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Chapter Text

Chapter Text

They say that monsters are created by those around them.

"Nataliana, you need to run." The electric blue eyes of Thalia Grace met dull brown as she gripped her shoulders, the roars of the cyclops getting louder as the rain intensified. "Go with Luke, Grover, and Annabeth. Now." Tears blended in with the wet droplets running down her face as her fists clenched, bottom lip trembling and shaking her head no. "Dammit, Nat, I said go!"

A strong hand grabbed her arm, dragging her away from Thalia and towards the camp border, her legs kicking in the wet dirt as she struggled to escape his grip and return to Thalia.

"Stop fighting me, Lili," Luke snapped, tugging her towards the camp harder. "Thalia will be fine, okay? Come on!" Annabeth was crying, her sobs distracting Luke for a single moment, but it was enough time for her to break free of his grip and race towards Thalia, stumbling up the rain soaked hill.

"Nataliana!" Luke's yell distracted Thalia, who looked back for a moment just as the cyclops raised his meaty arm. Her hand reached forward but she was too late, Thalia flying back and landing in the dirt by the camp entrance. Scrambling away from the approaching cyclops, she ran towards Thalia's limp body, her chest shaking with sobs as she collapsed into a heap of flesh a few feet away.

She was grabbed by the cyclops, held up to the sky as it roared in her face, her ears beginning to ring as her eyes closed, her body going limp.

Nataliana.

Her eyes snapped open as she watched her shadow extend, encompassing the cyclops and taking the form a winged man with long hair that flowed past his shoulders. His eyes glowed with a bright white light as the cyclops' roar turned into a scream of terror as the shadow sucked the life out of it, turning it to nothing more than dust. She tumbled to the ground, her twiggy arm snapping as she hit the dirt. She could see Annabeth sobbing, felt someone grabbing her shoulders as they carried her into the camp.

The last thing she witnessed was a blue, glowing barrier extending from Thalia's body as she was transformed into a large tree, and Annabeth's angry eyes boring holes into her head as she mouthed one word.

"Murderer."

Chapter Text

A loud boom coming from the bathroom surprised her out of her thoughts and she watched as Clarisse was dragged away from the crowd by other members of Cabin Five, her head tilting out of curiosity as she took in the other girl's state. Soaking wet and dripping onto the dirt path as she fumed, trying to escape her friends grip as she yelled.

Not even a minute later, Annabeth and someone she didn't recognise, maybe the new kid, ran out. Annabeth was also soaked, but the new kid was bone dry.

Strange. She turned back to her drawings, brushing her pencil across the page in her lap.

What are you drawing?

"The nymphs." She tilted her head, moving the page as she erased another line and replaced it.

Why? They do not like you.

"Because they're pretty." She held up her piece of paper, analyzing it closely. "More green?"

Yes.

"Nataliana!" She glanced down from her spot in the attic, meeting Luke's gaze. "Come on, it's time for dinner." She sighed and crawled down the side of the cabin, slipping in through the window. "Eleven, fall in!" They all lined up in order of seniority, but she always stood at the back of the line. No one but Luke felt comfortable with her near them, and it's not like she could blame them. She'd be uncomfortable too.

The kid from earlier, the one who'd been with Annabeth, got in line behind her. Now that she was up-close, she could see him better. He had sea green eyes that reminded her of Thalia's, and even though the colours were completely different, something about him was incredibly similar.

"I'm Percy Jackson, who are you?" She blinked, startled as she glanced at him. He was smiling awkwardly at her, and she wasn't sure what to do.

"Nataliana Valore," she answered, her mouth moving before she could really think properly and stop herself. They began to walk, Luke leading the group of twenty or so campers, and he didn't say another word, but she could still feel him watching her movements. As they arrived at the pavillion, she noticed the glare at Clarisse shot the new camper, Percy, before she turned her gaze on Nataliana.

Clarisse was, surprisingly, one of the few people who hadn't jumped on the Nataliana-Hate bandwagon. She didn't exactly go out of her way to terrorize her, which was unusual for the daughter of Ares, but she mostly just left her alone.

She got in line for burnt offerings, scraping a portion of her food into the burning pit of flame. "Here, Father," she murmured softly as she stared at the fire, watching it swallow up the now burning meat. She walked back to the Hermes table, taking a seat on her designated stool at the very end of the massive stone slab. She took a sip of her iced tea, staring down at her plate as the seats closest to her remained empty.

"So, who were you talking to earlier?" She glanced up as Percy Jackson slid onto the bench, taking one of the spots that flanked her. "I didn't see anyone with you when I passed by."

She just stared. She hadn't had an actual conversation with a human being in years, not counting Luke, what was she supposed to say?

