The scent of rain hangs heavy in the air as I sit beneath Thalia's tree, the rough bark pressing against my back. My bow rests across my lap, its celestial bronze glinting faintly even in the dim light. I've been avoiding the others today - Luke's intensity has grown nearly unbearable, his touches lingering too long, his questions probing too deep. He wants something from me, something I can't name, and the feeling makes my skin crawl.

I trace the pearls woven into my hair, a nervous habit from when I first arrived at camp, four years old and disoriented, with nothing but these pearls and a name. Sena. Daughter of Aphrodite, though no one knows that yet. Not officially.

A commotion at the camp boundary pulls me from my thoughts. I stand, slinging my bow across my back, as a flash of lightning illuminates the sky. Thunder booms seconds later, vibrating in my bones. That's no natural storm - the Sky Father is furious about something. My brother Eros warned me about this, his voice urgent in my mind despite the distance.

Then I see them - Grover, unconscious and being half-dragged by a woman and a boy around my age. Something primal surges within me at the sight of Grover hurt, the friend who found me that day on the beach. The monster pursuing them is unmistakable even in the dim light - the Minotaur, its massive form silhouetted against the storm.

Arrows nock themselves in my bow as I run forward, feet barely touching the ground. The camp boundary glows faintly blue ahead of me, but I don't slow down. Behind me, I feel the wings in my backpack stir, itching to emerge. The scent of ozone and sea salt fills the air as I draw my first arrow, my eyes locking on the beast threatening my friend.

"Get to the boundary line!" I scream, my voice stronger than I feel.

The boy looks up at me, his sea-green eyes wide with shock and something else - recognition, maybe. As if he's known me before, in another life.

For a moment, time seems to stand still as our eyes meet across the chaos, the storm raging around us. Then the moment breaks, and we're both moving again - him toward safety, me toward danger.

This is where everything changes. I can feel it in my bones, in the way the pearls warm against my skin, in the voices of my mother and siblings whispering warnings and encouragement in my mind.

"Be careful, little lioness," my mother's voice echoes, equal parts warning and pride.

I take a deep breath, raising my bow, and step fully into the storm.