A/N: This book is dedicated to a friend of mine named 'Queen of Poptarts'. The original concept came from her and her characters can be found on my profile. Queen, if you're reading this, I'm sorry it took so long.
In a time long ago, longer than even I have been alive, there was a war. It was a long war, one that saw over seven million people wiped from the face of the Earth by a madman's belief's. While mortals fought in the fields of France and the Deserts of Africa, a great civil war waged on Mt. Olympus. Years passed until finally the armies of fascism were defeated and the Earth was blanketed in an uneasy peace.
As Peace was uneasy on Earth, so was calm on Mt. Olympus. While humans bickered beneath them, Gods argued about the children of Three Brothers. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Seeing the destruction left in the wake of Adolf Hitler, who had been a son of Hades, and the new age of mistrust that had befell upon the humans from it, the three agreed to never have another child.
Fate would not have it. It was only days later that the Oracle of Delphi foretold a prophecy about a son of one of the Big Three. That they would see Olympus Survive or Fall upon their 16th birthday.
After World War 2, there were only two people who could've fit that description. Bianca Di-Angelo and her brother Niko, both children of Hades. In fear of their power, or to see his own become the hero of the prophecy, Zeus sent a bolt of lightning aimed at them but killed their mother.
Generations passes as the siblings went into hiding. Then, over sixty years later, came Zeus' first daughter since the agreement.
But Styx had her revenge on the King of the Gods. For just outside the camp boundaries, where safety and shelter would lie, Thalia was struck down by an arrow fired from a bow. It pierced her heart and she laid dead just outside of Camp Half-blood. As she died, however, her spirit lived and fought off the monsters single handedly, driving them away from the camp. She resides there even today, protecting heroes from certain death.
Finally, we get to Perseus, son of the Sea God. He was guided to Camp Half-blood by Grover, the God of Nature. He and Grover, went on many adventures together. One such saw the kidnapping of the Goddess Artemis and a hero named Annabeth Chase by the Titan Atlas. Percy did battle one on one with Atlas, even holding up the sky and tricked the Titan lord to take his place.
On his 16th birthday, the armies of the titan lord Kronos attacked. With a sword in one hand and a shield given to him by Poseidon himself, Percy heroically lead the charge against the armies of Kronos. He fought the Titan lord alone, a fight that the oldest half-bloods still recalled as they lay dying on their death beds. It was a bitter struggle until Percy finally raised his sword and struck down the titan lord with a single stab straight to his eye.
"Or so the legend goes." An old man said as he closed the book and set it on his table. "Our lessons this week will be breaking down the story into more specifics and reviewing why Percy Jackson's story is so repeated."
A groan came from the class before the man. He shook his head defeatedly before scanning the room. His eyes looked over each student until his eyes rested on one. A faint smile curled on his face for, unlike most of his other classmates, this boy was showing interest in the story. In fact, he had his hand raised.
"Mr. Wood?" The teacher said, "You have a question?"
"Yes sir." The boy said, "Wasn't Annabeth Chase also involved with most of Percy's adventures?"
The smile on the teacher's face grew as the red haired boy asked his question. "Very good Sam. Yes, there are versions of the story out there that tell of how Annabeth was not only with Percy during most of his adventures, but was often a main part of them."
"They became quite close over the course of the lore if I remember correctly." Sam replied with a twinkle in his blue eyes.
The teacher nodded, "There are some tales of their children, some more interesting than others." He agreed.
As if not to miss out on the conversation, another hand shot up. This one belonging to a girl sitting two desks away from Sam. Before the teacher could properly address her, she spoke. "Didn't Thalia survive the battle though?"
The teacher nodded at the brown haired girl, "Why yes. I do believe in some versions of the story, Thalia was turned into a tree where she lived until Percy placed the Golden Fleece on the tree." He agreed, "What else do you remember, Ms. Cole?"
The girl's brown eyes sparkled, "In a particularly interesting version of the story, my favorite, she became a Hunter of Artemis. And not just any hunter, but the lieutenant subordinate to Artemis herself. She lead the Hunters against Kronos' army and even fought the titan Orion years later, during the Quest of Seven."
"That's beyond the scope of the lesson Isla." A feminine voice piqued up from the desk right next to Isla. "Can we just focus on Percy and his awesomeness?"
"Ms. Patts?" The teacher said, "Care to add something to the conversation."
The small girl smiled as she shook her head, letting her neon blue hair fluff before she spoke. "Indeed. Percy did not kill Kronos." The teacher's eyes widened in surprise as the girl continued, "Rather, it was a traitor by the name of Luke Castellon. He saw Percy was going to win the fight and decided to stab Kronos in the back. He was, however, cut down by an arrow fired by another demigod and- what? Is that not right Mr. Riordan?"
The girl's reaction came as the teacher's eyes of surprise slowly drifted into ones of disagreement. When the girl asked her question, however, the teacher shook himself back to the real world and said "No, not exactly Chloe." He sighed, "Luke has earned the name of 'Traitor', that's true. However, the stories behind his treachery vary from account to account. Some say it was the lust for power. Others believe it was a different kind of lust. Personally, I believe it had something to do with the lack of a true parental figure."
His last statement was met by the groan and snickering of many of the students in his class. Riordan merely shook his head at it. Most of the students in the school were 'troubled' kids, some had criminal records. Nearly all of them had one or two parents missing and/or had been abused by parental figures in some way. It was no surprise that when he did call it out, he was met by a general reaction of 'So what? You figured it out. How can you help?'
