Chapter 1: Amber

Run, I told myself, Run for your life as fast as you can. I may sound weird but, I was running from a minotaur in tightie-wighties. At this point, I, Amber Athena Swenson age 15 living with brother and mom, thought I was comletely hallucinating. But I ran just in case.
I tightened my grip on the four shopping bags I was holding from my last-minute Christmas shopping, being December 22nd. A Hollister bag for my brother, a Macy's bag for my mom, another Macy's for me and a Michael's bag filleed with arts and craft supplies aswell as stuff to wrap presents.
I looked over my shoulder to see that the monster was a blocks away, I could barely spot him in the thickly crowed streets of winter Manhattan but I could see that he was struggling to get past three old ladies.
Just as I was looking back, I hit something and fell down from pressure and shock.
I rubbed my forhead and looked up to see big, chocolate-brown eyes staring into mine. The eyes belonged to a handsome stranger with messy brown curly-ish long-ish hair who had soot on his face. He sort of looked like a Mexican elf around 17. He also had a Hollister and a Macy's bag.
"Sorry" The stranger said "I wasn't looking where I was going." He scrambled to his feet and helped me up. His slightly bigger hand fit perfectly in my smaller one. I looked back up. He was about 5 inches taller.
"It's alright, I wasn't looking either. It's my fault, too." I said. He picked up one of the Hollister bags, peeked inside, handed it to me. I just he picked up a Macy's bag, peeked, and haded it to me. This repeated with the Micheal's bag. He peeked into another Macy's bag and this time, he snapped it shut and handed it to me.
"That, my friend, is most definiteley yours." I peeked inside to see what he was talking about. I saw the new bras I got aswell as the rest of the clothes I bought for myself.
"Sorry," I said, hoping he wasn't scared for life. He picked up his own two bags and looked at me in the eyes, as if purposfully trying to make me melt.
"It's okay, I've seen worse thngs in my life. Why were you running?" I looked at him funny. "Sorry, not my position to ask."
"No, no. It's fine, I would tell you but, you just wouldn't believe me." He smirked
"Try me." I squinted my eyes at him, looking for uncertainty in his face but only found pain.
"Fine. I'm running away from a minotaur in tightie-wighties." I looked down, expecting him to laugh and tell me they don't exist. He never did so I looked back up. "Why are you running?" I asked
"Hydra," He said, thinking, hoping I'd understand. "If your a demigod we'd better get in that diner coffee shop to hide our demigod smell, besides I owe you." He grabbed my hand, noticing the monsters gaining on us, and pulled me into the shop.
"Hello," the hostess said [hostess? since when to coffee shops have hostesses?] "Would you and your girlfriend like a seat at the window or a table?" she asked the boy.
"She's not my girlfriend and a window seat." I looked at him with an exprecion that read why does she think we are dating I looked at my hand, which felt too warm. I got my answer. The boy was still holding my hand. He noticed, too, and let go. We walked over to a window seat and we sat across from each other in the booths.
"So she's either a clear-sighted mortal, a demigod, or a hallucinating mortal." he whispred to himself, thinking I couldn't hear. He stired the water on the table with a straw.
"As if you aren't a mortal. Jeez, and I'm Hera." I said, sarcastically.
"Really?" The boy asked and pulled out some weird gold coins with the sacred owls on them, symbol of Athena. After a second, I realized they were the ancient golden drachmas.
"No!" He took them back "Look, I don't know who in Hades you are and why should I even trust you?" I asked the strange boy. He rubbed the soot, off his face as if he just noticed it, looking at his reflection in the window.
"Do you believe in the Ancient Greek Gods?" He asked, noticing my reference to Hera and Hades. I sat more comfortably and I was suddenly interested and yet, nervous about this boy.
"Yes, I am only taught that way because I am Greek! And, again, who are you and why should I trust you?" It was getting on my nerves.
"I am Leo McShizzle Man Bad Boy Sumpreme Valdez, son of Hephaestus. And you eally are fully greek? I'm half Latino..." I looked at him
"Yes, I am fully greek... Okay, Leo McShizzle Man Bad Boy Supreme Valdez, why should I trust you again?" I eyed him suspiciousley
"Yay, you pay attention. Good listener, you, very good and very lucky. I like that." He clapped his hands like a four-year-old who just got candy. I raised an eyebrow. "And you are?"
"Amber Swenson. And, again, why should I trust you, Leo Valdez." I looked at him wide-eyed. A waiter came. He looked at me and smiled.
