Hi! I'm back with the sequel for A Trip Up North, the title may be changed if I can think of a better one. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the sequel and if you have any questions, comments, or tips just PM or review them, I'll answer as quickly as I can. :) Anyway, on with the story!

After living for about eighty years, killing more monsters than I can count and saving the world countless times I found myself facing down my biggest challenge yet: High school.

I know what you're thinking, what are you (an immortal wolf creature thing) doing in high school? Well, the answer to that is easy, I'm saving lives. Demi-gods to be more specific.

See, monsters can smell half-bloods, I am a monster, and therefore I can smell them. So I go to high school's and "stalk" demigods, making their satyrs nervous and bring them to camp, where I tail them at a safe distance and take down any monster trying to kill them, or at least try to. Not only that but I get to learn a little bit about the 21st century.

I mean, who cares if I only get F's? Or that I don't know how to turn on a computer? Sheesh, give me a break. You try not going to school for eighty years and see how well you do.

But on a more serious note I should probably tell you it's been a year since the Giant War and I am praying to every god I know of that there is no other war. But seriously, one can only take so much in a lifetime.

So anyways, right now I'm watching this girl, I think she's a daughter of Demeter, with the long brown hair and green eyes. We're in biology now, a subject she excels at. She's a little older than your typical unclaimed camper, around 14 and is already being stalked by another monster.

Her biology teacher to be exact.

I don't know what kind of monster he is but I know he's one, if I had to guess I'd say he was a Cyclopes, he's always wearing sunglasses, if he is he's one of those smart ones. Then again, a lot of monsters I don't know have come to New York since the Giant War.

I look around and notice her Satyr, one of the younger ones, probably on his first job. He has shaggy brown hair and he's writing down notes, occasionally glancing over at the girl worriedly. Anyone else might have thought he had a crush on her but I knew better. He could smell monsters, and since the school year was almost over the biology teacher probably wasn't going to wait much longer.

I was determined to get this one to camp, she was actually really nice and helped me pass this course, my first D- on a test was because she gave me notes.

The bell rang and I packed up all of my stuff, slipping it into my bag. I got up, ready to leave when I saw the biology teacher starring at the girl, I couldn't see his eye(s) but I could swear he was tempted to lick his lips. I had less time than I realised.

I left the classroom and felt the teacher's eyes on my back as I navigated the halls, trying to get to my locker. I could hear the girl chatting with her friends but I saw her glance back at the biology room, frowning.

She knew something was up, it was only a matter of time now. I felt someone staring at me and I turned to catch the eye of her satyr protector frowning in my direction. I gave him a smile and headed to my locker.

He knew I was a monster and I wasn't surprised, I had come in half-way through the year saying I was a transfer from Germany (I speak German), but I didn't have an accent because English is my first language. A bad excuse but hey, I'm trying to tip him off that there's another monster stalking her and to get her to camp, ASAP.

Anyway, Friday meant heading "home" and studying for finals. Strictly speaking I'm very proud of my home, I mean I spent a year collecting the boxes and finding that cot to sleep on. It actually has this cozy feel to it and I enchanted it so that mortals can't see it.

I headed there now, about five blocks from the school and four from the demigods place (I move around to stay close to who I want to protect to make late night rescue missions easier). There were two large TV boxes, along with a refrigerator box and a slightly ripped tarp pinned over it to keep the rain out. I found a cot at a garage sale and bought it for 5 dollars, I found the partially ripped quilt in the trash a few days later. I had an extra pair of clothes folded on the cot and a small stash of food in a box in the corner. Not the best way to live but hey, I've had worse. I could've stolen everything but I was trying (I had to steal food sometimes) to do better with my life. Be a better person and all that.

I knew I wouldn't be able to make up for all of the wrong doing in my life but I could try to balance it out with some good deeds, like saving lives and giving up – okay, try to give up – my bad ways. No one's perfect.

I looked at my food supply and realised I was running low, tomorrow was supposed to be scavenging day but I had exams to study for. So I got up and pocketed my money (ten bucks) and headed out.

I put my hands in my pockets and I walked towards the fast food places. Honestly, it's been so long since I had a warm meal I've almost forgotten what it tastes like. I snuck out to the back, pulling my hood up and lifting up the trashcan lid for extra's, I didn't want to steal from a convenient store, or waste my money. I'm trying to get new shoes, magic can only go so far.

Nada thing in the cans, not my day. I headed out of there, pulling my hood back down as I contemplated ways to get food. I had about two days more if I cut back more on food, and I was already cutting down. If I couldn't find food I wouldn't be eating tonight.

I stared at then coins in my hand, wondering if shoes were really practical. I could use something to hold water in, what are they called again? Oh well, I needed one of those and that teeth cleaning stuff. Maybe I could buy some seeds and try to grow some food this summer, it'd be nice to have something fresh.

The seeds could wait, right now I needed to find more food, there was no way I was resorting to "hunting". It's been almost a year since I've gone wolf mode and I was content to let the length grow.

I saw a trashcan sort of overflowing behind an apartment so I snuck over, slipping my hood up and taking my bag off of my wrist, I put the bag on the ground and dug through the trash, looking for anything I could use. I found an old (slightly musty) pillow case, a sowing needle (oh yes, I looked that hard), a broken flashlight (it has its uses), a bent spatula, an old – and big – t-shirt and a bronze knife.

I frowned, turning the blade over in my hands, it was in good condition, just needed a little polish. It was celestial bronze to be exact, so a demigod must live here or had lived here. Warning bells went off in my head as I began to fill my bag up with the supplies, wishing I could enchant it to hold anything I wanted. Oh how easy it would be but sadly enchantment wasn't my strong suit.

