Death's Daughter

Chapter 1

Okay, guys.... Let's see how this goes.

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I didn't want to be a part of this messed up version of reality. But I was. I didn't want to pack up and move to a part of the world that most people don't know exists. But I did. I didn't want to give up my life and start a new one. But I had to. Overall, I didn't want to be Franchesca Garcia. But I am.

•••

My story started on the eve of the summer solstice. I thought it'd be just a regular day, that's how it started. Boy was I wrong, very, very wrong.

•••

I got up and brushed my curly black hair, went downstairs for breakfast, had some pomegranate waffles, and got dressed in my St. Anne's Academy uniform like any other day. But when I went to tell my aunt goodbye, she was talking to a lady in the parlor. Aunt Claire turned around when she heard me descending the stairs.

"Oh, Frankie! This is Dominique, one of your dad's friends." At the mention of one of my parents, I stumbled on the last stair. I knew it was crazy, but I felt like I recognized her. I couldn't have, though: my parents died when I was just a few years old. Dominique stood up and straightened her skirt. She looked at me like I was some complex algorithm she was trying to process.

"Ah, Franchesca, how you've grown!" she squealed, so bubbly I thought I would puke. Then she ran to me much quicker than I thought possible in those heels, and hugged me surprisingly strong for her chicken arms.

"Actually," I gasped, "it's Frankie. And ow!"

"Oh, sorry!" She let go, giving me a chance to breathe. "It just feels so good to see you alive and well."

My aunt smiled in that way I interpreted as an apology, though for what I wasn't sure. "Frankie, we need to talk. It's about your parents."

"What about them? They died in 9/11 while they were working. It happened when I was around three. I was staying with the babysitter, so I wasn't with them. There's nothing to talk about."

Dominique and Aunt Claire exchanged glances. "You didn't tell her?" Dominique hissed.

"Of course not! What was I supposed to tell her? 'Hey, your dad didn't die and the only reason your mom died was because you-know-who didn't want her to know who 'Richard' really was. Oh, and by the way, they almost killed you too!' Not the best surprise!" She whispered in a harsh tone I've never heard from her before. And I couldn't actually comprehend what she said. My dad wasn't dead? My mom didn't actually know who my dad was? Someone almost killed ME? And who was the "you-know-who" they were talking about? Voldemort?

"You know exactly what happened to 'Richard'. And we couldn't help what happened to Elizabeth. Nothing good ever comes to people who know."

"Well, then why was I supposed to tell Frankie if it's so dangerous?"

"She's a daughter of a very special man. She has to know that. Besides, they don't like harming children. They didn't kill her when they had the chance before. Franchesca is perfectly safe."

"Frankie." They both stared at me like they forgot I was there. "It's Frankie."

Dominique sighed. "Okay. Frankie." She turned back to Aunt Claire. "I have to tell her, though. She has to go where she'll be safe."

"Aunt Claire, what is she talking about? What does she need to tell me? And where am I suppose to go?"

"It's a long story."

I put down my school bag. "We have time."

Dominique smiled warmly. "That's more like it. Now let's start from the beginning..."

So she told me: how I was a demigod, about my dad, Hades, about this mysterious camp, everything.

"You're saying that all the Greek myths are real?" I asked.

"Not just the Greek. The Roman, the Egyptian, and the Norse are real too. All of them. The camps and demigods are a lot more open about the other gods than before. It used to be that you couldn't know about any other mythological forces."

I nodded, trying to understand all of this. "But why am I not safe here?"

"You haven't experienced them yet, but all demigods have to face monsters: creatures like the Minotaur and hellhounds, that sort of stuff. They usually find out that you're a demigod around the time you do. Maybe they already know. So we have to go. Pack the necessary things and say good-bye to your aunt."

I grabbed my suitcase, kissed Aunt Claire, and followed Dominique out the door. There were no cars, no chariots, and no pegasi. There wasn't anything.

"So, how are we getting there? By sheer will?"

"Of course not. We're going to shadow travel."

"What's-"

She stopped me. "We are going to use the shadows to connect this place to where we're going. You're a child of Hades, so you'll know exactly how to do it. Don't worry."

"Before we go, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"How do you know my dad?"

She smiled. "You could say I work for him."

"But I thought the Furies worked for Hades."

Dominique nodded. "They do."

"You're a Fury?" She nodded again. "Wow."

"Now, hold onto me, and let's go."