morphed into a bow with Celestial Bronze arrows. She nocked an arrow from her quiver onto the string, waiting patiently for the creature to come out of the bushes.

     One, two —

     A bunny jumped out, landing gracefully on the grass. It looked up at her, twitching its nose as it takes a step forward with a fluffy white paw. Anastasia sighed, lowering her bow.

     "Way to go, fluffball," Anastasia tucks a raven lock of hair behind her ear. She stares at the rabbit for a moment, smiling softly when the bunny stood on its hind legs. The bunny suddenly stiffened, sniffing the air; it bolted away, jumping back into the bushes. Anastasia tilted her head in confusion, furrowing her brows as she wondered what could make a bunny be in such trepidation.

     Anastasia eyes widened. She raised her bow, spinning around just in time to shoot an arrow in between the 17th and 18th scales of the Aethiopian Drakon. The drakon roared in pain, showing off its row of sharp teeth.

     Anastasia shot another arrow at the thirty-feet long beast, but it simply batted the arrow away, as if it was a simple gnat. It swiped for her with its dark, long claws. Anastasia jumped back, stringing another arrow on before she shot it at the drakon.

      The drakon moved its head, causing the arrow to zip past it and lodge itself in the tree behind it. Anastasia cursed in Greek, nocking another arrow in the celestial bronze bow.

The drakon moved forward, growling maliciously as it stared into her eyes, as if it were peering at her soul, with its terrifying eyes. Anastasia glared right back, daring the drakon to make another move.

The Aethiopian Drakon stepped closer to Anastasia, and she shot the arrow right in the middle of its chest. Her lips twitched at the sight of the monster in pain, but it was quickly forgotten when Lee Fletcher and his siblings emerged from the Camp borders with their bows.

"Draw..." Lee waited for the drakon to stop fidgeting with bated breath. Anastasia rolled her eyes at him, but she waited along with the children of Apollo. "And loose!"

A flurry of arrows rained upon the drakon. It screeched, swishing its tail to knock over the campers. Some kids managed to dodge it, others didn't. Lee continued to yell, shooting arrow after arrow at the monster.

Soon enough, the drakon wailed one more time before scurrying away. Some of Apollo's children decided to chase after it, making sure the drakon leaves for good. Lee stayed back, slinging his bow across his chest and crossed his arms.

"Thanks, Nishant," Lee turned to Anastasia, giving her a lopsided grin. "Without you, we probably would've had to wake the others to fight. Or at least the Ares kids."

"No problem, Fletcher," Anastasia replied. The bronze bow shifted into her beaded necklace; she was astonished by how light her hand seemed now. The bow was always heavy, like it didn't fit with her (Lee always said his was perfect for him), but she had to make do with what she had. With no clue about who her godly parent is, Anastasia couldn't unlock her true potential. She was going to take the bow to Cabin 9 that day, where the children of Hephaestus were going to repair the bow.

He studied her. "Are you sure that your godly parent isn't Dad...uh Apollo?" He gestured to her. "Because you have wonderful aim."

Anastasia frowned. "No. And besides even if I was, wouldn't I be claimed already?"

"Hm," Lee scratched his chin, nodding. "That's true. But you never know with gods." He grinned brightly as the morning sun painted the skies with burning red hues.

"Yeah," Anastasia muttered bitterly as she started for Camp. "You never know. Night, Fletcher."

"Night, Nishant!" Lee brushed her shoulder as she passed him, and Anastasia smiles weakly back at him.

As she neared Camp border, she glanced back at Lee, who was talking with his siblings about the drakon lingering in the woods, and she felt a sense of dread crawl up her spine, inscribing itself into her marrows.

She shook her head, believing that it was something that all demigods felt. It would be a futile attempt if she tried to decode the plethora of emotions coursing through her veins. Anastasia would much rather bottle those wild evocations than let others cognize them.