Such was life at the Yancy Academy. Even in the year 2116.
Riordan looked towards the clock on the wall and sighed with relief. "Well, that's all the time we have today. Homework tonight will consist of a paragraph about a myth that interests you, be it Roman, be it Grecian, Celtic, Egyptian, Norse, whatever you choose."
As he finished, the bell rung, and students began to pack up to leave. He smiled, specifically at Sam, Chloe, and Isla as they chatted to each other. They had learned a lot under his lesson.
He just hoped it would be enough to help them survive when the time comes.
"To be honest, I was waiting for that to pop up." Chloe said as she, Sam, and Isla walked down the halls of the Yancy academy towards the bus station that will ferry them back to their dorms, "Percy's story is just so…"
"Unique?" Isla suggested.
"That's the word." Chloe said with a slight cringe. She hated it when someone did that, finished her sentence for her. The small infraction was only made worse by the sly smirk that cropped up on Isla's lips.
Seeing this interaction, Sam decided to but in. "So, what are you two going to do your project on?" He asked as they reached the station.
"I think I'm going to challenge myself and do one on a hero that is often forgotten." Isla replied, "Leo Valdez, the forgotten seventh hero."
Chloe smirked, "I bet I can do better than that. I'll do one off Maria, Daughter of Nike."
Sam scrunched his face, "Isn't that a clash of stories?" He asked.
Chloe turned her face into an awkward question, "Huh?" She asked.
"I mean, we're talking about Percy Jackson." Sam said, "What does Maria Jae have to do with any of it?"
"Oh…" Chloe said before shaking her head, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Poor Sam. Think for a moment. If I harness the power of Nike, then I should get an A+ on the exam."
Truth be told, Chloe wasn't too much into mythology. She was only really in the class for the free A given to anyone who basically shows up.
"Or the goddess of victory could be so appalled by your work that she makes you fail completely." Isla jested, causing Chloe to swat at Isla's nose.
"What about you Sammy?" Isla asked, "What's your project on?"
"I'm just going to up and do Percy Jackson." Sam replied.
"Ain't that a bit-" Chloe started.
"I know, I know." Sam replied, "But I just feel a special connection to Percy Jackson specifically. I don't know what it is, maybe it's the love of the ocean or the similarities in our backstories. I just, identify with him."
Chloe was about to speak up with Isla elbowed her in the side and said "You do that Sam. And I hope it goes very well for you."
"To you as well." Sam said as their shuttle pulled into the station. The three of them got on the bus and sat next to each other in the back seat.
"So I was thinking." Chloe said as they sat down, "My parents sent me some funds. Why don't we all go out for pizza tonight? On me."
"Sounds good." Isla admitted as her hand slid to her stomach, "I'm getting pretty hungry."
"I could grab a slice." Sam said.
After he said that, three people got on the shuttle. Having never seen them before, Sam immediately thought that they were new students. That idea was only highlighted by the fact when he saw their name tags.
Two were male and one was female. The two boys were named Skull Crusher and Tank. If it wasn't for Yancy Academy being a school for the troubled, those names would've made Sam suspicious of the two. What was the most suspicious to him was the girl who wore a simple name and a skimpy cheerleader outfit.
"Mind if I sit here?" She asked, gesturing to the seat next to Sam.
Sam was about to speak when Isla rushed forward and threw herself into the seat. "Sorry sister, but this one's mine." She said as she quickly wrapped her arm around Sam and pulled him close to her.
"Oh come now," The girl said, "He would much rather sit with me, is that right Sam?"
Sam took a quick look at Isla, then back at the girl. For a quick moment, Sam was tempted to tell Isla to buzz off and let the girl sit down next to him. However, something tugged at the back of his mind, a warning label of sorts. He put his own arm around Isla "Sorry, but I'm hers'." He said cheekily.
The girl frowned, "Fine then." She huffed as she turned towards the back of the bus and kept walking, finding an empty seat several seats away from him and Isla.
Chloe, who had just watched the exchange, looked back at Sam and Isla. "You two never told me you were dating!" She cried.
"We're not." Isla said as she took her arm away from Sam, "But I didn't want Sam sitting with that girl."
"Why not?" Sam asked.
Isla turned to Sam and, with a deadpan expression, she spoke in a serious tone. "Because I don't think that girl is human."
Sam blinked at Isla for a moment before turning his head to look back at the girl, whose name was Kelly. Sam then turned his gaze back to Isla. "I think Mr. Riordan's myths are starting to get to you." He said before taking another look.
"Maybe you're right." Isla sighed, "But I still don't want you sitting next to some slut."
Sam laughed at that. "Ah, so you do care."
"No, I do-"
"Sam and Isla sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-" Chloe started to sing. Her merry tune stopped, however, when Isla shot daggers back at her, forcing the small girl to submit and accept to terms of silence.
Sam took one last look at Kelly as the shuttle started to move. She locked eyes with him and smiled before giving him a wink. His eyes drifted down towards her teeth and then grew wide before he looked towards the front of the bus. After a minute to gather his courage, he looked back.
It might've been his eyes playing tricks on him, but Sam could've sworn that for a brief moment, barely longer than a second, Kelly had a pair of fangs.