Song of the Heart

[Camille Devraux]

Chapter 1

Silence. The darkness was overwhelming, and five year old Serenity glanced around her. Not a sound escaped her lips as she tried to speak. Am I deaf? Her hand reached for the tree beside her. Daddy? Where are you? I can't see you anymore. It's dark and it's cold. Tears stung her eyes and she held her breath. Big girls didn't cry.

"Serenity!" Instinctively, Serenity turned towards the voice. It was almost a whisper, but there was force behind it, as if in an attempt to yell, but with difficulty. "Serenity!"

I'm right over here, daddy! she yelled, pushing herself up and following the voice, but nothing.

"Serenity!"

Daddy! Nothing. Serenity stumbled towards the voice, tripping over small trees until she was beside the man who had been hollering for her. She grasped his hand tightly, a small wind brushing past her cheeks, wet with tears.

"Serenity..." he said, giving a soft smile as he felt the girl's cold hand against his. His hands were warm, and almost comforting. Almost.

Daddy...

"Serenity. One more song. You've always had the most beautiful voice."

Daddy, what happened? Where are we? Now isn't the time for music, Daddy!

"Please?" he begged. Why wasn't he listening? Why can't he just stand?

Her father closed his eyes and he gave a small shiver. Her hands grasped his tighter and she opened her mouth, but once again, nothing. His hand went limp and she shook her head. Daddy...

---

All he had wanted was one song, and she wouldn't give it to him. No. She COULDN'T give it to him...

Serenity sat on the bench in her plaid school uniform and watched the other girls play with their hair. Her own blonde ponytail hung to her shoulders, but wasn't nearly as full. Of course, she didn't care in the least. Boys were the last thing on her mind, and she on theirs.

The school bell rang and she stood up, draping her messenger bag over her shoulder. First period, English. Of course it was her favorite class, despite being dyslexic. Her teacher was really... understanding of her difficulties.

Her soft green eyes darted around the hallway, as if she were expecting an attack. When she reached her locker, she dropped her guard. She was only being paranoid, as usual. Her locker opened easily and their was a small giggle behind her. It was a matter of seconds before she felt herself being rammed into the lockers.

Books flew everywhere, and she knelt to the ground to pick them up. The giggles were now full, belted laughs. Carmen brushed her brunette hair out of her face and smirked down at Serenity, haughtily.

"Well now, look what we have here," she grinned. Serenity looked up and shot her a glare, but Carmen only laughed. "I suppose you are going to go tell on me now, aren't you? Oh... wait. That's a little difficult when you don't have a voice, now isn't it?" she gave a small laugh. "That's alright. I suppose we can always use some stage hands for our musicals, right?"

"Miss Alverez. Is there an issue?" Mr. Acacius, the English teacher, asked. Carmen shook her head. "I suppose you were helping Miss Derion pick up her books, weren't you. That's a good girl." He stood with his arms crossed and his dark brown eyes watching Carmen's moves. Carmen simply nodded and knelt down beside Serenity, helping her with her belongings.

"You got lucky this time, Ariel, but Acacius isn't going to always be around." She stood up and smiled at the teacher. "I should go before I am late to class." Mr. Acacius nodded and watched as Carmen walked down the hall and made a turn. Serenity stood up with her books in hand and smiled at Mr. Acacius. Thank you, she mouthed before closing the door to her locker and starting down the hall.

"Don't let her get to you, Miss Derion. You are much more special than you know. Much more important to the world than she is." Serenity glanced back and gave him another smile. Was he allowed to say things like that? Surely teachers couldn't put another student down like that. Well, Mr Acacius isn't a normal teacher. He's far too kind and easy-going for that. She shook her head as she opened the door to her class and waited for Mr. Acacius to return. The second bell rang just as she was sitting in her seat. Around five minutes later, there was still no sign of him. Ten minutes. No teacher.

[Camille Devraux]

Chapter 2

The room grew louder, but Serenity couldn't make out anything being said. Her focus was on the front of the room, waiting for her favorite teacher to arrive.

But he didn't. Instead, there was a melodious laugh as a golden haired woman entered the room. "Good morning, children, I will be your substitute today." The woman's skin seemed to radiate with a brilliance, but it may have just been the light reflecting off of her long hair. "I am Miss Cele. Mr. Acacius had to step out of school for a moment. Family emergency, I believe." She glanced towards the door as a late arrival stepped in.