She walked closer to the Hermes cabin, wincing at the light creak that shattered the void of silence that had engulfed her. Anastasia stepped inside, closing the door with a quiet thud, and stepped around the other unclaimed children before getting to her small mattress — one she had when she was 10 years old.

Anastasia shrugged off her quiver, setting gently down beside her mattress. The others knew better than to mess with those arrows. Anastasia sighed, collapsing onto her rustic bed. She stared at the worn ceiling, dripping with the golden and crimson ichor of the sun's hues. The trees' silhouettes sway gently to the sounds of the waves murmurs against the sandy shore and the coos of the birds as they gently rap the windows, rousing sleepy campers awake.

Anastasia rolled over onto her side and stared at the dozing campers curled up on their beds. She sighed through her nose, letting her eyes flutter close, embracing the darkness that greeted her like an old friend.

ANASTASIA WALKED ALONE that evening, after dinner, to Cabin Nine, holding her bow in her hands. The arrows in her quiver rattled everytime she took a step, but rather than it annoying her, it soothed her, calming the thoughts spinning inside of her head. She opened the door, the sound of metal being pounded and hinges creaking welcoming her; the scent of coal, fire, and a lingering smell of sweat beckoned her closer.

"Nishant, back again?" Charlie Beckendorf called, frowning from his workshop. Soot decorated his cheeks as sweat gleamed down the side of his face. The dark eye protectors framed his head as he rubbed his hands on a dirty rage. "Is it your bow again?"

Anastasia stepped closer, placing the bow gently down on his table. "Yeah, Beckendorf. Too heavy again."

His frown deepened, the ash on his cheeks darkening as he leaned down to pick the bow up. He held the bow with two hands first before weighing it with one hand. His calloused palms glittered silver in the light of the Celestial Bow.

"Nishant," Beckendorf grabbed a hammer from the toolbox next to him and the measuring tape beside him. "How many times have you been here? 8, 9?"

"8."

"And the bow is still not adapting to you?" Beckendorf measured the length of the bow first. "Maybe this is a sign to get a new weapon—"

"—No," Anastasia said firmly, shaking her head. "I don't want another weapon." After a pause, she added, "And I don't believe in signs."

Beckendorf glanced at up at Anastasia, eyebrows raised slightly in subtle shock. "Well, Nishant, you can't use a weapon you're not comfortable with. It can kill you."

"Thanks for news flash, Captain Obvious," Anastasia snarked, her eyes wandering to the interior of Cabin Nine. Her eye catches on a glowing gem beside an interlocking gear.

"I mean it, Nishant," Beckendorf scoffed. "You hear about the Aethiopian Drakon found this morning? If you had been there, it would've killed you alive. Thank the gods Lee had been there with his siblings to chase it off."

Anastasia scoffed bitterly. "Yeah. Thank the gods." If Beckendorf noticed the anger seeping into her words, he wisely chose not to comment it.

"The bow should be ready in a couple of minutes," Beckendorf added when the silence had begun to suffocate them both. Anastasia nodded awkwardly as he began to pound the bow. She began to zone out again, looking around at the cabin.

     "Nishant," Beckendorf called, drawing Anastasia's attention again. "Your bow is ready."

     Anastasia grabbed her bow, testing the weight near Beckendorf, who backed away slightly. The bow was warm to the touch, a result of the blacksmith's work, but it still felt off to her. It was like waking up one morning, and there was the feeling crushing your chest like something was missing.

     She glanced up at Beckendorf, who was staring expectantly at her. Anastasia shifted her weight to her other foot, awkwardly nodding at him.

     "Well?" Beckendorf prompted, grabbing his rag. "How is it?"

     "It's..." Anastasia paused, trying to find the right words to phrase it nicely. She glanced at his face again, dropping the words she wanted to say. She sighed out through her nose, nodding at him; the bow turned back into her necklace, and she latched it on her neck. "It's perfect, Beckendorf. This is exactly why I come to you; you just know how to fix things, Beckendorf, like you did with my bow."

