Chapter 1
Nothing exciting really happened during my school year except that I got pulled out during class to go one on of the most dangerous rescue mission I've ever been on.
I was racking my brain trying to think of what the heck a supplementary angle was during math class when my mom came into the classroom. She was in wearing her suit and carrying her brief case, wearing an urgent look on her face. I knew that first, she had just come from work, and second, something was definitely wrong.
She gestured for me to come over.
"We have to go. Get your stuff, okay?" she whispered.
I nodded and took my binder and homework folder to my locker where I pulled out my backpack and stuffed them into the first pocket. I looked at the picture of my boyfriend/best friend Adam Pierce that was taped to my locker door and then closed it up again.
When my mom had finished talking to my teacher, she led me at a fast pace down the stairs to the office.
"Mom what's up?" I asked. "Is something wrong?"
"You'll see. Someone's waiting for you in the foyer. I'll be in the car, okay honey?" she said, already heading out the door to the school parking lot.
I walked to the foyer, wondering who would be waiting for me.
I turned the corner and gasped slightly. Sitting on a bench playing with a pocket knife was a boy around fifteen with jet black hair that stuck up in the back, wearing a striped dress shirt with a leather jacket over top, black strait-leg jeans and black and white skate shoes was Adam Pierce.
He looked up and grinned his insanely cute grin. I was immediately lost in his bright blue eyes identical to his father's, Zeus.
Oh yeah, I should probably tell you before I continue the story that Adam and I are both demi-gods. A demi-god is someone who has a god for one of their parents. Adam's father was Zeus, lord of the sky, and my father was Poseidon, god of the sea. Make sense?
Anyway, he looked up and grinned his insanely cute grin. I was lost in his eyes, blah, blah, blah. He stood up, stuck his pocketknife in his pocket (where else?), and embraced me as I jumped into his arms.
He set me down a minute later and kissed me. "How's it going?"
"It's... going." I replied.
"Come on, we've got a lot to talk about." he took my hand and we walked to my mom's car.
"Ready to go?" she asked.
"Yep." Adam and I climbed into the back seat and buckled up.
"So what's going on?" I asked.
"I got a Iris Message from Chiron saying that we needed to get a demi-god to Camp Half-blood yesterday." Adam explained. "We've got to pick up Justin and then get to an elementary school in Philadelphia."
"Sounds like a plan." I said.
"Are you guys going to be okay? You could get attacked by some monsters or… fall off a cliff or something." my mom said.
"Mom we'll be okay. We fell off a cliff because Justin was driving." I assured her. Adam snorted with laughter. "And it was raining. So… the roads were slippery. Anyways, don't worry."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, mom!" I told her firmly. "If anything happens I'll call you, okay?"
"Okay but be careful." mom pulled up at a bus stop where our best friend Justin McDonald sat. Justin was sixteen, tall, with brown hair and brown eyes (his father was Hermes). He looked tanned since the last time I had seen him.
He smiled and came over to the car. He opened the door and I slid over so he could sit in the back with Adam and I.
"Hi, Justin." my mom said.
"Hi Ms. Bloom." Justin replied.
"Hey Justin," I said, giving him a one armed hug.
"Hey guys." he grinned. "So, camp hasn't even started and we have a mission."
"Yep." Adam replied.
"Hey, I got you guys something when I was in Hawaii." Justin reached into his backpack. He handed me a plastic bag full of pop can caps (I collected them) and handed Adam a pocket knife with a Hawaiian floral pattern (Adam collected pocketknives).
We laughed.
"Thanks, man." Adam grinned, sticking it in his pocket with his other one.
"Yeah, thanks." I put in. "It's really thoughtful of you."
"No problem." he shrugged. "I used up a lot of my pocket change getting those pop cans."
We laughed again.
My mom stopped in front of a big school. A bunch of elementary school kids were running around on a playground or playing soccer in a huge field.
"Make sure you call me if anything goes wrong, okay?" mom said for about the five billionth time.
"We will, mom." I assured her automatically.
"Bye, honey." I leaned forward so she could give me a kiss on the cheek.
"Bye, boys." she said to Adam and Justin.
"Bye, Ms. Bloom." they replied.
We got out of the car and my mom drove off.
"You're mom's really cool." Adam said.
"Thanks." I replied.
"So… who is this half-blood exactly?"
"Martin Jones." Adam answered.
"And how are we going to find him?"
"No idea." both boys replied in unison.
Yep, that's pretty much how our genius plans start out. I guess you could say we make it up as we go along.
"I have an idea." Adam said, although he sounded like it might not work.
"What?"
"Well… it probably wouldn't be very successful but we could ask the secretary for Martin and tell them we're his relatives. Obviously the secretary wouldn't believe us but that's why we've got the Mist on our side." he said.
The Mist was what kept most mortals from seeing the unusual things that us demi-gods did. Take sword fighting for instance. What would you do if someone pulled out a huge, sharp sword an started attacking someone? Well, if you are mortal, you wouldn't see it.
"I guess it'll have to work." I said.
"It's worth a shot." Justin nodded.
We went through the front doors of the large school campus. We headed into the office.
The secretary looked up and smiled. "Hello, can I help you?"
Adam snapped his fingers. "We need Martin Jones. We're his relatives."
"Of course. I'll page him for you." the secretary smiled, looking dazed all of a sudden.
She picked up the phone, pressed a button and said, "Martin Jones to the office, please." her voice echoed through all the PA systems inside and outside of the school.
A minute later, a boy around twelve or so came in.
"Martin, your-"
A deafening roar cut off the rest of the secretary's sentence.
Mine, Justin, and Adam's eyes widened.
"That better not be what I think it is." I squeaked.
"What's going on?" Martin asked, looking at us.
"Come on, kid, we have to go!" Adam said. He look out his cell phone and flipped it open. It turned into a beautiful long sword; Slayer.
Martin stared as I uncapped Riptide, my lethal ballpoint pen, which grew into two feet of deadly celestial bronzea and Justin's club key chain grew into a heavy, metal, spiky club.
"What-"
"No time to explain. Come with us!" Adam said after another loud roar.
He grabbed my hand and started to run through the school.
Justin was just behind us with Martin.
"Where are the back doors?" Adam yelled over the screaming of the students and teachers.
"There." Martin pointed at a door.
Still holding onto my hand, Adam dragged me through the door, pushing past students and teachers running around like crazy.
Justin took a hold of my other hand and grabbed Martin's arm.
We were now outside. A tall metal fence surrounded the campus.
"Come on!" Adam let go of my hand and began to climb the fence nimbly. I followed him and swung myself over it. He grabbed my hand before I landed on the ground. Justin let Martin climb over first and then hauled himself over, landing painfully on his knees.
He gritted his teeth, His jeans were ripped and his knees were bleeding but he stood up.
"Where's the roaring coming from?" Martin asked, looking scared as Adam grabbed him before he fell to the ground.
"It's a Nemeon Lion. We have a lot to tell you but for now we have to get out of here." I said.
"What about the people over there?" Adam asked, pointing at the school. "Are we going to leave them to die?"
I opened my mouth.
"Riles, stay with Martin. Hide. We'll get rid of the lion." Justin told me.
"No! That is way too dangerous!" I argued.
"We'll be fine." Adam assured me. He looked at me pleadingly with his brilliant blue eyes.
"Fine, but just... be safe, okay?" I said, my voice starting to shake a bit with nervousness.
Both boys nodded. Before they left I squeezed their hands.