LUKE-

As soon as the white colored house neared, I started getting pained. Was being a half-blood always so miserable? My father, Hermes- God of thieves and messengers, had abandoned me and my mother who was mad and billowed green smoke every time and monsters kept attacking and I had to fend them. It was horrible. And I was a helpless nine-year-old with real problems. It was terrible. It was a nightmare.

The beanbag monsters in the walkway grinned eerily and without knowing, I felt I was running to the door. I shuddered as I walked into the candle-filled living room. "Mom?" I called out tentatively as I shouldered my school bag.

Then she burst in. "Luke! You're home!" the old lady gave me a bone-crushing hug and dragged me into the living room. "Look! I made you lunch. Your favorite peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Why, and cookies too!" I stared unhappily at the mushy sandwich and badly burnt pile of cookies. She started chattering happily as she spoiled more food. Then suddenly she stopped.

I tensed. It was happening again. I felt like running to my room but I was stuck to my seat.

Mom suddenly clutched me sharply and I resisted the urge to yelp. Her eyes were no longer cloudy. They were green and smoke billowed out of her mouth with the sound of snakes hissing. "Luke…" mom hissed "Protect you…no…save…" Her grip turned tighter. The tears started forming but I kept them back as I slipped away from her grasp.

This always happened. I didn't know why it happened but it was scary. It sounded like mom knew something about my future. Something about my…death?

I was tired of this. And I was shaking all over. From fear, from sadness, from pain, from anger. My father abandoned us at a time like this. I was unhappy. Didn't he love mom? Didn't he love me?

Back downstairs, mom was shrieking in some language I didn't know. "No more." I said silently, "No more." Immediately, I stashed some clothes, food and demigod weapons I'd retrieved in a nylon backpack. I'd made my decision.

"Mom." I muttered painfully as I went into the kitchen. Thankfully, her fit had finished and she was calmly burning more chocolate chip cookies. "Luke!" she screamed happily as she turned towards me and gave me a hug. "Come, come! Eat the food I made…"

"Mom." I lied miserably, "I'm going out for some time. I'll be back for dinner."

"Why, yes, Luke. But do be home soon. And be careful." Mom said happily and she pinched my cheek.

Suddenly, I felt I was running from the kitchen. Before I could change my mind. I stopped at the door and stared at the picture of mom holding me as a baby, after I was born. She looked beautiful, blonde hair and cloudy blue eyes and she looked content and happy. I knew this was a picture of her before she turned insane. On an impulse, I threw the picture into my backpack and kept running away from that…that place. Far, far away.

I didn't see where I was going. Just away. I finally stopped near a boarded up taco shop. Then it started raining and I was forced to take shelter in the abandoned place. I used some scraps lying around the place to start a fire and soon the sky turned darker. I guessed I was staying for the night. I hungrily ate some crisps I'd nicked from a shop and, using the backpack as a pillow, tried to fall asleep.

I stared miserably at the picture of mom and me for a while and suddenly, the tears I'd been holding back all day suddenly started flowing. Soon, I was crying my heart out in horrible, heart-rending sobs. When I finally stopped, I stared at the happy kind smiling face of mom before she turned the way she was now. "I'm sorry, mom." I said sadly and painfully, "It's for the best."