Jesper spent the night lying awake, thinking of how he got to that point. He had been born in Las Vegas, Nevada. His mother, Eleanor Richardson, worked long hours at one of the casinos on Fremont Street and spent most of her time at their small rundown apartment drunk. His father hadn't been in the picture since he left Jesper's mom before she knew she was pregnant. It had left her bitter, and she could hardly stand to look at her son.
If Jesper was extra good and she hadn't been drinking too much Eleanor might tell him "good job" when he did something like earning a few dollars for walking the neighbor's dog. Jesper lived for these small moments of praise, craving them, doing everything he could to try to make her proud. Unfortunately, as he grew older, the praise became less and less common (not that it ever could be defined as "common").
One day, when he came home from school, he had just climbed through the living room window (Eleanor didn't believe that he wouldn't lose a key, so he had to use the fire escape and climb through the window. Jepser figured that Eleanor either didn't care, or didn't know. He was never brave enough to figure out which it was) when he heard voices in the kitchen. Frowning, he moved silently to the closed door to hear better.
"How old is he?" The voice was deep and gruff. Definitely not his mother.
"He's seven." That, on the other hand, was his mother. She wasn't extremely drunk, he could tell, but she was far from sober. Her words stirred a sense of unease in him. He was seven. Jesper didn't know why she would be talking to a stranger about him, but he sensed it wasn't good.
"Hmm. A bit on the young side, but we'll just get him for longer than him. How tall is he?" on the young side? Young side for what? Why did it matter how tall he was? None of it made sense.
"He's a little taller than average, but don't worry. He'd thinner than a stick, shouldn't give you any trouble." Trouble? Jesper narrowed his eyes, but couldn't for the life of him figure out why his mother and the stranger were talking about him.
The man she was talking to snorted. "I'm not worried about any trouble he'll give me. You said he's seven? Ha. No, I just needed to know if he would fit in the trunk or not." That stirred a memory somewhere inside Jesper's head. The older children at school liked to scare the younger ones with horror stories of people shoving kids and trucks and taking them away, never to be seen again. One of the teachers had overheard, and was furious at the children. He had said that they shouldn't make light of this type of thing, as it actually happened. He had called the people who took the children something, but Jesper couldn't remember what.
"Well," the man said, "how much do you want for him?"
"$850."
"For this scrawny thing? No way. $600."
"$800 or no deal."
The man gave a long drawn out sigh. "Fine. $800. When am I going to pick him up?"
"He should be coming home soon. You'll get him as soon as you give me the money."
Jesper was frozen in shock and horror. He may not have been the smartest child in an academic setting with his ADHD and dyslexia, but he was far from stupid. He understood all too well that his mother had just sold him to this stranger in the kitchen. He was shaken from his thoughts when the man spoke again.
"I'll try not to get caught in the afternoon traffic." He laughed at his own joke. Traffic. Traffic. All of a sudden, it came rushing back to Jesper. The teacher had called them human traffickers. People who either bought or kidnapped people and transported them to other countries. Most of the time, the people ended up as slaves. Jesper's horror grew. He had to leave. He could not be sold to this person. Silently, Jesper turned away from the door and crept out the window. Once he was back on the ground, he bolted. He had no idea where he was going, all he knew was that he had to get away from there. Jesper didn't feel the full sting of betrayal until he was bouncing around under a blanket in the bed of a truck he had snuck on, watching the stars and stark landscape of the desert streaking past him through blurry vision.
Jesper was alone for the next few weeks, never staying in one city for more than three days. He stole a sweatshirt from a thrift store, and it provided him some protection from the bitterly cold January wind. On the Wednesday of his fourth week on the run, he was cornered by a dog in an alleyway. This dog was far from the normal street dog, though. For one, it was huge, and would have towered over a grown man, nevermind a slightly taller than average seven year old boy. For another, it's eyes glowed red. Jesper was frozen in fear. The dog growled, a low rumbling in its throat, and Jesper could feel the vibrations in the ground through his feet. Jesper slowly backed up, and, feeling his back hit the dumpster, he spun around and managed to crouch onto the edge of the dumpster.
The moment he started to turn his head, the beast lunged. Acting instinctively, Jesper jumped, landing on the dogs head. He immediately launched himself up and off, just managing to heap onto the fire escape. He scrambled up, and the fearsome beast lunged.
The snapping teeth just barely missed him and Jesper scrambled higher, desperately trying to put as much distance between him and the dog as possible. The dog snarled and was collecting itself for another jump when it suddenly howled in pain. Jesper watched in disbelief as the nightmarish creature crumbled to dust before him.
