Kayla's POV:

This had all been a fantasy, a dream I'd never truly woken up from. I can't walk around without meeting a monster, god, demigod or brainwashed mortal who thinks I'm the bad guy. But, then again, maybe I shouldn't have read the books and taken the warning into consideration.

Maybe I should've stayed the hormonal teen who was considered a geek by her crazy fast reading skill and surplus mythology trivia and imagination that seemed to go on forever, even past the fences and hills, right up beside the WARNING signs, where it laughed in the face of danger. I most certainly was not hero material. But, I'd been okay with that. Until now.

I know what you're thinking: why not choose a dumb jock or preppy cheerleader who had the physical appearance of Hercules? Or, better yet, a normal person, who hadn't even suspected that Greek, Roman and Egyptian gods lied behind a thin magical veil of Mist?

But, I shouldn't be knockin' it. I could be one of the brainwashed mortals or … dead. Yeah, I like living out of those options.

Well, before we get any farther into introductions, maybe we start at the very beginning.

It had been April 19th, my 15th birthday, and you wouldn't believe my luck—Rick Riordan was in here, signing books in Omaha, Nebraska! So, I'd picked out just the right attire—orange Camp Half-Blood shirt I'd bought last week from some random PJO website, a pair of my ripped dark blue jeans, my cute little military boots, my gray Areopostle jacket, and as a second thought, a brown cord with Percy's beads that I'd gotten a few Christmases ago.

I picked up my purse, threw my Mark of Athena book deep into the cottony fabric, as well as my cell phone and a couple of bucks for some coffee at the Starbucks in Barnes 'N Noble. My hands were starting to twitch with excitement, and I could barely suppress the stupid smile that was forming over my lips.

My mom dropped my off at the bookstore reminding me that she would be staying with my grandparents this weekend with my dad and younger sister. "Take a bunch of pictures!" she told me, slamming the car door shut as she waved good-bye and sped out of the parking lot like she were on a high-speed chase. I rolled my eyes. My mom, you gotta love her.

I turned on my heel to face two double glass doors. As I threw them open, I couldn't help but let out a fan girl squeal. There he was, in all of his author-glory.

Large pictures of the books' characters hung by threads along the ceiling, right over Rick's head. He impatiently tapped his ballpoint pen on his wooden desk, as he looked around the room. His graying black hair reminded me of one of his characters—Paul, Percy's step-dad, who'd been described with salt-and-pepper hair.

I grabbed myself a caramel cappuccino from the tiny Starbucks, as I began to wander around the bookstore, picking up random best sellers and reading the summaries on the backs while brushing my fingers over the dazzling front covers. I had started to get to the very back when I practically ran into a short man who was dressed in some jeans and a red plaid shirt. A NY Giants baseball cap smothered his brown curls, and his beady black eyes widened as he tripped and fell. He cursed under his breath in a different language, as he muttered into his cell phone, "Look, I'll call you back." He whirled on me, as he asked, "Look, cupcake, why don't you watch where you're going next time? That was my girlfriend on the phone, and she's more pissed at me than Demeter was at Hades for stealing her daughter!"

"Sorry!" I said, bending down to pick up some fallen books from one of the nearby displays. I looked up to realize he had been sniffing the air, like a bloodhound on a rabbit's scent. "Um, can I help you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, uh, your perfume. It smells great," he replied, looking over my appearance. "Are you a fan?" he asked, gesturing to my clothes.

"Yeah, actually. I came to get my book signed," I told him, placing the books back onto the display neatly. He smiled, "Well, nobody's in line. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to sign for you."

I sighed, and began to follow the guy all the way to the front, where Rick was still sitting. He looked up and smiled as I slid my book in front of him. "Whom should I make it out to?" he asked, poising his pen above the title page.

"Kayla. Kayla West," I told him. I watched him share a nervous glance with NY Giants guy, but he began to scribble his signature.

"Wait—before you finish, I have a question. Why did you choose Omaha as Midas' hometown in The Lost Hero?" I asked, watching him laugh lightly.

"Oh, just a coincidence," he murmured under his breath.

"Don't give me that," I replied snidely. "Your books taught me that there was no such thing as a coincidence!"

He looked up, his face growing serious and his shoulders becoming tense. He scribbled a phone number into the book, as he told me, "Call this number. My housekeeper, Mellie, should answer, and when she does, ask for reinforcements. You'll need them." He thrust the book into my open hands. "Remember, anyone can be a hero. You just have to believe."

I gave him one last weird look, as I said, "Um, okay…" I began to walk toward the entrance, still highly confused, as I bumped into a tall blonde guy, causing my purse to throw up all of its embarrassing contents onto the floor, which the guy began to pick up.

Two lip-gloss tubes, a neon purple tampon, and three packets of gum later, the guy had helped me basically rearrange my purse. He smiled, and extended a hand, "Hi, I'm Luke. Luke Castellan."

Okay, I'm officially losing it, I thought, shaking his hand back and looking over his face. A crude white scar ran under his left eye, which caused a shiver to rush down my shoulders and arms like an electric shock. I gave him a smile, rushed out my name and a hasty good-bye after seeing the shock on his face, and turned on my heel and rushed out the doors.

…

That night, at 7:00, I opened the front cover of the Mark of Athena to stare at the scrawled number, which I dialed into my cell phone.

A girl's perky voice picked up. "Riordan residence! May I please ask who I'm speaking to?"

"Kayla West." A gasp emitted from the other end. "Rick told me I'd need rein—"

"I'll send them!" She interrupted. "Just don't—under any circumstances—let anyone into your home!"

