The Heir of a Thousand Lifetimes (A PJO Universe Story)

I have no idea what's going on.

Josie is driving like crazy through the thunderstorm, explaining everything in fragmented pieces. All I'm able to piece together is prophecy and demigod.

"So," I say finally, clearing my throat as an unsettling reality finally begins to dawn on me, "you're telling me that I'm a demigod?"

"Yes."

"And you're a demigod?"

"Yes." She smiles suddenly, proudly. "My mother is Athena."

I tilt my head. "I thought she was a virgin goddess."

Josie shrugs. "She is, she is. But, well, my siblings and I are born from a meeting of the minds. Kind of. It's hard to explain."

I don't bother asking more about it. It's not exactly pertinent information. I rub my hand over my forehead in a futile attempt to soothe the stabbing headache beginning to throb at my skull.

"Okay. Well, why was our history teacher a- what was she again? Something that wanted me dead," I demand, frowning. Josie nearly hits a pedestrian. "Josie!"

She laughs nervously. "Ah, yeah, about that."

"Yeah, that. What about it?" I push.

My stomach twists, and impending doom suddenly looms overhead.

"Well, the Keres don't usually leave the Underworld unless they're going to a battlefield to feed off the newly dead," she admits with a sigh. She pushes her light brown hair back and offers me a shrug. "I don't know why she was here, Audra. I can guess, but I don't know for certain. All I know is it's not good."

Great.

•••••

We pull up to my aunt's house, and Josie quickly ushers me inside. My Aunt Kendra, who works from home, comes hurrying into the living room when she hears the door open then slam shut.

Before my aunt can say a word, Josie asks insistently, "It's warded, right?"

Kendra looks between us as realization of some sort dawns on her face. She nods, which seems to satisfy Josie.

"It's time, isn't it?" Kendra asks solemnly. I'm taken aback. She knew about whatever is going on? How long has she known?

"There was a Ker at school," Josie mutters, going around the room and closing all the blinds. My aunt gasps and rushes over to me.

"You didn't get scratched, did you? Not even a little?" she asks frantically, searching me over for any sort of wound. "Only a god can heal an injury from a Ker. It'll kill you otherwise."

"No," I murmur, still in shock at how she seems to know what's happening. "It didn't hurt me."

"Audra killed it," Josie announces as she keeps watch out the front window. "We need to get going soon. There will be more coming soon."

My eyes shoot to her in alarm. "More monsters?"

She nods, and Kendra mumbles something to herself as she grabs my hand and pulls me over to the fireplace we never use. She gets on her hands and knees, pulls the grate free, and unceremoniously shoves it aside. Josie and I share a look of surprise. She then removes a few bricks to reveal a hidden compartment. My jaw drops.

"Has that always been there?" I ask her, shocked.

We've lived in this house all my life, ever since she took me in when my mother died at my birth. I've never known this secret nook existed.

"Always," Kendra grins. She pulls free a bundle wrapped in rough-spun cloth. "These have been in our family for longer than history has been written. It's your time to have them."

It is a small wooden box, and when my shaky hands open it, I find two bronze signet rings. They bear fascinatingly detailed images, no doubt ancient in origin. I can't help but recognize them somewhere deep inside me.

"This one is the sigil of the Myrmidons," Kendra says quietly, touching the one of the left as she carefully slides it onto my finger. "And this," she says as she places the one on the right onto my opposite finger, "is the image of Zeus of Dodona."

"You said these have been in our family for generations," I prompt, desperately curious. She nods.

"You'll find out in due time, I promise you," she smiles mysteriously. "Trust me, I imagine you'll cause quite the uproar at Camp Half-Blood. Especially since, with your father and our family history, it's quite clear you're the one the prophecy has been waiting for."

"You think so too?" Josie asks suddenly from the window, and I flinch. I forgot she was here. Kendra nods.

"She has to be," my aunt answers. "There's no doubt." To me, "These are dangerous weapons, Audra. They'll keep you safe. To active them, just think about it. Take a step back and try it."

I clamber to my feet. The weight of the jewelry on my hands is heavy but at the same time seems to melt into my skin. My heart is in my throat. I follow through as I move without thinking. Blood rushes in my ears.

I let a gasp as the objects shift in my hands in a flash of light. Suddenly, they are golden-bronze weapons of war: a shining spear and a dagger, both polished and razor-sharp, ready to kill. I look over my shoulder, ready to voice my amazement to Josie, but she's frozen in astonishment and awe. Her eyes are fixed on the spear.

It feels as if it as always been meant to be in my hand. It's like an extension of myself. I can't begin to explain it.

"Is that...?" she trails off, her voice cracking. I've never seen her quite like this before. My aunt chuckles and nods.

"It is."

I'm so lost right now. I have no idea what's going on.

"Can I-" she clears her throat before asking me again, "Can I hold it?"

I numbly pass her the spear. She holds it reverently, and a thousand emotions pass through her eyes. When she eventually hands it back, it's clear she wishes she didn't have to.

"How do I, uh, turn them back?" I ask Aunt Kendra. She smiles.

"Will it."

"What?"

"Will it. Flick whichever one when you're done with it, and it'll turn back into a ring on your finger," she explains. I do it, and like she said, they both turn back into rings with a flash of golden-bronze light. "Go pack a bag. Just the necessities. I'll get you both some food ready for the drive."

"How are you so calm about this?" I ask her, bewildered. I can't wrap my head around why she isn't freaking out about the fact that I'm apparently a demigod. But if she already knew...

"I'm a witch," she explains calmly, her voice level. "Your mother and I are daughters of Hecate. My magic has been the only thing that has kept you safe this long. But your sixteenth birthday last week, well-"

"It triggered the prophecy," Josie realizes, facepalming. "How did I not figure that out?" Under her breath, "Mom would not be impressed."

"Wait- what? My mother was a demigod too?"

The storm grows stronger outside. The wind whistles outside, and the windows rattle.

"Chiron will tell you more. But I don't want you to forget, Audra: you are so much more than you have ever believed," she promises. There's a grave undertone to her voice that makes me nauseous. She clasps my hand tightly. "You have a bloodline you cannot even begin to imagine. You have ancient magic in your veins- you just have to learn to control it."

Kendra removes a plastic baggie from the compartment. It contains an old letter. She presses it into my hands.

"Read it when you can, when you're ready."

"How will I know I'm ready?" A pretty stupid, cliché question, but it's honest.

She doesn't answer, because a white flash suddenly illuminates the room. It's followed by a deafening clap of thunder that chills me to my core.

"You'll know," Kendra insists. She lowers her voice, enough that Josie can't hear. "Be careful, Audra. You have a heavy destiny, but you can bear it."