     Beckendorf chuckled, "I better not see you around here with that bow again, understand?"

     Anastasia's lips quirked into a half-grin. "Aye-aye, Captain Beckendorf." She gave him a mock salute, along with a horrible impression of a trumpet, and she left Cabin Nine, just as the bell for the war games rung.

     Anastasia followed the group of Demeter children to see Quintus, the new swordsman trainer who has a hellhound named Mrs. O'Leary as a pet. She had seen him teach some demigods, and even Percy Jackson at one point, but she had never interacted with him. There was something about him, however, that made Anastasia felt like he was hiding something important from them.

     He had them suit up in combat armor, similarly like they did so with Capture the Flag, but this time it was different. Anastasia stood next to Clarisse who grinned wildly at her. She gave a lopsided grin back.

     "Right," Quintus cleared his throat, standing on the head dining table, making eye contact with Anastasia, who squirmed and broke eye contact first. "Gather 'round."

     Mrs. O'Leary barked from beside him, hanging her tongue out as she panted. She sniffed the air, bounding around the tables to search for scraps. Anastasia wondered briefly if Quintus ever properly gave her dog food. (Was a hellhound even considered as a canine?) Quintus was dressed in black leather and bronze. In the burning vermillion flames of the torch, he looked like a ghost floating on top of the table.

     "You will be in teams of two," Quintus announced, immediately cut off by the campers talking and grabbing their friends. Anastasia and Clarisse exchanged an amused glance at the sight of everyone's chaos to be with their friends.

     They, on the other hand, didn't need to worry about it too much. Clarisse and Anastasia were always partners, ever since they were 10.

     "Let's fucking do this, spearhead," Anastasia grinned, holding out her fist for Clarisse, who obliged.

     "We're gonna fucking destroy them, longshot," Clarisse growled, gripping her spear tightly. She thumped it on the ground, and sparks emanated from the spear.

     "Which have already been chosen, demigods," he yelled, halting the conversations.

     "The fuck?" Clarisse hissed, looking at Anastasia, as if she was believing this bullshit too.

     Anastasia tilted her head. "But...what?" She had never not been with Clarisse. Well, excluding the Lost Periods, they have never not been partners. They worked on almost everything together. Even if one of them was stuck with chores, the other would be there, helping them.

     "Your goal is simple: collect the gold laurels without dying. The wreath is wrapped in a silk package, tied to the back of one of the monsters. There are six monsters. Each has a silk package. Only one holds the laurels. You must find the wreath before the other teams. And, of course...you will have to slay the monster to get it, and stay alive." Quintus continued, ignoring the excited mumblings exuding from the campers.

     Anastasia reached up and toyed with one of the beads as she listened. She pulled the necklace, letting it morph into a Celestial Bronze bow in her hand.

     "I will now announce your partners," Quintus glanced warily at some campers who were whispering to each other. "There will be no trading. No switching. No complaining." He hesitated before speaking again. "What was that mortal saying — 'you get what you upset and you don't get to be distressed?'" Some children shared confused glances with each other.

     Quintus produced a big scroll and started reading off the names. Beckendorf would be with Silena Beauregard, which both of them looked pretty happy about. The Stoll brothers, Travis and Connor, would be together, which wasn't really a surprise. Clarisse was paired with Lee, and for a moment, Anastasia was almost worried about beating them.

     "You are going down, longshot," Clarisse whispered as she passed Anastasia.

     "Not by a longshot, spearhead," Anastasia winked. "Have fun with Fletcher." Her grin widened when Clarisse glared over her shoulder at her.

     Quintus kept rattling off names from the scroll, and the demigods soon found their partner.

     "Percy Jackson with Andromeda Windsor." They grinned at each other. That wasn't really a surprise; they had gone on multiple quests together. Last year, Percy ran himself ragged because she went missing, and he wasn't allowed to go with the girls and Grover to rescue her and Artemis. (And they still think that whatever was going on between them is platonic). Andromeda Windsor was one of the few claimed demigods of a minor goddess. Since she had no cabin to call her own, Andromeda stayed in the Hermes cabin.