The second after she said that, a knock pounded the front door, shaking the wooden slab on its hinges. I turned to it, as I approached the peephole and peeked through. A giant brown eye greeted my sight, and I had to muffle my scream. I whispered urgently into the phone, "Mellie, why is there a freaking Cyclops on my front porch?"

"Sweetie, I'm sending the camp's best demigods to come get you," Mellie assured. "Just stay put, okay?"

I nodded, but then replied with "yeah" when I remembered she was still on the other line. I sat down on my couch, freaking out mentally as I rocked myself back and forth. "I'm not crazy," I whispered to myself, even though I didn't believe that at all.

I heard something outside, the dull metallic clang of something that sounded way too much like a sword. I leapt from my seat and stared out the window in absolute shock. There they were. The kids from the books. Percy Jackson, the ultimate hero from the series, was glaring at the Cyclops, twirling Riptide in his hand like a pro. Annabeth appeared behind the Cyclops, yanking her cap off her bouncy blonde curls as she stabbed the Cyclops hard in its side, and when it yelped in pain, she slapped her cap back onto her head, disappearing immediately. Nico di Angelo—yes, the Nico di Angelo—jumped out of the shadows, leaping off of Mrs. O' Leary and landing on his feet in front of the dazed monster, as he swiped at the monster's pudgy legs with his black sword. Grover Underwood began to blow into his panpipes, causing the grass of my front lawn to explode into a flurry of lengthy green vines, which wrapped around the Cyclops in order to keep him still. The Cyclops was beheaded with one clean swipe of Percy's sword.

I couldn't believe it. Was this a dream? It must be, I thought. You're life could never be this good.

Mellie's voice interrupted my thoughts, "Kayla? They're here to explain everything to you. Please let them in."

I numbly opened the door, to face my four favorite Percy Jackson characters. Annabeth smiled at me, and extended her hand in a friendly way. She didn't seem like the girl I'd seen a few moments before, who'd fearlessly stabbed a Cyclops in the back. "Hi, Kayla, right?"

"Yeah," I said, flipping out on the inside.

"I'm Annabeth. Rick told me you read the books?" she asked, smiling. Percy's description fit her perfectly. California tan, blonde "princess curls", startling stormy gray eyes. I shook her hand.

Percy gave me a goofy grin. "Hey, I'm Percy Jackson." I shook his hand. Yeah, he was definitely a Seaweed Brain.

Grover smiled nervously, as he said, "Uh, Grover Underwood. Perce, we better hurry. I smell more monsters."

Percy nodded, knowing now after so many years that Grover's nose wasn't to be underestimated. Nico met my gaze, as he jerked out his hand. "Uh, Nico. Nico di Angelo. Son of, uh, Hades." I shook his hand and gave him a smile.

Annabeth glanced around. "Is your family home?"

"No, they're staying at my grandparents' house," I told her. Percy suggested, "How about you grab those books Rick keeps talking about? He says they're important." I nodded, invited them in, and rushed upstairs to shove each and every PJO, HoO and Kane Chronicles book into one of my backpacks. I hefted it over my shoulder, and began to hop down the stairs into the living room.

Percy turned to me when I'd gotten to the last step. "We need to leave. Now," he told me, as he grabbed Annabeth's hand and began to walk out the front door. I ended up walking beside Nico. He turned to me and asked, "Are you having a tough time processing this?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, you guys were fiction almost five minutes ago." I stared at his intense hazel eyes for a moment before realizing something—I was talking to Nico, a fictional son of Hades who was maybe the hottest Goth guy on the planet. And now, he wasn't fictional. He was real and here.

I asked him, "Would it be weird if I poked you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Uh, I've never been asked that before. Well, if you really want to… Go ahead, I guess." He stood straighter, and I poked him in the stomach.

"You have abs?" I asked, raising my eyebrows since I could feel them under the thin fabric of his Nickelback shirt.

He blushed a light pink. "Uh, yeah."

I shrugged. "Could've fooled me," I told him, giving him a smirk as Annabeth shouted, "Hey, lovebirds! Stop flirting back there! We need to get to camp now!"

I blushed and looked away from Nico, only to become overwhelmed by a giant white chariot. Two winged steeds whinnied in impatience, probably sensing the monsters just like Grover could. One of the steeds was a sleek midnight black, with a long black mane and swishy tail. His black almond eyes gleamed with happiness, as he neighed cheerfully, even though the monsters were bound to pop around the corner. It was Blackjack, Percy's Pegasus. The other one was golden yellow with a caramel mane and long tail, and the tips of her wings looked like edges of toasted marshmallows.

"Whoa." I whispered, as Nico pulled me along.

Grover pulled the door shut, as he sat beside Percy. Annabeth smiled at me as I dumped my backpack onto the wooden chariot floor. "So, could you explain the books to us?"

I sighed as I spread my hands out. "Well… Do you really want to know?"

Annabeth and Grover nodded eagerly, while Percy and Nico shrugged like whatever you want. I smiled slightly, "Okay then. Let's let the fan girl out."

Tell me if you guys like this. I had a dream about it, and it sort of flowed from there. And, I think this is after MoA and maybe even a few future books, since it's after Percy and Annabeth are reunited and Nico is found. Kayla's going to basically be the … what do you call it? Uh, I guess the super glue that fixes all of the cracks in the gods' arguments and lives. I think it might be a crossover with all of Rick's books—PJO, HoO, Kane Chronicles. Thanks for reading and please leave a review! (To my other reviewers of my other stories: I think I'm going to put off the Dreadful Family for a while. I know, Jesse's life is really exciting and all, but he needs a break as much as I do. Also, Writer's Block freaking sucks.) Please Review!