"You good? Did I say something wrong?" he asked, frowning slightly. Shaking her head, she took a breath before finally opening her mouth to speak.

"I was talking with my father," she said, her voice coming out quieter than she'd wanted it to.

"Your father? Hermes?" he asked, shoving a forkful of brisket into his mouth. "How'd you manage to communicate with him? Do you think I could do it too?"

"Hermes isn't my father." Percy blinked, surprise evident on his expression.

"Then who is?" She shifted on the spot, looking everywhere but at Percy.

"Thanatos."

"Thana-who?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "Who's that?"

"Personification of death. Son of Nyx, brother of Hypnos." Nataliana finally looked him in the eyes, sea green on drab brown as she watched his face pale ever so slightly at the revelation.

"Oh." He looked down at his plate, taking another bite of his brisket. An awkward silence ensued as they both ate, avoiding looking at the other, before Percy spoke again. "So does he really wear a black robe and is made of bones?"

"No," she answered, shaking her head.

"Aw. Damn," he muttered, frowning.

Nataliana and Percy continued to talk as days passed slowly, the former typically watching from the side as Percy would try to find his talent that would link back to his father. She watched as he failed miserably at racing with the nymphs, got crushed to a fine paste by Clarisse during wrestling, and almost killed a few campers when trying archery.

He was quite good at canoeing, but she wasn't sure that it counted as a heroic talent.

"I wouldn't go against Luke, he's an amazing swordsman," she advised quietly, residing in the shade with her hands clasped on her lap. Percy had been training with various swords, but none seemed to be right for him. "Especially without a balanced sword."

"Thanks for your encouragement." He chugged down a bottle of water, staring at Luke as he warmed up, slashing and stabbing at the dummies.

"You're welcome."

The first round of their sparring was quite painful to watch. Percy could barely land a hit against the monster that was Luke Castellan, the sounds of swords clanging loud in the clearing.

He does not have the right blade.

"Clearly." She crossed her legs and readjusted her dress, the black lace quite finicky against the rocks she sat on. Percy walked back over to where she sat, grabbing the water that sat on the rock. "You're getting beat out there."

"Yeah, I know," he muttered, mimicking Luke's action of dumping water on his head, wetting his hair and orange t-shirt. Surprisingly, he looked better after he dumped the water. Very... refreshed. "Wish me luck."

"Luck." She watched as he went back out to where Luke stood, swinging his sword back and forth with a confident smirk on his face. He and Percy started up again, except something was different.

He is doing better. The sword seems more comfortable for him.

"Curious," she said, tilting her head.

"Oh." She turned to the side hesitantly, recognizing that voice. Annabeth Chase stood a few feet away from her, glaring at her accusingly. "You're here. Why?"

"Annabeth," she said, staring awkwardly at the girl in front of her. Annabeth was not her biggest fan. At all. In fact, it was quite safe to say that she hated her. "How have you, um, been?"

She didn't answer, instead just storming past her and towards the climbing wall in the distance. At the same time, a loud sound resonated in her ears, and when she turned around, she saw that Percy had somehow disarmed Luke, knocking his sword out of his hands. Percy was staring at his sword, breathing heavily and looking just as shocked as Luke and the rest of the campers there.

Very curious.

Chapter Text

"Why's everyone so excited?" Percy asked her, glancing around the pavillion as people cleared their dishes, the chatter and excitement higher than usual.

"Capture the flag is tonight. Ares versus Athena," she said, sipping on her iced tea. When the dishes were finally cleared and the conch horn blew, everyone stood up from their tables, cheering and whooping loudly. Three campers from the Athena Cabin, including Annabeth, ran down the line with a grey banner adorned with a barn owl and an olive tree. From the other side of the pavilion, Clarisse and a few of the Ares campers came in with another banner, this one blood red with a boar's head and a bloody spear.

"Do Ares and Athena always lead the teams?" he asked, and she nodded, a few strands of her meticulously placed black hair falling in front of her face.

"Typically, yes, they do." She glanced around the pavillion, pursing her lips. "Athena has allied with Hermes and Apollo, and Ares is with everyone else." Clarisse and her locked eyes, and after a moment, Nataliana looked away, uncomfortable with the eye-contact.

They ventured into the woods, and Percy ran ahead to walk with Annabeth. Eventually they stopped, both her and Percy standing guard by the stream.

"You know, I'm not really supposed to participate in these games," she mused, standing in the shade of the tall trees around her. "Chiron thinks I'm volatile."

"You? Seriously?" Percy arched an eyebrow, disbelieving. "You don't seem very dangerous to me."

