Hey guys! So I decided to turn this into a series of one-shots instead of an actual story, because if I try to do a full story, I'm never going to get it finished. Instead, we're going to do this.

I

Reyna Wakes Up

Part I

When Reyna woke up, she wasn't sure what to think.

She was slouched down in a cracked leather bus seat, scrunched into the corner beside the window. Teens were lounging in the seats all around her, talking, sleeping, or talking in their sleep. They all looked to be about Reyna's age, fifteen or sixteen. Wait. What was her age?

Reyna shot strait up in her seat, the quick burst of panic disappearing as soon as it had come. For some reason, she didn't feel like she was supposed to be scared. She was Reyna. She was never afraid of anything.

But who was Reyna?

The girl sitting beside Reyna turned quickly and stared at her with a concerned gaze as she straitened up, stiff as a post. The girl had choppily cut brown hair and eyes that seemed to change color every second- from brown to blue to green and back again. She was wearing faded jeans and hiking boots, along with a fleece snowboarding jacket. Despite her situation, Reyna couldn't help but feel slightly jealous of the girl. Not so much to hate her, but even without makeup, the girl was beautiful.

"Hey, Reyna, you okay?" the girl asked.

Reyna just blinked at her.

The girl furrowed her brow. "Reyna, you-"

"Eyes up front, cupcakes!"

Reyna snapped her head around to stare up at the front of the bus. Standing beside the first row of seats was a big buff guy with a cap pulled low over his hairline so that you could barely see his beady eyes. With a sour face, a wispy goatee, and a set of spotless, tight clothes, Reyna had a feeling he was a lot more dangerous than his five-foot frame suggested.

Dangerous? What-

"Come on, Coach Hedge!" the boy sitting in the seat in front of Reyna cried. "You don't have to sit down when you're talking to us!"

The teen had curly black hair and a mischievous smile that immediately made Reyna want to check her pockets to check that nothing was missing, even if she wouldn't have remembered what was missing. His constant fidgeting offset his happy babyish face. The kid would not stop moving, and it was already starting to bug Reyna.

"I heard that, Valdez!" Coach Hedge yelled, scowling in their direction. His dark eyes fell on Reyna, and she lifted her chin to meet his gaze. He knew she wasn't supposed to be here, but Reyna had done nothing wrong. At least - not that she knew of. He frowned. Reyna expected him to shout at her.

Instead, he looked away and called to the rest of the bus: "We'll arrive at the canyon in about five minutes. Remember to stay with your partner and don't you dare give my a sob story about how you accidentally dropped your worksheet over the railing!"

Several of the kids snickered, no doubt opting to do just that.

Reyna stared out the window for a long moment, trying to figure out where she was. Outside was just a bunch of rusty-colored dust and a few cacti. They were in the middle of a desert. Reyna turned back to the girl beside her.

"Reyna?" the girl said again, worry shining in her eyes.

"Where am I?" Reyna asked. For some reason, she felt she should apologize, but she didn't want to. It just wasn't her. But then again, who was she to judge who she was if she didn't even remember anything?

The boy in front of them - Valdez - turned around and grinned. "Come on, Rey. I know you don't want to admit it, but we're all here for a reason."

"Don't call me that," Reyna immediately hissed.

Valdez held up his hands, palms out. "Sure, Rey."

"Leo, stop it, this is serious!" the girl whisper-screamed at him.

Leo grinned even wider, looking back to Reyna. "I'm here because I ran away six times. Piper is here because she stole a BMW. You're here-"

"I didn't steal it," the girl beside Reyna, Piper, shot at him.

"Yeah, yeah," Leo said. "You just 'convinced' him to loan it to you."

"Leo-"

"Valdez!" Coach Hedge called from the front of the bus, heaving himself out of his seat to glare back at them. "Got a problem back there?"

Leo only smiled some more. He winked at Reyna. "Watch this." Then he raised his voice and called, "What's that, Coach Hedge? I can't quite hear you! Mind using your speakerphone?"

