Chapter 1; JUMPING
Rachel Elizabeth Dare. 18yrs
I'm late, again. You'd think that after 2 years at "Clarion Ladies Academy" (I'm really starting to hate that name. They should change it to "Clarion Losers Academy") that I'd at least come to my classes on time. But no, not me, And I'm not even going to hurry to my class. But unfortunately, I'd get there eventually. I wish the headmistress would give us more time to spend on our own. I've been here for two years and I've hardly seen this city. I can't wait to graduate and go back to New York.
Don't get me wrong, London's great and everything but I miss New York… Dad won't even let me spend the summer at camp half blood. I only get to spend 2 weeks there. Only 2 weeks of joy during the year. Of course, Annabeth and Percy come to visit sometimes, always together. Even Nico drops by every to see me now and then. And he can shadow travel straight into my room and stay for as long as he likes. My roommate doesn't mind him at all; she doesn't even ask how he gets in. At first it was a bit weird having Nico around but I'm so grateful that he comes so often…This school is too boring without him.
"Thank you for joining us, Miss Dare." said the teacher when I reached the class.
I apologized quickly and sat on my seat.
Miss Young cleared her throat.
I looked up.
"Would you like to tell the class where you've been?" she asked
"No." I replied
I hate this teacher more any of the others… Miss Martha Young, known as Polly by teachers.
"Rachel Elizabeth Dare," said Miss Young.
She said it in the tone you would use to scold a toddler who has done something wrong. I could almost hear her say 'Tut Tut' or something in the end.
"How many times have I told you to give an explanation every time you apologize to me?" she asked
"I don't know, Miss, I didn't count." I replied.
She frowned. I was getting on her nerves. Hurray! This was another thing about school that I enjoyed. The best part is that she can't do anything about it. Dad doesn't care about what happens as long as I get good grades and my grades are pretty good.
"Where were you when the class started?" she snapped
I was in the library, writing a book on what all a new half blood should know about. Of course, I wasn't going to say that.
"I fell asleep in the library." I said
She shook her head.
"If you had merely said you were in the library, I would not have questioned you further. But now that I know that you are so very sleepy, you shall retire to your room an hour early." She said and then turned back to teach the class.
"Lucky!! You get to miss the ball!" Mandy said to me. Mandy was my class partner and my roommate. She was also forced to come here as well. She's the only decent person I've met so far. Some of the girls are stuck up brats who of course love going to parties where they can meet new people to suck up to.
Every 4 months, the school either hosts or takes the students for a ball or some party. These parties are only slightly better than the normal school night. Though Mandy and I much rather just sit in our room and do something we actually want to do.
"I'll get in trouble as well. Then we'll have so much fun!!" said Mandy, excited.
I smiled.
"Aren't you already in trouble…for missing the ball last time?"
Mandy's face fell.
"Oh, yeah...I forgot about that." she said
"Cheer up; it's not that bad to go to." I said, even though it totally was.
"But I'll be all alone, it will be so boring!" whined Mandy
"You'll have Sarah." I said, "She's okay to be with."
Sarah Clinon was my second best friend in this school, the first was Mandy. Even though Sarah liked the school and paid attention in every class, she was a good friend to have and she didn't suck up to the teachers.
"I guess you're right." Sighed Mandy
I smiled
"I'm always right."
-
After class, I quickly gathered my books and headed back to my room. Mandy walked with me, talking continuously. I wonder if she was aware that I wasn't listening. I just couldn't wait to finish this book. I only that 1 chapter lef-
BAM!
"Are you alright, Liza?" asked someone.
I didn't know exactly who was talking; all I knew was that my head hurt and I wasn't Liza. I rubbed my forehead and sat up. I opened my mouth to say I wasn't Liza when he (I figure it was a male voice) interrupted again.
"What's wrong, Liza?" he asked again.
