Hi! I've been wanting to write this for a while, so I figured, why not today while I've got nothing better to do? I'm new to the PJO fandom- I'm from Warriors! Heh, an outsider . . . =wide eyes=

Anyway, this the prequel to the story soon to be published on my joint account with my friends. So, um, I guess . . . enjoy! If it's messed up, tell me, because I'm not one of those people who thinks a tad bit of constructive criticism is an insult. : ) This takes place after Percy and friends are off at college, just so you know.

Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors. Oh, wait . . . wrong series . . . I don't own PJO. :)

Chapter One: I Sell Ice Cream to a Monster

The sun beamed down on me as I shoved the obstruction through the gritty sand. My bare feet sunk slightly, making it harder to push on the handles wet with my own sweat. The gray rubber wheels rolled slowly. Beads of perspiration popped out on my forehead. I was using all of my energy, but I was barely making any progress. I stopped and raised my arm to wipe my brow, my sides heaving.

"Oh, shut up, drama queen. It's just an ice cream cart."

I turned around, right into a slug to my shoulder from my best friend, Alyssa. She leaned against the ice cream cart, into the small area of shade created by the flimsy umbrella and exhaled, closing her eyes.

"Why don't you take a turn pushing?" I said. "I've pushed all day!"

"I'm a girl," she replied smugly. "You're the man, right, Dakota? You're the one who's been going around saying how you're sooooo strong."

"Y-yeah," I said quickly. "I'm the man!"

"Uh-huh." She rolled her eyes and adjusted the strap on her small tan backpack that she always carries around. She'll never let me look in it. Probably cause she has a diary in there or something.

We were your typical rising 7th-graders- stuck with a summer job selling ice cream instead of kicking back with a six-pack of mini-Cokes and Popsicles. I would've much rather worked at the surf shop, away from the beach (I hate the water.), but my mom signed me up to push an ice cream cart up and down the beach from 9 to 5. Alyssa had offered to tag along, for some reason- probably to make sure I don't eat all the ice cream for myself. It's very tempting to take a couple scoops, I must say.

If you want more info on me, don't ask Alyssa Zimmerman. She'll tell you I'm a stuck-up jerk, but if you ask me I'm just confident, good-looking, and witty. I'm Dakota Swift, 12-year-old awesomely-awesome dude. I can't say I'm the kid with straight A's in every class, but I'm not the idiot with the F average. I've gone to boarding schools all my life. The only time I come home to New York is during summer, when I usually skateboard and play video games. But unfortunately for me, I got stuck with a job this time.

"Hey, doofus." Alyssa punched me in the arm again.

"Ow!" I rubbed my shoulder. "That hurt."

"Deal with it. Come on, push the cart."

With a drawn-out sigh, I started to trek back through the sand, shooting glances at the ominously-dark sky.

The reason I became friends with Alyssa is because she's just like me. She has the same problems I do- ADHD and dyslexia for as long as she can remember, a bad reputation for changing schools every year- we're just the same.

Oh, and we both think the Jonas Brothers suck.

"Hey, stop," Alyssa said. "We got a customer."

I stopped the cart, looking at the empty tip can. So far we'd only been paid five dollars for one large blueberry ice cream by some lady who shouldn't have been wearing a bikini. I'd asked if she was expecting. She'd said no.

As you might have guessed, no tip there.

Just then I caught a glimpse of our new customer.

It was an older girl, maybe 14 or 15. She was wearing an emerald-colored tankini that perfectly matched her eyes. Her golden hair tumbled down her shoulders like a lion's mane. A 5-dollar bill waved in the wind from her hand.

Usually I'm pretty smooth with the ladies, but I couldn't breathe for a second.

"Hey!" Alyssa socked me in my other arm. "Stop drooling!"

The ladies' man in me took over. "Hi," I said, leaning against the cart and giving our customer my best grin. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," she replied cooly, twiddling the 5-dollar bill. Her eyes gleamed at me.

"Which flavor would you like?" I asked, opening the cooler and pointing at each flavor. "We have blueberry, lemon, strawberry-"

"Strawberry, please. Large," she added when I motioned at the three sizes of cups.

From there I went into full show-off mode. I skillfully scooped up the ice cream into the styrofoam cup, never leaving my eyes from hers. She gave a little chuckle, like I was amusing her. After plucking a pink straw from their plastic bag and sticking it into the ice cream, I passed it to the girl. Her touch startled me- it was cold, captivating. "Here you are, . . .?" I faltered, realizing I didn't know her name.

