~Playlist: "Heroes" by Alesso~

"We could be heroes"

Hazel's POV

"Everyone in this room is a demigod," the girl named Daphne Fitzgerald says. "Except for one."

Even though I don't know what a demigod is, and whether or not it's a good thing, an involunatry shudder makes it's way down my back.

Esmerelda Eduardo whispers something to the boy next to her, who smiles at her in return.

"A what?" Reyna asks sharply, her dark eyes piercing into the girl.

"Don't know what demi means, but I'm not feeling too godly," Leo jokes lightly. "You guys feeling godly?"

I appreciate his attempt at humor, but now isn't the time for it.

"Who isn't a demigod?" I ask.

"What is a demigod?" Prince Percy adds.

"Shut up!" Esmerelda growls suddenly. "One at a time, if you don't mind."

All of us glare at the sharp-tongued girl, who shrugs leisurely, as if her outburst mere seconds ago never occurred.

"A demigod," says Daphne gently. "Is the child of a mortal, a regular human, and a god. A Greek or Roman god, in our case."

"So what you're saying is that we all are children of gods?" Percy asks. Daphne nods her head, answering his question.

"I knew there was an explanation for my hotness," Leo grins.

I roll my eyes, as does Piper.

"Greek gods?" Annabeth asks, attempting to reign in the conversation back to the topic of gods. "How is that possible?"

Daphne and Sam exchange a glance across the room before Daphne speaks. "They've traveled along with civilization. After Greece, the gods went to Italy, along with several other places. A few hundred years ago, they settled in North America, or Illea, as it's been renamed, and this is where they've stayed."

"Gods?" Piper asks.

"Yes, gods," Esmeralda says while leaving forwards. "Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite. Those gods."

Thunder rumbles loudly from outside. Esmeralda doesn't seem fazed by it. She merely rolls her eyes before slouching in her chair once more.

"Who are you?" Frank asks.

"We've already told you our names," says Sam with a forced smile.

"No, that's not what I meant."

"We're part of the DI," Daphne explains. "It stands for the Demigod Institution, and we train and protect demigods there. It takes the place of Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter,
which were safe havens for us in North America. The Demigod Institute, however, is a more modern facility."

"What?" Leo scoffs. "You're just going to whisk us away to this magical place? Some of us have jobs here."

The other guards nod in agreement, as does the Prince.

"And we're in the middle of the Selection," Rachel reminds everyone. "We can't just leave."

"That's one reason as to why we came here. Your highness," Sam addresses Percy only, "you have to end the Selection as soon as possible."

"What?" he asks incredulously.

My heart seems to stop beating. I know I have little to no chance of marrying the Prince, but if I leave, I may never see any of my newfound friends again. Frank, Leo, Reyna, Jason: all of them would seemingly disappear once we all went our separate ways.

"I'm not going to end the Selection now," Percy says firmly. "Not because you told me to."

Esmeralda rolls her eyes. "You have five girls to pick from. Choose one and get it over with."

All five of us send a sharp glare towards her. She sends it right back. When her green eyes lock with mine, I'm startled to see the wildness lurking behind them. I'm reminded of the girl changing into animals when she fought Willow. It seems as if the animal spirit hasn't yet left her.

"Once the Selection is over," Daphne continues. "we can take everyone to the Institute without arousing any suspicion."

"Not true," Annabeth insists. "If Percy picks a...a wife," her voice catches on the word, "then he'll become the king soon after, and the wife a queen. There'll be a wedding, and a coronation. It isn't that simple."

Esmeralda growls softly. "A wedding means nothing compared to-"

"Es," Sam interrupts in a warning tone, giving her a sharp look. The girl frowns, and leans back into her seat, closing her eyes.

"We'll tell you all you need to know," Daphne says, her wide smile faltering slightly.

"Who isn't a demigod?" I ask again at the same time Reyna says, "How do we know who our parents are?"

We look at each other, embarrassed for interrupting the other. I feel my cheeks flush red.

"By tests, right?" Annabeth asks. "That's why you've been here before, Esmeralda."

"Bingo," the girl says with a small grin. "We've managed to figure it out for most of you, but there are some we haven't gotten to yet."

"Who have you tested?" Jason asks. I flick my eyes towards him and Leo, who's seated next to him. They both seem to be on edge, tense.

"Piper McLean, Jason Grace, Annabeth Chase, Frank Zhang, Will Solace, and Hazel Levesque have all been claimed," says Daphne. "Claimed is what happens when a god recognizes a demigod as their own. It used to happen rarely, but it's much more frequent nowadays."

Tested? When was I ever tested? I don't remember any of these three ever speaking to me before, much less testing me.

Across the room, Jason and I exchange a confused look. It seems that I'm not the only one who doesn't remember it.

"But your memories were wiped at the conclusion of it so that you wouldn't remember," Daphne says.

Meanwhile, Esmeralda is rummaging through a small bag hanging from her shoulder. She holds up a square piece of paper triumphantly before handing it over to Sam. He unfolds it before speaking.

"This is a list of the demigods here that have been claimed," he explains calmly. "Piper McLean," Piper's eyes widen with anticipation. "You are the daughter Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty."

Her shoulders noticeably slump as she grimly nods. Piper doesn't seem all too thrilled at her parentage.

"Jason Grace, you're the son of Jupiter, the king of the gods and god of the sky. Annabeth Chase, you're the daughter of Athena, who is the goddess of wisdom and warfare."

She nods and smiles at Sam. Esmeralda gives her a wink, which Annabeth grins at. I look at the exchange, feeling baffled. What happened to make this funny?

Sam continues reading the list out loud. "Frank Zhang," I give a jolt, and I'm alert. "Is the son of Mars, the Roman god of war."

I almost laugh. The kind, shy guard is descended from a god of war? It's so ironic, I can't hold back a smile. Frank, however, is blushing a brilliant red.

"Will Solace, you're the son of Apollo, god of the Sun, poetry, music, archery, medicine...he's the god of a lot of things, actually. That makes you my step-brother, actually," Sam smiles at the young doctor.

"And finally, Hazel Levesque, you're the daughter of Pluto, god of the Underworld and riches."

Sam continues talking, but my mind has shut down, blocking out all noise. I'm the daughter of the god of death? Me? I can hardly kill a fly without feeling guilty, much less a person.

"As for the rest of you," Daphne is saying as I slowly bring myself to pay attention. "We'll be testing you soon, except for the one who isn't a demigod."

"Who is it?" Frank asks softly.

"Rachel Dare."

A/N
So sorry for the incredibly boring chapter. Believe me, I was bored writing it. But there needed to be a an explanation chapter somewhere, so here it is.

Today's shoutout goes to _ReadingQueen_ for bringing to my attention that I won the Watty awards (I still can't believe it). Thank you for commenting on my conversation board!

I'm sorry about the lack of updates, but my computer isn't working (which is where I always write). This entire chapter was typed on my phone, so I'm sure there are countless grammatical errors. But I hope you enjoyed nonetheless!