CHAPTER ONE.
just a girl trying to find a place in
this world
FEYRE BLANCHARD didn't ask to be a Demigod, much less the daughter of a famous Greek God.
Unfortunately for her, it was something out of her control since birth. From the very moment she escaped the comfort of her mother's womb, she was forced to carry a heavy burden leading all the way back to her parentage. A burden her mother tried to carry on her daughter's behalf for fourteen years straight. But it wasn't enough. It would never be enough. No matter how hard Rosalind Blanchard tried, she couldn't save her Feyre from the troubling premonitions, and the strange monsters she would spot in the busy streets of New York.
And when the time came, Rosalind knew she had to tell her daughter the truth at last.
How the story goes. . . Feyre's mother was a mere mortal woman, no older than twenty-three at the time when she met Feyre's father one summer after graduating from college. She and a few friends decided to celebrate by heading to the sunny California beaches for some summer fun after years of hard work and sleepless nights. There she met a man as beautiful as can be, with dusty blond hair and the most enchanting eyes that you could just simply get lost in them. He was a man of many words and seduced Feyre's mother with many love poems and the strum of his guitar.
It was a summer romance, nothing more, and nothing less. But they did fall in love, or at least that was what Feyre's mother claimed. Between the long night drives in his sports car, and the campfires on the beach where he would play her songs and dance with her underneath the stars, it was enough to make him reveal his secrets to the woman. And it made Feyre's mother believe he was the one. That he was the man she would spend the rest of her life with. For better or worse, sickness and health, and all that nonsense Feyre had heard about love from romance novels and cheesy rom-coms.
Then Rosalind fell pregnant and Feyre's father disappeared, leaving her to carry a child for nine months alone. She was disowned by her parents for throwing her career away to raise a child, and her friends moved on with their lives, leaving Rosalind behind. She managed to scrape together enough money to rent out a two bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, proceeding to work two jobs to pay the bills. And when Feyre was born, her father visited the hospital, held his newborn daughter once and asked for Rosalind to raise her well and keep her safe until the time was right.
Rosalind Blanchard lost everything because she fell in love with a man, and not just any man. She fell in love with the Greek God of Sun and Light, Apollo. Feyre's father was powerful immortal being. Her mother never had any intention of telling her, but after a series of violent and harrowing dreams that turned out could have some truth to them as visions and prophecies was one of Apollo's many talents, Rosalind knew it was time to be completely transparent with her daughter. And after years of dismissing Feyre's questions about her dad, the truth finally came out.
That same night, Feyre and her mother drove all the way out to Long Island where a tall tree stood in the distance. Rosalind reassured Feyre that she would be safe in camp until she was ready, like her father had prophesied the moment she was born. Feyre had bid farewell to her mom and was escorted into camp alongside half man, half goat creatures that Feyre soon learned were Satyrs. She spent two weeks scared and confused in cabin eleven until her father claimed her after she proved herself worthy of being his daughter.
Now nearly four years later at the age of seventeen ( soon to be eighteen ), Feyre Blanchard had grown to like the camp she had spent most of her teenage years in. Being the daughter of a Greek God was strange, that much was certain. She became a master in archery, and went onto train younger half-bloods. She would often volunteer in the infirmary along with other children of Apollo ( her brothers and sisters ). Healing was always something Feyre wasn't the best at, but she found herself trying to keep up with her siblings.
But the girl soon learned being a warrior was more her speed.
Quite frankly, that terrified the young girl. In her dreams, the visions she saw of her older self mirrored a warrior who would go down fighting until her very last breath. The more Feyre trained, the more she realised she was starting to become a natural born fighter like the girl she prophesied in her dreams. It made Feyre start to wonder if she could avoid the sickly sense of death that loomed over her shoulder with every waking moment that passed her bye.
