Percy Jackson, The Hunter of Artemis (Being Rewritten Oct 2021)

Chapter 1 - A Mother's Biggest Regret

The forest was one of the worst places to hid from hellhounds, but it wasn't like she had a choice. Her bow was broken, her quiver was ripped into pieces, and her dagger was thrown away in an attempt to have a normal life with her husband. She should've known that no demigod- no matter how many quests they succeed in, no matter how many monsters they've slayed, and no matter how many wars they've won- will never have a normal life. 

Lily Waterman was a demigod who made it to adulthood. Luckily, she was a daughter of Demeter, who were often considered "low threats" to most monsters, which allowed her to live a relatively normal life. She married another demigods, although everyone told her not to. Their reason? A Greek cannot be with a Roman. Her solution? Ignore the consequences, and leave that life behind. Her husband Jonathan Waterman, agreed. Thus, they rid themselves of their weapons, families and friends. Anything that tied them to their godly lifestyle was disposed of. 

Too bad you can't get rid of monsters.

Now, she is running away from what should have been an easy battle. All her years of training have gone to waste. The safety of herself and her son were at risk.

"But she's a low threat! How could monsters find her?" You ask, "Surely, Demeter's blood that runs though her isn't powerful enough to be hunted?" 

Well, you would be wrong.

Lily wasn't just a child of Demeter. There is old and powerful blood inside her. Its how she was brought into the world that makes her a walking monster beacon. Demeter ensured that Lily was never able to harness that power. It's very complicated, but that's just the way Greeks are.

Demeter was just one of Lily's parents of course. Her other parent was a mortal, a young farmer who crossed paths with Demeter one harsh winter while the goddess was aching for her daughter, Persephone.

She was in a small  field, destroying crops left and right, when someone yelled at her to stop and threatened to beat her up with a worn down scythe if she didn't. Of course, Demeter was enraged, who would dare threaten the great goddess of agriculture? When she came into view, Demeter heard the woman cry.

"You ruined it! How am I supposed to buy Papa's land back with no crops? I'm supposed to have the money by spring or the will start with the development."

Demeter was quick to cool down after than, focusing on comforting the woman, promising to repay her. Sally, sinking to her knees, dropping the scythe she was holding, explained why she needed every last produce she had. 

Her father had sold a large portion of his land to a development company in order to quickly get money for his dying wife. But even with the money, the medicine wasn't enough, the wife- Sally's mother- had passed away. Sally's father died of grief shortly afterward, leaving Sally alone kept going. She worked hard, taking on odd jobs and selling her crops year round to make enough to buy back the land her father sold.

At Demeter's question, Sally lead them to a hill that she promised was best spot to witness the full beauty of the land.

The hill looked down on a large circular field which created an image from their viewpoint. Sally explained that this place was preserved by her family for generations, and it was her turn to care for the land. On the outer ring were apple trees, some of the biggest and most bountiful ones Demeter has ever seen, each sprouting many large, juicy ripe red apples. The apple trees were surrounding an array of small flowers. Lavenders, baby's Breaths, Forget-me-Nots, and so many more filled the field, circling a small field of clovers and in the center, Lilies.

The sight of it all made Demeter cry. An old memory popped into her head. She recognized the field, she was the one planted it in the first place. One time, when being a goddess became a bit much, she came here and worked on making her favorite colors into plants. It was her turn to cry. Sally didn't really know what was going on, but she still comforted the emotional woman.