Chapter 2:

I'm On a Highway to Hel

We ran as fast as we could to the school's front, where all the rest of the student where also headed- which as you might think didn't make it easier. On the way, Emily saw me and screamed, blabbering something about me being a murderer. Okay, they saw something. She ran away even faster, and I have to say, I thought it was pretty funny to see a bitch running like a chicken.

When we got there, the students were running for their lives, the teachers were trying to help them, and the fucking police arrived.

"Shit!" I almost shouted. Ashley was right behind me, stopping for a breath.

"We need to get out of here without being seen."

"No shit, Sherlock. Got a plan?" I said, turning to her. She stared at me with a helpless face. I sighed.

"If I wasn't soaked in blood, we might make it through as innocent little teenagers, but I am. So scratch plan A." I clenched my fists. Panicking wasn't really my thing. And I really didn't want to go to jail. Is being inhuman and thus being attacked by a wolf while everyone thinks you're killing a girl a plausible excuse?

Suddenly, Ashley beamed with an idea. She took a weird-ass gold coin from her pocket; it had the Empire state stamped on one side, and a grey-bearded guy on the other.

"What the fuck is that? Since when does the Empire State have its own coin?" She just smiled and giggled.

"It's a drachma. I'll explain more to you later. Follow me!" She ran ahead of me and I soon followed. When we arrived at the school's front, I crouched, not wanting to be seen by the other students. Ashley searched for something and suddenly ran to a more open, empty spot next to a tree. She threw the coin on the ground-it disappeared through it- and cleared her throat.

"Stêthi, o hárma diabolês!" She shouted, and I couldn't stop wondering if I was travelling with a mentally unhealthy girl. I had no idea what she had just said, obviously.

The exact spot where the coin had fallen darkened and melted into a big, rectangular shaped pool of blood-like liquid. Out of nowhere, a car appeared right there.

"What the-"I tried to speak, but Ashley stopped me.

"We need to hurry! Come on!"

She opened the door to the gray, smoke-made taxi with the words "Gray Sisters" printed on it and ran inside like it was totally normal to hitch a ride in a car made of smoke. I stared at it incredulously until Ashley screamed at me to get in, which I did.

Worst. Idea. Ever.

"Where to?" a creepy old lady mumbled to Ashley, her hair falling all over her face. When she pulled it off her face, I screamed. She had one. Eye.

"OH MY GOD I'M SO GETTING OFF THIS THING RIGHT NOW!" I tried to do so, but Ashley stopped me. Other two ladies sitting right next to the driver 'stared' at me and I felt my stomach sick. They didn't have any eyes.

"Take us to Camp Half Blood!" Ashley almost screamed. One of the two who was staring at me groaned it disgust.

"She isn't Greek. We don't have to do anything for her." I merely frowned. Ashley looked shocked and confused.

"What do you mean, she's not Greek?" She said, her voice rough. She cleared her throat again. "Anyway, we're paying, so just take us there and stop blabbering." They didn't look so happy with that but soon we were moving. Really, really fast. As we moved away from the school and all that mess, all I could do was wonder if those ladies could drive and if I'd live to see the answer.

The three ladies started fighting and yelling at each other, but I ignored them. I had bigger things in mind.

"Ashley. Time to explain shit." She looked at me uncertain.

"You know the Greek legends and gods you learn about in school?"

"Yes?"

"Well they're all true." I stared at her. Honestly, it didn't sound that crazy. I had just been attacked by a wolf and still smelled like rotten meat.

"So what are you saying? The gods hate me or something?"

"No. You're a demigod, Amber. Half human, half god. You never met one of your parents, isn't that right?

"Well I never met any of them actually. My mother died when I was a baby. And I don't expect much from my father."

"Well, he's probably a god." She raised her eyebrows, as if trying to stand up for him. I snorted.

"The god of son-of-a-bitchness then."

"That will only find out later on."

