Chapter 1
"Come on J, we just ate lunch we don't need the donuts," fifteen-year-old Avery complained.
"Yes, we do, we found fifty dollars we need to celebrate!" Jayden announced, walking up to a donut store he had found.
"But we don't need to spend it all now either," she objected.
"Well, you can sit out here, and I'll go get us two boxes of donuts," Jayden said, waving the paper fifty in the air before entering the shop. Avery rolled her eyes and sat on the doorstep playing with the shadow of the railing. Over the last three years she and Jayden had become close like brother and sister. Throughout the years they had developed powers of all kinds. Jayden could summon skeleton warriors and was very good at taming shadow hounds. Avery was able to summon purple fire and create plants- mostly weeds and a handful of flowers. They could both see and talk to ghosts as well as use shadows for travelling and other things. A cool breeze blew, making Aver shiver still thinking about the last three years of wondering the many cities of America. They were now at a little town just down the road from the a lake home they had heard of in Long Island. Avery rummaged through her bag and pulled out her old long sleeve shirt. When she had first found it in a charity bin it had been four sizes too big, now she was just fitting in to it, Jayden had stolen it one too many times since he seemed to fit it first. She tugged is on, yet she didn't get her head through the hole when the sound of the door to the donut shop slammed open behind her, someone grabbed her by the wrist pulling her off the steps and into a run.
"It's me!" Jayden yelled tugging the shirt over Avery's head. He left cheek was cut and his right eye was swollen shut, dust caked his shirt as he shoved a twin pack of donuts in his bag handing Avery her own. "Run like a two headed fire breathing dragon is on your tail!"
"Your kidding?!" Avery yelled back. Breaking into a run, she looked back to see that there indeed was a two head dragon behind her, acid dripping from the mouth of on fire flaring out of the other heads nostrils.
"Where did it come from?" She asked, grabbing Jayden's shirt and pulled on the closest shadow she could find, shadowing them both to the open road a few streets down.
"The donut place was called Monster Donut…" he said, catching his breath.
"Of course, it was, and you can't go blaming me I still can't read, though it was kind of clear," Avery said, poking Jayden is the chest giving him a stink eye.
"Come on, GPS says there's a strawberry farm up the road, let's get going before the sun dies," he said, not at all acknowledging the comment.
They walked up over the hill and down the main street before turning off, onto a back street, walking up over a grassy field. Avery groaned to the sky as her legs became tired.
"J, please, are we there-"
Jayden cut her off, slapping a hand over her mouth. His dark eyes under his long raven black hair, wide in shock. Avery looked forward to see what he was looking at. It was a pine tree, with a golden wool blanket hanging from one of the lower branches, a dragon the colour of red, laid there, sleeping puffs of smoke coming out of its nostrils.
"Just back up, slowly," he said, taking his hand off Avery's mouth, now having a handprint around it from the impact. "Ok, now turn around and let's skedaddle."
"What are you doing?" A voice asked. It was a boy just older than them, maybe sixteen. His hair tied in a small ponytail, he had tan Italian skin, a black metal sword too much like Jayden's, his clothes were entirely black and a tattoo in his forearm with the letters SPQR with three lines underneath.
"This is outside camp boarders, you know that Chiron is going to have you do dishes for a week if he finds out," the boy said, walking over to them. Avery gave Jayden a sideways look, before looking back at the boy who gave them a strange look.
"Is Aphrodite up to one of her tricks again, because I swear-" The boy put a hand on both of their shoulders, though they were quickly removed as Jayden took of his ring and Avery whipped her dagger off her leg.
"Yay! I'm just a son of Hades nothing more…" the boy said yet he trailed off as he saw Jayden's sword and his clothing. Before studying Avery.
"You have no idea what I'm talking about do you?" The guy asked.
"Only that you are a part of some camp and that this isn't a strawberry farm," Avery said lowering her dagger slightly. The boy nodded to the dragon under the tree now awake studying the three teenagers.
