Katie parked her car in the school parking lot. She got out of the car, slung her backpack over her back, and headed to P.S. 113. Her house was just outside the city so it offered her and her mom more room for living instead of in New York's cramped conditions. Today she was going to finish the last day of her junior year and head to camp. She stepped into school and caught up with her friend Michelle. Michelle was a regular mortal girl with brown hair and green eyes and she was wearing a hoodie with the words "Band" on it. She was wearing a dark pair of jeans.
"Hey Katie, ready for the last day?" said Michelle.
"Yes, the sooner with, the better," said Katie. As they walked down the hall to Katie locker they were stopped by a group of boys, their leader in the front. They were wearing football letter jackets, and the leader was tall with sandy brown hair and harsh, steely eyes.
"Sup Katie, why don't you and me hang out later on. We can go to my place," he said. The guy's name was Jake Wheeler, a jock who dreams about nothing but football and sleeping with girls one night and dumping them the next morning. Katie always tried to steer clear of him, but he always managed to track her down somehow.
"Thanks, but no thanks Jake, I already have plans," said Katie. She tried to go past him, but his arm blocked her.
"Hey, no girl says no to Jake Wheeler," said Jake.
"Just did Jakey," she said, pushing past him, Michelle right behind her.
"Why can't that boy just leave you alone?" said Michelle. Michelle knew that Katie was one of the prettiest girls in the school, but she didn't want any of the boys in the school, she wanted smething more than that.
"I guess he just thinks I'm another one of those sluts he takes home every night," said Katie.
"So what are you doing after school?" said Michelle.
"Going back to camp," said Katie. Michelle nodded. She knew Katie was a half-blood since junior high. She took the news at first like Katie was crazy, but then she saw Katie kill what looked like a woman with the upper half of a woman, but the lower half of scales with two snake trunks that it used to walk with. during a walk through the city in a backalley. Like some of her friends Michelle was mortal, but she could see through the Mist.
"When are you leaving?" she asked.
"Right after school," said Katie.
"Why so soon?"
"I want to beat traffic."
"Oh, well me and Brent were going to go on a date later on so call me later on?" said Michelle.
"You know about half-bloods and cell phones," said Katie.
"Sorry, Iris-message me," said Michelle as she left and went to her class. Katie got her books out of her locker and headed to her AP English III class. She sat next to her friend Jamal, a burly African-American student just before the bell rang and class started. He was a son of Hephaestus with large hands yet he could handle even a tiny piece of fragile porcelain with care. Mr. Peterson, a man with thinned hair and a scruffy beard in a wheelchair, took attendance. Once that was done he instructed the class on their lesson on "Antigone." Katie knew the story a hundred times so that if Mr. Peterson asked her a question she would always get it right.
"Ms. Sky, why would Antigone risk her life to bury her fallen brother?" said Mr. Peterson.
"Because it was the custom to bury the bodies of your family, no matter what crime," said Katie.
"Correct. Antigone defied all odds and to bury her brother by sprinkling some dirt on him, which was just enough for him to pass into the Land of the Dead," said Mr. Peterson. He continued on with his lecture, then handed them their final exams. Once they were finished he let them talk with their friends until the bell rang.
"So what you doing later on?" said Jamal.
"Going to camp," said Katie. Jamal knew she meant Camp Half-Blood. He would be going in a week from now.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay longer?" he asked.
"No, I need to go. Chiron has something important for me to do," said Katie. The bell ran and everyone got out of their desks to leave.
"Have a great summer," he called out to the departing class. Katie went up to where Mr. Peterson was preparing for the next class at his desk.
"Yes Ms. Sky?" he said.
"Chiron, you know you don't have to call me that," said Katie.
"I know, but I'm here to make sure you'll be fine when you leave," he said.
"I will, gosh why is everyone thinking I can't travel at least thirty miles without and trouble?"
"Because you're a daughter of Zeus and a very powerful half-blood, and your scent can be smelled miles away," said Chiron.
"I'll be fine," said Katie. She left the room before Chiron could say another word.
Ther rest of the day passed by quickly for her. She took her exams in Algebra II and Chemistry when the bell for lunch rang. She sat with her all her friends at lunch, which were Michelle, Michelle's boyfriend Brent, Jamal, and another guy called Ryan. Ryan and her had been friends since freshman year and he liked her more than a friend, but Katie didn't like him like that and she probably never will. All of them, except Brent, knew about her half-blood origins.
