Chapter One: Camp

Today my school had a field trip to the Metropolitan of Art. In New York City, museums where a dime a dozen. It was as if the school thought taking a group of troubled teens to an art museum would change our lives and we would no longer be an "issue to society". I don't know what Mr. Brunner expected. He was a passionate teacher, but his efforts were often lost on us. I tried my best to pay attention. I didn't want him to feel like a complete waste. He would often stray from curriculum and focus on the Greek gods and goddesses. The man was borderline obsessed. Who was I to judge? I too had an above average interest in them. Often I found myself thinking about the gods and what they were truly like. Through my romance I learned a lot. Morphie taught me as much as he could. My curiosity had no premium, I would never learn enough to be satisfied. Grover and I were walking up the steps when I began to feel uneasy.

My stomach clenched, my veins filled with adrenaline, and Morphie's voice filled my head. You're okay Beauty. Be on the lookout, there is a change in front of you.

We walked into the museum and Mr. Brunner our instructor was already waiting for us. Naturally, Grover and I were late. Despite taking the bus the school had commissioned. We spent too long goofing off in the gift shop apart from out group, and we had fallen behind. Mrs. Dodds, our chaperone, was glaring at me. Well, it was her normal wrenched facial expression, but still it left me with a shiver down my spine. Mr. Brunner led us to three large god statues that were group together. He began his prepared lecture as Grover and I melted into the group of kids that were half-circled around him.

"These are the big three, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades" He pointed to each of them while speaking. The statues were immense in size. Each god had his own distinct facial features. Zeus's face seemed to be charged for battle, with long wavy hair falling at his shoulders. His arm raised above his head, carrying a lightning bolt. Poseidon had his large brows furrowed, his regal cheek bones did not hold a smile, and his trident was firmly grasped. Hades seemed to be a vision of a rock-star. He looked the most like Zeus out of the three. The god of death simply stood in the middle, arms at his sides with a sorcerer. To me, Hades looked like he was ready to grab a mortal and release them in the Underworld. "Each had the father of Kronos the titan," Brunner continued. This time he pointed to the plaque on an adjacent wall. "Eventually the three brothers, when they grew tired of their father's tyrannical reign, overthrew their father and cut him into pieces. They were not satisfied with that violent action alone. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades put Kronos into the depths of Tartarus. There the titan would never rise and challenge the newly founded Olympus. After many millennia, the gods and goddesses grew tired of Olympus. The gods began to descend into the moral world, and well, what's the term-"

"Hook up?" Grover interrupted

"Thank you, Grover" He chuckled "Now, does anyone know the term for their children?" He paused and looked around the room, unenthused by the lack of knowledge. "Anybody?" Another pause perfected by teaching conferences no doubt. "How about you Ms. Jackson?" He finished, singling me out.

"What, Mr. Brunner?" I asked, taking out my one earbud, strategically hidden behind my massive amounts of hair.

"What is the name of the child born of god and human?" He asked patiently

"A demigod or more commonly half-blood." I responded.

I wasn't a perfect student, or even an okay student, but that could be partially blamed by my dyslexia. I can learn things and retain them, but the information does stay in my head for very long. I love learning, and the struggle of actually learning disheartens me. Most of the time I just give up. Especially since have difficulty studying for long periods of time. The already difficult task of reading a textbook multiplies by having strained eyes.

"Can you name a demigod Ms. Jackson? Here's a hint; you and he have a lot in common." He asked me. This was probably the extent of my knowledge.

"Um, let me think," I looked over at one of the museum's areas for Poseidon. I forced my eyes to compensate for the distance as I squinted to see. The ancient Greek letters began to translate themselves into English. "Triton?" I stated, but it sounded more like a question.

"Correct." With that Mr. Brunner turned away and went on with his speech.

Mrs. Dodds turned to me as I attempted to navigate my way towards the back of the group. She had a bird-like face, and skin that looked like it would become scales soon. The woman really needed moisturizer. Many of the students who had her in class mocked her for her small stature and irregular face. Thankfully, I did not have her English class, and I tried to avoid any interaction with her as frequently as possible.

"Percy Jackson, we need to talk." She said in her shrill voice. I nodded, accepting that punishment would soon follow. Grover looked at me concerned and I waved him off, giving a comforting look. He didn't seem to be comforted as I turned around to look at him before I followed her. I turned off my iPod in the hopes that it wouldn't be confiscated. Mrs. Dodds led me through the Greek gods exhibit into a in-progress exhibit far away. It was a large room, with four white walls, The only thing that occupied the room other than us was a large three tier stand that was probably used for hanging light fixtures and wall pieces.

"Listen if this is for the music I'm really sorry see-" She cut me off and I looked around and she was on top of the huge building structure.

"Where is it? Where is it? Give it to me," Her shrill voice went an octave higher than its regular, and before my eyes she turned into a bat with wings. I was right about the scales, they had a leather appearance to them. She, it, took flight from the top tier and lifted my hips off of the ground with the talons on her feet. They were piercing into my skin, and I could feel blood being drawn."Where is it give it to me!" The bat continued on.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I yelled. The same fear that I felt coming into the museum returned and I was afraid for my life. If this was how I died, I would be pretty mad. Mrs. Dodds would probably drag me to the Underworld herself if I didn't give her what she wanted.

