Lost in Time (Forgotten Daughter part 3)

Unexpected Ally

Ali was about halfway to the ground when the icy wave hit her, carrying her safely to the ground. She shivered, completely soaked, as the cold water washed away. The ghostly flames had sputtered out and the silver faded from her eyes.

Percy hurried over. "Are you alright?" He knelt beside her and willed the water out of her clothes, mostly drying her off.

Panting, she met his worried gaze. "Fine. If I didn't trust you with my life before, I certainly do now."

He smiled then spun and blocked the attack of an oncoming monster.

Ali jumped to her feet and turned to face the fight. This wasn't over yet. She charged forward into the thick of the battle.

Without warning, a giant hellhound burst free of the Labyrinth and turned on the monsters, using them as chew toys. Mrs. O'Leary.

Ali's heart skipped a beat, but she was glad to see the massive canine.

Riding the midnight mastiff, Daedalus wielded a broad sword. He plowed through the ranks of armored monsters, his black furry mount already coated in golden dust. He bounded across the field, finally landing a few feet from Ali.

"I thought you made a deal." She called up to him.

"I did," he agreed, "but I find rebellion to be much more fun."

She raised an eyebrow. "Well then, welcome to the losing side."

He chuckled. "I wouldn't be too sure about that." He nodded towards the battle where the half-bloods were gaining ground. "It may not be a good chance, but you do have one; and it's worth fighting for."

Ali flinched as Mrs. O'Leary snapped up a monster in her huge jaws. "Someone's finally starting to make sense."

He smirked. "It would seem so." With that, he spurred his hellhound forward.

Just as the campers were gaining ground, reinforcements burst from the maze, their numbers swelling to well over double.

Ali's heart sank. They couldn't take this much longer. They were beaten, tired, and worn thin. So much for having a chance.

Suddenly, a screech rang through the battlefield. Monsters clapped their hands over their ears and started scrambling. The fighting stopped; the ring of metal turned to roars and screams; the enemy army pushed and shoved to get back to the Labyrinth, away from the noise.

Within moments, the forest was clear. No more monsters. They had all fled.

Ali couldn't help but smile as the campers erupted into cheers, hugging their friends and pumping their fists towards the sky. They had won, against all odds they had survived.

Out of nowhere, Percy appeared behind her and threw his arms around her, picking her up and spinning her around.

She laughed as he set her down and turned to face him.

Grabbing her shoulders, he pulled her close and kissed her.

She held his arms as he slowly pulled away, pressing his forehead against hers. A grin spread across her face, her eyes closed.

He released her and stared intently into her silver-blue eyes. "We did it."

"Yeah." She released a long breath. "We did."
                                  *   *   *
Percy paused as he walked towards the Big House when he heard raised voices.

"THE ONLY REASON SHE CLAIMED ME WAS BECAUSE I CALLED HER OUT!!!" Ali's angry shout bounced around his head. What was going on?

"Ali," Chiron was obviously trying to stay calm. "That's no reason to..."

"OF COURSE IT IS!" She snapped back. "She doesn't care about me. If she did, she would've claimed me a long time ago."

Chiron sighed. "Her situation is... complicated."

Ali scoffed. "Is it really? Because it seems like she cares amore about her reputation than she does me." She gave a cold chuckle. "If she really didn't want to be shamed, she shouldn't have broken her vow in the first place."

"Ali..."

"I'm not even supposed to exist." Percy could here the tears threatening to take over. "I'm a mistake and she didn't want to acknowledge it. She didn't want people to know that she was capable of screwing up."

"Please..."

"NO!" Her voice cracked with anger. "I don't want to hear anything you have to say. It won't change the fact that she doesn't care about me, that I'm alive by accident, and any kindness she's shown me is out of pity."

Percy was at the porch by now, crouching just below the window where Ali and Chiron were talking.

Ali leaned on the windowsill, breathing in the cool breeze. "I can't do this anymore. I can't keep pretending that I'm okay. I'm not." She took a deep shaky breath. "Everything that's happened... I can't take anymore."

Chiron approached and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know this is hard. You've dealt with more than anyone your age should have to, but you have people who want to help you. Please let them."

Percy crept away from the window and hurried across the field towards the arena. He didn't know what to do with what he'd just overheard. He didn't even completely understand what they were talking about. All he knew was that it was very personal and he shouldn't have been eavesdropping.
                                   *   *   *
Ali wasn't at dinner that night. Percy asked around, but no one knew where she was. Finally, he checked her treehouse.

He yanked the rope free of the ivy and planted his feet against the solid trunk. Climbing the tree proved to be a lot harder than Ali made it look. Eventually, he pulled himself onto the deck, breathing hard.

Standing, he walked to the door and knocked. No answer. He carefully pushed the door open to reveal a dark empty room. Their were some pillows and blankets scattered on the floor and one of her chests along the wall had been opened.

When he didn't find anything inside, he exited the treehouse and climbed the ladder to the upper platform. Nothing. Where was she?

As he trudged back into camp, he caught sight of Chiron standing near the beach, staring out into the Long Island Sound. He jogged over to the activities director. "Chiron."

The kindly centaur turned to face Percy. His face was haggard and concerned.

Percy's heart did a backflip. "Where's Ali?"

Chiron hung his head and sighed.

"Where is she?" Percy demanded.

Chiron sighed again, unable to meet Percy's gaze. "She's gone."

A/N
Yay! Streak! 😂
Finally, another full-length chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it.
The next part of the story might be switching between Percy and Ali's perspectives.
Let me know what you think will happen next.
Thank you all!
-Cheshire