[et facta est lux]

Mallory Burke was getting tired of the forest. Every few feet, she'd hack low-hanging branches out of the way, dodge puddles of mud, and mutter some curse when an animal darted through the darkness before her. She'd been on this quest for days now, searching for the nymphs that could supposedly help protect Camp Jupiter, but by now, Mallory just wanted to go home. She missed her bed, she missed the food, and most important of all, she missed the showers.

The daughter of Fortuna swatted at some gnats circling overhead, her eyes hooded over in exasperation as she trudged through the underbrush. The sun had just set behind her, so her vision was already beginning to fail her in the darkening shadows of the mountainous terrain. Not to mention the rustling and the hooting of hidden animals was beginning to creep her out.

With a sigh, Mallory prayed to the gods for strength and patience, running her free hand through her short brown hair. She took a step, and immediately recoiled when her foot hit something hard and sent it skittering through the fallen leaves of the forest floor, a blur of ivory in the violet night.

"What in the..." Mallory muttered under her breath, peering into the darkness at the object. She dug out her flashlight after cursing the darkness, and aimed the beam in the direction the thing had rolled.

Immediately, she regretted it.

Sitting atop a small mound of mulch was a cracked human skull, glinting in the light of her flashlight. Mallory bit back a yelp and fought the shivers that ran down her spine. Her eyes darted around the horizon, searching for any sign of attackers. She wasn't entirely sure what this skull was doing here, but ninety percent of the time, when you're a demigod, you don't just come across unsettling things without an explanation or culprit.

Mallory took a deep breath, calling upon her training to fight the nerves erupting like geysers in her stomach. She glanced quickly over her shoulder, knuckles white around the hilt of her axe, and hurried over to where the skull rested. She examined it for any obvious signs of trauma, but there was nothing to be seen. The skull was perfectly intact, perfectly cleaned, like it could have been a prop for a Shakespearean play. Part of her wanted to believe that it was and go on with her trek, but the feeling in her gut only told her to run as far as she could get.

Then, as loud as a crack of lightning, the sound of rapid footsteps in the tall grass surrounding Mallory echoed through the night. Birds cawed in protest and flew away, the sound of their wings flapping like shutters. In the distance, a coyote howled to the full moon above.

Mallory whirled around, shooting into a fighting stance. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she waved her flashlight around with as much resolution as she could manage. She felt like Snow White fleeing into the woods, only to find that through the darkness, a thousand beasts were watching her. But then, like some distant part of her woke up, she felt that rush of adrenaline she always got before a fight. The part that reminded her that she wasn't Snow White, and rather, one of the wolves that had hunted her down.

"Who's out there?" Mallory shouted, her voice echoing through the night air. She waved her flashlight around as the footsteps sounded again, and she pivoted to try and follow the noise. Whatever it was seemed to be circling her. "Show yourself!"

The footsteps stopped. Mallory strained her ears through her fleeting heartbeat, but she could only hear the rustle of the wind and the chirping of crickets hidden in the grass. A silent hope in the back of her mind wondered if whatever it was had left her alone. The rest of her mind knew she wasn't that lucky. But she waited, and listened, and nothing seemed to be abnormal anymore.

Tentatively, Mallory surveyed the area once more, blaming herself for being so out in the open, and turned back to where the skull was. However, she noted something peculiar about the mound the skull was seated on. It wasn't a mound, but rather a choppy dirt path that cleaved its way through the grasses. A pang of relief flared in Mallory's chest; that was her ticket out of this forest for the night.

With a smile laced on her lips, Mallory started towards the path, careful to avoid the skull. But with her flashlight shooting straight ahead, something got caught in its light. Standing about ten feet away was a hooded figure, its cloak billowing in the wind. It wore a grotesque mask, like something out of a horror movie, and Mallory's chest constricted at the sight of it.

"Who are you?" Mallory demanded, wielding her axe.

"Filia Romani," The figure hissed with a voice like the wind that shook the grass surrounding it. "We have been waiting for you."

Mallory took a step back and ran into something sturdy. She whirled around, heart leaping in terror, and found herself facing another one of those grotesque masks. She bit back her scream, staggering backwards. Neither figure moved, but through the grass, she could see more cloaked figures marching towards her. Eventually, masks surrounded her, with no hopes of escape.

"What do you want?" Mallory asserted, fighting the tremor in her voice.

"We want to show you the light," The figures said in unison. They proceeded to chant in some occult language, with remnants of Latin that Mallory could hardly pick up on. Something about light, sacrifice, and the air that the gods breathed on Olympus.

Then, at once, they all quieted. A flashbang of light burned into Mallory's eyes, turning the night into day, and when she blinked away the flares, another figure stood in the center of the circle with her.

"Oh, great, there's more of you," Mallory huffed. She gripped her axe like her life depended on it, which it probably did.

The final figure was tall, in a different sort of cloak than the others. A golden chain hung around the neck of his robe, and unlike the others, he wore no mask. His face was chiseled, with blue eyes, and from underneath the hood of his robe, Mallory could make out blond curls.

"There's no need to be afraid, Mallory," A voice that sounded simultaneously like a rumble of thunder and the tune of a harp said. "We mean you no harm."

"Then get lost," Mallory snapped.

The voice chuckled and when the man looked up again, a halo of light surrounded him. His blue irises shimmered until they were glowing silver. The circle of masks began to chant once more as the light grew.

"Allow me to show you the light." The man said, his voice growing as the light shined brighter.

Mallory shielded her eyes, but felt all her will wither away like she was weak and starving. She hit the ground with a thud, and through the haze, she saw that man's face peer over her, a twisted smile on his face. And despite the light enveloping her, Mallory slipped into the darkness.