     "Annabeth Chase and Anastasia Nishant."

     To say that Anastasia was shocked was an understatement. Her heart plummeted to her stomach, and it felt like all the knowledge she had accumulated over the past years had been wiped clean. There was a moment of stillness inside of Anastasia; not a sound was being heard inside her body. It was beginning to become unbearable. She blinked.

     Anastasia couldn't be partners with Annabeth Chase.

     "Hey," Annabeth's voice was heard right beside Anastasia. She inhaled sharply, her shoulders stiffening. Of course fate had aligned the stars in such a way that their meeting was inevitable.

     "Hi," Anastasia breathed out. She didn't dare look at Annabeth. Instead, she chose to glare at Quintus, burning holes into the side of his head.

     "No complaining!" Quintus ordered, glancing at Anastasia. Mrs. O'Leary happily indulged herself into a plate of pizza. Anastasia had never felt more jealous to be a dog rather than a demigod. "Get with your partner. You have two minutes to prepare! Good luck."

SOMETIMES, ANASTASIA DESPISED fate's intricate webs that she always managed to get tangled in. She blamed the Fates, who kept spinning, measuring, and cutting the golden thread of life. Wherever they resided for now, they must be cackling in delight for the agony that they forced onto Anastasia. She huffed as she stepped over a root, cursing the three crones for making her participate in this foolishness.

     Anastasia crouched down, trying to find any marks left behind by the monster. The looming shadows of the trees made it difficult for her to find some, if any. She wrinkled her nose at the putrid smell of whatever animal that had fallen prey to the monster wafted through the air. Following the scent, she managed to find the rotting corpse of a rabbit (fortunately, not the one she saw on patrol that morning) lying underneath dead leaves.

Anastasia drew an arrow from her quiver, gently brushing the leaves aside with it. The sight of the mauled rabbit made both Annabeth and Anastasia gag. Dried blood stained its matted coat; its insides were torn apart, most of the pudgy organs still intact but remained unmoving. On some of them, there were sizzling green liquids splattered; they were burning through the flesh. Using the tip of the arrow, Anastasia dipped the arrow into the liquid and brought it up to hold it in the air so Annabeth could also examine them.

"Poison," Annabeth speculated, leaning closer to the arrow. "What monster contains poisonous venom?"

"Gee, Chase," Anastasia rolled her eyes, wiping the arrow on a nearby leaf. It left a serrated hole in the greenery. "You think I know?" She stuffed the arrow back into her quiver, surveying the ground close to the rabbit.

"It was a rhetorical question," Annabeth scoffed. Anastasia didn't need to turn around to see Annabeth cross her arms. "You don't need to be so rude about it. Gods."

"Look," Anastasia ignored her, pointing to the scuttle marks a few feet away. She delicately brushed a hand over them, muttering, "Either they're fast or they have a lot of legs." Anastasia stood up, dusting her hand off on her combat pants.

"Let's go then," Annabeth pushed forward, following the tracks. Anastasia rolled her eyes at Annabeth, silently mocking her as she followed the daughter of wisdom.

They stopped in front of a creek, and Annabeth pointed out the wet marks indicating that the marks kept going. Anastasia couldn't help but respond sarcastically back to her, which earned her a withering glare.

As they continued on in silence, they could faintly hear Percy and Andromeda stumbling through the woods, laughing together. They discerned that due their distinct voices.

     "Oh Percy, you should've seen their faces!" Andromeda giggled quietly. Percy's chuckles came soon after.

     "'Help! Connor, do something!'" he chortled in a high pitched voice.

     "'Me? Travis, you're the oldest!'" Andromeda replied alike. Their chuckles faded into night, and Anastasia raised her brows.

     "Wonder what they're laughing at," Anastasia mumbled, jumping over a creek. Annabeth didn't respond, jumping a few minutes later.

