Chapter 1

My Family and Friends are Highly Trained Monster Slayers

Starting today, I was officially a seventh grade student, but it didn't mean I was smarter or any better at sports. I just don't seem to fit the crowd. I was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD when I was born, but this summer everything is going to change.

I'm Aaron Jackson, an extraordinary pre-teen boy living in the Brooklyn suburbs. Until I was in sixth grade, I used to transfer schools each year. I'd either get expelled or do something horrific, like when I was in kindergarten, I saw a guy in a trench coat that kept looking at me with his shadowy look. I told my teacher about it and she thought I was joking, because the shadowy guy disappeared, then in third grade, we went on a field trip to the Museum of Natural History and there, I had some experience with the gigantic globe. I ran towards it and I bashed my head into it. The globe knocked down and it rolled toward our class. Luckily, they didn't get… you know… killed.

Anyway, I was hanging out down town with my best friends Kaley Solace and Ethan Hathaway. Kaley had dirty blonde hair and blazing blue eyes. She was a little bit shorter than me. Since I was five foot three, she was like five foot one and a half. Ethan had dark brown hair, solid brown eyes, and he was kind of muscular. They were my first two friends that I met at my private school. After I transferred, they were very friendly unlike the others. Kaley and Ethan had similar lives like me. They've been to almost every school in Brooklyn, but they got either expelled or did something horrific. I'm pretty sure you get the idea.

"Let's go get some pizza." I started. "I'm starving."

"Agreed," Kaley and Ethan said in unison.

As we were walking to the restaurant, we bumped into the neighborhood bully, Rodney Cannen and his four "followers". Rodney had a short Mohawk and he was a little chubby. He was definitely held back quite a few times, because he had pimples on his face like a high school student and he was about six inches taller than me. Rodney hated my guts for some reason. He just didn't like me at all.

"What are you clowns up to?" Rodney asked.

"Back off, Cannen," I said bravely.

He got into my face and said, "Make me."

We glared at each other for about five seconds and I noticed his pupils were red. Also I thought he growled at me. Rodney's gang stepped back a few steps and Kaley pulled me back from Rodney as soon as he took a step. I didn't know if she saw Rodney's eyes or heard his growl. I might've gone insane at that moment.

"I'll catch you later, Jackson," Rodney snickered and the group walked away.

"Doesn't he have anyone else to pick on?" I complained.

"You have no idea," Ethan said.

"What?" I questioned.

Ethan didn't answer.

As soon as we got to the restaurant we ordered a large pan of extra cheese pizza. We sat down at a table and we waited for our food. I felt like I was being watched by someone so I looked around to see if anyone was. A guy in a trench coat caught my eye. I remembered him in a split second. He was the guy at my kindergarten class a long time ago. I still couldn't see his face, so I shut my eyes and opened them right away. Of course, the guy disappeared.

"Guys, did you see that man in that coat?" I asked my friends.

"What? What man?" Ethan answered very suspiciously.

"You guys didn't see him? He was all dressed in black and he was staring at me."

Ethan and Kaley looked at each other as if something was wrong. They got up and said, "We have to go. Now."

I just simply followed them as they were rushing to get to my house. First off, I didn't know what was happening and second, I felt like someone was on our tail.

"Come on! Quickly!" Kaley hurried as I was checking our back.

I've never seen Kaley in so much of a hurry before and it really wasn't pretty. It was like I was getting scolded every time I messed up. Ethan on the other hand, let Kaley lead us and wasn't talking that much.

Once we reached my house, Kaley quickly grabbed my arm and pulled me inside, and then she took a fast peak outside as if she was checking if we were followed.

"What's going on?" my mom asked us as she saw us.

"Mrs. Jackson, we need Aaron to go. Right now." Kaley said.

My mom went up stairs without a word. She got my dad and we all went into our car. Tension was getting higher and higher as we got further away from Brooklyn. No one talked or laughed. The thing that made it worse was that it started to rain. It was a thunderstorm which wasn't in the forecast.

We got on the highway and I asked, "Uh… Dad, where are we going?"

"A camp for you to attend," my dad answered grimly.

"What camp?"

"You'll see when you get there."

