I never asked for the demon chicken ladies to attack me and Dan. I never asked to be a bloody demigod. I never asked for all my bad luck. But we always get what we don't ask for, don't we? Wait… you don't understand what I'm talking about, do you? Gods of Olympus …oh well; I guess I should start from the top (again). My name is Raven Rose, your 'common' daughter of Hecate. This is my story. Prepare yourself. There will be blood.

1. I Get Attacked by Demon Chicken Ladies

It all started when I pelted a few pigeons with a piece of food.

"You know, I should really dye a streak of my hair green." I wondered aloud as I bit another piece of my cinnamon hot pretzel.

"Why?" Dan stared at me curiously.

I shrugged and remained silent for a little while.

My day started normal: going to school, skipping classes (maybe) and hiding out in the library, going to assembly, going to the park with Dan.

Dan has been my best friend since freshman year. He's an interesting guy, that's for sure. For example, his laugh sounds like a wailing goat, which I will never get used to. He's an environmentalist, and has reddish brown curly hair with an obsession with canned foods.

But recently I've noticed that he dumps out the food and saves the cans… where he puts them?

I have no idea.

And I don't think I want to.

I shrugged again before responding. "I need a flare. I'm sick of this boring black hair."

Dan stared at me like I had grown a three heads. "You're really weird, Raven."

"Shut up, Dan."

"Never, Savvy Ravvy."

"Don't call me that. It's seriously annoying."

"So is you making fun of my laugh."

"Touché."

I leaned back against the wooden park bench and pulled my leg up to hug it to my chest.

I must've stuck out like a sore thumb out here; dressed in black steel toed combat boots, black torn high waisted shorts, a gray tank top, and black cotton zip up sweater.

But who the bloody hell cares? I know I sure don't.

Let me introduce myself.

My name is Raven Dahlia Rose.

I'm 16 years old, and I'm a junior at a private school in the Upper East Side called Manhattan Westside High School for troubled kids.

Am I a troubled kid?

No, of course not.

I'm just different.

I've always known it, and I was always indifferent to the matter.

I knew that I could see things that others can't, despite my ADHD.

I knew I could do things others couldn't, despite my dyslexia.

I knew I was always that one kid without a mom. The one kid who wore black like most girls wore pink.

But who gives a bloody care about what others think? I have my books. I have my sketches, my drawings. I have my dad, Dan, and my music.

You're probably thinking that I'm emo or something. But honestly; I find myself the opposite of that.

Anyways, back to the story, right?

I think the only reason I'm in a "troubled kids" school is because of my personality. You see, I have a tendency to speak my mind, or be 'rude.'

But that never stopped Dan, God bless his kind soul. He befriended me faster than I even thought about it.

I tucked my other leg under my body and took another bite of my hot pretzel. A piece fell off and landed in the grass.

Immediately a flock of pigeons swarmed it. I chucked another piece of my pretzel in another part of the grass. A new flock of pigeons attacked it.

"That might kill them, Raven. I wouldn't do that…" Dan trailed off as he stared at the birds, intrigued.

I waved him off. "Stop worrying so bloody much, Dan. I've seen one of these guys eat a can and leave with minor damage. They'll be fine."

As you might've noticed, I say the word bloody, a lot. And in Europe, that's a curse word. But I have a reason why I say it so much. My father is from England, and he used to be a fisherman back in his twenties.

He never got rid of his cursing spree.

So of course, my first word was bloody.

But here in America, it doesn't matter much to them. So it's all good,

Now, back to the story, okay?

A pigeon cooed and fixed its eyes on me. Something about it made my skin crawl, which was weird, since it was just a stupid bird.

Dan muttered a curse under his breath and abruptly stood up. "You know, we should probably go home. Homework and all that stuff," he suggested.

I stared at him. "Why? It's only 4:00, Dan. Lighten up, Grandpa." I pulled him down into the seat.

Little did I know, I should've gone along with his suggestion and I could've prevented this whole goddy mess.

But I wasn't born with the power to see into the future, now was I?

