A Rivalry Broken
Chapter 1
Ariana's POV
"Is this the end? Does it have to be this way?" He let go of my hand, as I fell into the darkness.
The dream replayed over and over in my head. I have the same one every night. I looked up and saw the Populars about to walk by. Oh no... I thought. I plugged in my earbuds and hoped they wouldn't notice me sitting on the stairs. Their giggles came closer. My plan to go unnoticed wasn't working. I was about to get up when-
"Hey Ariana!" Colette said cheerfully (totally fake). "Uh...hey... Colette."
"Why are you sitting here... All alone?" She smiled slyly. "Ummm... I... I have to go.." I stood up, grabbed my backpack, and walked away.
"Oh, but we were just getting into the fun!" She called after me. I walked faster. It had been like this ever since the last day of third grade.
She had sent me a note saying "let the fun begin". All through the summer, I wondered what it had meant. I found out on the first day of fourth grade. It was like she had...no... You'd think I was crazy...been...Possessed?
My life was changed from a normal little girls life of happiness and friendship to a constant battle between her and I. I was always running, trying to hide. I was a new girl. Instead of happy and creative like I used to be, I was dark and mysterious. I had no friends. It was just me and my music. I never felt comfortable talking to anyone at my school.
A voice tore me away from my thoughts. "Why don't you come with us?" Colette cooed to me like I was a little kid.
Anger filled me up. I wasn't any different from anyone else, was I? What happened next even surprised me. I didn't know what I was doing, but I thrust my hand up to the sky.
Instead of a pale blue, it changed to a dark charcoal colour. Storm clouds filled the sky. Thunder was heard in the distance.
A tornado formed around my finger. I directed the tornado to take a course to Colette. I willed it to grow bigger. It circled Colette. Her face twisted into a worried frown.
"What are you doing?" She screamed as the wind picked her up and forced her around the tornado. I couldn't control it any longer. It was getting too strong. I did what I did best- I ran.
I ran away from my life, my problems, the mean girls, my school, the home I never had. I ran away from the grief, the loss of my parents. I never knew them. They left me in a basket in the stormy weather of NYC. I grew up in the dreary Rainy Day Orphanage for Girls. I went to a public school. I was in seventh grade when this happened.
Suddenly someone grabbed me. I screamed and thrashed in the grip of my captor-a boy of about fifteen dressed in all black held me. He had pain and grief in his eyes. His hair was messy, as though he woke up but didn't care about looks. He wore a frown. He reminded me of myself-he had obviously faced pain in his life."It's okay. I'm on your side. I'm Nico di Angelo. They're Empousai!"
Then, suddenly, we were in a cloud of darkness. It was amazing. It was like I was flying. I looked at him. He wore a bored expression, as though this were usual to him. I closed my eyes and smiled.
When I opened them again, we were at a sunny camp. "Welcome to Camp Half Blood. This is where people like us stay safe. I..." He suddenly looked tired. "I've got to go..." He limped off towards some strange looking buildings.
People like us? I wondered. I had spent my whole life knowing I was a misfit, but I never thought there were others like me.
I walked toward the cabins. A group of girls talked in a huddle. They looked over at me with curiosity. Then, a girl with blonde hair and stormy grey eyes and a kind of intimidating look walked over to me. I was about to walk away, but she said, "Hey! Are you new here? I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. I can show you around if you'd like." Daughter of Athena? "Ummmmm..." I stuttered.
"I'm so confused. First of all, Athena is a myth. That boy named Nico brought me here...he said that this is the only safe place for people like us. I didn't understand what he meant, and I don't know who 'people like us' are. " The girl paused for a moment, then started talking again.
"He didn't tell you?"
"We were being chased!"
"Oh! Well, this may come as a shock to you, but the Greek myths aren't just stories. They are all real: the monsters, heroes, gods, demigods- and you are a demigod. That means you are half god and half mortal. You are undecided for now. You can stay in the Hermes cabin. " She stopped when a boy with dark hair and sea green eyes waved to her and called her over to him. "I've gotta go, but you can have any of the camp counsellors to talk to if you need help." She ran off, saying, "Okay, I'm coming, Seaweed Brain!"
I was left all alone. I went to the Hermes cabin, trying to take it all in.
I walked into the ginormous homestead. TONS of eyes turned around and looked at me, but they all went back to their conversations. I sat in the corner for a couple of minutes. Then, everyone got up and ran out of the cabin.
I wasn't sure what they were doing, but I followed them anyway.
We went to a stone pavilion. Everyone sat down with their cabin, but there wasn't enough room at the Hermes table, so I sat on the ground in the corner.
As I ate, I slowly noticed that the other campers were throwing their food in the fire. I tried to ask what they were doing, but no one was listening.
I sat back down in my small corner and thought about all that had happened that day.
It had started as just a normal, quiet day for me, but escalated into fighting demon cheerleader Colette, finding out I had powers, and going to a strange camp only to find out I'm...a demigod. It was a lot to take in. A voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Hey, I'm Percy," he said. As I looked up, I realized it was the boy I had seen earlier talking to Annabeth. "Uh... Hi," I said quietly. "So, you're new here. Do you like it so far?"
I thought about that for a moment. Did I like it? How could I like a place where I felt even more confused and alone than before? How could I like it if I was in this strange place where I knew nothing that was coming next? "Yes, it's fun here," I lied. "That's good. If you need anything, I'll be in the Poseidon cabin. That's-" he was interrupted by a...a...was that a centaur?! "Percy? Would you come here for a second?" The centaur called.
"Oh, I've got to go. Chiron needs me." Before I could reply, he sat up and strolled to a big table where this Chiron was eating at.
So this is how it's going to be, I thought. I wasn't comfortable with anyone here: the kids in my cabin, Percy, Annabeth. But then I thought about him- Nico Di Angelo.
I looked around for him. I finally spotted him all alone at the end of a table. Just like me.
I picked up my plate, walked over, and asked, "Um, hi. Can I sit here? There's no more room for me at the Hermes cabins table."
I don't know if I was imagining this, but I thought I saw a small smile forming on his lips. "Sure," he replied. I sat down across from him.
For some reason, of all the people here, he was the only one I felt comfortable talking to. He seemed like me, with the same problems and fears.
We talked for a while, and he told me about his father being Hades, how he wasn't accepted at the camp, and about the camp-who to avoid and who to hang out with.
After a while of talking and sharing stories, he pretty much knew everything about me and hopefully the same vice versa. The campers started flooding out of the mess hall, and I waved goodbye to Nico. He was different than anyone I had ever met. I was comfortable with him. He was a misfit, he was excluded, he was...just like...me. I never thought that I could have someone to be happy with. For the first time in my whole life, I felt complete.