Nina's Destiny

Lord Ares

I came to 15 feet under the surface of the Mississippi River. My eyes instantly went to the palm of my right hand where a slight throbbing was. A white line was all that was left of the deep gash Echidna had given me. Percy sat next to me, looking around the river bottom with wide eyes. In his hand, he held a lighter. A slimy piece of paper was floating away.

"Hey, Nina," Percy said. His voice sounded strange in the water, like it was being played back through an answering machine.

Percy and I stood up, thigh-deep in mud.

"Thanks, Dad," Percy said. I repeated the sentiment.

Percy looked lost in thought. I thought I knew where his thoughts were going. An untrained Water Mage should have died from the fall. As it was, softening the blow of the water had taken all of my energy. Our father had helped us in some way. But why? Did he need us? Was that it? Or could he actually care?

The water swirled around us. Overhead, a boat was passing by. Percy was staring into the gloom of the murky water. I could just barely make out the glint of what I assumed was his sword. I felt my stomach sink. The bow Artemis had given me. I had dropped it. It was gone now.

"Take the sword, Percy. Your father believes in you."

Percy and I looked around, searching for what had spoken. A few feet in the distance, a beautiful woman with dark hair and a pearly white dress floated in the water, her long hair swirling around her.

"Mom?" Percy asked.

"No, child, only a messenger, though your mother's fate is not as hopeless as you believe." The woman looked genuinely sympathetic. "Go to the beach in Santa Monica. It is your father's will. Before you descend into the Underworld, you must go to Santa Monica. Please Percy, Nina, I can't stay long. The river here is to foul for my presence. I cannot stay, brave ones. You must go to Santa Monica! And, Nina, Percy, do not trust the gifts..."

The woman disappeared.

What gifts? I wondered. Percy looked as confused as I was.

When we got on shore, every emergency vehicle in the area was at the Arch. We had just blown up a National Monument. If Percy and I weren't in serious trouble before, we are now. It didn't take long for Annabeth and Grover to spot us and tackle us in a huge hug. Just a little bit away, a news reporter was talking about Percy and me falling from the Arch. Gods, we needed to leave right then and there. Somehow, we all managed to make it to the Amtrak station just in time to catch our train.

As soon as we were safely in Denver, we made our way to a do-it-yourself car wash. We all fished in our pockets for 75 cents, and Annabeth started up the hose, handing Grover the hose. Grover angled the hose just right for a rainbow to appear.

Annabeth began speaking, "O goddess, accept our offering. Half-Blood Hill," Annabeth requested. A blonde boy appeared on the screen. The boy was familiar, but I couldn't quite place him.

"Luke!" Percy shouted.

Luke turned, raising his sword but dropped it quickly, grinning when he saw who we were.

"Percy, Annabeth," he said excitedly. "Hey, Nina." I smiled slightly; Percy and Annabeth were both grinning like loons. "Thank the gods! Are you okay? Wait, where's Grover?" Grover stuck his hand in front of the mist to show he was there and Luke laughed again.

"Where's Chiron?" I asked.

"He's down at the cabins." Luke's smile faded. "We're having some issues with the campers."

Luke told us about what was going on at camp. A fight was breaking out, different cabins supporting either Poseidon or Zeus. Percy did his best to explain what was happening on our end, and Luke gave his opinion. It was only a few minutes before the water started to shut off. We said hasty good byes.