Fallen Daughter: Luke Castellan X OC

2 - I find out my whole life is a lie

I'm eternally surprised when my eyes open again.

Sitting up from my bed, I scan the dark room, staring at the simple desk, a simple white bed that I'm lying in, and the open door to reveal something that looks like a garden that's shining in the dusk light. I groan. Gods, where am I? And why am I not dead? How am I not dead? The very air that's filtering in should be killing me, not filling my senses with exhilaration. I shift, turning to put my feet on the cold ground. I appear to be wearing a simple black shirt and sweatpants, which I recognize as the clothes I was wearing when I fell from the building. I guess my hoodie didn't survive.

My mom.

Cade.

I try to stand from the bed and I yelp, falling to my knees as a slice of pain shoots up my right leg.

"Shit," I whisper, bearing my teeth at the pain that echoes by my knee.

"Oh dear," I hear from the door, and I look up through tear welled eyes to see- I do a double take. What the fuck? I see Browns, my landlord, sitting in his wheelchair at the door.

"Browns?" I ask, blinking hard to clear my eyes.

"Ah." He says, reaching down a hand to me. I take it, sitting back up on the bed. "Elana, there are some things you need to know." I frown, but he continues, adjusting his blanket above his legs. "Two nights ago you were attacked by Echidna, the mother of monsters, and her pet chimera. This happened to you because you are a half blood, the daughter of a Greek god."

"What?" I splutter. "Browns, this doesn't make sense- I'm not-"

"Oh, and my name isn't really Browns," He says, "My true name is Chiron, trainer of warriors."

"Wait Chiron like Hercules?" I say, mouth hanging open. I would think this is all fake, but I literally fell from a seventh floor building two days ago and survived.

"Yes," Browns- Chiron says.

"How did I- Mr. Chiron- Browns- How am I alive?"

"I got news of your situation from the gods two days ago and headed straight to your apartment. I'm afraid I was too late to get in because of the fire, but one of your campmates leant me his father's gift-"

"The flying shoes," I whisper and he nods.

"Yes. When the chimera threw you out of the window, you blacked out before the shoes managed to stop your fall enough for me to get you and bring you here."

"My mom... Cade," I whisper, looking down at my hands.

"I'm sorry," Chiron says. "There's nothing I could have done, I came too late."

"Chiron, how am I alive?" I say, very aware of the clean air rushing into and out of my lungs. "I shouldn't be able to breathe, I should be dead."

"That was a lie your mother told you," Chiron says, tilting his head at me. "You couldn't go outside or open a window because a monster would have found you a lot faster than two days ago. In fact, it even took us till you were sixteen to find you." Right. Ok. So my whole life is a lie. Great.

"And my leg?" I ask, biting my cheek.

"You landed strangely," He says, the first sorrowful expression flickering over his face. "The healers tried to fix you and they managed to fix the break, but you'll be left with a limp and pain for..."

"Forever," I finish, the news settling into my heart like a branding. I blink hard, trying not to cry.

"Yes," he nods, "Although, here, take this." He hands me something wrapped in a red cloth, and I take it, unwrapping it. A small handle, like the hilt on a sword made of dark obsidian with a small glowing blue jewel in the middle.

"Uhh... thanks?" I say, relatively confused. What am I supposed to do with this?

"Press the jewel," Chiron says, so I do, and leap back from the weapon that appears, a long staff made of the same dark material shoots out, with a blade that flickers like fire curving from the top. A word comes to me. Scythe. The perfect weapon for someone who learned with a staff. "It's a gift from the gods," My old landlord says. "It'll help you walk as well as be a weapon. It can turn into just a sword as well. Both are extremely powerful, and will send off shockwaves or open fissures." I place the flat end to the floor and stand, eyes widening when there's no pain. Even when the staff shoots back into the hilt I can still walk.

"So... The gods are real," I bite the inside of my cheek hard enough to taste blood. "And you say one of them is my father? Which one of the fuckers is it?"

"Elana, you should not speak that way of the gods. And I have my theories, but you will not know who your godly parent is until he claims you."

"Right," I nod. "Well when will that be?"

"We have no way of telling-" Right. OK. Anger flashes red in my vision. So this fucker is going to ignore me my whole life then be the reason my whole family is dead, and then ignore me some more. No. So, slipping the hilt into my pocket, I storm past Chiron out of the room, into the pale twilight, where the sun is setting in the distance. Blinking fast because of the brightness, I turn my face to the pink and orange heavens, ignoring my surroundings.

"HEY!" I yell up at the sky, fisting my hands as I snarl. "HEY DAD! FUCK-FACE! GET THE HELL DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!"

"You know that's not a great idea," A voice says from behind me, and I turn, fury pounding through me. A young girl in a bright orange shirt is leaning against the doorway, arms crossed. She must be around twelve, with dark hair and intelligent eyes, but I only narrow my eyes. "The gods don't love it when they're yelled at."

"Well I don't love them too much right now so I suppose we have that in common." The girl smiles slightly.

"I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena." She says, holding out her hand. I take it, shaking.

"Elana Overlay. I guess I'm the daughter of whatever god just heard that and thought 'oh that's definitely mine'." Annabeth laughs, shaking her head.

"Come on," she says. "Chiron says to bring you to where you'll be staying." I frown, not entirely satisfied with the words left to say to my father, but start follow Annabeth around the corner of the house anyway.

"So... What is this place, really?" I ask as we turn and I blink, taking in the shining hills of green bushes. Strawberries? Kids ranging from ten to around my age loiter around, picking the fruit, shooting arrows or fencing, all of them in the same orange shirt as Annabeth.

"This?" Annabeth smiles. "Elana Overlay, welcome to Calp Half-Blood."