Coach Hedge looked only too happy to oblige to the boy's request. He pulled a speakerphone off his belt and opened his mouth to repeat the lines to Leo, only for it to come out a Darth Vader voice. Kids all around the bus snickered as he frowned at the device before trying again. This time, it sent back a noise that sounded like a dying demon cat. The entire bus exploded into laughter. Reyna didn't even crack a smile.

"That's it!" Coach Hedge bellowed, stashing the speakerphone away again. "Back row has kitchen duty tonight!"

The bus-full of kids cheered. Leo half-scowled, half-smiled.

Reyna was starting to get edgy. But she still wasn't afraid. "Tell me now."

Piper and Leo stared at her. Then Leo laughed.

"Man," he said. "You sounded like Hitler just now. You would make a great world dominator, Rey."

Reyna glared at him. Piper put a hand on her arm, which Reyna snatched away with yet another accusing glare directed at her this time. Piper looked hurt.

"Reyna, did you hit your head or something?" she asked.

Reyna shook her head. "I don't remember."

Piper and Leo shared a glance. I seemed this Leo kid was finally taking this seriously. Piper looked back to Reyna. "What do you remember?"

Reyna thought for a moment. Then she said, "Just my name."

Leo and Piper looked at each other again. Then Leo grinned. He was no doubt about to crack a wise joke when the bus halted with a squeal and Coach Hedge stood again to face the rest of the bus. "Cupcakes!" he bellowed. "Stay with your partner! Move it!"

With a few grumbles and snorts, everyone managed to stand up, and soon, Reyna found herself standing in front of a red museum-like complex. To her, it was just a small building in the middle of nowhere with no point and no clues to her past whatsoever.

Reyna growled in her throat and Leo stepped up next to her. "I'll tell you what," he said. "Like I said, you don't think you got in trouble to get sent here, right? I don't know who since you'll never tell me- but apparently 'someone' got tired of you back home and decided to send you somewhere else where they didn't have to take care of you and your 'little problems'. So we get to stay here with the 'charming' Coach Hedge and go on cactus-covered nature trails and 'fun', 'education' field trips." He used air quotes five times total. Reyna was almost impressed.

Reyna stared at him. He stared back. They he raised his eyebrows. "Is it all coming back to you, or what?"

"No."

Leo grinned as Piper stepped up on the other side of Reyna. "Then I'll make I short and sweet. You're my servant. You get me what I want whenever I need it. You're my girlfriend too."

Reyna snarled at him and he backed off, palms raised in surrender again. "Sorry, sorry. Down dog."

Reyna 'tsked' at him and turned away. He was starting to get on her nerves. But Leo only got back in her line of sight. "Look, look, sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to make you mad. Geez, you're on edge today."

"Leo!" Piper snapped. "She's got amnesia or something, what do you expect? We have to tell someone!"

Leo snorted. "Who? Coach Hedge? Good luck with that, Pipes."

Reyna had to agree with him on that. The coach was yelling at the top of his lungs and blowing his whistle, trying to keep order in this group of 'juvenile delinquents.' But every now and then, he would glance back at Reyna, a scowl on his face as if her simple sneakers, jeans, and purple T-shirt had transformed into a bloody clown costume.

Reyna straightened up as Piper said, "Well, we have to tell someone! What if she's sick or-"

"Hey, Piper!"

A boy wearing a Dallas Cowboys jersey with his black hair slicked back into superman-style hurried over. He shoved Reyna away from her spot beside Piper and sent Leo tumbling to the ground. He threw an arm around Piper with a I'm-the-most-handsome-guy-in-the-world-smile and the girl scowled.

Reyna slapped him.

There was a moment of stunned silence as none in their little compact group of four didn't move an inch. His cheek was now red, as well as Reyna's hand. As the boy slowly turned to look at her, Reyna straitened and glared at him. She hated guys like him. In fact, she was just tired of guys in general.

