January 8, 2015
I guess I should start this journal with the day everything went wrong. The day I tumbled headfirst into the world of Greek myth. Literally.
. . .
It was a drizzly April day almost four years ago. I was reluctantly shuffling home from my middle school in a glum mood that matched the weather.
Some kids ran past me, probably third graders, splashing in puddles and shoving me off the sidewalk into an alley between buildings. I regained my balance and stepped out onto the sidewalk just in time to be pushed down by a second group running after the first. I jumped up with my fists clenched. "Watch where you're going jerks!"
The group stopped and turned around. I took a closer look. They were older than me, but probably only by a year. And there were four of them.
The biggest one sneered. "You should stay out of our way little kid."
The smart thing to do would have been to shut my mouth and walk away. But I've never been good at that kind of thing. "I'm not a kid and the only little thing here is your brain." I growled. "Good thing your BO is double the size to make up for it."
Two of the boys laughed and shoved each other. The big guy glared at them.
He cracked his knuckles, turning his attention back to me. "You better take that back. Or else." He clearly expected me to be scared, which just made me angrier.
"Or else what? Your feelings will be hurt? They can't hurt worse than looking at those gargoyles you have for friends."
"That's it." They charged forward, pushing me back into the alley and against a wall. My anger was quickly melting to fear. Their shadows loomed over me. "You should have kept your mouth shut."
I stared at the ground, watching their shadows fall over me. I silently prayed to be anywhere else. The guy on my left shoved me hard, sending me tumbling to the ground. A sharp kick took away my breath. My head spun with a vicious vertigo.
When the world stopped spinning I braced myself and looked up. I was surprised to find myself under the branches of an oak. A woman's face came into view above me. She had dark skin and gold eyes framed by wild black curls. I sat up slowly. Behind her stood a pale, agitated teenage boy who couldn't have been much older than me. Darkness crept at the edge of my vision. "What the h..."
. . .
I woke up outside, confused. My head felt like it was being pressed between two giant hands.
"Oh, thank the gods you're okay!" It was the girl I saw before passing out. She looked at me with worried golden eyes, helping me sit up against the tree trunk. "You were only out for a couple minutes, but... How are you feeling?"
"Not good. I don't even know where I am." I groaned, pushing fists into my forehead and against my eyes.
The girl's eyebrows furrowed. The boy studied me for a second. "Hazel… I think she shadow-travelled here with us."
"What?!" the girl, Hazel, shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense."
The boy shrugged. "It's not impossible. But it's… weird. "
Hazel suddenly stiffened. "Nico, we need to go. The mist..." She looked back at me apologetically. "I'm sorry we can't help you more. Maybe..."
She stared at the ground intently and picked up a couple of quarters. She tucked them into my hand.
"Can you find a phone and call someone? Your mom or dad? I wish I could stay and make sure you got home safely, but... you'll be safer if we leave now." A knot was forming in the pit of my stomach. Hazel studied me for a moment.
"How old are you?" she asked.
"12," I managed to squeak. She nodded slowly, then placed another coin in my palm. I looked down at the strange gold token.
"When you need help, throw the coin into mist and ask." I didn't like the way she said "when."
"Thanks?" I said. Hazel smiled and she and Nico ran off through the trees. I found a telephone near a bench and dialed Helen's number. The old phone rang twice, punching my already aching head. Before Helen had the chance to answer a terrible howling filled the air.
In the patch of trees where I'd met Hazel and Nico were three enormous dogs. They were bigger than bears, with shaggy black fur and red eyes. They were sniffing furiously and snarling at one another.
Panic overtook me and I ran to hide behind a car in the parking lot. I inched along the row of cars, keeping my focus on the pack and hoping they wouldn't notice me. The dogs snapped at one another as they wandered across the park.
The dogs yapped and growled excitedly, bounding off on the path Hazel and Nico had taken. The remaining hound ignored its departing comrades and started to sniff out another scent. It got to the phone, where I could faintly hear my aunt's confused voice yelling through the speaker. The dog pawed the phone, snapping the cord. Slowly, but surely it began heading for the parking lot. My heart froze in terror. Whatever nightmare this was, I didn't want to wait and see what the dog would do when it found me. I stood upright behind a minivan, ready to run. A glint caught my eye. It was the gold coin from earlier. It had fallen out of my pocket when I stood. I picked it up. Hazel was right to say "when."