I wished my dad would actually tell me where I was going, but from the silence, my mouth wouldn't move and my voice wouldn't work.

By the time we got out of the highway it was getting dark. I couldn't see the sun because of the dark rain clouds. I didn't like the feeling of this. Also I didn't like the glowing red eyes from the woods next to the road. Wait. Glowing red eyes?

Kaley flinched.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Mr. Jackson, turn left please," Kaley told my dad, completely ignoring my question.

What I didn't understand about Kaley's request was, was she trying to bring us to a strawberry farm for a field trip or something? Just then, as soon as I thought that Kaley was insane, my dad parked the car right next to the hill that led to the farm, but we weren't the only ones here. There was a loud growl noise from the way we came from. It was a black shadow color hound. Its teeth were quenched with blood and I figured that this dog wasn't trained. Then I guessed that someone else was here too. Right behind the hound, there was a silhouette of a person. I couldn't make out his face because he was wearing a black hood to cover him up.

"Aaron, if things start to get bad. Run down this hill and get to the biggest building, you got it?" my dad explained.

"Wait, whoa, slow down. You guys haven't told me what's going on," I protested.

"Okay, you know the Greek gods?" Ethan asked.

I nodded yes.

"Well, they're real. I'm a child of Hephaestus, the god of fire and the god of craftsmanship."

If this was a normal circumstance I would've said something like "no way" or like "shut up", but since there was a bloodthirsty hound and a mystery guy that's trying to kill us, I just kept nodding.

Unsurprisingly, my dad drew his ball point pen and my mom drew a knife. Of course, they had weapons to slay hounds and shadowy people. What kind of family doesn't? Also, Kaley drew her bow and notched an arrow and Ethan drew his double sided spiked hammer. When I glanced back at my dad, he was wielding a sword instead of a pen now. What I didn't understand was that all of them drew their weapons from out of their pockets or something.

Now it was time for action. The hound started the attack by pouncing Ethan and knocking him to the ground. He sprawled on the ground and he didn't get up. I ran to aid him, but the hound charged at me. Just as it was about to rip my heart out, it dissolved into dust right before my eyes. I looked at Kaley who saved my life with her arrow.

I looked up at her in awe and all she said was, "Don't mention it."

Now all that was left was the mystery guy. If I saw correctly, I saw him grin. You know the kind all the villains have when they have something in mind.

"Reveal yourself!" my dad commanded.

"Perseus Jackson, it's a pleasure to meet you," the guy greeted.

I've never heard my dad's full name before like that. It just didn't seem to fit him now.

"Who are you?" my dad continued.

"I don't think you need to know," the guy finished and he drew his sword.

"Two can play this game."

It was a faceoff between my dad and the guy. My muscles tensed for some reason and I just felt that something was wrong. I knew the guy had something else in mind. Something other than killing my friends and family.

Then there was the noise of two swords grinding against each other. My dad's sword glowed in the raining evening and the mystery guy's sword was unnoticeable because of its dark color. It was obvious the two were evenly matched, but then as my dad was regaining balance, the guy swung his sword at my dad's waist. Surprisingly, the blade shattered. The guy cursed in Ancient Greek. Wait, how could I understand Ancient Greek?

As if my mom read my thoughts, she said to me, "Aaron, that's the reason of your dyslexia. Your brain is familiar to Ancient Greek so it recognizes it more than English."

"You guys couldn't have told me a little sooner?" I asked.

"I'm sorry," my mom apologized.

It was no time to talk. My dad was intensely fighting and he was just about to win the fight, until he froze in mid-sword swing.

"I can't move!" I said.

"I think it's time to introduce myself," the mystery guy started as he unmasked his face, "my name is Tempus, son of Kronos."

Tempus looked as an average college student with his solid black hair, but not with his two gold eyes.

"An offspring of Kronos?" my mom asked in distrust.

"Indeed. In the Battle of Manhattan, I was the one who persuaded all minor gods to back up Kronos instead of the Olympians and I was also the one that released Typhon completely," Tempus told us.

"I remember you," my dad said. "Lupa told me about Kronos not being the only leader in the last war. She was informed from one of her campers that a guy was lurking around Mount Othyris. Well, at least what was left of it."