And Feyre did try to avoid her fate in more ways than just trying to suck at archery. The second she stepped foot into Camp Half-Blood, the girl swore off all friendships. She never got to see the face of the person who killed her. Someone would break Feyre's trust and lead the girl to her demise one way or another. If she could avoid it by swearing off any sign of close friendship, then she would. But like many other things, that didn't work out for Feyre either because she wasn't exactly known to be cold and callous to the touch. Not like Ares, the God of War's, children at least.
Feyre was a girl with a heart of gold. When someone was kind to her, she returned the favour with the same kind of attitude until it blossomed into what became a longstanding friendship between two different people from two completely different cabins. And what started as a single friendship and nothing more. He was her exception, Feyre soon gained brothers and sisters, who she cared about deeply. It wasn't easy to keep her walls built up high when others around her made it difficult to remain untrustworthy.
All Feyre Blanchard could hope was that when the time came, she would know her death was near and then she did, she could run into the opposite direction. That was the girl's only chance of living a perfectly long life past her death date.
Today was like any other day for Feyre Blanchard. She would wake. As camp councillor she always made it her responsibility to ensure her cabin was clean and tidy, and if it wasn't she would get her siblings in line and help them tidy up their mess. They were suppose to be the proud children of Apollo. And although Feyre didn't exactly care about her father after he abandoned her for years and only claimed her as his own when she was deemed worthy of his attention, she was the oldest and had to set a good example.
"It's clean, Feyre," The youngest of Apollo's children, Delia Cromwell, sighed. "Can we go now? Breakfast should be ready soon," She added, a sense of urgency laced in her voice.
Feyre rolled her eyes at her youngest sister's impatience. "I know I sound bossy, but no one wants Silena Beauregard coming in here and picking everything apart like the neat-freak she is," Feyre reminded them. The girl then put on her best smile, and her siblings all knew she was in fact right. No one wanted children from Aphrodite's cabin coming in and lecturing them about cleanliness. It was a twisted headache none of them wished to suffer from.
Feyre continued to look around for a few more minutes, checking underneath beds and making sure all personal weapons were hung up on the walls where they belonged. The girl then stopped in her tracks and turned to her brothers and sisters, a look filled with sweet victory found its way to her eyes before she clapped her hands together. "It looks like everything's in order here so go on," She dismissed, nodding her head towards the door.
"Finally!" One of the boy's exclaimed before they all vacated the cabin, leaving the three daughters of Apollo behind.
Feyre let out a chuckle, and from the corner of her eye she saw Alina Sinclair approaching her. Alina was a beauty with tanned skin and beautiful waves of dark hair. Anyone would've assumed at first glance that she was the daughter of Aphrodite because of her everlasting beauty. But she was a proud daughter of Apollo, only a year younger than Feyre, but she had been at camp for longer. Five years to be exact. And she was the best sister Feyre could've asked for.
"You know they appreciate it deep down," Alina commented, standing next to Feyre with her arms folded over her chest. "Without you we would be doing camp chores like there's no tomorrow."
The pair began to laugh underneath their breath, a chorus of soft giggles leaving their lips in the process. It went silent between the two girls before Alina piped up again. "Are you going to speak to your mom later after archery class?" She asked out of the blue, her question taking the girl by surprise.
Then Feyre quickly remembered Alina was the only person in Apollo's cabin that she told everything to and vice-versa. Recently Feyre and her mother's relationship had become a little. . . strained. Feyre sent an Iris message to see her mom. It was their most contact they had these days considering Feyre hasn't left the camp since her mom dropped her off by the old pine tree on the hill. But long story short the girl asked if she could come home to start looking at colleges after the summer was over.
But that conversation didn't end well. In fact it ended with Feyre telling her mom, "I know I ruined your life the second I was born so if you don't want me to come home all you had to do was say." Feyre hasn't spoken to her mother since. And Alina was very much worried about their relationship. The story behind her reasons was a tragic one. It always seemed to put things into perspective for Feyre whenever she thought about Alina's history.
