Chapter 12

(Argen Pov)

I don't know when it first started. I was around... 7?... or 8?... I can't really remember when the first time I had ever felt like this. I do know, however, the reason behind it all.

I had barely started school again, after being investigated for the 3rd time my father eventually moved the trailer to an entirely new city, Manhattan. In Manhattan, I had a new home, new neighbors... and a new job as well.

"What if Mother comes back?" I had asked my father as he itched his crotch and grabbed a new beer bottle while listening to the Television that played in the back.

"Boy... do you know why we live like this?... It's all because of you. If you were never born then maybe she wouldn't have left... hell maybe if you die she'll come back..." My father said in a tone that I had never seen him use... A joking tone?

"I understand..." I said as I got out of the trailer and walked into the actual city in order to go to school. People always asked why I was so skinny and small whenever they saw me. I never told them it was because I was only allowed a meal once every 2 weeks.

My father, a relatively skinny man, still looked healthy even after the countless drugs he'd taken. I knew the names of each one... Xanex, Acid, Mushrooms... Heroine... the list goes on.

They had all been bought or stolen by me. He needed them in order to survive... and I needed him to stay alive as well. Mother would never come back for me... but maybe if father stayed relatively happy and healthy she might return... those were my thoughts at the time.

"Settle down class, we have a new student today!" The teacher at the time yelled out causing my new classmates to be quiet. "Hello... my name is Argen... I hope we get along..." I say without much emotion in my voice, really I tried my best to look enthusiastic, but I just couldn't feel happy about being in another job...

The school part of my day was the best, being able to hang out with people my age and not be talked trash about was the best. I never understood the emotion that always seemed to appear in my chest when people would talk bad about my father and me... calling us "Trailer Trash" and similar things.

The night time... my job... I hated it? I knew it was all to give my father the drugs and alcohol he couldn't live without, so I never wanted to be there.

But what else could I do? I can't just not show up... I would be punished... I don't like being punished.

There it was again... the weird feeling in my chest that I could never place... only later did I find out this was called anger... who knew that my first time letting it out would cause me to get a better job... a job that gave me more money and even free drugs and alcohol for my father.

"Ok kid... I have no idea why the boss allowed you to work here... but I guess I'll give you the rundown of the job" The man in charge of the building said to me as he handed me a small outfit. "Wear that... the women will get a kick out of it," The man said with a smile as I put on the small outfit that looked like it was made for a girl.

"Now hand the women drinks and do WHATEVER they tell you, do this and you'll be getting 200 a day," The man said as he handed me a small tray filled with drinks, and I got started on my first day...

2 weeks later in class was the first time I ever felt the same feeling I did when facing off the drowned-looking woman with her long hair hiding her facial features.

"I heard you don't have a mother..." A boy in my class said. His eyes were covered by a black bar, and his facial features were fuzzy, just like everyone else I ever saw.

"I have a mother" I replied as my voice quivered. I didn't show much emotion at this time, having no reason to care about anything else, I just needed to work to get my mother to come back, why should I care about anything else?

"Liar, I heard the teachers say your dad's a deadbeat and your mother was a whor-" The kid said before my fist smashed across his face as for the first time in my life I felt angry. It didn't take a genius to guess what this kid was going to say about my mother...

"What was that?" I growled out as the classroom froze and I felt at peace... maybe that's the first time I realized I had to be special... though I never acted on it until I reached Camp Half-Blood... Who knew how right I was?

...

"I want to be your mother... and share your pain..." La Llorona said, talking for the first time in real life. There it was again, that anger... I was usually able to keep it hidden, so hidden I barely knew it was there, but it was there.

I hated this woman, and my father, for everything he put me through, but my mother... no I could never hate her... she had a reason not to claim me... according to the myths...

"Go ahead and share my pain... my hatred... But don't ever impersonate my mother... I'm the Son Of Artemis... you bitch" I said, cursing out loud for the first time in my life as I paused in the air and flashed forward down at La Llorona.

'Crap' I thought as La Llorona, who was really just a ghost, in the end, dodged to the right dodging my knife aimed at her neck. I knew Megan was unconscious to the side and Lee was currently being prepared to be drowned, so I needed to hurry and finish this fake mother, but who knew she was so strong?

"If you come by your own will... I'll take you by force!" La Llorona yelled out as her hair floated up revealing her dead and deformed face for the first time and extending her claws scraping them across my chest and hitting me back.

As I landed onto a rock I felt my world turn different colors as the pain set in. Even though all this had happened I still smiled... why you might ask?...

"Even if none of my weapons hurt you... Megan has some pretty useful Magic" I said seeing Megan using all her energy gathering a spell as she shot it due to my words.

La Llorona turned around just in time to be hit by the spell... what it did?... I have no clue...

La Llorona burned and dispersed into white light as the spell worked. Breathing heavily but still alive, I made my way to Megan and caught her as she fell. She had already used too much power a couple of hours ago, this was already past her limit, though I am grateful she used so much just to protect me and Lee.

"You think it's over?... Mother will come back eventually... and she WILL have 3 new children..." The children gathered around me and Megan as Lee flopped next to us due to them throwing him at us.

Now, I was already out of energy, and my quest mates weren't much better, so as my heart was pumping I tried my best to think of a way out of this without fighting.

"U-Um... maybe that can be arranged... what are you... creepy kids anyway?" I asked awkwardly as I looked around subtly trying to find a way out.

"WE? ARE THE DOPPEL GANGERS" All the kids said together as they changed forms one by one, some into sam, some into me or Megan or Lee, others people I had seen before. These guys were able to turn into everyone.

That was it... my will was now gone, how could I fight this many?... and they weren't even normal kids or even normal dead kids, but something called Doppelgangers!?

'I wish Annabeth was here...' I thought as they rushed toward me with all their creepy smiles...

Just as I thought this I saw out of the corner of my eye a silver wisp of energy that came forward and, in the form of a wolf, slashed and bit through each of the doppelgangers while I stayed still.

When done the glowing silver wolf walked slowly toward me, making me back up before stopping as it hopped up and jumped... inside of me? I didn't understand... but maybe this was a gift from my mother to protect me.

I had first suspected when I blew up the target at camp, but after so many obvious clues I confirmed it with the Prophecy, "Child of Silver" That was me...

I was happy, for the first time in my life I was happy... I understood why mother couldn't claim me, a virgin goddess falling in love with a human and breaking their oath?... that would make her looked down upon.

I hope... one day she and I can talk... maybe she can tell me stories about father before I was born... the only man she had ever loved...

...

"Damn It!" Zeus yelled slamming his fist into the pillar as he saw Argen aware that Artemis was his mother. Artemis kneeled before him as she breathed in and put, seeing as Argen had yelled out her name when saying she was his mother.

"Artemis... I trust you know what to do?" Zeus asked practically growling at the goddess as she bowed her head and nodded, leaving the room with her bow in hand...

(A/N: Yes as you see he already knew, that's the main reason I basically ignores the comments saying it was obvious lol, Anyway, bye and thanks for reading, be back soon hopefully 🙏)