Hey all! So, this is my first attempt at a Percy Jackson fanfic (so far I've only done The Legend of Zelda) and I'm super excited! Just so you know, there will be no swearing at all in this, and no adult situations. It's only rated T 'cause I want to be safe, and T always makes it sound cooler :). This takes place 2 years after The Last Olympian, I'm also making it so Heroes of Olympus never happens. I'm a big fan of Heroes of Olympus, but it'd be too hard to keep track of all the characters, and I'd prefer that Percy never loses his memory or leaves Annabeth, 'cause I'm a big fan of Percabeth :). It will be told from both Natalie and Percy's POV. I hope you enjoy it!

And to readers of my story Dark Castle, I have sequel title in the making, and I will announce it soon!

Thanks all!

Chapter One

~Natalie~

I used to be a normal person. Well, as normal as a dyslexic, ADHD troubled 17 year-old can be. And the fact that I happen to be half-god. A more technical term would be a demigod, a child of one of the Greek gods. Amazing how a little fact like that can really change a person's life. And don't you dare think that being the child of a god is fun, that I'm bathed with gold and have an amazing blessed life. Because that's the exact opposite of my life.

My life changed last summer. That's when I found out about all the things that Aunt Lauren kept from me. Who my dad was, why I have dyslexia and ADHD, my brother, who I am.

The day I came home to an empty house.

But maybe I should tell you about myself first.

My name is Natalie Wayside. I'm 17, average height, black hair and sea green eyes. I'm tan from spending most of my time at the beach, which is only 5 minutes away. I can't help being there, it's like the ocean calls to me. I feel complete when I'm there.

All my life I've had pretty rotten luck. I stink at school, and haven't stayed in one school since first grade. My mom died when I was 6 in a car crash, and I never knew my dad. He disappeared before I was born. So, for the past ten years, I've lived with my Aunt Lauren. Until last summer that is.

Aunt Lauren was the best person in the world. She was funny, kind and she put up with me, which is no small feat. She always made me feel good about myself when I came home with a D- report card. She had streaks of gray in her blond hair, but I couldn't imagine her being old. She was too full of life. Her brown eyes sparkled when she smiled, and she loved watching Harry Potter movies. She took good care of me.

I should also explain that I have two best friends, Will McBride and Mica Salvador, who I've known since I came to live with Aunt Lauren. They're a pretty big part of my life. From the start, we were inseparable, I felt like they were my brothers. They both have dyslexia and ADHD, and that made me feel even closer to them. Their aunts, whom I was close enough to call Aunt Marge and Aunt Chloe, were Aunt Lauren's best friends, so we saw each other all the time. Will's mom died from pneumonia, and Mica's from a fire. I never realized how eerily similar our lives were. It never occurred to me really.

It was two months before the end of school. My life had just been getting good. Will and I had just started dating, the best decision of my life by the way. I'd been harboring a secret crush on him ever since the 7th grade. I mean, how could I not? With blond hair that just misses falling into his eyes, bright blue eyes, and a smile that makes girls melt, I didn't have a chance. Finally I'd gotten the dummy to admit that he had just as big a crush on me. I'd been getting Bs on my report cards, my highest grades ever. It actually looked like I'd be going to Vista Westlake High School next year. I was happy.

But then, Aunt Lauren, Aunt Marge and Aunt Chloe went missing. Will, Mica and I came home from school, because we live on the same floor in our apartment building, and they were no where to be found. We figured they went shopping or something, but by 11:00, we were all frantic. We called the police. We waited for two weeks, it was like they'd disappeared off the face of the earth. By the end of the third week, they finally found them. In an abandoned parking garage. Dead.

The police told us that it was some freak serial killing. They didn't have an enemies, so what else could it be?

They had no idea how wrong they were.

Three weeks after their funeral, our school decided to take a field trip to the blood donors, anyone who wanted to come was welcome. I don't really have a problem with donating blood, and it got me out of 4th period, so I volunteered. Will and Mica did too, though Mica's pretty squeamish. I'm pretty sure he just did it to get out of Math.

"I change my mind, I want to go back." Mica said once we got on the bus.

"A little to late for that." I said.

"Why did you come if you don't want to do it?" Will asked.

"I don't like Math." Mica said simply.

When we got there, the woman who drew my blood was a lady in her mid-50s that wore a leather jacket. She looked pretty mean for a grandma. Will and Mica sat across from me, and the ladies who drew their blood looked like the grandma's sisters, all with the same sour face and leather jacket.

Mica whimpered as his lady dabbed his arm with alcohol. "I can't believe you talked me into this."

