Eye of Hecate

Ozzy

I walk Carter and Sadie to the dormitories in silence. I'm not sure how they feel about me being their older sister. I hope I've done enough so far to earn their trust. I want to be close with my siblings, I just don't know how. They've lived their entire lives not knowing I exist, and now here I am, plunging them into this crazy world of gods and monsters and magic. Not really the best introduction.

"You speak Alexandrian Greek?" Carter breaks the silence.

I hesitate. "I speak Ancient Greek, but Alexandrian Greek isn't too different. I can understand it, and I can cast spells."

"What's the difference?" Sadie mutters.

"Ancient Greek was spoken in Greece, Alexandrian Greek was spoken in Egypt. Sort of like American English and British English."

"Huh," Sadie nods thoughtfully. I find I'm pretty proud to be able to explain it in her terms.

"What's with your shirt?" she asks.

I look down, and see I'm still wearing my Camp Half-Blood t-shirt.

Carter looks at it and frowns. "Seriously? Camp Half-Blood? That's kind of messed up."

I force back a laugh. "It's not like that. Different kind of Half-Blood. Not a race thing at all. It's the name of the...camp, I go to."

"What kind then?" Sadie asks.

"I'll explain another time. You've gotten a lot of information already today."

"Yeah, about that," Carter stops, so I follow suit. "You're really our sister? Like, our dad is your dad?"

I nod. "I know it's crazy. I can't tell you how sorry I am that you had to find out this way. But...yes. Your dad had me before he met your mom."

Sadie tilts her head at me. "So who's your mom, then? Back in the museum, you said you're a daughter of Hecate. What does that mean?"

"Look, guys. Like I said, you've gotten enough crazy news for one day-"

"We can handle a little more." Carter insists. "How are we supposed to trust you if we don't know who you are? Why didn't Dad ever tell us about you? Why did we never meet?"

I bite my lip as a wave of emotion washes over me. A little voice in my head says, trust your family. I can't help but agree.

I take a shaky breath and do my best to explain. "I didn't know who my mom was until about two months ago. She had me, but...she couldn't stay. Dad realized who she was, and realized he couldn't take care of me, so he put me into foster care. I got adopted by Uncle Amos when I was ten, and I started training with the House of Life. I met dad a few times. Uncle Amos was forbidden from seeing him, so Dad would sneak in to see me, about once a year or so. He gave me this—" I pull out the amulet carved with the hut, "—and said you guys had similar ones."

Sadie and Carter both pull out their own amulets, staring at mine in shock.

"He said we couldn't all be together, because we'd be too powerful or something. You guys have a crossed bloodline, joining two different families. I have a crossed bloodline too, but in a different way."

"What does that mean?" Carter asks warily.

I look around to make sure no one is listening, but the street is empty. "Look, I'm not supposed to talk about it. Only a few people know about me."

"Zia knows," Sadie says.

"And Iskandar and Desjardins, right?" Carter asks. "They all sort of treat you like you've done something...wrong. Right?"

I swallow the ball in my throat. He's not wrong. Ever since I started working with the Greeks, I've been treated differently. It's like they think I'm abandoning the House, or choosing another side. They think it has to be black and white, but I see it as shades of gray.

"You're not wrong." I admit. "They think I'm turning my back on them by splitting my time."

"Splitting your time...between what?" Carter asks.

Sadie crosses her arms. "So what's the big secret, then?"

"Do you guys think Egyptian gods are the only ones that exist?"

Sadie and Carter blink. Clearly, this hadn't crossed their minds.

"Amos mentioned...he said Manhattan had other problems." Sadie says. "By other problems..."

"He meant other gods." I nod. "Greek gods."

Carter rubs his temple as if he has a headache. "So...you're an Egyptian magician, and...a Greek magician?"

I consider this. "I mean, technically, yes. But the Greeks are different. They don't study magic like we do here. The gods are different, too. We don't fight against them like the Egyptians do. We work with them, and they interact with the mortal world a lot more. They have kids. Camp Half-Blood is a place for people like me. It's not half black and half white. It's half mortal, and half god."

I give that a second to settle in. Carter and Sadie stare at me like I've grown a second head.

"And your mom is Hecate." Sadie says. "Who is...?"

"The goddess of magic," I say, "and a few other things."

"So, on one side, you have the blood of pharaohs, like we do." Carter says. "And on the other side, your mother is the Greek goddess of magic?"

"'Bout sums it up." I nod. "Which is why Dad didn't keep me, and why you guys never knew about me. You and Sadie stir up enough magic together. Throw me into the mix, and we could easily become a recipe for disaster."

"Dad...was with a goddess?" Sadie says, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Yes, he was." I nod.

"And you're...what? A half-blood?"

"We usually prefer demigod. It doesn't sound as bad."

Carter nods, as if the information is slowly sinking in. "And that guy you were with in Central Park...he was wearing the same shirt as you."

"Leo." I nod. "Yeah, that's my boyfriend."

"He's a semigod too?" Sadie asks.

"Demigod. Yes. His dad is Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths and fire."

The two of them glance at each other, sharing a silent conversation. I can read their faces easily enough. They're trying to figure out if I'm joking or not.

They must decide I'm serious, because they turn back to me with a look of newfound respect.

"Well, alright then." Carter sniffs.

Sadie nods. "Yeah..."

"I know it's a lot." I tell them. "And I know you guys didn't know I existed until today, and you don't know whether or not to trust me, and that's fine. But I hope you believe me when I say I've got your back, for whatever that's worth. I'm technically your big sister. I won't let Desjardins kill you."

To my surprise, Carter smiles. "Thanks. Appreciate it."

Sadie doesn't smile. She still eyes me warily. I've known her for a day, but I can already tell you she's not the trusting type. I know she's still hesitant about me. "And you're going to be there tomorrow, when Zia tests us?"

"I will." I nod. "You'll be fine."

"Right," she sounds doubtful.

On that happy note, I lead them to their dormitories.