Suddenly, Anastasia halted, her eyes trained to the ground. Her eyebrows knit together in confusion before she swiveled her head from left to right, trying to find the marks.

"What?" Annabeth asked from beside Anastasia.

"The marks are missing!" Anastasia, in her hurriedness to find the tracks, forgot about her anger with the daughter of Athena.

A branch snapped in the woods. Anastasia and Annabeth stopped their frantic search, and their ears perked up. Anastasia, for the first time that night, glanced at Annabeth, and she nocked an arrow into her bow. Annabeth drew her sword just as dry leaves rustled. Something large was moving in the trees, just beyond the ridge.

"That's not the Stoll brothers," Annabeth whispered.

Anastasia nodded, frowning as she pulled on the string of her bow; the tension made the bow curve slightly. "Let's check it out."

They carefully walked to Zeus's Fist, a huge pile of boulders in the middle of the west woods. It was a natural landmark where campers often rendezvoused on hunting expeditions. Anastasia and Clarisse watched Luke leave on his very first quest from there. Anastasia watched Clarisse leave on her quests from there. Now, it was empty.

They circled the boulders together, listening to the scuttling noises that came from several different directions. When it stopped, Anastasia straightened, tightening her grip on her bow.

"Hi—ahhh!"

Anastasia whirled around, letting go of the string before she was able to catch sight of the reason of why they were being paranoid. With quick reflexes, Anastasia managed to aim the bow to a nearby tree so that arrow was directed towards that instead of the tree nymph. The arrow lodged itself deep into the trunk, and Anastasia knew there was no way she could get that arrow out without Clarisse.

Juniper, the dryad who was almost killed, whimpered, and Anastasia sighed, shooting a glare at Annabeth before awkwardly patting Juniper's shoulder.

"Put that down!" she protested at Annabeth, who sheathed the sword. "Dryads don't like sharp blades or sharp points, okay?"

"Duly noted," Anastasia retracted her hand from Juniper's shoulder. She was small, with wispy auburn hair cascading down to her shoulder.

"Juniper," Annabeth exhaled. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here." She pointed toward the edge of the clearing to a juniper bush. Dryads couldn't go very far away from their tree, which was their source of life. Unless, they were taken in by the Hunters and become immortal that way.

"Are you guys busy?" Juniper asked, fiddling with her fingers as she looked up at Anastasia and Annabeth with wide eyes.

Anastasia hesitated. They were busy, but something inside of Anastasia told her that the game didn't matter as much as other people made it sound like, but rather there was something important Juniper wanted to say. "No, Juniper. Is everything alright?"

She sniffled, wiping her silky sleeve under her eyes. "It's Grover. He seems so distraught. All year he'a been out looking for Pan. And every time he comes back, it's worse. I thought maybe, at first, he was seeing another tree."

     Juniper started to wail, shedding green tears. Annabeth was quick to respond, unlike Anastasia who had no idea what to do. (She wanted to laugh). "No. I'm sure that's not it."

     "He had a crush on a blueberry bush once," Juniper pouted, wiping her tears away.

     "Juniper," Annabeth said, "Grover would never even look at another tree. He's just stressed out about his searcher's license."

     "He can't go underground!" she protested. "You can't let him."

     Anastasia raised her brows at Juniper. "Underground? Why would Grover need to go underground?"

Annabeth looked uncomfortable. "It might be the only way to help him; if we just knew where to start."

"Ah." Juniper wiped a lone green tear off her cheek. "About that..."

There was another rustle in the woods, and Juniper yelled, "Hide!" She poofed into green mist, leaving Anastasia and Annabeth alone.

Anastasia grabbed another arrow and notched it into her bow. She turned around, grimacing at the insect that crawled out of the woods. It was a glistening amber shade, about ten feet long, with jagged pincers, an armored tail, and a lengthy stinger. A scorpion. On its back, it carried a red silk package.

"One of us..." Annabeth started as the scorpion clattered toward them.

