What's up demigods? Some of you may know me from my Hunger Games stories, but if not… HI THERE! I've started (not sure if it's ever going to be finished -_-) a crossover between HG and PJO, but this is my first official Percy Jackson fic! I don't have much else to say other than please review! Reviews are the energy that keep writers going! Without further ado, here it is. Whirlwind!
The Son of Hades…
The memory is still painfully fresh in my head. I almost think I'm actually reliving the day sometimes.
…
"Liam," says my mother sternly. "I know I should've-"
"Mom! Look out!" I interrupt her as she swerves to the side, our car narrowly missing a boulder thrown by our pursuing monsters.
Regaining control of our path, my mother continues, "I know I should've told you this sooner. But I only wanted the best for you. All we can do now is get you safely to camp."
"You don't seriously believe this, do you?" I argue, though it's kind of hard not to believe when a huge who-knows-what is storming after your car. "The gods can't really be alive, they were just myths that died thousands of years ago."
The boy whose name I have yet to learn is still sitting next to me. He shoots me a dirty look, probably for denying that the Greek gods are real. Mom says he's a satyr, but I don't know if I buy that. I haven't actually seen his goat legs, but I'm not about to ask him to take off his pants and show me.
"Oh, they're real," my mom says, making a sharp turn down a small road to try and lose the monster. "Liam, listen to me. You're fifteen now. You're smart enough to know that this is really happening. I know that you know I'm right, so stop fighting me, okay?"
I mumble some things my mother wouldn't appreciate under my breath. She's right. I hate admitting it, but the proof is rampaging behind me. The gods are real. I'm just being my normally stubborn self. But can you blame me? Who wouldn't have a hard time accepting the fact that your dad is an immortal being?
"Mrs. Vane!" the satyr screams. The car flies over a pothole and is airborne for a few seconds, but we land back on the road with a thud. Maybe someone should tell my mom that speeding down a torn-up road in the middle of the night isn't the best idea.
"When you get to camp," my mother says. "You'll meet a… man. His name is Chiron. Trust him, he was a close friend of mine. Do what he says and behave."
"What about you?" I ask. "Aren't you coming?"
She almost laughs as she says, "Liam, camp is no place for a mortal. This is where we part ways. You have to fend for yourself now."
I almost can't believe what I'm hearing. My own mother is abandoning me, just like that? Yeah, really feeling the love.
"We're almost there," says the satyr. "Take this next right."
My mom follows his instructions and turns. The monster bellows behind us and I turn around to see it slam into a tree. I can't help the smile that forms on my lips.
"Mom, just promise me you'll-"
I never get to finish my sentence. The satyr screams bloody murder as my mom suddenly loses control of the wheel. The car swivels to the right and flies off the edge of the road, right into a deep ditch.
As we descend, the satyr knows what to do. He kicks open the door on his side of the car and orders me, "Out."
"What?" I protest. "No, not without my-" He grabs me by the waist and leaps out of the doomed vehicle.
"Mom!" I holler back to the car, fighting back the urge to cry. I see her struggling with her seatbelt. Her door whips open, but she can't get out. With the few seconds she has before the car crashes, she looks into my gray eyes and mouths an unfinished sentence.
"I love-" CRASH!
…
Sitting here under the pine tree that tops Half-Blood Hill, I can see the very spot where my mother breathed her last breath. The car has been cleaned up, but a whole patch of grass is missing from the explosion, revealing the dirt underneath.
That was just last week.
I lift my hand and wipe away a stray tear from my eye. I will not cry. I can't. The others think I'm so weak for letting the death of a mere mortal get to me, but I don't care. That was my mother. I could've saved her. It's my fault she's dead. So what if I cry a little bit?
A summer breeze swishes by, rustling my shaggy brown hair as it goes. I force myself to look away from the scene of the crash, the memories too painful. Instead, I turn myself around and look over camp. A few kids are playing volleyball down below, the satyr who escorted me to camp being one of them. Two demigods are sparring by the lake while a few others soar overhead on their pegasi.
My eyes fall on the cabins towards the center of camp. Mine in particular pops out at me. Cabin 11, Hermes. Not that I think he's really my dad, it's just that's where all the unclaimed kids stay. So that's where I reside for the time-being.
