So the chapter I posted went a little haywire and I had no idea. I free wrote it so I'm just going to free write again. I should probably start saving my work... that sounds like a good idea. Anyways, kick back, relax, and enjoy the show of words. Hopefully you guys like my first official story.
Percy's POV.
There aren't a lot of things that scare the living shit out of me but diving through my window to avoid three giant logs of wood was definitely up there on the list now. As a second story window, I figured I would break a bone or two, but I landed on an old mattress that was laying down outside, remembering my dad was clearing out my late grandfather's room last week. Not happy he's dead of course but thank you for that one gramps. I hit the mattress pretty hard, knocking the breath out of my lungs, before feeling something approaching, and fast. I rolled to the right, and got up, sprinting as fast as I could. I narrowly avoided the giant club that smashed into the mattress behind me.
Oh, I guess I haven't introduced myself. I'm Percy, and I don't have the slightest clue about what's going on, but there are fucking giants chasing me and my dad just died. I was definitely running on adrenaline right now, just trying to get away from these murderous monsters. I'm 10 years old, but dad always told me I was mature for my age. Maybe not if my imagination was running this wild.
The monsters chasing me were big, and clumsy, but it still was only one of their steps to match my three. Even a simpleton could figure out they were going to catch me if I didn't do something quick. There was a decent sized park pretty close, that if I could make it to, I would be able to outmaneuver the monsters. I saw the trees approaching, and thought about climbing them to get away, but considering they were 8 feet tall, and that seemed like a severe disadvantage to me. I'm throwing that though out of the window.
My dad had been an avid UFC fan, and would always watch the live events, complaining about little guys not doing what they could. To use their opponent's weight against them. How on earth was I going to do that? These fuckers looked like they weighed the same as a pickup truck. Then I had an idea. A most wonderful idea. I burst into the tree line but stopped as fast as i could. I looked around for the biggest branch I could find. There was a huge stick, at least twice the size of me. I hefted it up and lifted one side slightly higher than the other. It wasn't long before I heard the huge stomps coming my way. I was counting on them not looking down at their feet while hunting for me. Luckily for me, it worked. They... well I don't want to say they ran past me. It was more like an awkward gait... and they tripped over the huge branch. They tumbled together, dogpiling with one another until they rammed into a tree.
I ran towards them and found a smaller but still as hefty branch and slammed it into the back of their heads. It seems blunt force worked on them, knocking them unconscious, but my machete went right through them not even a few minutes earlier. Confusing but I had no time to beat around the bush. I quickly ran deeper into the forest. After running for a few minutes, and definitely out of breath, I burst into the hub of the city. There were enough people for me to get lost in the crowd, those giants wouldn't be down for very long. I had to escape. Or find out how to kill them. I doubt I could hit them hard enough to do much more damage than I already had. It took about 30 minutes to find the nearest train station, after asking multiple people.
Some of them looked at me with disgust or pity, probably figuring that I was a beggar child or something. But a few of them guided me in the right direction, and I finally had time to settle down on the train, spending the only money I had. I opened the backpack; it was the emergency backpack my dad had always kept for me. It was one of those Osprey Hike Lites, in a black and red color. I had never seen the inside, so I figured now would be the best time to explore its contents. I opened up the zipper and to my surprise I couldn't see anything inside. It looked empty. Which made me recall that it felt really light when my dad had told me to put it on seconds before he was... well yeah.
I frowned. Maybe he forgot to pack it. I reached inside anyways, looking out the window momentarily. My hand came into contact with several different items. Confused, I looked back inside, and there was all of a sudden, a shit ton of stuff. I'm officially losing my mind. I had an empty seat across from me and started pulling out everything in the bag. First up was a sleeping bag that had a tarp and harness around it, confusing me until I realized it was a sleeping bag hammock, which was probably the coolest thing ever, with some paracord to tie it to the tree. Next was a CamelBak that fit seamlessly against the backpack, and it was full of water. I took a sip from the nozzle and realized the water was fresh mineral water. Amen for dad. There was a map that had a protractor and compass. Dad had taught me a few lands navigation tips, like shooting azimuths and beings able to find where you were.
This map showing everything within a 50-mile radius, and at the very bottom right was Boston, with a circle drawn around it. Looks like that where dad wanted me to go. I guess it couldn't hurt to head that way. There was a small collapsible shovel and biodegradable baby wipes, because we care about the environment. Next was a small thermos, that held a weird golden liquid that was thinner than oil, but thicker than juice. I sniffed it but didn't smell anything coming from it. I would wait to try that, along with the weird brownie cubes in the plastic baggy. I guess breakfast bars and energy drinks would be good for me. There were only a few things left. One was a microfiber towel, that looked like it would come in handy for showers. Or the beach, who knows. Another were slim fit khaki cargo pants that tapered down in a jogger look at the bottom, were slightly stretchy and definitely more comfortable than the dress pants I was currently wear, and it seemed to be paired with the black long sleeve padded compression shirt that looked very welcoming.
