𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐩, 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧

𝐭𝐰𝐨

𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄,
that was an understatement.

The girl was known as a freak to every single person she met.

She was born in the Underworld, somehow. Her mother and father met before death but she was not born until after it. As a baby, she travelled with her mother and father through the Underworld. They had a chance to make it out. It was unknown what would happen to her. Barely anyone was able to leave and rejoin the living, and she had never left, she had never died.

Her father had looked back to make sure that she and her mother were still there. And then they slipped back into the depths of death.

Eurydice had carried her baby the entire journey, and when she was pulled, her daughter came with her.

Cora ended up in the arms of Persephone, the queen of the dead. Persephone managed to convince her husband to let her raise Cora until a certain age, where she would then go to Camp Half-Blood. Persephone was given the task of naming the baby. Cora Viper. The name Cora meant heart, and that is what drove her father to do all he did. Viper was the reason her mother met death. A viper had killed Eurydice, and Persephone decided to give her daughter that name. How kind.

Hades and Persephone knew all about her parents and were not shy to tell her. She knew everything.

Cora was raised in the Underworld until she was eight, when she was sent to Camp Half-Blood. She knew that Camp Half-Blood was a place for demi-gods, children of the gods. She was not one of them. Her mother was a dryad and her father was a demi-god, but she was just Cora. Was there no place for someone like her?

Chiron had told her that she would stay in cabin eleven, since she was unclaimed. She couldn't be claimed so she would be there forever. He gave her an exception and let her travel through cabins. Most nights, she would be in cabin four, Demeter's cabin, since it was the closest thing to Persephone. When she turned ten, she stopped trying to hold onto Persephone and returned to cabin eleven for every night.

Persephone was like a mother to Cora. And Persephone sent her away. There was no point. She could have stayed in the Underworld, it was known to her, the only place she recognised. But she was forced to go to a place where she was entirely alone.

Cora was the strangest thing anyone on Olympus had ever seen.

Because her life wasn't hard enough, when she was a baby and became known to gods, Hera forced Aphrodite to give her a small curse.

"It's for the better of the girl, she cannot know what pain it brings" the goddess told.

Aphrodite plagued Cora with a curse that if she ever felt love, romantic love, she would be met with the same fate as Orpheus and Eurydice.

Cora knew nothing of the curse.

Along with the curse, Cora was given powers, only from Persephone and Hades. The ability to control plants was the gift from Persephone, no matter the plant, no matter the reason. Persephone also gave the girl a small mirror, through which she could communicate with them. From Hades, speaking to the dead, though not her parents. And from the two, she was able to go between Earth and the Underworld. She would visit often until she was eleven and her travels grew slow and rare.

And one day she stopped entirely.

She was back at camp already. Grover was still gone but Cora was back.

She walked through cabin eleven until she got to her bed, throwing her bag down on it. She probably should have stayed with Grover but she just left. It was already dark and a bit late, she had no clue what had happened to him or Percy. "You're back" Luke smiled, seeing this girl for the first time in months "yep. I'm alive, it's a miracle" she mumbled, barely even taking note of him as she pushed her bag onto the ground, kicking it under her bed.

"Not happy, huh?" he said, sitting on her bed as she slumped down next to him, putting her head in her hands "I think I did the wrong thing" Cora sighed, Luke nodded "I'm sure everything's fine" he assured, she shook her head "I'm tired" she said, she may have been tired, exhausted, but there was no way she was going to sleep.

How could she sleep when her only friends weren't even there, weren't even safe.

"And I'm sick of being in this place" "what do you mean?" Luke asked in a soft voice, he knew exactly what she meant. "Camp Half-Blood, cabin eleven, what's the point? I'm not a child of a god, how would I be claimed? I'd rather be back in that dumb school I was stuck at" Cora answered, her hands sliding into her hair "Cora, relax--" "I just want to go home" she whispered, her fingers lightly gripping her hair as she breathed.

Before Luke could respond a kid came running in, yelling for Cora. Both Luke and Cora stood up, staring at the boy "what's going on?" Cora questioned, walking to the terrified boy "Chiron-- a boy-- satyr-- not good" was all the boy managed to say. Cora's eyes went wide "where?" "outside the-- out--" the boy couldn't even finish, Cora knew.

She ducked next to her bed and pulled out her bag, quickly grabbing the dagger given to her by Thanatos, someone stupid enough to trust a kid with a weapon.

Cora jumped up and rushed out of the cabin, she was fast for a twelve year old. The girl ran through camp, pushing her way past alarmed children and the heavy doors of the Big House. She didn't stop running until she passed through the border.

"Grover? Percy? Percy!" she called out, her vision almost blocked by rain as she walked across the wet grass. Although she could barely see, she spotted the boy tearing a horn from the Minotaur.

The fucking Minotaur.

Cora clutched the dagger close to her heart, trudging closer. She ran forward and impaled the Minotaur's chest as Percy stabbed it's own horn through it's head.

"Cora?" he gaped, staring at the girl "hiya, Perce" she smiled, looking up at him. She pulled out her dagger as the Minotaur turned to dust. And then Percy fell.

She stepped back when his body hit the ground. She simply looked at him, not sure of what else to do. She was scared. Who wouldn't be?

She was scared that another monster would find him or that he wouldn't be okay. So, she stayed. She stayed next to him, on the ground.

After a while, other campers found them and huddled around the unconscious Percy and startled Cora holding his hand.

"Is he okay?"

"Alone?"

"Seriously?" Cora thought "I'm right here and he did it alone?"

"How is that possible?"

"He must be the one."

"Hush, Annabeth. He's waking. Everyone, give him some space, please. Including you, Cora," Chiron said, Cora scoffed and stood up, joining the other campers in backing away from Percy "welcome to camp, Percy Jackson. We've been expecting you."