I realised I was on the floor. I looked around and saw another girl sitting on the floor staring at my books that had fallen along with me. I quickly gathered them but I was not fast enough. The other girl picked up my half written Greek book and stood up. The boy standing next to her started at her wondering what's wrong.
"Can I have my book back?" I asked, rather rudely, considering that I probably banged into her.
She handed it over, still staring at it.
"Sorry," she said and then softly added, "The letters aren't moving."
"Well, of course they're not moving. Why would they?" I asked her.
She looked surprised at my answer. I don't think she knew I heard her.
"Sorry about banging into you; I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." I said.
"Neither was I." She said and then smiled.
"Can I see that book again?" she asked.
Mandy tugged at my arm.
"We're getting late..." she said.
"Maybe some other time." I said to the other girl and turned around and walked off with Mandy. Something about the way she looked at the book kept bothering me.
Sarah came up to us and asked, "Do you know who that girl was?"
"No." Said Mandy
"Does it matter?" I asked
Sarah gave us a disapproving look.
"Don't you know anything? That was Miss Young's daughter and son. You didn't say anything mean to them, did you, Rachel?"
"Of course I didn't, why would you assume that?" I asked, pretending to be offended.
Mandy laughed. "What were you thinking, Sarah... You know that Rachel never snaps at strangers when they get in her way."
Sarah looked at us with a blank look, "I thought she did."
I sighed
"Come on Sarah, sarcasm is totally wasted on you."
We walked to the next class together. Mandy and Sarah talked about what they were going to do at the party tonight while I thought out the last chapter of my book.
................................................................................................
I sat on my bed fidgeting with my pillow while Nico read the book.
"Did I miss anything?" I asked
"No...I don't think so." He said. He closed the book and handed it back to me.
"I like the title."
"So, did you find anything on the doors of death?" I asked
Nico nodded.
"I'm not sure about it but I think I may have something."
Knock knock
Nico and I looked at each other
"Could it be Mandy?" asked Nico
I shook my head and then threw my blanket over him
"Hide!" I whispered and went to open the door. Boys aren't allowed in the academy. It couldn't be Mandy because she had just left; she won't be back so soon. I opened the door, no one was there. I was sure I heard a knock so I stepped out. I looked around, just to be sure.
A girl stepped out of the shadows. Actually, she fell out and steadied herself.
"Can I help you?" I asked, just to be polite.
The girl nodded and turned around, dragged a boy into the hallway, marched into my room, waited till I stepped back in and quickly shut the door.
I looked at her carefully. She seemed normal, she was wearing a shirt and shorts, she had a bag across her shoulders and she was clutching the boy's hand hard really hard. But she didn't look like a half-blood running from a monster and she wasn't a monster herself. In fact, when I looked more carefully,
"You're the girl that banged into me!" I cried
"You're bed has shoes!" she cried
Huh?
I turned around and pulled the blanket of Nico.
"When I said hide, I meant your feet as well!" I told him
Nico sat up
"Sorry."
The boy turned to the girl,
"I thought boys weren't allowed here." he said
"They're not." Said the girl
The boy turned to Nico
"Then how did you get in?" the boy asked
Nico stared at me helplessly. This girl was a teacher's daughter. She might tell her mother that Nico was here. But what was she doing here in the first place?
"Excuse me, but who are you?" I asked
The girl looked at me.
"Eliza Young." She said
"That's my brother Logan."
"Okay... So what are you doing here?" I asked
"That book, can I see it again?" she asked
"Why?" I asked
Eliza looked at her brother. He was younger than her, about 8, I guess. She was 13, I think. And whatever she wanted to discuss, she didn't want to do it in front of him.
"Who are you?" she asked me and Nico, who had been sitting on the bed silently till that moment.
"Nico Di Angelo." He said
"Rachel Dare." I said
Logan ran over to Nico and grabbed his sword.
"Cool!" he said
"Is this sword real?" he asked
"No, it's fake." said Eliza
"Yeah it's completely fake." Said Nico
I turned to Nico,
"Why don't you both go out and see how fake it is?"
