Olivia Thomas and the Witch's Curse

by RyanDudeGuy

Olivia didn't ask to be a demigod. But when she finds out she is, she is thrust into the world of monsters, with only her brother, her best friend, and some new guy to hold onto. Can she successfully rescue the princess of Sesoman? Or will she die trying?

Olivia Thomas:

The Witch's Curse

Chapter 1

OLIVIA

So, hi. My name's Olivia. I'm in seventh grade. 12 years old. This is the story of how I almost died. A lot.

Let me set the scene. May 5, 2014. 9:46 A.M. My class was heading to the gymnasium, which had been all tricked out, but it still smelled strongly of dirty socks. We were getting our pictures taken before summer, so our relatives could drool over our pictures and tell us how great we looked, blah blah blah.

My friend Jessica and I were walking together, probably talking about something stupid.

I had my long, straight, brown hair down my back, which felt weird because I usually had it pulled back in a braid that rested on my shoulder. I was wearing a new pink dress that my dad had bought me for pictures. My deep blue eyes shimmered in the hallway lights as we walked towards the gymnasium.

Jessica had her black, curly hair over her shoulders, and her amber eyes glinted. She was wearing her gorgeous smile, as always. She had dark skin that matched beautifully with her brown sweater and skirt.

Our teacher, Mrs. Clarion, was an ugly woman. She had teeth that were always looking at you, no matter where you approached her. A disgusting rat's nest that she called hair was pulled hastily into a bun. She liked to get kids in trouble for fun. She was the most terrible person I had ever met, but that was about to change.

As we entered the gymnasium, we saw the sixth graders exiting. I smiled at some of them to be friendly. Jess gave them high-fives.

We were standing in line from shortest to tallest. Jess was only a bit taller than me, so she was right behind me. We were both a bit farther back from the middle.

I'll be honest. I was excited. Most of the kids think pictures are a nuisance, but I love them.

Jess leaned toward me. "That photographer looks sort of strange," she whispered.

I was about to yell at her for being rude, but then I saw him. She was right. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something about him was seriously off-putting.

"Next!" he screeched in an accent I could only assume was German.

I walked toward where I was supposed to be standing. He walked up to reposition me. He turned me toward the camera, then moved my face, too.

A chill went down my spine. I started to freak out a bit. Now I knew there was something wrong. As he walked back to the camera, I saw a forked tongue, like a snake's, come out of his mouth. I looked around to see if anyone noticed. Jess had turned completely pale. She had noticed.

I heard him mutter something. I couldn't understand the language, but I instantly recognized it. Ancient Greek.

He went to take the picture. I don't know what went through my mind, but I sidestepped just as I heard the shutter go click.

I was glad I had. A puff of fire burst out of the lens toward where I was standing, incinerating the backdrop behind me.

"Curses!" he yelled in a distorted voice. "I WILL HAVE YOU, HALF-BLOOD!"

He uttered a bloodcurdling scream and his body started morphing. His face transformed into that of a venomous snake. His body became that of a lizard's, but he stood on two legs. His warm brown eyes turned a shade of gold, and they were filled with hate.

Seventh graders burst out of the gym, even the teachers and other photographers did. I bolted to the door and turned to Jess, but she was too stunned to move.

I tried to distract the monster, but I had nothing to protect myself with. I grabbed my hairbrush out of my bag and threw it at Jess. It hit her in the head, which I felt bad about, but it woke her up too.

"Olivia!" Her voice was filled with urgency.

I tried to calm her down. "It's okay, I have it distracted. Escape while you can!"

"It doesn't care about me! It wants you!"

She waved her hand and a huge tree root burst through the window and picked up Sir Chomps-a-Lot before he could harm me. I sprinted toward Jess and she tossed me a dagger. It was the color of copper, and seemed to give off a faint glow.

I was about to ask her about it and how she uprooted a tree to save me from becoming a chew toy, but we had bigger issues. The "photographer" had clawed his way out of the root.

"Behind you!" Jess screamed.

I turned and cut the monster down his ribs. He began spewing a purple fluid, which I could only assume was blood.

Jess unsheathed a sword, which was the same coppery color as my dagger. She slashed at the monster's back.

He didn't care about Jess. He went for me, and scraped me down the back with his eagle-like talons. I was angry now.

I turned to him and stabbed him in the heart. He let out a loud roar, fell to the floor, and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

And just as quickly as it had started, it was over.

Chapter 2

OLIVIA

One of the teachers had pulled the fire alarm, which I think didn't do the man-eating venomous snake man justice, but alright. Jess walked me back to my apartment.

"Hey, quick question," I began.

"Shoot," she said as if nothing had happened.

"Um," I didn't know where to begin. "What's up with the tree breaking through the window thing?"

"It was a tree root."

"Same difference."

Jess stopped and looked at me genuinely. "I don't know if I should be the one telling you that."

I was about to ask her what the heck she meant by that, but she picked up the pace and I had to jog to keep up with her.

When we reached my apartment (we lived in New York City), my big brother, Tyler, was already home from school. My brother was 14 years old. He had deep blue eyes like mine. We both shared our father's brown hair, but Tyler's was a bit darker than mine, and his was curly, while mine was straight. He had a stern face, but a wonderful personality. He wore a blue t-shirt and gray skinny jeans. He looked beaten up, like me.

"Whoa," I said, shocked. "What happened to you?"

"Werewolf. You?"

"Man-eating lizard," Jess replied.

They both spoke in a tone like this happened every day, which made me more confused.

"Tyler? Olivia?" we heard a voice ask from down the hall.

"Dad!" I replied. "I have the craziest story! Jess and I were attacked by a photographer who turned into a-"

"Olivia, stop," my dad interrupted me.

He entered the room we were in. His brown hair was combed neatly. He had a friendly handlebar moustache, which reflected his upbeat personality. He looked at us worried, with his kind brown eyes. He had a cute sweater vest on, which, paired with his moustache, made him look more like a teddy bear than a sophisticated business man.

"Olivia!" he yelled, disregarding my brother. "What happened?!"

Before I could answer, Jess cut in.

"Um, Mr. Thomas," she started. "I think it's time we tell her."

He nodded.

I was appalled. I couldn't believe my best friend was keeping secrets with my dad.

"Olivia," my dad began. "You know about the Greek gods, right?"

I nodded.

"Well…" he said awkwardly. "Sometimes, they come to Earth and they have children with mortals."

I was a bit scared to know where this was going.

"You and Tyler are demigods. Half-bloods."

That's when it hit me. The photographer had called me half-blood. His talons would've killed any normal mortal. I looked at Tyler. He nodded. He knew?!

"I wanted to tell you when you turned 13, like I did Tyler," my dad explained.

I looked at him puzzlingly. "So, who's our mom?"

I didn't know why, but he looked hesitant to say anything. I glanced at Tyler and I could tell. He didn't know either.

"I think you'll figure that out on your own," he said with a genuine smile.

"Hold up," I turned to Jess. "Tell me about the tree root."

"Tree root?" Tyler said, confused.

"Well," Jess started. "My mom is Demeter."

"Goddess of the harvest," I finished.

"Exactly."

I never really thought about it, but I never saw Jess' mom either.

"Olivia, Tyler, Jessica. Let's go for a little car ride. I have a summer camp I want to show you."

Chapter 3

OLIVIA

Jess had called up her dad using our telephone while I changed into something more adventure-y. I pulled on a pair of jeans, and a pink t-shirt. I tied my hair into a braid and it fell on my right shoulder.

Jess had some spare clothes in her book bag, probably for a situation like this. She now wore a black t-shirt and shorts.

"Hey guys," my dad warned. "Be careful about using phones and electronics. It attracts monsters like crazy."

We all piled into the car, and we were off. We entered Manhattan, but only as a path. We didn't stop and stay there. Eventually we made it to a forest path. It looked remote, but I trusted my dad. He obviously knew where we were going.

We pulled up and stopped in front of a sign. At first I couldn't read it because of my dyslexia, but I eventually decoded the words "Camp Half-Blood."

"Here we are," my dad announced.

We all got out of the car and Jess inhaled.

"Smell that?" she asked. "Smells like a campfire."

We all inhaled through our noses. She was right. It was getting a bit late, so a campfire made sense.

"Listen," my dad told us. "I can't go into Camp Half-Blood. There's a barrier that keeps mortals out."

"Don't worry," Tyler said. "I'll take care of little sis." He rustled my hair.

"Stop!" I yelled "You'll mess it up!"

My dad smiled. "Be safe." He hugged us all, even Jess. I watched his car drive away and wondered what was going to happen next.

The three of us strolled into the camp and immediately were caught off guard.

There were two men talking right near the entrance. One was a short, stout little man with black, curly hair and a goatee, and the other had long, curly brown hair and a beard. The black-haired man looked normal enough, but the other one…

He was normal from the waist up. But the waist down, he was a magnificent stallion, white as snow, with speckles of dirt near his hooves. A centaur.

I screamed and would've thrown my hairbrush at him in pure fear if I hadn't lost it to an oversized reptile.

