"You look like someone who needs my help"
Seth looked up. He was sitting in his fourth hour class, wondering how the hell he was going to explain everything. "Oh, hi Katie."
Katie leaned on his desk. "Well? Want my help?"
"With?"
"Come on." Katie said. She shifted her hair. "I know why you're here and not at camp."
Seth sighed. "Yeah, so?"
"Look, I want to help."
"What are you going to do?"
"Oh thanks for making me feel pitiful" Katie stood up straight. "Look, you have a really bad way of explaining things. Let me help. It makes more sense coming from a teenager"
"I am a teenager"
"Not physically"
Seth rolled his eyes. "Yeah alright, fine. You win, you can help"
Katie smiled. "Trust me, with this many of…us it's a good idea"
Seth wasn't sure he was ready to admit he needed help in any way shape or form.
Jill leaned back in her seat and rubbed her eyes. After a moment she took off her glasses and then rubbed her eyes again before regretfully putting her glasses back on.
Why do numbers have to be so hard? Letters and numbers.
"Having trouble?" Jill looked up at her math teacher, the main instrument of this torture.
"No, I'm fine" She said. If she said yes but said it was because of dyslexia they'd probably send her down to the help rooms. Those idiots down there didn't know the first thing about handling a person with dyslexia. She put her glasses back on and looked back at her work sheet.
The work itself wasn't hard, once she worked through the numbers. The work was actually pretty simple, if complicated. She was always pretty good at Math, well she was pretty good at school usually, but her damned dyslexia made everything next to impossible.
She didn't need this. Not math on top of everything else going on around her. Her truck was already fixed, but her insurance rates were going to go up. She had been planning on getting a job in the summer time, but she might have to sooner than that to help her dad with the bills. Not that he necessarily needed the help; she just didn't like him paying for something she was supposed to be responsible with.
Not that I'm responsible with much. She thought. Her keys and her car were the only things she had to worry about, she didn't so much as have a cell phone. Most of my friends don't either. You'd expect someone to have a cell phone.
Come to think of it, why don't I have one? There's been times were I could've used it, and it's not like we don't have the money.
"Jill, get to work"
Jill snapped to attention. She'd been staring off into space…again. She blushed, apologized, and then tried to make the numbers stop moving.
Alex was trying, but mostly failing, not to fall asleep.
Alex absolutely hated her doctor, like hated him with a burning passion. As a rule of thumb she automatically detested any therapist, but this one took the hate cake. Not only did he simply assume she had ADHD, he also medicated her.
All them pills do is make me tired. She complained mentally. But noooo. Doctors know everything apparently. Thanks a lot Mom.
She yawned and tried to focus on her English work.
Jade swung the hall pass around in her hand, spinning it absentmindedly. She was washing her hands when someone called out her name.
She looked up at Kucharski coming into the bathroom.
"Oh hi Katie" Jade said, flicking water off her hands.
"Hey Jade, can I talk to you?" Katie asked, looking a little nervous.
"Sure, what about?"
"Could…umm…" She looked around. "Hey, can we get the entire lunch table over at someone's house tonight? It is a Friday after all."
"Um…that's a bit short notice"
"Please, the sooner the better." Katie said. "How about just Jill, Alex, me, you, Katlin, Kevin, and Sonya?"
"That's like seven people"
"Maybe Seth too"
"Why Seth?"
"Include him in shit" Katie said with a wave of her hand, like she'd explained everything. Jade eyed her, but she didn't really seem interested in Seth. Why invite him then? Being nice?
"Well I suppose if we meet anywhere it'd be in the lobby after school" Jade said. "My mom is going to not like me going over places and I can't exactly cram eight people into my living room."
"How about the big gym?" Katie asked. "It is pretty important we meet."
"Um…sure?"
"Great! I have Alex in my class and Seth in my next class. Let everyone else know?"
"Um…sure?" Jade said; her repeat button was seemingly stuck on.
"Great! Thanks Jade" Katie said. She waved and disappeared in the hall that led to the stalls.
Ok…what sort of round table meeting did I just organize?
"Big gym?" Katlin asked. She pushed a loose strand of curly hair over one ear. "But why?"
"I don't know" Alex said. "Kucharski said that she and Jade just decided, like, last hour."
"Wonder what's so important?"
Alex just shrugged. "Probably something to do with her birthday or some shit like that"
"Her birthday's coming up?" Alex smirked. Katlin narrowed her eyes. "Well you're helpful. For the record, I actually like giving people gifts on their birthdays"
Alex just chuckled. "Waste of money. All I'm saying. So you'll tell Sonya?"
"Yeah sure."
"See yea then"
Jade's tennis shoes squeaked a little as she walked across the gym floor. She was, by the looks of things, one of the last people to arrive. Seth and Kucharski were there, standing almost awkwardly while everyone else stood around.
"So…" Alex said. "What's going on?"
"Kevin and Jill still aren't here" Seth said.
"Start without them" Alex said. "You can't just call a meeting in the fucking gym after school and expect me to be patient"
Honestly, Jade thought, I'm surprised you haven't been bombarding him with questions before now.
