half-blood

fifteen

Lisa woke up with a throbbing headache. She realized how wounded she was because of how the myrmekes dragged her inside the labyrinth. Looking around her, she realized that she was just alone. Standing up with her bruised leg, she limped her way towards a straight path, hoping that she won't meet any monsters.

She knew she was at a disadvantage. Children of Tyche can survive by just using their innate luck, manipulation can help them too. But fighting monsters don't just depend on luck and manipulation, she needed to be good in combat too. And that's what she lacks on. She trained for almost two years, just like Jisoo did yet she lacked abilities. She doesn't have Jungkook's aerokinesis, Jimin's hydrokinesis, Taehyung's combatting skills, and Jisoo's archery skills. All she had was luck, and this is where she gets to test how far she'll get lucky.

Turning left, she saw a Strix fly above her. She quickly stood against the wall, clutching the sheath of her knife, strapped around her left leg. Then her luck began as the strix didn't notice her.

A relieved sigh escaped her lips. Lisa pushed herself away from the wall, noticing how her path was still clear of monsters. On her third time to turn left, however, she found someone standing still at the end of her path.

Lisa squinted her eyes, "Are you a camper too?" The person didn't respond until Lisa managed to walk a good distance for her to see who that person was.

A woman, Lisa figured. Black haired, a little tall and has the body figure she's too familiar for her to forget about tso years of not seeing her.

"Aunt Marie." Jisoo's aunt stood there, a small smile on her face.

All those memories of mistreatment she receive with Jisoo under this woman's care flooded her thoughts. She felt the sudden urge to hurt the woman, she wanted to take revenge for all Jisoo missed in her childhood just because Aunt Marie treated her nothing like a child her friend was that time.

Lisa knew it was an illusion, Aunt Marie can't be in the maze, but she had no idea who's playing tricks on her. Nevertheless, she took out her knife.

"Lisa Manoban.." Aunt Marie spoke, her voice a little different from what she remembered. "So you're the one who's just too lucky even with being stuck inside the maze with no companion."

"Who are you?" Lisa asked, staying still on her spot. "How'd you know who I am?"

Aunt Marie snickered. "So my appearance changed then?"

Lisa furrowed her eyebrows. The woman's reply confused her, it made Lisa rummage her memories about something Namjoon taught her and Jisoo; which monsters take form of a person yet she was too weak to think about those one by one.

"I noticed you've been so lucky since you were born" The woman continued talking. "You being a child of a baker, someone who can hide your smell from monsters. Your father being smart for having a relationship with a smoker. You being saved from Wendigos while your friend gets the beating. Being liked by lots of campers because of your charm. Your team almost always wins in trainings. The list goes on, demigod. You think you're getting away with being so lucky? You're taking your luck for granted, I tell you."

Lisa flinched at the woman's last words. She couldn't hide the fact that those words stung since a tear escaped her right eye. It was true, she really was taking it for granted. She always depended on her friends ever since.

Before her, the woman's appearance changed. Now, she has short, curly black hair. Her outfit changed into a red jacket, black jeans, and boots. On the left side of her hip was a whip. The woman walked towards Lisa until she was right in front of the frightened demigod. "Revenge doesn't look good on you, doll face. Let karma work on whoever you saw before me."

Then it clicked. Lisa remembered who this woman was. She wasn't a monster.

She's a goddess.

Nemesis, the goddess of balance, retribution, and vengeance.

"You've been lucky enough just to be limping here. The myrmekes didn't even poison you." Nemesis scoffed. "You even escaped that Strix, which could have paralyzed you on the spot with its claws."

"What.. Do you want?"

"I'm going to balance your luck. From this moment on, you won't be as lucky as you were outside the maze. You will have to face monsters with just what you trained for. When I see you redeem yourself, then maybe I'll make Tyche talk to you to give you back what I took you." Nemesis said before disappearing right in front of Lisa.

With the goddess' ultimatum, Lisa dropped on the floor slowly. Thinking of all her friends, her dad, and recent life choices.

Why did I choose to play Capture the Flag?

Smirking to herself, she had a final thought, My name is Lisa Manoban, daughter of the Goddess of Luck, Tyche, yet the unluckiest demigod ever.

It took her a few minutes before she gathered herself again. She stood up, trying hard not to think about her wound. Mind over matter, Lisa. You got this.

She just successfully picked up her knife when she heard a loud roar in a distance. A scared boy wearing a cape running towards her.

Great. Just my luck.