Ashley Castellan

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I'm so sorry about this coming so late. I think I might have mentioned this before, but sometimes Wattpad doesn't notify of you guy's comments, so I only saw this now (well a month ago at this point). I'm so sorry (for everything including how long this took to write, I don't even know at this point), @Fanfictiongirl. And so, for another totally rad and fabulous OC, this chapter is dedicated to you, @Fanfictiongirl. Hope you like.

The summer sun beats down on me. My clothes are sweated through and I can't feel a single muscle in my body now. I'm stinky, dirty and absolutely repulsive at this point; having not one opportunity to shower in the last two weeks. The trip from California to New York has not been kind to me. In my pocket though, the gifts press hard against my thigh, urging me forward. And now look, I'm on the home stretch, I just have to make from the heart of New York City to Long Island without any money.

Peace of cake.

Sadly my brother Luke hadn't specified how exactly to get to Long Island. So far I'd been roughing it and praying that I knew how to read maps and I wasn't just getting myself lost. Turns out, I'm a genius. Unfortunately I now have no money left.

Blowing the hair out of my face, I walk calmly out of the bus station and into the streets of the big apple. It's crowded, and I'm nearly shoved off the sidewalk with all the jostling around. I flatten myself against a wall and allow the streams of people to bustle about there business.

I take a deep breath, preparing myself, before I plunge back into the fray, elbows out. After walking and walking and walking in the same direction, I finally come upon a travel agency. Ducking inside, I find a wall of pamphlets and hurriedly pick one out that seems to have a good map of the city, before crashing outside again.

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My legs are going to fall off.

I'm not joking here.

They are going to fall off.

Seriously.

I've been walking for hours in hopefully the right direction. The crowds have thinned out and the buildings are lower and smaller. But gods dammit I'm tired. Maybe I could rest for a bit. Just lay down right on the sidewalk and...

I shake my head and slap myself awake. Nu-uh Ashley. Not now. Get to camp, then you can crash. I don't care if your legs are toothpicks and feel like jello. Move it girl.

And so I do.

As I walk and walk and walk straight on, I draw the two gifts from my pocket. The ones Luke had sent me to give. Or at least that's what the note he left me told me to do. I was suppose to hand over the beautiful rope woven necklace to a girl name Annabeth Chase, and the intricate, colourful string anklet to a Thalia Grace.

I hope I find them soon.

After another hour or so, the ground levels out, filled with farmlands, and the road turns to dirt. There's no houses on this stretch. I sigh and swing my arms, trying to take my focus away from my dying legs.

Sweat is pouring down now. It's almost as if a giant downpour just came down on top of me. If only that were the case.

A shiver runs down my spine. Unconsciously I pick up my pace, stretching my legs as far as they can go. Then I hear it. A low growl to my right. I start out jogging, but when I spot the hellhound over in a field to my distant right, it turns into a flat out sprint. After roughly a hundred meters, I'm spent. My pace slacks off, and the hellhound gains by the second.

I want to collapse right now. From exhaustion. From the heat. From the fact that a three hundred pound dog is about to eat me alive. But no. I have to deliver the presents. I'm Luke's only hope of that. So I don't fall to the ground to die like I want, instead I stand tall, brandishing the axe I'd unhooked from my belt a few seconds earlier.

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