A drinking fountain stood nearby. I quickly shuffled along the parking lot and around the bathroom buildings to the dirty fountain. I pushed the rusted button and threw the coin in. The button stuck, creating a continuous spray of mist.
"Please let this work," I whispered. The dog was getting closer. It shoved its way through a row of cars, pausing to sniff occasionally. It was gaining speed, becoming excited. "Hazel! Hazel please. Can you hear me?" I asked desperately. I really wasn't sure how it was ever supposed to work, but I didn't have many options. The water fountain gave no response. I looked around the corner of the bathroom, but I couldn't see the dog anymore. Maybe it had run off to rejoin the others.
Suddenly the ground was left behind as my feet went soaring into the air. A scream choked its way out of my throat. I turned to look over my shoulder and wished I hadn't. The dog's glowing red eyes sent a chill down my spine and its foul breath made me think I wouldn't be its first human meal. I tried to wiggle free, to no avail. The dog started thundering off to join the pack.
Its jerking head motions made me feel sick. I dropped a foot closer to the ground. Looking up, I realized the dog had mostly caught my backpack and a bit of my sweater. I slipped my arms out of the straps and unzipped my jacket.
I fell to the ground in a heap. My legs burned, but I stood and began running. The dog slid to a stop and changed direction to fetch me again. My only hope would have to be a tree. I scrambled up the nearest one and kept climbing until the branches got too weak to support me. I hugged the trunk tightly, trying to catch my breath. I heard scratching noises. The dog was barking ferociously and scratching at the tree, but it couldn't reach me. It sat back on its haunches and started to howl. Other howls joined in and soon the other hounds were there.
They began to circle the tree and push harshly against the trunk, shaking the branches. I clung onto whatever I could find and tried to brace myself so I wouldn't fall into the vicious, snarling fangs that waited below.
I tried to climb higher in the tree, but the shaking was too much, and I could feel my sweaty palms starting to slip. Just then a sharp whistle stole the dogs' attention. I looked down and there was Nico with a black sword. The dogs snapped and snarled at each other, leaping toward him. Nico stood firm, waiting for the demon dogs. He side-stepped as they charged, slashing with his dark blade. One of the beasts dissolved. Hazel suddenly appeared behind one of them, and thrust her golden sword upward. That one exploded into golden dust. The last hound dissolved in another strike from Nico's sword
I couldn't think. I couldn't believe they were gone so quickly.
"It's okay. You can come down now."
I scrambled down the tree with shaky limbs. I jumped when I was close to the ground, landing on trembling legs and wrapping my arms tight around myself.
Hazel reached out to hug me and I backed away from her.
"What. Was. That?" I demanded. I felt fury reddening my cheeks, the kind that comes after the adrenaline starts to wear off. Rain began to fall, making me shiver.
"We'll explain everything. Do you have a coat?"
Nico found my jacket lying in wet grass and we sat down under a gazebo. I put it on even though it was dirty, torn, and already wet.
"What's your name?" Hazel asked me.
"Claire."
"Okay Claire…" Hazel began.
I slid down the bench with exhaustion, but sat up again suddenly when a sharp pain shot down my left shoulder blade. I sucked in my breath to keep from crying out.
Hazel was immediately alert. "Let me see," she demanded. I turned my back toward her. She gave a short gasp and pulled the neck of my t-shirt down a little to inspect my shoulder.
"I'm so sorry," she said.
It must have been when the dog picked me up in its mouth. I turned around and shook my head. "I'll be fine," I hissed. I must have been in shock not to feel the pain before. Since realizing I was hurt the pain was getting worse.
"I don't think so." She dug through her backpack, producing what looked like a holy lemon bar. She broke off a small piece and gave it to me. I eyed it nervously and decided to trust Hazel. I popped the thing in my mouth. It was amazing! It tasted just like the lemon bars my grandmother used to make. The perfect balance of sharp citrus and sweetness.
Hazel drew in a breath, thinking. "Do you know anything about… mythology? The ancient Roman and Greek gods?"
"So, I don't know how much you know about Roman and Greek mythology," she began, trying to gauge my reaction. I didn't respond, waiting for her to continue. I actually knew quite a bit about Greek mythology because it was my aunt's passion. Eventually Hazel continued. "Like Jupiter, Zeus, Pluto…"
"I know a lot of this Greek myth stuff," I interrupted. "Is this going to explain anything, or are you just trying to distract me from the pain? It's not working."
"Well, um, I guess the short version is, it's all true. Nico and I are children of Pluto. That's Hades, if you're more familiar with the Greek side."
