Chapter Text
I'm standing in a room full of gods. Weird, right? The thing is, I know quite a lot about gods, most of them I even know personally. But in this case, I only know a handful of the gods in my presence. That would be Hermes, the messenger of the gods, Apollo, god of healing, music, prophecies and archery. Then there are my father and my uncle. My father is Hades, god of the dead and the king of the underworld. The last in the group is good old Uncle Zeus. Well, good isn't really the word you could use to describe the god of the skies and the king of all gods, but whatever. And yes, Hades is indeed my father. Most of the gods have children. But not necessarily other gods, rather results of affairs with mortals. So, most demigods have a lot of half-siblings. My siblings are even my 'real' siblings, we all have the same mother, which is very rare among demigods. Well, at least my brother Nico is my real brother. I also had a sister called Bianca, but she's dead as one can be. Then I have a kind of half-sister called Hazel, but it's a bit more complicated. Oh never mind, I'm getting off topic.
I don't know any of the other gods. Although, gods is not really the right term. They introduced themselves to us as the 'Valar'. And they're here because of me. If you think I've done anything wrong, that's not it. It is not uncommon for me to do something stupid, but for once I din't do anything. At least as far as I know.
These Valar are from a completely different reality. They told us a bit more about it earlier, but I didn't really listen. Even though it's very important, my mind doesn't seem to be able to concentrate. But I'm used to it, it happens quite often. Most demigods have ADHD and since I am a demigoddess, I also have ADHD. But what I have picked up on their explanation is that they need one of us. A demigod. And apparently, I had drawn the short straw. Why exactly I am the unlucky girl, I can't say. But maybe the gods just thought that the others, especially my cousin Percy, had been the unfortunate demigod so often in the last few years that now it was my turn.
But maybe you're wondering who I actually am. Well, I am Victoria di Angelo, daughter of Hades, I have three, some of them dead, siblings: Nico di Angelo, Bianca di Angelo and Hazel Levesque. I'm about 85 years old and have a lot of experience in combat and war, which is probably why I was chosen.
Maybe I should explain the part about me being 85 years old. So theoretically I'm 18, I live in the body of an 18-year-old, but I was born in the late 1930s. But for a few decades, I had lived with my older sister Bianca and my younger brother Nico in the Lotus Hotel, where time passes differently. We had always assumed that we had been there for just a few weeks, but... well, none of us aged during our stay at the Lotus Hotel. At some point we got out of there again, but the story is too long for me to tell now.
Now, back to buissnes: I think it was just decided that I should go with the Valar. Um, thanks for asking me. Nice, isn't it? But oh well, that's how it usually is with the gods. If I had the choice, I wouldn't have been involved in three wars within a few years, and at a very young age. "Victoria di Angelo," one of those Valar is speaking to me. "Um, yes, sir?" "We would like to offer you something as compensation for the sacrifice of your life the way you know it." Well, if he puts it that way, I deserve quite a lot of compensation, don't you think? But I don't dare to say that out loud, so I'll just wait and see if he is going to explain it in more detail. I think the Valar is called Manwe. "We grant you the life of the Eldar." He says it like it's the best thing that can ever happen to you, but I don't even know what that's supposed to mean. His wife, at least I think that's is his wife and that her name is Varda, then explains to me: "Neither age nor illness will be able to harm you. Only physical or mental injuries can be dangerous to you. In addition, you will come to Valinor after your death. Or you sail there, to the undying lands. I think Valinor could be compared to your Elysium."
Uh huh, okay. I don't know if I like that or not. I would be practically immortal; the thing about the physical injuries could also turn out to be difficult, because I am bearing the curse of Achilles. That means that I can't get hurt, except for a tiny spot on my body, which is in very little danger of being hit in battle. But that was also another long story that you don't necessarily need to know; the only thing I'll tell you now is that I took a quick dip in the River Styx in my father's kingdom. It's really not recommended, guys, it hurts a lot. At least it was worth it, I couldn't get hurt anymore, which of course, a harpy wanted to try right away.
"Um... Thank you?", I manage. And then I feel myself changing. My eyes see more sharply; my ears hear every sound, no matter how small. And I feel that my soul is also changed. It feels kind of weird, but I can't really describe what has changed about my soul. "You are now an elf. But you are still your father's daughter. Your power is not limited in any way," Varda continues. If it had been, I'd be pretty pissed... but... elf? Don't elves have pointed ears? I have to check that right away! I touch my ears and indeed! The tips of my ear slightly come to a point. Weird. "But take care of your heart!", Varda warns me. "Elves can only truly love once and possibly die of broken hearts!"
Great. With my luck, I'll immediately fall in love with the first person I meet. But Manwe is slowly becoming impatient. "And we have a request: Keep your powers a secret. Our enemy will leave no stone unturned to keep you from becoming a danger to him." Nice, don't you think? A simple 'welcome' would not have been enough? "Varda, we have to go. We've been here too long, we have to go home!" Manwe urges. Turning to my uncle and father, he says: "Zeus, Hades... it was a pleasure to meet you. May your world never be thrown out of balance." Okay, those were strange farewell words, but alright. He nods to the other gods in attendance and turns to his wife again. Before I can do anything, Varda and Manwe have taken my hands into theirs and everything blurs before my eyes. My last thought is that I didn't have the opportunity to say goodbye to Nico, Hazel or any of my other friends. Then everything goes dark and I fall into nothingness.
I'm lying on my back in complete darkness and have a pounding headache. A journey between two realities is not pleasant, I can tell you that. But now there is nothing but darkness... wait, that's something else... the voice of a woman. The world is changed... I feel it in the water... I feel it in the earth... I smell it in the air... and I feel your arrival, Victoria di Angelo. Welcome to Middle-earth.