ACHILLES ( annabeth chase )

one | VAL BATTLES AN IMMORTAL SKELETON

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING me,"

Valentine Hernandez had seen a lot of things. Her eyes had witnessed plenty of strange, supernatural, and abnormal feats many couldn't even begin to imagine. The girl had battled so many monsters and mutations she'd lost count. This was what was "ordinary" in the life of a demigod. But even after everything, every battle, every monster-infested place she'd ever walked through, Val has never encountered something quite like this.

Val sighed deeply and reluctantly drew her gladius. Her arms were sore and aching. Any visible skin was speckled with cuts and bruises of all sorts. Val's sword was stained with monster blood and dust. Her thin, navy jumper was grimy and her jeans were torn. Her hair was matted and tangled. She couldn't summon the energy to clean herself up, much less use a healing spell.

Overall, Valentine looked like she had crawled through the gates of hell themselves when in reality all she had made her way through was this damned forest, which was filled with monsters of all sorts. No matter which direction she turned, she couldn't seem to find a way out.

Val raised her gladius and took a stance.

The monster (at least, Val thought it would be classified as a monster) was a skeleton. Not one of those cheap Halloween decoration skeletons you could get from the dollar store. This skeleton looked like it could've once been inside someone's flesh. There was a grotesquely thin layer of dull grey skin covering its bones. Val nearly gagged at the mere sight of it.

The skeleton shot first. Literally. It cocked and fired a handgun at her. Only Val's quick reflexes stopped her from being shot through by a bullet. She rolled backward on the snow, soaking the back of her head and her back with very cold water. Val was very damp by the time she was on her feet. She huffed in frustration and annoyance, then charged, hoping there wouldn't be a bullet through her chest when she was finished.

As soon as Val got too close for the skeleton to use its gun, it drew out a baton and matched Val's blade in her attempt to impale it. A few seconds into combat, Val managed to stab it, then slice it in half.

She exhaled and began to turn away from the scene, dusting her hands. Val sheathed her sword and began to walk away, rather satisfied with the pile of bones. That is, satisfied until it began to reform. "Oh, come on," Val complained, not sure who to. Herself, maybe.

The next thing she spoke was to the skeleton. "Why couldn't you just wait a few hundred years?" Val drew her recently sheathed sword once more and glared at the skeleton. She scowled and raised her gladius, preparing to battle it again. But she didn't get the chance to.

Both Val and the skeleton hesitated, both seemingly listening to a distant noise. Val didn't know if the skeleton could hear, but it definitely sensed the presence.

Keeping a tight grip on the hilt of her gladius and one eye on the skeleton, Val turned to the noise of crunching snow and heavy breathing. Within moments, a short boy stumbled into the clearing. Val's eyes widened and her tight grip grew tighter still. She hadn't seen another person for many days, and the sight of this boy was startling.

The boy couldn't have been more than ten. He had dark hair and eyes which stood out against his pale skin. Val wondered why he looked like he'd been crying, and why he was alone. Then again, for the latter, she wasn't too much older, and she'd been alone in these woods for days.

A sort of presence of darkness entered the clearing as he ran in. His dark eyes met hers and they stared at each other for the smallest fraction of time. Then he saw the skeleton.

Hatred and loathing rage capacitated his eyes. Valentine had seen this much emotion in only one other person. "Go away!" the boy screamed at the skeleton, voice ragged and fearful.

Val could feel the emotion in his voice as his scream rolled across the clearing. It was so overwhelming Val dropped her sword and fell to her knees, elbows in the snow and her arms covering her head. She couldn't block out his scream, so full of pain and rage. This boy was younger than she but Val could tell he'd just lost everything.

The ground shivered violently. Val's thin jumper was soaking, snow and ice seeping through it, freezing her skin. Her jeans were sopping. The boy's scream had evaporated.

Shaking, Val raised her head and quickly surveyed the scene. The boy was gone. So was the skeleton. She didn't know how he'd gotten rid of it.

She slowly stood. Her elbows and knees were ice cold and drenched. So was her back. Val let go of her sword when she dropped to her knees, absolutely freezing cold. She could feel her body going numb. Breathing heavily, Val looked around for the boy, but he'd fled. Then she saw where the skeleton had gone.

In the ground was a deep, long scar. Val didn't know what else to think of it other than the short boy had somehow cut open the ground. She stared at it, breathing heavily. How on earth had he done that? Val had never seen anything like it, and she had seen some weird things.

Val didn't know how long she'd been there. She only had a vague idea of how many days had passed since she'd been banished. All she knew was that this little task Octavian has assigned her seemed impossible. She'd searched the entire area, and whatever place he was talking about didn't exist.

All of Val's doubtful thoughts evaporated when she heard crunching snow, rather like someone was walking towards her. Then she heard whoever was walking calling out like they were looking for something. Someone. There were no trees with a trunk thick enough to hide her. The footsteps weren't so far away. Val didn't want to be found by who knows what, so she summoned what little energy she had left and weaved a concealment spell out of thin air.

A thick, mist-like substance covered her scratched and bruised body. Just in time, too. At the edge of the clearing, she saw three humanoid beings emerge from the flora.

"...tell Chiron," one of them was saying.

"No," another replied forcefully. Val crept closer, listening in to their conversation.

The other two stared at the boy who had said no. He had dark hair and bright sea-green eyes.

"Um..." the third said nervously. As she got closer, Val recognised him as a faun, goat legs and all. "What do you mean...no?"

"We can't let anyone know. I don't think anyone realizes that Nico is a-"

"A son of Hades," The girl said. She had honey-blonde hair and tan skin, which contrasted dramatically to her startling grey irises. "Percy, do you have any idea how serious this is? Even Hades broke the oath! This is horrible!"

"I don't think so," The boy named Percy said. "I don't think Hades broke the oath."

"What?"

"He's their dad," Percy explained, "but Bianca and Nico have been out of commission for a long time, since even before World War II."

Val listened to their conversation, curious. She was becoming more pleased within the minute. But her spell was wearing off. She didn't have to energy to keep it up forever.

"I'm not going to let that poor kid suffer anymore." Percy was saying.

"The poor kid who hates you and wants to see you dead," the faun reminded him.

"Maybe we can find him," Percy said. "We can convince him it's okay, hide him someplace safe."

The girl shivered. "If Luke gets hold of him-"

"Luke won't," Percy said. "I'll make sure he's got other things to worry about. Namely, me."

Val's spell wore off, right in front of the people she was eavesdropping. All of their expressions were shocked and confused, and slightly afraid. Val needed to think fast.

Percy and his companions stood, dumbfounded by this beat-up, sopping wet girl who'd materialised out of thin air. Val said the first conversation starter that came to mind.

"Hi."

first chapter done and dusted! I'll try to get the second one up as soon as I can. so, what do you guys think of val? is she untrustworthy? or misunderstood? thank you for reading and have a wonderful rest of your day.

-micky