The Wild Mist
By Rick Riordan
Adapted by MistyTerrain34
Piper has a crush. She never wanted to. It just happened. It was the second Jason had entered her life. Now she didn't know what to think. Her father had broken his heart over her long-lost mother. And she certainly didn't want hers to fall apart. But Jason felt…different. Like the two were destined to meet. To be together. Possibly…love.
Leo is a jokester. He had always surrounded himself in laughter, even if nobody found his jokes funny. It was a way he could deal with his pain. The only way. But he understood that it couldn't last. Even if the new kid, Jason, was his best friend, even if Piper tolerated his jokes, he felt as if they would never understand anything. Especially not his secret.
Hedge is suspicious. Hera had given him instructions to deliver two demi-gods to Camp Half-Blood at the winter solstice. But he senses a monster might have infiltrated the school, making his job as a protector a lot tougher (the tougher the better!) He knows Hear had said two. Then why can he smell a third half-blood?
_
Chapter 1
Piper
Piper never wanted to fall in love. Especially not in the Romeo and Juliet way. But that's what happened. When Jason had joined her second bell English class close to winter break at the Wilderness School, where "the kids are animals". "Well…I suppose you could sit between Piper and Leo…" Mr. Snot (or whatever his name was; Piper couldn't pronounce it correctly) said, gesturing at the empty seat between Leo and her. Jason nodded and headed down the rows to the empty desk. Leo flashed a bright grin at Piper. Leo looked like one of Santa's elves had a vacation in Mexico and came back completely transformed. He had black curly hair that stuck out in some places and little cute pointed ears. He was pretty skinny and had a gleam in his eyes that made Piper want to call a mental facility. His fingers would not stop moving. They drummed on the desk, his knee, his pencil. "ADHD." He had said.
"Hey there, Jason!" Leo said in a cherry voice as Jason took his seat. "My name's Leo! I'm the coolest, most awesome-" He was cut off by Mr. Snot who told his to shut his pipe hole. "-kid in this school. And that fine lady," Leo jerked his head in Piper's direction. "Is Piper." Jason smiled. "Nice to meet you." He said politely. "Nice to meet you too. And a good tip? Ignore Leo. He's a riot." She replied, glaring at Leo, who smiled slyly and shrugged. It was only now that Piper had begun to notice Jason's physical features. He had close-cropped blond hair and startling blue eyes. He had a cute little scar on his upper lip that looked like a crescent when he smiled. He was wearing a purple t-shirt with the letters SPQR embroidered in gold thread inside of a laurel the same color and a pair of simple jeans. She wondered what the letters meant when she made the mistake of looking at his face again. He was smiling at her in such a way that made her blush and heart flutter.
It'd been three bells since English. Piper had finally managed to open her locker (it had gotten jammed when she had accidentally slammed her text book on the lock) and was just starting to set her social studies books in when she heard a small scuffing behind her. She looked back and saw that Jason had gotten cornered by the Rich Clique.
The Rich Clique (Ugh, who came up with that name?) were a group of spoiled, rich, snobby girls who were dumped in the Wilderness School by their spoiled, rich, snobby parents. They all had identical Barbie hairdos, violent hot pink leather jackets, sickeningly green capris, and spotless white sneakers. Their make-up looked like a clown had done it with a sponge. Piper rolled her eyes. At least her dad wasn't a stuck-up celebrity (though he technically was a celebrity). She frowned. She had noticed them eyeing Jason like a piece of fresh meat. She tossed her books in her locker and walked over to the Rich Clique. "-totally show you a real tour of this place!" She heard Shelly, the leader of the Rich Cliques, finish. Jason noticed her and glanced over his shoulder like, help me!
"Back off, Shelly. Your make-up job is scaring him." Piper couldn't help but smirk as Shelly practically jumped out of her skin. Shelly whirled around to face Piper, her shock disappearing quickly. She sneered. "Really, McLean? (Piper flinched; she hated it when people addressed her by her last name) He seems to be looking at you. Oh wait, you don't have make-up on." She and her friends cackled with laughter. Piper's jaw tightened. She had been dealing with these girls since the beginning of the year. She understood how brutal they could be. "Leave…him…alone." She growled through clenched teeth, her hands balling into fits. Shelly threw her hands up in a sarcastic surrender. "Oh, by all means, Your Highness." She mused, sneering. She beckoned her friends and they strutted down the hall. Just when they were about to turn the corner, Shelly glanced back at Piper and screamed, "Half-Blood!"
Piper flinched as the Rich Clique's laughter echoed down the halls. She turned to Jason and was surprised to see a look of distress on his face. He had a slight frown and his eyebrows were furrowed. "I…I'm sorry… for letting you get teased like that…" He stammered an apology. "I…um…I should've stopped them." Piper felt herself blushing. Wow, polite AND humble. She waved his apology off. "Nah. There wasn't anything you could've done anyway, being cornered by clown-faced piranhas." The tension in Jason's Shoulders seemed to go away slightly. He gave her a smile. "Piper, right? Thanks for your help. Actually, um…" He rubbed the back his neck nervously. "I really wanted you to show me around, since your so…um…" They both blushed at the same time. "Tough?" Piper suggested meekly. Jason gave a warm, good-hearted laugh. "Yeah! Tough!" Piper felt a smile grow on her face. She like Jason.
Then suddenly, her vision flickered like a broken TV and she was looking at Jason through fractured sight, like looking into a fogged up broken mirror. She tried to cry out, but her voice caught in her breath. A voice whispered through the mist, barely audible. A trick! This isn't real! She's trying to trick you! Who is that?! Then as suddenly as it happened, it vanished. Jason was looking at her with concern drawn all across his face. "Hey, you okay?" He said with just as much concern in his voice. Piper blinked and shook her head. "Um….yeah. I'm okay." She said carefully. What was that? A trick? What wasn't real? Who was 'She'? And why did she think she didn't know Jason? She shrugged. "Oh well. Come on, Jason. I'll show you the cafeteria." She said, snatching her lunch box and walking towards the lunchroom. Jason didn't look convinced, but he just shrugged and followed her.
_