"Yeah, go do that." Said Eliza
Nico shrugged and walked out and Logan followed him.
"Could you see the sword too?" I asked
Eliza sat on the bed and nodded.
"I keep seeing these...things..." she said, "I don't know what they are but I can see them, Logan sees them, Mom sees them and that's it and no one else sees them!"
"What makes you think I can help you?" I asked
"I don't know...it just so....ugh! You know?" she said, jumping up from the bed and walking around my room.
"No, I don't know. Look, if you're lost, I can take you to your mom's room." I said
"No! Mom doesn't know I'm here and she's not going to find out. Okay?" she said and then suddenly walked over to my bed and picked up the Greek book.
"When I told my mother that the series of storms 2 years ago was caused by a monster, she said that it's not good to have such a wide imagination. But she saw it too; it came on the news, a video footage of the storms... and this monster was causing it!" she said and opened the book to the page on Typhon and shoved it in my face.
"And because you this book, you have all the answers, my mom won't tell me anything." She finished.
I thought about it. If she saw Typhon then she is either a mortal who can see through the mist or a half-blood.
"That's not all." she continued, "I'm dyslexic but the words in this book, I can read them normally."
"You can read Greek?" I asked
"No, but if I did then I would be able to read normally. That doesn't make sense... I can read Greek but not English!"
Actually that makes a lot sense.
"Is Logan dyslexic too?" I asked
"He was, but mom made him take extra classes when he was younger so he's fine now. We didn't notice my dyslexia till a year ago."
"Do you have ADHD?" I asked. Those were the 2 main characteristics of classification of a half-blood; Dyslexia and ADHD. And other stuff but these were the most common.
"Logan's is more noticeable than mine."
Okay...
"Who's your Father?" I asked. I knew her mother.
"I don't know. Mom wouldn't tell me. She keeps saying that he's watching us from the skies so I guess he's dead." said Eliza
"Is there a point to these questions? I don't like leaving Logan with a kid with a sword." She said.
"I know the swords real and I'm not sure I want Logan playing around with it."
She can't be a half-blood. She just can't. She is the daughter of my teacher! She can't be a half blood. In fact, if she was a half blood shouldn't she have been claimed by now? She's 13, right?
"How old are you?" I asked, just to be sure
"I'm 12 and a half. I'll be 13 in a couple of weeks." She said
Okay, I took a deep breath. She was an unclaimed half-blood. I should at least tell her that.
"You know about the Greek gods and everything, right?" I asked
"Yeah... somewhat." She said
"Well, it's all true, Greek gods are still alive and-"
"NO WAY!"
I turned around and saw Mandy standing in the door way, her mouth wide open, staring at me and Eliza with wide eyes.
"You're joking right?" she asked
I hesitated. Mandy was my best friend, if I had to tell someone, I'd tell her, but I can't tell her the truth and I didn't want to lie to her.
She took my silence as a 'yes'
"It's true?" she asked
At that moment, Nico and Logan ran into the room and quickly shut the door behind them.
"We have to go." Said Nico
My first thought was monsters. I looked at Nico; a slight nod from him confirmed it. Monsters were after us; All four of us.
"What about them?" I asked meaning Eliza and Logan
"Are they half bloods?" he asked leaning against the door as if trying to stop the monsters from entering.
Logan went over to Eliza who was sitting, still absorbing what I had said earlier, and took her hand.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"That's what I would like to know." said Mandy
"Rachel!" said Nico. I heard a pound on the door and Nico was almost thrown forward but he steadied himself. I quickly ran over to help.
"How many?" I asked
"Just one for now. The other 4 are on their way." He said
Logan and Mandy came over to help us with the door; if the other monsters get here then we will get hurt. Mandy will get hurt. This didn't involve her. she shouldn't be here.
"We have to go." I told Nico
"How?" he asked, "In case you haven't noticed we're blocking the only exit."