The black-haired man noticed us and whispered to the centaur. They both walked, or… galloped, toward us.

"Hello, young half-bloods!" the centaur said. "My name is Chiron. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood! This is my associate, Dionysus."

I looked down at what Dionysus was holding. What was the god of wine doing with a can of soda?

Tyler suppressed a laugh. "The god of Diet Coke?"

Dionysus glared at him. "Shush, fool boy." He threw the can at him. "You may call me Mr. D for short, I suppose. Dionysus really is tiresome to say, isn't it?"

"Oh come now, Dionysus. We really should introduce these new campers to their cabins." Chiron said.

"You go," Mr. D argued. "I'm a bit pooped at the moment."

We left him there, on a lawn chair, sipping a Diet Coke. I couldn't help smiling at seeing a little man just enjoying life.

There are 20 cabins in Camp-Half Blood, all making a U around the center. The cabins are Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, Dionysus, Hades, Iris, Hypnos, Nemesis, Nike, Hebe, Tyche, and Hecate.

"You will be staying in the Hermes cabin until your godly parent is determined," Chiron explained to me and Tyler. "Your friend will stay in the Demeter cabin."

I glanced over at it. It looked more like a garden than a cabin. Foliage hung over the walls and roof, in the windowsill, and, as far as I could see, in the cabin itself.

The Hermes cabin was… humble. It looked like a normal cabin at a mortal summer camp. It was made primarily out of logs and wood. It was chaos on the inside.

"So, Hermes' kids and undetermined half-bloods are in there?" Tyler asked Chiron.

"That would be correct."

We glanced at each other with nervous looks. I hope our mother claims us soon.

"You two should probably get some rest." Chiron told us. "Most everyone is at the campfire, but I'll assume you had a long day."

We nodded.

"Okay, I'm gonna head back," Jess said, and ran eagerly to see her half-brothers and sisters in the Demeter cabin.

Tyler and I entered and the kids parted like the Red Sea to let us pass. We found a bunk in the corner of the room and I took top, since I was quicker than my brother.

Among the chaos, I found myself falling asleep quicker than I imagined I would. In mere minutes I was out cold, feeling happier than I ever had before.

Chapter 4

OLIVIA

I didn't have pleasant dreams that night. I dreamt I was in a dark room, and in the corner I saw a beautiful woman wearing a shimmering blue dress. In the pitch-black room she gave off a faint aura, which made her look even more gorgeous. She had wavy, blond hair that fell on her back, and she seemed to be injured.

The room was creepy. Skulls were littered around the floor. There was carpet on the floor with stains of blood. The walls were painted black. There was one door, and it was locked.

I tried to call out to the woman, but my voice didn't seem to work. I don't think she could see me, either.

I heard a terrifying voice from outside the door.

"Oh, Princess!" it called. "I have a special treat." I heard it cackle, and it sent a chill down my spine.

"Please, don't hurt them!" the woman pleaded. "Take me instead!"

"There's no one here to save you this time!"

The door burst open and the woman let out a terrified scream.

I sat bolt upright in my bed, my face drenched in sweat. I climbed out of bed and down the ladder.

I saw Tyler sleeping like a baby, and I was a bit jealous.

I decided to head out and take a walk around the camp.

When I exited, I realized how beautiful the camp was at night. I saw a lake adjacent to the cabins. There were boats docked at the edge. I started to walk.

The cool air felt good against my sweating face. I saw a climbing wall a bit farther from the cabins, lava pouring down as an obstacle. I kept walking a little more. There were Pegasus stables and I saw a jet-black Pegasus and a white one. I smiled and waved and they neighed in response.

There was a race track near the stables, but I couldn't imagine any of the kids running a race. I was about to examine the track when I heard a voice behind me.

"Checking out the track, huh?"

I just about peed my pants. I let out a small yelp and spun around.

I saw a boy, around my age. He had light brown hair and amber eyes like Jess. He had a friendly smile. He was wearing a green flannel and gray skinny jeans. I realized he looked handsome in the moonlight.

"Um… yeah," I said stupidly.

"The name's Jackson." He held out his hand.

I took his hand and shook it. "Olivia."

"C'mon. I'll give you a tour."

We walked around the camp a bit in the cool night air. He told me he was Hephaestus' son and he got to camp when he was 11. He told me he was 13, and I told him I was 12.

I told him about my brother and Jess, and we quickly became friends.

"Well, I should probably get going. Don't want anyone to worry," he said.

"Same here," I replied.

I told him thanks for the tour and he headed for the Hephaestus cabin.

It was in the shape of an anvil and there was always smoke billowing from the chimney. Each bed had an anvil and a hammer next to it.

When I entered the Hermes cabin, almost everyone was awake. My brother was being smacked in the face with a pillow by an 8-year-old when he ran up to me.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"I was on a walk and someone gave me a tour," I replied

"Who?" He looked at me questioningly.

"His name's Jackson. He's Hephaestus' son."

He grinned. "Sounds like you like him."

I rolled my eyes and exited. Everyone had left their cabins now, so I followed some Apollo campers to the dining area.

When we arrived, I saw kids sitting at tables based on their godly parent. Chiron explained that undetermined campers could eat wherever.

I walked up to the Demeter table, but waved at Jackson so he would know I still knew he existed. My brother sat next to him. I told Jess about my dream and about Jackson. She was about to ask some questions, but Chiron started talking before she could.

"Attention, campers!" The noise subsided. "I am happy to announce that today we will be having a chariot race!"

The whole camp exploded and I'm pretty sure New Jersey could hear us cheering. Jess' face lit up.

"Ok, everyone," he said with a smile. "I'm going to need some volunteers for the races."

About a hundred hands shot into the air. Jess and Jackson were 2/100 of those hands.

Chiron scanned the area. "Hmm…" He stroked his beard. "Alright! Representing the Demeter cabin, we have Jessica Deandre!"

Jess started laughing and the entirety of the Demeter cabin started cheering, along with some other cabins.

"Next, representing the Ares cabin, Tanya Reys!"

The Ares table went insane. There were Solo cups and pink lemonade flying everywhere.

"And finally…" I saw Jackson raising his hand. I didn't know if I wanted him to play or not. "Jackson Kete representing the Hephaestus cabin!"

Jackson's face lit up with joy. All his half-brothers and sisters were clapping. I could tell he'd never been chosen in his 2 years of being here.

"Good luck, you three. You may all choose one of your friends to compete with you," Chiron explained to us. "As for the rest of you, good luck next time!"

So that's what the race track was for. I saw Jackson say something to Tyler, who nodded his head. Jess turned to me.

"Gee," she said with a giggle. "I wonder who I'm going to choose!"

I hugged her and we both ran to our cabins to get prepared. Wow. A chariot race.

The stadium was packed. Ares, Hephaestus, and Demeter campers were everywhere. Not to mention all the other campers. Pretty much all the campers were packed into that one stadium. Well, all except for a chosen 6.

The Demeter chariot was made entirely out of vines, flowers, and other foliage. I told Jess it would probably catch on fire if someone looked at it funny, but she said it was enchanted by dryads, or tree spirits.

The Hephaestus chariot was made completely of iron. Like, all of it. The only thing that wasn't made of iron were the horses. Speaking of which, those must've been some buff horses.

The Ares chariot was painted a blood red color, with a boar's head at the helm. The look of it would've made a bear disintegrate if it caught it off-guard.

Jackson had paired with Tyler, and Tanya had paired with a girl named Susie Peterson.

Tanya had short, brown hair that almost touched her shoulders. She had green eyes and always wore a scowl.

Susie had ratty blond hair pulled into a loose ponytail. She had brown eyes like mud.

Our chariots were all lined up at the starting line. Jess and I began to talk strategy. We agreed that she would drive and I would defend the chariot. We had no idea what weapons or items the other teams would have, but I had my dagger and Jess had her sword. I also had a bow and an enchanted quiver that never ran out of arrows.

Chiron walked up to our chariots.

"All right," he said. "Here are the rules. No interfering with the audience, no cheating, no killing or maiming allowed."

Tanya and Susie looked extremely disappointed.

Chiron backed up a bit. "Three, two, one…"

We were all holding our breaths.

"GO!"

A firework shot into the sky and burst into every color imaginable. Tanya and Susie were off to an early lead. I looked at my brother.

"Temporary truce?" I yelled.

He looked at Jackson, who nodded.

"FOR HEPHAESTUS!" Jackson yelled.

His horses sped past us, and approached the Ares girls. I saw my brother throw a glass jar into the chariot. The girls leaped out of the window. I shot an arrow at the chariot, hoping it would do something.

It did something. The chariot exploded in a flash of green. Jess' face turned pale.

"Greek fire…" she whispered. "Who knows how much more they have?"

My brother leaned out of the window and looked at us.

"The truce is off!" He tossed a jar filled with Greek fire at us.

I expected it to explode on impact, but it got tangled in some vines on top of our roof.

"Olivia," Jess said. "Greek fire doesn't explode for a minute unless it's provoked. Untangle the jar and throw it back!"