"Good morning, Miss Alverez. How are you today?" she asked with a small glare. Carmen looked back up at the teacher and gave a small smile.

"I am just fine. I have a perfectly good explanation as to why I am late, but perhaps it is best not to make the reason public knowledge." She took a seat next to Serenity and glanced over at her with a small glare. Serenity looked back towards the front of the classroom at the smiling teacher.

"I suppose that is best. Now. For today's lesson, we will be discussing... Shakespeare, I believe." She glanced down at the paper and back up at the students. "I think we should take this lesson outside, today. After all, it is a Midsummer Night's Dream. What better way to enjoy a play about the magic of gods and goddesses than to spend it in their creation, yes?"

Several cheers erupted from the classroom and the children stood up, gathering their books. Carmen didn't seem too pleased with the arrangement, but she obliged to follow anyway. Serenity sat in her seat, still staring as the rest of the class left.

"Hey, Mute. If you don't hurry up, then you'll be left alone," Carmen called over her shoulder before following the teacher out. Serenity quickly picked up her bag and followed the group outside.

Serenity took a seat on the grass, across from Carmen as Miss Cele handed out the scripts. The sun made her seem even more golden than she had before. "Now. Carmen. I would like you to read the part of Titania. And... Serenity. Can you read for Moth, please? The song is the most beautiful part of the story, in my opinion." Serenity turned red and Carmen looked up at the substitute.

Serenity frowned and looked down at the script. It had been a song her mother had sang to her as a child. That was before she had died in a car accident when she was three, her father said. Her father had died when she was five, though the cause of death... she couldn't remember anything.

"She can't read out loud, Miss Cele. She's a mute," Carmen blurted. Several other children snickered at the girl's comment and Serenity turned even redder. Why did Carmen have to be such a... well... brat? Sure, she was beautiful and elegant enough to be a Spanish queen. The girl had only arrived at the school a week ago, and since she started, it seemed to be her place to make Serenity's life miserable. Serenity stood up and walked towards the trees.

"Serenity!" Miss Cele called, but Serenity didn't stop until she was small ways in. When she was there, she collapsed by the tree and began to cry, softly. It was quiet. A frightening aura filled the air, and she held herself tightly. It was all too familiar.

"Sssserenity..." came a small hiss-like whisper. Serenity glanced up and pulled her legs closer to her. "Sssserenity. I haveee been waaiting for you. I have watched you from the sssshadows, and now you are alll alone." Serenity's eyes grew wide as they darted, searching for the voice. A small turtle made it's way towards her, and the voices stopped. She glanced down at it, confused. Two heads slid from either side of the shell and the snake-like figures hissed at her. She kicked at it, but it lashed out it's head, barely missing her leg. She let out a small gasp as she retreated. It reared back it's head to snap again, but it glanced up at the sound of a voice.

To dew her orbs upon the green;

The cowslips tall her pensioners be;

In their gold coats spots you see;

Those be rubies, fairy favours;

The snake gave a small hiss, on both sides, and leaned back, but didn't seem ready to attack. Serenity's ears were filled with the sound of the music. Her body went calm, and she was no longer afraid of the snake... turtle-like creature. In fact, she barely realized it was there. Until the voice stopped. The snake reared back its head and began to hiss at Serenity again, but a pair of hands reached out and grabbed both heads and held them together. Carmen pulled out a small knife and chopped both heads off. Serenity watched in horror as the creature faded to dust, only leaving a small shell.

"You aren't much of a fighter, are you Ariel?" Carmen asked, slipping the dagger back into her pocket.

[Camille Devraux]

Chapter 3

Serenity was dumfounded. What was that? Had she been seeing things? Was she falling asleep in class and this was all a dream. Carmen dusted herself off and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You should have seen your face, Ariel. It was classic. You were scared to death, weren't you?" The sound of footsteps approached them and a blonde figure stepped out of the trees.

"Serenity? Are you alright?" Miss Cele asked before glancing over at Carmen. "Thank you, Carmen. We have to get her out of here, quickly. How old are you, Serenity?" Serenity glanced between them and blinked, confused. What did it matter? "Serenity? How old are you?"

