Authors Note: This is an experiment, I suppose. I haven't found any stories like this while perusing through the site, and I thought I'd try it out, see what the reception is like. If people like it, I'm planning to take turns updating both this and By the Light of the Moon, but for now, the latter still has priority in my planning.

It takes place right after Battle of the Labyrinth, but well before The Last Olympian. There's about a year's gap between the two, from his fifteenth birthday to a week before his sixteenth, and I'm planning to use it.

I provide an information sheet about my OC, Ash Merafuik, at the end of the chapter, and plan to update it as the story progresses.

As always, please read, review, and recommend!

The Divine Flame

New York, New York

Ash's POV

I've always been a bit special, I've known that. I've seen many strange things throughout my young life, mostly because my parents are rich enough to show me all sorts of things, but this has to top the charts.

Alright, I suppose I should probably explain my comment first. The Merafuik family is known as the 'Tycoons of the Sea', a nickname given to them because of our family's involvement in shipping and trading throughout the globe. We're probably one of the richest families in the world, barring people like the Royal Family or the Presidential one. We're well known throughout the upper echelons of the modern world, and my dad probably has the phone number of the President and the Queen on his work phone, it wouldn't surprise me. My parents always found time to spend with me when I wanted it, though, unlike many other rich kids I know.

They've taken me across the globe, and I've seen some pretty strange things, but I'll admit that my mind was blown when Percy Jackson uncapped his pen, turning it into a shimmering bronze sword, and swung it at me.

In his defense, I suppose that hitting a cymbal in the band room when he was obviously trying to hide wasn't the smoothest move, but I was curious as to why he had ran into the abandoned room during the break between periods of school. So I had followed the kid, and entered the room behind him. I had nudged a nearby pair of cymbals, and with a loud crash, they fell the group.

The guy whirls around, uncapping his pen into a shimmering bronze sword, with a toned grip and a leaf-shaped blade. Ducking to dodge the slash, which would have decapitated me, I rolled forward past him and turned around, hands up in a position of surrender.

"Whoa, dude! Don't decapitate me, I'd rather live, you know. Now, put your sword down, and tell me what the heck you're hiding from." I stated, slightly nervous at the bronze sword he had held up at my face.

I reached out my hand to push the sword down, but then, surprising me slightly, my hand passed through it as if it was a mirage.

"What." My eloquent response would have made my English teachers throughout the years proud, I'm sure of it.

The guy took a step back, exclaiming "You're mortal! What—" but then stopped abruptly as a voice carried through from the outside.

"Don't worry, sonny. You're going to feast on him real soon. We sure are lucky, aren't we, boy?" a sweet, but disgusting voice spoke, getting louder as it approached the band room door.

My eyes widened, but Percy groaned and pulled me down behind the piano. His bronze sword was next to me as he tackled me onto the ground, obviously trying to hide from the voice. I had seen something like this before, I recalled. I had found a strange bronze sword, whose blade had passed through everyone like they didn't exist, when my family had gone exploring the ancient Greek temples a few years ago. It was stuck in an alcove that had been overlooked for centuries, and I had pried it out with difficulty.

The disgusting voice opened the door, and I froze in shock. For a brief second it looked like a fat lady with a Chihuahua, but then I saw the creatures for what they truly were. The beast was massive, and easily recognizable. After all, its name had become synonym for a monstrous composition of multiple entities. The Chimera, famed as the mythical beast slain by the Greek hero Bellerophon, riding the immortal winged horse Pegasus.

The reptilian woman next to it, then, had to be Echidna, the Mother of Monsters. She was calling the Chimera her son earlier, so I decided to stick with that name until things started making sense again. Had I stumbled upon the latest filming of the X-Men, or something?

Percy cursed under his breath, in a language akin to Greek, which I knew, but older. He moved his blade quietly, and motioned at me to stay where I was, and not make a sound. He pulled out a small dagger from his back pocket, and gave it to me softly.

I raised a curious eyebrow, but then grinned. Taking a deep breath, I took in Percy's odd scent. He smelled like the sea, or the ocean.

I stood up and took at step forward around the piano, shouting "Hey, Echidna, over here!"

The reptilian lady turned to me, her face hissing in pleasure. I hefted the small weapon, frowning inwardly. Not the best for throwing, but the target's not that far away. Here goes!

I threw the dagger with practiced form, inwardly thanking my weapons obsession for making me learn how to throw daggers. The bronze blade spun through the air before impaling the lady in the head. Hopefully I don't need to call my lawyers about accidental death; I'd hate to have to deal with that.

I was mildly surprised as her face gave an expression of pure shock before disintegrating rapidly. The Chimera next to the lady roared, and I rolled to the side as flames shot out of its mouth.

Shit, I forgot the Chimera breathes fire in the olden tales. I cursed, but then stopped and stared at Percy. He had rolled forward toward the Chimera, and stuck his sword up into the thing's mouth. It howled before disintegrating.

Percy turned to me, eyes wide. "What- How did you- but you're—"

Rachel Dare, one of my friends, ran into the room just as it disintegrated. She shouted "Percy! Are you alright? I saw them at the entrance but I didn't see you until just a few minutes ago! I was at the other end of the hallway; I couldn't get here fast enough."

I grinned and shouted at her. "Hey there, Rachel! I just killed the Chimera and its mother Echidna with the demigod Son of Poseidon!"

Authors Note: Tantalizing cliffhanger, I know. For those of you wondering, yes, Ash is a brilliant scientist at heart, and picks up on many things.

Character Information Sheet:

Name: Ash Merafuik

Title(s): None

Alignment: Chaotic Good — "Science for the sake of fun"

Strength: C+ - Minor Demigods, Mortals

Dexterity: B+ - Ambidextrous, Agile, Fast

Luck: C- - Is fated to had bad encounters sparingly

Skills:

Melee Combat: A-

Ash has a bit of a weapons obsession, and is familiar with most ancient melee weapons, from one-handed swords to daggers. A- shows skill in all well-documented styles of fighting.

Archery: B+

Ash has a bit of a weapons obsession, and is familiar with the bow and arrow. B+ is equal to the natural talents of a newly blessed Hunter of Artemis without prior archery training.

Instinct: C+

Ash hasn't been in truly life-threatening situations before, and has only formal competition instinct. C+ shows reasonable awareness of surroundings for hostile intent.

Charisma: B

Ash was born to a rich family, and was brought up to be able to speak publicly and give speeches. At B rank, one can provide speeches suitable for uplifting an army.

Notes:

Strength: Ranges from Mortals to Gods and Titans. Ares would be A-, Hades would be A+, while Kronos A++. Percy ranks at about A when empowered by water and/or his curse. Demigods in general range from C+ to B+, depending on their godly parent and their training.

Luck: Percy has D- luck, as he never seems to catch a break between monsters or angry gods/titans/giants, etc. Scale from there to Tyche, goddess of luck, at A+ rank.