"Okay!" I climbed on the roof, with my bow in my hand, just in case.

I had to look for a second, but then I noticed the jar giving off a faint green glow. I tried to slash at the vines with my dagger, but nothing was happening. The blade just bounced off harmlessly, without so much as a scratch. Then I remembered. The dryads had enchanted it. I leaned over the edge to look at Jess.

"Houston, we have a problem!"

She waved her hands and vines took hold of the wheel, like some sort of garden-style autopilot. I pulled her up to the roof, holding a vine for support. She moved the vines effortlessly and noticed we were heading for a left turn.

"Gotta go!" she said quickly. "I only told the vines to go straight!"

She jumped down and took the wheel. We turned as we scraped against the right wall.

I only had a few seconds before the Greek fire exploded. I picked it up and threw it as fast and far as I could. I hoped it would hit Jackson's chariot, but it just missed. It shocked them enough, however, so we could catch up. Now we were right next to each other.

I noticed Jackson was driving and my brother and I broke out into an epic swordfight.

"Who taught you how to fight like that?" he panted.

Our weapons clashed and I got a good look at his face. I pushed him back with a grunt.

"My best friend!"

I fired an arrow, but he held up a shield and it bounced off. I saw a final jar of Greek fire in his hand. I fired an arrow just as he threw the jar. They collided, and both chariots were surrounded in green smoke. The gods must have weakened the blow on purpose so we wouldn't get hurt. The next thing I knew we were both past the finish line.

My brother and I hopped out, panting, followed by Jess and Jackson. The whole crowd cheered, minus Ares. I glanced over at the track and saw the destroyed Ares chariot, an emerald flame rising from it.

Jess and I shook hands with everyone, even Tanya and Susie. My brother hugged me.

"Glad I didn't kill you," he said.

I smiled at him.

Chiron walked down, followed by Mr. D, who I hadn't even seen watching us.

"Ladies and gentlemen… For the first time, two cabins have tied!"

The crowd let out a joyous roar, but almost instantly quieted. Jess clapped a hand over her mouth. Jackson stared at Tyler and me.

I looked at Jackson, then noticed a glowing pink heart above my head. At first I thought it was some cruel way to embarrass me, but then I noticed a glowing gray hammer above my brother's head.

"They…" Tanya started. "They've been claimed…"

Jackson grinned widely.

"All hail Tyler Thomas," he said. "Son of Hephaestus."

"And Olivia Thomas," Jess giggled. "Daughter of Aphrodite."

Chapter 5

OLIVIA

So my mom was Aphrodite. But my brother… His dad is…

Tyler turned to Chiron. "How is Hephaestus my dad? I already have a dad."

Susie walked up to him. "Sorry to break it to you, but you're adopted, my friend."

Was I really not related to my brother? He looked like he was about to ask another question, but a knight dressed in a full suit of armor came into the stadium on a horse.

"Chiron, Dionysus!" he started. "The princess of Sesoman has been kidnapped!"

I tensed. That was who I had seen in my dream.

"Calm down," Chiron said. "When was she taken?"

The knight looked flustered. "Last night!" he yelled. "The king heard a commotion and when he entered her bedroom, she was missing!"

Chiron turned to Jess.

"Take Olivia to the Big House. I think she needs to see the Oracle," he said.

She nodded and pulled me out of the stadium. We walked and walked until we were at a big, light blue building. We headed inside and saw a receptionist.

"Hello," she said with a smile. "My name is Mandy, how may I be of service?"

She had blond hair pulled neatly into a ponytail. She had blue eyes and long, beautiful eyelashes. She was wearing ruby-colored lipstick.

"We need to see the Oracle," Jess said. "Direct order from Chiron."

"Certainly."

She pressed a blue button and a staircase appeared on the left side of the room. Jess turned to me.

"Olivia, once you get in, you'll see the Oracle. You can't miss her. Ask her for your quest."

I nodded and turned to the staircase, and slowly walked up.

The room was filled with smoke from scented candles. It smelled like everything I loved. Fresh cookies, strawberries, and the lovely aroma of lilac. I took a second just to enjoy the smells. I kept walking down the corridor.

Now, when I imagined the Oracle, I imagined a beautiful maiden, singing my quest to me. I was shocked when I noticed an old, shriveled mummy wearing hippie clothing, sitting on a ratty old chair, just looking at me.

At first I thought someone had come to get their quest, then took a nap in the chair and never woke up, but then I realized that the mummy was the Oracle.

"Um, hi. I'm Olivia. I've come for my quest."

She sat up straight, which made me jump, and green smoke billowed out of her mouth.

"Olivia…" she hissed. Her voice was raspy.

"You will confront the witch and break the spell.

You will meet the one who rose and fell.

You will lose a partner whose heart is true.

And the burden will fall to you.

You will split your friends and search the globe.

And save the princess in sapphire robes."

The green smoke stopped, and the Oracle lay down in her chair. I stood shocked for a few seconds, not knowing what to do. I exited the room and looked at Jess.

You will lose a partner whose heart is true.

Chapter 6

OLIVIA

After I got the prophecy, Jess and I headed straight to Chiron. He was escorting some Athena campers to the dining hall for lunch.

"Chiron," Jess said. "Olivia got the prophecy."

Tyler and Jackson came over to us.

Jackson looked anxious. "Well?" he said. "Let's hear it!"

I told them everything the Oracle had said, but I left out the part about losing a partner. Jackson eyed me suspiciously. I wondered if he knew the prophecy was too short.

"Hmm," Tyler said. "The one who rose and fell, huh? Who could that be?"

"I don't know," I told him. "But I guess we'll find out." I turned to Chiron. "We have to leave now."

"No, no," he said smiling. "Not without going to the campfire, you aren't."

Jackson stared at us. "You haven't been to the campfire? Dude, are you kidding?!"

Tyler and I shook our heads.

"Oh, come on," Jess chimed in. "You have to go to the campfire."

I sighed. "Oh, fine." They cheered. "But we're leaving first thing tomorrow morning."

"Wait," Chiron said. "All of you?"

I blinked. "Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

Chiron ignored my question. "Oh, never mind," he said. "Now, come on! You certainly can't skip lunch."

Lunch was fun, and after that, everyone went to the cabins for some free time. That was when I realized I hadn't been to the Aphrodite cabin yet.

It was decorated like a doll house with lace curtains, a pink door, and potted carnations in the window. The strong scent of perfume almost knocked me out.

"Whew," I sighed. "That's going to take some getting used to."

When I walked in, the first thing I noticed was dozens of girls putting on makeup. I saw curtains around some of the beds that said, 'Don't wake me, I need my beauty sleep.'

A girl in a pink skirt walked up to me. Her makeup was perfect and so was her hair. It was blond and her blues eyes were almost identical to mine. There were two girls at her side, one wearing blue, and one wearing green.

"Excuse me," she said. "But the Athena cabin is a few down."

"Oh, I'm not an Athena camper," I said. "My mom is Aphrodite."

Some people gasped, and others stared at me in horror.

"Not looking like that you aren't."

Before I could even say anything, I was swept away into a chair in front of a mirror.

"Makeover time!" the girl squealed.

Hundreds of brushes coated with foundation were hitting my face. I felt someone put lipstick on me. Then mascara, eyeliner.

There was a cloud of dust, of makeup, surrounding everything. When it cleared, I saw someone in the chair I was in. But then I noticed. It was… me.

I didn't look like myself, and I didn't like it.

"Oh, thanks…!" I said with fake enthusiasm.

"You look great!" the blonde girl said before going the opposite direction.

I bolted out of the cabin when no one was looking. I ran into the girls' room and began to smear off the makeup. I heard footsteps coming into the restroom. I ran into a stall and stood on the toilet so no one would see my feet.

"HA!" I heard a sinister voice say. "Could you believe how she looked?" I heard a few other voices laugh. "I think she came in here."

My heart dropped to the toilet seat. Those girls were looking for me. And I had a feeling my encounter wouldn't be fun.

"Where'd she go?"

"I was sure she came in here."

I peeked over the edge of the stall. I almost screamed, but I caught myself. I saw three dragon-like figures standing in the doorway. One had pink scales, one blue, and one green. Fire spouted from their mouths in short bursts.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on Jackson. I don't know what I was doing, but I kept thinking about him. Help me. I'm trapped in the bathroom with killer Barbies.

The stall door was unhinged and it clattered to the floor. The entrance to the restroom was blocked.

I dropped to the ground and crawled under the other stalls as I felt them burn behind me. This is disgusting, I thought.

I got to the corner of the room and crouched down. There was nowhere to hide. The dragon women strolled toward me like they had all the time in the world.

"Sorry, Ms. Thomas," the lead one said. Its eyes were almost identical to mine. "Next time, don't ruin your makeup."

It was about to blast me to dust when there was a banging on the door. It burst open, and all the dragons were knocked backward.

Jackson's smiling face appeared in the doorway. "Surprise!" He jumped in front of me and raised a shield. The dragon's fire reflected off of it and hit her and her friends in their ugly, mutant faces.

