Hay! I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed! This is the next chapter. Anna won't meet Leo until later, maybe chapter four or five. Hang on, guys! XD Thank you to XxXStarkidXxX, Sadine051, Musicality101, ducks-r-homicidal, and Katerina Riley, who either alerted or favorite my story. Thanks! Also, thanks (again) to Katerina Riley and ducks-r-homicidal for reviewing, as well as Queen Alyssa. I hope I got all of you. Words can not express how thankful I am. THANKS! =D I realize that I failed with spelling and grammar the previous chapter. Hopefully, this is better.

The rest of the ride was in silence. The other boy tried to talk to me, but all I heard was faint murmurs, everything blocked out by my grief of losing John. Everything that had ever caused a tear to trickle down my cheeks was coming back, only it hurt much more. Losing someone is so hard and painful, more painful than it would be if you were the one dead. After you die, who knows what happens? But when you're alive, and a loved one has died, you're forced to live with it, to try to carry on with the pain of never being able to see them again. It hit me, hard. John, the only kind person in my life, was dead.

I hate that feeling when you see or hear, or even think something and for that second, you feel you heart drop, and your throat swells up, and you feel the tears in your eyes, and you can't speak. You can't do anything. And then it sinks in, and it's this unbelievable feeling in your chest. Like it's collapsing on you. And all you can do next is cry. I sobbed for such a long time, face buried in my knees, shoulders heaving with each shaky breath I drew, only to burst out with another round of crying.

There was a loud screech behind us, and I whirled around to see that cursed creature, that griffin that had killed John, flying behind us, beak stained with John's blood. Fury coursed through me, and I howled, "You beast! You killed him!"

The griffin just flew faster towards us, wings pumping so fast it made my head hurt.

"No!" moaned the boy "We're almost there!" he snapped the reigns.

The griffin gave a terrifying cry, and suddenly it was hovering above us, wings whipping up gusts that lashed my hair into my eyes. I closed them, and took a deep breath, for fear that it would eat me, or kill me like it had John.

I heard the other person cry out, and I opened my eyes to see him tumbling out of the chariot, eyes wide with terror, claw marks stretched across his face. The griffin gave another screech, and I leaned against the seat, trying to seem smaller.

There was a horse's neigh, and then a whinny of a horse. I peeked my eyes open, and saw one of the horses was gone, the other's wings flapping frantically to get away from the swooping griffin. And then the griffin's eyes locked on me.

I felt cold-hearted hatred pulsing from the griffin. What had I done to upset it? With a slight tip of it's wings, the griffin veered towards me, talons raised, beak glinting sharply in the sunlight.

I've felt adrenaline rushes before. I lived for adrenaline, it kept me pumped and ready, and gave me an excuse to crash in history. But this time, staring death in the eyes, something else coursed through me, something that I'd never felt before.

Pure terror.

It hit me like lightning, and I cowered there, shell-shocked as the griffin swept closet and closer, until I screamed. It was a scream of pure horror, every inch of my body rattling with the force of this scream. The griffin screeched and began writhing with pain, and it's beady eyes filled with agony was the last thing I saw before it dropped out of sight, as if hitting a physical barrier.

I felt the chariot falling rapidly, but my mind was too dazed to acknowledge any of it. I saw people in orange shirts scrambling around, trying to avoid the falling cart. I was suddenly airborne, having been flung out of the seat.

I fell to the ground like a rock with a sickening crack. I was half-councious when I saw those orange-shirted people hovering over me. I heard one say, 'Fell from the sky like Zeus sent her!' Then everything went black.

Dreams are a funny thing, aren't they? They can either be bizarre, and make no sence, dreamy, (literally) and be wonderful, or terrifying, which prey on your deepest fear. I, of course had the terrfying species. My luck is turning on me. Yeah, right. Like I had any luck in the first place.

All I saw was that scene, playing over and over again in my head.

John looked me in the eyes, his calf-brown eyes filled with pain and sadness, as he said to me, "I'm sorry I failed you, Anna. Go, get to safety." his tattered chest gave one last heave, and he collapsed, blood blossoming from his chest and creating a puddle around him.

It replayed again. "I'm sorry I failed you, Anna. Go, get to safety."

"I'm sorry I failed you, Anna. Go, get to safety."

I awoke screaming. "JOHN!" I howled, heart pounding frantically as I looked around for my friend. He can't be dead! It must have been a dream, and illusion! John can't be dead!

There was another man in the room. He had a scruffy beard and was in a wheelchair, looking at me with curiosity. "I'm surprised you survived that fall, dear one. I apologize for the loss of your protector, Jonathan."

"Who're you?" I asked suspiciously, ignoring the way my heart wrenched when he said John's real name.

