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"Audrey!"
Audrey sprang off her bed and through the door, skidding a little in her socks but stopping herself in the doorway. "I studied, I did, and I promise I'll bring my grade up. One test won't hurt, right? I did study, read my heartbeat." She hoped her heartbeat was steady enough. She had been telling the truth.
"I was going to say the cookies you made yesterday were really good." Matt paused. "Are you sure you don't want a reader?"
Audrey groaned. "I'm sure. I can read Braille." She scuffed her sock across the floor, her hands resting on the doorframe.
"Audrey, we could get you a reader. You didn't start that young, and the dyslexia-"
"I don't want all that extra attention. Like being the blind kid isn't enough." Audrey tried to pass it as a joke, but it was weak. "There's already a boy who won't stop following me. It's like he expects me to break and always need backup or something. And people talk to me weird already."
"There's nothing wrong with a reader, Audrey." Matt had said that a million and one times, and Audrey had answered a million. "You don't have the edge some other kids do in learning to read."
"You learned to read Braille later than I did." Audrey started toward Matt's voice on the couch. Matt sighed.
"That's different." He sounded mildly frustrated. "You know that."
"Right, you're not stupid." Audrey dropped onto the couch, the side away from Matt. She felt slightly dramatic, but also justified.
"Audrey." There was steel in Matt's voice. "You're not stupid. You're anything but."
Audrey felt bad, for making Matt sad and for saying that about herself. "It feels that way a lot."
She leaned back, and Matt found her hand. He stroked it with his thumb.
"Audrey," he said, "You're only human."
"Yeah," she said, and scooted closer to him. "I know."
The night wasn't quiet, but the street sounded empty as Audrey walked down it, her white cane echoing in the relative lack of people.
"Need help crossing the street?" Strange, she hadn't heard footsteps. The voice was above Audrey's head, and sounded like an old lady. Old lady helping the teenager across the street? Suck on that, Boy Scouts.
"I got it, thanks." Audrey was used to deflecting offers of help from everyone, really. Of course, with Matt it was mostly "are you sure you don't want a parent there when you hang out with people?" and Foggy it was mostly "want help eating that?"
"I don't think you do," whoever it was said, and Audrey was on guard. Matt had taught her quite a bit of martial arts, and she was ready to defend herself. Her heartbeat sped. She tugged at the hand holding her, but the harder she pulled, the stronger it gripped. On Audrey's skin, it even began to feel like scales, rubbing her wrist and drawing warm blood.
"My dad's Da- A lawyer!" Audrey kicked out with one foot. Whatever she hit was definitely not human. It was solid, like armor, and curved in a way no human leg would curve.
"A lawyer, a king, a beggar. Whatever he is, he is mortal." Suddenly breath rasped in Audrey's ear, a warm scaly snout brushing the side of her head. "I pay no heed to mortals."
"Hi-yah!" The head rocketed to the side, but Audrey was not released. Rather, she was put off balance along with whatever was holding her, and her knee scraped the pavement. "Not on my first time!"
Audrey was swung around when whatever was holding her turned to face whatever had interrupted whatever had been going on.
"First time? I've eaten satyrs for breakfast. I can anihhilate a first time satyr."
"Hun," the satyr said, "You're a drakon."
"Obviously."
"You're a really small drakon."
"That was uncalled for! You're a small satyr!"
"I'm big for my age." The satyr sounded nonchalant. Audrey heard the first few bars of "Popular" from Wicked played on a flute of some sort and the drakon dropped her hand. Audrey stayed still, not sure what to do. She was yanked to the side just in time to avoid a spout of fire.
"Come on. You can run. I gotcha." Audrey tried to keep up with whoever had her elbow. She recognized the voice.
"You're in my science class, aren't you? H- Something"
"Not right now!" Henry pulled her down, ducking behind what felt like a trash can. "I mean, yes. But don't talk about it right now. I'm Henry."
"Audrey-"
"I know. I sit behind you. Okay, coast is clear." Audrey stood up, and hit into scales again. "Or not. Dammit."
"I was going to go easy on the satyr, you know," the drakon said. "But you insulted my height."
Audrey struck out on instinct. She had no idea what was going on, but she lived in New York, and Daredevil was her father. Trying to pinpoint where the head was from the voice, she grabbed onto the drakon and swung her feet up into it. Judging from the gasp, she got it in the windpipe. Also judging from the spurt of fire that Henry once again pushed her out from under, that was a bad idea.
"Ahh!" Henry grabbed her again as she dropped. "Stab it!"
"With what?" Audrey tried to pick the trash can up to use as a shield, but she was having trouble pinpointing directions.
"This!" Henry stuffed a knife into Audrey's hand.
"Ah!" Audrey squeaked. She stabbed out with the knife and it skidded along the scales. The drakon laughed.
"You know," the drakon said, "Most heroes who were blinded were being punished." It blew a tuft of fire, close enough for Audrey to feel the heat but not close enough to be dangerous. It was taunting her, teasing her.
And Audrey was glad. Not because she enjoyed being teased, but because she could pinpoint the drakon's nose. She swung the knife upwards and felt it sink into soft flesh.
"Ahh!" Audrey squeaked again. She snatched her hand out of the way of fire, stabbing the knife back into the dragon's chest with her full strength. She went with such force that when the drakon disappeared, she fell over. "What in the name of-"
"Well, now you know," Henry said. "Come on."
"What?!" Audrey pulled against Henry's grip. "I just killed something. I want answers."
"Sorry, Hun," Henry said. "Not yet."
