A/N: Ok so this is my first fanfic on this site so please be kind!

Disclaimer: I, Mara Jade Chase, do solemnly swear that I do not in any way own PJO *sniffle* (despite that I own Ian, Ty, and all my other original characters)

Ty ran down the soccer field, heart racing, cleats kicking up dirt in his wake. It was the last gym class before spring break began for Mark Bryant's Boarding School for the Exceptionally Gifted, also known as Delinquent High to the student body, and he wanted to end on a good note. With his skilled feet he kept the ball away from the persistent defenders of the opposite team and reached the perfect vantage point. His senses were alert and out of the corner of his eye he could see his best friend Ian racing towards him, motioning frantically. For a kid with a limp, he was a pretty fast runner, Ty noticed as he hazarded a quick glance behind him and saw Bruce, the perfect personification of the dumb jock/high school bully, barreling down on him, muscles flexing, bent on sweeping Ty's legs out from under him and stealing the ball. Ty squinted an eye, like he was marking a target. He waited till Bruce was diving for his feet then he kicked the ball up and jumped.

Wham! His foot connected solidly with the soccer ball. Bruce, who had harmlessly slid underneath Ty, collided with the goalie, sending them both flying.

"How. Did. You. Do. That?" Ian asked between breaths, though he sounded like he already knew the answer.

Ty shrugged. "It was no big deal."

"No big deal?" Ian's creamy skin glistened with perspiration. "Dude, did you see how high that was?"

Another shrug, he was used to weirder things happening. "I guess-"

"Sharpe!" Called Ms. Lopez, who had been the substitute gym teacher for about a month. Ever since their old teacher, Coach Taylor, had gotten suddenly sick.

Ty looked up when his name was called. He'd always thought Ms. Lopez was a little too young and beautiful to be an obscure gym teacher at Delinquent High.

Ian laid a tense hand on his shoulder and made that strange sound in the back of his throat that Ty had always associated with Ian's nervous and annoyed moods. Then he seemed to realize he was holding Ty back and he reluctantly relinquished his shoulder.

Ty shook his head as he followed Ms. Lopez from the field to the secluded gym, Ian had always been unreasonably afraid of her.

"Well you've certainly made a show of your abilities, haven't you Tycho Sharpe?" She said with a condescending smile once they were alone.

Ty stared at her. He couldn't help notice that, despite her almost cruel smile, she was so beautiful. Her amber eyes gleamed, her curly brown hair looked so glossy, and her perfume was simply intoxicating. "Wh-what did you call me?" Almost no one knew his real name. It was Greek or something, not really common, and he was kind of embarrassed by it. He tried to focus on the clipboard she held but the words floated around on the page. His dyslexia must be acting up again. He sighed and returned his attention to Ms. Lopez.

"Well at least this one is cute..." She said to herself as she walked around him, approving of his tall, tan, athletic build, sandy blonde hair, and blue eyes.

Ty shook his head, trying to focus on her words instead of her beauty. "What are you talking about?" He asked.

"Come now godling, let's not worry about that," She said softly, her amber eyes stared at him with disconcerting longing. She came closer, her face inches from his. "Just give me a k-"

Suddenly she was sent reeling, her hand touching a small gash on the side of her head.

Tycho gaped. Her blood was golden and beside him stood Ian, hands quaking around something that looked like a giant wooden club, complete with vines and leaves.

"i̱líthia sátyros," Ms. Lopez hissed, suddenly she had fangs." egó̱ tha se skotó̱so̱ pró̱ta!" Her appearance changed. Her skin was chalky white, one leg had become that of a shaggy donkey, the other seemed metallic. Her eyes sparked like fire.

"Stupid satyr, I'll kill you first!" Ty automatically translated. He stumbled backwards, his mind finally clearing as he realized, "Oh hey, my gym teacher is some kinda demented vampire."

Ian gulped and clutched his club tightly in one hand. A set of pipes were in the other. "Run!" He urged.

Ty turned to escape then turned back. "I can't leave you here," He said shakily.

Ian pressed something into his hand and then lifted the pipes and began to play. The tune was beautiful, haunting. It filled the empty gym and surrounded the three.

Ms. Lopez lunged at them, then fell as tree branches and vines burst from the floor. They wrapped themselves around her form and held her tight. Her eyes turned to Ty, she ripped the plants from her legs and moved towards him. "I'll enjoy this." She said, her form flickered between pretty gym teacher and the devilish vision that was sure to give him nightmares.

"The knife!" Ian whispered. "Use it!"

So that's what Ian had given him. He looked down to see a golden gleam of a blade in his hand.

