The Forgotten Daughter

Train Ride

Aliana stumbled out of the elevator into a swarm of newscasters and cameras, trained on her and hammering her with questions. She tried to push through and avoid the interrogation, but the reporters had formed a wall between her and everything else.

"Did you see what happened?"

"What are your thoughts on the rumor that Percy Jackson had something to do with this?"

"Did you see who pushed the bomber out of the arch?"

The barrage of nonstop questions blended together into a garbled mess of words.

Finally, she snapped. "Quiet!"

Her outburst silenced everyone.

She stared right into the lens of one of the cameras. "This wasn't his fault. He didn't do anything." With that, she forced her way between the startled reporters and disappeared into the crowd before they could ask anymore questions.

The crowd was all pressing in on the scene, making it hard to get anywhere fast.

Aliana squeezed between families and people dressed like lawyers, avoiding the police at all costs.

Finally, she spotted Anabeth and Grover among the vast expanse of people. She elbowed her way between a couple that was hugging way too tightly and dashed over to the others.

"Annabeth! Grover!" She called over the clamor of the crowd. They turned.

Annabeth was the first to notice her among the bustling people. "Aliana!" She raised her hand like a student to help guide Aliana to them.

Once she reached them, Annabeth hugged her, quickly pulling away.

They stood awkwardly for a moment, until Grover broke the silence. "What happened? You look terrible?"

Aliana examined her appearance. She had two long cuts in her thigh where the Chimera's claws had raked her leg as it batted her aside. The blood stained her dark jeggings. Her plain white shirt and red, blue, and grey flannel were singed and a splatter of monster blood was smeared on her cheek.

She met Grover's gaze. "Chimera."

He and Annabeth gasped in sync.

"Where's Percy?" Grover immediately started scanning the crowed and sniffing the air.

Aliana bit her bottom lip. "He sort of... fell out of the arch."

Grover whirled to face her. "What?!"

"It was into the Mississippi River," She added quickly, before Grover had a heart attack. "if anyone could survive that fall, it's Percy."

"Then we'd better start looking." Grover went back to inhaling the cool air, trying to catch Percy's scent.

"Found him." Annabeth pointed to a confused, battered, black-haired boy wandering in their general direction. "Percy!" She called him over.

He shoved his way through the crowd to meet them.

"You're alive." Grover gushed, throwing his arms around him.

Percy pushed his friend off. "Was there ever any doubt?"

Grover said "no" at the same time Annabeth said "yes." Aliana chuckled.

"Anyway," Percy huffed, changing the subject. "I saw some sort of vision when I was in the river. A woman said my dad wanted me to go to Santa Monica."

"Then that's where we're going." Annabeth concluded. "We don't want to defy a god. It never ends well."

"I'll second that." Aliana agreed.

They walked back through the crowd towards the train station. As they did, they passed a store with a TV playing the local news.

Percy stopped to watch.

"Breaking news!" The reporter started. "Someone has bombed the St. Louis arch. The suspect, Percy Jackson, was spotted falling from the monument moments after the blast." A picture of Percy plummeting to his death flashed across the screen, quickly replaced by the newscaster. "And in a startling development. This girl was spotted leaving the scene." Aliana's picture appeared. "When asked about what happened, she defended the young fugitive, leading many to believe, that she is in league with Mr. Jackson. While the girl is, as of yet, unidentified, the authorities are searching their records for any clues as to who she is and where these juvenile criminals intend to strike next."

Annabeth pulled Percy away from the store window.

Grover had to do the same for Aliana.

"Well, now half of us are wanted." Annabeth observed. "That should make things interesting."

Aliana stared at the sidewalk as she strolled beside them. "That's not the part I'm worried about." 
                                   *   *   *
The deep blackness loomed before her, an ominous pit in an already nightmarish landscape.

Her heart skipped a beat as a hot wind gusted from the cavern, blowing her stray hairs wildly. She held her breath. The wind had filled the air with the stench of death and decay.

"I'm starting to think that you enjoy our little talks." The voice echoed menacingly from the blackness.

"Hardly." She replied with a sting of annoyance in her voice. "But I get the feeling that you do. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here."

The voice chuckled. "You're clever. One might think you're the daughter of Athena, the wisdom you spit out."

"That's flattering." She responded in mock appreciation. "But no."

"And how would you know?" The voice shot back without missing a beat.

"How would you?" She volleyed the conversation back into his court.

He let out a long breath accompanied by another hot wind. "I have powers you can't imagine."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're right. I could never imagine knowing who my mom is."

He growled. "I grow tired of your insolence."

"Funny," She replied. "I was about to say the same thing about you."

A guttural growl ushered up from the pit, hot air pluming against her face. "Perhaps a demonstration of my true power will change your mind."

A black tendril lashed out of the shadows and looped around her neck. It immediately cut off her airway.

She struggled in vain to breathe, gasping and heaving. She reached up and clawed at the swiftly tightening tentacle with her fingers, but she couldn't grip it. It almost felt like her fingers just phased through it.

The world started to shake. A familiar voice sounded, muffled but there.

She tried to focus on it, but her vision was blurring. She felt the world tip and suddenly...

She was back on the train with Annabeth shaking her violently. "Aliana!"

It took Aliana a moment to realize that she wasn't breathing. She coughed, inhaling deeply.

Annabeth, Percy, and Grover watched her concernedly.

"What just happened?" Percy asked.

Aliana took long, calming breaths. She met Percy's gaze. "I don't know." She stood and walked quickly down the aisle, locking herself in the bathroom. She felt like she was going to throw up. What had that thing done to her?