"You see a dragon, right?" He asked. The two nodded putting down their weapons. "Peleus hasn't growled meaning you are indeed one of us."
"One of what exactly?" Jayden asked.
"Come on, it's easier to see and take it in rather than let on person explain," the guy said. He turned and walked over the hill leaving Avery and Jayden to calculate.
"Well, he's not a monster…" Avery said. Jayden shrugged, the two ended up walking over the hill to see something quite unexpected. Cabins were lined up on one side of gassy campus, strawberry fields were close by, an outdoor eating exterior looking like something out of the first century was the opening of the court a big baby blue house stood somewhat in the middle of all of it. A forest was at the far of the scenery in front of Avery. It was indeed a camp, just a bit more out there. Kids in orange shirts roamed around everywhere, some were in the lake others were playing volleyball. Some were high in the sky riding pegasuses (what's more than two pegasus called?), some were climbing a rock wall lava spiling of the edge, all around everybody was smiling and having a good time. Some of the people around the kids were the colour green or had goats legs.
"Amazing isn't it, and the best part is there's no monsters," the guy said. "Wait here I'm going to go and get a couple people to introduce you to."
He stepped into the shadow of a tree; the shadow swirled to life engulfing his body-
"NICO DI ANGELO!" Somebody yelled. A curly haired blonde boy marched up the hill, his green flannel whipping in the wind, the squeaking of his thongs becoming loud as he pulls, the guy- Nico out of the tree's shadow, his blue eyes like raging orbs.
"Have I ever told you that you glow when your mad?" Nico said in a soft voice, a wicked smile on his face.
"Very nice, to the Ward with you di Angelo for a week! No shady business, we agreed on that," the blonde said, blush rising to his cheeks.
"Yes, I'll see you in your cabin Sunshine-" Nico said, leaning in a kissed the other boy on the lips before walking down the hill flipping a finger as he went.
"Why do I still love him?" The boy said to the sky, a warm breeze blew past, making the boy sigh, more colour rushed to his cheeks. He finally caught sight of Avery and Jayden who stood there quietly smiling.
"Sorry- Nico can be-"
"Don't worry we didn't mind, did we babe?" Jayden said putting his arm around Avery's shoulders. She rolled her eyes before summoning fire singeing his arm.
"With your face looking like that, not even a monster would want to come after you," she defended.
"Really? I'd like to keep my arm hair for more than just a year since the last time," Jayden said rubbing his arm.
"The last time was an accident, you know that," she said, trying her best not to smile.
"I think I can help you that," the guy said. "I'm Will Solace, Nico is the other guy… he's my boyfriend."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Avery this is Jayden," Avery introduced. Will nodded before stepping forward and putting a hand on Jayden's forehead, a soft glow of gold radiated off Wil's palm, making Jayden completely relax. Within moments Jayden's swollen eye and cut cheek were gone making it look like it had never happened.
"Wow," Avery said inspecting her friend's face. "That's so cool."
"My gift from my dad, Apollo, god of music, the sun and medicine," Will said stepping back.
"Wait your dad is a god?" Jayden asked feeling his face.
"Yeah, and one of your parents will be too."
"Excuse me?" Avery deadpanned. "What?"
"Now Will, I think I will do the introduction," a man said- well horse man. The top half was indeed a man dressed in a suit, yet from the waist down was the elegant rear of a white horse. Nico and a girl with red hair with a love for art, by her painted skin, hand and clothes, trailed close behind.
"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood!" the Horse man said, spreading his arms out welcoming. "I am Chiron the camp manager, this Rachel Dare our camp oracle, Nico di Angelo and Will Solace two of our cabin leaders."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Avery Hitchens and this is Jayden Robinson," Avery introduced. Chiron tilted his head in acknowledgment before gesturing for the two to follow him.
"So, I see that you have already been gifted our merchandise," he said, pointing to Avery's shirt.
"No, I found it in a charity bin three years ago," she said.
"Interesting," was all Chiron said as they head to the baby blue building that the horse man had called the Big house.