"So what's this place you're going to this afternoon?" said Brent.
"It's this camp for dyslexic children," said Katie. At least she was telling the truth from a certain point of view. Brent nodded and continued eating his pizza. He knew Katie and Jamal were dyslexic, and had ADHD, and thought nothing about the rest of the conversation.
"So what are you doing this summer Michelle?" said Jamal.
"Well, me and Brent are going to the movies and then after that me and my family are going to Costa Rica for two weeks," said Michelle.
"Are you going to be okay by yourself?" said Ryan.
"Ryan, I just got my license in April, I'll be fine. I'm just worried about beating traffic," said Katie. As they were talking and conversing a group of five boys, all with jet-black hair, brown leather dusters, harsh gold eyes, and hawkish looking faces, walked past. Katie had seen them at the beginning of the semester. Everywhere she went they were always staring at her as if waiting for the right moment to jump her. They looked like they were in a gang due to the numerous tattoos that looked like feathers on them and they flicked gang signs every now and again when they passed her. They walked past very slowly, eyeing Katie with content. When they passed they took to the far side of the cafeteria, where they continued to stare at Katie. It was all apparent that there was some ill will between them and Katie that she didn't know about.
"There's something I don't like about those boys," said Jamal.
"Same here, but what they're thinking of I don't know," said Katie. They continued to eat their lunch, the gazes of the gang of boys till fixed on Katie. When the bell for lunch rang they all put their trays on the cleaning line that went to the cafeteria for the lunch staff to wash off. Saying bye to her friends Katie went to take her final exam for U.S History.
Her teacher, Mr. Glen, was like a history god. A tall man with greying hair and a bit portly, he always kept the class entertained with talks about what life was like in past times. He was a Vietnam War vet and the class loved it when he talked about fighting against the Vietcong. When he taught he always summed it up into standards that everyone knew about, and played games like Historical Jeoprady, Guess That Date, and everyone's favorite Wheel of History. He even dressed up in the clothes people wore at that time when they started a new chapter, like when he came to school one day wearing the uniform of a Civil War soldier, and when he came in his own Vietnam War soldier's uniform, which was kind of tight around the waist but still made him look cool.
Today, their final exam was a 100 question multiple-choice test over all the things they had covered in his class. Everyone finished in about thirty minutes. There was enough time left for them all to watch a few minutes of the movie "Saving Private Ryan." When the bell rang for them to leave everyone gave him a heartfelt goodbye as they left, knowing there wouldn't be any other history teacher like him.
In her last exam for the day, Art, she was busily painting a mural of the human body, Da Vinci style. The class had a window that showed her the school's courtyard where people hung out or played basketball. As she was painting she saw one of the guys from the gang outside. The weird part was he seemed to be watching her. Katie looked a bit taken back as she returned his gaze. The guy brought one of his fingers and brushed the botton of his chin. As he did so the finger turned from a regular human finger to a talon.
"A talon?! Boys don't have talons!" Katie thought. As she looked she knew this probably no regular guy.
"The exams over in ten minutes," said her teacher, Ms. Cole. Katie still had to paint the fingers and upper torso of her painting. Once that was done she turned back towards the window. The guy was no longer there. When her exam was over and the bell rang Katie walked down to the bathroom to wash off the paint from her fingers.
"Get a hold of yourself Katie, you didn't see that," she thought as she vigorously washed the paint from her hands. Once she was done she walked to her locker and emptied it out, knowing that she wasn't going to need a locker until September. Luckily she turned all her books into the teachers a few days before so luckily there was only some scratch paper and a few other things. She walked back to her Homeroom, which was her English class. Once in their she waited tensely for the bell to ring like all the other students. Chiron, Mr. Peterson, motioned for her to come over to his desk.
"Katie, when you get to camp there's something you must know. I called you to camp because there's something that you must do this summer," he said.
"What would that be?" said Katie. The bell rang and all the students in the class cheered and started to run out of the class.
"I'll explain later at camp," he said. Katie left and went immediately to her car.
Her friends were there, waiting to say goodbye to her. They all hugged her, wishing her well before she left them. Once she said her goodbyes she got in her car and pulled out the school parking lot.