Dan tried to put up more of a fight, but I wouldn't budge.

I continued to throw the remains of my pretzel at the birds. A few of them squawked and flapped their wings.

And I swear on my dead Grandmother's cookies that a couple of those (wretched) beaked organisms glared at me.

I squinted, but they looked away and continued to toss their head.

Time drawled on, and I soon got bored, so I finally relented to Dan's protests and agreed to go home.

When we turned down an alleyway to take a short cut, I heard a coo.

I turned around to find another pack of bloody pigeons. A handful of the birds had pieces of hot pretzel stuck in their sleek coats and they ruffled their feathers.

Then they all looked at me and growled.

"What the heck…?" I whispered. I looked over to find that Dan had turned white.

Then the pigeons changed.

Their bodies turned longer and fatter. Their wings grew and morphed into ugly mixtures of mud brown and vomit green.

And then they turned into women.

Hideous, obese, squawking women.

I stumbled back on my butt. "What the fuck?" I screeched.

Dan muttered a curse under his breath, but I didn't care. I was freaked out of my mind.

The one in front, the fattest of them all, mind you, licked her beak and clicked her tongue like a dolphin.

"Raven Rose, I have waited for this day for years." She snarled. Her clawed feet inched forward and her gigantic gut barely ghosted over the ground.

One of her followers cackled. "For many years."

I swallowed hard and inched backwards. "Leave me alone… you… thing. Got eat a cracker or something."

As you can see, I'm not the sweetest talker in dangerous situations.

The demon in front growled, which I didn't think was even possible for a bird.

What was I bloody talking about? Half chicken women shouldn't have been possible.

Dan reached into his backpack and took out a can.

On normal circumstances, I would've been marveled at finding out where he keeps his cans, but obviously this wasn't a normal circumstance, as I was about to die.

I think.

The demon lady advanced and I scrunched backwards. The asphalt dug into my palms and legs, but I honestly didn't care. Her talons scratched against the tar covered ground. I backed up some more and before I knew it I had trapped myself against the wall.

The leader grinned devilishly at me. "For years, all we had to eat was bread and crackers, bread and crackers. But now, we finally get to taste demigod blood."

"What are you talking about? Demon god blood? I'm no demon god. And you sure as hell aren't going to be eating me, Chicken Lady." I don't know where my surge of confidence came from.

Chicken Lady scowled. "My name is not, Chicken Lady."

"Oh, really? I never would've known. I'm so bloody fascinated." I muttered sarcastically.

Chicken Lady clicked her tongue. "No, my name is not Chicken Lady. My name has been feared throughout the ages. I used to be the terrorizer of demigods back in the homeland. My name was so horrible, that it could only be whispered."

"What was it? Bone Crusher? Blood Sucker? (wasn't that a nickname for mosquitoes?) Marrow Devourer?" I asked.

Chicken Lady scowled again. "No, my name is not that," then she smirked proudly, "Behold! Standing before you, is the Great and Powerful Polly!"

"Isn't that the name of the little annoying parrot that sits on pirates shoulders screeching: 'Polly wants a cracker!'" I asked.

Polly snarled. "Who do you think those stories were named after? Back in the old days, I used to serve Black Beard, the most famous pirate in history. I would raid his ships, devourer his enemies, and cause mayhem. But enough of that. You time has come, Raven Rose. Prepare to feel my wrath."

Then the demon chicken ladies lunged at once with speed.

(Considering their body fat, that shouldn't have been remotely possible.)

You know in the books it says that time slows down?

Well I can assure you, that's a big, fat, bloody lie.

Time sped up as I pressed myself against the wall. I heard Dan scream and suddenly a sharp pain exploded in my arm.

I forced my eyes open and say that five long and deep gashes were running down the length; from the middle of my bicep down to my wrist.

Polly's attention wasn't on my anymore. She was glowering at Dan, who had thrown something at him. She snarled.

"Foolish satyr! You should've spared your own life and left well enough alone. But now it's too late. Now you too shall perish alongside this godling! And I believe I shall start with you."

