Serena hadn't wanted to go to the dance, but Astrid had more or less forced her to. Instead of dancing, she drew in her journal, and found the loud noise very annoying. The girl in her dream had had long dark hair and dark eyes, with a bow slung over her shoulder. She had showed Serena a boy - the spirit's little brother - in her dream. The hunter's spirit requested her to watch him for her, so when Serena met him in person, she was more than a little surprised.

She walked out into the courtyard of her school. Had it really been just a dream? That's what she had thought when she woke up, but know she was second guessing that. The boy was real. His name was Nico. Chrys had known him!

Serena sighed, breathing in the fresh air. Maybe all of this was a dream too, but it sure didn't feel like one.

"Hello, demigod."

Serena's eyes widened with surprise at the unfamiliar voice. She spun around to find two of the parent volunteers, but something felt off. They didn't feel quite 'normal', so to speak. "What did you call me?" The green-eyed girl blurted out without thinking.

"Demigod. Half mortal, half Greek god." Said the woman on the left.

Serena had always been interested in Greek mythology, so she know what the term meant. She just didn't believe it was real. When the air shimmered around the two ladies, Serena stumbled backwards and almost fell into the fountain. The 'ladies' both had snakes for hair.

"Gorgons." Serena remembered. At her words, the monsters' grotesque mouths curled into horrible-looking smiles. Just looking at them made Serena feel sick to her stomach.

"Very good, demigod. Do you want some punch?" Asked the gorgon on the right, holding out a plastic cup.

"Stheno! What is with you getting into character? You only just got over the Bargain Mart thing!" The gorgon on the left shouted in frustration.

"Sorry, Euryale, but the punch is really good!" She held out the cup farther towards Serena, trying to get her to take it. "Drink some!"

"Uh, sorry, I don't accept fruit punch from crazy snake ladies." Serena stated, trying to hold herself steadily, to give out a challenge. "Especially not when the crazy snake ladies in question poisoned it."

"How did she know I poisoned it?" Stheno hissed to Euryale.

"I don't care! Just attack!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Said a calm voice from behind the bickering gorgons. "Not unless you like being shish-kabobed."

Euryale hissed and turned around to find Nico wielding a sword made out of some weird black material. "Hades spawn. We will destroy you as well as the young one. Attack!" The two gorgons lunged at the demigods.

Serena managed to dodge the first attack, but only barely. She steadied herself against the fountain and launched past the monster into a somersault, it's claws just barely missing her foot. Less than a second later, she wasn't so lucky. As Serena spun around to face the beast, Stheno's claws grazed her left arm, and she cried out in pain. When she fell to her knees, the ground started to rumble. Cracks started forming in the pavement, originating from where Serena was kneeling, but she didn't take much notice. The two monsters screamed as the earth opened up beneath their feet. A few seconds later, it looked as if nothing had happened. The cracks had closed up, leaving small seams through the grounds, and the gorgons had disappeared. The ground had swallowed them whole.

Nico seemed confused. "I didn't do that." He then seemed to take notice of Serena's state on the ground, and hurried over to pour something on the wound. She let out a small gasp when the liquid irritated the gash a bit, making it sting more than it already did. When she had forced her eyes to look at it, there was nothing to see. The wound had closed up without leaving a mark.

"How...?" Then she remembered a myth she once read about the healing properties of godly food and beverage. "Nectar."

"How did you know that?" Nico asked, curious.

Serena shrugged. "I read a lot. It's how I knew about the gorgons." She looked at the boy kneeling next to her. "You're a demigod. So am I. That's what they called us."

Chrys appeared next to them. "Nico, we have to get her back to camp."

"Definitely." He stood and offered Serena his hand.

"Uh, are you going to do what I'm afraid you're going to do?" Chrys asked nervously.

"Do you have a better idea of getting her to camp?"

Chrys sighed as Serena took Nico's hand and got up off the ground. "I remember hearing how that feels before. I'm getting to camp the old-fashioned way, thank you very much."

"What are you...?" Serena's question died in her throat as the shadows wrapped around them, and the school disappeared.

I*I*I*I

A/N: Sooooooo, what did you guys think? It came out shorter than I'd like it to, but I'll post the next one soon, and hopefully it wont be as short.

Until next time,

~Roxy (strawberryrox28)