Wow, you actually kept going! Sorry, I'll stop the jokes and let you read.

I knew I should be paying attention, that what Lou Ellen was saying would probably influence my life expectancy but I couldn't. I'm not dyslexic but I have ADHD. Half of my brain was trying to work out what was on the vast shelves behind Lou Ellen, half was Somnus-knows-where and the other half still hadn't switched back to normal since THE night of killer doomsday as I now referred to it. My math teacher would have said I was "dissipated" but it was more than that. I was jumpy and guilty at having gone off to camp without even a goodbye. The walls of the Hecate cabin were lined with jars with labels only Lou Ellen, the cabin counselor and my new mentor, could understand. Next to a large blue jar labeled "powdered monster", a bottle of golden liquid labeled "Typhon ichor; river Hudson" glowed slightly. So far so good but the shelf underneath made no sense whatsoever. "Nshade" didn't mean anything to me and I suppose "Friar Lawrence" makes more sense than the helpfully labeled bottle of "Stuff". The volatile ingredients shelf just had things like "Dangerous", "Boom" or skulls drawn on otherwise blank tags. Dangerous like the Chimera that had nearly bitten her head off. The memory was so vivid, I could almost imagine being back there that night, one month ago. My father had been knocked out but was unharmed, Bark's shoes and pants had burnt but he had claimed to be fine, and the fire that had nearly burnt the house had left permanent marks on Dee. My little brother hadn't seen them for what they were and Dad had listened to Bark and not told Dee the truth.

-Abigail Fleming! What did I just say?" Lou Ellen barked, finally noticing that I was day-dreaming, day-nightmaring, whatever.

-Um, that the children of Hecate aren't front-line fighters because most potions take to time to prepare and must be made at night.

-However…" she prompted.

-Er, however, um, we are just as powerful as our potions can mimic any demigod power.

-Correct. And our two other domains, apart from potion are…?" Ever had the impression that a teacher will keep asking questions until you get one wrong?

-Mind-control which can go through charm-speak or eye-contact." I had mastered eye hypnotism but would never be capable of charm-speak; either you had it or you didn't. Totally unfair because people might listen to you but no one would stare into your eyes for the five seconds necessary to force their attention onto them. Lou Ellen assured me that eye-contact allowed far greater access to the victim's mind but it didn't stop me getting tricked by that girl in the Aphrodite cabin. I had a "Drew rules" written in lipstick on my forehead for two hours.

-And the last of our powers is…?" I stayed silent. I didn't want to say it.

"Summoning, whispered Lou Ellen , allows us to call upon any entity willing to answer the call. Hecate is goddess of magic, crossroads, and the goddess with three faces, followed by the hounds of the night. We, her children and servants, need only kitchen ingredients, a source of energy, maybe a piece of what you're summoning and a moonlit crossroad to unleash chaos far above us."

-Like the keres, Eris, Nyx, Echidna and many others who come only in the hope of killing us." When would she get that I didn't want to be a witch?

-Yes, of course, but I'd be careful summoning Nyx or her children. Circles of containment aren't foolproof. We'll practice on Herakles, Somnus's children, or some of the nicer star constellations. But seen as you're so enthusiastic all of a sudden, we can move to a bit of practical work. Do you have any potions you're interested in making?" The moment of truth.

-Well, there's one I had in mind but you'll probably just…you know…"

-I knew it! she answered triumphantly, Ha! Don't worry I'll keep it secret but actually I've wanted to make this one for a long time, you know, see if I could." Lou Ellen was actually very immature except when it came to witchcraft and Shakespeare. "To make a potion, you mix chaos and order, ichor and monster essence and then direct the power to do your bidding. You can use certain herbs or a divine object, which is even better. We'll have to steal it from the attic, it's a pink scarf that belonged to Aphrodite-"

-What? Wait, what are you talking about?"

-A love potion, you dummy! Isn't that what you want?" Lou Ellen answered while taking down a pot labeled "Midsummer Night's Dream" from the tall shelf.

-Look, you know what Leo can do?" I'd arrived barely two weeks after Leo, so he understood my situation better than most. I suppose I can call him a friend. "Could you make me immune to fire?" Lou Ellen took a deep breath before answering.

-You want to go after the monster that hurt your little brother don't you?" Of course I do. I can't sleep knowing that my family and friends live in a village that is monster hunting ground. I just nod.

-To do that you need a quest from Chiron. If Percy was here maybe, but now…" There it was again. Percy here, Percy there. I'd never met the guy but I couldn't see how he could be stronger than Jason and manage to get kidnapped. What annoyed me most was that everyone acted as if he'd walked on water or something. When I'd told that to Bark, he mumbled that he had. Literally. Lou Ellen was worse than most. She almost worshipped him because he'd given the minor gods cabins, as if that was a good thing. If he hadn't, Bark wouldn't have come for me, I wouldn't know I was an alien freak and I would have lived my life normally. Unaware that a big monster lived in the hills. A mixed blessing, I suppose.

"Out of question! We fight monsters because they fight us. We do not take risks hunting down monsters in their lairs where they have the tactical advantage. I refuse to grant you permission for a suicide mission that gains nothing." I'm being told off by a centaur in the Big House of a demigod camp while the god of wine is listening to music on the floor above and a stuffed leopard head sleeps on the far wall. Nothing's wrong, everything is normal. Just goes to show, you can get used to anything, even Greek mythology.