Speaking of godly parents, I glance down at my pale hand, admiring my new ring. It's the only thing I came to this camp with. It's a simple ring with a gray gem swirled with silver, reminding me of a windy day. Mom said I was supposed to be given it for my sixteenth birthday, but she gave it to me in the car. I guess she knew her time was running out. She had to get that ring on my finger.
I watch as the sun sets in the distance. Kids start gathering for dinner, stopping their games of volleyball and hanging up their armor. I see them all flock to the dining pavilion, but I don't join them. Sure, I haven't eaten all day, but my appetite isn't getting any better. I don't think I'll be eating too much for a while.
As the sky grows darker, I debate running away. I have an old house somewhere nearby in New York. My mother moved us around New England constantly to protect me from the monsters and we lived in the city for a while. Maybe I can run there and live in our old run-down apartment on my own. But I know that's not possible. The monsters are everywhere. I can barely fight, I wouldn't last long.
My body shivers in the evening air and I decide to stand up. I brush off my orange camp T-shirt and brown cargo shorts and take off running down the hill towards the cabin. It's normally crowded in Cabin 11, but with everyone out at dinner, I should be safe. I'm not sure what I'm worried about. I don't have anything they could steal.
I slip into the old cabin's door and walk briskly to the back of the room to my "bunk". They don't expect me to be here long, so the other campers just set up a sleeping bag in the corner for me. I sigh and scoop up my dark gray hoodie, slipping it on over my head.
I guess I could at least attend the campfire. I walk out the door of Cabin 11 and start towards the pavilion where the others are still eating dinner, but I stop dead in my tracks. I hear voices. Shouldn't everyone be eating?
Out of instinct, I brace myself against the side of my cabin and peek my head around the corner. There, in the center of all the cabins, two people are talking. One of them I know, Chiron. He's in his centaur form right now, towering over the boy he's talking to.
The pale-skinned boy is tall and muscular with jet black hair and brown eyes. He looks to be about eighteen, someone I haven't seen around. He wears a dark jacket and jeans with a black sword strapped to his belt. That's a strange weapon. Just looking at the boy makes the temperature seem to drop.
"Nico," Chiron sighs, rubbing his hands on his temples. "There's nothing I can do. Things are just too busy right now."
"Are you kidding me?" the older boy, Nico I'm assuming, shouts. "You don't just ignore a prophecy. This could be the end of camp if we don't do something!"
"And how do you know that?"
"To save us from destruction's might," Nico recites. "Destruction's might? Sounds like someone's trying to destroy camp!"
"You can't be sure, Nico," Chiron argues. "Besides, we've already got two groups out on quests right now. I can't send you too."
"Fine, if you don't want to let me go, I'm leaving by myself. You can't stop me. I'm not welcome here anyway."
Chiron lets out another long sigh. He looks to be pondering Nico's words for a few moments before saying, "Fine, you win. We'll make an announcement at the campfire."
Nico grins a little, but that quickly disappears. "Thank you," he says. He shifts nervously before adding in a hushed tone, "This may be my last chance to find her."
The centaur nods approvingly. "I know. Do what you must. Do you know who you'd like to take with you?"
Shaking his head, Nico says, "No clue. I'm not close with anyone here, but I will need a son of Zeus or something. Sons of Death and Wind unite. That's me and someone else, probably a Zeus kid."
I shake in my sneakers as I realize I'm staring at a son of Hades. Aren't they supposed to be all freaky and death-loving and stuff? It makes me wonder if Nico's ever killed someone before. You know, other than a monster.
"Impossible," Chiron says. "Zeus has no children right now except Thalia, and as we both know, she is not a 'son'."
Nico huffs and says, "We'll have to wait then. Maybe someone will get claimed."
"All we can do is hope," Chiron says. "Get to dinner, I have business to attend to." He gallops away towards the Big House.
I start for the dining pavilion before Nico moves, hoping not to be caught eavesdropping. I've heard of quests, but during my week of camp, I haven't seen any take place. They seem like a really big deal. I think this Nico guy is getting into some serious trouble.
Trying not to dwell on it too much, I merge myself with the crowd heading to the campfire and try not to look too suspicious.
I know the first chapter was a little short, but I'll get more into it in the next one. Review! :3
