Yo. This is Jade Wylkyns with my first FanFiction for Heroes of Olympus. I've been pretty busy and all but I somehow managed to write a chapter. I apologize for its shortness but I thought it would be right place to cut. Besides, I didn't have much time to write more anyways.
To Solovete Iverson: You also know me as K.C. (keep it a secret) and I finally started a Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus FanFiction. I hope you enjoy it.
Back to you guys. I intend to follow the general plot of the original book but I will twist the plots in various places. For one, I added an original character but the main three (Jason, Leo, and Piper) will get just as much, if not more, spotlight as the original character.
To those who don't know, evanescence means to disappear gradually. This is suppose to symbolize the monsters trying to evanescence the Olympian gods and goddesses.
Enjoy.
A young girl stood in the midst of pouring rain, her dark blond hair sticking to her shoulders. Her plain black T-shirt wrinkled against her petite body and her matching black skinny jeans were soaked against her thin legs like a second skin. The girl couldn't be any more than six years old yet older and wiser look haunted her chilly blue-gray eyes and subtle sadness graced the corner of her mouth. Her cheeks, red from the relentless beating of the rain and wind, were devoid of the baby fat that a child her age should have and her stance had the wariness of a soldier.
The girl in question was Julia. Well, at least that's the only thing she remembered about herself. All she knew was that she appeared out of nowhere with no memory and no identity save for her name. For some strange reason, she felt the tingling in the air as though some malignant force was approaching her. In the midst of darkness, the only colors that could be seen were the glinting ruby ring that encircled her fourth finger of her left hand and her blue-gray eyes that darted around, piercing through the dark stormy night out in the deserted alley.
Suddenly, Julia spun on her heels and brushed her index finger of her right hand against the ruby, drawing out a short but wicked looking dagger out of nowhere. The blade was stark black and seemed to melt into the darkness that surrounded it. Just as myriads of grotesque looking shapes started appearing out of seemingly random places, Julia started hacking away the monsters as though she had been trained to fight her entire life. Each and every one of her movements was precise and her feet moved gracefully as though she was dancing instead of slaughtering away heinous-looking creatures.
As she progressed through the swarming mass of monsters, her dagger started pulsating the familiar feeling of power through her body, rejuvenating her tired and sore muscles. The dagger gave her the strength and she pressed on hard, dealing death to any monsters that were stupid enough to cross her path.
Just as soon as she finished her mini-massacre, she checked the vicinity and after determining that she was safe at the moment, she put away her dagger in the similar fashion she drew it.
'Who are those creatures? Why are they attacking me anyways? I haven't done anything wrong since I ran away from that despicable orphanage.' Julia frowned as she wondered in her head. 'What are those anyways? I never heard of them nor have I seen them. They surely don't look human.'
Julia started to walk down the once again deserted alley and took shelter under the roof of an abandoned shop. She closed her eyes to catch some sleep but her arms were still tense and her right hand was ready to draw out her dagger at the first notice of danger.
XXX
Chiron didn't know what to think. For some unexplainable reason, an unreasonable amount of monsters were suddenly attracted a piece of land that he knew were deserted and only visited occasionally by hoodlums seeking privacy to do drugs without being mugged.
"Chiron, I believe you have summoned me here?" A clear voice rang out from the partially open doorway to Chiron's private study.
"Yes, I have. Will Solace, I have a small mission for you. I wish for you to check out a certain area and try to figure out something for me. I have found that a great unexplainable number of monsters are being drawn to a desolate area and I have a suspicion that we might have a demigod there. If my suspicion is proven correct, I want you to bring him or her to the camp. Here is the scroll in which the map is drawn on. The location I wish you to scout is circled in red. You may leave as soon as you're ready. Do you have any questions?" Chiron raised his eyebrow at the tall boy standing before him.
"No, sir. I will do just as you asked." With that, Will bowed slightly and walked out of his study, the ebony door closing behind him with a soft thump.
XXX
Will Solace didn't know what he expected to find but it was certainly not this. He was standing in the middle of a deserted alley, the soft pitter patter of rain from the aftermath of a storm against his dark umbrella. He stepped off from the ornate chariot that he used to get to the alley and started mindlessly stroking the horse that pulled the chariot. There was not a single sign of life around him and he was starting to wonder if he came to the correct place when a small blond girl stepped into his view with a wicked looking dagger in her right hand, ready to defend herself. Her cold blue-gray eyes were trained on him and gave him unexplainable feelings that sent shivers down his spine.
"H-hi, my name is Will Solace. Are you the one that had been attracting the assortment of monsters past week?" Will spoke with forced cheerfulness as he eyed the girl warily. Despite her slight frame, he had no doubt that she was absolutely proficient at using the dagger she held, if not expert at it.
