My name is Rhea Jackson.

I'm sixteen years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.

Was I a troubled kid?

My record of expulsions certainly said so.

I think it really started when Percy came back from his school trip to the Manhattan Metropolitan Museum of Art. He was jumping at shadows and watching his classmates, especially his best friend, Grover, suspiciously.

'So, things are way better now Mrs Dodds is gone, right?' Now Percy was eyeing me suspiciously. Bemusedly, I nodded.

'Yeah, she was crazy. And she hated me with a passion. I still blame you for that.'

'Aha!' He did the point-and-exclamation thing from kid's shows. 'So she was real!'

My brows furrowed. 'Percy, of course she was real. She just transferred out months ago.'

'No! She went crazy on our school trip, and then when we left there was this Mrs Kerr chick acting like she'd been there all along.' We had been walking to the cafeteria when Percy had broached the subject, but now I paused in the middle of the hallway, dragging him over to the side.

'Another one?' Percy nodded solemnly and I sighed. 'Be glad you didn't get expelled and move on. Stranger things than this have happened to us, and most likely will happen again. I'm just glad you're alright.' Hesitantly, he agreed, and headed into the cafeteria.

Strange things happening was just one of the wonders of being a half-blood. Hence why I didn't want to be one, even when I was a Titan.

Yes, I was a Titan. As in past tense. Before I faded and somehow found myself reborn as a human baby.

That had been an experience.

Although it may seem rather self-explanatory, I had fortunately been reborn with the same name: Rhea.

You may be thinking: that Rhea? Mother of the Gods? Queen of the Titans? Wife of Kronos?

Yes, that was me.

Honestly, it had been rather refreshing to have become human. My form wasn't too dissimilar to my old body, just weaker and more fragile. Not to mention that my appearance was almost entirely the same. Just quite appropriately more delicate. Not too bad for accidental reincarnation.

I had also been gifted with a wonderful family in my second life. Until I realised who, or rather what, my father was, everything had been perfect. My mother, Sally Jackson, works in a candy shop called Sweet on America, but she always wanted to be a writer. My little brother, Perseus, is twelve, and he goes to the same school as me. He's the main reason why we're here, honestly, as he's far more troubled than I am. He has ADHD and Dyslexia, definitive calling cards for demigods, due to ingrained battle instincts and a natural inclination towards Ancient Greek. Of course, I was a Titan, so I was born with better reflexes than any demigod and Ancient Greek was my mother tongue, so I luckily missed out on the typical half-blood traits.

It took Percy finding himself with a snake in his cradle when he was a toddler for me to realise what we were. It seems monsters are instinctively terrified of me, as in the few instances where I've had to threaten off a few from my brother they've run away with their tails between their legs. Regardless, I almost never had to deal with monsters unless Percy was involved. And Percy was such a typical modern half-blood. He had the ADHD, the Dyslexia, the inability to avoid catastrophic circumstances just by going about his day… It wasn't hard to realise that our 'lost at sea' father is most likely a Greek God. I just don't know which.

Anyway, while usually realising that you were a demigod would be enough to gain the special attention of monsters, all I had to do was track down where I'd hidden my swords before I died. Luckily, they were nearby.

Our Mom liked to take us to Montauk beach, where she'd met our Dad. Telling, but appropriate. If our sea green eyes weren't enough to clue me into our godly parent's identity, Mom's story sure did the trick. But I digress. It was certainly coincidental that my Mom and Dad met where I'd died. It made it only too easy to reclaim Anaktoria and Iphianassa, my dual swords – which were fortunately capable of shrinking down from their six-foot length to suit my mortal form.

And on that note, mythology likes to paint me as this gentle doormat of a Queen, passive enough to simply lay down and let my husband eat my children one by one. But what could be more telling than that the only gift said husband had found appropriate for our wedding had been a spiked whip, crafted from a shard of his own Scythe? Leaina had been the name of my whip, and it had been buried in the sand alongside my swords. I had debated leaving it, but I did still love it, regardless of who gifted it to me.

