"Don't touch my mother!" Raymond screamed, swinging his golf club at the giant bat. No—It's definitely not a bat. It's more like a rabid female human-bat crossbreed who is desperate in killing him for no particular reason. He must be dreaming again for sure.

Raymond gets very weird dreams from time to time. Most of them falling into an eternal ball pit of doom, but some of them are even weirder, unusual monsters chasing him, his best friend in the whole world being half-donkey, his mother driving him in a camp that wasn't for normal children. Children exactly like him, but he didn't know what exactly he was.

Raymond kept swinging at the giant bat thing, but it was no use. The monster was too fast for a slow, sickly, thin boy like him.

"Give up now, demigod!" The whatever-you-call-it said to him. Her voice was cold as ice. "You're weak! Just like your father! He was ridiculous. He never did anything to help Olympus!" She made a loud snort, her laugh was even more horrible than her face.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Raymond tried to ignore the fact that he never knew his father, and how the giant bat knew a lot. He shook his head, that thing was definitely lying. Olympus? Isn't that from Snow White or something? And demigod? What on earth is that?

"Of course you don't." She said, and then she flew towards his unconscious mother. The thing wasn't only hideous, she was also deadly. Her claws were the size of daggers. She was ready to pierce his mother's heart.

"I SAID, DON'T TOUCH HER!" Raymond screamed. But there was something different about his voice. It echoed. But no one else could hear it but for them. Who would? Raymond and his mother lived in the woods for almost five years now. This was his mother's way to protect him from Greek monsters, his mother who could see through the mist. But it was no use. The Fury's (The rabid female human-bat crossbreed) sense of smell was too strong, not even the smell of pine trees can stop her from finding a powerful demigod like Raymond.

The scream seemed to weaken The Fury. She tried to slash at him but missed. "Wh-What's happening? I-" Then finally, she collapsed.

It was silent.

Raymond's eyes widened, he did nothing and won! He immediately ran to his unconscious mother and cradled her bruised head around his arms. "It's going to be alright mom, it's over. I'll wake up soon." But he didn't. Raymond's dreams usually ends after the most eventful part, but this dream kept going. He tried slapping himself, and even hitting his head against a tree bark. It was no use. It wasn't a dream. It was reality. Raymond panicked. "Oh God, no."

"You mean "gods"" A familiar voice said.

"Huh?" Raymond turned around and saw Andrew, his awkward and gawky best friend.

"Gods. There is more than one god, Raymond." Andrew said in a serious tone.

"What do you mean? And how did you get here?" Raymond cried. "My mother's gone." He whispered.

"She's not gone, she's just unconscious, come on, let's bring her inside. I'll explain everything there." Andrew sounded calm, which was new to Raymond since Andrew used to always stutter and squeak.

"Explain what to me?" Raymond said curiously, while carrying his mother with his thin arms.

"About your life. Your real life." Andrew said, while looking into the confused boy's hazel eyes.

"But this is my real life. I think I know a lot about it already, Andrew. Stop acting so creepy!" He said. Andrew pushed their door open and walked inside. It was a small, cozy log cabin. It isn't as fancy as the houses in the suburbs, but Raymond liked it just the way it is. It's home. It is where he felt safe. Raymond gently laid his mother on the couch and squeezed her hand. Raymond sat on the chair beside it and stared at Andrew. "Come on." He said. "Spill."

Andrew sighed a deep sigh and said, "It all started when your mother met your father..."

"My father?"

"Yes."

"You know my father?"

"Well, not exactly-"

Raymond looked annoyed, but let Andrew continue.

"You will know who your father is in Camp Half-blood." He said, Raymond tried to say something but Andrew interjected. "Camp Half-blood is a place for demigods, Raymond. A place for kids like you."

"Kids like me? A camp for kids with ADHD and Dyslexia?" Raymond asked.

"A camp for kids, with gods for a parent." Andrew corrected. "I am, not a demigod like you, but I am part of your world."

"My world? Wha-" But Raymond stopped when he saw Andrew pull down his pants." Ugh, dude, no!" But it was too late, Raymond saw what he definitely didn't want to see-Goat legs. Really hairy and ugly goat legs. "A-Andrew? You're a..."

"A satyr!" Andrew said proudly. "I will be your guide and mentor to Camp Half-blood, my friend!" He smiled. "Your mother will be up soon, so you better pack. When she wakes, we'll ask her to drive you to CHB ASAP!"

"She knows about this?"

Andrew nodded in reply.

"And she never told me?"

"Sadly...yes. We had to keep it a secret, Raymond. To protect you. It was for your own good."

Raymond brushed off the thought of his mother lying to him all his life. She was trying to protect me. Raymond took a deep breath to let everything sink in. Gods, satyrs, half-bloods? Everything was too much for a frail boy like him. Too much. Too surreal. Suddenly, everything went black.

He was standing on a stage with a giant torch beside it. The fire on the torch was weird-it was blazing blue, and it was very beautiful to look at. Beautiful, but weird. There were a lot of people his age, cheering something. His name maybe. They all screamed and clapped their hands. Raymond smiled and actually felt like he belonged to something, a family, he felt loved and appreciated. He still wondered, though, why the people were cheering for him. Then everything started shaking, the smiles on the people's faces faded, and they all ran to their cabins. A dark shape rose from the ground, it sneered at Raymond. The poor black-haired boy stood their frozen, until he felt something shake his body.

"Raymond! Raymond wake up!" Andrew said, shaking him. "M-man, you should stop fainting all the time!"

"I-"

"You what?"

"dreamed something funny..." Raymond said, his voice trailing.

"Funny "ha-ha" or funny "creepy?"" Andrew asked quietly.

"Creepy."

"Gods dammit!" Andrew said, rubbing his temples. "It was just a dream." Raymond thought. "How is it a big deal?" "Come on, your mother is up and ready to go. I packed your stuff for you while you were out cold. Next stop, Camp Half-blood!" Andrew said excitedly.

But Raymond wasn't excited. He was more scared than excited. He was sure the dream meant something, and he knew that Andrew knew, too. Raymond just had to find out what it meant. He hoped the dark shape was friendly...didn't look like it was, though.