Chapter One

It's dark outside. Like darker than I was expecting. The trees surrounding me are tall, taller than they seemed in the daylight and there isn't even a moon to guide the little path we're following through the bushes. My flashlight is the only thing keeping me away from eating dirt from the uneven ground. My brother is behind me, I can hear him cursing a few times as he trips over the rocks. He's not as agile as I am.

Logan is the only thing keeping me from running back home. Back to the safety and warmth of my bed. He's a good foot taller than me, even though were supposed to be the same age. He's forging ahead through the foliage, crushing limbs with his body as he goes. I keep my flashlight on the ground. I can imagine him though, smiling as we get closer to this supposed lake.

"Why don't we go?" He questioned us as we sat around the bonfire that night. It was already starting to get dark, and I could hear my parents and his laughing and talking in the kitchen a few feet away. The little kids were in there too, drove away from the chill that was starting to seem through my sweater.

"Why would we do that?" My brother, Luke was a year older than I. Taller, and wiser. He was a lot like our mom, but he wore the same green eyes as me and my dad. He was the reason where I was the heart.

Logan shrugged, "why wouldn't we? It's something to do. Unless you want to sit inside the rest of the night and play monopoly." He rose an eyebrow, making it a challenge. I was always down to adventure, the night was young and the trees were calling me to explore. But, I knew the dangers, and I knew the parent would never let us escape into the night. That's when everything bad happened.

Luke didn't say anything to that. He looked down into the fire and let the stick he was holding catch fire. "I'm down," I say, "but we gotta sneak out if we want to do it. Mom and Dad will never let us just go wander at night."

There was another boy there too, Logan's twin. Kota wore the same expression as Logan. They were identical, but one could always tell them apart. Logan wore his hair messy. Brown curls always covered his forehead and his eyes were brighter. Kota was more clean, a close cut made his curls stay under control. He was the calm and Logan was the storm.

I could see that Luke didn't want to go, he looked wearily at the trees. Thinking of all the hidden monsters that could be waiting. We knew this place was supposed to be safe, that's why our parents brought us here. A vacation island. Someplace that my Dad and Leo had found ages ago. Even then, the darkness seemed to hold different possibilities. I didn't see them as all bad. But, Luke must've.

"I don't know guys," he said. "I don't feel right about this."

"We'll I'm going," Logan smirked. His smile was wide and it took up his face.

"I'm going," I said, nudging Luke with my shoulder. "It's safe. Isn't that why Mom and Dad brought us here? We're allowed to have fun sometimes."

"I'm having fun," he said as his stick burned.

"I'm going," Kota said. Standing up he stretched. He was tan, just like Logan. They both kept their mother's skin color. A richer tan than anything I could achieve. "We can go after everyone goes to sleep."

"What if we get caught?" I look over my shoulder at the house behind us. It's lit and the laughter is getting louder. I can make out the individual voices that drift out the door.

"Oh well, they'll just send us back to our rooms with a lecture." Logan follows his brother and starts walking toward that house. "Just set your alarms for one."

Somehow, Luke decided to come. I'm not sure if it was the lure of the adventure or the responsibility of keeping me out of trouble. Either way I'm happy that he's here. We always used to go on adventures away from the family. Never too far, but it reminds me of when we were younger and he stopped being such a nanny.

We walk for what seems like an hour, Logan reassures it's not too far. "I found it when we were here last fall. Kota wouldn't come but I know it's not too far now."

I declined to mention how it was almost impossible to see, let alone find a stupid lake out here. How could he remember how to get there in the darkness? But, Logan forged ahead, and I followed. Allowing my steps to follow his.

Eventually the trail widened, and the smell of water was hard to avoid. It was stagnant, I could tell from this far, but not uncleanly so. The water was like a beacon to me, pulling me toward it and I knew that Luke felt the same. The cursing had stopped.

"We made it," Logan breathed. The trail spilled us out on the beach of the lake. It was less of a lake and more like a large pond. Lillies floated on the water, and the sound of frogs filled the air. It couldn't tell if it was my eyes or the lack of trees, but the night seemed lighter too. Like the water gave away a faint glow that made the night a haunting blue.

"This can't be a normal pond," Luke muttered. Taking a step toward the water. He let his sneakers touch the surface. "It feels like it's alive."

"Okay, grandson of Poseidon." Laughed Kota. "We get it, you feel the water. It's just a normal lake."

"Pond," corrected Luke.

"Okay, pond. But we went swimming in it in September, it's fine." Logan let himself strip off his t-shirt. "Let's go."

But I could feel it too, like a heartbeat that pulsed through the water. Maybe a nymph or something was connected to this water. It wasn't a rare thing. The night was warm, and I was sticky from the hike here.

I followed suit and stripped into a sports bra and shorts. Luke watched the pond, not following the rest of us. It wasn't like him to decline a swim. The water didn't feel menacing. It felt warm and soft. Inviting.

"Luke," I'm standing next to him now. My feet in the water. It's warm, baked from the summer sun. "It's fine, it feels fine. Anyway what can hurt us in the water?" Dad had put us in the water almost as soon as we could breathe. The water is like a second home to us.

"Okay fine," he muttered. "I'm going."

Logan was wading into the water. He was the grandson of Aphrodite and Jupiter. Roman and Greek, a strange demigod. Everyone knew that. He seemed to like it like that, he used his weird blood to surprise people even more. Liking the water was another strange trait for someone like him.

We took the night swimming through the water. Luke and I took our own adventure to swim to the bottom of the pond. The water was warm, but deeper down it was cold. It didn't affect us of course, but the fallen trees and the mud at the bottom made it look like a scene from a horror movie. It gave me the creeps, but Luke found a liking by looking between the logs and hunting for frogs and fish.

"There's no fish here," the water carried his voice funny. It came in waves.

"It's a pond, that's not too surprising."

"Still," he motioned toward the surface. I could see the Grace twins swimming above us. They kept trying to drive down to get to us but gave us after about ten feet and shot back toward the surface. I could hear their voices.

"Hey!" Kota's voice, "Luke, Marie. We should go."

"Shit," Logan now, "Dad's here. Guys!"

One look and me and Luke shot back up. Kota and Logan's faces were pale, and there on the beach danced a few flashlights.

"Shit," muttered Luke.