And how, you might ask, did I get away with carrying around two swords and a wicked looking whip on me at all times? Simple. I didn't. My Mom only questioned where I found the winged lion barrette and lion head beaded bracelet I suddenly always wore one day. I do love the convenience of magic weapons.

Simply put, with my weapons returned to me, the more determined monsters hardly stood a chance. After all, it was hardly his father that Poseidon inherited his swordsmanship from.

The rest of the year passed peacefully on my part, if not for Percy. I knew my little brother had found himself with Chiron as a Latin teacher. I didn't have Mr Brunner, myself, having proven myself fluent years ago – I had lived through the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, after all. With Chiron already here, I knew it would soon be time for Percy to go to camp, and most likely I would have to go with him.

Honestly, I'm not looking forward to that at all. Demigods have short life expectancies already, and that's without the Gods assigning ridiculously overcomplicated quests for their own amusement and vindication. They may have been my children, but I had not been blind to them. I was fully expecting camp to be hell.

I was right. Camp was hell. But getting there had been even worse.

Our Mom had taken Percy and I to Montauk for a few days. We had only made it the night before Percy's satyr friend, Grover, was banging at the door of our cabin, barely audible over the brewing hurricane outside.

'Searching all night,' he gasped when my mother opened the door. 'What were you thinking?'

Mom shot a scared glance at Percy I barely caught as I packed our essentials. 'Percy,' she shouted over the rain. 'What happened at school? What didn't you tell me?'

'O Zeu kai alloi theoi!' Grover yelled. 'It's right behind me! Didn't you tell her?'

'Percy. Tell me now!' Mom demanded sternly.

I shouldered past them to load the bags into the back seat of the car as Percy stuttered out a vague explanation of Mrs Dodds and old ladies. Soon enough, they were rushing out to the car as well, which I had already started.

As we tore along dark, country roads, Percy seemed to finally find his voice.

'So, you and my mum…know each other?' He asked Grover.

'Not exactly. I mean, we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you.'

'Watching me?' Percy sounded put off.

'Keeping tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend,' He added hastily. 'I am your friend.'

'Um…what are you, exactly?'

'That doesn't matter right now.'

'It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey –'

Grover let out a sharp, throaty 'Blaa-ha-ha!'

I tried not to laugh. It hurt trying not to smile. That little bleat had always tickled me.

'Goat!' He cried.

'What?'

'I'm a goat from the waist down.'

'You just said it didn't matter.'

'Bla-ha-ha! There are Satyrs who would trample you under hoof for such an insult!'

'Whoa. Wait. Satyrs. You mean like…Mr Brunner's myths?'

'Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a myth, Percy? Was Mrs Dodds a myth?'

'So you admit there was a Mrs Dodds!' He sounded so inappropriately victorious.

'Of course.'

'Then why –'

'The less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract,' Grover stated. 'We put the mist over the humans' eyes. We hoped you'd think the Kindly One –' I sucked in a sharp breath, '– was a hallucination. But it was no good. You started to notice who you are.' A Kindly One, in the school.

'Who I – wait a minute, what do you mean?' There was a bellowing noise behind us, and I floored it that little bit more, urging the car to go just a tiny bit faster.

'Percy,' Mom spoke up, 'there's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get the both of you to safety.'

'Safety from what? Who's after us?'

'Oh, nobody much,' Grover's sarcasm was not welcome. 'Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions.' My knuckles were white on the steering wheel.

'Grover,' I growled. 'Do not make light of this, please. Why would Hades be after us?' I asked as I made a hard left. Grover failed to reply as he slammed into the door, unprepared for the turn. I smirked. We passed darkened farmhouses and PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES signs on white picket fences, and I knew we were close.

'Where are we going?' Percy asked.

'The summer camp I told you about,' Mom turned in her seat to face him, her voice tight. 'The place your father wanted to send you.'

