Author's Note

Just a little housekeeping:

-This takes place in "The Lightning Thief".

-This story is Apollo/OC. The gods aren't as big of jerks as they are in the books, Ares isn't a bad guy (the lightning bolt is in a shield given to Percy by Luke like in the movie), and Percy and his friends are sixteen not twelve.

-I'm not really sure how you pronounce Graecus but I imagine it to be (Grace-see-us).

-Anything italicized is taken directly from the book.

As always I own nothing involving Percy Jackson and I do not receive any money from this story.

Chapter 1

My story begins in an old rundown orphanage in the middle of New York City. A young woman, no more than 23, pregnant and alone showed up for a job. Mrs. Cope, the owner, took pity on the blonde haired beauty and allowed her to work as a maid and live in one of the rooms reserved for workers. The woman, Elizabeth, never talked about the man who got her pregnant nor did she ever mention what brought her to the old orphanage and Mrs. Cope didn't really care enough to ask. Seven months after Elizabeth arrived at the orphanage, in the room that she had been given the night she came, she gave birth to a little baby girl with a tuft of blonde hair and startlingly gray eyes. As the exhausted, sweaty mother held her new baby for the first time she whispered three words, "Graecus Elizabeth Williams." She reached behind her neck and unclipped a golden locket and placed it around the baby's head gently. The new mother smiled at her baby one last time before her eyes started to close and her breathing slowed down. That night Elizabeth Williams, my mother, died.

I was left in the care of Mrs. Cope and forced to join the other orphans at "Mrs. Cope's House for Children". And when I turned ten I ran away. I stole a backpack from one of the many tourist traps around New York and packed three shirts, two pairs of jeans, and some chips. I waited till it was dark and everyone was asleep before I snuck downstairs to Mrs. Cope's office. I stole two hundred dollars from her stash, made sure I had my locket with the picture of my mother that I had had since I was a baby, and headed out the backdoor.

I met up with a group of kids living in an abandoned warehouse when I was eleven. They took me in, gave me a place to call home even if it was a rundown little building where you were likely to see rats and other nasty creatures. They taught me everything I needed to know about living on the streets and when I was thirteen they helped me find little jobs to do here and there so I would have some money. I walked dogs, sold newspapers, and even picked up trash on the side of the road.

When I was sixteen I decided I wanted to see the world a little. I figured I was old enough now that people wouldn't ask where my parents were and I could go unnoticed in crowds. I set out with two hundred dollars, two sets of clothes, and a knife a guy named James gave me when I was twelve. I decided to take the Amtrak train to Denver. I had always wanted to go somewhere other than New York and for some reason Denver seemed perfect. I had to spend all of my money on the ticket but I figured I could find a way to get money in Denver.

About halfway through the journey I was walking to the bathroom when I bumped into a boy around my age that had seemed to be pacing. "I'm sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going." The boy apologized.

He was probably around sixteen with black hair and sea green eyes. He looked exhausted. His clothes were filthy and he had cuts all over his arms. To be honest he looked like a homeless kid, like me. "It's ok. It was my fault. I wasn't paying attention."

"I'm Percy." He gave me a little smile and held his hand out for me to shake.

I returned the gesture and replied, "Grace."

He was about to speak when a boy that looked our age came hobbling down the hall calling, "Percy!" and I say hobbling because the guy had some kind of limp. He looked just as bad as Percy, his clothes were dirty, his hair was matted, and the closer he got the stronger the smell of barn became. He paused when he saw me and looked kind of like he was sniffing the air.

His eyes got big and he began to run faster. He slowed when he was a few feet from us and Percy stepped back from me a little. "What's wrong Grover?" he asked wearily and I noticed he had his hand in his pocket as if he was clutching something in it.

"Her smell is just as strong as yours, maybe even stronger. She's a demigod." I'm assuming he was meaning to whisper but I still heard every word he said and I was a tad bit offended. I may not have had a shower in a few days but I had washed off as best I could in the train station bathroom and I knew I didn't smell bad enough that this Grover dude could smell me. And a demigod? What in the world is a demigod?

Percy was looking at me with a new kind of warmth and I began to think that maybe I should leave these two wackos alone and continue on my way to the bathroom. I was about to excuse myself before a girl suddenly appeared behind the two boys. And by appear I mean literally materialized out of thin air.

The girl, who was just as big a mess as the two boys, pushed her way in between Percy and Grover and wrapped a hand around my arm. She began to pull me down the hallway to a compartment at the very front of the train muttering something to the boys like, "We can't leave her alone."

It didn't occur to me to protest until we made it inside the compartment and Grover had locked the door. The girl smiled at me reassuringly when she saw my eyes flickering nervously between the three of them. My mind began running through possible escape options. I'm a good fighter, I had good reflexes but I didn't think I could take all three of them at the same time with just my hands and a little knife.