Seth looked at Katie but she just shrugged. "Alright then." He seemed to think about what to say next.
"Do you guys know much about Greek Mythology?" He asked.
"What's this got to do with anything?" Alex asked. But at the same time Jade said "Yeah, I know tons"
Everyone turned and looked at her. Oh great. "Yeah…um…me and my dad read up on it" She said shortly enough.
"Well the number one thing the Gods did in Greek Myth was run around having babies with mortals" Seth paused. "I'm not telling this right, am I?"
"You went a little backwards" Katie admitted. "Basically guys, we have a bit of a bomb shell to drop on you." She looked at them. "Those Greek Myths? Those monsters and creatures and the Gods? Yeah. All of that? That's all real"
For a moment there was a pause. "Are you kidding me?" Katlin said, surprising Jade. "Like…seriously? You're going to just say that Greek Mythology exists and expect us to believe it?"
Katie opened her mouth, but before she could say anything Sonya suddenly spoke up. "It's true" She said in a voice so quiet Jade could almost believe she hadn't heard her.
"What?" Alex asked.
Sonya looked at everyone. "It's true, OK? What Katie said? It's true. Greek Mythology exists in the modern world" She stepped towards Katie. "Greek monsters, Greek gods. All of that"
"How are we supposed to just…believe that?" Katlin asked.
"Is this some joke?" Alex asked. "Come on. Gods don't exist. No 'God' exist. It was just made up so people could understand shit."
Jade almost wanted to wince at Alex's atheism.
"Well we didn't come baring a bomb shell without proof" Katie said. "I mean, that'd just be stupid. Seth?"
At first, Jade wasn't sure what the hell Seth was doing. Then she understood. He was taking off his goddamn pants.
"OK, no one needs to see that shit" She said, closing her eyes.
"Jade" Katlin said. "Jaaade"
Jade opened her eyes. Seth had basically kicked off his pants. But what should've been normal, human legs were instead…well goat legs.
"What. The. Fuck" Alex asked, summing up basically all of Jade's emotions.
"Yeah, badass right?" Seth asked. He had already kicked off his tennis shoes, which were stuff with toilet paper to fit his…well his hooves.
"And I lied" Katie said. "We don't have one bomb shell"
Alex let out a low stream of curses. Jade couldn't begin to wonder what was coursing through her atheistic mind.
"You're apart of this secret too" Katie said. "Like Seth said…"
"Most of what the Greek Gods did in myths was have kids with humans" He said, taking over. "We call them demigods. And we believe you all are demigods"
"I know for a fact they are" Sonya said. Jade had almost forgotten that she had a part in this.
"Sonya, what the hell is your story?" Katlin asked. "What do you mean you know for a fact?"
Sonya sighed. "I suppose you guys deserve an explanation" She stepped next to Seth and pulled off her shoulder bag. Rolling up her sleeve, she exposed a small silver arm band. She tapped it slightly and instantly she was almost…completely different. But she hadn't really changed at all. She still wore the same black pants, the same polo, and the same braid. But there was something…different about her.
The most obvious being, of course, the quiver on her back and the silver bow in her hand and the silver hunting knife on her belt.
"I'm a Huntress of Artemis" Sonya said.
"Ohmigod really?" Seth asked suddenly. "Dude that's awesome"
Sonya just sort of rolled her eyes. "I met Artemis last summer, when we moved back down to Taylor for good. She was in the woods I was exploring. I was…well I was attacked and she saved me. Once she explained everything, I decided I'd become a Huntress"
Sonya looked at Katlin. "The monster attacked because I smelled like you. I knew if I became a Huntress I could protect you"
"Smelled like…me?" Katlin asked. Jade could see the conflicting feelings, the guilt, the shock, the disbelief. All wrapped together. Jade walked over and placed a comforting arm around Katlin shoulders.
"So…we're all demigods then, correct?" Jade asked Seth.
"Yeah" Seth said.
"Then who's our parents?" Jade asked. Seth opened his mouth to answer, but just then the gym doors opened.
"Hey guys!" Kevin called out. "Sorry I'm late!"
Kevin and Jill still aren't here.
Start without them.
"Did…did anyone tell Jill to meet here?" Jade asked suddenly.
"I thought you did" Alex said.
"Then…she's out by the truck then, isn't she? Waiting for us?"
Seth and Katie looked at each other. "And the Satyr and the Huntress are in here" Seth said slowly. Katie didn't even wait for him to finish, she took off with the others not far behind her.
Jill knew something was up when her truck wouldn't move.
She had climbed in and had started the engine, before deciding to pull closer since the lot was basically empty. But when she tried it in drive, nothing happened.
What the…?
She climbed out and inspected the wheels. Instantly she saw the problem.
My wheel is in a sand pit?
It wasn't just a pot hole; it was a pot hole with sand in it. And it wasn't here this morning when I parked.
Just before she could really ask what was going on, the pot hole seemed to…expand. A crack started to spread from the hole towards her alarmingly fast. Startled Jill jumped back, stepping away from her truck slightly. Not only was the crack widening, it was widening and filling with sand.