I put the dagger on my belt (one I found a few months ago) and kept rooting through the trash, it was filled with goodies, it was a goldmine. I found an old book and put it in my bag, a rare treat for me. I found a broken mirror and an elastic, score!

Then I heard the voices and I froze.

"I can't believe we're moving to New Rome in a couple of weeks." A girl said, the smile evident in her voice.

"No more monsters, quests, we can finally relax." A guy said and I stiffened. Demi-gods.

I began hurriedly packing up the stuff I had found when I heard the girl say. "Seaweed Brain, where's my knife?"

I froze, starring down at the dagger on my waist. I had to give it back, it was her weapon and she needed it to survive. But how? I couldn't let them see me, they might recognise me from the battles, or they'd talk about me, or maybe they'd realise I was a monster and try to kill me.

I don't know what one of those options was worse.

"You lost your knife?" The guy – Seaweed Brain – said, surprise evident in his voice.

"I set it on the counter." She countered. "It must have gotten knocked down." There was a pause. "What?"

"Maybe it fell in the garbage." Seaweed Brain said.

"The garbage?" The girl exclaimed.

"Mom took it out to so . . ."

"You have got to be kidding me." The girl mumbled.

Seaweed Brain laughed. "Come on Wisegirl!" He said. "You've faced down Arachne, Titans, Giants, even Tartarus! Don't let the garbage get the best of you!"

I put my hand over my mouth to stifle my gasp. Tartarus?! Oh wow, I defiantly didn't want to mess with them.

"Fine I'll go." Wisegirl said and I knew she was walking to me. "You coming?"

"Nope!" Seaweed Brain yelled, popping the p.

I set the knife on top of the garbage can and shoved items into my bag as fast as I could, I was just zippering it up when the girl walked around the edge of the building and I froze like a deer caught in the headlights of what you call cars.

She froze and starred at me to. I stood up and slung my bag over my back, clearing my throat. "Um . . . hi." I said, somewhat awkwardly.

"Hi." The girl said. She was tall, with curly blonde hair and startling grey eyes that seemed to be analysing me, and I saw the beaded cord around her neck that symbolised camp. She looked like she was about eighteen or so. Probably a child of Athena, the eyes seemed to be a common trait.

"Um, nice meeting you but I have to go." I said, slowly backing away.

"Wait." She said, making me freeze. "What's your name? I'm Annabeth."

"I'm not supposed to give my name to strangers." I said, blurting out the first thing that came to my mind. I just wanted to get out of there.

She smiled, looking like she was trying not to laugh while I chewed my lip. This wasn't good. I didn't need this, I had enough on my plate with the daughter of Demeter and food.

"Well, what are you doing here?" Annabeth asked.

"Passing through." I said.

"It looked like you were digging through the trash." She said, eyeing me. Crap.

"I . . . I was looking for my book." I said. "I found it."

She crossed her arms and I cursed myself for stuttering, I was supposed to be a good liar, why couldn't I lie to her?

"Listen, I was homeless once too. You can't fool me, did you run away from home?" She asked.

I stayed quiet. Not because she was wrong, but because she was absolutely right. There was nothing holding me back from going to camp (other than the magical borders), I didn't have to live on the streets. But after causing so much death I just couldn't bear to show myself, especially with this peace treaty with the Roman's. I had killed some of them.

I could never forgive myself for that and I had to do everything in my power to make it up somehow, even if it meant being homeless forever.

"It's okay." She said softly and I realised I was near tears. I cursed myself silently, wondering why I was breaking down in front of her. I hadn't cried since Jessica died, gods I missed her.

"I have to go." I mumbled, backing up.

"Wait." She said, but I turned and ran. "Hey wait!"

I sprinted down the street, my backpack thumping against my back and I was grateful I had taken my books out of it. I heard someone pursuing me and I ducked down an alley, using every shortcut I knew, but she kept pace. I had to get away somehow, I couldn't let her take me back to camp, not now, not ever.

I got desperate when she almost caught me and I dodged through traffic. Cars honked at me but the girl (Annabeth) didn't miss a beat in chasing me. I risked a quick glance back and saw her gaining. I ran a lap the building using alleys before ducking into a manhole and closing it above me, hoping to lose her.

I knew the sewers quite well (don't ask) so I easily navigated back to my little box house and climbed up about a block away and calmly walked over. Sadly I hadn't nabbed any food and that running made me hungry so I opened a bag of chips and ate while starting the book.

It had been owned by a woman named Sally Jackson, I am the messenger by Mark Zusak. It looked interesting enough and it would be challenging enough with my Dyslexia. I hoped there was no cursive writing.

I had to teach myself how to read again, it was a little hard but I remembered enough from my old life to help myself. The reason being is because I move around a lot, I've lived in many countries and learned their language, so reading English . . . well, I forgot.

When it started to get dark I closed the book, running out of reading light. I prepared to get ready for bed, cleaning up in the subway public bathroom and drinking the tap water. Then I headed up to the darkened streets and heading to my alley. I popped out my magical contacts and put them in their case, then I curled up on my cot, pulling the blanket up to my chin and falling into a peaceful sleep.

So, the first chapter :) I wanted to show the homeless demigod situation here, it was touched on a bit in the series with Annabeth, Thalia and Luke but never really explained. Anyway, I'll be sticking to my update every four days although that might change to three days depending on how fast I can type chapters. :) So, see ya in four days!