"Oh that is disgusting." A teenage guy grumbled, brushing the dust off of his hat and clothes. He appeared to be only about a foot and a half taller than Jesper and was dressed in jeans, and winter jacket, and a beanie. At the moment, he was wiping a bronze sword with a faint glow to it on his jeans.
The boy glanced up. Jesper was still clinging to the fire escape, eyes wide, gaping at him. The boy smiled disarmingly. "Hey, you can come down now. It's gone. It won't hurt you anymore." Jesper didn't move. "Come on," the boy began softly, kindly. "I know that metal must be freezing under your bare hands. Let me help you."
Jesper learned that the boy's name was Liam Barrow. Liam explained to him that the beast that had attacked him was a hell hound, a monster of the Underworld. Jesper listened in fascination as Liam told him how the Greek gods were still around, following the western flame. According to Liam, his dad was one of these Greek gods. Apparently, demigods (or half bloods) had a smell that attracted monsters. The demigods could kill them only by using weapons made of Celestial bronze, the metal that Liam's sword was made out of.
When Jesper asked to see the sword, Liam had pulled out a stick of chapstick. He laughed at Jesperson dumbfounded expression and took of the cap. Instantly, the chapstick became the bronze sword Jesper had seen earlier. On the blade close to the hilt, the sword's name was written. λυκόφως. Twilight. Jesper didn't realize that he had read the name and understood it in Ancient Greek until Liam pointed it out. He said that all demigods knew how to read Ancient Greek. It was the reason they had dyslexia. Apparently, they all had ADHD too. It helped them stay alive in battle, even if they were untrained.
When Jesper asked Liam if he was a demigod, he shook his head. "I'm a satyr." He said. He took of his hat and showed Jesper the small horns hidden by his hair and kicked of his shoes, revealing the cloven hooves. Jesper watched in fascination. "I'm half goat, half human. My job is to find demigods like you and take them back to camp."
"Find demigods? How?"
"Satyrs have a very keen sense of smell." Liam tapped his nose. "We can sniff out a demigod, as well as monsters."
"What camp are you talking about?"
Liam smiled a little wistfully. "Camp Half Blood. It's the only safe place on earth for demigods. The borders are magical, and the monsters can't get in. Demigods train there, learn how to survive. Many only come for the summer, but those with more powerful smells or family problems stay year round."
Liam took Jesper under his wing and they began their journey from Provo, Utah (where they first met) to Manhattan. During that time, Liam Gabe Jesper his sword and began to teach him the basics of sword fighting. (Jesper only learned later on that satyrs didn't really use swords to fight). He also began teaching Jesper Ancient Greek and about the different monsters in Greek mythology.
9 weeks after they met, Jesper and Liam were racing through a dark city, a pack of monsters on their heels. They ran into an empty warehouse. The lights turned on, and they revealed a group of werewolves blocking the only other exit.
Liam forced Jesper to run, holding off the monsters so that he could get away safely. The next day, Jesper returned to the warehouse. The floor was covered in dust. In the middle, a small fern plant was growing, the bright green a stark contrast to the dusty interior.
Jesper managed to make it to Camp Half Blood, the fern in one hand, his sword in the other. The camp was struggling. The huge pine tree that strengthened the camp's magical borders had been poisoned, leaving the borders weakened. The demigods has set up patrols, and each new camper was trained harder in order to get as many fighters as possible to protect the camp.
Only a about a month after Jesper arrived Chiron was banished. It was a long, stressful summer, filled with prayers that the half bloods would return with the Golden Fleece and that his father, whoever he was, would claim him.
Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Clarisse, and Chiron returned to camp with the Golden Fleece. Jesper watched in awe as it brought back not only the strength of the borders, but also Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus. Things settled down after that. Everyday, Jesper went to the lake where he had planted the fern and sat by it, explaining everything that had happened that day. Jesper still hadn't been claimed, but he found a good friend in a boy his age. His name was Pavel Chekov, and Jesper had found him wandering alone near the border of the camp. The boy only spoke Russian, and they spent most of their time together, with Jesper teaching Pavel English as well as Ancient Greek. At the end of the summer, Pavel was claimed as a child of Hephaestus. Jesper was happy for his friend, he really was, but couldn't help feeling bitterly jealous that Pavel had been claimed so soon while Jesper was still waiting.
Pavel and Jesper went to the same elementary school in Manhattan, and grew closer together. Both spent the year at camp, taking Pegasi to get to and from school. The next summer, Jesper was claimed as a son of Hermes. The cabin welcomed him with open arms, and began to show him the tricks of all their trade.
