Warriors At Dawn

Chapter 1: Born to fight

Athena Griffin's whole life changed in a matter of minutes after her sister entered the world. Twins were almost unheard of, as everyone thought the possibility died out nearly 70 years ago. It was also forbidden amongst the ark to have more than one child, no matter the rank you held on the ark. As her sister Clarke was born mere minutes after Athena, she was destined to live out her life in the skybox until her 18th birthday. The skybox was the prison of the ark for everyone under the age of 18, and until they reached the legal age of an adult, that was where they would stay awaiting trial. No matter the crime, it was a slim chance to escape the fate of being floated.

Just as Clarke was about to be taken from her parents after they said their tearful goodbyes, the doctor noticed something wasn't right with Athena. Her blood was so dark and could only be described as pure black. Something the people of the ark had never heard of. It scared them. Her fate was now in the hands of the council of the ark. After checking her sister and finding nothing out of the ordinary, the council let the fear of the unknown control their decision. They ultimately decided Athena was too great a risk to the general public of the ark. Her existence was to be swept under the rug. She became one of the ark's biggest secrets.

She was given a cell in the skybox furthest from any criminals and kept in isolation. Doctors made frequent visits, testing her blood and trying to find the answers to the most demanding questions. Why was her blood black, and more importantly, why was Clarke's not the same? They assigned two guards, a man, and a woman, to raise her until she was old enough to stand alone. They were given strict instructions not to form any connections with the girl; that was their every intention, but little did they know that would become near impossible.

As Athena grew they couldn't help but see her as a daughter they never had. Even knowing her time was limited, they simply didn't care. The male guard James soon gave into the notion that he could save her. He convinced his partner Maggie that if they made her an asset of the ark and showed the council her value, she could escape being floated. So they taught her anything and everything as early as possible with the time they had been given. She learned in secret how to fight from James, the best guard on the ark. Maggie snuck her books and taught her everything she could think of. They had become the only family Athena had ever known. Out of fear of the truth coming out later in her life and potentially losing her trust, they made her one promise; they would never lie to her.