"What are you doing here, Will Solace? Why do you wish to know whether or not it was I that had been attracting the monsters?" The girl spoke with dignity that reminded Will of the ancient queens that he read about back in the Camp Half-Blood when he was studying Greek history.
"I'm supposed to find the person that had been attracting the monsters and bring him or her to safety. It is dangerous for demigods to be alone out in the world because they tend to attract huge amount of monsters. The camp that I'm supposed to take the person to is a place where the demigods can be safe. I'm the son of Apollo and I've lived there since I was ten. This is my ninth year there, with age eighteen." Will found himself babbling about unnecessary things to the girl. The chilly gaze of the young girl unnerved him for unknown reasons – he felt as though he was standing before the goddess of judgment herself.
"I see. I welcome you, son of Apollo. Since you have given me your name and age, I shall give you mine in return. My name is Julia and I am six years old. I believe I am the one who you are looking for. I give you my permission to escort me to the place you wish to take me." To Will's great astonishment, Julia managed to speak with dignity of a royal family while not having a single trace of hauteur.
"Well… Since you're like soaked and all, you should like change or something. I brought extra pair of clothes in the bag over there. Even though it's pretty small, it'll probably be big on you 'cause it's like for ten-year-old or something." Once again, Will found himself babbling, trying to fill up the vacancy made by the ever silent girl. "There's a blanket there too so you can dry yourself off and use it to hide yourself when you're changing."
"I thank you for this extra preparation." Julia spoke solemnly and started to change into the clothes. The shirt was a bit too baggy on her and the jeans were like seven inches too long but she folded the bottom of the jeans and went back to her stoic pose.
Julia and Will rode in silence on the rest of their way back to the Camp Half-Blood. Will kept himself focused on his path but his eyes kept straying off to the rigid form of Julia next to him. She stared ahead with a stoic face that should have looked out of place on a six-year-old girl's face but strangely didn't. Will didn't understand how she looked so calm after being told that he was son of a Greek god and she herself is a demigod.
The two arrived at the camp just as the campfire started. Will thought of taking the girl's hand but thought against it, his better judgment taking over. Everything about the mysterious girl screamed 'Royalty' and 'Powerful'.
"This is the place. It's called Camp Half-Blood and you'll find bunch of people like us here – you know, kids who are half mortal and half immortal." Will gave the ever stoic girl a slight smile. "Let's go meet the camp director."
"I shall join you, son of Apollo." Even with her baggy shirt that was soaked through and her skinny jeans, Julia managed to get off the chariot as though she was wearing a dress.
Julia and Will walked toward the noisy campfire where myriads of kids chatted amicably in groups. Will wove his way through the crowd, Julia following close by him. They stopped before a half man, half horse to whom the former bowed to.
"This is our camp director…" Will started, only to be cut off by the girl.
"You are Chiron, the centaur. I am Julia and it is a great honor to meet you." Julia spoke with formality and she bowed slightly.
"I see you already know who I am." Chiron frowned slightly as he stared at Julia as though she was a puzzle that he couldn't quite figure out. "Well, I hope you had a pleasant trip with Will Solace here."
"Yes, it was a very agreeable journey indeed. The son of Apollo had been quite hospitable." Then Julia turned to face Will who was starting to look rather awkward standing next to the conversing two. "I thank you for escorting me here, son of Apollo."
"You're welcome but why do you keep calling me son of Apollo?" Will asked.
"Well, you are son of Apollo, are you not?" Will nodded to this bit unsurely. "Therefore I shall continue to call you son of Apollo." Julia said with finality.
"Uh… Sure." Will was starting to feel really awkward now, having never talked to someone who spoke quite so formally. "May I go join my friends, Chiron?" he asked the centaur that was watching the small exchange with inscrutable expression.
"You may." Chiron told him and with that, Will quickly disappeared through the swarming mass of kids of every age that were chattering loudly. "Julia, I think it will be best if you are introduced to the rest of the kids. Otherwise, the kids might get suspicious."
"I understand. What will you have me do, centaur?" Julia deadpanned squarely in the eyes.
"Let's go up to the center of this campfire. I will settle down the kids there and introduce you then." Chiron explained and Julia nodded understandingly.
The two walked up to the center of the fireplace where purplish red flames were licking the air, rising higher and higher as the mood of the people elevated. When they reached the very center, Chiron stomped his hooves to gain the attention of the campers. They looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to start talking.
"Campers, we have a new camper join us. Her name is Julia and –" Chiron trailed off and looked at Julia questioningly. "Do you wish to introduce yourself?" He asked softly.
"I shall do so if that is what you wish." With that, Julia took over the stage. "My name is Julia and I am very pleased to be among you demigods." She spoke with clear voice.
