Hey guys, this is the first story I've written for this account. The other account I abandoned because I made a new email, and I decided to turn the story in a different direction because plot wouldn't make sense with the new books Riordan has published. This story has the same main character, just a different plot. I hope you guys like it, and if you don't like something, tell me so I can work on it.

I was looking at a mirror. I saw a tall, well muscled guy, with graying black hair in a buzz cut hairdo, and cold stone colored eyes. He had a pointed jawline with thin lips. He was wearing his usual clothes, a greenish gray hooded jacket with cargo pants and combat boots. He looked like he'd just been through a war zone, like he'd been through hell and back. That was okay though, right? He was home now, I was home. I was in my room in fact, with a bed, and windows, just like anyone else would have. It felt like a place any kid could have had to himself, but it was mine, all mine.

I kept staring at the mirror, like I was deep in thought. I don't know what the hell I could have been thinking about. As a kept staring at the mirror I noticed that my hands were starting to smoke, like someone poured acid on them. They were turning ink black. The mirror started shaking, and after a few seconds the entire room started to shake too. I stepped back with a worried expression. The walls started falling in, revealing grotesque bodies with red veins covering their purple, bruised skin all crawling towards me. Their eyes were gaping holes and where their noses should have their were only slits. Then the floor started drifting apart to the same disfigured creatures. All of their mouths were gaping with expressions of fear and pain. They were grabbing me, and pulling me down. They kept swarming me until I couldn't see anything, but hands and mouths biting and scraping at me. All I could hear were their moans. They tore me apart.

Damn, I have got to stop thinking about those dreams. If I don't, it could drive me insane. I need to just, focus on the good things, right? There's always some reason to keep going. Right?

I was on the eastern coast, somewhere. It was morning and It looked like it might have been somewhere around Virginia. It was hard to tell because after a while all the forests just blend together. I still couldn't believe how fast this thing was going. I didn't know what the heck it was, but I was going at a steady jogging pace all day so I should have caught up by now. Especially since I've been following since three days ago, I think. It's honestly it's getting hard to keep track. Either this thing wasn't human or it was getting a ride.

Every time I caught this things scent though, it just attracted me. Not in the 'let's hook up' kinda way, but the, I really want to kill you sort of way. I don't really have a name for whatever that feeling is, so in order to save time I'm gonna call it "shivers." The reason I'm calling it that is because every time I get that weird blood lust, I get a shiver up my spine. This isn't the first time I've gotten it. I've had this stupid curse for a long time actually. The shiver kind of tickles, and makes you feel happy at first. Then I start to break down because that's when that searing pain goes from the back of my skull and spreads through my whole body. If you stabbed yourself, shot yourself, then got stung be a giant bee all over your body you might come close to what it was like on a good day. The only way I can make this stop is if I kill whatever the thing, or person is I'm tracking. If I resist, it gets worse.

I hadn't stopped tracking it so It wasn't supposed to be hurting this bad. I think it means this one is different somehow. Even when I catch this things scent it smells really weird, kind of like sea salt. At first I thought it was just because I was getting close to the Atlantic, but that was two days ago. By now I was at least thirty miles away from the coast.

I was starting to get weaker I hadn't eaten in a long time, and my energy was starting to fade. I wiped the sweat from my eyes.

"Ugh," I said with disgust, "Damn it, are you kidding me?" I just stepped in a giant pile of crap. From the looks of it, it was deer droppings. I couldn't stop, or the pain would get worse. All I could do is keep going and hope for a puddle to splash my combat boots in.

I couldn't find a hint of water, but I eventually kicked it all off while jogging. It was about noon when I was starting to get too exhausted to continue, but then I felt it. It was close, really close. Maybe only 500 yards north. The pain went into overdrive, so I did too. I sprinted as fast as I could. I didn't get any renewed energy or anything, I just needed to get rid of the pain.

After a few minutes I came into a clearing. There was a guy about my age, a few inches taller than me, lean, had a mop of unruly black hair and an orange t-shirt. My instincts kicked in, whether or not I wanted them to or not. I blended into the shadows of the trees, not making a sound. Of course it was easier with the clothes I was wearing. The dark green and gray attire, blended almost perfectly with the trees, plus a few added enchantments. I pulled the hood of my jacket over my head as I climbed the nearest tree, and started jumping from branch to branch. When I got into position I notice the guy was talking to a naiad, and it looked like he was focusing hard on what she was saying, and very deep in thought. I slipped a Stygian iron throwing knife from the harness that goes over my shoulder and around my waist. I almost thought about setting a trap from the backpack sewn to the harness, so he could have a few more minutes to live, but the pain was becoming unbearable. I had to act now.

I moved only millimeters to position myself for the fatal throw. Three, I concentrated hard on the spot that the knife was going to land, straight into his heart, in between the ribs... two, I held my breath...one, I threw and looked away to shield my eyes from another murder that I was forced to commit. I waited for the thud that would finished my cursed trance, but instead I heard the ting of metal hitting metal. I looked back and the guy was holding a bronze sword. Where the heck did he get that. I know I would have noticed a giant glowing sword hanging from his waist or something.

Right then I got a little hopeful. The pain was gone. Maybe that could be it. Maybe I actually I failed at killing someone for once. I was completely okay with that, but I was only fooling myself. The shiver came back only a few seconds later. It was like it was teasing me.

It seemed like the master swordsman was staring right where I was sitting, but it was more like he was staring through me. He knew where the knife came from, but he couldn't find the guy who threw it. I was too well camouflaged. I knew if I moved at all he would spot me, but there was no point waiting here all day, even if the shivers would let me.

I drew a stygian iron kopis, a small curved Greek sword, from the harness on my back, right in between the gray backpack and the strap, and in a quick fluid motion, I leaped straight at him. I could only hope that I still had the element of surprise on my side, but when I swiped down with the kopis it was met with his bronze sword with one of his hands on the handle and another on the opposite end of the blade. I drew a throwing knife and went for his neck, but he pushed me off with the sword before I could. As I fell back I threw it, but he dodged it and it only grazed his ear. Seeing the small few drops of blood hit the ground only drove me more. I used the momentum from the push to do a backwards somersault to get onto my feet. He had recovered before me. I swung my sword to the right to knock away his strike, then I slashed across to the left in a spin while throwing a knife. He put his weapon along his body so kopis glanced off, and he ducked the knife. As I turned I blocked a swipe for my calf.

We spared on and on like this. Now I knew why the shivers were worse than usual, he was incredibly skilled, and really hard to kill. It was clear he was a better swordsman, but I had the advantage of a smaller blade for faster strikes, and throwing knives. I was already so exhausted from traveling though, and the throwing knives were running out. I had to get the upper hand soon.

He pushed me off of him again. I stumbled, trying to regain my balance. I was surprised when he didn't charge, because it was the perfect opportunity for him to attack. 'It didn't matter,' I thought, 'I just need finish this, and stop these damn shivers.' I charged, and what happened next surprised me even more. As I ran towards him, he ducked, like he'd just given up. I was about to finish him, but then I heard a whinny above me somewhere. I shouldn't have looked up, but on impulse I decided to be stupid. When I looked I saw a huge black hoof sailing towards my face, like it wanted to give it a really hard high-five. Crack. I saw stars, then just black, then nightmares.