"It's ok. We're friends not enemies. We're like you." The girl said calmly.

"Like me?" I asked.

They all looked at each other confused and Percy spoke up, "Demigods. Well me and Annabeth are. Grover is a satyr."

"Okay, you guys are crazy." I sated bravely.

"Wait. You mean you didn't know?" Grover asked incredulously.

"What are you talking about? What didn't I know?" I should be running away from these crazy people but for some reason I didn't think they were a threat. A little voice in my head told me they wouldn't hurt me.

"You're a demigod." Annabeth began. They then told me all about the Olympian gods being real, about Camp Half-blood, the quest that they were given, the fight with Medusa, who their parents were, everything.

By the end of their tale I was skeptical. A part of me knew it was true but the other part, the mortal part, couldn't believe something like this existed. Grover must have sensed my apprehension because he began to take off his shoes but instead of feet he had hooves. My eyes got really big and the part of me that didn't believe began to vanish. When I looked out of the window and saw what I guessed were centaurs galloping in a field my mortal part vanished completely and I believed them wholeheartedly.

"I believe you." It was quiet for a beat before I asked, "Do you know who my dad is?"

Annabeth answered with a question of her own, "Are you sure your parent is a male god?"

I nodded and showed her the picture of my mother. "She died giving birth to me. She worked at an orphanage so I stayed there till I was ten."

I didn't want to talk about living on the streets, for some reason I didn't want these three to know that I was homeless and they seemed to know that I wasn't going to continue and didn't ask.

After a quick discussion it was decided that I would go with them until we could all safely return to Camp Half-Blood. "You'll need a weapon." Annabeth said. "Let's contact Chiron and ask him to send us one using Hermes the messenger god. I'm assuming you can't use a sword." She looked at me for confirmation.

"Um, not a sword. But I know how to use a knife." I pulled out my knife that James gave to me. It glittered in the light and Annabeth paused.

"Can I see that?" I passed it over to her and she turned it around and inspected it closely. "This was made by Hephaestus himself. I recognize the signature. It's designed to kill a monster as soon as it touches them. Where did you get this?"

"A boy named James gave it to me when I was twelve. He showed up at the place I was staying, stayed with us for a couple of nights, and when he left he gave me the knife." I shrugged. At the time I was a little confused as to why the strange boy had given me, a twelve year old, a very sharp and obviously expensive knife but before I could protest James had left.

"James? Isn't there a guy named James in Ares' cabin?" She looked to Grover for the answer and when he nodded she turned to me, "What did he look like?"

"Um… He had short black hair and dark eyes. He was really built like he worked out a lot."

"That's definitely James Copper. Did he say anything, when he gave you the knife?"

I of course knew the answer immediately. I often replayed his words over and over again in my mind at night when everyone was asleep. He probably hadn't meant to, but his words gave me hope that there was someone out there that loved me. "He told me to look after myself. He told me to stay alive because there were people that cared about me and that someday I would find a family."

"He knew who you were. He knew you were a demigod. Why would he not tell Chiron about you? Why didn't he send a satyr to watch over you?" I got the feeling she wasn't asking me, more like she was trying to work it out in her head.

It was quiet in the compartment for a while. Each of us lost in our own thoughts. My head was hurting from all the new information it had to process. I felt like my entire world had been ripped out from under me and I was left feeling more alone than I had in my entire life. My father was alive. He was a god. He must have known about me, so obviously he didn't want me. The hurt that came with this revelation suddenly turned to anger, if he didn't want me than I didn't want him. I spent my entire life without a father and I did fine by myself so why would I need him now?

Percy must have realized where my thoughts were because he placed a comforting hand on arm and when I looked up he gave me a sad understanding smile. "I know how you're feeling right now. I felt the same way when I was told about my father. I still do. The only reason I'm doing this stupid quest is to get my mother back." He whispered so we wouldn't disrupt the sleeping Annabeth and Grover.

"Why even have kids if they don't care about them? Why not use birth control?" I whispered back.

"I don't know." He paused, "Why don't you get some sleep? I'll take first watch." He offered.

I nodded but I didn't think I was going to get any sleep no matter how much I tried. Centaurs, satyrs, gods, and monsters swirled around in my thoughts and made me restless.

We spent two days on the train. Two of us would get some rest while the others would watch out for any monsters. We weren't attacked but none of us relaxed. I hadn't seen a monster but Annabeth said that now that I was aware of my parentage that it would only be a matter of time before they found me. Grover said it would be sooner rather than late because my scent was so powerful. During the two days spent on the train Annabeth, Grover, and Percy became like siblings to me. We spent all day talking and by the time we reached St. Louis we were closer than anyone I had ever known. Percy told me all about growing up with his mom and I knew that, given the chance to meet her, I would love her just as much as her son. Annabeth told me about growing up in camp and her dream of being an architect and Grover told me about the god Pan and about his desire to become a searcher like his uncle and father.

