Author's Note :- Hey dudes! This is my first fic EVER so please be nice :D Just to clarify, this is the first chapter of many that will detail Alex's life as a demigod. I understand that the first chapter will be a bit slow, but it is, after all, the 'intro' to the story. The next chapter will be much more heated and will flesh out (literally, for Alex!) the first story arc, however. And for those who are wandering, yes Heller will be in the story but I have not decided whether to give him his viral powers from the game yet, so any other opinions on the matter or questions on the story in general are more than welcome! Please review, constructive criticism will be really helpful for me as I have never written like this before! Rated M for violence and language. Enjoy! :D

Alex was not a happy child. Not happy at all. He sat, slouched against the back seat of the Yancy Academy school bus, leering from underneath his gray hood at the window as if it held all of the answers to the universe; and he didn't agree with any of them. He was dressed in faded blue jeans, black sneakers and a white dress shirt underneath a gray hooded jumper and a worn black leather jacket with a red collar and unintelligible insignia on the back. Why? he thought to himself. Why are we attending another trashy school just to get kicked out again? Hell, he would have done a runner already were it not for the girl on his right.

''Hey, try not to look so pissed for once'' she said, long past her usual exasperation with her step brothers negative opinion on, well, everything. ''We are here to make a good impression on this field trip, not glare the locals to death.''

Dana was different to her brother, to say the least. She was a cheerful, bright, happy and friendly thirteen year old girl with short, spiky hair and bright, gray eyes, and was looking forward to a new start in a new school. Alex couldn't fathom it. They were constantly thrown out of every school and academy they had ever been to. Well, he was. Dana just couldn't bear to leave him on his own.

See, when they were sent on field trips, bad and generally weird things tended to happen to them. A lot. For example, last year they had gone to the zoo and after a heated argument over where to go first Dana dragged Alex to the rhino enclosure, where one of the giant, gray skinned beasts decided it didn't like her step brothers face, went mental, escaped and tried to impale him with its horn. Then after a short chase around the zoo, Dana could swear that Alex smashed a six inch thick steel door off of its hinges in a bid to get away. He was rather angry with her for the next few weeks and utilized such an extended vocabulary of swear words that even she, who was no stranger to cussing, was slightly offended.

But, as it was, Alex had promised his sister that he would be good. Or at least, as good as he was capable of being.

He looked around the bus, wholly unimpressed with what he saw of the others besides Dana. There were a few snotty looking kids sat near the front that he had pegged as geeks earlier on in the year. Robert and Billy he remembered their names were. Not threatening, just mildly annoying. In the few rows behind them were the obvious and infamous jocks. Or 'jock-straps', as he had affectionately christened them as he held no desire to commit their names to memory. Once, four of them had threatened to steal his and his sisters money and rip his jacket which earned them a cascade of bruises, cuts and three black eyes collectively. Alex didn't care how bad or tough they thought they were. He was worse and he made sure they knew it.

And sure enough behind the 'Jock-Straps' and two rows in front of himself sat, he cringed internally, Nancy Bobofit and her pig ugly 'boyfriend', Dirk. To Alex, no girl in his mind could be so repulsive. Her attitude and demeanor screamed 'spoiled bratty kleptomaniac bully' and her appearance reflected this. With a head of messy, bright orange hair that framed her chubby, pockmarked face covered in dirty brown freckles and the occasional mole, she leered down at the two other boys sat behind her; smiling mockingly at one of them as she threw pieces of peanut butter and ketchup sandwich at him. Alex started listening in on them.

''I'm going to kill her'' growled the boy Alex vaguely remembered was called Percy. This in itself was odd, seeing as how he pegged Percy as the school nice guy, but where Nancy was concerned he couldn't blame him for being ticked off.

''It's OK Perce,'' whispered the other as he dodged another piece of high flying sandwich. ''I like peanut butter.''

To their unnoticed hooded observer, this seemed like a cowardly excuse to make in the light of Nancy's obvious bullying attempts. This was part of the reason Alex had never cared to learn the dark skinned boys name. From what little Alex had seen of him, he knew he had dark skin and even darker hair underneath a multicolor beany. Unusually, he has quite bad acne and a small wispy beard growing under his chin that made him look roughly the same age as Alex himself, although Alex was taller by an inch or two and had no facial hair or zits whatsoever. The boy was also on crutches for reasons unbeknownst to Alex.

''That's it.'' Says Percy, who gets up as if to give her a shiner, only to be pulled back down to his seat by his friend, much to Nancy's amusement.

