Chapter 1- the day I found out I was warborn
The night air hung heavy, thick with tension. Ethan Wareham sat on the cracked steps of his mother's old porch, staring at the darkened street. Just moments ago, she had called him inside, her voice low, serious.
"Ethan," she said, searching his eyes, "you're old enough now to know the truth. There's a place—a sanctuary for people like you. Demigods. A school. A place where you can belong."
Ethan frowned. Belong? He had always been the strongest kid around, but that had only brought trouble: fights, fear, and isolation.
Before he could respond, his cousin Eden Lance swaggered in, all confidence and easy charm. Son of Poseidon, with a calm aura Ethan couldn't touch. Eden was everything he wasn't: social, relaxed, sure of himself.
"We're heading there," Eden said, slinging an arm over Ethan's shoulder. "Come on, Wareham. Let me do the talking."
As they moved through the busy streets, Eden asked for directions, flashing a practiced smile. Ethan stayed close, muscles tense, senses alert.
Then chaos struck. Shadows darted between the streetlights—ruthless, swift. Demigod hunters.
Ethan's heart thundered as one lunged at them. Without thinking, he slammed his fist onto the cracked pavement. The ground buckled beneath them, but the hunter was quick, stepping exactly where the strike had weakened the earth.
Trapped.
The hunter's smirk was the last thing Ethan saw before rough hands grabbed him. Eden struggled, but it was no use.
Later, in captivity, Ethan met Clarita Milan and Enlight Kailey—two demigods caught in the same snare. Together, they would discover what strength truly meant. Clarita, daughter of Athena, was the brains; Enlight, son of Apollo, the light in darkness; and Eden, son of Poseidon,… well, Eden was Eden.
Clarita crouched low, eyes sharp as a hawk. "We stick to the plan," she whispered. "Split up, create confusion, then regroup near the river."
Ethan gritted his teeth, fighting the impatience that simmered under his skin.
They moved like shadows. Clarita darted through the hunters with lightning speed, landing on shoulders, slicing shallow cuts that sent foes stumbling. Her strikes weren't meant to kill—just enough to disorient.
Nearby, Eden pressed a palm to a puddle. "Father," he murmured, voice trembling with urgency, "help me. I am your child, and I need you."
Water swirled, rising into the air, forming a sleek, shimmering sword in his hands. "But it won't last long if you don't act," he added, eyes flicking to the hunters closing in.
The hunters faltered at the glowing blade, just enough for Clarita to lead them with precision.
A sharp voice cut through the chaos. "Losing your cool already, Wareham? You just gave us your location."
Ethan's blood boiled. Fists flew recklessly. The plan seemed doomed—until Clarita leapt onto his back, landing on a hunter's shoulders, slicing a deep, non-lethal cut across his neck. She moved from target to target, wounding without killing—strategically brutal, ensuring no unnecessary deaths.
Finally, they escaped to the grass, panting. Ethan glanced around, adrenaline still pumping.
"So… what's this school like?" he asked.
Clarita smirked. "Not a school. More of a shelter—a camp. We don't have teachers, but instructors. It's a hybrid. Some call it Half-Born Camp, though the name isn't set. We've got a long way to go before we even get there."
"Oh. Cool." Ethan's gaze had already drifted to a deer in the distance. Clarita frowned.
Eden shrugged, stepping beside him. "Sorry. He's… ADHD. Don't mind him."
They watched the sun rise together, the first light of a new journey spilling across the horizon.