"Thank you." She brushed dirt off of her dress when suddenly the sound of a low, canine growl filled the air. Both of them looked up for the source of the noise but when it stopped, all that was left was a some hum that Nataliana had heard too many times before someone got smoked. Five Ares campers stood in a semi-circle around the two of them, with Clarisse in the middle. Her eyes were narrowed in a glare as she stared at Percy.

"Cream the punk!" Clarisse screamed. One of them ran over to Nataliana, wrapping his beefy arms around her shoulders and holding her in place as she struggled.

"Let me go!" she snapped, trying to free herself.

"And miss the chance to maim you? As if," he hissed, pulling out a knife and digging it into her shoulder. She cried out in pain, twisting her body to get away from him as he pulled the knife out of her shoulder. She could feel the blood running down her arm and the weight of Clarisse's stare as she was shoved down into the rocks that lined the stream.

Nataliana. Are you okay?

"I'm fine, I'm fine, just.. don't," she said, sitting up and wincing, covering the wound with her hand.

You are hurt.

"I'm fine!"

"Who are you talking to, freak?" he leaned over her, sneering in her face as he bared his teeth. "Your imaginary friend?"

"Leave her alone!" Percy snapped from her left, his voice weak and his arms hanging limply at his sides.

"Oh shut up, Jackson," another girl sneered, pushing him into the stream. Her ears began to ring, starting softly and then getting louder, her body beginning to tingle. That tingling sensation turned into a burning that stretched all over her skin.

She watched, helpless, as her shadow stretched, gaining large feathered wings and white eyes, covering the camper that was harassing her in darkness.

"Fool."

His face paled as he started screaming, his cheeks growing hollow before her very eyes as she remained pretty much helpless.

"What the-" Clarisse turned around, her eyes wide as she took in the sight, seeing the shadow of Thanatos sucking the life out of her brother. Without warning, Nataliana lurched forward and knocked her head against Clarisse's spear, knocking herself out. The last thing she saw before she passed out was her shadow receding and the rise and fall of the camper's chest.

She woke up a few minutes later, dazed and bleary eyed as she slowly sat up. Clarisse was fighting Percy, who was somehow no longer bleeding and was actually beating her. She watched as he snapped her spear in half, inciting a frenzied scream from Clarisse's throat that didn't last very long before he knocked her with the butt of his sword, sending her flying across the creek.

Annabeth peeled off her Yankees cap, appearing beside Percy and beginning to talk with him while Nataliana held her head, groaning. The Ares camper was sprawled out a few feet to her left, and she winced at how pale he was and how weak his breathing continued to be.

Sorry.

Ignoring her father's words, she scooted over to him and checked his pulse, which was weak but steady.

There was a howl that pierced the air, long and low, and her head whipped around to see a massive black hound on the rocks above them, pitch black with lava eyes. It leaped at Percy, claws out as it flew over their heads.

"No!" Before she could truly process what was happening, her hand had stretched out and so had her shadow, growing larger and taking on the form of Thanatos as it loomed over the hellhound that was cutting through Percy's armour like butter. Her body felt like it was on fire again, the winged shadow of Thanatos sapping her strength from her body.

When the shadow came across the hound, it whimpered and halted, the glowing orange eyes meeting pure white as it crumbled to dust. Her head was spinning as she stumbled to her feet.

"Di immortales, that's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment," Annabeth whispered softly.

"Someone summoned it," Chiron murmured, but in the silent clearing, he might as well have been shouting. "Someone inside the camp."

"It was Percy! Percy summoned it!" Clarisse yelled, pointing an accusing finger at him as she hovered over the Ares camper.

"Quiet, child," Chiron said, his hooves clopping against the rocks as he approached. At his rejection, she motioned an Apollo camper over, speaking quietly to him and gesturing angrily at her brother.

"You're wounded," Annabeth urged. "Quick, Percy, get in the water."

"No, I'm fine," Percy protested, even though his stomach and chest looked like ground beef.

"No, you're not," she insisted. "Chiron, watch this." Percy reluctantly stepped back into the creek and Nataliana watched in amazement as the water ran over the cuts that marred his body, healing them. Her eyes drifted upwards and they widened, taking in the sight of the floating trident over Percy's head.

"Poseidon," Chiron said, his tone and face somber. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."

She tried to walk forward but her legs gave out, sending her plummeting into the rocks that lined the creek. "Whoa, Nataliana!" Percy lurched forward towards her, kneeling down beside her. "You okay?"

"There are three of you," she muttered, her eyes crossing. "Why are there three of you?"

"I've got her, Percy." Two arms picked her up and she recognized Luke's voice.

"Luke?" She glanced around, looking extremely dazed as her eyes drooped shut. "Where'd you g..." She trailed off as she went limp, her head lolling back. How elegant of her.