Myths & Legends Collide

The Meadow

Within the next week, Jacob had somewhat settled into his new life as a member of the Pack. Sam had invited me to his house one day to meet his new partner, so I decided to look my best. I was wearing a flowy white shirt and long, light blue jeans with sneakers. I had my hair pulled into a long braid that fell down my back, woven with some flowers from the garden I had started out the back of my house. I found myself walking up to a log cabin in the woods. It was small, but it felt cheerful, with thin windows and a warn blue door. I stepped up to the door and knocked. There was a rustle inside before the door opened. A tanned woman opened the door with a look of confusion crossed her face, which I noticed had three scars across the right side of her face. It didn't bother me, many of the people back at Camp had scars similar to hers, some even worse. "Hello?" She questioned. "Can I help you."

"My name is Aspen, Sam said I could meet him here?" I said softly. The woman's eyes widened.

"Oh! You're aspen." She smiled, opening the door a little more. "You're the one I've heard so much about, come in." I smiled at her and walked inside.

"If memory serves, you're the one who managed to win over Sam." I turned to the woman.

"Yes, I'm Emily Young." Emily offered her hand to me which I shook.

"You're lucky, I did all the easy work." I told her with a smirk. "You wouldn't believe how bad he was when we first met."

"I don't doubt that." The two of us shared a laugh.

"Do you need any help to get ready for the Pack? I understand they can be a handful."

"I wouldn't mind the help." And with that, Emily and I were chatting like old friends as we baked for the pack. Once the group of half-naked boys arrived, I was bombarded with questions about how I was so knowledgeable about the Packs.

"Wait, so you're telling me that the Greek Gods are real?" The newest member of the pack, Embry Call, questioned. I nodded.

"I mean, yeah." I said. "I'm free to answer any questions you may have, it can get confusing."

"I've been meaning to ask, how did you get those greys?" Jake asked through a mouthful of food.

"Oh, this?" I ran my fingers over the silver streak of hair within my nest of black. "Well, I held up the Sky-"

"You held up the sky?" Emily asked, astonished. "That must have been tough."

"It was. I felt as if I was gonna be crushed under it's weight after just a couple of seconds, but I toughed through it before the group managed to trap Atlas once again. I think because I was Mortal the strain was going to kill me faster than age, these greys were a sign of my determination."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that." Emily said, reaching over and taking my hand.

"It's ok." I assured, gently patting her hand. "That wasn't even the worst thing to happen." I clutched the cup in my hand, gazing at my reflection in the water. "It was two years later when the worst thing happened. Kronos made his move. We were fighting for three days...Hundreds of Demigods died, Campers and Traitors alike." I reached up and gently turned one of the beads on my necklace. "The War was great, but we won in the end, however, no one came out of that battle unscathed. We lost friends, partners, siblings..." I squeezed my eyes shut. "I lost my little brother, he hadn't even hit double digits."

"I'm so sorry." Paul said softly, reaching over and rubbing my shoulder. I flinched away from him, and he dropped his hand.

"Sorry." I said. "I...got stabbed." I shifted my shirt to show the scar that took up most of my shoulder. "I meant it when we didn't come out unscathed. This isn't the worst scar that anyone at Camp has." I pulled my shirt back over my shoulder. "But the fight isn't over, if it was I'd be able to feel it in my bones." I looked out the window. "I have to train, even if I'm not prepared, more people could die."