''Your already on probation, you know who will get blamed if anything happens.'' Their eavesdropper mildly wondered what Percy had done to warrant probation. Probably the same thing Alex himself had done to the Jock Straps, he mused.

Thankfully, Mr. Brunner led them all off of the bus shortly after it had stopped at the art gallery and led them off.

As Alex and Dana shuffled through the big, echoic galleries he mused over why he liked Mr. Brunner so much as a teacher. For him, this was highly unusual as Alex and Dana only ever had teachers that ignored them or glared at them, almost hungrily. Mr. Brunner on the other hand had always done everything he could to include them in group activities and although the Mercers weren't the most social people on the planet (mainly the tall, perpetually hooded one), they were both appreciative of his efforts. That, and he really was a great teacher.

On that thought, Mr. Brunner had asked everyone to group up and take their time looking at a load of Ancient Greek artifacts. Alex himself was unaware of this until he heard his name called out by the wheelchair-bound history teacher.

''...Group Four:- Underwood, Grover; Jackson, Perseus; Mercer, Alex. J. Group Five...''

Alex sent a look of forlorn at his sister, not happy at being parted with her for two other boys he barely knew and probably wouldn't like before stalking past them to stand by the wall, wordlessly.

''Hi, I'm Percy, this is Grover. Your Alex, right?'' He gave a slight inclination of his head in confirmation before turning to the nearest exhibit. Percy looked at Grover, confused at their new group-mates lack of talking before shrugging and taking notes as Mr. Brunner had requested. Grover, on the other hand, attempted to strike up a conversation with him...

''So, Alex. Your, err, tall?''

…...badly. As it was, he only gave a small hum in response and that seemed to dissuade Grover entirely. There was something about him that greatly unnerved Grover, Percy noticed. He would have to ask later. Instead they all started taking notes.

After about twenty long minutes, Mr. Brunner made his way to the middle of the throng of students and called for their attention before talking about Greek funeral art. Finally, Nancy snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, to which Percy turned around and whisper-shouted,

"Will you shut up?"

It came out louder than he meant it to, to which the other kids all giggled and Alex rolled his eyes. Mr. Brunner stopped his story.

"Mr. Jackson," he said, "did you have a comment?" Percy's face went very red.

"No, sir."

Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"

He looked at the carving and looked mildly relieved. He seemed to recognize it at least. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"

"Yes," Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied so he turned to Alex. "And why did he do this, Mr. Mercer?"

''Because his children were prophesied to become more powerful than him. Being the King Titan, he killed them and ate them. But according to myth, Gods cant truly die, so they lived on inside of him until Zeus poisoned Kronos with mustard and wine to make him throw up his kids.'' He stated, without blinking or missing a beat. Percy for one was rather shocked at how deep and gravely Alex's voice was, and he wandered briefly about his age.

''Impressive Mr. Mercer, your absolutely right. Gods cannot be killed. Or consumed.'' After that rather chilling declaration, he announced it was time for lunch.

Soon, everyone was at the steps at the front of the museum.

Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than they have ever been over the city. Alex figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York state had been weird since Christmas. They've had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. He wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in.

Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the Jock-Straps were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds (the nastiest teacher Alex has ever had) wasn't seeing a thing.

Grover and Percy sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. Like Alex, who was perched on a seven foot wall away from the others but Percy and Grover, they thought that maybe if they did that, everybody wouldn't know they were from that school; the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere.

"Detention?" Grover asked.

"Nah," Percy replied. "Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean I'm not a genius."

Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when he thought Grover was going to give some deep philosophical advice to make him feel better, he said,

"Can I have your apple?"

With that Alex tuned them out as Nancy Bobafits' bloated boyfriend Dirk, and his cronies, made their way over to his wall.

''Ahh, if it isn't Creepy Lex,'' he blustered loudly. Alex regarded him briefly before dismissing the fat idiot as, well, a fat idiot. ''What's wrong Lexi, to scared to speak whilst your sister is off with her friends? I see you don't have may of those.'' They snickered, believing Dirk to be the height of wit. He was getting on Alex's nerves now. ''She's pretty hot though, I'll give her that maybe once I'm done with Nancy I'll drop by and show her how a real man-'' That's all he could say before Alex literally saw red and sprang off the wall, grabbed Dirk by the throat and hoisted him right off of the ground to dangle him in his crushing grip. It never occurred to Alex how he could lift him with just one hand, but he didn't question it.

