Author's Note:

The rest of this story is going to be in first person from the perspective of Jacqueline.

Disclaimer: Since I'm actually using stuff from the Camp Half-Blood universe in this chapter, I guess I better say that I don't own anything besides my three characters, Jacqueline, Élouase, and Annabel. More simply, I'm not Rick Riordan, so I don't own the PJO/HoO universe. I have also included two lines from the poem 'Annabel Lee' by Edgar Allan Poe. I don't own that poem, either.

Chapter 1

WHEN I WAS LITTLE, I saw a great deal of my mother. It started when I was a baby and she visited me for the first time. She visited me often after that. Well, sort of often. She would visit once a month, and I talked to her for twenty minutes, maybe thirty. But then she would go. She gave me presents for each of my birthdays, and after a couple years I started to call her Mum. After my sixth birthday, though, she stopped coming. I remember that day. It was the day I told her that I knew who she was.

We were sitting in my room, looking out at London, when I told her.

"You're a goddess, aren't you, Mum?" I asked.

She smiled. "You're smart, Jacqueline. I knew you would figure it out. Although, this means that I cannot come anymore."

This broke my heart. "Why not?" I asked.

"Because it is too dangerous," she replied. "Now, listen very carefully. Someday, you are going to have to leave London. You will know when it is time. You are going to go to New York. You will go to Half-Blood Hill in Long Island. When you get over the hill, you will see a large blue house. You will go inside and tell whoever's there that Athena claimed you. They will explain everything. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, Mum," I stammered. "But, why?"

"Like I said, everything will be explained when you get to Camp Half-Blood."

"How will I know when to go?"

My mother glanced out the window. "You are a smart girl, Jacqueline. You will understand when the time comes. Here, I have a gift for you." She handed me a bronze sword. "Only use this if you need to. And don't show it to your father. I must go, now." She hugged me. "You are a smart girl. Use your knowledge well."

I turned around, and she left my life.

Although I spent the rest of that night wondering how I could possibly tell that it was the time, my Mum was right. I definitely knew.

It was pretty obvious, considering the fact that there was a Cyclops staring down at me.

My day had started like any other. I woke up, got dressed, and brushed my teeth. I brushed my hair and wondered if this would be the day that Athena would come back and tell me when I was supposed to go to Camp Half-Blood. I ate my breakfast and left to go to the school where I attended fourth grade. I made my way to my homeroom, where everyone was sitting down or standing up and talking to their friends. I put my backpack in my cubby and found Élouase sitting at her desk across from Annabel. I joined them, sitting next to Annabel.

"Annie! Ellie!" I said.

"Hi Jackie," said Élouase. "We were just talking about you!"

"You were?" I asked, pretending to be offended.

"Well, were talking about talking to you," said Annabel. "We weren't really talking about you."

"First," I said. "I must tell you something. On the way here, I was thinking about you."

"You were?" Annabel asked, pretending to be flattered.

"Of course I was!" I said. "For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams of the beautiful Annabel Lee."

"And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes of the beautiful Annabel Lee," Ellie finished.

We all laughed. "So, what did you have to tell us?" Annabel asked.

"Well, my dad said to ask you if you wanted to come over tomorrow night for a sleepover," I told them.

"We're coming!" they said in unison. I smiled and laughed. "I knew you were."

"Now can we tell you what we have to tell you?" Ellie asked urgently. I nodded.

"Annabel saw a―what do you call it?"

"A harpy," said Annabel.

My eyes widened. A harpy? Might this be a sign that I should go to Camp Half-Blood? I shook my head. I would have to listen to the rest of her story.

"Go on," I said.

"Well," Annabel continued, "It tried to attack me. So I ran all the way to school and told Ellie."

"Is that all?" I asked.

"Yes," she said.

"There's something I need to tell you," I said. "It's very important."

I told them about how I had figured out that Greek mythology was real, and how my mother is Athena, and about her directions to go to Camp Half-Blood.

When I was done, Élouase started at me for a couple seconds before saying, "you can say just kidding now."

"I'm not kidding," I said.

"Okay," said Annabel. "So, are you going to leave forever?"

"I―" I started. I had a bit of an idea. "I am going to leave. But you two are coming with me."

Ellie and Annie stared at me until our teacher, Mrs. Adams, started the class.

I spent most of that day only half paying attention to the class and the work we were doing. I probably got the worst grades of my life on that day (well, besides the two weeks where I was absent from school after I left for Camp Half-Blood), because adding to my Dyslexia and ADHD, I was worrying about how I was going to get to New York. I prayed to my mom, asking for guidance, but I wasn't sure if she heard me or was going to help me. Something told me that I should bring Annabel and Ellie along, but I wasn't sure if that was my mom, my wisdom, or the part of me that was still really scared about what I was going to have to do. Anyway, the day passed by in a blur of plans, prayers, worries, and thoughts, and I was so distracted that as I was sitting on a bench at recess, thinking some more, Ellie and Annie had to call my name about ten times before I looked up at them and said, "what?"

They pointed behind them, and I had to focus really hard, but I was able to see what they were pointing at.

An actual, real-life, 9-foot-tall Cyclops was standing in front of us.

"Let's go," I told them.

They didn't argue. I grabbed their hands and we ran.

Nobody on the playground seemed disturbed by the fact that three kids were being chased by a Cyclops. In fact, they seemed not to notice that anything out of the ordinary was happening. I didn't have time to wonder why, considering the fact that I was worried about my survival.

"Where are we going?" Annabel yelled.

I must say, I wasn't sure at first. My feet were steering me without my brain really thinking much.

I looked around me, and realized where I was.

"My apartment!" I shouted back.

We continued running until we got to the door of my apartment building. I had my key in my pocket (although I wasn't sure why), and I unlocked the door and continued running. I let us into the apartment, and we ran to my room.

"Why are we here?" Ellie asked.

I didn't answer. I opened my closet and took out three sets of clothes. I stuffed them in a backpack, along with a sweatshirt and a weaving project I'd been working on. I looked back at Annabel and added a book about marine life and a poetry collection. Then I zipped up the backpack and grabbed my sword from my closet.

Annabel shrieked. "Why in the name of god do you have a sword in your closet?" she asked.

"It was a gift from my mother," I said. "And we're going to New York."

Right then, I remembered one little problem. I didn't exactly have money for a plane ticket. I looked at my ziplock bag with cash sitting on my dresser, and sighed before stuffing it into the backpack. Then I noticed something under it. Three plane tickets and a note. I snatched up the note.

Dear Jacqueline,

I see you have realized that the time has come. I have supplied you with three plane tickets so that you can take Élouase and Annabel with you, since they, too, are demigods who need the safety of Camp Half-Blood. I'm not sure who their parents are, but they will claim them in time. Stay as safe as possible!

Athena

P.S. - don't worry about the sword, it will become undetectable if you wish.

I smiled. My mother had answered my prayers, and she'd given me yet another gift. This one made up for three years of missed birthday gifts.

The tickets said that the plane would be leaving by three—and it was already 2:00.

"Let's get to the airport," I said, "and quick."

Author's note:

I'm leaving it off there, but I'm going to update fairly often (maybe even later today), so yeah. Anyway, please please please REVIEW! I really need advice, because I want to know if you like it or if it's really awful. That's all.

Ivy Antionette