The Forgotten Daughter

Mason

Aliana sat on the edge of the ratty bed, breathing painfully. Her ribs creaked as she exhaled. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched the edge of the mattress.

"Need some water?" Mason nudged her shoulder with a somewhat dingy glass.

She accepted the cup and took a long sip. It hurt to swallow, but the coolness of the water soothed her raw throat. "Thanks." She managed through the pain. She laid back. "I don't suppose you have any ambrosia."

He raised an eyebrow. "What would a mortal do with ambrosia?"

"Well," Aliana surmised. "You're not exactly an average mortal."

"I guess not." He gave a small smirk. He thought for a moment then shook his head. "I was saving it for an emergency, but..." he moved to a bag hanging on a chair and dug out a handkerchief wrapped around something.

"Wait. Seriously?" She pushed herself onto her elbows, triggering a rush of pain.

He chuckled. "I was saving it."

"For your friend?" Aliana asked.

Mason nodded. "In case he ever came back." He took a deep breath. "But he would want me to use it for someone who needed it, instead of waiting for him to come back when we both know he won't."

Aliana pushed herself carefully into a seated position and reached for his clenched, quivering fist.

He flinched away from her touch, which snapped him out of his grief. "Here." He handed her the handkerchief.

She placed her hand over the precious morsel. "Thank you, Mason."

He nodded.

She took the cloth, unwrapped it, and popped the buttery food into her mouth. A warmth blossomed in her chest, easing her pain. She pushed herself to her feet.

A surge of pain pulsed through her, but greatly diminished compared to before.

"You okay?" Mason wondered as she clutched her chest and took deep breaths.

"Yeah. It just takes a minute to work." She turned and grabbed his hands. "Thank you... for everything."

He gave her a crooked, dimpled smile. "No problem, Ali."

"What did you call me?" She furrowed her brow. Something about the nickname was familiar.

"Sorry," he stumbled over his words. "I guess I should've checked if you were okay with it. I just..."

"No." She assured. "It's okay. You just caught me off guard."

He stared awkwardly at the floor. "I guess, you'll be leaving then."

She bit her bottom lip. "I probably should."

He nodded. "It was really nice to meet you." There was a sadness in his eyes that hadn't been there before, as if he had just lost something very important.

She grabbed her backpack off the floor and slung it over her shoulder. "I have a feeling we're going to see each other again."

He chuckled. "Me too. Good luck."
* * *
The sun was high in the sky as Aliana walked out of the boarded-up apartment building. She glanced over her shoulder at the disheveled brick structure.

She felt bad for Mason. He had lost everything, like her. They were very similar, besides the fact that he was a mortal, not a half-blood.

As she strode down the street, she had this nagging feeling that she had seen Mason before. The way he talked to her, the nickname, his eyes... something about him roused a foggy memory in her mind, but she couldn't make it out.

Suddenly, she stopped. She had no idea what to do now.  Common sense told her to go back to camp, at least there her nightmares only haunted her in her sleep. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. There was something going on and she needed to figure out what.

She chewed her bottom lip as she thought. That pit in her dream... she had a sinking feeling that she knew what it was. Picturing the dark place in her mind, she searched for any clue that she was wrong, but... she didn't find anything. She sighed. "Looks like I'm going to Tartarus." She muttered. Getting there wouldn't be a problem. She already knew some people headed to the Underworld. Now, the more important question was, what did Kronos want with her?
                                    *   *   *
The bus dropped her in L.A. three days later. After two transfers, one break down, and a close call with some angry centaurs, she had finally made it.

Hopefully, Percy and the others hadn't already gotten to the Underworld. That would make things more difficult, but, finding them in the city, that was impossible. She searched for two days and found nothing. At this rate, she would never get there. She didn't know why she felt the need to enter the Underworld with the others, but every time she thought about going on her own... it terrified her, more than anything else ever had. The whole thing seemed irrational to her. Why did she even want to go to Tartarus? It was a death wish, no worse than death. On top of that, Kronos was the father of the gods. He was once the most powerful being in existence. What did she expect to do, tell him off? Maybe she should just go back to camp. This was ridiculous. Wasn't it?

"Someone's indecisive." A smooth deep voice spoke in her mind.

"Could you just leave me alone, even for a day?" She huffed, exasperated.

"But where would be the fun in that?" He hissed.

She sighed heavily. "What, on earth, could you want with me to warrant this much effort?"

He clicked his tongue. "Patience, girl. You'll find out soon enough."

She felt his presence disappear. Her shoulders relaxed and her heart slowed to a normal rate. "That's it." She muttered. "This has to end, even if it means I take the fall. I'm done dealing with you." She stalked down the street to where she had found DOA records while searching for the others.

She pushed through the door without hesitation and froze.

Talking to the guy at the desk, feigning complete innocence, were Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. What were the odds of that?