Serenity picked up a small stick and drew in the dirt. 15. "You're rather old for your first encounter. Either you're really well hidden-"

"Or we are wasting our time on a minor child," Carmen finished. Miss Cele shot her a glare before turning back to the frightened girl.

"We have things we need to discuss. Prepare to do a lot of writing." Miss Cele offered her hand to Serenity, who took it timidly and followed the two back towards the students. "All right, ladies and and gentlemen. It's about time for second period to start. Time to go back inside." There were a few groans, but they all obliged. Serenity, Carmen, and Miss Cele took up the rear.

Just as they got back to the classroom, the bell rang. "Miss Serenity. I would like to speak with you and Carmen in private, please." Serenity glanced over at Carmen for a moment before moving towards the front desk. Miss Cele grabbed a chair and sat it in front of the desk for Serenity, and Carmen pulled up her own and sat, cross-legged, next to Serenity.

"I know what happened today must have seemed rather strange, but before you start thinking that you are insane, please listen to everything I am about to tell you." Miss Cele offered a small smile and pushed a small cup over the counter. "Tea is good for your nerves. I am actually a licensed therapist. I know how to make people's nerves soother." Serenity picked up the small cup and stared at it for a moment before taking a sip. It tasted thick with honey, and she took a deep breath, breathing in the sweet smell before setting the glass down.

"Now. Have you ever heard of Zeus?" Thunder. Serenity jumped and looked towards the sky. What perfect timing. "The Lord of the Skies. And his wife, the Goddess of Marriage?" Serenity nodded. She knew the basics of myths. The Oddyssey had been a required read earlier that year by Mr. Acacius. It had been rather difficult, but he had given her private tutoring for the test.

"Well. It isn't a popular belief nowadays, but it is all true." Serenity's eyes widened and she shook her head, but Miss Cele just gave a small melodious laugh. "Yes, Miss Serenity. It is, and it is important for you to accept it now. It's time for you to know the truth about your family, and the truth about your life. According to your records, you are dyslexic. That was why you made C's in English, wasn't it?" She took out a pen and paper and wrote something down. "Here. Read this."

Serenity looked down and read it clearly. Serenity. The shapes of the letters were rather odd, but she could read it without each symbol flipping with another. "It's greek. Your name. Do you have ADHD?" she asked. Serenity shrugged. She had never been tested, but she did have an overactive energy system it seemed. "Well, that is because you are meant to be on a battlefield." Serenity raised an eyebrow, and Miss Cele sighed.

"Serenity. We think that you may be a child of one of the gods." It was time to cut to the chase, and Carmen snorted.

"Somehow I doubt it. Did you see the way she stared at that creature? She was worse than my sisters." Carmen shrugged and twirled her dark hair on her finger. "I am a daughter, by the way. Aphrodite. Goddess of beauty. And love, of course, but mostly beauty." She gave another snort and glanced at the window as if she were watching for something.

Miss Cele shook her head. "We don't know who your parent might be, but we will find out. First, though, we need to get you to camp before something dangerous comes around." Camp? Serenity didn't know what to make of it. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she didn't know if she wanted to go along with it. She took the pen out of Miss Cele's hand and wrote.

"Who are you, and what was that thing?"

"That was known as a Amphisbeana. There are two known types of this creature. One with a turtle shell body like you saw today, and the other is a serpent with two heads." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. "As for me, there is a magical barrier seperating the mortal world and ours. We call it Mist, and it disguises magical beings and objects as normal ones." Serenity watched as the teacher in front of her turned gold and metallic, but she never lost her ability to move. "I am what is called a Celedone. My sisters and I protect one of Apollo's temple, but I was asked by Chiron to come and retrieve you. Carmen was told to accompany me. You can't say that you don't believe what is right in front of your eyes, child."

Serenity didn't know what to say, but she brushed a couple strands of loose hair behind her ear. "Look. I think she's speechless," Carmen teased.

"Carmen! That is enough from you," Cele snapped. "You can call me Celestia. I have already filled out paperwork to take you away safely. With the mist, it's easy to pass yourself off as a social worker." She gave a small smile and patted Serenity on the shoulder. "I know it is a lot to take in, but we must leave tomorrow. Keep an eye out for anything unusual. Now that you know who you are, it can get dangerous."