"One hot chocolate and a cheeseburger with sweet potato fries." Leo said when he asked
"And your girlfriend?" He asked
"Not dating..." I said and the waiter wiggled his eyebrows at me. "Same thing for me but, with green tea, NO sweetener or flirting on the side." I said. The waiter left and I looked at Leo to see him staring. "What? I'm cautious about what I consume!" He just shook his head.
"No, it's not that... It's your eyes. Do you know they change color?" He asked and I nodded. Every school I go, I'm shunned by kids beacause of my freaky eyes. I only had two friends, the boy had one blue one green eye, then the girl had green/brown mixed eyes. How will they put that on my driver's lisence.
"Are you freaked out? What color are they now? And, for the last time, why should I trust you?" I asked and he thought, staring into my ever-changing eyes with his chocolate brown ones.
"No, I think it's cool, I have a friend, Piper, who's eyes do that. They changed from sea-geen to aquamarine." He paused"I am a half-blood and know all about what you are going through." He closed his eyes and relaxed, happy to get it off his shoulders. I leaned forward and looked into his eyes.
"What, puberty?" I asked Leo's eyes snapped open and he turned pink. "Cuz, you are a boy and I'm a girl, last time I checked."
"No. Well, yeah, but that's not what I'm talking about. You are a half-blood and you just found out and know what it's like. I could help you." He looked at me with hope. I looked at him like he's crazy.
"You're crazy." I said and got ready to leave. He held my hand down. I looked at his amizingly tanned hand and then I looked into his eyes.
"Have you ever read greek mythology?" He asked and I relaxed and sat normally in the booth. Thankfully, he ley go of my hand.
"Yeah... I read at the library a lot." I said. Gee, did I wonder where this was going.
"Do you only have one parent?" He asked. I got confused at this. Then I realized what he meant and decided to play Smart Aleck.
"No... I mean I live with my mom and brother, I never met my dad but, it's impossible to have only one parent."
"In technicallity." He said, nodding. He looked at me. "Do you ever have encounters with strange creaters from mythology?"
"Other, than today, yes." I shivered from the mere thought of the memories.
"Are you dyslexic, ADHD, or both?"
"I don't know. I pay attention easily in school and I can read perfectly fine in English, Greek, and Ancient Greek. If that's what you're asking." I leaned back into my seat and I reddened. I felt like a bragger.
"A very very rare demigod." he stated and looked out the window. "There's Grover. He must have smelled us and came. He's a satyr and her to bring us to Camp Half-Blood." He put some money on the table and we left. Outside was a crippled boy with crutches, Leo's age, with very curly brown hair and brown eyes.
"I see you bumped into a demigod." he said to Leo. I finally undrstood my whole life: the snake lady, how I know ancient greek without learning from my mother like I learned regular greek since I was greek, also the man with one eye who sounded too much like my cousin, Steve.
"Yea. Hey, Amber? Has anything glowing ever appearred over your head?" I shook my head "Okay... Godly parent is to be determined." Grover chewed on the Pepsi can he was drinking from. "Okay, Leo, Amber, let's go." He hailed a taxi that said 'Three Grey Sisters Car Service'. We got in and the first thing I noticed that there was only one eye-ball. "To Camp Half-Blood." Grover told them
"Last time someone wanted to go there was 10 years ago." The Grey Sisters said in sync. It took us 5 minutes to get to the camp. Grover tossed them 3 of the weird gold coins.
"Till next time, ladies" He told the old ladies. Leo and I made faces and laughed. We went inside and I met Chiron, the centaur who trainedchilles and Hercules. Chiron said I'd be staying in the Hermes cabin until I got claimed and to go to the Hephaestus cabin to get my weapon. And so Leo brought me.
"Hey, guys. I have someone I want you to meet." He told his cabin-mates. A boy with a scar across his arm came forward.
"Dude, is she your girlfriend that you never knew was a demigod and just found out?" He asked quickley. I face-palmed
"Nooooo. I'm single, Mark. This is Amber, a new camper. She needs a weapon." Mark said he'd make a weapon for me. He measured my wrist to make a bracelet that would become a shield. He'd also make a gold coin that would tun into a weapon of my choice when I squeezed it in my hand. While I waited for him to finish, I went to Leo who was working on something outside. I sat down next to him and saw that his hands could produce fire, very rare for a child of Hephaestus.
"Hey." He turned, startled, without turning off the fire and burned my face and arms. I screamed in pain but it was too late, he already burned me. I lost all conciousness and fell to the floor.