Leo finally chuckled, breaking the still silence. "I think anyone but you would get the message by now, Dylan."

Dylan continued to stare at Reyna for a moment, searching her face as if trying to place her. For just a split second, Reyna thought she saw a flash of black, and evil glint in his eye. Then he smiled again and the vision disappeared. He said, "Nice to meet you too." Then he turned away with Piper still under his arm and moved in the opposite direction. Piper looked over her shoulder and glared at Reyna. Then they were too far ahead in line for Reyna too pay much attention anymore.

There was a moment of stillness before Leo burst out laughing. "Man," he chucked, wiping away a tear of mirth. "I only wish you'd done that earlier. Although, Piper's going to be pretty miffed when we get back to the dorms."

"Why would she be angry?" Reyna asked. A blast of cold air hit them as they entered the front of the red complex.

Leo stared at her. "You really don't remember?" he asked. When Reyna only stared back, he sighed. Then he said, "Man, we'll have to talk when we get back, considering Pipes doesn't rip your head off. Anyways, she likes to fight her own battles. Try and help her and you're as good as dead. It'd only be worse if they knew who her dad was."

"Why?" Reyna asked. "Who's her dad?"

Leo stared at her again. "You've gotta be kidding me. You don't even remember that?" Reyna shook her head. "Piper's dad is-"

"Listen up, cupcakes!" Coach Hedge called as the class stopped in a huddle group-line in front of him. He tried to use his speakerphone, but after it made a farting noise, he banged it on the floor a couple of times before raising it once more. "You're about to see the Grand Canyon! The skywalks isn't going to break, but for all our sake's try not to push anyone over the railing…Go!"

He hefted a silver baseball bat he had been lugging around and tapped it on his palm as if he were considering whether he should test his own statement about the skywalk. Reyna hurried by him as fast as she could.

The skywalk was in a horseshoe shape with a clear bottom, so Reyna could see the bottom of the canyon and the birds flying fifty feet below them. This far up, the wind blew unbidden. It felt almost peaceful, and familiar to Reyna.

Leo whistled. "Nice."

Reyna glanced over at him. Ever since they had escaped from the boy named Dylan, he hadn't stopped fidgeting. He kept pulling nuts and screws and springs from his pockets and slipping them together like pieces of clay. Reyna was almost amazed. Almost.

"So…" she asked tentively, and Leo looked over at her with a this stupid half-smirk on his face. "Are you my partner?"

Leo grinned wide. "Yep. I sure hope you have your worksheet, because I don't. I'm pretty sure I tore it up and used it as fuel a couple days back."

Despite his obvious familiarity towards her, Reyna didn't trust Leo, or Piper for that matter. They didn't seem to be out to get her, but something in Reyna was holding her back from smiling back at this boy who smiled so much. As they headed to the railing around the edge of the skywalk, Reyna made sure to keep at least a foot between her and Leo the entire time.

Reyna didn't do the worksheet. For one, Leo's nonstop movements were distracting, along with the storm that was picking up above them, which kept trying to rip her paper from her hands. Then, last but not least, her memory was gone. Reyna figured that would be pretty distracting to anybody.

Reyna finally looked over at Leo. "Are we supposed to be friends or something?" she asked almost accusingly.

Leo looked at her. No grin this time. "Well, yeah," he said. "Me, you, and Piper, we're all pretty tight. Losers have to stick together y'know?"

But Reyna didn't know.

Leo chuckled and threw something into the canyon. A little helicopter made of pipe-cleaner blades went whizzing across the canyon. It collapsed in midair and plummeted, but then the wind blowing around them picked the pieces back up and sent them straight back at the boy. He ducked with a "Whoa!" and they went soaring over his head, clanging into the canyon wall.

Reyna stared at him for a moment. "How did you do that?" she asked.

Leo straitened and grinned, brushing imaginary dirt off the front of his shirt. "It would've flown farther if I had rubber bands, but I did not do that little trick with the wind. Just a little spin of fate, I guess."