"What's the whole deal about me not being Greek then? Does that make any sense to you?" She lowered her eyes and frowned, biting her lip. After a few seconds, she stared up at me again.

"Did you understand what I said back at the school? When I summoned the taxi?" I sighed, and shook my head. She swallowed hard.

"I can't tell you what that means. But I know someone who can." She smiled reassuringly, but I wasn't so sure. I looked through the window, at the incredibly fast moving city. Once again, I felt like I wasn't a part of anything.

After a while, I ended up falling asleep. Just to make my day better, I had a nightmare.

I was in a dark, cave-like place, with white semi-visible floating things walking around and moaning. I felt chills ran down my spine as I realized they were souls. Right in the middle of the cave, a dark red, rotten and old carpet led to a short staircase, which led to a podium, surrounded by iron grids with sharp edges. There were four huge black doors in the cave; one was behind me, two stood on both sides of the podium, and one was at the back of it. The whole place had a very old gothic mansion vibe to it, and I didn't exactly like it.

At the podium, there were two black flags decorated with skulls and knots, illuminated by torches also made of iron. A throne of said material stood right at the middle of the podium, and there was… a girl sitting in it. Not exactly a normal girl.

She seemed to be 17 years old and had unruly raven-black hair. Her eyes were a bright, scary yellow and her lips where a dark red. She wore a black, long dress with an opening at her left leg, black boots, a silver gauntlet with pointy ends and a silver tiara with black stones. Her skin was very pale, and she seemed very skinny and sad. But what was freaky about her wasn't that.

Half of her skin, the right side, was black and rotten. Her body was much skinnier at that side; her sclera was fully black. She stared right at me, with sad eyes. She was pretty on her left side, and freaky on the right.

"Hello, Amber Grossville. I am Hel." She said, her voice smooth and beautiful. She stood up, and I couldn't help but stare at her right, skinny leg. She gestured to the whole cave with her arms. "As you can see, I am the goddess of death, and this is my realm." She looked down, as if unsure of what to say next, and then looked back at me with helplessness and worry in her eyes. "I am being attacked, Amber. Someone or something is trying to inside Helheim. And that is the worst possible thing. If they get here… they will destroy my hall and use the dead as their army. I need your help, Amber. You must find father-our father, or Odin, and tell them this, before it is too late." She smiled a sad smile. "Farewell, dear sister. May the All-Father's light find you." After she said that, everything got blurry and dark.

I woke up breathless; my heart was beating faster than a parade, and I could feel the sweat mingle with the blood. Ashley held my arm and looked at me with worry. "Amber? Are you okay?" she asked.

"I…I had a nightmare, that's all." She still looked worried.

"Half-bloods don't have simple dreams, they have prophetic ones. What did you see?" I told her everything about my dream, and she stayed silent the whole time. By the end, she was pale.

"Odin… isn't that the name of that Norse god?" She swallowed hard, filled with fear. "That's not good, Amber. Chiron must hear of this."

"Who is Chiron?" I asked, after catching my breath.

"You'll soon find out. Look, we arrived." I looked through the window and saw a sign:

FARM ROAD

3.141

"Uh, what?" I said. She laughed.

"Look a bit higher." She pointed up the hill, where a dragon slept under a tree-super normal- next to a wooden arc with Greek symbols in it.

"Camp Half-Blood." I mumbled.

"You can read that?" Ashley asked, shocked. I frowned at her.

"Nope. You told the ladies that." She laughed and gave one of the old ladies three drachmas. They mumbled something about not being paid enough for that while Ashley left the car; I soon followed her out and up the hill.

When we arrived there, I was out of breath again, but not because of the climb.

Below me stood many Greek constructions, and small – but many – cabins, each one with a different design. To the left, behind all that, was a pretty big forest. I saw many people in orange t-shirts with Greek letter in them, running around or fighting each other, be it with bows or swords. Pretty impressive for a summer camp.

Ashley stared at me with glee and a smile.

"Welcome to Camp Half Blood, Amber Grossville."