"Mwommy! Look at what I cwan dwo!" The 5-year old, blonde headed, sea-green eyed girl yelled happily, playing with some water by manipulating it into shapes, "Dwaddy cwan dwo this too, wight?"

Her mother didn't respond.

"Mwommy?" The little girl asked, walking toward her mother, whose face she couldn't see but she could saw tears falling.

Her father came up behind her mother.

"Honey... It's for the better... she'll be safer there and that prophecy will most likely be someone else's if we hide her from it..."

"I know but..." her mother continued crying as her father picked her up, "I'm sorry..."

The little girl's parents took her to someone else.

"I know how much she means to you two. But this is to protect her. Remember that when you look at her." A hand swiped across the little's girl forehead...

I gasped, waking up. I breathed heavily until I remembered where I was, and then I relaxed. I looked at the clock and got up.

"Why do I keep having that dream...?" I mumbled to myself, annoyed a bit actually.

I sighed and got dressed then headed downstairs.

"Mom?"

No answer.

I walked into the kitchen and read the note that my mother had left on the refrigerator.

'Mazie,

Sorry for the late notice but your father and I got called in early for work today. Have a fun last day of school!

3 Mom'

I threw the note in the trash then ate quickly and headed off to school. While waiting for the bus to come at the bus stop, I started getting this weird feeling. Like someone was stalking me or something... but that thought was interrupted when someone jumped on my back. Kalli. She was my best friend, one of two that is.

See, I only have 2 friends, and they're both students that transferred in the middle of the year. Kalli Hunter was one, and I had to admit, she was probably one of the, if not the prettiest, girl I'd ever seen. Deep chestnut brown hair, like the deepest of that color I'd ever seen someone's hair ever get, always perfectly done, and bright brown eyes that were full of energy and sparkled. I didn't feel pretty much but next to her I felt hideously ugly. Oh and I'm not sure if "Kalli" is her real name. I would always wonder how I became friends with her. She had come to the school at the end of first semester and she just started talking me and we became friends I guess. Most people stayed away from me unless they wanted help with homework because I was "incredibly smart" as they put it. Most of them didn't know I had dyslexia but whatever. My second best friend came in the middle of this semester. His name is Zack Dodge. He's... an interesting guy. Sandy blonde hair and mischievous bright blue eyes, he totally had the "bad-boy" look going for him and he totally showed it... with a little fun. He loves pulling pranks. I can't count how many times he's gotten detention in his short time at my school. I have to admit, the pranks he's done, they've always been hilarious. He's pulled one on everyone but me and I really hoped that wouldn't change because it was the last day of school.

"Kalliiiiiiiiiii~" I complained, until she finally let go of me.

"Morning!" The girl chimed happily.

"You're happy this morning. What's up?"

"It's the last day of school and I'm going somewhere after school today!" She answered happily.

Well there go my plans of actually hanging out with someone during the summer. I guess I could still see if Zack would hang out with me. Speaking of the devil, he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Heeeey!" I complained once again that morning. I tried to push my way out of his grip but that didn't work to well since he was way stronger than me, "Let go!"

"Naw, I'm good," he grinned, until Kalli hit him in the back of the head with her bag.

"Let her go, idiot!"

"Ow," he replied simply, letting me go, and rolling his eyes.

Kalli huffed but talked to him.

"When are you leaving?"

"Tonight. You?"

"Same!" She grinned and he grinned back.

Wherever they were going, they both seemed really excited about it.

"What are you talking about?" I finally asked.

"Oh, just the camp we both go to for the summer," she said happily then realized she should probably add something else it seemed like, "It's really fun but it's really hard to get into. You, um, you..."

"You have to have some special talent and links to get in," Zack finished for her, with a look of hope.

I raised an eyebrow for a moment but shrugged and let the topic die.

"Whatever. So when do you guys come back?"

"A few days before school starts," Zack answered.

That settles it. Any plans I had thought might happen since I actually had friends now were ruined.

"Cool," that was all I could think to say.

They both nodded and then bus arrived and we got on. As usual, Kalli sat next to me and Zack sat in the seat across.

I remembered that feeling I had early at the bus stop on the way to school. The more and more I thought about it, the more and more worried I got. Kalli seemed to notice, I guess.

"What's wrong?"

"I just feel like something bad is gonna happen today," I told her and Zack looked over when he heard that.

Zack and Kalli looked at each other before Zack answered me.

"It's the last day of school. You're probably just getting excited for summer."

I knew it wasn't that but I didn't say anything about worries at all.

Nothing happened at school. Everything went calmly, until lunch. I got this weird feeling and drifted to the gym. I went inside. I walked to the center of the gym, not seeing anything. Then, on instinct I guess, I dove away as a giant dog, and yes I mean a giant dog literally, landed where I had been. I stood back up and stared at it. It growled at me then got ready to jump to attack me again but was distracted.

"Yo, ugly pup, over here!" Zack was here.

It growled again and turned towards Zack, then charged.

"Zack! Loo-"

"Oh shush," Kalli said, coming from behind me to stand next to me. When they had come into the gym, I don't know, but I was glad, "He'll be fine. This is normal."