Grover must have heard my voice, because he came running in as fast as his screwed up legs would let him. Morphie had told me that Grover was my protector, but I didn't let him know I knew. I regretted all the trouble he had pulled me out of. I could lose my temper from time to time and get into sticky situations. Right now had to be placed number one.

"Put her down or I swear I'll tear you to pieces," Mr. Brunner's voice roared. I didn't know what threat he posed from his wheelchair, I didn't even see him come in with Grover, but Mrs. Dodds snarled at him and flew away. I fell into Grover's bony arms, feeling stunned. I was sure to have bruises and scratches that needed treatment later. He didn't seem phased by this. It didn't make sense to me due to the fact that Grover was always anxious about my safety. Brunner turned to my protector as soon as I was on my feet and spoke quickly "She has to go to Camp there is no other place in Olympus or the Underworld that is safe for her."

Grover nodded gravely, understanding his task.

"Percy, take this pen only use it in the most desperate of situations, it can be deadly." Brunner said, handing me a pen that looked like a regular ball point.

I thought he had gone mad after seeing Mrs. Dodd's transfigured form. "This is a pen." I held the pen up for my favorite teacher to see. He didn't dismissed my doubt instantly without further explanation."This is a pen." I repeated and Grover pulled me out of the room as I was saying "Dude, this is a pen!"

I didn't know what camp he was speaking of, but it seemed to be a safe place. He took my arm and pulled me through the museum, throwing expletives as he attempted to find the nearest train station to get us back to the shady apartment I live in with my mom and Gabe. I would try to talk, but it only increased Grover's speed.

"Perc, I need you to not look at anyone." Grover suddenly said as I was searching the crowd for a familiar face, seeking asylum. "Hey!" He snapped his fingers in front of my face to pull me out of my focus. "Okay, this is how it's gonna be Perc. We're taking you to your mom so that she can take us to the Camp." He pulled me in and out of the crowd.

If he meant using our car that barely runs, he's out of his mind with panic. My mom only uses the car for our yearly trip away from Gabe to the seaside. It costs more to store it in this city than the damn thing's worth. Despite my mom's income primarily going to my tuition for schools we can't afford, she insists on keeping the car.

"Hey, what's this camp you keep talking about?" I inquired, hoping to get some form of answer.

"You'll see." Was all he said.

Apparently today is the day I don't get any answers.

)))(((

Grover and I took the A train for over twenty blocks to get to our apartment in Hell's Kitchen. We didn't even live in the nice part of Hell's Kitchen. The apartment was still three blocks east. I though Grover may trip over his crutches at any moment given how quickly we were going. We were both panting once we got to the building, but it didn't stop there. He took the twelve flight climb at a dead sprint.

"Ms. Jackson!" Grover called out and I could see her ironing around the corner of our kitchenette. The apartment smelled like Gabe's cheap beer and desperation. The furniture was all bought second hand because my selfish stepfather wouldn't pitch in towards anything but half of the rent and keeping his beer fridge stocked. We were lucky to find a two bedroom apartment, but it was not luxurious to speak frankly.

"Percy." My Mom's voice was heartbreaking when she came over and hugged me. If anyone else tried to hug me, I would've pushed them away. I hate physical affection. However, you're a sick bastard if you don't hug your mom from time to time.

"Ms. Jackson we have to take Percy to Camp." Gover said urgently. "We need to leave like, now." She nodded, understanding quickly the sudden severity of the situation without needing to know all of the details.

"Just let me go get my coat."

And in his brilliance, Gabe decided to open his disgusting mouth. "Ay, Sally get me a couple of beers." He said, slapping her ass as she walked past him to grab her jacket.

"Go get it yourself, pig." I said in my most threatening tone. "I mean, show some respect that's my mother." I said to his surprise.

"Hey." He said getting up, angering Grover. "This is my house," He grabbed my hair, shoved me against the nearest wall, and got in my face. "and you respect me." He finished.

My mom was in the background and flinched. She had witnessed Gabe and I fight too many times. When I was younger it was easier for him to physically punish me. Now, at age sixteen, I towered over him being 5'6. The sick bastard was tiny and had no muscle. When I finally had enough of his tyrant behavior he received a swift punch and a bloody nose. He relented his abuse a little after that.

"Lets go Percy." Grover and my Mom begged me in unison. They both understood my need to show Gabe who was in charge. Today, there wasn't time for it, despite my temper egging me on to finally break his nose and give him something to complain about.

I slid past Gabe giving him my death glare. Quickly, I gathered a few of my belongings. I didn't have much, but I at least wanted my framed picture of my mom and I and a few articles of clothing. Grover stayed with me as my mom was getting the car.