"CURSE YOU, SON OF HEPHAESTUS. I WILL HAVE VENGEANCE ON YOU BOTH!"

And she disintegrated, along with her Barbie friends.

Chapter 7

OLIVIA

I leapt up off the disgusting bathroom floor and hugged Jackson. I certainly wouldn't want someone embracing me after crawling around a bathroom floor baby-style, but he didn't seem to mind.

"You saved my life!" I told him, pulling away. "How did you know I was in here?"

"Uh…" He looked at a loss for words. "I can't really explain it. I just… felt it." He smiled at me.

"Now, c'mon," he said, "we need to go get ready for the campfire. Just don't get killed while I'm gone." He gave me one last smile, then jogged out of the ladies' room, probably hoping no one would see him.

After leaving the restroom, I decided to not head back to the Aphrodite cabin. I couldn't bear another makeup session.

"Um… excuse me…"

I turned and saw a girl, maybe around 7, looking at me. Her dark black hair was in a ponytail down her back. She had beautiful silver eyes and she looked very timid. She was wearing a black dress and cute black shoes.

"Hi!" I said to her. "What's the problem?"

"Well," she said, glancing around nervously, "I'm a bit lost. Can you tell me where Cabin 8 is, please?"

I looked at all the cabins and counted until I got to 8. "Well…" I pointed to a silver cabin with a bow and arrow painted above the doorway. "I think it's that one. Why did you-" I glanced down at the girl, but she was already gone. "Well, that happened."

I hung around with some other campers until dark and then headed for the campfire. Everyone was seated around a big, blazing fire. People were singing campfire songs and dancing and having fun. Satyrs and dryads, tree spirits, were all around the fire playing songs on magical forest instruments. I looked around for Jess, but I saw Tyler instead. I ran over to him.

"Hey," I said, and Tyler turned toward me. "Have you seen Jessica?"

He glanced around the campfire. "No. I don't think she's here yet."

"Okay," I responded. "Thanks anyway."

I dashed out of there and bolted to the Demeter cabin. I greeted her half-brothers and sisters there.

"Hey guys. Have you seen Jess?"

They looked around at each other. A blonde guy came forward. "No. We thought she was at the campfire."

"Okay." I started to panic a bit.

I started running back toward the campfire. I had to find Jackson. He'd know what to do.

When I got back, I searched frantically through the crowd, but to no avail. Jackson was nowhere to be found.

I ran up to Tyler. "Tyler, I need to-"

I was interrupted when the fire exploded into a mess of flame, spewing all over.

Satyrs and dryads went scrambling everywhere, narrowly avoiding the scorching campfire. A figure appeared in the fire, a horrible monster staring down at me and Tyler.

DAUGHTER OF APHRODITE, it boomed. IF YOU EVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FRIENDS AGAIN, YOU WILL TAKE THEIR PLACE AS PRISONER.

An image of Jess and Jackson appeared next to him in the fire. Their hands were chained to a wall behind them.

"Don't do it, Olivia!" Jackson yelled. "He'll just kill you!"

YOU WILL COME TO ME IMMEDIATELY WITH YOUR BROTHER IF YOU WISH TO SEE THEM A FINAL TIME.

"Olivia, don't be an idiot!" Jess screamed.

I'LL BE WAITING! His evil laugh echoed through the forest. The fire died down, and the image disappeared.

I turned to Tyler. "We need to go," I said to him. "Now."

Chapter 8

OLIVIA

Chiron loaded me and my brother with all the supplies we'd need for a first quest, plus stuff for Jess and Jackson, in case things went according to plan.

"Tread lightly," he told us, "or things may go horribly wrong. We don't know who is holding your friends captive."

I looked up at him. "What will you do?"

He grinned. "I can only pray for their safety. It would not do well to lose such a wonderful pair of half-bloods." He looked at Tyler. "Keep her safe, Mr. Thomas. We don't need anyone else in danger."

Tyler looked at him seriously. "Yes, sir."

It probably looked pathetic, but I said, "Can you help us somehow?"

He smiled warmly then looked at Tyler. "Trust your instincts, lad, and you and your friends will be safe." And with that, he galloped away.

"What do we do?" I asked Tyler.

"Well," he said, "the prophecy said to split ourselves."

"No. We can't do that. We have to stick together."

He nodded and I knew he understood why. We marched proudly toward the edge of camp, and trotted off into the open, campers' cheers fading with every step.

We trudged through the forest, wandering aimlessly. I was scared. I didn't know where we were going. I wasn't so sure about my brother having a "true" heart, but I definitely didn't want to lose him.

That's when I heard something.

H-lp! –e're b-ing he- -n N- -er—y!

I screamed and collapsed, but Tyler caught me.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

I groaned. "Yeah, I'm o—"

Help! –e're b-ing held –n New –er—y!

I screamed again, louder.

Help! It was Jackson's voice. We're being held in New Jersey!

I fainted from exhaustion and the last thing I remember was Tyler's face hovering above me.

"Olivia?!" His voice appeared warped. "Please! You can't d-!"

My vision faded and my brother's image disappeared.

Chapter 9

OLIVIA

I was in pitch-black darkness, silently floating on an invisible ocean. I couldn't speak. I didn't want to. My whole body was peaceful. I was in serene silence. I saw a light in the distance, and the ocean disappeared until I was on what felt like dry land. I started to walk toward the light, then jogging, and running. But then I stopped. A shock went through my body. Then again, more powerfully. Then again, but this time it hurt. My body jolted and I opened my eyes. I was lying in a forest, staring up at my brother's face. There were tears in his eyes.

"Olivia…" he said quietly. He grabbed me and hugged me tightly. "I thought you were gone. Your heart stopped."

I looked at him, confused. "So, I was…? You mean I…?"

"Come on." He lifted me up off the ground. I collapsed from exhaustion. "Ok. It's alright." He smiled at me. "It's almost sundown anyway. Get some rest." He gently put me down onto the grass. "I'll keep watch."

I closed my eyes.

"Olivia?" I looked at Tyler. "Just promise me you'll wake up, okay?"

I nodded and turned on my side so he wouldn't see me tearing up.

I dreamt I was back in the room with the princess of Sesoman. I didn't bother calling out. Partially because I knew it wouldn't work, and because I was so tired.

She was chained to a wall in the back of the room, much like how Jess and Jackson looked in the fire. Her gown was tattered and ripped, and she looked exhausted. I heard a sharp, electric noise and a holographic image of a girl appeared facing the princess, so I couldn't see the girl's face.

"Juliet…" the girl said. "I'm coming to help you."

Juliet jumped and looked at the girl. "What are you doing here? It's not safe."

"I don't care," the girl said, "if I can protect you."

"If she hears you," Juliet said, "then she will hunt you down. And kill you."

The girl looked down, as if pondering what to do. "No," she said finally. "I'm not going to leave you."

Juliet smiled. "That really is sweet, young one, but I cannot protect you in these chains."

"Hmmm…" The girl glanced at the chains. "Why can't you just break them yourself?"

"Because, brave one," Juliet replied, "I need the hands of a young hero to break these enchanted bounds. That is why I await one to set me free. However, infiltrating the witch's castle is not a simple task. She has many hardships prepared for all who have the audacity to come rescue me." She looked away from the girl and stared sadly into a fireplace nearby. I could see the fire reflecting off her emerald green eyes. No, wait, they were blue. No… pink? Her eyes seemed to change color, as if they were undecided about what color they wanted to be.

"Juliet… listen… I have to try," the girl said.

"No, Serene. You can't."

I felt a chill go down my spine, as if I should recognize the name. I racked my brain, but… no, I definitely didn't know anyone named Serene. But I had a feeling I would soon.

I heard footsteps coming down the hall, and someone humming an irritating tune.

"Serene, you must leave!" Juliet said. "She is approaching!"

Serene turned toward the door, toward me, and I stared in horror at her face. It was the little girl who had asked me about Cabin 8 at camp.

She turned back to Juliet. "I'll never leave you, Juliet!"

Juliet stepped forward just far enough so she could wave her hand over Serene's image, making it disappear.

I awoke with a jolt and looked at my brother who had fallen asleep next to me, with his weapon on his chest. I smiled and placed the axe next to him, just to be safe, and took next watch.

I looked up at the night sky, and at the moon. I didn't know how we were going to do it all, but my brother and I had to save Jess and Jackson, rescue Juliet, and make sure Serene was kept safe. I was quite amazed at how such a shy girl could be so brave in a terrifying situation like that. I would have to tell my brother in the morning.

I heard a rustling in the grass. Probably just a rabbit. I heard a low, growling noise. Definitely not a rabbit. I shook my brother.

"Tyler!" I whispered.

He opened his eyes. "What are you doing awake? You should be resting!"

"I think we have bigger problems." I pointed at the bush as a huge, hideous monster stepped out from behind it.

Chapter 10

OLIVIA

The monster was a large biped boar, with a scrunched face and a big, round belly. It held a spear and wore a small, probably useless helmet. It screeched at me and Tyler then began charging us.