"Jessi, with an i," she said, taking the ice cream and slurping through the straw.

"Then there you are, Jessi with an i," I said, smiling and ignoring Alyssa's snort. "Thank you."

"No, thank you, Dakota," she said. Her eyes glinted unnaturally as she took another long slurp. Dang, she was pretty.

Next to me, I felt Alyssa tense. But I didn't really care . . . I was lost in the green pools of Jessi's eyes . . . wait, she was leaving. And she was still holding the five dollars.

Wait. She wasn't paying? Even hot girls had to pay for stuff.

Impulse sent me running through the sand after her. "Dakota, no!" I heard Alyssa cry, but her voice was lost in the gust of wind that blew against me as I ran.

"Jessi!" I panted, catching up with her. She turned, and her green gaze made me freeze in my tracks. I heard myself stutter, "Um . . . you-you have to pay."

"I have to pay?" Her voice was steely, her cold eyes narrowed down at me. "How about this, little boy- you pay for what your father did!"

Father? I only had a mother. I'd lived with her for all 12 years of my life. And it wasn't that bad, either. "I don't have a dad," I said truthfully, getting thoroughly confused. How did she know who I was, if I had a father?

"Oh, you have a father all right," she hissed, baring her teeth. Now I'm still a bit unsure about what I saw that day, but I think she had vampire fangs. Her skin was chalky white. Didn't she have a brown tan a minute ago?

My heart started to pound as Jessi advanced towards me on mismatched steps. I looked down at her legs- one was a shaggy donkey leg, the other was bronze like an automaton. What was going on?

I felt my back hit the ice cream cart. Dimly I heard Alyssa cry, "Dakota!" as Jessi leaned in close to my face. She smelled like livestock and sunscreen. Her hair tickled my face as she whispered in my ear, "Sweet dreams, child."

"No!"

As Jessi's lips brushed my throat, she was knocked away from me. My knees buckled and I crumpled to the ground in a daze. I saw the red ice cream splatter onto the sand like blood.

I saw Alyssa and Jessi. Fighting. Normally I would've thought, Sweet! Catfight! But now my mind was reeling as I stood unsteadily. My head buzzed. My heart pounded like a double bass drum.

I must be going crazy, my brain slurred. Jessi and Alyssa, they were shifting . . . from 2 girls heaving handfuls of ice cream at each other to a psycho vampire thing trying to claw my best friend's head off. And Alyssa's backpack was changing, too- from a backpack to . . . a quiver.

A quiver, as in what archers carry. Alyssa snatched an arrow out of it. As I watched, frozen, Alyssa notched her arrow in the silver bow and fired. An arrow sprouted in Jessi's left shoulder. She snarled in pain, but just yanked it out and threw it into the sand. She lunged at my friend, and I knew Alyssa had no chance to leap out of the way in time.

Everything around me seemed to slow down. Suddenly I wasn't dazed, wasn't scared out of my mind. My muscles tensed as adrenaline rushed through my veins. Liquid electricity burst from my chest, zipped through my arm to my hand, and left my body . . .

"No!" I stepped forward, thrusting my hand out as the monster opened her jaws.

Lightning zapped right next to Jessi (yeah, lightning.), so close some of the hair on the right side of her face was singed. She whirled away from Alyssa, her white face a mask of fury and shock.

"It's true!" she hissed. "You are!" She let out a fierce battle cry and leaped right at me. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for my last sensation.

It never came. When I opened my eyes, I saw Jessi, an arrow in her back, crumbling into dust that the stormy breeze blew away. Thunder crackled triumphantly, and a bolt of white-hot energy flashed through me.

"Dakota!"

Alyssa rushed up to me, her brown eyes ide with worry. Her white tank top was now stained beyond repair, and her face was red. "Oh, gods," she muttered. "I should've known . . ."

She was still shifting. One second she was dripping multicolored ice cream, the next fiddling with the strap on her quiver. What was going on? What was happening to me?

"I've got to get you to camp," she said, grabbing my hand. At her touch, the energy shriveled up and vanished, leaving me lightheaded and dizzy.

"Alyssa, what-" I slurred.

"Stay quiet," she interrupted. "Come on."

And she led me off the beach, leaving the black clouds swirling up in the sky behind us.

Tada! What'd you think? Sorry if it's a bit cliche'.I do appreciate constructive criticism! Please review- I want to know if it was OK! I don't know exactly when I'll update again, but hopefully it'll be soon! Later people! Swiftpaw