'The place you didn't want us to go?'

'Please dear,' she begged. 'This is hard enough. Try to understand. You're in danger.'

'Because some old ladies cut yarn.' He sounded distinctly unimpressed.

'Those weren't old ladies,' Grover cut in. 'Those were the Fates. Do you know what it means – the fact they appeared in front of you? They only do that when you're about to…' I groaned under my breath, 'when someone's about to die.'

'Whoa. You said "you".'

'No I didn't. I said "someone".'

'You meant "you". As in me.'

'I meant you, like "someone". Not you, you.'

I turned hard to the right to avoid a figure in the road.

'Come on. Come on…' I muttered under my breath, Ignoring the conversation continuing behind me. The gas peddle was already flat, but I pressed it harder all the same. One moment we were fine, the next I felt the hair rise on the back of my neck just moments before the car exploded with a blinding flash. My whole body just stopped suddenly, and I felt pins and needles spreading down my side, where I'd been leaning against the door. I felt glass from the windshield in my hair and stared numbly down at my side. I could feel it still throbbing.

'Fucking, Zeus.' I groaned. I ached and I was pissed. My own son – uncle? – had just tried to kill me. If I hadn't jerked to the side right then…

'Ow.' I heard Percy groan and knew he was fine. It was that kind of monotonous ow that suggested he was more indignant than hurt.

'Percy! Rhea!' I felt my mother's hands fluttering over me worriedly and caught her wrists gently.

'I'm fine, Mom.'

'I'm okay…' Percy called from the back.

I didn't hear anything from Grover, though, but just as I began to worry, he groaned, 'Food.'

'Percy, we have to…' Mom's voice faltered, and I knew what she had likely seen. The figure was illuminated by a flash of lightning, silhouetted not too far away. I slammed myself against my door, but it was jammed. With a curse, I took off my jacket and lay it out over the remnants of the windshield, brushing away glass in the process. I then crouched and managed to shuffle out onto the bonnet of the car, before holding a hand out for my mother.

'Come on! Percy, grab Grover!' We clambered out of the ditch.

'Percy, Rhea, you have to run!' She began dragging us over to the nearest hill, which was crested by a huge Pine tree. 'Get to that tree, that's the property line. There's a farmhouse over that hill, go get help! Go!' And I was off, faster than Percy could have made it while carting Grover. I raced over the hill, tapping the bark of the pine tree as I passed, and down to the farmhouse, banging on the door loudly. A pudgy man with purple eyes and a leopard print Hawaiian shirt opened the door. Before he could bark a complaint over the time, I cut in.

'My Mom and brother are on the other side of the hill, but Mom's mortal – she won't be able to get in! And Pasiphaë's son was after us!' His mouth snapped shut and he straightened. Seeing that he was on it, I turned and fled to the hill.

By the time I made it back, it was too late. The Minotaur had his meaty fist around my mother and was squeezing. I yelled in desperation and threw my sword at the monster's neck, but she had already disappeared in a shower of gold.

'Fuck!' I screamed, and once I'd gotten it out of my system, I went to check on Percy, who was holding Grover and staring dazedly at the spot where our mother had been. 'Percy.' His head turned to me, but his eyes remained on the pile of sand. I sighed, and reclaimed my sword, turning it back into a small golden wing and reattaching it to my barrette. 'Come on, Percy.' I wrapped an arm around him and helped him up the hill, just as a group of demigods, tailed by Dionysus, approached on the other side. 'Too late.' I announced dully, as Percy finally passed out in my arms. I handed him off to one of the campers who resembled Apollo and let another scoop Grover off the ground. I leaned against the tree and lifted the side of my shirt, uncaring for decency. There was a sluggishly bleeding series of violent red lines all down my side. Idly, I recognised them as Lichtenburg figures. I stared straight at Dionysus and stated with a wry smile, 'He has good aim.' I felt my knees buckle and my consciousness slip out of my grasp as the adrenaline faded.