"The door is starting to crack!" said Mandy
"What should we do?!" I asked no one in particular.
"We jump." said Eliza. She walked over to the window and pointed outside.
"We jump." She said.
Crazy. This girl was crazy. The truth may have been too much for her. Poor girl.
"What about Mandy?" asked Nico
That's right. We can't just leave her and go. She might tell someone.
"The mist." I suggest. I didn't like the thought but it was the only option.
"No mist! Whatever that is, Rachel, I won't tell anyone, you can trust me, can't you?" said Mandy.
The pounding on the door was getting harder to suppress.
"What will you tell everyone when I mysteriously disappear along with our teacher daughter?"
Mandy was silent.
"You were kidnapped by thugs and so was I." said Eliza, peering out the window.
"We're on the third floor but if can get into that balcony we can climb down." She continued
"Thugs?" asked Mandy
"Yeah, thugs, kidnappers, same thing. You were knocked out and they came in and took Rachel and me, you didn't see them and you have no idea where we are. Okay?" said Eliza now walking over to the door and helping us.
Mandy nodded
"That's a good idea but where are you going?" she asked.
"Away from here." Said Nico and stepped forward, took out his knife and cut Mandy's forehead.
"Are you crazy, Nico?" I screamed. He just stabbed Mandy in the forehead!
"Relax, Now she looks like she's been hit by the "Kidnappers""
"He's right it doesn't hurt. The blood's just for show." said Mandy
The was a really hard pound on the door and we all fell forward. Logan, Mandy and I fell but Eliza and Nico managed to stay standing. They pulled us up as we made our way to the window. Jumping out was our only option.
Mandy stared at the beast in the doorway.
"That's a monster?"she asked.
"Remember, security guards are good, others are not." Said Nico.
I understood what he meant but I don't think Mandy did then.
The monster advanced forward. The thundering footsteps behind him reminded us that more were coming.
"Mandy, hide." said Nico and jumped out the window. Logan followed immediately. Eliza said "Please don't tell my mother about the Greek stuff." And jumped out.
I ran to the window sill.
"Don't call my cell phone. Don't mention Greek gods. I'll tell you everything when I get back and the password is "Blue hairbrush.""
Those were my last words to Mandy as she threw the blanket over herself in order to hide and I jumped out the window.
I closed my eyes tightly. Nico jumped first, He must have some plan and I was just going to have to trust him. I'm glad I did, because I didn't hit ground like I was expecting myself to. Instead, someone caught me.
Eliza screamed.
I opened my eyes and looked around. I was being held by a skeleton. I should have known that Nico's skeletons would be waiting for us here. Unfortunately, Eliza had no way of knowing that these weren't enemies.
"Eliza, they aren't going to hurt you." I said.
"I know." She screamed, "But they're creepy!"
"They're so cool!"said Logan, as the skeletons let us down.
"Come on people, move it!" said Nico, hurriedly running away from where we were.
"Monsters still after us, remember?"
Eliza, Logan and I ran after him as fast as we could.
"What about the skeletons?" asked Eliza as she caught up to Nico.
"They'll hold off the monsters for while."
"Can they do that?"
"They're dead. I think they'll manage." he said
"How did you summon them, anyways?" asked Logan. He was running right next to me. It was kind of sad how I could only run as fast as an eight year old boy but they don't exactly teach you how to run at a Ladies Academy.
"How did you do that?" he asked again.
"You remember how I said that gods were real?" I said. It was hard talking and running at the same time but I managed.
"Yeah..." said Eliza
"Well, they reproduced with humans."
"They can do that?" she asked
"But wouldn't that mean that their kids would-" she stopped running and stared at us.
"It's time for a proper introduction." I whispered to Nico.
"Rachel Dare, Oracle of Delphi." I told her.
Logan looked expectantly at Nico. Eliza just stood there with here hands on the knees, catching her breath.
"Nico Di Angelo." said Nico, "Son of Hades."