"Where are you from and how old are you?" A blond girl near the front asked. "Who's your godly parent?"
"I am six years old and I do not know where I am from. As to which of my parents is among the gods and goddess, I am afraid it is yet to be found out." Her voice rang with power despite her slight frame. "You are a daughter of Minerva, are you not?" A slight frown graced her eyes as she scrutinized the girl before her.
"In here, we call my mother Athena, not Minerva. Did you grow up with Roman gods and goddesses or something?" The blond girl narrowed her eyes. "Well, my name is Annabeth and it's nice to meet you."
"I do not have any memory until two months ago, I'm afraid. However, the Roman names seem to roll of my tongue much more nicely than the Greek names. I am honored to meet the daughter of Minerva, Annabeth." The stormy gray eyes of Annabeth met the icy blue-gray eyes of Julia.
"Are you the clue?" Annabeth asked.
"What do you mean, daughter of Minerva? I do not understand what you are talking about." The shorter blond girl stared at the taller blond.
"One of my friends went missing and I had a dream telling me that the clue to finding him will be arriving at the Camp shortly." Annabeth explained.
"I do not know of such. Who is this friend you seek? Is he one of the demigods as well?" Julia asked.
"Yes. His name is… Percy Jackson and he is the son of Poseidon." Annabeth's voice seemed to get caught when she spoke the name.
"I see. He is the son of Neptune." Then suddenly, Julia's eyes widened. "Neptune." She breathed.
"What about Neptune?" Annabeth asked with sudden urgency. "Do you have anything that might help us?"
Julia's body went rigid and pressure suddenly began to build up around her as her hands grabbed her head. "The memories… they are stolen. Percy… Neptune…" She started to speak softly under her breath.
"What is it? Please, I need to know. What does stolen memories have to do with Percy? What or who are you?" Annabeth stared at the younger girl with growing apprehension. The younger blond didn't seem to hear her as she continued to mumble under her breath.
Just as suddenly as it came, the pressure that built up around Julia disappeared and her eyes focused once again. "You must go and find a boy named Jason. He is the key. He doesn't know it yet but he is. He's a demigod but he's different." She told Annabeth with calmness but her eyes were still troubled as though she just relived a bad memory.
"Jason." Annabeth tested the name as though she was weighing each letter. "Where can I find him?"
Chiron beat Julia to the answer. "Jason. I think she's talking about the new boy that suddenly appeared out of nowhere in this school for delinquents. A satyr that I planted there to watch two other demigods told me something about a boy named Jason. They are currently on a bus to Grand Canyon. They should be arriving in couple hours."
"May I have the mission to retrieve Jason along with the other two demigods, Chiron?" Annabeth's stormy gray eyes light up at the clue she now had.
"Yes, you may. Why don't you take Botch, the son of Iris, with you? I need to ask Julia about some other things as well." Chiron told the excited girl with a sad smile.
"Thank you. I'll leave in five minutes." She thanked the centaur profusely and turned to Will Solace who was nearby. "Will, can I borrow your chariot? Your chariot's the fastest chariot this Camp has. I promise to return it in good shape." Annabeth practically begged, her eyes pleading.
"Yeah, sure. Just don't wreck it or something." Will smiled.
"Come on, Botch. We have to rescue three demigods." Annabeth said loudly in a sing song voice.
With that, the daughter of Athena and son of Iris disappeared through the crowds, the former practically dragging the latter by the wrist despite the fact that the latter had at least three times of the mass the former has.
Here is the first chapter of my version of Heroes of Olympus. I just finished the book yesterday and I personally think Rick Riordan has really improved in his writing. In the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, he had the writing style of an amateur but he's getting better. Of course, I'm not saying that I'm better then him or he sucks or anything. I just saying that compared to other books I have read (and trust me when I say I read like tons), he's books are one of the ones that I say, 'These books are written rather crudely.' Other then that, I pretty much okay with his books. He has some great ideas and imaginations and if he just had nice style, I would definitely put him into my top three authors.
If you want to read some really well written books, you should check out the books written by Orson Scott Card. He not only has great writing style but has fantastic ideas as well. I personally love his Ender's Game series and Ender's Shadow series. I read the entire series five times and read the first book of Shadow series seventeen times. My friend and I even made a blog and a website about the series. Currently, she and I are acting as missionaries for the series, spreading the word to anyone who's willing to listen to us. We already got twenty three people addicted to the series.
Enough with this babbling about the two series. I think Riordan's ideas have matured quite a bit and has more focus to it. I personally can't wait for the next book.
Please review. Reviewing lets me know how I can make my story better and invigorates me to write more (meaning upload faster).
- Jade