"No time!" Anastasia interrupted, gesturing to the other two scorpions appearing from the woods. Acid dripped from their stingers, and Anastasia recoiled at the sight of blood staining their pincers.

"Three?" Annabeth groaned. "That's not possible! The whole woods, and half the monsters come at us?"

"Well," Anastasia shot an arrow at the first scorpion that advanced towards them. It clicked, narrowly missing the arrow. "Maybe now is a wonderful time to devise a plan."

Anastasia shot another arrow. This time, she managed to skewer one of its beady eyes, and the scorpion let out a screech. Anastasia kept firing, backing into the nearest boulder.

"I'm thinking!" Annabeth snarked back. She parried away a stinger with the flat of her blade. Anastasia shot an arrow at the scorpion's maw, but it swatted it away.

"Aren't you the daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom and warcraft?" Anastasia retorted, ducking to avoid a stinger to the face. She shot two more arrows at the scorpions, but they jumped out of the way. Anastasia growled, aiming for the scorpion that tested her patience, which was all three of them. She shot an another arrow at the hissing scorpion before an idea struck her mind.

She glanced over her shoulder at the boulders. Anastasia half expected the two large borders to be pressed together, but to her surprise, there was a narrow crack. Acting without thinking, Anastasia grabbed Annabeth's hand and pulled her along, shoving her first into the boulder. Just as Anastasia went to follow her, one of the stingers sliced her hand that held the bow, and with a hiss, she dropped it, cradling the poisoned hand to her chest. She didn't have the chance to retrieve her bow when Annabeth yelped and grabbed Anastasia's armor straps, and they tumbled into a pit that hadn't been there before.

Anastasia fell on top of Annabeth, facing the opening of hole. The scorpions chittered above them as the trees danced in the background. Then, the hole shut, and they were succumbed to the darkness

Anastasia rolled off of Annabeth and dragged herself to sit upright. She breathed heavily, trying to steady her pounding heartbeat. She reached into her quiver, pulling out a Celestial Bronze arrow. The faint glow of it was just enough to see where they were. (Anastasia tried not to glance at Annabeth's frightened face). The moss on either side of the stone wall shook slightly.

     Hidden from the sun and the stars view, Anastasia rose to her feet, turning away from Annabeth. She pulled out another arrow and passed it wordlessly to Annabeth, who took it without any passing remark.

     She touched the moss, frowning when the walls shook again, like they held a dangerous power within the creases of every trapped stone in them. The damp rock chilled Anastasia's palm when she rested it flat against the wall.

     "Wh-where are we?" Annabeth asked, her voice wavering. Anastasia didn't answer that question. "Ho-How did you know that this existed?"

     That, Anastasia wasn't expecting. Still, with a cool demeanor, she answered, "I patrol camp borders. I explore places I haven't been in." Glancing back at Annabeth, Anastasia sighed exasperatedly. "Look, we're safe from the scorpions. We just need to find a way out."

     "You don't know a way out?" Annabeth hissed.

     Anastasia cursed in Latin. "No...I mean, I do. It's just...I don't know how. To get out, you know. I mean, I know how to get out. But I just don't know how." She forcefully cat herself off when she noticed that she was rambling.

She lifted her arrow up so she can examine the ceiling. It was solid stone, cold to the touch. Just minutes before, it had turned into dirt to separate. Anastasia glanced down into the dark void that echoed her name.

     A warm breeze fluttered past, only it felt older, more dangerous. It made Anastasia shiver, recalling the strange visions she had when she first ran into this place. Her heart pounded against her chest, begging for it to be released into the sun and to not be trapped down here. Wherever they were.

     Anastasia glanced at Annabeth, whose worried face made her heart clench. Shaking her head with a sigh, she slipped her fingerless-gloved hand into Annabeth's warm one, jolting her out of whatever shock she was in.

     "Don't take another step," Annabeth warned. Anastasia bit her tongue from rudely snarking back at her. Annabeth was already sounding scared as the seconds passed. "We need to find the exit."