It was amazingly fast for a thing its size, and Tyler would've been skewered on the spot if not for my reflexes. I fired a silver arrow that split his spear down the center, as if it were only made of soft wood.

"Thanks!" Tyler yelled. He dodged its fists and swung his axe into its back, getting it lodged. "Augh!" he yelled. "Sick!"

The boar squealed in pain as it collapsed onto the ground.

"Yeah!" I ran over to the boar and grabbed Tyler's axe, but the boar didn't disintegrate. "Uh, Tyler? Isn't it supposed to…?"

But I was interrupted when the boar disappeared in a flash of light and a new monster appeared where it had been lying. It was a living skeleton, its teeth clattering together as it attempted to speak.

"You cannot kill me, fools! I am Totolar, king of mirages. I have the ability to become anything, as long as I have not been killed as it. Have fun slaughtering me 400 billion times!"

He began morphing, without the glamourous light this time. He turned into the snake photographer, Mrs. Clarion, even Jess and Jackson, all in less than three seconds.

"I can become the person of your dreams or the monster of your nightmares!"

He started morphing again, but this time shrinking. He morphed until he was a furry little tarantula at our feet.

Tyler burst out laughing. "Oh," he said in a falsetto voice. "I'm so scared of the tiny little insect!"

Totolar looked at himself. "Oh, am I? Thank you, I seem to have made a mistake." I swear I saw him smirk.

The tarantula began to grow, to the size of a dog, then a car, a house, and a ten-story building, until we were at his feet.

"Run little half-bloods. I missed lunch."

Tyler and I sprinted up the hill, panting furiously. Totolar was right at our heels, mowing down trees and anything else in his way.

"Oh, come now," the spider chided. "You're making this too easy."

"Tyler! What do we do?!"

He glanced back. "OH! DON'T LOOK BACK."

I glanced behind us. All of the spider's eyes were staring at us hungrily. His pinchers were snapping and his legs were flailing as they propelled him forward.

"We can't kill him!" I concluded. "We just have to outrun him."

"How? We weren't made to run forever!"

I tried to think of a solution, which is a bit difficult to do while running from King Crazy and his 8 legs. If Aphrodite was my mom, maybe she could help. I didn't know how. Kissing a skyscraper-sized insect on the cheek probably wouldn't help very much, but I had to try.

O goddess of love, Aphrodite my mother, if you can hear me, please send me and my brother help. Please.

I opened my eyes, but I didn't see any lightning raining from the sky or a tsunami or anything.

"Great," I said. "I get the one god who can't help me."

A gorgeous white dove fluttered out of a tree and landed on my shoulder.

"Oh, gee," I said, panting. "Thanks for the bird, mumsie!"

"Olivia," Tyler said, amazed. "Look!" He pointed to the open sky, where hundreds of white doves soared into the air in all directions. They started to dive toward us.

Totolar looked at the birds in awe. "But… HOW?!"

I turned so I was running backward, looking at him. "Never mess with Aphrodite."

The doves picked up me and my brother so we flew toward the moon, sitting on a cloud of doves.

"The dove is Aphrodite's sacred animal," I explained to Tyler. "I had no idea they could do this, though!"

I looked down and saw Totolar morph into a withered old man, his true form. "CURSES!" he screeched. "WE SHALL MEET AGAIN! AND NEXT TIME, MOMMY WON'T BE THERE TO SAVE YOU!"

And with that, he teleported in a flash of blue light.

Chapter 11

OLIVIA

After Tyler and I flew for a bit, the doves seemed to be running out of energy. They took us into New Jersey, from what I could tell.

"Excuse me? Do you know where to take me and my brother?" I asked.

The dove at the helm turned and nodded silently before turning forward again. The doves dropped us off at the entrance to a sewer. There was a wire gate blocking the opening, but there was a large hole punched through the center.

I turned to the doves and began to say, "Are you sure this is…" but they had already begun to fly away.

I turned toward Tyler. "I don't know if this is the right place."

Just then, we heard a high-pitched scream come from inside, followed by a loud rumbling sound.

Tyler looked at me intently, said, "I do," and we both dashed inside.

The sewer reeked of a lot of things, and the appearance didn't leave much to the imagination. The walls were rounded and wide, easily big enough for a giant lumbering monster to fit into. The walls were gray, made of concrete. The path twisted and turned like a labyrinth. Tyler and I guessed where to go, hoping to get the correct path.

Eventually we came to a huge room, with an old, barely hanging chandelier in the center.

"Olivia!" I heard someone whisper. I pivoted to see Jess and Jackson standing, chained to a wall. Jackson was gagged with an apple, but Jess's had fallen out of her mouth.

"Jess! Jackson!" I yelled. "I thought I would never-!"

"Shhh!" she shushed.

I heard a booming, one followed by another and another. Footsteps. Giant footsteps.

I slashed at Jess's chains, and my brother cut Jackson's.

Jackson spit out the apple. "C'mon!" he said, urgently. "We need to go before-!"

But he never finished his sentence. A face appeared from the recesses of the room, one red, unblinking eye staring down at us in hatred.

Chapter 12

OLIVIA

We didn't have to be geniuses to figure out what to do. We all immediately dashed down the corridor. It took the cyclops a moment to comprehend the situation, but he was close behind us in seconds.

Our feet pounded against the concrete floor as we called out "Left!" or "Right!" at every turn.

Jackson turned to us. "It can't follow us all. Let's split into groups of two."

I thought of the prophecy. "No!" I protested. "We can't!"

The monster roared angrily.

I sighed loudly. "This isn't a good idea!"

We neared the next turn. Tyler said, "Wait… Waaaaait…" We were inches away. "NOW!"

I pivoted to the right, as did Jackson. Tyler and Jess turned to the left pathway. Jess turned back at me, flashed a nervous smile, and kept dashing as fast as possible. The cyclops turned down the left path and followed them.

Jackson and I slowed down, our breathing heavy. "I hope they're okay," I said uncomfortably.

"C'mon," Jackson said, "we have to keep moving."

And we turned and walked into the darkness.

Chapter 13

OLIVIA

Jackson and I had been walking for what seemed like centuries, when I finally decided I needed to tell someone about the dreams I had been having. So I did. I told him about Juliet and Serene, and about the witch, and about all we had planned ahead for us.

"Wow," Jackson finally said, "this seems like a lot of stress." He broke into a smile.

I smiled back. "Yeah. I just couldn't keep all of it bottled up anymore. I had to tell somebody."

He punched my arm playfully. "It's okay," he said. "I'm here for you, beauty queen."

A warm feeling went through my body, as if it were honored to be called such a name. Must be a nickname of someone pretty important. Maybe one of Aphrodite's friends used to call her that.

I told him about Tyler and my encounter with Totolar, and how he couldn't be killed.

Jackson frowned. "To…tolar?"

"Yeah," I replied, "king of mirages. Why?"

His brow furrowed. "I just… Nevermind, it doesn't matter."

I heard a voice that made me jump. "Talking about me, are you?"

Jackson and I turned in all directions, but the mad king was nowhere to be seen.

"Let's keep walking," I said nervously, "and quickly."

The sewer extended about a mile longer and finally, finally, we made it out. It emptied into a beautiful field with lush, green grass all around. The field was speckled with flowers of all kinds, most of which were really… unique.

Frozen, icy flowers covered one-third of the hillside, another third was piled high with white flowers that had sparks of electricity bouncing off of them. The final side was littered with hideous brown flowers that had withered up and died. Planted around those main fields were smaller hills with color-changing flowers, flowers with petals of steel, and gorgeous red roses.

"Incredible," I said, awed.

"Look!" Jackson screamed. He pointed at a 30-foot daisy, smack-dab in the middle of the field. It bud was closed, like it hadn't bloomed yet.

"This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder," I said, starting to walk to the daisy.

It took about ten minutes to traverse the entire field. We, of course, stopped to smell the roses occasionally, both literally and metaphorically.

After what seemed like years, Jackson and I reached the humongous daisy.

"Um," I said stupidly, "so, now what?" Jackson shrugged. I reached out and poked the stem. Nothing happened. "Well, Mr. Flower, it really was nice meeting you, but my comrade and I really must-"

Just then, the bud began to rumble and fidget about. Jackson and I warily stepped back. The bud burst open and pollen flew everywhere. I noticed a woman sitting on the petals.

"Oh," she proclaimed loudly, "but who has freed me finally?"

I raised my hand. "I did…" I squeaked.

The stem bent downward until the petals touched the grass. The woman picked up her dress and exited the blossom.

"Hello. And who might you two be?" She had long, dark hair that reached her waist, and her bangs were held back by a carnation. Her dress was woven beautifully from vines.

I couldn't speak. Jackson helped me out. "Oh! My name is Jackson Kete, the one and only. And this is my-"

"Girlfriend?" the woman asked.

Jackson eyes widened and he turned a beautiful shade of magenta. "NO!" he responded nervously. "This is my friend, Olivia Thomas."