"I am Chiron. Are you Andromeda Leon?" he said calmly. Hang on a minute... That was the same voice that had called me on the office phone!

"Anna." I corrected. "Are you the person who called me on the office phone?"

"Yes." Chiron said with a dip of his head. "I apologize to have caused you to leave so early. It was for the best."

"Where am I, though?" I frowned. "I remember crashing and a whole bunch of orange-shirted people, but where exactly am I?"

"You're at Camp Half-Blood. You are a half-blood, a demigod."

"What's a demigod?" I asked, heart pounding. Heck, if I had a name with the word 'god' in it, I'm all good!

"I believe you have learned of the Greek Gods in h-"

"Hang on a minute." I interrupted. "Zeus? Apollo? Them?"

Chiron looked up at the ceiling warily as thunder boomed. "Names have power, Andromeda."

"Anna!" I snapped. "Call me Anna! What about the Greek Gods? Don't go on a rant, I've had enough from my teachere about some historical thing or another." I then added "Why did it just thunder? It isn't raining, is it?"

"No." he shook his head. "It's just Zeus being slightly annoyed that his name is thrown around like that."

"Oh, okay. Wait a minute..." I mused. "Zeus is mad? As in a living person is making it thunder?" I spoke hastily. What was he talking about?

"The Greek gods are very much real." he said calmly, as if he said this everyday. "They aren't exactly living though, they're immortal, so I suppose it's incorrect to say that a living person would be making thunder."

"You're a loony." I told him.

"And," he added, ignoring my comment. "One of your parents is a Greek god or goddess."

I froze for a second, caught off guard. "You're crazy!" I reminded him, throwing my hands up in exasperation. "Am I in a mental hospital?"

"No, you're at camp Half-Blood, although we might pass as a metal hospital. All the Greek myths and legends, they are very much real." he began to rise from his wheelchair, which was kinds creepy, because I had assumed he was paralyzed. As he got taller and taller, I noticed two things. One, his feet on the wheelchair weren't moving. Two, something white was covering his torso. He got taller and taller, and then stepped out of the empty shell, which clattered to the floor, empty. And then I noticed another thing. Three, he was part donkey from the waist down.

A loud conch horn blew in the distance, a deep, grumbling sound.

Chiron raised his head. "Ah, it's dinner now. I suppose you'll stay with the Hermes cabin until you're claimed. Come along, let's see if we can catch them on their way. I suppose you can talk to Mr.D later."

"I-I... You're a donkey!" I stammered.

Chiron stiffened and looked at me. "Donkey? I think not! I'm a centaur! Part horse, surely you remember from a history lesson!"

I shook my head sadly. "Sorry Chiron. I don't remember anything before two weeks ago."

He looked at me in surprise. "Surely not!" Chiron then frowned, and murmured, "Surely she can't be part of the prophecy. Is she from the Roman camp? Hera can't have done it to a second camper…"

"A prophecy? A roman camp? Who's Hera?" I cocked my head.

Thunder rumbled overhead. Jeez, Zeus had to calm down, if it really was Zeus who was making it thunder.

"If you don't remember anything, how did you know about the gods and goddesses you mentioned earlier?" Chiron asked.

"Oh, that! Well, I heard J-J-" I struggled to say his name. "I heard John say Apollo earlier, and Zeus someone else said earlier."

Chiron frowned. "Ah, we'll discuss this later with Mr.D. Come along." he waved his hand, and I swung my legs out of the bed, but just as I put my legs down on the ground, pain shot through my back and up my neck, giving me that painful tingling sensation you often get when you hit your funny bone. Only this time, it was all over my body.

I howled, and collapsed to the ground, writhing as pain shot down my spinal cord.

"Αγαπητέ Άδη, τι έχει συμβεί σε αυτήν?" cursed Chiron, but somehow I understood that he was saying, Oh Hades, what has happened to her?

The pain slowly faded, and I slouched against the bed-frame. "That didn't feel good." I announced.

Chiron looked me over for a moment. "Can you walk?"

"I believe you just witnesses my version of 'walking,' so of course I can't walk!" I snapped.

He offered me his hand, and I took it, hopping on one foot. I gingerly put the other one down, and after a slight tingling, I found I was able to walk again.

"What was that?" I asked, bewildered. What just comes when it wants, and then hurts me beyond belief, and just saunters away like nothing happened?

"I don't know." said Chiron darkly, "But perhaps we can consult the Apollo cabin after dinner, along with Mr.D. Come along now, child."

I followed him out the door, limping slightly, and we soon came upon a pavilion, basically a huge building with no roof. Chiron showed me to what was quite possibly the largest group.

"Andromeda, meet the Hermes cabin. Hermes cabin, Andromeda." he introduced us to each other.

"It's Anna!" I begged. "Why is it so hard to call me by that?"

