Peri's POV

Acidic venom spurted through the air, narrowly missing my face. I scurried behind a fallen log, my heart racing.

I was being attacked.

Again.

Dammit, Peri, why do you have to be so fucking delicious?! I asked myself. Breathing heavily, I thought up a plan.

I smirked and threw my backpack off hastily. I know just what to fix you! Thrusting my hand into the knapsack, I rummaged for the golden dagger I had found earlier. My heart skipped a beat.

I had lost it.

How could you be so stupid, Peri?! I questioned myself. Of course I would be the one to lose something that amazing. My grumbling was interrupted by snake-like hissing. My eyes shot up and I saw the green seven headed snake glaring at me.

A hydra. Gram had told me a good plenty of stories of them and their poisonous venom. Of course, she left out the all-important detail about them being REAL!

I slowly moved to the side, testing the waters. Its leathery scales tensed. All seven heads remained locked on my every motion.

I smirked at the monster, challenging.

It took the bait.

Rearing back and hissing violently, the mouth of the head in the center opened wide. At the back of its throat I could see poison bubbling up. I snatched up my backpack and threw it in one fluid motion. The knapsack soared in mid air and got lodged in the poison filled mouth. The center head swallowed my bag whole.

Meaning, it also just swallowed its own poison.

I smirked as the two-bit monster imploded into a satisfying pile of gold dust. I reached down and patted the small mound. "You're going to have to try a lot harder if you wanna make a meal outta me!"

Just as I was trying to walk away like a boss, my head clicked into radio receiver mode again. "Peri!" The same voice from before bellowed into my head.

I cringed. "Oi! Listen, dude! I'ma need you to use your inside voice, 'mkay?" I tapped my head. "There's usually nothing but elevator music going on in there."

"Oh, sorry..." The voice said sheepishly. Can only a voice be sheepish? Whatever.

"It's cool, man." I didn't want it to start crying. Can voices cry? Probably...

"Peri this is important!" The voice said, softer, but still urgently.

"I should hope so. People don't usually rage in my head for no reason." I responded.

"There seem to be a change in plans. Your new destination is Camp Jupiter."

I stomped my foot childishly and said in my best toddler voice, "But I don't wanna go to space camp!"

The voice chuckled then regained its composure. "There isn't much time, Peri! Head to Camp Jupiter. And above all else; survive!" The voice vanished as quickly as it had came.

"What do you mean 'survive?' Did you not just see me go all ape shit on that hydra?" I glanced at the pile of gold dust once more. "Badassness like that can't be faked!"

I sighed. "Well, I guess I'm headed to Jupiter, then." I thought about it for a while as I walked.

Well, I always wanted to go to the moon, so Jupiter is one better! But I think I read somewhere that they didn't allow teenagers in space...? LOL who I am I kidding? I can't read!

I began hearing the faint sounds of a busy highway. Excited, I sprinted through the trees. Emerging from the trees, I found myself at the top of a hill, right underneath the starry night sky. I hadn't even noticed the incline earlier. Looking farther, I saw that there were two bustling streets that made a highway, separated by a grassy median. Past that was the entrance to some sort of tunnel. Standing in front of it were two boys. One of them held a flickering lantern, casting a soft orange illumination around the pair. He shifted slightly, and the lantern shined on them more.

I gasped.

They wore strange golden armor over purple shirts. By their sides they wielded swords.

Fucking. Swords!

"Holy schmow!" I whispered. An image of the golden dagger I had found earlier came to mind.

They're like me. I thought.

Grinning, I sprinted down the hill. It was a lot steeper on this side, but I was too ecstatic to care. There was someone who I could talk to about all the crazy junk that had happened to me today. Elated, I bounded into the street without thinking for the second time today. Cars whizzed past me, but it was much more fun playing Frogger this go around. I finally took a breather when I made it to the median. I put my hands on my knees and caught my breath. So much was running through my mind. In between breaths, I looked up at the boys.

They were laughing at me hysterically. The one holding the lantern made an imitation of me running through the street dodging cars, while the other one laughed his stupid head off. I heard the word "clothes" shouted out and even more laughter followed. I glanced down at my clothes and completely understood.

I looked like a hot mess. My skirt was torn and tattered; one of the sleeves of my blazer was almost completely ripped up; my striped socks were ridiculously holey and a filthy brown color; and one of my shoes had come off on my haste down the hill. Looking down into a puddle on the ground, I saw that my hair looked like a rat and a bird had a fight on who would use it as a nest.

I glared at them. So what if I looked like a hot mess? You're supposed to help hot messes! It's in the Constitution!

Just as I was about to go over there and beat them silly, I heard a bloodthirsty howl echo throughout the night. I jerked around, adrenaline pumping through me. I kicked off my other shoe, ready to use it as a weapon. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the boys stiffen. They had heard it too.

I was right. Those butt munchers are like me.

I smirked; I'm always ready to go all out on a monster.

A flock of birds "cacawed" and flew away. Suddenly, three cyclopes stormed out of the forest. Let me just start off by saying that these dudes were WAY bigger, smellier, and uglier than the first cyclopes I had fought. The biggest one was definitely the leader; the other two didn't move unless they had his say-so. The leader brandished a spiked club while the other two carried standard edition sticks.

I noticed that the cars around me continued to drive by as if they didn't just see a pack of one eyed hobos step out of the forest.

They can't see them? Wait, then does that mean...?

I swiveled to look at the boys behind me.

They looked like they just shit their pants. The lantern holder had dropped his lantern and was busy fumbling with his weapon. The other one stood their shaking with his sword extended at the monsters.

"Who's laughing now, punk asses?!" I goaded them. They totally deserved it.

Smirking, I turned back to the monsters. I cracked my knuckles. Time to get this show on the road!

The leader spotted me and called, "FOOOOOD!"

What happened next, I did NOT expect.

About half a dozen equally large and disgusting cyclopes came out of the woodwork. They joined the others and charged at me, whooping and calling annoyingly.

"The fuck?!" I gasped. Now that was cheating.

I knew I couldn't take all those morons out. Well, not with a shoe. I turned and sprinted across the highway. This was probably my least favorite game of Frogger of them all. Sadly, I misjudged the distance of the highway. A wide car grazed my calf(logic?), and I flopped onto the grass near the boys.

"Are you okay?!" One of them asked hysterically when he reached me.

I quickly got up, wincing. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

He frowned. The other boy was clearly freaked by the horde of cyclopes coming after us.

Understandable.

"Quick, give me your sword!" I told lantern boy.

"What?! No!" He exclaimed, astonished. "Come on, we need to get you to the infirmary!"

"What about the cy-" He grabbed my wrist and pulled me deep into the tunnel, swallowing my words whole.

He dragged me along in the darkness.

"What about your friend?!" I cried. "No man left behind, yo!"

He just laughed. "You don't need to worry about, Caleb. He can take care of himself."

I scoffed. "He sure didn't look like he could take care of himself."

He chuckled. "That was just an act for the cyclopes. Caleb's a really good fighter."

I heard a whizzing sound and glanced behind my back. My eyes widened. Faster than I'd ever moved, I had pressed myself and lantern guy against the wall, evading the attack. Pushed against the wall, we were also concealed in the shadows. 3 Cyclopes lumbered past us, boasting of how they would feast on demigod.

Demigod. There was that word again.

"Oh no," he breathed.

I nodded. "Yeah. So I think I'm gonna skip out on the infirmary, 'mkay?"

He shook his head furiously. " But you're injured!"

"Dude, shut up!" I ran off before he could say another word.

Smirking, I looked down into my hand. I had borrowed his sword.

Time to kick ass!