As a girl who grew up an orphan after her mom died of child birth, Alina cared, maybe a little too much if you were to ask Feyre. But she understood her reasons. Alina grew up in an orphanage, occasionally jumping between foster homes until a Satyr came and found her before escorting her to camp. For a girl who has no parents and her only home being the camp she was placed in, Alina had a tendency to care more than others when it came to her siblings relationships with their own parents.
Feyre let out a quiet sigh, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know. I think it's best we let each other have some space...at least until the end of summer," She replied, earning a disapproving look from Alina in response. "What?" She then questioned, raising her brow.
"Coming from someone who hasn't got a mom anymore, maybe you should consider reaching out. I mean, you never know what could happen," Alina explained before she placed a hand on Feyre's arm with a comforting touch. "Maybe if you just told her that you miss her, she might let you come home. Even though I would really miss you if you decide to leave. But college in the mortal realm is a big deal, even for Demigods."
It was true. Feyre was thinking about leaving camp for the first time in almost four years to live a normal life away from the world of Greek Gods and monsters. She wanted trade her bow and arrow for an education in music. But it was a decision she wasn't even sure about yet because it meant leaving her siblings behind, and her best friend, who she still hasn't told about her recent life choices. She was worried he wouldn't react well because of their long-lasting friendship and the fear of losing it. Only her sisters, Alina and Delia, knew the truth.
"I might not even go yet," Feyre retorted with a sigh.
Alina looked at her sister, shaking her head. "But you want to," She argued, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.
Feyre really did want to go. That much was certain. But leaving everyone behind would be the hard part.
"Come on, we shouldn't keep Delia waiting much longer," Alina piped up, changing the subject before she began to walk ahead, but Feyre didn't follow. This caused for the girl to stop in her tracks and turn around to see Feyre was grabbing her bow and arrow from the wall. "You're not coming to get breakfast?" She asked curiously.
Feyre turned and shook her head, throwing her quiver containing some arrows over her shoulder. "I think I'm going to go and get a head start with some target practice," She chimed, smiling at the younger girl. "Besides it helps me think," She quickly added before she brushed past her sister and made her way outside the cabin.
Feyre looked around the camp with a smile planted perfectly on her lips, breathing in a breath of fresh air as she watched the other campers rush to get their morning breakfast. And instead of following the large clusters of children, she turned and walked into the opposite direction where another tall hill stood. Once Feyre reached the top she was met with various different targets, arrows sticking out of some of them from the previous archers. Feyre just simply rolled her eyes, pulling the arrows out and readjusting the targets.
Once she was ready, Feyre pulled out a single arrow from her quiver and raised her bow, pulling back the string and positioning the arrow until she deemed it perfectly centred so it would hit her target. Feyre inhaled sharply, her chest becoming tight for a moment before she exhaled, allowing her muscles to relax. And as the world around her began to fade, the overwhelming sound of the birds chirping and the wind blowing through the trees disappearing with it, Feyre began to feel completely and totally relaxed. In that moment it was just her, her bow and arrow and the target.
Suddenly, Feyre let go of the arrow and watched as it flew rapidly through the air before it hit the target, the arrow landing dead centre in the middle. A small smile broke out across Feyre's face, lowering her bow as she let out another breath. However, it quickly became apparent that she wasn't alone. This caused for Feyre to let out a chuckle, her lips parting so she could speak. "You know, it isn't very wise to sneak up on someone with a bow and arrow," She called out.
Feyre slowly turned around, lowering her bow, another smile breaking out across her face when she saw her best friend, Luke Castellan, walking up the hill towards her. He was wearing his usual khaki shorts and an orange camp shirt, his clay bead necklace resting around his neck while a sharp breeze blew through his dark curls. Luke was smiling back at Feyre as he shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, but you would never shoot. You like me too much," He commented.