I must have been in shock because I believed her.
"And you're a demigod too. One of your parents was a god. Do you know..."
"My dad," I answered bluntly. "My mom was mortal. She… died when I was three."
"I'm sorry." Hazel patted my knee.
I squirmed away from her touch. "Listen, I just want to go home. I'm sure Helen is going to be furious."
Hazel nodded and we went back to the phone I'd left. "I better talk to your aunt too," she said. I shrugged in response.
Hazel leaned down and produced another quarter from nowhere and gave it to me. I called Helen.
"Hello? Who is this?" she asked, clearly irritated.
"Hi Helen. It's me," I replied.
"Claire?! Where are you? You should have been home an hour ago!" she scolded. Her voice was hoarse like she'd been choking Or screaming. Or crying.
"I know, but I was…"
"You're grounded! Tell me where you are. I'm coming to pick you up now."
"I don't know," I told her.
Helen's voice lowered. "Claire, are you okay? Are you in danger?"
I honestly didn't know how to answer.
"Claire? Claire!" Helen was growing frantic.
Hazel took the phone from my trembling grasp and spoke calmly to my aunt. "Excuse me, um, Helen. My name is Hazel. You might know your niece is, well, she's a demigod. But she's in danger. My brother and I can take her somewhere safe."
Helen sighed. "I was waiting to take her to camp when she turned thirteen. I guess I couldn't keep her hidden forever."
Hazel talked to my aunt for another minute, but I didn't hear the rest. I had backed up against a bench and slumped down into the grass. It was real. All the stories I thought my aunt was crazy for taking so seriously. Real. But if she knew… why hadn't she told me? I think most kids would have been excited in my place, but I was terrified. Nothing ended well for the demigods in greek myths. For the rest of my life I would have to deal with monsters and vengeful gods and whatever miserable story the fates wanted to entertain themselves with at my expense.
"Claire?" Hazel placed a hand on my shoulder, making me flinch. "You're going to come with Nico and I…"
"What?!" I choked out.
"I'm sorry. You aren't safe anymore." Hazel explained. "Claire, you're going to come to Camp Jupiter with me for a little while so you can be claimed. In about you can go home to finish the school year. After that, you'll be able go to Camp Half-blood during the summer. I have some great friends there that I know will make you feel welcome."
We made two more jumps, pausing to rest between. Whenever we stopped Hazel told me stories of the wars against the titans and Gaea. Six months before, when the doors of death were opened, a lot of monsters were released and the demigods were still dealing with them. It's a miracle I even survived that long. I don't know what Nico's problem was, but the longer we were together the more he seemed to hate me. Or maybe mistrust me? I don't know.
We finally arrived at Camp Jupiter, exhausted, just as the sun was beginning to set. I hadn't even been shadow travelling and I was nearly ready to pass out.
Hazel was greeted by her big, Asian boyfriend and a lot of people in purple t-shirts. We all walked to a fancy marble pavilion and Hazel told everyone about the hellhounds and finding me. I suddenly had a lot of curious looks when they found out I was unclaimed. I stood there uncomfortably while they tried to figure out what to do with me.
Suddenly the ground rumbled and split. Smoke billowed up from the ground, leaving behind a translucent man. He was sharply dressed, complete with a top hat and cane.
"Lord Hades claims his daughter," it rasped., pointing a translucent finger at me before dissolving.
For several moments no one moved. Hazel wrapped me in a hug. "That makes you my sister! Come on, you can stay with me."
"Um, okay?" I was still a little shocked.
Nico did not look happy.
The next couple days were packed with cram courses in controlling my new powers and sword fighting. Nico taught me how to shadow-travel and manipulate shadows, but training together didn't seem to improve his mood.
When my time at Camp Jupiter was over I had to go home and pretend everything was normal. That lasted about a week, before I was kicked out of school and ended up at Camp Half-Blood early.
. . .
It's been almost four years since then. Last year Annabeth announced that a third, integrated camp was being built in The Middle of Nowhere, aka Utah, in the hopes that both Romans and Greeks could learn to live together peacefully. So now I'm here at Camp Parthenon, starting this journal. Most of the demigods here are keeping journals. I guess someone thought it would be a good idea for demigods to start documenting their lives? For therapeutic reasons, maybe. Or just so they'll have more stories to tell around the campfire after we die.
*This story began as a collaboration with my close friends. Monique and Tristan, characters not yet introduced, have journals you can read.*