The woman furrowed her brow. "Olivia? You two don't happen to be demigods, do you?"

"Yes, actually," I spoke up. "My mother is Aphrodite. Jackson is Hephaestus's son. Who are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

The woman smiled warmly. "My name is Demeter. And I am happy to welcome you to the Garden of the Gods."

Chapter 14

OLIVIA

"Y-You're Dem-meter?" I stuttered.

The goddess chuckled. "Yes," she said, "I understand you know Jess?" Her smile faded. "Why isn't she with you?"

"Um…" Jackson looked at me.

I told the goddess everything, and I told her how we got separated. Demeter frowned, and when she did, the flowers around her feet drooped, as if their moods changed according to hers.

"This is quite troubling news," she said. "Do you have a lead on where the princess is being held?"

"Not exactly," Jackson said, "but we do know she's being kept in the lair of an evil witch."

The goddess's brow furrowed, like she was thinking hard. "What does she look like?"

I looked down. "I never saw her in my dreams. It always faded right before she would enter the room."

Demeter's eyes widened. "The room. What did it look like?"

"Well," I began, "I think the walls were black, but it may have just looked that way in the dark. The white carpet was stained red from blood, and skulls and bones were strewn all over. The princess was chained to a wall in my first dream, and in the second, her chains had been cut."

"Have you had any other dreams?" Demeter asked me.

"No," I replied. "That's it."

We stood in silence for a minute or two, until Demeter said, "Well, you may sleep in the inn about a mile or two north." She pointed in the direction of a faint, gray outline of a building. "It is getting a bit late. If you decide to take refuge, you must be on your way soon. It's almost sundown."

The sun was beginning to set. We only had a few hours left in the day.

"Thank you, Mrs. Jess's mom," Jackson laughed.

The goddess smiled and her eyes lit up with delight. "Wait!" she said. "I know I haven't helped you on your journey, but I certainly can't send you off without a gift." She gestured in the air and two buds popped up where she had waved her hand, and they bloomed immediately. She picked up a vial on a chain and a small, thick needle.

"Jackson, come here." He walked over. The goddess placed the needle in his hand. "This needle will grow into a full-length sword when you need it most. The smallest jab will instantly kill anyone or anything, but it will shrivel up into dust after only one use. Use it wisely."

I stepped forward. Demeter smiled at me. "Olivia," she said, handing me the vial on the chain. "This is one drop of the most powerful healing potions ever crafted. It can heal any wound, any memory, and even bring one back from the dead. Use it wisely."

I hung the vial around my neck like a necklace.

Jackson and I stepped back. "Thank you," we said in unison.

We heard commotion coming from the sewer pipe Jackson and I had exited from. Suddenly, a group, no, an army appeared from the sewer pipe. We didn't know who they were but we knew one thing: They were looking for us.

Demeter turned and looked in horror at the gang ready to destroy her garden.

"Run, children," she said with fear in her voice. "Get to the inn. Talk to Mandy at the front desk. She'll help you."

"But…" I said. "But will you be okay?"

Demeter put on a fake smile. "I am a goddess. I'll fend them off…" She hesitated. "As best I am able."

Chapter 15

OLIVIA

"But…" I felt as if my mouth was filled with sand. My tongue felt dry, and my palms were sweating.

"Go!" Demeter screamed. "Or shall I tell Zeus you two trouble-makers were disobeying a goddess?" She gave us a sly smile.

I couldn't help but smile back. She reminded me so much of Jessica.

"No, seriously," she said. "Please. Go now."

Jackson and I turned and began to jog at a brisk pace. Once at a safe distance, I turned to the battle scene. Small seedlings popped out of the ground. They grew into tall trees, with the limbs of a normal human. They were about 50-feet tall behemoths who swiped at the opposing army.

Demeter was busy, too. She first separated the army into two groups so they would could be easily dealt with. She trapped one in a winding hedge maze, but the other was approaching too quickly. She put up a wall of thorny branches and bushes, but only half of the 2nd group was trapped. The others were almost upon Demeter.

She willed the shrubs and greenery of the Garden of the Gods to push back some foes, but the cyclops that had imprisoned Jess and Jackson was still leading at the helm.

The tree monsters delayed the army while Demeter worked to set up more defenses. The entirety of the army was now separated from Demeter and the tree monsters, except for the cyclops, and he was right on top of Demeter.

The goddess barely weaved out of the way of his massive club, swinging wildly. I knew she couldn't dodge it for long and, sure enough, the cyclops eventually smacked the goddess with the club, knocking her lifeless body into the huge daisy, imprisoning her once more.

Two of the tree monsters scrambled over to the daisy to try and free Demeter, but to no avail. The cyclops grinned evilly and tossed a handful of Greek fire onto the field. It exploded in a mess of green light, incinerating the tree monsters and the beautiful garden. The only thing that remained was a wilting daisy on the outskirts.

My keen eyes noticed a small, brown object the size of a quarter fly up from the wreckage. It landed at my feet. I picked it up and noticed it was a baby seedling that hadn't grown. His little face was in pain and his eyes were slammed shut.

"Jackson! Look at this! I think he's in pain!"

Jackson ran over to me and examined it. "Is that a seedling? Like, that Demeter grew into huge giant tree dudes that were like, *pchooo* and *pew pew pew*!"

I gasped. "He's been badly burned." I ran my finger over the scorch marks, and he squealed in pain. "Oh no, I'm sorry!" I kissed him on the forehead, and his lips softened into a smile.

Jackson put his face up close. "What's your name?"

The seedling made a short, cute, squeaking noise.

I smiled. "Squeak?" I asked.

The seedling peeped in happiness, like he enjoyed his new name.

"Squeak. Your name is Squeak!" I proclaimed.

Squeak coughed loudly.

"Uh oh," Jackson said. "C'mon. Let's go to the inn. Hopefully they have some medicinal supplies. Plus…" He glanced at the advancing Cyclops. "I think we'll be better off far away from him."

I nodded in agreement. We began walking, and I cradled Squeak in my arms like a baby. I soon found myself grinning like an idiot.

Squeak… I thought to myself. Welcome to the team.

Chapter 16

OLIVIA

As Jackson and I kept walking to the inn, I couldn't help thinking I recognized the name "Mandy." I racked my brain, but I just couldn't picture her face. Was it the one who… Nah, it couldn't be.

As we entered the lobby, my mouth fell open and Jackson let out a "Woah…"

"Hi there! My name is Mandi, how may I help you?"

We spun around and saw a girl at the front desk. Her hair was curled perfectly and it rested on her shoulders. Her eyes shone deep blue, and she wore shiny pink lipstick.

I noticed Jackson's mouth was still open, maybe even more now that he was staring at the receptionist, so I stomped on his foot to snap him out of it.

"Hello!" I said to her. Jackson and I walked up to the front desk.

Mandi smiled at us and said, "Welcome to 'The Hotel for Half-Bloods!'" She stopped smiling and looked down at us. "Do you have a reservation?"

Jackson grabbed Squeak. "We have a this," he said, holding him up.

Mandi's eyes widened. "Is that one of the…" Her voice trailed off. "You must come with me." She gestured for us to follow, then walked into a door a little right of the front desk.

I snatched back Squeak and followed her into the room, Jackson at my heels.

We sat down at a long table with a lot of empty seats. Mandi sat at one end, and Jackson and I sat at the seats closest to her.

"First things first…" She gestured to my hands. I reluctantly gave up Squeak and she took him through a door labeled, 'Infirmary.'

A minute or so later, she came back out, gave out a sigh of relief and said, "The seedling will be okay. He just needs a good night's sleep."

Jackson couldn't take his eyes off of her. "Demeter is in trouble. We have to go rescue her."

Mandi didn't seem worried at all. "Yes, I watched the whole thing from the front window. Demeter is invulnerable in the daisy. She will be alright."

"I'm sorry," I interrupted. "Do I know you?"

Mandi looked shocked. "No," she said.

"Because you look really familiar."

"Well, my twin sister works at the demigod camp if-"

I slammed both my palms onto the table. "THAT'S IT!"

We sat in silence for a few moments until she said, "So you know Mandy?"

"Wait," Jackson butted in, "isn't your name Mandi?"

She giggled. "I love that mix-up," she said, smiling. "No, my name is Mandi like M-A-N-D-I, and her name is Mandy like M-A-N-D-Y. It's pretty confusing."

Jackson looked puzzled. "So, you're twins… who look the same and have the same name."

"Verbally, yes."

"At least you dress differently," I chimed in.

"Ugh, THANK ZEUS," she said, disgusted. "Mandy's ponytail is hideous. And her lipstick?! Red doesn't look good on anyone. But that's why I love her."

Just then, we heard a loud, very close explosion. And by very close I mean the lobby, just behind the door.

"Mandi," Jackson whispered. "Get in the infirmary with Squeak."

She nodded and backed up slowly so her stilettos wouldn't clack.

I opened the door a crack and saw the cyclops peering through the huge gap in the wall. The entire lobby had been smashed and there was bits of green fire everywhere.