"Hello!" called out someone cheerfully. "Do you happen to have any prized or expensive possessions?"

Everyone snickered, and I frowned, confused. Why would he ask me that? "Uhh... No."

Chiron looked at the boy warningly. "Don't think about it, Connor." he then turned to me. "Hermes is the god of messengers, travelers, and thieves."

"Oh." now it made sense why he had asked. "That clears things up." I stood awkwardly, not wanting to sit down next to people I didn't know.

"Why don't you sit down next to Connor?" suggested Chiron. "I can find you after you finish." and then he walked away, hooves clip-clopping against the floor.

I sat down next to Connor, a guy about my age with curly brown hair, an impish smile, and dimples that looked as though they were permanently crafted into his face. "Are you undetermined or is Hermes your father?" he asked.

"What?"

"You know, have you been claimed yet?" he asked impatiently.

"No, I haven't." I said awkwardly. "How long will it take?"

"You're about sixeen, right?" Connor asked.

"Yeah, I think." I said, feeling stupid for not even knowing.

"What do you mean by 'you think'? What kind of answer is that?" he laughed teasingly.

I liked this kid. He was lighthearted and friendly, and luckily not hostile. Hopefully most of the camp was like this. "I don't exactly remember anything. Not before two weeks ago, anyway." I admitted, feeling awkward.

"Eh, don't worry about it then. All demigods are supposed to be claimed by age thirteen, so I guess it'll happen soon, maybe at the campfire or something." Connor shrugged.

"Hey Anna, right?" someone from across the table asked. Strange, he looked identical to Connor. After I nodded, he continued. "Were you the one who dive-bombed us when we were trying to play basketball?"

"S-sorry." I stammered.

Connor grinned. "Wow Anna, why would you do that to us? It's unbelievably-"

"Incredibly unbelievably-" added the other kid.

"Crazy of you!" finished Connor, shooting the other kid a glare. "C'mon Travis, I've had enough of you without you interrupting my sentences!"

Travis cackled. "C'mon, it's obvious you can't get enough of me!"

"Just like you can't get enough of Katie?" Connor challenged.

"Are you related?" I interrupted their argument.

Connor looked up. "Yeah. We're-"

"Unfortunately-" put in Travis.

"Twins." Connor glared at Travis. "Stop doing that!"

I licked my lips, suddenly realizing I was very parched. I glanced at my glass, only to discover it was empty. "Why is my cup empty?" I asked in confusion. "And there are no pitchers..."

"Just say to the cup whatever you want and it'll appear." Travis told me. "And there's free refills! Actually, everything here is free! Even the food!"

Connor elbowed Travis "No, it isn't. In order to eat anything, you have to pay us twenty bucks. So, if the only thing you want is drinks, then fine. If you want to eat, you got to give us some money." Claimed Connor, looking me deep in the eyes, as if it would convince me.

"You're lying." I said bluntly.

"Dang it!" groaned Connor. "I really want Coke!"

"Why don't you ask your cup for it?" I suggested, and turned to my own cup. "Water?" I said, feeling stupid. It filled to the brim with water.

"Oh yeah." said Conner, and said to his cup, "Coke." His cup filled with coke.

"Don't mind him." said Travis with a wink. "He's just incredibly stupid."

"Hey!" said Connor indigently.

"Hmm... Sprite?" I said to the goblet, and it changed to sprite. "Purple sprite!" I said cheerfully, purple being my favorite color. It immediately turned purple, and I took a sip. Delicious!

I loud sound echoed through pavilion, and I turned to see Chiron, who had apparently stomped his hoof to get our attention.

"Today we have a new camper!" he announced.

"That's you!" Conner muttered to me.

"Andromeda Leon, would you please stand up?" asked Chiron.

I got to my feet nervously, feeling every eye on me. "Anna!" I squeaked.

"Leon means lion in Spanish!" someone from across the room called out, and a couple of people snickered. One person gave a meowing sound.

A man who had lazily been sitting down next to Chiron stood up suddenly, knocking over his chair. He wore a leopard print shirt and looked sort of like a baby angel. Well, a baby angel that had been smoking pot since he was ten, and had aged thirty years. So basically, a thirty-year-old former angel drug addict. He looked as though he'd been electrocuted, his curly black hair nearly standing on end.

"Mr.D?" asked Chiron. "Are you alright?"

"Andromeda Leon?" he said, looking at me with either surprise or malice, I couldn't tell.

Something came over me. I knew this man from somewhere, but as I struggled for an answer, I found myself getting down on one knee, head bowed. "Sir Dionysus." I said humbly. "My Lord."

Reviews make me happy, as do favorites and alerts. You want me to be happy, right? You know I love cliffhangers. =D You might have guessed who her dad is, but I'm not telling if you haven't!