)))(((

Grover was peacefully chomping on soda cans in the backseat. We had been listening to the radio, which alerted severe weather conditions several times. Wind was whipping around the car and it was a downpour with no signs of ending soon. When we no longer had signal for the radio, my mom slowly began the conversation about my father. I had badgered her with questions when I was younger. As I grew older, I realized that he was painful for her to talk about. I had stopped asking.

She informed me that my father is Poseidon. Poseidon. A freaking Greek god. The Storm Bringer, Earth Quaker and Lord of the Sea. I was shocked, and debated the sanity of everything that had happened today. And when my Mom stopped talking, Grover told me what Camp was. He it was a camp for children born of gods, like me. He also said of how he was sent to protect me. I had known the protector bit, but not much else. That's when he stopped leaving a thousand questions spinning in my mind. I kept all of them to myself. My mom started talking about my father after having a break to clear her head. .

"When did he leave?" I asked. She looked at me with confusion "When did he leave us?" I nearly shouted at my poor mother when she didn't respond quickly.

"He left when you started talking. So, at around seven months. Percy, look at me," She said, due to the fact that I had to look away My emotions were running on high. Pain seared through me. I didn't want to burden my mother with any more pain."Leaving you was probably the hardest thing you ever had to do. Percy he loved you." I looked her dead in the eye then, only, to see if she was lying.

If she was lying, it would be the only thing that would save the guilt I would feel now. I cursed my unknown father constantly growing up. I blamed him for the majority of things that went wrong in my life. It was easy to blame him when I didn't know who he was.

"Is it just me or is it raining cows?" Grover asked urgently right before the car flipped over.

"Percy let's move!" He said as soon as the car stopped moving.

"Camp is really close." Grover exclaimed as the three of us took off into a sprint, following home. The scratches Mrs. Dodds inflicted on me burned as they reopened and began bleeding.

We went over a sign that read Camp Half Blood. It was old and small, easy to conceal from highway travelers. Grover and I ran past the sign, in between two tall trees that created something similar to an entrance, when Mom was pulled back by an invisible force. I continued to try and pull her into safety. Whatever was out there, I didn't want it to touch her.

"C'mon let's go!" I said pulling her arm once more.

"Percy I can't go in I'm not like you!"

As soon as those words hit the air my Mom had lifted up by a ginormous figure. It was crushing her. Her blood curdling screams became imprinted on my memory. I didn't know how to fight something that was significantly larger than me.

"Hey!" I called its attention, walked up to it. "Put. My. Mother. Down."

I was too late. He had crushed her into a gold-colored shower of shimmer as I stepped out from the border. I looked at Grover in full rage mode, that means my eyes were probably electric green instead of emerald. He was scared beyond unreasonable doubt. There was nothing that could have prepared him for this.

"Click the pen! Click the pen that Mr. Brunner gave you!" He screamed, knowing I would fight this thing.

I clicked it, and it became a full fledged sword to my surprise. Maybe I shouldn't have doubted Brunner so strongly. Grover charged at it, only to hit a tree and became unconscious.

Some protector I thought to myself.

The monster charged at me and I rolled out of the way. I swiped at its shin and stunned it. It tripped from the stun, and fell forwards. His horn got stuck in the tree that was right next to me. As adrenaline filled my body, the thing tried to free itself. I began to run towards it. It managed to free itself while I charged. I closed in and cut of its toes off, stunning it again. Losing its balance, the thing fell backwards. It even screeched. Using any strength I had left, I took advantage of it being down and tried to get the lost horn out of the tree.

I had grabbed the horn from its fixed position. It was out of sheer dumb luck. I knew if I went for the throat it would be down long enough to get Grover and I into safety. Its blood reeked. I gagged at the smell, and ran to the head. I was close enough to get to the throat when it started to move. Wasting no time, I lodged the horn into its throat. If I had even been hunting, I probably would've killed this thing more effectively. As I twisted the horn deeper, it screeched, rolled, and I felt a pain like no other in my abdomen.

My mobility was limited. As the thing began to struggle I knew it was my go time. I got to Grover as quickly as I could, with one arm I attempted to carry him. The world began to blur, but I was so close to safety. I knew I would bleed out soon, but even if Grover was over the line and survived, one of us would be safe.

"Help!" I cried as I went through the two timber trees. My vision was almost gone, all I could see was lights and vague shapes. My stomach was gushing at this point. I quickly tried to make my peace with death. My strength had left me. Grover began to feel like he weight more than the mass of the Earth. After taking no more that two steps, I fell.

We're safe I thought to myself. This can't be real. It's just a bad dream. You'll wake up tomorrow in the apartment, and mom will have a bag of blue candy waiting for you from the shop. You're okay. This isn't real.

I could see a resemblance of a face over me. Everything was a blur. I knew I couldn't fight him off if he was a threat. I heard a distant call for help, there was suddenly a strong pressure on my wound. I screamed from the pain that the contact caused me.

"What's your name?" The face asked me urgently.

"P-p-percy." I managed after choking on my words.

"Well hello there Percy, welcome to-"

My hearing cut out as reality slipped away from me. All that came was unforgiving darkness.