"Jackson!" I whispered, trying to hide the panic in my voice. "It's the cyclops! On my count, we run. One… Two… Three… NOW!"

We dashed out of the table room and into a hallway where we peeked out at the cyclops from behind a column. We needed to get closer to the exit. I took one step out and stepped right onto a candy bar wrapper.

The cyclops's keen ears picked up the sound and he spun around to look at me. "KILL DEMIGOD!" He strolled over to me, his footsteps shaking the ground. He raised his club to attack.

"Don't hurt me!" I cried desperately.

The cyclops seemed to go into a trance. "I WILL NOT HURT PRETTY GIRL…"

"Really?" I said surprised.

He snapped out of it and swung his club down, and I narrowly avoided it. I noticed a smoke bomb just lying on the ground. Convenient. I threw it down and the cyclops stumbled backward, rubbing his irritated eye. I grabbed Jackson's arm, approached the front door, then stopped.

"Come on!" Jackson yelled. "Let's go!"

"Squeak and Mandi," I said. "They're still trapped in the infirmary."

Chapter 17

OLIVIA

Jackson and I barely made it back to the room with the long table, but we did so without the cyclops noticing us. We looked at the infirmary door and saw Mandi peeking through the window. Jackson and I dashed over and entered the room.

It looked kind of like a hospital, but different somehow. The floors were tiled and the walls were painted white. A giant red cross hung in the doorway, and there were glass containers with IVs hooked up to them, presumably for patients.

"What's the situation?" Mandi asked us.

"Well," Jackson replied, "the cyclops has lost interest in Demeter and is in the lobby."

Mandi turned pale. "Oh dear. It seems like the seedling won't be fully healed, but I'm sure he'll be alright." She entered a code on Squeak's IV and the glass container opened. She picked him up carefully and handed him to me.

"Thanks. Can I have…" I glanced down at Squeak. "Like, a coin purse or something?"

Mandi chuckled and dug around her purse. "Here," she said, handing me a small pink coin purse.

"Thank you so much. How much do I owe you?"

Mandi smiled warmly. "Free of charge."

I smiled back and we heard a loud rumble. "Time to go…"

"Come on. We have an emergency exit." Mandi pointed to a sign that read, 'EXIT' in big, red lettering.

Just then, the big, ugly weird giant smashed through the room with the long table.

"Okay, let's go now!" As Jackson pulled both Mandi and I in through the emergency exit, the cyclops smashed the infirmary behind us.

I saw a field spread out ahead of us. "We're gonna make it!"

Right as I said that, the cyclops's army appeared out of nowhere, surrounding us completely.

Jackson looked at me. "Dang it, Olivia."

The cyclops approached us, slowly now, licking his lips. "TWO PRETTY GIRLS."

Jackson leaned over. "He's talking about me."

The cyclops swung his club downwards quickly. I held my hands in front of my face, as if it would do anything. I closed my eyes and braced for impact.

But there was no impact. I opened my eyes and gasped loudly. Mandi had her hands spread out in front of her, a blue force field surrounding us. There were beads of sweat on her forehead. The cyclops struggled to break the force field with his club.

"ST-STUPID… ANNOYING… HECATE GIRL!" He lowered his club and threw it down in frustration.

Jackson looked incredibly impressed. "Mandi, how did you…"

Magic resonated from her fingertips. She shot a blast of purple light into the cyclops's eye and he stumbled backward, fell over, and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The army behind us stared at Mandi. She shot purple light into the ground at their feet as a warning and they scattered, tripping over each other.

I looked at her in wonder. "That was amazing."

She shrugged. "Being a daughter of Hecate comes in handy every once in a while."

"The goddess of magic?" I asked.

"That is so cool," Jackson added. "Oh! I have an idea." He turned to Mandi. "Do you have a drinking fountain or something?"

Mandi pointed at a broken pipe that was spewing water everywhere. "Knock yourself out."

"Perfect." He starting to walk over to it, and I followed.

"What are you doing?"

He smirked. "Watch." He took out a small, golden coin, and I noticed a rainbow in the mist. He tossed the coin into the rainbow and it disappeared. "O, Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering." The rainbow glowed brighter. "Give me Tyler Thomas and Jessica Deandre." The mist shimmered and Tyler's image appeared in the mist.

"Tyler!" I screamed loudly.

Tyler jumped out of his skin and touched the mist. "Is this a hallucination?"

Jess's face appeared next to him and she smiled. "An IM! How didn't I think of that?!"

Tyler looked at her. "Instant-messaging?"

Jess laughed. "No, Iris-messaging." She looked back at us. "So what's up?"

Jackson said, "We almost died… again."

I held up the vial. "Your mom gave us presents!"

"What?!"

Jackson put my hand down. "We'll explain later. What's up with you guys? You okay?"

"Yeah we're fine," Jess said, "but…" She looked at Tyler.

"Olivia," he said. "It's…" He hesitated. "It's your dad." He said that, but I knew he almost said our dad.

"Why? What's up?"

"Totolar kidnapped him. And he's being held at the witch's castle."

Chapter 18

OLIVIA

My head was spinning. No. No. No.

"Olivia?" My brother's blue eyes were filled with worry. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I lied.

"So listen," Jess piped up, changing the subject. "We have to meet up. Tyler and I are being pursued by Totolar. We can't run from him much longer." Her jacket was ripped on the shoulder, revealing her black tank top underneath. "It's dangerous alone."

"Do you have any leads?" I asked. "About the princess, I mean."

"Yes," Tyler replied, holding up a note. "It's written in Greek, but Jess can translate it." He handed it to her.

"Voitheia," she said, then looked up. "Help."

"Yeah, you don't need to read the Greek part," Jackson told her.

"Sorry," she said, blushing. "Help. I have been taken as prisoner by a wicked woman. She is keeping me as hostage. She has placed me into a room in which I cannot escape. She blindfolded me until we entered her castle, but I can sense I am on the edge of Massachusetts. Please, send help. But don't send Serene. Keep a close watch on her. I feel as if she will try to rescue me. The Best of Luck, Princess Juliet."

"Good," I said. "We know she's in Massachusetts. That's not so far."

"That's the thing, Olivia," Tyler said. "So are we."

"Oh dear," Jackson said, putting his face into his palm.

"But how will we…" The gears started to turn in my head. "I have an idea. See you soon." I waved my hand over the mist, just as Juliet did to Serene, and the image disappeared.

"Why would you…" Jackson waved his hand around wildly. "Great," he said. "We've lost connection."

"It's okay," I said, then turned to Mandi. "Please don't tell me your Hecate-y powers aren't limited."

She laughed loudly and said, "Try me."

"Is there some way you can zap us over to Massachusetts? Where my friends are?"

"That's it?" she asked. "Get over here, girlfriend."

We walked over and a huge ring formed around us. It glowed green and shimmered in the center.

Mandi stepped out. "So, I may have neglected to tell you that there is a 57% chance that this will fail and you'll be stuck in limbo so," she held up her hands, "fingers crossed!" Then she waved with a genuine smile on. "Thanks for destroying my hotel. Just kidding, I can fix it. Hope to see you again soon!"

I heard a huge bang and my vision blurred for a second until Jackson and I were standing in a barely-supported cave, staring at Jess and Tyler.

Tyler jumped and screamed and said, "Stop doing that!"

I ran up and hugged him while Jackson just kind of stood there awkwardly.

Jess noticed and held her arms out. "Get over here, you big idiot." They hugged and I realized how much they had bonded when they had gotten kidnapped by a hideous cyclops and held in a sewer. Adorable.

I suddenly realized the situation we were in. "Wait, why are we in a weird, creepy cave?" A clump of dirt fell from the ceiling and hit me in the head.

Tyler pointed at Jess. "She dug out a small hole for us to hide in."

Just then, we heard a loud noise, like an angry bull running across our dirt cavern.

"No way," I said looking at Tyler.

"Yes way," he said.

"Come out, puny demigods. I won't kill you… immediately."

Chapter 19

OLIVIA

Escaping the hole was the easy part. Defending a village from Totolar and his minions was the hard part.

Jackson pulled me out. I looked around and saw a village ablaze. Villagers ran around in a panic, Totolar swooping in as a hawk, pecking at them.

Tyler pulled out his axe and looked at me. "Jackson and I will fend off the monsters. You guys escort the villagers to safety."

Jess nodded at pulled me toward the chaos. I saw Jackson start picking off the lesser monsters, Tyler whaling on Totolar.

"Help us!" I saw a woman and a small child crouching up against a building.

I nocked an arrow and fired it at the small monster, killing it.

"Come with us!" I yelled, waving my arms wildly.

The woman heard and so did a few other villagers. They all followed Jess and I. We led them to the small cave and they piled inside.

"Stay here," Jess told them. "We'll come to get you after the battle is won."

We left them to find more villagers. We came upon a building completely on fire.

"Do you think there is anyone in there?" Jess asked me.

"I don't wanna take any chances," I said, dashing inside.

