The Stories Of Gods and Monsters
Melania sat on the old wooden floor of the small cabin, her legs crossed with her eyes locked on Luke as he carved a piece of wood with his knife. She had been hiding here for a couple weeks with Luke sneaking away from camp everyday to meet her.
"Tell me about the gods again," she said.
Luke sighed. “You know about them already.”
She shook her head. “Not enough. Tell me why you hate them.”
Luke paused, gripping the knife a little too tightly. The flames in the small fireplace flickered, casting shadows on the walls. “Because they don’t care about us.”
Melaina tilted her head. “Why?”
He exhaled slowly. “Because we’re nothing to them. Demigods—half-bloods—we’re just pawns in their endless game. They use us, then throw us away.”
Melaina frowned. “You said my mother was powerful. She has talked to me before. Wouldn’t she care?”
Luke gave a bitter laugh. “Powerful doesn’t mean kind.”
She listened before speaking “You truly think they are horrible don’t you?”
Luke looked at her. “I’m going to change things,” he said finally. “And if the gods have a problem with that, then yeah. I think they’re horrible.”
Melaina nodded, as if that made perfect sense. Then, to his surprise, she smiled.
“Good,” she said. “I’ll help.”
Luke stared at her. Slowly a smile formed on his face. At least one of his little sisters agreed.
Melaina looked up. "Luke," she questioned. "Can you tell me how you found me?"
Luke looked up, "Okay, just don't expect it to be pretty."
Over the next week-only taking so long because he didn't wish for the other campers to question why he was away for hours at a time- Luke told her stories of how his mother had been unstable, unsafe for a nine-year-old boy to live with, and so he had left. He left when he was nine and spent the next five years on the run before meeting a girl named Thalia, the daughter of Zeus. Next he and Thalia had found a girl named Annabeth, at first they hadn't wanted to take her with them but Luke-seeing much of himself in her-had convinced Thalia to keep Annabeth around. With that two had become three. That soon became four as they met a Saytr named Grover, Grover told them of camp-half blood. They had almost managed to reach camp when they were found by many monsters. Luke had to watch as Thalia fought and was injured, just before she died she had been turned into a tree. He had been brought inside the big house where Chiron had told him many things, Thalia would stay a tree, many gods had been frightened because of a prophecy and that Hades had sent the monsters after them because Zeus had broken the oath by having Thalia. He had ran away after making sure Annabeth would be okay and had found her.
Melaina had been found in the woods, this was the same time he had found out her predicament. Melania would only wake if a demigod was within fifty or so feet of her, until then she was in a coma-like state-never needing to eat or drink, never getting attacked by monsters or humans. She had memories of life before the forest, with Nyx in them. Apparently the seven-year-old grew at a slower pace while in this state and before too. Melaina had lived about twelve years of her life until Luke had found her.
Two weeks had passed since Luke found Melaina in the woods. The air was getting colder, the first hints of autumn creeping into the trees. Tonight, the stars were sharp and clear above them, the moon barely a sliver.
Melaina sat on the old wooden floor of the cabin, staring at him with that too-intense gaze of hers.
“You keep talking about this camp,” she said. “Camp Half-Blood.”
Luke leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “Yeah.”
“Why won’t you take me there?”
He sighed. He should’ve expected this question eventually. “Because it’s not safe.”
She frowned. “You said demigods live there.”
“They do.”
“You’re a demigod.”
“I am.”
She tilted her head. “So why isn’t it safe?”
Luke rubbed a hand on his forehead. “Because the gods control it. And you? You’re not just some regular demigod, Mel. You’re a daughter of Nyx.”
She blinked, as if waiting for him to explain why that mattered.
Luke crouched down in front of her. “The Olympians wouldn’t know what to do with you. You’re powerful—too powerful. You think they’d let you just live at camp? No. They’d either use you or try to get rid of you.”
Melaina looked down at her hands. The shadows around her flickered, responding to her mood. “So where do I belong?”
Luke hesitated. “With me,” he said finally. “At least for now.”
Her fingers curled into fists. “So the gods wouldn’t want me?”
Luke’s jaw tightened. “The gods don’t want any of us, Mel.”
She stared at him for a long moment, then nodded. “Okay.”
As she reached to hug him Luke exhaled. That was easier than expected.
But as he looked at her, at the quiet determination in her expression, he knew this wasn’t the last time she’d ask.