The Demigod With A Fedora

Messages

I woke up with an owl perched on the window sill, staring down at me.

It was just looking at me with its blue eyes, watching me silently. I nearly fell out of my bed when I turned and saw it.

I didn't reach for Blazefire. I remembered that the owl was one of the Olympian gods' sacred animals... Which god? I snapped my fingers. The goddess of wisdom, Athena. Claire's mom!

Why did Athena send an owl to invade my privacy? I didn't understand. What was going on?

HOOT.

I stared at the owl, focusing. What was the owl trying to say? I can't speak owl, and I wasn't sure if Claire could either. I noticed that there was something at the owl's talon. I reached for it, and the owl willingly raised its talon and unclenched it. A rolled paper fell into my palm.

"What's this?" I asked, looking at the owl as I opened up the paper.

Written inside, in neat, extremely cursive writing:

Your secrets will doom you. Save yourself and the people you care around you, especially the one that you love.

Give your secrets away.

I looked at the owl. I looked back down at the small piece of paper and reread the entire message. This was a message... from Athena?

The goddess sent me a message that was the same message that Streak delivered from my dad. Wait, since when were they on friendly terms?! I wasn't quite sure whether Athena detested my dad, but I know that she detested Poseidon and disagreed with Percy's relationship with Annabeth. Tough luck, Percy!

Give my secrets... away?

That was a line from One Republic's Secrets, but what does Athena mean? Was the goddess watching me? Did she hear the song that I was singing, and that's why she chose to put that in her message?

I knew what secret my dad and Athena was talking about. But who should I give my secret to?

Realization hit me right in the face.

I had to tell it to someone who I knew best. It was an easy choice.

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I didn't tell Claire where we were going. I just took her by the hand and shadow travelled to the cave. Our hideout.

"What's wrong, Dan?" Claire asked, sensing my distress. I was moving around nervously, twitching. I understood everything. I understood Athena's message. She meant giving my secret to someone I trusted the most and loved.

Claire.

I understood why Claire was the best choice. I trusted her with my life, although we haven't gone through a lot together. We faced countless numbers of spars together, and that's what made me so sure about trusting her. And with Athena sending me a message like that, the goddess definitely approved of me wanting to tell her daughter.

"Claire," I said softly, "I need to tell you something."

Claire was instantly alert, and on her guard. "Go ahead, Dan."

I took a deep breath. I told her everything. I told her about my dream where I met with my dad Hades in the Underworld and what he said. I told her about the messages from my dad and Athena.

When they mentioned secret, I knew they were talking about my secret. My deadliest secret. The secret that I didn't even dare tell to myself. I just kept it locked in my heart, believing that it wasn't real. That it wasn't going to happen. But it was true. I was going to follow my mom's footsteps when I'm seventeen.