The Grave of Stella Johnson, Daughter of Athena

She was an idiot. How could she have allowed herself to let her guard down? Did she not know there would be precautionary measures to take into consideration? Melina Johnson, the offspring of the goddess of wisdom, and the daughter of a graduate of Yale University, had been stupid enough to make only a simple mistake. And to what cost? To loose her sister? Why did she care? They had competed for years in a sibling rivalry; one that had damaged the very relationship they shared. But yet, the 12-year-old still managed to have some emotion for the award-winning, musically inclined, and artisticly talented actress that was Stella Johnson; her older sister.

Melina didn't even take into account the path she was taking. Her bright, stormy-gray eyes paid no attention to the road in front of her, but instead focused themselves on the dirt on the ground, the leaves stacked in piles, and the bottoms of the grave stones that lined the trails. For a small moment, a vine caught her eye, and her gaze followed it until it reached a very small, dying tree. The vines enveloped the trunk like a snake wrapped around it's victum, slowly choking it, and the breath escaping the living being. That's me, she thought, referring to the lifeless tree. I'm done for. There's nothing left for me here.

They had all fallen one by one. Melody. Jasper. Alex. Victoria. And now Stella. Everyone was gone. She was loosing everyone she cared about, and there are only a few left. But how much longer will it be until they fall? What if she ends up being the cause of their death?

Don't think like that, Melina. A women's voice echoed through the demigod's head, soft, but firm. There is still hope.

"Hope? How is there any hope?!" Melina cried in frustration, but also longingness. Everyone is gone, she thought. There's no hope. I'm alone, all alone.

After visiting Victoria's grave, Melina stopped herself when she noticed a man standing at her sister's. Joey. That's who Stella was always talking about. The half-blood wasn't sure whether to turn back and leave, or to walk up to him. Even though they never met, it was like they already had. He was another memory of Stella, the only person other than Melina that kept her sister's flame alive.

Within a few moments, Melina found herself standing beside Joey, tears filling her eyes. Why, why was all of this happening now? Why did Athena come to save her when she was in the underworld with Hades, but not to Stella at her final moment? Was it a test, or destiny itself?

"Hello," she chocked.

~ I apologize for the extremely long post. xD