I 018. I

𝑯𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔

❝ lost her breath ❞

THE PURPLE EYED GIRL WATCHED AS THEY RAN UP THE HILL. Quickly trying to reach the border of camp, where she stood. But they wouldn't make it. The Furies were chasing them down, whips flicking through the air as fire chased their heels.

She saw Grover, her first and best friend. He was pushing them along, he was only meant to have Thalia, daughter of Zeus. But he had two others, one older and one her age.

Her breath turned ragged once she saw them running again, legs pumping but not being able to get a good distance from the monsters. Thalia stopped, shouting at Grover and the older boy, arguing about something.

Grover and the boy dragged a younger girl up from the ground, sprinting towards where she stood. But her heart stopped as Thalia faced the monsters, alone.

Her Satyr friend caught sight of her, a relieved look on his face. "Aria!"

She glanced at him before running down and past the border, he thought she was heading towards him but instead, her sword was in hand while she sprinted to Thalia.

Thalia twisted a Furies' whip around her spear, pulling so it slammed into the ground. Her spear dove into the creature's back before it exploded into dust.

Ariadne noticed the Hellhound behind the girl, pushing faster so she could reach it in time, but she wouldn't. "THALIA!" She yelled out, but claws had already dug into the girl's back, raking down her skin.

The daughter of Zeus stumbled before a crackling filled the air, the daughter of Dionysus finally reached her as the hair on her body stood up, tingling.

Thalia lifted her spear to the sky, blue flashing before a burst of electricity struck the metal point. Her hand moved so the weapon was pointing towards the Furies and Hellhounds. Lightning hit the beasts, they shriveled to dust.

Ariadne grabbed a hold of Thalia's arm, pulling the girl who looked exhausted. Both sprinted towards the other three who waited for them, "Thalia, Aria, come on!" Grover yelled. "Come on!"

They were close. So close to reaching camp. But a large hand took hold of Thalia, ripping her arm out of Ariadne's hold. The brunette gasped as a mighty roar sounded through the air, the daughter of Zeus in the hands of a Cyclops.

She screamed out as Thalia was thrown, landing on the ground with a sickening crack. Ariadne quickly ran over to the girl's body, watching as the electric spark in her blue eyes faded, taking her final breath before letting go.

The Cyclops targeted the trio standing a bit away, its one eye narrowing in on them. But thunder rumbled above, storm clouds rolling over the sky.

Ariadne watched closely as Thalia's fingers dug into the ground, stretching. Bark and moss replaced her once pale and smooth skin, a pine tree sprouted from the middle of her chest. It grew and grew until it was the tallest tree there.

An explosion came, and blue light lit up the sky before spreading from either side of the pine tree. The Cyclops aimed a fist but was met with a shield, banging on it. He watched as Ariadne backed away from the tree, following the trio which was heading straight towards camp.

Her hand swung out and a vine grew from the ground, striking the monster through it's chest, removing itself quickly before retreating back down. The monster burst into dust, sprinkling the pine tree which shook it off in the wind.

Thalia has saved them. Ariadne made a promise to herself that night, that she would protect the three for her, because she protected the camp, whether she knew it or not.

***

THE TRASH CLUNKED INTO THE TRASHCAN AS SHE SIGHED HEAVILY. She dusted her hands off before placing them on her hips, eyeing the two trash cans full of wood and grass.

Flies buzzed around her head, hoping to get a taste of the garbage. She just swatted them away before grabbing the handles of both cans, starting to walk down the driveway. Her job was simple: take the trash down to the road and hope a monster didn't smell her behind the protective barrier of the beach house.

Wheels rolled over the rocks and twigs along the pavement, resulting in the wood to bump against the side repeatedly. It annoyed her to no end and she walked faster to get it over with.

But this made the wood bump louder, which caused her to stop. She glared at the garbage can and only imagined if it was alive, it would be laughing at her. The girl continued on, luckily, the wood shifted and wasn't causing any noise.

Breath blew from her cheeks as she walked along the long driveway, cursing her stepmother on the length of it. She tripped over her feet a few times before reaching the end of the protective barrier, sighing before stepping out quickly.

Her feet padded towards the road before stopping the cans, pushing them to rest at the edge, awaiting the next day for the garbage truck to pick it up.

