The Forbidden Daughter | PJO Book One

three

ARIANA TURNS DOWN IMMORTALITY

"Um ... okay." Percy said.

That was nothing compared to Grover.

He gasped, then knelt hastily in the snow and started yammering, "Thank you, Lady Artemis! You're so ... you're so. ... Wow!"

"Get up, goat boy!" Thalia snapped. "We have other things to worry about. Annabeth is gone."

"Whoa." Bianca di Angelo said. "Hold up.
Time out!"

Everybody looked at her. She pointed her finger at all of them in turn, like she was trying to connect the dots. "Who ... who are you people?"

Artemis's expression softened. "It might be a better question, my dear girl, to ask who are you? Who are your parents?"

Bianca glanced nervously at her brother, who was still staring in awe at Artemis.

"Our parents are dead." Bianca said. "We're orphans. There's a bank trust that pays for our school, but."

She faltered. Ariana guessed she could tell from our faces that they didn't believe her.

"What?" she demanded. "I'm telling the truth!"

"You are a half-blood." Zoe Nightshade said. Her accent was hard to place. It seemed old fashioned, like she was reading from a really old book. "One of thy parents was mortal. The other was an Olympian."

"An Olympian ... athlete?"

Despite feeling like she was going to pass out, Ariana laughed.

"No." Zoe said. "One of the gods!"

"Cool!" said Nico.

Ariana was still laughing hysterically. Everyone looked at her with confusion. "Sorry." She said, calming down.

"No!" Bianca's voice quavered. "This is not cool!"

Nico danced around like he needed to use the restroom. "Does Zeus really have lightning bolts that do six hundred damage? Does he get extra movement points for -"

"Nico, shut up!" Bianca put her hands to her face. "This is not your stupid Mythomagic game, okay? There are no gods!"

As anxious as Ariana felt about Annabeth - all she wanted to do was search for her - she couldn't help feeling sorry for the Di Angelos.

Thalia must've been feeling something similar, because the anger in her eyes subsided a little bit. "Bianca, I know it's hard to believe. But the gods are still around. Trust me. They're immortal. And whenever they have kids with regular humans, kids like us, well ... Our lives are dangerous."

"Dangerous," Bianca said, "like the girl who fell."

Thalia turned away. Even Artemis looked pained.

"Do not despair for Annabeth." the goddess said. "She was a brave maiden. If she can be found, I shall find her."

"Then why won't you let us go and look for her?" Percy asked.

"She is gone. Can't you sense it, Son of Poseidon? Some magic is at work. I do not know exactly how or why, but your friend has vanished."

Ariana knew Percy still wanted to jump off the cliff and search for her, but she had a feeling that Artemis was right.

"She's not dead." Ariana shook her head, confirming the idea she knew Percy had. "I would've felt it."

Being a child of Hades, they often felt when a loved one of theirs died.

Artemis looked at her as thought she was analysing her. Ariana could tell there was something behind those eyes but she couldn't tell what.