Only three things left. I could only describe the things I was looking at as a sock mixed with a running shoe mixed with a boot. The soles were comfortable, with a steel toe, but it was overly bulky, and the top near my ankle was purely a thick sock. It looked pretty cool and seemed realistic. The second to last thing was a knife in a sheath with a buckle. I pulled it out and looked at the gleaming and sharp tool. It was a Bowie knife, but it was made of some sort of glowing bronze, and it looked so badass. I grinned. That was pretty fucking cool. The last thing, which I had saved for the end, was a letter. It was signed by my dad. Everything kind of hit me. We had just come back from his promotion meeting, I had dressed in a button down and was looking spiffy, while he had on a nice suit. He had just become Assistant Manager at his paper company, Dunbar Muffin or something.
As soon as we hit the couch there was a large crash and our front door was blown off of its hinges. Outside stood three hulking monsters, all with one eye in the center of their foreheads, and they looked hungry. "We can smell you demigod, and you smell heavenly!" My dad ran to the hallway and threw the backpack at me, telling me to run. I put it on and was ready to run through the back door when I saw a looming figure behind that one too. I started towards the huge window in the center of the living room, looking back only once. I saw my father swing and hit the giant, surprising it with the force. He worked out of course, he was a big man, standing at 6'4, or 193 cm. But the monsters were 8 feet and took the punch with a grunt and back pedal, before another reached in and grabbed my dad's throat. The third grabbed his legs, and they started playing tug of war with my helpless father, slowly tearing him apart...
I cried. I cried and cried until I found I couldn't shed another tear. I repacked the bag, save for the clothes and knife and went to find the bathroom so I could change into them. It was located a few cars back, and I made it there with no issue. After I washed the tear streaks from my face and smelled a little better, I put on the clothes, and they were so comfortable. I threw the dress clothes in the trash, I don't think I'll need them ever again, considering I now have no dad and no home to go back to. I slid out of the bathroom, bumping into a woman on her way into it. I glanced up and met her eyes that looked down to meet mine. They were vibrant purple, and they seemed to be searching my soul. She flipped her brown hair and gave me a small smile. "Excuse me, young half-blood. I'm trying to utilize that latrine." I nodded numbly and stepped aside.
She was the prettiest woman I've seen so far, not a single blemish on her skin, and she walked with a confident air around her. I was dumbfounded by her, staring at her walk by and closing the door behind her. I shook my head as soon as she left my line of sight and headed back to my seat. I thought about what she had called me. Half-blood? What the hell did that mean? Was that because I had no mom? No, it couldn't be, how would she know that. I pondered it for a little bit, before realizing I was going to be board for an hour, with absolutely nothing to do. I took to looking at the knife. It was a very pretty blade but looked impossibly sharp. What to do with something that could be so dangerous? Attempt to spin it of course. I was getting pretty good at it, letting it spin around my palm and then tossing it lightly in the ai with a slow spin before catching it.
I went in for a higher toss to try it out when a hand snatched it out of midair. I looked up, startled out of my rhythm, to see the woman from before. She grinned at me, sitting down across and crossing her legs gracefully. I watched as she threw the knife high enough to lightly cut the roof of the train and fall back down and catch it without even looking at it. I whistled in appreciation. "Knowing how to work it I see ma'am." I said to her. She smiled sweetly. "Don't say those words until you're old enough to know what they mean, young one." I frowned, confused.
She gave a little laugh. "So, what are you doing here alone? Unusual for someone like you even at that age." I frowned even deeper. Who was she and why was she so curious about me? I went to answer her, but she said something before I could. "I'm merely wondering if you would tell me the truth. I happen to see everything that happens in my domain. I'm sorry about your father." I dropped my jaw. How did she know?
She leaned forward, wiggling her finger to beckon me forward. I leaned into her. "I'm a Greek goddess Percy, and I think I'm very interested in you. I think you might have just the thing I'm looking for." I laughed at her. "Yeah, I'm not the shiniest tool in the toolbox, but to think I would fall fo-" I stopped midway, watching as a drink appeared in her hand, and she sat back, now wearing a pure glowing white chiton with golden wings closed behind her and golden sandals. My jaw dropped once again. I looked around, but suddenly there was no one in the cart with us.
"No need for prying ears, my dear. Now, I have an idea for you. I want to train you and help you survive. But I want you to be successful, I want you to win every battle using your wits and prowess and powers. I want you to be my champion. I sense you are going to very important in the coming years, and I would like to help you." I looked at her like she was crazy. "Look, Miss Goddess, but I don't know anything about what's going on here, but I have no idea about what you're talking about, and I need a way better explanation than you're a goddess." I told her, absolutely confused about what she just said, the gears not turning in my favor. She sighed. Tossing the knife in the air, and it embedded itself in between my fingers. Successfully scaring the shit out of me.
She smiled at my squirming. "Well, let me introduce you to the world of the gods... My name is..."
Well there we go. Not a very long chapter, but I'm still coming up with ideas on where to take this story. Give me ideas and anything you would like. Review please.