''Listen to me you sniveling meat sack!'' He growled, locking eyes with a surprised and suddenly whimpering Dirk. ''If you ever touch my sister, or so much as speak about her in the wrong way again, I will kill you.'' Dirks eyes widened as Alex dropped him and turned his back, slowly beginning to wander where the inhuman surge of murderous rage came from. Unfortunately, Dirk chose to retaliate, and Alex's ponderings went out the window. All Alex felt was a sharp sting in his back and then his neck so he turned around and the same strange but sharp sensation occurred in his gut, and then the same bloody rage from earlier kicked in. Whatever the hell Dirk was trying to do whilst flailing around like a twenty-four karat twat was entirely ineffectual and resulted in a metallic clanging sound as if he dropped something made of steel, much to everyone's shock and Dirk's dismay, which Alex found equally confusing for a moment. But all Dirk had really done was manage to antagonize Mercer further. In response, Alex parried a two punches one after the other and, coupled with the strangest feeling of something writhing like tentacles beneath his skin, smashed Dirk in the chest with both fists, sending him hurtling six or seven feet back up the stone steps.

Everyone could only stare. Alex himself, residual rage slowly clearing, was extremely confused about what had happened. Dirk was coughing and spluttering and crying in pain, but Alex cared not at all for his well being. He just didn't want to get in serious trouble for this. Even Dana, Percy and Grover looked horrified by his display of violent aggression and then...worried? Panicked was more like the word. Mrs. Dodds went to check on Dirk.

''Child, come with me'' Said Mr. Brunner, urgently. Alex did what he was told. He followed Mr. Brunner until they came to a room isolated from the others. Mr. Brunner found a first aid box and reached out what looked like golden apple juice, furthering Alex's already rapidly growing confusion.

''Uhh, sir? What is that? Why are you in the first aid box?'' He asked his teacher irritably. Alexander J. Mercer did NOT like being confused. Not one damn bit. So his teacher's look of awe that was apparently directed at his jacket and hoodie was positively maddening. Fury-inducing, one could say. ''Sir?Sir?'' Mr. Brunner said nothing, his mouth agape at his student's jacket and hoodie still. And Alex had seen enough of it. ''WHAT!?'' He shouted, feral, inhuman, bloodthirsty rage spilling into his vision and tinging it red again.

At least that had attracted Mr. Brunner's attention to him again.

''Alex. You should be-''

''Should be what!? Calm!?''

''Well, yes, but you were-''

''Angry!? I still am you-''

''Alex! Look down, child!'' Brunner all but shouted in amazement. What he said as well as the way he had said it had got Mercer's attention and he looked down.

His breath hitched in his throat as he suppressed a scream.

His entire midsection was slathered in thick, red blood. As Alex placed his hand against it he felt that it was still warm. Where the hell has all of this come from!? He thought, franticly. He then lifted up his hoody to inspect the damage to his torso, only to find a cluster of small, wriggling black and glowing crimson tentacles finishing the healing process off of a pair of deep wounds. He felt sick. He couldn't even feel the pain though. He lowered his hoody and asked Chiron if Dirk stabbed him and what the bloody hell was happening to him now. He also wanted to know what the sweet mother of shit was put in his drink, because there is no way that this could be real at all.

''I do not know exactly Mr. Mercer,'' he said, comprehension dawning on his ancient features, ''but I do now know that you are special.'' Alex had no F-ing clue what the old man was on about or what he had seemingly just realized but before he could ask, a yell of surprise and a, screech?, came from the room opposite, much to both of their confusion.

''I will go and see what that was. Take the rest of the day off Mr. Mercer, I don't think you are well at all. I will alert your step sister of your absence'' The old teacher stated. Of course I'm not well you senile old man, I was bleeding and...and...TENTACLES!? He wanted to say, but the way that Brunner had said that recommendation had unnerved him hugely.

When he left the room, he checked his jumper. It was clean.

''What the fuck...?'' That wasn't right? He couldn't have imagined it all. He just couldn't have. He didn't feel well. Not wanting anything to do with the rest of the day, he took his teachers advice and left. He ran out of the museum, past a bunch of confused but oddly no longer worried students and vaulted the wall to get to street level. It was easy to run home from here.

When Alex had finally made it back, he took off his shirt, hoody, jacket, shoes and socks, then padded barefoot towards his bed. The good thing about no parents was he and Dana could do whatever they wanted. No-one checked on them anyways. He climbed in, suddenly very tired of the days events, and went to sleep.

But even as he dropped off, he failed to notice the three angry, red, new scars on his torso and his neck.