★♥《2 nights before the present》♥★

"Yeah, I really don't get the whole kill and eat me thing. I mean why not just drink from the River Phytheon? Much less work, and I don't have to kill you," Stella groaned. Just another monster in Tartarus, who wanted her to die. She wanted to have a sign that read: News flash! I am immortal stupid! I do not taste good!

"That terrible river of fire is disgusting! Why would I want to drink from that, when I can dine on a delicious demigod!" the giant spider lady spat licking her lips, "Besides it is the fault of that disgusting demigod of Athena that I am here, when I could be weaving up in my den. I will make all demigods suffer for what they have done!"

Demigod? What was that? Why did all of them just assume she was a demigod? Whoever or whatever they were everyone seemed to hate them down here.

Stella sighed and played with her drakon rib/machete, "Very well. Care to tell me your name before the battle begins? I am keeping a list of the deceased and survivors."

"I am the one and only Arachne, you fowl creature! And you should be so lucky to have survived this long !" Arachne replied.

With that, the spider lady jumped on top of Stella and began sucking and scratching at her gut. Stella groaned in pain. Just another exceptional day in Tartarus. In less than a second she dashed right from underneath Arachne, stabbed her body to the ground with one of her own 8 legs, cut off her head, and tied the remaining 7 together at the speed of light.

"Yeah..." cough "...I am the fowl creature around here," she grunted with sarcasm, as Aracane slowly faded into gold dust.

It had gone like this for years now. How long? She couldn't remember. Some monster would say she was a demigod and want her to die in some painful way, be eaten, or take her captive for eternity. She honestly didn't know who or what she was. She could only take what Nyx said and Nyx's word for it that it was true. This she really did not like, but that was the best she had. She would never forget that night when she had her bargain with Night.

She collapsed on the ground with the squishy hills and veins. The land here was different, not as rough like the other fields she had wandered, and more plentiful aswell. She could simply cut a certain vein from the ground and take a nice fresh drink from the River Phlegethon. Unfortunately, it also seemed to be filled with evil creatures, whom for some reason, refused to drink from the river for food, saying it was "painful" or "nasty." That she didn't get. Whenever she drank from the stream of fire, it was warm and comforting. It felt like...like...a memory, but she couldn't remember.

She looked down to see if her wounds had healed yet like they usually do. However, all she saw was that golden liquid gushing out of her stomach. She saw her wound try to close up, but then black acid burned through it. She winced. This had never happened before. She had a very high tolerance of pain, but this was the 2nd worse kind she had ever felt. (her time with Night still was at the top) She quickly covered it over with her red tank top. She had no idea where her clothes came from, but whenever she ruined her red tank top, or denim dark blue skinny jeans (which were a pain in battle) another one would magically appear the exact same as the last. Yet another puzzling piece of herself she did not understand.

Right then, someone or something tripped over her, which just made the pain from her gut even worse. Startled, Stella put rolled over on top of him/it/her at lightning speed, and was about to cut their throat, when she saw it was a man, or at least the form of a man.

Now usually in the state she was in, she would kill on sight. After all no one here was ever friendly to her, but this person was different. Something told her not to kill him. He just screamed family to her. Why in Hades? She had no idea.

"Who are you? And what is wrong with your hair?" she had started to sound threatening, but her stupid mouth just had to say the last part. Although she couldn't blame it for his hair was pointing out in all directions, and was glowing silver.

He pushed her off and dusted himself off so that she could really see him. The man was 10 feet tall, silver all over, and in a blue janitor's jump suit. He held a massive broom in his right hand, which he strangely pointed threatenly at her, "I am Ia-" he stuttered and shook his head, "Bob, I am Bob, the Titan," which was now obvious due to the name tag on his jump suit, "Who are you?"

"Name's Stella and care to say anything before you d-" she would have finished her usual saying to those who got in her way, but she started coughing. She collapsed on her knees and coughed up that cursed golden liquid.

Bob's threatening glare completely disappeared. He picked her up. She felt her wound heal completely finally as he touched her, but she still could feel the acid in her gut and continued coughing.

She needed a drink, "Ph- phlege- need phlegeth-" she coughed.

Bob layed her down and cut the vein. Imediately fire burst from it. Stella immediately gulped the warm flames. The energy flowed back through her body.

She sighed and closed her eyes, "Thank you." After getting no response, she opened her eyes to find Bob staring wide eyed at her, "What? Wait don't tell me. There is drakon right behind me, isn't there?"

"You...the river...you just...Who is your godly parent? Hephaestus? Please, do not be Hestia."

"My parent?" She had heard of the gods of Olympus (no one down here was very fond of them), but she never really met one. Thing was she didn't even know what or who she was, let alone her parents. "I don't know."

"So you have not been claimed?" He asked slowly calming down.

"What?" she asked, "No. I mean I don't think so."

"Well you have been now. You drank fire. Congratulations, you are the daughter of Hephaestus!" with that Bob picked her up in a bear hug so she couldn't breath.

"Can't breathe!" she winced.

"Sorry," he droped her and patted her head, "It is just good to finally have another demigod around to help me and Damasen around...wait how did you get into Tartarus?"

Stella had to have a moment to take in what he just said. Hephaestus? The god of fire and machines? She just didn't understand it. It didn't feel right to her. And honestly she didn't know how she got into Tartarus. This Bob guy sure asked a bunch of hard questions.

"I don't know. All I remember is waking up in the Mansion of Night. And who is Damasen?"

Then Bob's eyes widened. "Stella...what is your full name?" he asked completely ignoring her question.

She bit her lip, "Noctis Stella, why?"

He glared at her crossly, "Run around this field."

"How fast?" She had no idea why he wanted her to do this, but she liked to take a challenge, especially when it was with speed.

He rolled his eyes, "As fast as you can."

"If you say so," she said just before she took off. She accidentally ran two laps, because she couldn't stop herself in time. In less than a second a circle of flames surrounded the field where she had ran.

Bob's silver eyes were now glowing. He grabbed her with Kung Fu grip, "Come on. We need to get you out of here before my brother finds you."