"I'll tell you this. Mount Othyris is rising again. All the Titans have gathered to rebuild and bring back my father from Tarturus."

"I don't think that's going to happen as long as I live."

Tempus laughed out loud as if he was mocking us.

"Percy Jackson. Don't be so cocky this time." And with that Tempus started to glow.

"Everyone, look away!" my mom warned.

I shut my eyes and turned away. I sensed a hot light coming from where Tempus was standing. When it was all clear, my mom told us that we could open our eyes.

"Di immortales, I should've known," my dad murmured.

Then, a flash of light spotted us and we looked toward to the source of the light. A girl that looked my age stood there shining the flash light at us. I couldn't make out her face because it was pitch black except for where the light was shining.

"Well, are you guys going to just stand there?" the girl asked.

"I need to talk to Chiron," my dad said out loud and he speed walked toward the farm.

All of us including the girl that we just met walked toward the strawberry farm, but when we got close to a big pine tree that had a shimmering gold fleece with a dragon wrapped around the base of the tree, I had difficulty getting in. I didn't mind the dragon because I just went through too much strange things today. At last, I realized I was stuck and I couldn't go any further.

"Mom, why can't I go through?" I called my mom.

"But… How the…" my mom looked puzzled. "I, Annabeth Chase give permission to Aaron Jackson to enter."

As soon as she spoke those words, I finally stepped in the, so called "boundary". I felt comfortable for some reason and the reason was that it wasn't raining anymore. In fact, it wasn't raining inside the boundary. My mom explained to me that it was for protection from "monsters", bad weather, and the big pine tree used to be a "teenage girl", but she didn't go into details. She said she would tell me everything tomorrow.

Also, what I just realized was that the strawberry farm turned out to be a camp. It looked like an original summer camp, but I couldn't be too sure, it was dark and the only light source was the lamps that were hanging on cabin doors.

Kaley and Ethan went their own way. They told me they had specific cabins they sleep in each year and I wondered why. My parents led me to a big house and I learned that it was literally called the Big House. When we stepped in, I could smell freshly picked grapes which weren't that pleasure since I was allergic to grapes.

"Welcome Percy and Annabeth," a middle-aged man greeted my parents.

"Hello Chiron," my parents said in unison.

The man was in an automatic wheelchair and it seemed as if he was reading a book. On the cover of the book, there was a boy riding a pegasus up a familiar building, which I later figured out that it was the Empire State Building. Also, to the far left of the room, another middle-aged man sitting on a lounging chair drinking Coke. He had a shirt on that looked like a leopard's hide and there were grape vines literally growing out of the chair. He looked at me as if I was a pest and quickly looked away.

"Chiron, I have bad news," my dad started, "Mount Othyris is rising by the help of all the Titans and also Kronos' son."

"Yes, I've heard from Lupa. I have sensed something horrible would happen."

"Send me and Annabeth there and we'll gather information about the Titans' plots."

"Yes, indeed. You must leave tomorrow morning."

The conversation went forever so I decided to sit down on a chair. Then, the man with the leopard hide shirt came over to where I was and sat down on a chair next to me.

"So, I hear you're the son of the "amazing" Percy Jackson," he said as if mocking my dad."

"Yeah," I answered. I didn't understand the amazing part though.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked as if I should know.

"Um… no," I answered stupidly.

"For the love of the Egyptian gods, what do they teach you these days?"

"Um… are you supposed to be the security or something?"

"I'm the god of wine, Dionysus!"

"THE god of wine?" I exclaimed. "You mean from those old myths?"

"As you can see Johanson, I am right in front of you. Do you still call me a myth?"

Thankfully, my parents were done with their discussion quicker than I thought. I got up from my chair and stood next to my parents. Now there was a half-man, half-horse guy in front of us. I noticed it was the man named Chiron who stood there in a white stallion horse form and human from his waist and up

"Okay, am I dreaming or something or am I going insane?" I wondered.

"I am Chiron, the teacher of heroes and the activity counselor for this camp," Chiron introduced himself.

"Okay, yeah," I said.

The last thing I saw was the bright bulb in the house and complete darkness. I had fainted.