She turned around before eyeing the pavilion in her backyard, fairy lights hanging down in the moonlight. They glistened with lavenders and roses growing along the rails, her project was complete.

The girl had taken up a project for her community service hours, building a pavilion in her backyard. It did good for her stepmother, who enjoyed humming and tending to the flowers as she watched her stepdaughter train with her sword.

But school always filled the days. Her stepmother had taken up a job as a gardener, despite herself being a goddess, she had learned a little from her friend Demeter.

A chill breeze swept through the air as she walked back, lanterns along the trees lighting her way. She kicked at the rocks while her legs shivered while only wearing shorts, it was windy out that night and storm clouds were rolling in.

Her thoughts were mainly on if Zeus was angry at something, or, if a certain sea-green eyed demigod had done something stupid. It wouldn't surprise her, the girl wouldn't put it past the boy to do something overly stupid and idiotic. That was just his personality.

She eyed the long walk along the pavement and groaned lightly, wishing she had ridden her skateboard down. Yes, the girl had started to learn skateboarding. And to be fair, she was pretty good at it.

Purple eyes caught a glimpse of her stepmother on the pavilion, which she chuckled at. The women gave her wave before snapping her fingers and a bright light surrounded the girl.

Next thing she knew, she was under the wooden structure as the goddess hummed. The girl sighed in relief that she didn't have to walk that long, her fingers met the touch of a rose plant, grinning slightly before a hand slapped hers away.

"I just fixed those." A melodic voice spoke, a slight sharpness to it.

The girl let out a small groan, "I told you, that dove was bothering me, okay? It wasn't my fault those vines took over your flowers."

A hum responded, "Of course. Just like your fist didn't break that boy's nose."

"He said I was a national fugitive!"

"You were a national fugitive."

She huffed with a pout, crossing her arms across her chest while her stepmother laughed lightly. "I'm only playing."

"I know," she said. "That's why I like you."

The women gave her a raised eyebrow, "I would hope you like me because you're afraid of me?" She teased.

"Why's that?"

"Because, Ariadne, I have the power to determine if you get any blue cookies Sally sent over."

Ariadne gasped, jumping up and down excitedly. "She sent some?!" The goddess nodded, "Oh, Aria, please let me eat some! I built this for you, you know!"

Aria sighed, placing an our over the girl's shoulders to stop her bouncing, "I guess."

She squealed before running towards the backdoor where their dog, Beckett, barked. The Border Collie wagged it's tail once she walked into the house, filling her feet as they headed to the kitchen.

Ariadne's hands ripped the plastic box open and sighed at the heavenly smell of cookies. Not just any cookies: Sally Jackson's infamous blue cookies.

Percy has sent them for her, saying it was a thank you gift for going on the quest with him. Although, she also thought it was because she had wanted to try them.

Blue crumbs fell onto the floor which Beckett happily lapped up. Both of them enjoying the delicious taste of the sweet treat.

Aria snatched the box away as the girl inhaled four of them faster than the speed of light, closing it while placing it beside her. She protested but the goddess raised a hand, "That's enough." The girl went sad, "... you need to save some for our three am snack time."

Ariadne perked up at that statement. Her body hugged Aria who gave one back. Beckett sat before them and barked, wanting attention. Both laughed while they gave him a rub on his head and back.

Beckett has been found by both while he chased birds in their backyard, he was so happy but the poor dog was starving. They fed him some food and took him to the vet before being allowed to keep him, and they had been happy ever since.

The dog decided that was enough and ran down the hallway, towards Aria's room where he usually slept. Which is the direction the goddess was heading. "It's time for me to hit the hay."

"Yeah, me too." The girl gave her a longing hug before letting go, "I love you, Aria."

"I love you too, Ariadne."

Both went to their respected rooms, hers was downstairs and down a hallway full of pictures from the Bahamas and other exotic beaches.

Her room had been painted on a weekend, when they finally had the time. It was a sea-green color, you would expect purple but she didn't want that. And normal blue wasn't enough, so she actually took inspiration from a certain son of Poseidon's eyes. What? It was a good color.

She had a grey duvet-covered comforter with sea-green pillows. Her favorite was a giant starfish that was the size of her body, she always jumped onto it before she went to bed.

In the corner of her room sat a white desk with a globe and laptop, due to the protective barrier Aria had placed around the property, no monsters could smell them unless they were out of it.

