I'm Emerald Ackerman. But everyone calls me Em. My mom said she named me Emerald because of my eyes. They're brown. Joking, they're emerald green. My best friends are Grover and Percy. To be honest, they're my only friends. I'm an only child, and my mother is single. Probably going to stay that way, since she's a drunk.

I'm twelve years old. I'm a... troubled child. My mom just calls me a freak. I go to Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled children. I was sent to the school after I sent a girl to the hospital when I was six. I've been here ever since.

Also, I'm a demigod. I found out after my mom got drunk and began to ramble about Greek gods and stuff. I told Grover about it the next day, and he told me what I was. I thought he was crazy at first. He proved it by bringing me to Camp Half-Blood. Grover's a satyr, a goat... man... thing. I met Chiron, who is also one of my teachers. Kinda weird, since he switches from having a body of a horse to a man in a wheelchair. At school, he's Mr. Brunner. He's my Latin teacher.

I don't know who my father is. (My father is my 'godly' parent) He hasn't claimed me yet. And it's been almost a year since I found what I had godly blood in my veins. Percy's a demigod, too! But he doesn't know it yet. He's obviously the son of Poseidon. Have you seen him in the water? It's crazy.

Today the sixth graders are going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the Roman and Greek displays. I thought it would be fun. Some people would think that, too. But some people haven't met Nancy Bobofit.

On the way into the city, the ginger bitch kept throwing pieces of her weird sandwich at Grover. He's kinda an easy target. He's a scrawny crippled kid with a beard. I could tell Percy was ready to slap the chick. But he can't... sadly. Percy's on probation. If he causes a problem, he's suspended.

"I'm gonna kill her." Percy mumbled.

"It's fine. I like peanut butter." Grover joked, trying to get Percy to calm down.

Nancy threw another piece and Percy stood up, "That's it."

I grabbed his hand and pulled him back to sit down, "Percy, you can't."

"She's right, man. You're already on probation. You'll know who gets blamed if anything happens." Grover replied.

"There are twelve Olympian Gods. The big three are the brothers Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. They obtained power by overthrowing their father, Kronos. Chopping him into little pieces. The three gods have been rivaled ever since. Always arguing, always threatening war." Mr. Brunner said, "On several occasions they would come down to Earth and, um, how shall I put this?"

"Hook up?" Grover suggested and some of the kids laughed.

"They would hook up with mortals." Mr, Brunner continued, "The children of these unions were half god and half human. Can anyone tell me what they were called? Percy?"

I looked over at Percy, who had headphones in his ears. I nudged him,

Gods, why can't he just pay attention? Maybe his grades would be higher if he did.

"What is the proper name of the offspring of a god and human?"

"Demigod." Percy answered.

"Exactly, and many became great heros. Like Hercules, and Achilles, came you name another?" Mr. Brunner asked Percy, "Let me give you a hint. You have something in common."

Percy eyes searched around the room before he looked back at our Latin teacher, "Perseus."

"Very good. You're all dismissed for lunch."

Grover, Percy, and I sat on a fountain away from the other kids, and I watched as Nancy stole things from tourists. She always gets away with everything! Mrs. Dodds, our pre-algebra teacher, never punishes her. In her eyes, Nancy is an angel. If she was, she wouldn't be going to this school.

There was thunder above me and I looked up. Since Christmas, the weather's been weird here. We've had snow storms and flooding along with wildfires caused by lightning. I don't know why, but I don't have a good feeling about it in my gut. Or that's the weird brown stuff I just had for lunch.

I heard footsteps and I looked up and saw Nancy with her friends standing in front of us. In her hands was her lunch, and she dumped it all over Grover.

"Oops." She smirked.

I wanted to punch it off her face.

"You bitch!" I exclaimed before water from the fountain behind me grabbed Nancy and pulled her in.

Oh gods, Percy.

"Percy pushed me!" Nancy wailed.

The kids around us began talking about the water grabbing the brat and Mrs. Dodds appeared. She told the crying girl that she'd get a new shirt at the gift shop and blah blah blah. Once she calmed Nancy down, she turned and glared at Percy.

"Now, honey-"

"I know, I know, a month erasing workbooks." Percy interrupted.

Bad move, Seaweed brain.

"Come with me." Mrs. Dodds ordered.

"Wait!" I stood up, "It was me. I pushed her in."

She glared at me and I glared back. I wasn't going to give in to her.

"I don't think so, Ms. Ackerman."

"But-"

"You. Will. Stay. Here." She hissed.

Yeah, she hissed. Like a snake.

"Thanks for trying." Percy whispered to me.

"Honey, now." Mrs. Dodds demanded.

"Better go before she bites your head off." I said to Percy and he chased after her and into the museum.

I walked up to Nancy, "Hope it was worth it, you little brat. If you keep that act up, you're not gonna get anywhere in life."

As I walked into the museum, thunder shook the building.

"Ms. Ackerman."

I turned and faced Mr. Brunner, "I'm worried about Percy." I told him.

"He's with Mrs. Dodds, is he not?"

I nodded, "Yeah. That's what I'm so worried about. I don't think Mrs. Dodds is human."

We heard this screeching sound from the Greek and Roman section of the museum. I looked at Mr. Brunner once again and saw a pen in his hand.

"What's that?" I asked.

"No time for explanations. Go! Give this to Percy!" Mr. Brunner exclaimed and I took the pen and ran.