Death's Daughter (fem oc x annabeth chase)

Las Vegas

Mara watched the trio walked away from the diner. As for her and Declan, they made their way toward the back of the building where they could take in private.

"You sure no one's gonna kidnap us back here?" Declan asked as Mara sat against the wall, facing each other.

"I'm sure," Mara replied as she took off her backpack, placing it beside her.

"What'd you wanna talk about?" Declan asks as he sat on top of a trashcan, playing with his pipes. He grabs an aluminum can of soda and puts it in his satchel.

"Okay, I'm gonna pretend I didn't see that," Mara smiled as she continued, "I wanted to tell you about my dream."

Declan put his pipes down.

"Your dream?"

"Yes."

"Well, go ahead. I'm listening," Declan said as he gestured for her to continue.

Mara takes a deep breath, rubbing her hands on her knees, "In my dream, I was in my apartment. There was another person there—he told me he was a judge, a jury, and an executioner." Declan's interested is piqued.

"He offered to show me things," Mara continued, "Things of my past that will make sense for the future. And I accepted—"

"What?" Declan quickly stood up, "Are you nuts?"

"It was just a dream," Mara waved it off, "Not like I sold my soul or anything."

Declan frowned, pacing back and forth in front of her. "Dream or not, you don't just accept offers from random people, especially in dreams. It could mean something, Mara. You know how weird our lives are—dreams like that are never just...dreams."

Mara looked up at him, "I know. But he didn't show me anything. He said I had a price to pay first."

"There's always prices to pay with these guys," Declan complained, "Never just a little favor for them."

"I just want to know what was so important that he felt I had to pay for it first," Mara wondered as she stood up, kicking the fallen trash around.

"That's exactly what worries me," Declan muttered, his voice tense. He watched as Mara kicked at the trash, her frustration evident. "It's like dangling a carrot in front of you, but making sure you feel the weight of the stick first."

"It reminds me of what the Oracle said," Mara told him, "I shall discover that which I know nothing about."

"And 'You shall uncover the darkest of truths'," Declan says, remembering the prophecy.

Mara groans, burying her face in her hands, "I'm gonna have an aneurysm."

Declan sighed, "Did the guy in your dream say anything else?"

The gloomy girl held her tongue. This was Declan—she could trust him with anything but for some reason, she hesitated.

"The thing he wanted to show me was something regarding my parents," Mara said slowly. "And in return for him showing me those secrets, I guess he wanted me to do something for him." She scratches her cheek, "That's his price, I'm assuming."

"What would a 'judge' want to do with a child of Hades?" Declan thought out loud.

"I don't know..." Mara nervously laughed and then she remembered what Walter had said.

Sometimes there will be spirits whose intentions we won't know well. Vengeful spirits.

A voice interrupts them—

"Didn't Daddy teach you not to linger in dark alleyways? Oh, that's right...You've never met him," Ares smirked as he stepped into view.

"If you're here for the shield, Golden Boy's still working on it," Mara quipped as Ares chuckled. "I know, the kid with seaweed for brains is real fun to watch. Saw him on TV."