I felt dizzy as I stared down at my arm that was gushing blood. My heartbeat pounded in my ears.

What the hell was happening?

What was a satyr?

What was Polly? A demon chicken lady sent from Hell?

I weakly lifted my head to look at Dan. He seemed scared out of his wits and was slowly inching backwards as Polly advanced.

She shot forward.

And then time slowed down.

My heart stopped as she slowly reached Dan, her talons outstretched towards his pale face.

Dan, sweet Dan, who risked his life for me, was about to die because of me.

And something in that realization woke me up.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins as my vision cleared and the pain in my arm subsided.

I stood up and screamed. "NO!"

A tingling feeling appeared in my fingers. And a column of green substance shot out of my palms and slammed into Polly.

She screeched as she was blasted against a wall.

I looked down at my hands in fear.

It was back.

Polly shakily stood up. Her brown wings were burned to a crisp and her beak was bashed in. She glowered at me with pure hatred.

"You," She snarled, as if that was the most hurtful insult she could think of.

My fear soon turned to anger as I blasted her again with the green substance.

She wailed as her form crumbled to dust and scattered.

"What the hell…" I stared at the spot she was standing only moment before.

The other demon chicken ladies (3 of them) glared at me fearfully. One of them who was slightly less obese than Polly with vomit green feathers stuck out a long bony finger at me. "This is not over, Raven Rose. I will have my revenge."

Then she squawked, her form flickered back into a pigeon's, and she dove (?) for the sky.

And that's when my adrenaline rush ended. I stumbled and leaned against a brick wall for support.

Dan rushed over to me and caught me. He was still breathing hard, but I didn't notice. I was focusing on trying to keep my eyes open.

"Dan…?" I muttered. My arm throbbed.

"Yes, Raven?" he answered cautiously, as if he knew what I was about to ask.

"What the bloody hell were those things?" I murmured. I slumped against him. He caught me again.

"Woah, sit down for a minute, Raven."

I could barely respond. The ground was stained with blood and a few drops had dripped onto my boots. We slowly sat down onto the floor.

Dan reached into his backpack and took out a plastic Ziploc bag filled with lemon squares.

I doubted this was the right time to be eating pastries, but who was I to judge? I was completely famished. Questions could be answered later.

And believe me, they will be answered.

Dan took one of them and broke off a piece. Selfish much?

"Here, eat this." He told me.

I took a bite out of it.

They were not lemon squares.

It tasted like my dad's salmon, for one thing.

The other thing was that as soon as I swallowed it, my headache dulled to a barely noticeable throb, and my eyesight cleared. My arm stopped pounding.

I opened my mouth to ask Dan what he just fed me, but before I could, he had taken out a canteen and pushed it to my mouth.

It tasted like my best friend Indy's apple cider, something I hadn't tasted in three years.

Slowly, slowly, the cut on my arm closed up. I gasped and scooted away from Dan.

"What type of witchcraft are you imposing on me?" I demanded.

He blushed. "It's ambrosia and nectar, the food and drink of the gods."

"What the bloody hell are you going on about?"

He scratched the back of his neck. "Come on, I'll explain to you on the way."

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

I don't know how it happened. Somehow, Dan had hailed a taxi and loaded me into one and told the driver the address to whatever we were going.

"Are you sure about that, sir? There's nothing there but a strawberry farm and hills." The driver told Dan.

He nodded. "I'm sure. My… uncle, you could say, owns the arm. We're just visiting him."

The driver nodded and licked his lips. "Tell him that I enjoy eating his strawberries. They're the best I've ever tasted."

Dan nodded again. "You got it."

Then he slid up the glass and turned to me.

I punched him on the arm. "You're taking me to a bloody farm? I think you're forgetting I have school tomorrow! And my dad will be worried sick."

Dan waved it away. "Don't worry about your dad. He most likely already knows about why you're leaving."

"What do you mean leaving? I'm not going anywhere." I whisper yelled.