When we made it into the city Annabeth demanded that we ride to the top of The Gateway Arch and, though I would never admit it, I was glad. I wanted to do one last normal thing before I had to travel to the Underworld.

The arch was about a mile from the train station. Late In the day the lines to get in weren't that long. We threaded our way through the underground museum, looking at covered wagons and other junk from the 1800s. It wasn't all that thrilling, but Annabeth kept telling us interesting facts about how the Arch was built, and Grover kept passing out jelly beans, so I was okay.

Percy kept looking at the other people in line and once he even asked Grover if he smelled anything. I was a little nervous when he said that the underground always smells like monsters but I held my tongue.

We were ushered into a cart and started going up, inside the Arch. When we made it to the top Annabeth began talking about structural supports and all the things she would have done differently. I got the feeling she would have stayed up there for days had the park ranger not announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes. Percy steered us back toward the elevators. There was only room for Annabeth and Grover, and the park ranger told us we would have to wait for the next one.

"We'll get out," Annabeth said, "We'll wait for you. "

Percy replied, "Naw, we'll be okay. We'll meet you guys at the bottom."

Grover and Annabeth both looked nervous, but they let the doors to the elevator slide close.

The only people left on the observation deck were us, a little boy with his parents, the park ranger, and a fat lady with a Chihuahua.

The lady made me nervous. Something about her and the little dog rubbed me the wrong way and I unconsciously slipped my hand inside my jean pocket and gripped my knife. The Chihuahua jumped down and began to bark at me and Percy.

"Now, now, sonny," the lady said. "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."

"Doggie!" said the little boy, "Look, a doggie!"

His parents pulled him back.

The Chihuahua bared its teeth at me and Percy, foam dripping from his black lips.

"Well, son," the fat lady sighed, "If you insist."

Percy spoke up, "Did you just call that Chihuahua your son?"

"He's a chimera. Not a Chihuahua." The lady corrected patiently.

The lady pulled her sleeves back and I could see that her skin was scaly and green. The dog barked louder and with each bark it began to grow. The larger it became the louder the bark got until eventually it became a roar. The little boy began to scream and his parents pulled him back toward the exit. The ranger was too afraid to move. He stood, paralyzed, and gaping at the monster. I pulled my knife out and looked to Percy who had yet to uncap his sword.

The snake lady hissed, "You two should be honored. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test heroes with one of my brood. I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!"

Percy, the big idiot, responded with, "Isn't that a kind of anteater?"

The snake lady obviously didn't like this comment because she howled in outrage and her face turned from brown to green, "I hate when people say that! For that Percy Jackson, my son shall destroy you and your little friend."

The Chimera charged but Percy and I both managed to leap aside and dodge the bite. Percy ended up next to the park ranger and the family, who were all screaming now and trying to open the emergency exit doors. I was on the other side of the room next to the elevator doors. Percy uncapped his sword, unveiled his shield, and ran to the other side of the deck. He yelled, "Hey, Chihuahua!"

The Chimera turned, opened its mouth, and shot a column of fire straight toward Percy. Fear overcame me, I couldn't let the boy who had quickly become one of my dearest friends get barbecued. I felt a tugging in my gut and the next thing I knew a giant wind blew towards Percy and shoved him a few feet away from the monster. Where Percy had been a moment earlier was now a gaping hole in the side of the Arch. Percy regained his feet and slashed at the Chimera's neck but it sparked harmlessly off the collar. I saw the serpent's tail whip around and sink its fangs into Percy calf but by the time I called his name it was too late.

Blinded by rage I ran forward and stabbed my knife into the Chimera's back. It disintegrated on contact and I then turned toward the Snake Lady's outraged face. I threw my knife and it embedded itself into her chest, she too became dust.

Turning toward Percy I could tell he was having a hard time breathing. For some reason I knew what would help him. "Jump," I told him. He gave me an incredulous look so I explained, "The River is down there. You're the son of the sea god. The water healed you before, have faith that it will heal you now. We'll find you down there." Percy got up from his slumped position on the ground and began walking backwards to the edge of the Arch. He looked at me once more and then jumped. Once he was out of sight I turned around and retrieved my knife. It was then that I looked over at the family and the ranger. They were terrified and I realized to them it must look like I just slaughtered an old lady and her dog and pushed my friend off the arch. I have to get out of here. The tugging in my gut reappeared and I began to float in midair. Once over my initial shock and fear I began to walk. It was exactly like walking on the ground except I didn't have to have floor beneath me. I took a page out of Percy's book and walked over the edge. I willed myself to float down and I did. Instead of landing on the river I began to push the wind to the left and towards ground. It worked. I had just literally walked on air and I was okay! So did this mean my father was who I think he is?