     "Okay," Anastasia whispered back.

     "Two steps back," Annabeth advised. They stepped backwards in sync. When they stopped, Anastasia tore her hand away from Annabeth. Fortunately for her, since the corridor was dark, Annabeth couldn't see the red dust scattered amongst Anastasia's cheeks and ears.

     "Okay," Annabeth breathed. "Help me examine the walls."

     "For the mark of Daedalus?" Anastasia questioned. Annabeth didn't bother to clarify.

     "Go it!" Annabeth said with relief. She set her hand on the wall and pressed against a tiny fissure, which began to glow blue. It hummed faintly, reminding Anastasia of when her mother used to sing old lullabies, and Anastasia forced herself to block that sound out. Greek symbol appeared: Δ, the Ancient Greek Delta.

     The ceiling opened up with a rumble, shaking the walls and the floor of the corridor. Stars, like pearl beads, decorated the night sky. Metal ladder rungs appeared in the side of the wall, leading up. Anastasia gestured for Annabeth to go first. As Annabeth passed Anastasia, she handed the arrow back to her. Anastasia shrugged, like it was no big deal, and followed her out to where the other demigods were calling out their names.

"Annabeth!" Tyson, the Cyclops half-brother to Percy Jackson, bellowed. He was the loudest of them all.

The second loudest was Clarisse. "Longshot!"

Annabeth and Anastasia, once they had found their way to the other side of Zeus's Fist, ran into the woods, back to Camp. The quiver on Anastasia's back rattled with every movement. She didn't know if it was that or their heavy footsteps that made them run into Clarisse, but either way, she was grateful there was someone she needed to talk to.

"Longshot," Clarisse slowed to a stop, bringing the torch closer to them. The flames illuminated her worried face (but she'll be quick to deny it if anyone asked). Anastasia was quick to notice the golden laurels adorning her head, as if it were made for her, but Clarisse hadn't even boasted about it since the moment she saw them. "Where the fuck have you been? We've been looking forever."

"I know," Anastasia nodded as she noticed other campers noticing them. "Listen, we need to talk—"

Chiron's trots echoed through the forest as he reached them, followed closely by Tyson, Grover, Percy, and Andromeda. Annabeth straightened, letting out a breath of relief when she saw her friends. Anastasia tried not to think about how Annabeth's face lit up the dark forest, plagued by lurking shadows.

"Annabeth!" Andromeda said, bringing her into a hug. Annabeth reciprocated. "You're okay?"

"We're fine," Annabeth replied, pulling away from Andromeda. Anastasia nodded, glancing at Clarisse who looked at both her and Annabeth with skeptical looks. She then raised her brows at Anastasia, giving her a half-tilted smirk. Anastasia rolled her eyes, pushing Clarisse's shoulder.

"Shut up, Clarisse," Anastasia scratched the back of her neck. "We tracked a monster to Zeus's Fist where three scorpions came out of the woods. We had to hide in the rocks in a hole. But...we were gone for just a minute."

"The game is over," Chiron muttered to the children, locking eyes with Anastasia. She broke eyes contact first.

"Oh yeah," Grover mumbled, looking at the innocent Cyclops with disdain in his eyes. "We would've won, but a Cyclops sat on me."

"Was an accident!" Tyson protested, and then he sneezed loudly. Anastasia wrinkled her nose, stepping away from him.

"Oh cry me a river bridezilla," Andromeda shook her head, resting her arm on Percy's shoulder. It seemed uncomfortable, judging by the way Andromeda had to reach up to rest her arm.

"I thought we agreed to let that go!"

"A hole, you say?" Clarisse interrupted, looking at Annabeth before glancing at Anastasia.

Annabeth took a deep breath. She looked around at the other campers, judging them before glancing up at the centaur. "Chiron...maybe we should talk about this at the Big House."

Clarisse gasped, leaning forward, as if she was going to share a deadly secret with them. "You found it, didn't you?"