A small seashell nightlight was hung in the wall, glowing a faint light blue color around the room when it was dark. She switched out of her jean shorts and t-shirt and into comfy shorts along with a purple tank top.

Her legs slid under the covers while she laid her head onto the starfish pillow, hoping not to have any nightmares. But before she could close her eyes, thunder rumbled above the house.

Lightning flashed and she shot up as the windows shook, her feet met the floor while she slowly walked to the window. She was an idiot for doing so, but she couldn't help herself.

Outside, palm trees swayed violently, electricity coursing through the storm clouds. Her body shook slightly when strikes became closer to them. And soon, she felt the ground rumble.

Her only thought was that Aria and Beckett weren't safe. So she took off out of her room and up the stairs, only to be met with the edge of a chasm. Her arms helped save herself from doom while she looked at the pit with wide eyes.

A loud laugh filled her brain before seeing something move in the pit. She watched as someone in a wedding dress talked in a high pitches voice before a large creature talked back.

She was thrown from the vision as the ground closed up with a slam, winds sending her back until she laid on a sandy beach, gazing up at the blinding sun.

Her hand covered her eyes until she sat up, watching the waves lap at her ankles. The salty sea cooling her skin off, but a splash found her attention.

A boy emerged from the water with a grin. Percy. She gasped at the sight of him before standing up, watching as he waded towards her at the shore. He held a hand out while his sea-green eyes found her purple ones. "Come on, Curly Fry, it's fun."

Ariadne reached her hand out, almost placing it in his before pulling it back. Percy knew she couldn't swim, this Percy obviously didn't. His eyes darkened while the waves grew stronger, pushing and pulling the sand.

They slowly retreated back, leaving a dry Percy to stare at her with a glare. She watched as a massive wave headed towards them, rushing away from the shore while she scrambled to leave.

But it caught her. Currents pulling her under whirl she struggled to breathe, but couldn't. The surface became farther and farther away before the girl lost her breath, closing her eyes while she hit the sand.

Ariadne was shaken awake by Aria, who stood over her bed with a worried look. The girl was blinded by the ceiling light turning on, squinting at the women. "Aria?" She asked groggily.

"Ariadne, you need to go." This woke her up.

"What?"

Aria pulled her from the bed, handing her a purple pack with clothes and money. "It isn't safe. You need to head to camp."

She was confused, "But you're a goddess. I'm safe here."

The women shook her head, "I'm needed in New York. And you need to find Percy and take him to camp."

"But his last day of school is," she looked at her side clock, "today."

"I know. But you need to take him right after."

Ariadne stopped her frazzled stepmother, "Why?"

Aria sighed, "Zeus forbids me to say. But although I'm not an Olympian, my husband and your father advises me to get you to camp quickly."

The girl shakes her head, "No. No, I'm not leaving you and Beckett."

The women gave her a smile, "I'm taking Beckett with me. So don't worry for him."

Ariadne gulped, "But how will I get there?"

Her feet followed the women up the stairs, slinging the pack over her shoulder as Aria hooked Beckett's leash on. "You'll be taking a plane."

The girl seized up. Her eyes wide while the women sighed, "Zeus threatened Percy, not you. You'll be okay."

"Are you not coming with me?"

Aria ran a hand over her cheek, "I'm needed right now. I can drop you off but that's about it. I'll send your father a message and you as well once I get there."

Soon, her body was in front of an airport, past security and with her bag in hand. Beckett yapped at the people passing by who spared not even a glance towards him.

Ariadne realized this is where they parted, she gulped while giving her stepmother a hug. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," the women said. Beckett nuzzled his head against her leg before being patted on his head.

He whimpered while she walked away, through the gate which was just closing, and entering the plane. Aria watched with a nervous expression before going into the restrooms, pulling the dog along before both were gone in a flash, headed to Olympus.

Ariadne gripped her armrest, wishing Percy was there to comfort her. But he wasn't. It was three in the morning and she realized Sally's cookies were back at the house.

Her hands messed around with her pack before digging inside, pulling out the plastic box. Inside was twenty other cookies which she smiled at, taking one out as she watched the plane take off, she was not going to get any sleep.

New York, here she comes.

authors note:
WE'RE BACK BABY!
This was short but I wanted to establish what happened in Miami and why she was going to New York.

Next is when we see Percy!

Love you guys!