Chapter 1

My name is Isabella Anna Marcia Ramirez, and I'm 14 years old.

Not that any of it matters when a five-foot-tall Minotaur who probably has got at least a hundred pounds on you is trying to get you killed.

I slash at the Minotaur and duck as he lumbers forward. "GO!" I yell to my 7-year-old-nearly-8 brother and my 11 year old sister. "I'll hold them back!"

Thresh (if you haven't figured it out yes, that's my brother) looks at me worriedly with his hazel brown eyes. "But…" He's scared for me. Who wouldn't be? Here I am, barely 14 and I'm fighting something that's just escaped the pages of my Ancient Civilization encyclopedia, Greek mythology section (sadly, yes I am a nerd, and this is why I do not have a boyfriend yet). We're at the base of the hill, trying to get to some camp I've never even heard about until my mother died and told me to come here. And, if I can't save my sister, I at least want to save Thresh. And okay, maybe that's not really kind, but my sister can really be an annoying brat sometimes.

We're nearly there. I'm desperate; Claire is getting weaker with each attack from the harpies and Thresh-well, Thresh isn't faring so well. And me? Well let's just say if this damn Minotaur doesn't kill me now a few more steps climbing up the ridiculously steep hill will.

Then I almost dance with relief; we've reached the camp. It's a few yards away; the sign bearing Greek words almost paralyze me when they shift to form the words Camp Half-Blood. Somehow, if only I could get a little closer…

Then the Minotaur head butts me. Like, really slams into my 70 pound body with his huge bulk. I just manage to stifle a scream-a scary gurgle that rises in my throat and threatens to erupt from my mouth-so I clamp my mouth shut. Almost immediately I taste blood in the side of my mouth; I've bitten my cheek. My tongue probes the area, tasting the ragged flesh and the metallic taste of blood. But soon I'm distracted when an intense pain that wasn't really noticeable before now blossoms into something that comes and goes, shooting across my gut and abdomen like white hot flames and basically just making me look like Bella in Twilight when James bit her and…. Oh wait. Back to the story.

My mouth was threatening to open and scream and make my best guy friend who's gay, Damien, look like some buff jock. I gasped. I tried to sit up, but even rolling over so that you're not face in the mud was excruciating. Then I looked at my brother's terrified face, and suddenly willpower I didn't know I possessed kept me from shrieking my eardrums off.

I knew if I screamed, my brother would just lose it. We were both each other's favourites, seeing as how Claire acted like such a brat sometimes. But if I lost it…so would my brother.

I smiled and mouthed," I'll be fine. Go."

He nods unconsciously, his worried eyes looking years older, trained on me.

Then the Minotaur bashes my chest in again and I nearly lose my grip on reality.

Finally, mustering all the strength I have, I roll under the Minotaur and stab him in the back. He dissipates into dust and I nearly do the Macarena.

From the periphery of my vision, I see Claire, fighting three harpies at once. Oh crap. Not my delicate, wispy auburn haired sister! Sure she's a brat, but she's my damn sister, and if ANYONE is killing her, it WILL be me! Magically all my tiredness disappeared and I manage to stand up, though rather wobbly. Then, ignoring every instinct in my body that's screaming at me not to, I run headfirst into the harpies, wielding only my trusty vegetable knife. Aren't I the epitome of awesome?

The harpies are taken aback, and I manage to slice and kill 2 of them while they're still off guard. The next harpy lunges for me but out of nowhere, a hoof kicks me aside. Wait. Hoof? I nearly scream when this weird man appears. I almost ask, why do you have FUR? And hooves? But somehow, this seems rude.

"Come," he beckons to me and my sister.

But, I know I won't make it. It'll either be my sister or me; both us can barely walk. So I give him the go ahead.

"Go ahead. Carry my sister," I mouth weakly.

I turn, hoping to see Thresh. And there he is, silently obeying my last orders as he tries not to cry as another weird goat-man leads him to the camp. I can see a pale lanky looking guy running forward, perhaps to come and help me, I'm not sure, when I realize he's shouting something I can't hear. What now?

Then I turn around only to be met by a huge dog that sends me flying.

Well, okay, maybe huge is kind of an understatement.

I land with a painful crunch. I don't turn to look if it's just the leaves or maybe my ankle.

But I hobble up anyway. I knew without looking back my siblings still weren't safe. And, if this hellhound, weird how the name appears in my head, I thought, was still here, he was a threat. A threat I was determined to eradicate.

I lunged forward, trying to slice the hell out of the well, hellhound.

If you as so much touch my family, I SWEAR I will kill you, and slice you and blend your little pieces into oblivion, I think furiously.

So I hack away.

But even I can tell from my hazy vision, it wont work. I'm gonna die, I think. Then reality crashes in. I failed.

Just then, the pale faced guy arrives. I realize he's Italian. Hmm, I snort. Just like me. "Need some help?" He grins a cocky grin.

I flip him the finger. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK I NEED RIGHT NOW YOU MORON?" Okay, probably not my best choice of words for someone who's going to save your life, but still. I'm pissed and exhausted and this guy still can joke?

He sighs. "Alright, alright, fine, fine. Touchy much?" He adds under his breath.

He does some complicated stuff, what exactly I'm not sure but it happened so fast I barely remember. Then my jaw drops when a wall of fire encases that… BITCH. I'm sorry, but there's really no other way to say it. Unless, of course, it's a dude.

"No way you did that," I say in a hushed whisper, which, frankly, is really surprising, cos I barely have the energy to stand up.

He turns to look at me, and his dark eyes glint. "Way."

I almost smile, until I realize there's an entire menagerie at the bottom of the hill. I only make out hooves and claws and God knows what else. It's a whole crowd barking and cawing and hissing and the sight feels me with dread when I realize those are the monsters I've been fighting. Oh. Oh crap.

His eyes bulg the moment he sees what I'm seeing. He turns to me confused. "No way."

Then he glances at me again. "What are you waiting for? Go!" He hisses.

But I cant leave him like this. Not now, not ever. Especially since I owe him for saving my life. This is a debt I must pay. Not my sister, no one else. I hesitate and he practically shoves me to the gate entrance. But I stop. And pray.

Oh Gods. Please don't kill him.

And what happens next shock me. Cos, there is no way in hell did I do THAT.

Below, thunderstorms and lightning bolts are striking down, conveniently zapping the baddies away. Then what follows after convinces me totally I'm seeing things. Waves appear out of nowhere, sweeping the carcasses or drowning the remainder.

Unable to do, or think of anything else, I drag the guy and myself to the gate when I'm met with awestruck gray eyes. "Help me," I whisper.

Then everything goes black.