Annabeth bit her lip. "I—yeah. Yeah, we did." She shot a wary glance at Anastasia, who nodded at her words. The demigods, known for their lack of patience, started to murmur amongst themselves, asking questions.

Chiron raised his hand for silence. "Tonight is not the right
time, and this is not the right place." He stared at boulders with a serious glint in his eyes. His soft brown eyes hardened into coal, and he looked at the campers before continuing. "All of you, back to your cabins. Get some sleep. A game well played, but curfew is past!"

Anastasia stayed, believing that, since she was involved in whatever was going on, she should be able to stay. The other campers, unfortunately, didn't share the same view. They complained and mumbled, but they drifted off to camp.

"This explains a lot," Clarisse added once she noticed everyone was gone. "It explains what Luke is after."

"Wait a second," Percy held up his hands in a time out position. He looked at all of them with a confused expression. "What do you mean? What did we find?"

"An entrance to the Labyrinth. An invasion route straight into the heart of the camp."

"That's not good," Percy shook his head. Andromeda slapped his head, sighing exasperatedly. He winced, rubbing the back of his head.

"Get some sleep, children," Chiron glanced up at the stars. He sighed wistfully before leaving the group of children. Anastasia followed his previous gaze, settling her eyes on the constellations entwined with fate. They blazed under her scrutinizing glare. It was no doubt she hated the stars. Interwoven into the fabric of time, Anastasia hated feeling like her life was crafted just for the purpose of divine being.

It poses the eternal question: fate or free will? Anastasia wishes she could believe in free will, but how could she when prophecies existed? Fate has always been a master deceiver, and Anastasia needs to be quicker than that.

Anastasia gasped suddenly, falling to her knees. She clutched her throat as she tried to breathe. She coughed, spewing blood onto the grass. Turns out, maybe fate would win after all.

"Longshot," Clarisse bent down, reaching into her pocket to pull out ambrosia. "What the fuck happened to you?"

"Poison..." Anastasia managed to get put before she threw another coughing fit. Her body was trembling. The poison from the scorpion's stinger was beginning to take effect. Black veins crawled up her arms to her throat. If she didn't eat ambrosia soon, the poison traveling in her bloodstream would make it to her heart, and she would no longer worry about doing the gods' bidding any more.

Clarisse shoved an ambrosia square into Anastasia mouth, the taste reminding her of her mother's lentil soup. But it left a bitter aftertaste in her mouth. Swallowing harshly, Anastasia felt like she could breathe again.

The dark veins began to reduce, fading away. The only thing that kept stinging was the wound left by the stinger. Andromeda dropped to one knee and grabbed Anastasia's hand.

"May I?" Andromeda gestured to her bleeding hand. Anastasia reluctantly nodded and raised her hand. Gently, Andromeda wiped a thumb over the wound, drawing a slow hiss from Anastasia. Red wisps gently followed the trail, stitching her skin back together. When Andromeda removed her thumb, all that was left was a pink scar with blood stains. She smiled, grabbing Percy's hand to get up.

Annabeth, Percy, Andromeda, Tyson, and Grover headed back to camp together. They talked to each other in hushed whispers and giggles. Clarisse and Anastasia watched them leave; one's eyes carried longing and another's carried envy.

"Here," Clarisse stood up, pulling off Anastasia's bow that was slung between her shoulders. Anastasia took it with hesitance, as if she still didn't want to take a weapon that didn't feel like her. "Can't be a longshot without a bow." She grinned at Anastasia, turning to head back into camp.

"Don't stay up too late, Longshot!" Clarisse yelled over the cicadas chirps. "Good night!"

Anastasia watched her walk away until she became a dot and then nothing. The trees rustled, urging Anastasia to run back to her cabin. But she stayed there, in the cold darkness, staring at the stars that were her only company in the lonely night.

"Good night."

helloo!! how are we liking anastasia? also, don't be silent readers! thank you!!