Fate. Fates. Parcae.

Ow. Reyna's head was starting to hurt. For a long moment, she felt as if a nail had been driven into her skull. Then the wisp of strange thought disappeared and the spike of pain went with it.

Reyna gripped the railing tightly and gazed out into the canyon. Beads of sweat rolled down her cheeks. What was that?

"Hey, Rey," Leo said, half grinning from his clever play of words and half frowning in concern as he gaze at her. "You okay?"

"Fine," Reyna managed, not even bothering to reprimhand him. Her squeezed the rail so tight her knuckles went white, but even then, her arms trembled horribly. There was something wrong here. There was something, very, very wrong about this whole situation. Reyna was suddenly on edge, and she wasn't sure why. Well, aside from the fact that she had completely forgotten who she was, she shouldn't have been so uneasy.

Reyna glanced around a the kids around her, her gaze running over Leo's face before moving to Piper, who was actually trying to do her worksheet but failing miserably because of Dylan's attempts to flirt with her. Her eyes traveled past a few more kids she didn't know, to Coach Hedge, who still had baseball hat in hand. He was staring uneasily at the sky.

Reyna started. She wasn't supposed to be here, but the only ones who seemed to know that were her and Coach Hedge. Maybe…

"I'll be right back," Reyna said, shoving the worksheet into his chest and walking by him briskly. She headeds straight for Coach Hedge. He didn't even spare her a glance as she stopped to stand straight-backed beside him.

"Is this your fault?" the coach asked her quietly, still keeping his eyes on the storm cloud that had gathered above them.

Reyna glanced up too. "No."

Coach Hedge finally looked at her, his dark eyes piercing. "Then whose fault is it?"

Reyna shook her head. "I don't know."

Coach Hedge growled and glared at her some more. "Look, kid," he said. "Just tell me what your doing here, how you got here, and who you are. Then things won't have to get ugly."

Reyna swallowed. "I don't know," she repeated.

Coach Hedge threw his head back and sighed exasperatedly. Then he stared back to Reyna. "You're not supposed to be here," he hissed.

"I know," Reyna said, nodding firmly.

Coahc Hedge just studied her now, sizing her up. "I don't know how you can control the Mist so well, kid, making all of these others think they know you, even the other two half-bloods, but you can't fool me. I know there's a monster in this group somewhere, but you don't smell like a monster. You smell like a demigod too. So where'd you come from? Are you part of the extraction team?"

Reyna shook her head again. For some reason, she felt like she should know what the guy was talking about, but she had no clue. "Look, I don't even know who I am, much less what I'm doing here. I need your help."

Coach Hedge only glared at her. "I don't recall offering you any."

"And I don't recall actually asking," Reyna retorted.

Coach Hedge snorted, and despite the situation, a small smile twitched up on the side of his mouth. "I like your guts." Then he peered at her sharply. "Are you the special package?"

Reyna shook her head. "How should I know?"

Coach Hedge chewed on his bottom lip. Then he seemd to come to a decision. "Look, I can't help you other than keeping you safe until the extraction team gets here. I don't know who you are, but I do know what you are, and I don't plan on leaving a demigod to play prey for any monsters. I'm already watching the other two half-bloods. Once the extraction team gets you to camp, you can figure things out there. Happy?"

Reyna hesitated for a moment. Then she nodded. But she had to ask, "All this stuff about half-bloods and demigods and monsters and camps. What is it all about?"

"You'll find that out at camp too," Coach Hedge answered. "Until that time, just stay calm and pray that nothing happens before then."

The wind picked up. The storm cloud swelled. The skywalks shuddered. Kids screamed.

"I just had to say something," Coach Hedge muttered. He glared up at the stormcloud as if it had stolen his cheesecake or something. Then he looked at Reyna. "Come on, girl." he said. "Let's try to keep you alive for a few more minutes."

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