The Forgotten Children

Flame of Hope

"Leo?"

He sighed in relief at the voice and smiled gently at her "Hi Jen"

To his surprise, she looked close to tears.

"Jen?"

"They're going to give you to the harvest" She said, sniffling a little.

"I don't understand? What's the harvest?" Leo pleaded.

Jen looked down. Tears trickled down her cheeks. She stuttered "They t-told me that the  harvest is where the goddess Ceres listens to us. But for her to do so and keep our secret from the other gods she requires a sacrifice to be made each year to her, down by the river. She is why our crops have always grown and our plants always grow"

Leo's eyes went wild. His body tensed and he felt his body heat up to another temperature.

"What?!" He screeched.

They were going to sacrifice him to a goddess? No freaking wonder no other demi-gods found this place!

Jen said softly, looking down "They told me the people who founded the camp thousands of years ago cut themselves off from other societies. They were proud and would not accept food from outsiders, who usually were gifted by the gods or ordinary mortals. However food became scarce and they started to starve. Getting desperate they sacrificed one of their own, who they believed to be a trailer then suddenly the next day their food grew and was healthy. The next year they found on the exact same day their food started to rot without any natural courses. So they sacrificed someone else and their food again, became healthy and grew properly. That day after the sacrifice a goddess appeared before them and told them it was her who had helped them and she would continue to help if they sacrificed one person every year to her and so the condition continued"

Leo listened with rapped attention. He was actually surprised Jen had remembered the story so well. For a couple of seconds she seemed quite pleased with herself for doing so.

He frowned then said dryly "And let me guess. That goddess was called Ceres wasn't it?"

Only goddess of harvest he had been told about  and explained the camps name...

Jen nodded eagerly "Oh yeah! Forgot about that part"

But then she looked upset again, her lip trembling but her eyes lit up in hope "You're an outsider too? And the prophecy spoke of an outsider"

Leo sighed, shaking his head "I wish I was but I can't-" He stopped himself, looking at Jen. 

She looked him curiously.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Sure!" The kid said with a big smile. It seemed she had really taken to him.

"I can't breathe fire like the prophecy said but...I can do this"

He clicked his fingers together, not even having to concentrate like he used to have too. 

A small flame flickered at the tip of his fingers.

Jen gasped. Her eyes widening but it wasn't a gasp of horror.

"Wow! That's amazing!" She cried.

"Shhh!" Leo chuckled but he smiled at her obvious amazement and awe.

She reached out a little bit. Feeling the small heat in the flame.

"Be careful. I'm fire proof, you're not" He told her protectively.

"It's so pretty" She mumbled. 

Looking at it with a smile then asked still looking at it in awe "How?"

"My father. He is the God of forges, metalworking, stone masonry, the art of sculpture, and blacksmiths and this"

He held up his fingers a little bit, making sure not to burn the wood.

Jen just looked exited and eager as she said "Can your siblings do that too?!"

It didn't get past him that despite him implying he was from Camp Half- Blood and She didn't care he hasn't said anything, unlike everyone else, though she also probably was too interested in his fire.

He clicked his fingers again and the flame died out.

"No, just me" Leo said sadly.

Jen pouted for a second, not catching Leo's mood change, but her next question helped him forgot the hollowness that had entered him.

"Where does it come from? Somewhere in your body?" She asked, leaning closer to him, as if he was an interesting book she could read.

He blinked a little, shaking his head "I...Never really thought about it"

"Because if it comes from somewhere in your body, a specific place, you could learn to breathe it! They won't believe you're the one from the prophecy unless you do it"

"But Jen! I can't breathe fire" Leo said, grabbing his woods cell bars to look her head on and crouching down so he was more her hight.

"Then learn! Or you won't survive tomorrow and I want you to survive so please learn!" Jen pleaded.

Leo said slowly "Jen-"

"Please" Jen said, her voice begging.

He stared at her for a couple of seconds then sighed, not even sure he could keep his promise but she had grown on him quickly and he somehow couldn't say no to her face "Okay"

Jen beamed, she was about to say something else but then they both tensed as they heard someone calling Jen's name.

"See you fire boy" She whispered then quickly hurried away.

"Fire boy?" Leo muttered, not sure if he liked the sound of that.

But then he had work to do.

He knew he could run, the cell was made out of wood but after hearing how they felt like they were all forgotten and hearing the prophecy, Leo decided he wanted to help. Even if it meant pretending to be whoever was in the prophecy.

Also... He was tired of running.

Leo then concentrated, he could feel the heat inside him, boiling his blood, fire shooting through his veins. He called it up to the surface, instead of letting it flow into his hangs he re-directed the boiling heat upwards.

But as soon as it touched his throat Leo's eyes widened and he choked, falling to the ground coughing.

He blinked as he watched black smoke come out of his mouth as he coughed, that wouldn't do.

Come on Leo! He told himself.

You can do this!