Part 1: Introduction, and what the hell is that?

Yasmine's POV

I was walking home from a party that one of my good friends had thrown. It was a little after 11 p.m. and I was pulling a gallant move, insisting that I walk myself home. I didn't have on the best of walking shoes: 5 inch black stilettos, to match my purple, pink, and light blue flowered dress, pink sapphire necklace that my mother had given me for my 16th birthday, and a knitted black shrug. I kept close to the bush-lined sidewalk where I could see the lights of the houses in the neighborhood that were still on. Out of nowhere, something jumped out at me, startling me. I yelped out, tripping backwards and almost breaking the heels off of my shoes. A rough, gravelly voice laughed.

"I see we have a winner. You smell like Jackson." He had a strong French accent, so he mangled the 'J'

"Like who?" I asked, having no earthern clue on what he was talking about. I jumped up onto my feet, composing myself better.

"Like Jackson. You won't need to know anything about him."

"Who are you?" I hissed slowly backing up. A spike thing flew past me, whooshed through my hair, and embedded itself into the tree fifty feet behind me. The guy stepped into the streetlight. He had a face full of grey stubble and heterochromia: one blue eye and one green one. He was tall as well as imposing.

"Dr. Thorn." he stated plainly as another spike flew past and grasped my shrug, ripping it off my shoulders.

"What the hell man!" I yelled, yanking one of my shoes off, preparing to defend myself.

"Don't come any closer." I shouted, shaking the shoe threatingly at him. I tried not to let my voice waver, but I knew he could tell I was scared. He chuckled darkly.

"Who is going to stop me?" Dr. Thorn asked.

"I am, Thorn!" another voice yelled; a male voice. Out of the shadows - where I'm sure nothing was before - stepped a black-haired, tanned boy about my age. His literally black eyes flashed with the ultimate hatred, but I would say that his most defining feature would be the solid black, three foot long sword he held in his right hand.

"Well, well, lookey here, Yasmine, at who decided to drop by."

'How does this freak know my name?'

"How's your sister Bianca, Nico?"

Nico snarled. Must be a touchy subject.

"Very dead, you ancient piece of shit." I cringed. Yep, definitely a sore subject.

"Good, she should stay that way." Suddenly, Dr. Thorn was gone and in place of him was a huge, lion-like chimera creature? Nico dodged the thorns that Dr. Thorn flung at him and while he was preoccupied I chucked both shoes at him. He roared and spun on me. Suddenly, a silver arrow sprouted from Thorn's neck. No, it didn't sprout from there, someone had shot it. Another arrow found his ear and then Nico jumped up and sliced his head off, decapitation-style. The lion disappeared in a puff of smoke and the dust settled in piles on the sidewalk.

"I didn't need your help, Thalia." Nico turned and glared at something in the darkness. A dark-haired, gothic looking girl jumped down out of a tree. Her ice blue eyes and spiked jewelry gleamed in the streetlight.

"Yes, you did, Nico." she countered. She turned to me.

"Good work, kid. The Hunters could use you." I cocked my head to the side.

"What 'Hunters?'" I asked, having no clue what she was talking about.

"Never mind. Come on Nico, we have to get her to camp and YOU need to come on back to camp."

"What camp?" I asked. I didn't do well in the outdoors.

"Well it's kind of in Long Island..." Nico started.

"Long Island! Dude, this is Mississippi. Long Island is at least 20 hours from here!"

"Damn." Thalia said as the dust started to shift.

"No time to argue. Hey, fancy girl, what's your name?" I pointed at myself dumbly and she just nodded.

"I'm Yasmine."

"Ok Yaz," she said, immediately deciding to use my nickname, "follow me! Nico, I will drag you to camp if you don't come on!"

"Yes ma'am." he said sarcastically and followed us. Thalia started running to a car parked a few blocks down. Since I had lost both shoes to Thorn, I ran almost as fast as she did, my bare feet barely touching the ground. When I opened the door to get into the backseat, Nico immediately picked me up and settled me into the front seat. I gave him a confused look.

"Safest place." he explained.

"Ok, how?" I asked.

"You'll have someone beside you and behind if anything were to...happen." he said. My mouth formed an 'O' and I gave an understanding nod.

"Hold on, kids." Thalia announced. Before I had a chance to ask what she meant by that, she floored it and sent me crashing into the window.

"Owww.." I whined.

"I warned ya." Thalia said, looking straight ahead. I swear I heard Nico chuckling from the backseat. I ignored him and laid my head on my palm and leaned against the window, falling asleep in seconds, the roar that sounded somewhere far off barely audible in my ears.

Fin.