My life has always been complicated, it has never been normal. Not even when I thought it was normal, wasn't it actually normal. I'm a human touch, a half-blood of a Greek god and former puppet of goddess named Hera's. Anytime I'm in the mortal world anymore I worry about spontaneously combusting into flames due any form of high emotion. I worry about monsters attacking and trying to kill me. Now I finally have a home, Camp Half-blood, where spontaneous combusting is okay, monsters are for "safe" training activities, and almost dying is just another Tuesday. At camp things were finally not complicated. Yet, I found myself leaving all that, my first now ex-girlfriend Calypso, my friends, safety, for one last chance at normal. Why? Beats me. Maybe I have high hopes that this time because I have more knowledge of who I really am, I would do better in the mortal world? Ha, well if that was it I couldn't have been more wrong.

I now found myself in the most unique and insanely complicated relationship of my entire life. I finally found someone that I loved and would do anything for. Then, before I knew, it she was gone. Literally, I lost her in Wal-Mart.

You see, the girl that I love is unique. I'm sure lots of boyfriends say that about their girlfriends but I can assure you, mine tops them all. Her name is Echo; she's technically dead, slightly transparent, and my biggest secret. Oh and she has to repeat the last thing she hears, but that's just a minor detail.

"Echo!" I called running down the girls section of clothing figuring that I might find her there. I tried my best not to panic, I had exactly 10 minutes to find her or I was totally screwed. "Echo, answer me please!"

"Hey."

I turned around to find a slightly large, African American woman. She had one hand on the cart and the other on a T-shirt she must have been looking at. All I could think was: Crap, I found someone else named Echo. What kind of bad luck is that?

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked.

I was taken aback. "Uh, What?" I asked stupidly.

"Does this look like a cave to you?" She asked.

I didn't answer.

"Then don't expect it to talk back to you, son. Got that?"

Oh, echo... as in echo. It finally clicked. "Right." I say "Yes ma'am, sorry about that."

She nodded and continued shopping, muttering about how video games melts the brain. I turned around and walked away trying to shrug off that embarrassing moment.

"Echo." I whispered I moved down into the food section. "Echo." I whispered again. "Where are you?"

"Where are you!?" A voice repeated in excited relief.

Without thinking I turned immediately towards her voice and almost ran right into a post.

"Echo?" I called again, maneuvering around the post.

"Echo." She repeated putting her hand on my shoulder.

All of a sudden I could see her outline, then her.

I grabbed her and gave her a hug. "I thought I was never going to find you."

She hugged me back "never going to find you." She repeated, her voice showing that she was worried too.

This hug must have appeared as extremely weird to the mortals walking past due to her being completely invisible to them. But I wasn't too worried. I made sure I was lined up just right that I appeared to be hugging the pole instead of nothing, because that's always more sane looking.

I let her go. "We better get going, and fast."

"fast." Echo agreed.

I ran down main hall of Wal-Mart, dodging in and out of people with Echo holding tight on to my arm. We made it out into the parking lot when Echo stop pulling me back. I turned towards her, puzzled. "What's wrong?" I whispered.

"Wrong." Said Echo. Her tone seemed scared and tense.

The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood up. A shiver ran down my back. I looked over my shoulder to where she was looking. My heart dropped. "He's here." I breathed

"Here." She whimpered.