"You wouldn't hurt me, would you Ty?" She asked innocently, her human form was back.

Ty stared at her, suddenly confused. He gripped the reassuring weight of the knife.

"Snap out of it!" Ian exclaimed. "She's going to kill you if you don't do it first." He began to play on his pipes again.

"Kill him?" Her voice gradually grew more vicious as she went along. "I just want a kiss!" She pounced, fangs set to sink into his neck.

Ty squeezed his eyes shut and stabbed upward as hard as he could. He heard Ian yelp and felt him pull him backwards. He instinctively threw up his hands to protect himself as he opened his eyes to watch.

Ms. Lopez seemed to hang in mid-air for a moment, her face somehow both hateful and surprised. Ty's knife protruded from her torso. Her death-cry echoed through the gym and she burst into flames.

The heat seared them and Ty was sure the hair on his arms were singed yet the flames seemed to surge around himself and his friend.

Ian's eyes grew wide and he began to mumble to himself.

Ty walked over the knife that lay, unscathed, on the ground, crouched down, and picked it up. He turned, still bent, to his friend, "Ok, what in the world just happened! She-she tried to kill me! And your pipe things...what are you doing?"

Ian was making his way across the gym to where the light sparkled through a window and seemed to create a little rainbow of colors. Ignoring Ty's question he pulled out a strange gold coin. "O goddess, accept my offering. Show us Brenda Sharpe, Jersey City, New Jersey."

"What are you talking about? What about my mom? Ian! Answer me!" Now that he was coming down from the surge of adrenaline he'd gotten, Ty was confused and freaking out.

"Sh, not now." Ian hushed. He lifted a hand and threw the coin into the prism. The colors shimmered and then produced an image of a pretty thirty-year-old, her fair skin, black hair, and vivid green eyes appeared clearly in the air. It was Ty's mother.

"Ian, Ty?" She asked, her smile fading as she looked down on the two teenage boys. She glanced behind her like she was hoping no one would notice the conversation. Behind her Ty could see the familiar setting of his home kitchen. "Wh-what's wrong?"

Ian sighed. "They found him." He stated simply.

Ty stared up at his mother, a feeling of uneasiness growing in his gut. Why did his mom look so scared? Why were her eyes so big? She looked so panicked. None of this made sense. Maybe he was dreaming. Yeah, he probably just hit his head coming down from that kick he'd pulled off. Maybe if he pinched himself..."Ow!" He yelped, he glanced up, hoping the nightmare would be gone. Instead he found his mom and Ian staring at him. He rubbed the back of his head, a habit he had that tended to appear when he was embarrassed, "Uh, sorry." He said.

His mother gave him a worried look. Then she nodded at Ian. "I'll be right over," She glanced at Ty again and then back. "Keep him safe." She waved her hand and her image disappeared.

It occurred to Ty that he'd missed the bulk of the conversation and any information as to what was going on.

Ian crossed to him determinedly, grabbed his arm, and pulled him out of the gym. Glancing back at Ty he said, "Do me a favor OK? Until we get to our destination, don't look at anyone, don't talk anyone, and, most importantly, don't mention anything that just happened."

"How am I supposed to tell anyone about what happened if I'm not supposed to talk?"

Ian paused, "Right...well anyways just don't OK?" He pleaded.

Ty nodded, still half in shock. His mother's and Ian's behavior were beginning to scare him. "OK, OK. Don't worry." He said as they made their way down the landscaped footpaths to the front parking lot.

"Hey! Watch where you're, like, going loser!" Came a Deidre's nasty voice as she glared at Ian. She was the richest, most popular girl at school and also the meanest. She and Bruce where Mark Bryant's power couple.

Ty and Ian, in their haste, had run into her.

Deidre turned her flirty blue eyes on Ty. "So, where are you off to in such a hurry?" She asked as she struck, what she thought, was an irresistibly cute pose.

To be real, Ty had always found her, and her poses, quite frightening.

"He's, uh, off to vacation. Gotta work on that tan of his." Ian stammered.

Ty shook his head, Ian was such a bad liar.

Deidre snorted. Her eyes hungrily took in his subtle muscles, natural bronzed skin and good looks. For Ty, it was a little too much deja vu. "As if!" She scoffed. "Bye Ty!" She added as Ian dragged him away.

When they reached the parking lot Brenda Sharpe was waiting in the durable, old, black van that his family had owned since before Ty could remember. Ty inhaled deeply and sighed happily as he slid into the comfy seats.

It was nice to be in a place where everything made sense. The consoling familiarity made it seem like everything would be alright.

"Come on, come on." Brenda urged. "Get in."

Ian climbed in and shut the door.