I peered around, but it was hard to see from all the smoke. I noticed a little girl curled up into a ball in the corner.

I ran over and took her hand. "Hurry!" I said urgently. "We need to get you out of here!"

I dodged the flames on the ground and on the walls, the young girl close behind. Just as I leaped out the door, the house combusted behind me.

The girl started crying and hugged me tightly.

"It's okay," I whispered. "You're safe now."

A fire erupted at my feet, and I stumbled backward, the girl still in my arms. I looked up and saw Jackson floating in the air. Obviously, it was Totolar, but Jackson's not pyrokinetic… Right?

Jess waved her hand upward and a flurry of leaves and flowers pelted Totolar in the face, causing him to fall to the ground.

I dashed to the safe hole and lowered the girl in, where she greeted her father with sobs and hugs.

I heard a woman shriek and I spun around. Totolar was closing in on a very clearly pregnant woman and her husband, a fireball in his hand. The man was standing in front of the woman, his arms outstretched.

"Stand back!" he yelled.

Totolar flung the fireball at the man, knocking him out unconscious. The woman was pinned up against a wall now.

I knew Jess and I couldn't get there in time, and Jackson and Tyler were on the other end of the village, killing the remaining monsters. I started to run anyway.

Totolar raised the fireball.

I could make it. Thirty yards. Twenty. Ten.

Totolar swung his hand forward. I failed. Someone was going to die because of me. No, two people would die because of me. I would never forgive myself.

But then he just froze. No, literally. His entire hand was covered with frost, extinguishing the flame. In surprise, Totolar turned back to his normal, kingly form. He looked to the right.

There was a girl, maybe thirteen or fourteen, standing with her arm outstretched like she'd just thrown a baseball. She wore a fluffy, light blue sweater and black leggings. She was panting heavily, and she was sweaty, so her glasses kept sliding down the bridge of her nose. Her dark black hair was braided down her right shoulder. Her gray eyes shined in the moonlight, and her black flats were planted in the ground.

"Step away from her. Now."

Totolar laughed. "How cute." He transformed back into Jackson and melted the icicle he had for a hand.

They both ran at each other. The girl shot a blast of blue… something. Let's call it "light" for now. So, the girl shot a blast of blue light at Totolar and he deflected it easily with a swat.

The girl grabbed his wrist and was holding back his hand.

"Here's a tip," he said to her. "Fire melts ice."

He pushed her and she landed hard on her back. He drew Jackson's sword and raised it high.

"Say hi to Hades for me."

Tyler smacked him with his axe and he stumbled backwards.

"You irritating fool!" Totolar transformed into a bear.

Tyler ran over and helped the girl up.

"Thanks," she said, blushing.

Totolar charged Tyler, in a wild rage. He swung with his massive bear paws. Tyler barely dodged him and swung his axe through Totolar's gut, killing his bear form.

Totolar growled angrily, transformed into a hawk, and flew off.

Jess, Jackson, and I ran toward them.

"You… You saved me." The girl looked at Tyler, brushing her messy hair out of her face. "I'm Katrina. Or Kat. You know, whichever."

"Tyler." He held out his hand, but Katrina hugged him. When she pulled away, all he manage was, "You're pretty…"

Jackson stifled a laugh. "My name's Jackson," he told her.

"I'm Olivia," I said, waving.

"I'm Jess," Jess finished.

Katrina smiled at us.

"Help! Do we have a doctor?"

We all spun around. We ran to the man who had gained consciousness.

"My wife," the man was saying, outside an abandoned house. "She's inside. And going into labor."

Chapter 20

JESS

Let me just make this clear. I am not a doctor. I do not know how to deliver babies. But I sure as Hades didn't expect Jackson and Tyler to deliver it. I'll spare you the gory details, but after a while, Kat stepped outside.

"You might want to see this," I heard her say.

Jackson and Tyler walked into the house.

Olivia pointed at the new baby's sleeping face. "This is Carlos," she whispered.

The couple smiled up at me. "Thank you so much, Miss Deandre."

"No problem," I replied back, though I didn't have much fun.

Kat and Tyler stayed in the house with the couple, while Olivia and I stepped out to escort the villagers back to their homes. Jackson worked on putting out the remaining fires.

When Jackson returned, Olivia pulled him aside. She whispered something to him, and he whispered something back. She nodded and they walked back over.

"Sharing secrets?" I asked suspiciously.

"Come on, Jess," Olivia replied. "It's not like that."

I shrugged. Olivia seemed really close to Jackson now. I hoped she wasn't drifting away from me. Nah, that's not possible. Olivia's been my best friend for years. I couldn't possibly imagine her just dropping me like that.

Tyler walked out of the house with Kat, and I noticed they were holding hands. I didn't say anything.

"Hey, you guys," Tyler said to us. "I caught up Kat with the situation, and she wants to help."

She nodded. "I hope I can. I guess I'm okay at fighting. My mom's Khione, the goddess of snow." She shot an icy flurry into the air.

"Cool!" Jackson said.

"So listen," Tyler said. "I think we should… split up."

"What?" Olivia cried. "How? It always ends badly."

"If we're in a large group," Tyler argued, "we'll attract monsters like crazy."

Olivia let out a deep sigh. She pondered the thought for a second. "What groups will we go in?"

"Well, you three, and Kat and me."

"Why are you going with Kat?" I asked.

Tyler turned bright red. "Well, I-I mean… She… We're oldest?"

I laughed. "Whatever."

"Okay, wait," Olivia piped in. "I have a question."

Kat looked at her. "I have an answer."

"When Jackson and I were fighting the cyclops," she began. "I said, 'Please don't hurt me' out of force of habit, and he stood there for a second like he wasn't going to."

"Hmm…" Kat though for a second and pushed up her glasses. "Are you a child of Aphrodite, by chance?"

Olivia looked caught off guard. "Yes. Why?"

"Ah," Kat replied, as a lightbulb went off in her head. "You can charmspeak."

"Excuse me?"

"Charmspeak," Kat replied matter-of-factly. "It's a special ability only a few children of Aphrodite have. It influences the actions of others."

Olivia's eyes widened.

"Yes," Kat responded. "Very useful."

"Oh wait!" Jackson said suddenly, pulling out a small bag. "You know how to Iris-message?" he asked, looking at Kat.

"Yeah…"

"Good." He handed her a few golden coins. "These are drachmas. Shoot us an IM if you need anything."

Kat handed them to Tyler. "Do you have pockets?"

He stuffed the drachmas into his jean pockets. "Yeah, I got it."

"Well," I said finally. "I guess this is goodbye."

We exchanged hugs and turned in different directions.

"Goodbye for now!" Olivia yelled out.

"We'll keep in touch!" Tyler called back.

And with that, the three of us turned, walking toward a rising sun and an uncertain future.

Chapter 21

TYLER

I couldn't believe my luck. Our group had just met this gorgeous girl named Kat, she was around my age, and now I was alone with her.

"How old are you?" I asked her.

"14," she responded. "I was born on December 21st."

"I was born on August 16th."

"Cool," she said smiling at me.

I'm glad the conversation was over for now, because I probably wouldn't responded with something like, "Gah, geh, gah?"

"You close with your mother?" I blurted, then realized how rude it was.

"No," she responded coolly, like it didn't faze her. "She went crazy and tried to rule the world."

"I never knew my mother."

We walked for a bit and then saw a huge mountain in the distance.

"Whoa," I said. "Look how tall it is."

She took my hand and said, "Let's go explore it!"

She pulled me along the trail until we reached the base of the mountain. There was a large, iron door and it was jammed.

I tried pulling on it. I groaned in exasperation. It wouldn't budge.

"Here, let me try something."

Kat let go of my hand and flicked at the hinges. They instantly became covered in frost.

"Now try it," she ordered.

I placed my hands firmly on both sides and pulled with all my might. It made a small crack in the icy hinges.

Kat examined it and said, "Again!"

I pulled a final time and the door broke loose. It dropped it in the snow.

"Wow," Kat said, impressed. "Well, aren't you strong, Mr. Toughguy?"

"Nothin' much," I joked.

Kat laughed and pulled us into the deeper into the cavern. We walked a while. We saw frozen stalagmites all over. I told Kat not to touch them, just in case. We encountered a few hares and a couple wolves, but they didn't bother with us.

"So where are we going, exactly?" Kat asked me.

"Someplace on the edge of Massachusetts."

I told her about the note, the best I could remember and she nodded occasionally to show she was listening.

"So that's the scoop," I concluded.

"Tyler," she said, seriously. "I have to tell you something. Something I've never told anyone."

I nodded, and though I was nervous on the inside, I couldn't tell her that.

"My dad," she started. "The witch brainwashed him. And she thinks she brainwashed me, too. I told her I would go looking for the ones destined to kill her. I told her I would look for you."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked her.

"I trust you. My dad can't be there for me. I'm not safe. You're not safe. Oh, gods…"

She ran into my arms and I hugged her. She sobbed into my chest. I had to help this girl. I had to help her. I had to free her. I had to free her from this… curse.