Wha…?
Before she could even really begin to question everything, the cracks spread out further. She jumped back again, but even more cracks began to spread around her, slowly working towards closing her in.
Closing me in? It's just sand. Albeit weird sand.
That was when she heard the hissing.
Startled, Jill jumped back towards her truck. The cracks seemed to have stopped, but the sand was still shifting in the cracks.
Jill jumped over the pot hole, landing on the side of her truck. Had the bed been uncovered, she could've climbed in there. But the cover was on, her dad had recommended it, so it took her a couple of extra seconds to climb to the roof. She knelt on the roof, looking at the cracks in confusion and half expecting something insane to happen.
When something did, she was almost too shocked to move.
At first she thought a snake had simply leapt from the sand, heading dead for her. She yelped and ducked aside. It soared past her and landed in another sand pit on the other side. It was then that she noticed something off about it. It had two heads. One hissed at her while the other seemed to be controlling where the snake went. She watched it crawl under the sand.
What the hell is going on?!
It's just a snake. While it can jump, I'm safe up here. Right?
Just as she thought that two things made her swallow her heart. One, the sound of cracking cement filled her ears. And two, her car shifted.
Weapons?
But what kind of weapon could she reach? If she'd thought to leave the window to her truck down she could grabbed the knife from her purse. Right, the dull, one blade knife that she used to open letters.
Well I'm going to die.
Jill watched the sand suspiciously. Somewhere in there was a snake of death, her truck was slowly sinking into the sand, and none of it made any sense at all.
"Jill!" Someone called out. She looked up to see an almost mob of her friends running towards them.
Suddenly the snake leapt into the air again. Jill turned, but not quick enough to get out of the way.
A silver arrow pierced the snake through both of its heads.
Jill breathed deeply, startled but relieved.
"What the hell is going on?" She demanded from the friends running closer. Suddenly though, the truck shifted again. Jill yelped as most of the back half sunk into the ground, causing her to slide straight towards the back end. She clawed at the truck's surface but nothing gave her perch.
She fell straight into a bat of sand. Remembering the snake and how her truck was sinking; she rolled quickly onto the cement.
"You OK?" Katlin asked, helping Jill to her feet.
"My truck is sinking, I also got killed by a two headed snake and holyshitwhatthehellisupwithSeth?!" Jill said the panic leaking into her voice.
Seth looked down at his goat legs. "Oh yeah, I'm a Satyr"
Jill just stared at him. "Of course you are" She said, sarcasm dripping in her voice.
"Hey guys we need help!"
They turned and saw the others tugging and pushing on the truck. Katlin and Jill joined the others on the back bumper, shoving the truck out of the sand. The truck seemed to stop sinking and the cracks and sand stopped moving, but the evidence of the whole thing was still there. Once the truck was out of the sand, Seth climbed into the driver's seat and pulled it forward a bit.
"We need to go" Seth said, climbing out. "We need to get to camp"
"Camp?!" Jade asked. "In what Greek Mythology do demigods go to camp?"
"Someone explain?" Kevin asked. Jill agreed.
"Look, basically the Greek gods and monsters exist in modern day times and we're all demigods. Expect for Sonya, who's a Huntress apparently" Jade said, her eyes not really moving from Seth.
"Yeah, and the only safe place for demigods is Camp Half-Blood" Seth said. "Kucharski can tell you, she's been going to camp for the past two years"
"What?"
Katie smiled and pulled out a leather necklace which had beads strung onto it. "Yup. I'm a daughter of Demeter"
"Goddess of Farming" Jade said.
"More like Goddess of wheat and flower. Flowers in general" Katie said.
"Aren't you allergic to wheat?"
Katie just laughed. "Yuuuuup"
"Whoa, whoa" Kevin said. "Back up to where the Greek Myth things exist"
Seth sighed. "We really don't have time for this. We need to go"
Jill looked around. "Well alright then"
Everyone looked at her. She smiled half-heartedly. "Look, I just got attacked by a two headed snake…"
"Amphisbaena" Sonya clarified.
"…Right" Jill said. "Whatever. Look the point is, Seth's got a furry ass and killer sand almost took my truck. Honestly, it's hard to not believe what Seth has to say"
"No" Alex said. "No, Gods aren't real"
Jill couldn't even begin to imagine the inner battle Alex was fighting. "Well, maybe not. But Satyrs clearly exist"
Alex seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding slightly.
"Look, summer break is almost here anyways" Seth said. "We need to get to Camp Half-Blood. Honestly, all of you together should've meant that a billion monsters attacked here."
Suddenly everyone just…stopped. Stopped talking, stopped being in a rush. All were looking at Jill.
"What?" She asked.
"Ji…" Alex began, but then just pointed to her forehead.
Look up slightly Jill caught the image of a silver-colored barn owl, hovering above her head.
"Whoa, what the hell?" She asked, moving around. Wherever she moved, the symbol moved.
"Well" Seth said as the symbol vanished. "Guess Jill's a daughter of Athena. Anyone surprised? I'm not" He laughed.