-Lou Ellen's been on loads of quests." I countered (pouted, same difference). Taio Cruz barks stuff about drinking from the floor above.

-Minor missions not even worth asking the Oracle about. Looking for mushrooms in some far-fetched forest or taking the plane to get to Hudson River is hardly comparable to tackling Cacus on your own. Let me give you an idea. We are talking about a half-beast capable of spitting fire and who nails human heads to his door. What you saw were only his minions and he can create many more." His eyes went into "sad mode". "When Hercules fought him, the locals described it like a volcano erupting. Cacus is dangerous."

-It's because he's dangerous and eats people that I can't let him attack Dee or-or-" I paused, my voice choking on emotion. "I've been here for a month now! When will you let me go?"

-I got a hangover wo-oh, I've been drinking too much for shoho, got an empty cup, pour me some moho-oh…" complains the stereo. Seymour snores despite the din.

-No one is holding you here. On the contrary, it is time you went back to school. Spring break is over now you know. And lastly, because Lou Ellen had Hecate's blessing to go. She gave her a magical item allowing her to locate things. Useful to find ingredients. You have nothing of the-"

A black ring materialized on my left hand, a purple flower in my right. Despite what Chiron says I did not yelp. Only little. The ring was entirely black and an obsidian X sat atop the dark band. I heard a voice, no, make that three voices, speaking simultaneously : Summon Prissi the empousa tonight. She will explain. Then make a choice and let none other make it for you. Seymour growled nervously woken by the unnatural god's command.

-I suppose that settles it." Sighed Chiron. His eyes played the funeral march so loud, no amount of trash music could drown out what was in his eyes.

"I told you we should have taken a flashlight. We can't see a thing!" I complained as we trekked in the light of the flickering lantern flame.

-We can see fine! Shut up! The crossroad isn't far anyway.", snapped Lou Ellen.

-Yeah but it's spooky." My knees were shaking. Summoning scared me far more than any monstrosity in Cacus's cave.

-That's the point. It's cooler like that." It would have been too much to hope she understands. "Look, I'd like you to take something I bought long ago. It's the breath with which Zephyr made a promise. Gathering one from each of the four wind gods makes a flask. A lot cooler but I'm not likely to get them. So you can take this but be careful : it only blows west and I want it back if you don't use it." I was wondering how she was going to give me a breath when she took out a tiny ceramic jar smaller than my palm, sealed with wax and covered in wind motifs. I didn't really know how to thank her after all the times I'd complained about her behind her back.

Too early and after an eternity, we reached the crossroad, where Lou Ellen started teaching me how to scratch the lines in the hard soil. I poured the powdered monster in the center and nearly had a heart attack when the Lou Ellen started chanting.

"Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting, Lizard leg and howlet's wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth, boil and bubble." Seeing the look on my face she stopped to explain. "When there are no dogs in the area to eat the offering and scare the mortals so we need to chant. The words themselves don't actually matter but the Scottish Play seems appropriate." The Scottish Play? Was that some Gothic song? "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble." She continued. After a few more lines, the offering slipped into the ground and a beautiful girl in school uniform swam out of the rippling surface of ground. Chiron had warned me about empousa. My half-sister had a metal leg, a donkey leg, fangs and a pronounced taste for blood. I figured evil ran in the family. She clambered out, dusted down her wide jeans and smiled, just enough to reveal long canines.

-Hello sisters. Mother asked me to help. You must be Abigail and you Lou Ellen. I'm sure we'll get along well. Mmh?"

-You had braces." I regretted saying it instantly but, in my defense, she'd taken me by surprise. I had been expecting some evil killer but she looked so normal. She scowled and answered:

-Well, I'm allowed aren't I? My teeth are nice and straight now. Anyway it doesn't matter, just show me the gifts from mother." I dutifully took out the flower and showed her the ring. "You asked to be immune to fire. We could just have given you some of Medea's sunscreen SPF fifty thousand which makes you immune to fire and metal but it will be good for you to make it yourself. You have in your hands the key ingredient: a flower born from Prometheus's pain. As for the ring, it will create a small bubble of twilight allowing you to summon without going to a crossroad or even waiting until nightfall. It's essential: Cacus is unable to stand the light of day; you must strike when he is trapped within his lair. Use it well as there is a limited amount of energy and mother choses what you summon. No bothering about drawing lines but you won't know what will come out of it. Let me show." And with that, she took my right thumb and pressed it onto the ring. Everything went dark (well, darker), there was a flash of teeth and a collar I'd seen before at camp: Mrs O'Leary.

Also, the powers are inspired from Greek mythology, mostly from The Argonautica in which Medea's powers are described in detail (big difference by the way with Roman witches especially in The Golden Donkey). The summoning scene is a rip-off from Argonautica in which Medea summons something (no idea what) to help her make Jason's potion in Hecate's temple. I however adapted the other powers to correspond to Rick Riordan's witches, namely hypnotism.

I was studying Macbeth when I wrote this, it overspilled into my writing. Ah well. Who caught the references to Percy Jackson and Shakespeare on Lou Ellen's shelves?

Plus, Taio Cruz's song was just out when I wrote this and he found a way in too. Kind of appropriate for the wine god.