Audrey had calmed down when she felt wing joints on the horse, but she freaked out again as they rode through the sky. Henry had been playing Kety Perry songs on the flute thing for a while until Audrey had managed to get him to shut up.
"Hold on," Henry said. "We're touching down." He'd refused to say anything about what was going on. At that point, Audrey was just cold and trying not to fall off the flying horse. Also, her butt was numb. Horses were not as comfy as historical fiction movies would have one believe.
Audrey threaded her hands through the horse's mane. It whinnied and seemed not to like it, so she just gripped the edges of the mane so the horse wouldn't feel it. They tipped forward awkwardly and Audrey leaned back to avoid slipping off the horse's neck.
"I got one!" Henry called as the hooves touched ground with a jolt. "How's that for a satyr? First time, guys!"
Audrey heard a few people in the area chatter, coming closer.
"Be quiet," a boy said, more like a babysitter who had had enough that someone truly upset. "Make some room, guys. Why don't you get off the horse? You probably have questions."
"Me?" Audrey clarified. She heard the chattery people move back.
"Yeah. Need help?"
"I got it." Audrey swung her leg over the side of the horse and slid down. He knees wobbled when she hit the ground, but the boy who'd spoken first caught her before she fell. He was taller than her, but scrawnier.
"You've been on the horse a while? It's cool."
Audrey nodded, and tried to step away from the boy. It didn't work.
"Woah. It's okay."
"Yeah? Then Why did you basically kidnap me?" Audrey realized that she'd been surprisingly quiet. This whole thing had been so strange, and she'd almost observed the whole thing more than participated. "My dad'll find me."
"Henry told you nothing?" the boy groaned. "Great." He half-led, half-carried Audrey to a bench. She sat, still on edge. "Okay. So, this place is called Camp Half-Blood."
"Why would I be taken to a group home?" Audrey remembered Matt talking about a Camp Half-Blood. "I was adopted. What's going on?"
"I've been in group homes, and this isn't one. Just let me finish, okay?"
Audrey crossed her arms across her chest and nodded grumpily.
"I have totally done this before." The boy sighed. "I'm Leo."
Audrey didn't say anything.
"This is usually the part where you say your name."
Audrey still didn't say anything.
"Fine. This is Camp Half-Blood. If you're here, it means you're half god."
"What?" Audrey let out a short bark of laughter. "Whatever you're doing, my dad will find me. He's... A lawyer."
"Ooh, a lawyer. Totally cooler than gods." Leo tapped his fingers on his arms, the little pitter-pat sounding both rhythmic and random. "Listen, whoever you are, I know I'm not Narcissus, but you haven't looked at me once this whole time, and it's starting to get annoying.
"I'm blind." Audrey was genuinely confused. They didn't know anything about her, why had they kidnapped her? Despite herself, her interest was aroused.
"Oh, scratch that. I am the hottest pile of demigod in this place. Also smartest." Leo may have been a little embarrassed, but he didn't sound it. "So. That'll make it a little harder."
Audrey stayed quiet.
"I mean, I was planning to show you... Now wonder you didn't think this place was weird."
"My dad will find me, by the way," Audrey said again.
"Mortals can't come here. They can't see it. The Mist hides Camp."
"Yeah, seeing... Matt's not big on that. He'll find it." Audrey pulled one knee onto the bench and into her chest.
"You know what?" Leo clapped his hands. He seemed to be in constant motion. "I am not bad at explaining this god stuff, I just want to give Piper a chance." He lugged Audrey to her feet. Audrey would usually correct someone who just dragged her around instead of leading her, but she figured Leo was the type to drag people around, blind or not. Keeping up with him seemed to be a feat.
He dragged her past what smelled like an outdoor kitchen and then an open fire. He stopped her by a wall, which she brushed with her fingers. He opened a door. He didn't let her in the doorway. "Hey, Piper?"
"What did you blow up this time?" Audrey heard a girl, Piper, come to the doorway. "Gods, Leo. I can't keep charmspeaking Nyssa." Piper stopped. "Who's that?"
"New kid," Leo said. "She's bothering me."
"You dragged me halfway across wherever this is!" Audrey crossed her arms.
"Oh, gods," Piper said. "I'm sorry. Leo's great sometimes, I promise, but he can be the world's most annoying thing the rest of the time." Piper took Audrey's hand. Piper's palm was soft, her nails neat. "So what's going on?"
"Apart from the kidnapping? Some guy in my science class threw me on a horse and took me here." Audrey shrugged. "I have no idea what's going on."
"DO you have ADHD? Dyslexia?" Piper asked.
"Yes?" Audrey shrugged, biting her lip. "So?"
"That's 'cause you're a demigod," Leo said. "It helps in battle or Greek or whatever."
"That's believable."
"Okay, listen," said Piper. "This sounds crazy. I thought it was crazy, too. But think. Anything every happen when you were scared, or-"
"Now you're quoting Harry Potter," Audrey said. Piper sighed.
"Honestly, though. Has anything weird happened to you?"
"Like a drakon attack?" Audrey thought back. The first time she'd been out with Matt, all the times she was kicked out of foster homes for weird things...
"Yeah." Piper sounded like she was smiling. "And I bet you live with one parent."
"I'm adopted." Something about Piper made this more believable. She sounded trustworthy, and she was hitting every nail on the head.
"See?" Piper swung Audrey's hand. "Now we just need to wait for you to be claimed."
At first I thought it would be weird having my OC meet the Seven... But then I remembered that I'm not getting paid for this and can do whatever I want. If my writing could use work, then yes, please tell me so I can grow. If you think meeting the Seven is stupid? :D
Anyway, I love you all for reading this. Comments and likes are SO appreciated!