"Normal?" I somewhat yelled. Sorry but I wouldn't count 'fighting a giant mutt' as normal, "How the heck is that normal?"

"You can see... Hm. I guess it's not normal but for people like us it is."

"Of course I can see it! I'm not blind! Who couldn't see it?"

"Mortals," Kalli answered as Zack killed the giant dog and came over.

"I don't think it was after us," Zack said, and I'm sure it was said to Kalli because she nodded.

Kalli sighed then smiled lightly at me.

"Well, aren't you a lucky one? Guess where you get to go."

At the end of school, Kalli had me catch a ride with her instead of taking the bus home. She said she already had her things in the car so we'd stop by my house and I'd pack whatever I needed. I just went along with everything. Kalli helped me pack so it went quicker and I left a note to my mom saying what happened (not in detail of course) and that I would be going to this camp that Kalli was taking me and also that I'd try to call them as soon as possible.

"Ready?"

I nodded and got back in the car with Kalli and my bag. The ride wasn't that long, maybe an hour. Her mother parked in front of a hill. Kalli explained that the camp was over the hill and that we'd go talk to Chiron. I just nodded. I thanked Kalli's mom for the ride and followed Kalli. There were a lot of kids. The kids looked at me curiously as we walked by. I kept my head down. I was always different from everyone else. I wasn't used to people even looking at me. She lead me to a big house where we found a man in a wheelchair inside. He opened his eyes and looked up when we walked in. His eyes locked on me.

"Ma—" he stopped himself. It sounded like he was about to say my name but I don't know. He continued, "Kalliope, who is this?"

"Sir, call me Kalli, please. This is—"

"I'm Mazie, sir, Mazie Bourne."

"She was at the school that you sent Zack and I too. A hellhound attacked her and—"

"That's all I need to know for now, Kalli."

"Mmkay, sir."

He looked at me again, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mazie. I am Chiron and I, along with a few others, run this camp, with occasional help of Mr. D now. We welcome you to Camp Half-Blood."

I didn't know what to do or say so I just nodded and said a small "thank you". Chiron smiled.

"Shy, are we? You were—" Again, he stopped himself, "Do you have any idea of who your god parent might be?"

I blinked. Gods? They really existed? It would explain that giant dog. If it really was a hell hound then it would make sense if the gods were real as well.

"No idea, sir."

He seemed to sigh as if he thought I was lying or had forgotten.

"Well you will probably be claimed by tonight at the campfire. It's part of the oath they made a while ago."

I just nodded again.

"For now, you can leave your stuff here," he then gestured to the wall and I set my bag down, "Kalli will give you a tour of camp. Until we figure out who your parent is, you'll stay in the welcoming cabin. It shouldn't take long to figure out who your parent is due to the oath."

"Do you want me to introduce her to some people too, sir?"

Chiron looked at me and took a while to respond, looking lie he was debating over something.

". . . Sure," he finally said and we left.

"Sooo, what do you think of camp?" Kalli asked, leading me back to the sword training area to meet the instructor.

"It's... interesting," I told her, "But I can kinda understand why you and Zack like this place a lot."

Kalli smiled and nodded. Zack appeared behind me and, as usual, wrapped his arms around my waist which led to the normal "Let me go!" and ending with Kalli hitting him in the back of the head.

"So," I said, right before we got to the sword training area, "The gods..."

"They're real," Zack said, "And all of us here are children, half-bloods, of them. I'm a son of Hermes, the messenger god, and Kalli here is a daughter of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty."

"Explains a lot about you guys," I commented. I knew quite a bit about the gods. I didn't really read about them or anything, it just seemed to come into my head that I somehow knew them but I wasn't going to say that. They'd think I was crazy, "Any idea on who my parent is?"

"Well," Kalli said, looking at me, "I would say you look like a child of Athena but..."

"You're eyes say differently," Zack finished for her, "Almost all children of Athena have gray eyes to go with their blonde hair and if their eyes aren't completely gray, they have gray in them. You're eyes... they're a weird green with no sign of any gray anywhere."

I sighed, "So is this a mistake then? What if I'm not—"

"You are a half-blood, Kenzie. You wouldn't have been able to get through the barrier around camp if you hadn't been one. Now come on. It's time for you to meet the swords instructor," Kalli told me.

There were 2 people next to the practice swords talking. They both looked at us as we came over. They looked at me, with what seemed like a shocked or worried expression but they seemed to mask it before Kalli and Zack noticed I guess.

"Hello, sir, ma'am," Kalli said.

"How many times have we told you not to call us that?" The man asked.

"We're not that old," the lady mumbled.

The man turned to me.

"I'm Percy—"

"Jackson," I said, cutting him off.

When I realized I cut him I immediately apologized. He just laughed.

"It's okay. How do you know my name though?"

"I... I don't know..."

He shrugged.

"Weird. But as a half-blood, weird things always happen."

I nodded lightly and looked at the lady.

"Annabeth... Annabeth Chase..."

"Jackson actually. We got married a few years ago," she corrected, "And I'm assuming you have no idea how you know my name either."

I nodded.

"What's your name?"

"Mazie. Mazie Bourne."