It was true. Feyre did like Luke too much. He was her best friend after all. They met on Feyre's first day in camp when she escorted to cabin eleven where the children of Hermes and the unclaimed stayed. Luke was the son of Hermes, and much like his father, he showed kindness to the new arrivals who had travelled their way into camp, which included Feyre. The girl was pretty adamant on her no friend rule, scared that someone could betray her at any second. But Luke was different. He gave Feyre a reason to trust others again. Nearly four years later they were practically inseparable.
Feyre let out a quiet giggle, placing her bow and arrow down in the grass. "Very confident today, I see," She replied, taking a seat in the tall grass around her, the blades of greenery brushing against her legs.
"But I'm right," Luke retorted, lowering himself into the grass so he was now sitting beside the girl. "I saw you heading this way when I was leaving the cabin. Wanted to see what you were doing, but I should've guessed you were getting ahead of the other archers."
Feyre let out a fake gasp, a teasing look glimmering in her eyes. "Luke, are you following me all the time now?" She questioned in a jokingly manner, her choice of words causing for Luke to shake his head.
"Pfft...no. You wish, Blanchard," He denied, before the duo burst into a small fit of laughter. It lasted for a few good seconds before silence flooded the air around them. This gave Luke the opportunity to speak again. "So, how are things with you and your mom?" He asked, his question catching the girl off guard, wondering why Luke and Alina were both so fascinated by her relationship with her mom, and how did Luke know in the first place since she didn't tell him she was having troubles with her mother.
Then it clicked. Feyre shook her head, looking down into the grass. "Alina really sucks at keeping secrets," She muttered underneath her breath.
Luke let out a sigh when he only just managed to hear Feyre's words. "She's just worried about you. You and your mom never fight. It's concerning, you know?" He reminded the girl.
"I know, I know..." Feyre trailed off, pausing for a moment. "But it's just one fight. Sooner or later we'll end up missing each other and we'll stop being stubborn and actually talk it out. I hope she doesn't make me apologise though because all I did was ask if I could come home at the end of summer," She elaborated further.
Luke felt a sharp pang shoot through his chest when Feyre mentioned the subject of going home. He didn't know if it was just for a visit, or if she would leave camp indefinitely. But he made a mental note of it and chose to ask the girl about it later. However, he hoped it wasn't the second option. Camp without Feyre wouldn't feel like camp at all. "Did she tell you why you couldn't go home?" He inquired, his brows furrowed together.
Feyre shook her head. "Nope. All she said was that it wasn't safe for me to come home and my father would want me to stay in camp," She informed. "Whatever that means since the almighty God hasn't paid attention to me for the last three years since he claimed me as his daughter," She sighed, a bitter tone laced in her low voice.
"Yeah...you and me both," Luke replied, nodding his head in agreement. "But it's okay. We have each other. That's all that matters, right?" Luke added, turning his attention to look back at the girl once more.
When Feyre heard those words leave her friend's lips, she turned to look at Luke, watching as a sheepish grin tugged at the corners of his lips. It was enough to make her heart swell in her chest for a moment, a smile of her own forming across her lips. It was moments like these that made Feyre Blanchard grateful that she had a best friend like Luke Castellan. He listened to every word she said and understood her in a way no one else ever could. Not even her sisters got Feyre the way he did.
"You know I wouldn't have it any other way," Feyre replied. The girl then hooked her arm underneath Luke's and rested her head on his shoulder, staring out at the breathtaking horizon displayed in front of them.
Sometimes it felt like it was her and Luke against the world. And sometimes Feyre was okay with that. The girl knew as long as she had Luke, she didn't have a reason to be afraid anymore.
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authors note.
I think it's a good time to tell you guys that since Feyre doesn't go on the quest during the events in the lightning thief so a lot of the first couple of chapters are going to be a rom-com style to build up Feyre's and Luke's relationship before it starts to get a little serious later on with his...you know...multiple betrayals *laughs through the pain*
But until then I hope you guys really enjoyed this chapter and I'll update again soon!!