THE BEST, luke castellan

chapter three

Maisie Gallagher grew up knowing that she was difficult, that there was far too much going on inside of her at one time, that more often than not she was just plain old hard to deal with. Kathleen Gallagher was not the best of mothers - she tried, but she had her vices. A temperamental demigod child was just too much for her to handle, and then it was too much for Aunt Mandy to handle, and running away with no company but herself showed Maisie first hand just how much she actually was.

She knew full and well that she was extremely difficult, even more so when she embraced her parentage at camp. It was even a bit much for Chiron. A little girl with no fears, no cares, no reservations about anything, who was unfailingly sweet but incredibly angry, who picked up on the worst of the elder campers habits, who liked to shove the newest campers heads into toilets as their so called 'initiation'.

The Gallagher girl was the type of person you set loose in the woods during capture the flag because she is capable of running through an entire team on her own, a soldier genuinely crafted in the Gods own hands. She is not the person to be sent off on her own quest.

They were a god given right at Camp Half-Blood, quests. Coveted. Desired. Bountiful with glory and respect and recognition. It seemed as though it had been ages since the last quest had been delegated, even longer since a child of Ares had been sent on one.

And Ares had chosen her.

Her father was the worst man - god - alive, but she was his favorite daughter. She had to be. Why else would he choose her?

Pride fluttered in Maisie Gallagher's chest like a metal-winged butterfly, elation rushed through her veins faster than a bullet. He loved her. He recognized her. She was such a good soldier.

(He needed a good soldier.)

"My father... Ares, he really asked for me? You're serious?" Maisie's eyes were wide, her lips begging to split into a giant grin. She was almost trying to quell her enthusiasm. Maisie was quite sure that her head was going to explode - that she was going to explode. "You are serious, aren't you? This would be a gods awful joke, old man."

The centaur couldn't help but to be amused by her words, by her nervous enthusiasm. Maisie was sixteen now, and he had known her since she was eight. While she had the absurd tendency to drive him up a wall, Chiron had always adored the pink bow wearing girl in front of him. It would be rather hard not to, as he helped raise the girl into who she was now. "This is not a joke, my dear. I swear it."

"Well what is it? Does he need me to fight a monster? More than one monster? Multiple monsters? I can fight a lot of monsters." She shot out a quick breath as her words continued to spill out even faster. "Is he trapped somewhere? Did Hephaestus do it? Do I have to save my father from another god?" Her words quieted to a hushed whisper as she learned towards the centaur with apparent concern, "Is Aphrodite with him? Do I have to go save my father from being caught in his scandalous affair?"

"Miss Gallagher, please-"

The blonde gasped, "I was right?"

"No."

"Damnit."

"Language."

"Meh."

Gray. She was going to turn him gray. "You are well versed in your father's sacred symbols, I presume?"

She nodded rather diligently. "Of course. Sword. Shield. Spear. Boar - take your pic."

"I see you do pay attention when I teach." Chiron offered the girl the slightest of smiles in return to her cheeky grin, but then his expression turned a tad more grim. "Your father's sword has been stolen."