I had been walking for days. Honestly, if you had asked me when the last time I'd taken a break was, I would have said eight years. That was the long answer, I guess. The short answer? About a day ago; I'd been hiding out in a little alleyway, just on the outskirts of New York City, it was the first time that I'd been able to lie down and catch my breath. It lasted about an hour before I could smell a monster approaching and once I saw it, I knew I was in trouble.

"You will not escape me, Koa Lawrence. You did not choose the wisest place to rest," the empusa stepped forward. I'd seen a couple of these during my years, usually they stayed away from females – only interested in the blood of men but this one seemed to be batting for the other team. Glancing down beneath the folds of her black skirt, I noticed the tinted bronze leg and that of a donkey hoof. She saw where my eyes wandered and grinned. "Who needs jewels when you've got these?"

"Um, lady, I wouldn't be proud of that ass' foot. That's horribly disgusting. And may I ask, how the hell do you fit into heels with that thing?" My tone turned proper at the last question, mocking her. She sneered, stepping forward, the hoof making a metallic sound as it hit the ground. "Can we just get this over and done with? Your monster stench is killing me…"

The empusa gasped, her eyes glowing red with fury as she glared at me. "I wouldn't talk, half-blood. I smelt you a mile away and honestly, it took all my strength not to throw up."

"Oh, boo hoo. I'm sorry I haven't been able to take a proper shower in a month because you and your stinky ass friends are hunting me down like I'm your next meal," I brushed a strand of my hair from my face, my other hand slowly making its way to my back pocket where, thankfully, I had stored my dagger. Celestial bronze and lethal to monsters. I had picked it up when I first left home and to my surprise, it had killed the first monster that I faced. After that, I tried other weapons but found that none turned the monsters to dust like my own blade. It was only when I came across one monster who admired my blade and identified it as celestial bronze that I truly understood why it was the only weapon that had any effect.

"Where are your friends? I smell other demi-god scum close by. How did you make acquaintances so fast, my dear?" I frowned at the empusa's words but pushed them to the back of my mind, focusing on the task ahead. Without anymore thinking, I grabbed my dagger, pulling it out and charging at the demon before me. She cackled menacingly, her teeth grew a couple inches, her flaming red hair growing wild as I approached her. She tried to snatch at me with her razor nails, I dived beneath her arm, turning around as she growled with annoyance, lifting my dagger to sink into her back and through her heart. However, I never got the chance. Right where I had planned to stab the empusa, an arrow appeared, plummeting into her pale skin and falling to the ground in a heap of dust. My eyebrows furrowed, I studied the pile, scowling at the bronze foot that had been left behind.

"That's pretty gross," came a voice behind me, a chuckle. I spun on my heels, my dagger raised, prepared for another attack. What I found was a boy – or a man, I couldn't really determine in the darkness of the alley – with dark olive skin, shaggy brown hair and bright blue eyes. "Slow down there, princess. I just saved your life. And I think that is a point for me. Not that it matters, you're always ahead, aren't you Evie?" He laughed again, throwing his bow over his back, his orange shirt bright under his leather jacket.

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, you're excused. Enough of this joking around, Chiron wants us back at camp before sunset. And I think he will want to know about your little run in here," he spoke so quickly I didn't have time to react when he pulled me towards the street. I'd been travelling for years without any companions and this guy just happened to bump into me and save me from having to slay my own monster? I wondered whether I should just go with it. The question was answered for me because before I could even contemplate arguing and walking away, I was pulled into a school van and we were driving away. Not that I hadn't seen weirder things but it struck me slightly odd that this might not be an ordinary school bus. The driver was a burly man with eyes blinking all over his skin, their iris' watching the road, the door of the bus, the kids on the bus and pretty much any other direction imaginable. The other thing was the kids – not only were they all wearing the same bright orange top that the mystery boy was wearing (which wouldn't have been that weird) but they all carried their own individual weapons. I saw one kid with a sword the size of my right leg, another had a bow like the boy's and one kid even had a spear, its tip hanging out the window as it was too long to fit in the bus.

"Uh… Where exactly are we going?" I whispered, glancing out the window at the changing landscape. The city had now disappeared, replaced by trees and greenery.

"We're going home. Camp Half-blood."