"We didn't talk you into it, you did it to get out of 4th period." Will said as he calmly rolled his sleeve up for the needle.

"But you gave me the idea." He yelped as they plunged the needle into his arm.

"Just remember it's for a good cause." Will didn't even flinch when the needle went in his arm.

I silently laughed at how different they could be at times. Maybe that's why they're such good friends.

We were the last ones there. The bus had already left, and the blood donor building was so close to the house we were now living in, with a kind old lady that took us in after we found out they were dead, that we had just decided to walk. The teacher's had put up a fight, but even they couldn't deny how close we were to home. So they agreed, and we were now alone with the three old ladies. Can you see the trouble with that yet?

The needle punctured my skin, and I imagined the blood leaving my body. The ladies had been acting strange for the last few minutes, sniffing us for some weird reason. Did we smell bad? As my lady, who called herself Mrs. Dodds, took one of the vials that held my blood and sniffed it, I really got wierded out.

She turned to her sisters with an evil grin on her face. Wait... evil? "She's one of the Big Three's children. Same as the Jackson boy."

Will's lady, Mrs. Wailer, smiled as well. "I thought so, she smells like it."

"Excuse me?" I said, feeling a little insulted.

"These two are powerful as well." Mica's nurse, Mrs. Knapper, added.

"Ma'am," Mica said. "We're still here, you know."

"Silent demigod." Mrs. Dodds snapped.

Mica turned to me. "Was that an insult?"

I shrugged. "I don't know."

"Lord Hades will reward us generously for them. Especially the girl."

"What are you talking about?" Will asked.

"Let us take them, sisters." Mrs. Dodds said. She turned to me. "Stay still, demigod. Do not make this as difficult as your brother did."

All I could think to say was, "I don't have a brother."

Suddenly, their teeth sharpened to a point. Wings sprouted from their backs, and they shriveled like a prune. I gasped as their eyes turned red and gleamed with malice for Will, Mica and I.

"Die, honey!" Mrs. Dodds yelled at me as she pounced towards me with one of the needles.

I screamed and froze, but thankfully Will's ADHD kicked in. He shot up, took another one of the needles and jabbed it in her neck. He looked shocked for a moment at what he'd done, but even more shocked when Mrs. Dodds ripped the needle out and glared at him.

"You really think that an idiotic needle would kill me demigod?" She sneered. She flung the needle at Mica, who barely missed it by ducking.

"What the heck was that for?!" He screamed.

Mrs. Dodds turned to her sisters. "Tell Lord Hades that the demigods will be there soon. I will personally see to it."

Mrs. Knapper and Mrs. Wailer grinned wicked. "Happily." Then they flew out the door.

Will grabbed me by the shoulders and forced me behind him. "Y-you should be dead." He stuttered.

She sighed. "You really are an ignorant godling aren't you? You don't even have a sword." Then she shrugged. "Well, that makes it easier for me to kill you and bring you back to Lord Hades."

"Hades as in the Greek god?" I asked.

"Why are you calling us demigods and godlings?" Mica asked, obviously freaking out.

"I hate it when demigods don't know they're demigods." She muttered under her breath. "But that's not important right now. What's important is getting you to Lord Hades. Now hold still while I rip your insides out!"

"Run!" Will yelled, grabbing me and Mica and shoving us out the door. We could hear Mrs. Dodds flying after us and desperately tried all the doors. Every single one had locked. At the last minute we ducked into another room and hid under the beds. A few moments later she crawled in.

She laughed mockingly. "I can smell you." She taunted. "Especially the girl. You reek with the blood of the gods. Come out and face your fates."

How did the day end up like this? I shouldn't have signed up for this.

I could feel Mica tense up next to me as she came close to the bed we were all hiding under. "Ah, there you are."

Suddenly, a flash of light so bright it burned lit up the room. "Be gone Fury." A warm voice commanded.

Mrs. Dodds hissed and then she was gone, just as fast as she had transformed. Tentatively, we crawled out from our hiding spots. For a minute I thought I'd imagined the whole thing. My nerves were still frayed from Aunt Lauren's death, I'd made it all up. But then I looked up and came face-to-face with a graceful woman in a simple brown dress. Her eyes glowed, and I mean they literally glowed, like her brown irises were neon lights. Her brown hair curled around her shoulders. She looked a whole lot nicer than Mrs. Dodds.

"Heroes," She said with a smile. "I am Hestia, goddess of the hearth and home. Allow me to explain what just happened."

So, how'd I do? Please, review and give me loads of feedback! Thanks!

Oh, and has anyone guessed who's Natalie's godly parent? (If you haven't... I did everything but actually say it, you should know.)