"Don't worry, Raven." He assured me. Then he turned to stare out the window.

"So much for explanations," I muttered.

I then decided to follow his example and turn towards the window. I watched as the buildings, cars, buses, and other taxis rolled by.

Before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

I had a horrible nightmare. Not that I would tell you right now. That would spoil everything.

Let me just say, that it was a memory of the night that changed my life forever.

When I woke up, the taxi had stopped and Dan was paying the driver. I saw him pass a thick wad of dollar bills to him.

He smiled at me. "Let's go, Rave."

I warily followed him out the car. The driver saluted us, sent Dan a wink, and drove off.

I stared up at the gigantic hill that sat before me. At the very top (cough, cough, summit, cough, cough), an equally (maybe) tall pine tree stood sentry.

A pile of glimmering bronze that puffed out steam was curled around the base, and a fuzzy golden bathmat was resting in the branches of the tree.

I turned to Dan. "You have a weird Uncle, Daniel."

Dan only chuckled at that and climbed up the hill with ease.

Weird, he didn't even mind the fact that I had called him by his full name (something he despised).

I had no choice but to follow him.

I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched.

When we reached the top of the hill, I realized that the pile of bronze was not just a pile, but instead, a sleeping dragon.

How did I notice that?

Oh easy, I almost stepped on his snout.

"What the hell? Can't your Uncle settle for a watch dog?" I hissed at Dan.

He shrugged. "That's Peleus. He won't hurt you,"

"How do you know that?"

"Because he's trained."

"A trained dragon," I muttered. "That's just bloody fantastic."

As it turned out, the fuzzy bath mat was not a fuzzy bath mat, but actually a shimmering golden sheep fleece.

"What type of Christmas decoration is a bloody sheep fleece?" I wondered aloud.

Dan rolled his eyes and pushed me over the other side of the hill.

Immediately, everything changed. The boring old plain valley turned into a beautiful camp (or something like that).

I got a glimpse of a sky blue farm house, a climbing wall, and a glittering lake. The smell of strawberries and burning fire filled the air.

Then I made the mistake of taking a step, and I tripped.

Next thing I know, I'm rolling down the hill, my back and stomach hitting roots and boulders.

Dan hurried after me, but I was already long gone.

When I finally reached the bottom, I was a tangled heap of bruised appendages and hurting backs.

Dan helped me up. "Smooth, Rose, smooth as sandpaper."

I pushed him. "Shut up, Dan."

I then noticed two girls walking over.

One of them had wavy blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and gray eyes (A/N: Yes, Annabeth's hair is actually wavy instead of curly, just read the first chapter of Magnus Chase. Sorry for spoilers!). She was wearing a simple bright orange T shirt, jean shorts, and sneakers. An ivory sword hung at her waist.

The other girl looked like some deeply tanned Barbie. Safe to say, I paid more attention to her, even though it wasn't based on good intentions. She seemed to have color shifting eyes, and her choppy chocolate brown hair was braided on either side. She wore simple high waisted jean shorts, sneakers, and an identical shirt to the girl next to her. A leather sheath was wrapped around her waist.

I stared at them suspiciously. The blonde greeted Dan first.

"Welcome back, Dan. And good job with your recruition." She nodded.

Dan smiled sheepishly, so something told me that this girl didn't hand out praise often. He gestured to me. "This is Raven Rose. Her parentage is unknown, but I think we will know by camp fire tonight, hopefully."

The girls regarded me. I caught the tanned one staring at my hair. She caught my eye and I shrugged, my gaze never leading hers.

"Raven, this is Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena," He pointed to the blonde girl, "And Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite." He pointed to the dark skinned Barbie.

I nodded.

Annabeth stuck out her hand.

I grasped it. It was firm and strong.

She smiled at me a little, her fierce gray eyes swirling. "Hey there, Raven. Welcome to Camp Half Blood."

Author's Note:

And there's chapter one! Thanks for reading! Chapter 2 will be out soon!

XOXO,

JeynaxPercabeth