• Trigger warning for implied abuse and murder •

"Oh, may the Lord Ouranos bless us," a voice whispered in the silence of the night. An owl hooted somewhere, and the the sound of flowing water was loud and clear. Every step of a beast, every coo of a bird, and every breath was amplified in the silence.

"He will," another voice said, firmness mixed with excitement creeping into their tone. "He surely will. Thee shalt see, Aqua, he shalt give us glory after his rise!"

"May the Titans shine forever," the first voice, Aqua, laughed. A sound like water hitting a dagger. "We will rule, Aquila!"

"The Olympians will meet their end," Aquila hissed with laughter.

The scene changed. Now, it showed a broken down studio. Dress hangers, sketches and pencils were strewn all over the area. A yellow strip was attached to either sides of the door as the police examined the body of the man lying on the floor.

A young girl, almost five, sat on the floor, wailing and sobbing. Her magnificent sapphire blue eyes were wet and shiny, looking like the sea when the sun poured its rays on it. Her blonde hair were escaping her high ponytail, framing her face.

"Don't cry, sweetheart," her uncle cooed, glancing at the dead body of his brother, and then smiled sadly at the girl. The smile might have been sympathetic, except, it was not. "Maybe if you behave like a good girl, your Dad will be back."

"D-dad!" The girl shrieked as her uncle picked her up and ran from the studio, the police screaming after him. She and her uncle got into a car, which ran out of Manhattan, stopping well outside of the city, where a private jet stood. The girl was pushed inside and hit over her head with something, which made her faint.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a tiny, dirty room with grey walls with cracks in them and mouses scuttling around. Terrified, she curled herself into a ball and stared out of the window, at the sign which read:

Willoughby, MacBeth and Beaufort properties, Indiana.

She looked around herself, her new life as an orphan.

•••

Marlene woke up with a barely concealed scream. She clapped a hand over her mouth and felt tears prick her eyes, which fell on her cheeks as she remembered the dead face of her father, Miachel McKinnon, a well-known fashion designer of New York.

She threw the covers off her and walked over to the window and opened it, letting the fresh air inside. She breathed in deeply, resting a hand on her heart.

"One...two...three...four..." she breathed, remembering what the young son of Apollo, Nick Sinclair, had told her in the hospital wing back at Camp: Count to ten, keep your breathing and temper under control. Take deep breathes. Relax.

Marlene sat on the floor and crossed her legs, revealing the small, nearly faded, scars of them due to the abuse at her uncle's 'mansion'.  She rested her head against her bedframe and closed her eyes, trying to conjure better memories, like the times she had spent with her father as a young girl.

Those memories were, of course, blurry and slightly forgotten. It seemed like a lifetime since she had laughed and ran in the forests of Quebec, at the McKinnon's summer house.

Marlene did not realise when she started crying again. She felt salty liquid touch her lips and realised that tears were falling from her eyes. She wiped them with the back of her hand and took a deep, gasping breath.

Knock. Knock.

"Fuck," Marlene muttered, standing up. She pulled a sweatshirt over her thin t-shirt and opened the door, and found Alice standing there, a concerned look on her face. Of course, she must have heard her.

"You okay, Marls?" Alice asked, closing the door behind her.

"Y-yeah," Marlene said, hating how her voice quivered. Alice did not seem convinced. She made Marlene sit on the bed and then fixed the daughter of Aphrodite with a stare which screamed ARE YOU LYING TO ME?

"Nightmares?" Alice said, turning her head towards the open window slightly.

"Yeah," Marlene mumbled, tracing the design of the bedspread with her middle finger. Alice shifted forward and wrapped her arms around the blonde, stroking her hair.

"I-I s-see my d-dad ev-everytime!" Marlene sobbed, finally unable to stop her tears from spilling. "H-he's d-d-dead be-because of-of me!"

"Shh.." Alice whispered, shaking her head. "Its not your fault, Marlene Ashley McKinnon! Don't you ever dare say that again!"

Marlene was not sobbing now, but she was shaking and shivering. Alice wrapped the blankets around her best friend and calmed her, talking in soothing tones. The daughter of Iris traced her fingers in the air, making a glittering tiny rainbow which illuminated the room.

Only after Alice was sure that Marlene was indeed sleeping, and no longer sobbing, shaking or shivering, did she come out of the room. She closed the door, but not before peeking inside once, then came into her room and conjured up a IM (seeing as children of Iris could do this for free). Her mother's face came into view. Olive skin, bright blue eyes like a rainbow, and a smile. 

"Alice?" Iris greeted.

"Mother," nodded Alice, sitting on her bed. "Did you learn anything from your sisters? Or the Hunters of Artemis who are currently in Pennsylvania?"

"Nothing at all," Iris said, shaking her head. "Absolutely nothing. All I've gathered is that the place has bad vibes and radiates fear and hopelessness. My pegasi won't fly over the forest either. I have no idea what awaits you and your friends there. Hades says that no spirits have recently came back from the Underworld and Thanatos agrees with him, Leto hasn't felt the birth of any immortal being either and none of the evil nymphs at Poseidon's palace have escaped."

Alice sighed in near-despair. "Thank you, for helping us, mother."

Iris smiled sadly. "Mount Olympus is my home, and the last thing I want to see is my home and children crushed under the rage of the Titans. My rainbows will not appear in a sky ruled by Ouranos. Defeat him, Alice. The whole world is in the hands of the Special Nine."

"He will be defeated, mother. Don't worry," Alice said, a spark of determination in her violet-blue eyes.

After all, everything is possible, if you have the nerve to do it.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

First of all, I hope you liked the friendship between Marlene and Alice. Second of all, I know Marlene's past is confusing to you right now. Its because you dont fully know what happened to her, who this mysterious uncle is, and who these Willoughby, MacBeth and Beaufort dudes are. Every demigod has a past and Marlene's, much like Meg McCaffrey's and Reyna Ramírez-Arellano's, is jumbled and messy and confusing as hell, but is important for the plot. She's just as much of a main character as James and Lily. Take care and stay safe.

Love,
~Aurora♡

P. S. This is the fourth chapter I'm writing today, lol.