Hello everyone! This is my first time writing any sort of fictional story like this, so I apologize if it's not as good as you think it could be. I would really appreciate any sort of feedback you would be willing to give me, either positive or negative. Finally, thank you for reading! (Even if you don't want to finish, I thank you for giving me a chance)
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or anything like that.
Chapter 1: The Stage is Set!
It started out just like any other day of school. I met my best friends Esther and Brook at my locker before classes began to talk over our game plan. Today was the district-wide triathlon, and the top 3 finishers from each school got their own medal and a gift certificate to a restaurant of their choosing. I didn't really care about the rewards for winning. What I did care about was wiping the smirk off of Tiffany Lambert's face. The self-proclaimed queen of eighth grade had spent the last two years of her life ruining mine in various ways: convincing every guy who would pay attention to me that I was a drug addict, making fun of the second-hand clothes I wore, and even that I had no real home. That last point is funny because it was actually true. I had never met my birth parents, and was adopted by my new family when I was ten years old. I hesitate to use the term family there, because it's not what you would typically think. I live with my adopted mother Alice Rockwell. Her husband Mark left her shortly after I came to live there, and although Alice will never admit it, I know I'm the reason he ran off. The slam of a locker brought me back to reality.
"Are you ready?" a concerned Brook asked me.
"I think so" I replied. "I mean, I've only been training for this over the past 5 months".
"Well you really did need it, you couldn't even finish the first few times you tried" joked Esther. It was true. Swimming came naturally to me, as did any form of running. But bicycling felt so alien to me. I was convinced I would get a faster time running while carrying the bike than actually riding it. But all of my training had paid off in the last few days as I didn't completely fail while riding the bicycle.
"True, but I think I'm ready now" I said while giving them both a wink. "No one's going to see me coming." There was a slight crackle above our heads, then a metallic voice rang through the halls.
"All students participating in the district triathlon need to report to the large gym at this time. Again, all students participating in the triathlon today need to report to the large gym at this time."
Brook looked at me with a smile. "Sounds like it's time to show them what you've got. Good luck!" I gave them both a half smile before taking off for the gym.
As I cautiously pulled one of the double doors open, the voice of Coach Hummel washed over me. Silently cursing for being late, I slipped inside and made my way to the bleachers, hopefully going unnoticed. My attempt was in vain as Hummel raised an eyebrow at me but continued his speech.
"Now I'll say it again, the most important thing for you to remember out there is to stay safe. We've gone ahead and roped off parts of the lake for the course, just stay inside of the rope lines and you'll be fine. If you brought your own bicycle it will be waiting for you on the other side, otherwise you can choose one from the pool that we have obtained." A few chuckles were heard at his lame pun attempt. Inwardly I sighed. The rest of the kids in attendance surely had their own bicycles to use for the course, so I would be the only one having to borrow one. With my luck I would get the one with two flat tires. "The bike course is mostly over flat terrain except when you initially travel through the woods. Be careful of large tree roots and rocks and you should make it through there just fine. At the last checkpoint you'll dismount your bike and run to the finish. The running is all on a road so nothing should trip you up. There will be volunteers along the majority of the course to help if you run into any problems. Alright let's get out there and have some fun, and remember to stay safe!" Hummel yelled, getting an equally energetic yell back from the contestants. As we dispersed to the changing rooms I caught a glimpse of Tiffany, her silky black hair dancing on her shoulders as she walked. She had a smirk on her face as she turned away from one of the male competitors, someone I didn't recognize. He must have been from another school because I would have remembered a face like his. He had a large nose with a piercing, big lips and brown eyes. He was nearly a foot taller than everyone else and had a big body. Not big as in fat, but big as in "mess with me and I'll mess you up". The guy noticed my stare and his eyes narrowed, but was ushered into the locker room before he could approach me. I shook my head and tried to focus while changing into my swimsuit. Tiffany was laughing with several other girls at the exit of the locker room. She blocked my way when I made to leave. "Just where do you think you're going?" she smirked.
"To watch your sad little face when I win this competition" I returned heatedly. Her eyebrows arched upwards in surprise.
"That's some mighty big talk coming from a homeless girl" Tiffany said smugly. "My guess? You won't even make it out of the lake".
"My guess? Your perfect little clothes will be soaked with tears when I win and you won't even finish" I snarled back as I pushed my way outside. Tiffany yelled something after me but I ignored it, nothing she said was ever important. The lake was at the bottom of a hill about a half mile away from the school surrounded by forest. I walked down the trail enjoying the peaceful meadow around me. The sun was out and shining despite it only being ten in the morning. When I reached the edge of the hill I looked down and sighed with relief. The sun glinted off of the pristine blue water, bringing a smile upon my face. I could see the contestants all lined up in front of me, and in the distance the bicycles and volunteers on the other side of the lake. I knew I should go down and get comfortable by the water, but I wanted a few more moments to myself. A slight breeze blew across my face and brought with it a sweet aroma. I sighed in content before making my way down to the lake.
Most of the competitors were already there, including the guy with the face that only a mother could love. He glared at me as I arrived but looked away as Coach Hummel came over to me. "You'll be fine Marissa, it's only a 2 mile swim" he said comfortingly, misreading my facial expression.
"What? Oh right, thanks Coach" I said. What I didn't say was "What is that guy's problem? Why does he always give me a death glare whenever he looks at me?". I was shaken out of my thoughts by Coach Hummel telling us all to line up. There were less than 50 competitors so instead of doing two separate triathlons for both genders, the race organizers decided to just have one triathlon instead. We all lined up on the edge of the lake looking out into the peaceful water. I noticed Tiffany and her friends lined up several meters down from me to the left, and Ugly Face down a few meters on my right. I smiled. At least they would both get a good view of me leaving them in the dust. I prepared myself to dive into the water in front of me, my whole body tensed and waiting for the signal. After what seemed like hours, Hummel's voice boomed out: "GO!".