Both Jesper and Pavel trained constantly, motivated by the threat of the looming war. Jesper was becoming extremely good in swordsmanship, while Pavel focused more on his skills with knives.
They were ten when they fought in the last battle of the Titan War. In that same battle, they each killed for the first time. It weighed heavily on them both, and it took time for the camp to get back on its feet.
At the beginning of the Giant War, the group of two became three. Dawn, a daughter of Apollo, arrived just two months after Percy disappeared. As they were all the same age, they gravitated towards each other, and quickly became inseparable. By some miracle, all three survived the Giant War.
The next summer brought on new problems. Jesper, Dawn, and Pavel were sent to try and map out the Labyrinth, at least the areas close to the camp. Camp Half Blood was working with the Romans, preparing for their third war against the three undead emperors. The war lasted two years. The trio was fourteen when it finally ended, and each had become their respective cabin's leaders by the end of the war. Jesper was now the best swordsman in the camp (unless Percy was there).
The demigods all thought that they would finally catch a break. But, less than a month after the third war ended, the gods went silent. All communication was cut off as well. There was no contact with the Romans, Hunters, or the Amazons. A few demigods were sent out to try to contact the romans, but they never returned. Nobody knew what happened to them. A few demigods who had left camp for the school year came back to camp, but there were many who were unaccounted for. Percy, Annabeth, Jason, and Nico had returned to camp as soon as the gods went silent, but others, like the Stolls and Lou Ellen, never showed up. Jesper could only hope that they made it to New Rome. The half bloods weren't prepared for another war. After three back to back wars, their ambrosia and nectar supply was extremely low, as well as their armor supply. As they could not get to Olympus, they had no way of replenishing their supplies.
It wasn't long before their enemy was revealed. Tartarus was furious that Percy had escaped his grasp and went on to help defeat Gaea (Annabeth too, but Percy especially). The war had been hard. Every half blood who was still in school had to attend even though they were at war. They had to do everything they could to keep the government's attention off of them. It was always strived to do, but the demigods new that if they were discovered now, that would be the end of the world. They would most likely be thrown in a secluded prison and be experimented on. They knew that none of them would be allowed the same rights as "normal" people, and would most likely be taken to a secluded area and held there. It would spell destruction for the world because there wouldn't be anyone able to fight against Tartarus.
Only a few months into the war, Chiron was killed. It was a huge blow to the demigods, but they kept fighting. The next major blow was the destruction of the dining pavilion and kitchens. It was right after Chiron's death, and the half bloods struggled to get enough food. The Hermes cabin did what they could, but stealing for 86 people was difficult if they wanted to remain undetected and in the same city. As a result, the half bloods were extremely malnourished by the end of the war. On the Christmas Eve during the war, the monsters forced the demigods to watch as every single one of their mortal parents were murdered through a version of an Iris message through shadows. No one was spared, even if a demigod had cut off all ties with their parents years ago. The monsters had effectively cut off all outside help. There was no one but those who had made t to camp. No gods, no Chiron, no Romans, no Hunters, no Amazons, and no mortal connection. Then, just as school ended, the rest of the camp was destroyed in a huge frontal assault. The demigods were forced to evacuate, and spent the last few months of the war on the streets of Manhattan.
The Final War lasted two for two years. During that time, the half bloods used the map that Jesper and his friends had created to catch monsters by surprise and delay the inevitable final confrontation. Everything came to a head the week of Percy's 21st birthday. There were 86 demigods facing off against thousands of monsters. There was nothing promising about the situation. The Hecate and Hephaestus cabin had managed to trick the mortals into evacuating the city, ensuring that none of the mortals would be harmed in the final confrontation. Everyone knew that they had no hope of defeating Tartarus, that even if Percy, Jason, and Nico burned themselves up by using all of their energy to defeat him he would be banished for only a few days. The three sons of the Big Three managed to devise a plan. It wasn't by any means foolproof, but it was the best option.
Tartarus was furious with Percy the most, but he wouldn't actually come and fight until the last day (which happened to be poor Percy's birthday). They decided that when Tartarus showed up the three would fight him together, taunting him the entire time. The goal was to get him so angry that he would use all of his energy putting a curse on the demigods, and would not have the energy to rise again, at least for the next two centuries. Of course, that meant that the rest of the half bloods would be fighting against the thousands of monsters.
Jesper knew, like every other half blood, that none of them were going to survive this fight. Most of the veterans wouldn't even have armor to protect them as they didn't have enough. Their only hope was that they wouldn't die in vain. He was sad that he would never reach 16, but he turned that sadness into energy and fought for every kid out in the world to have the chance that he didn't get to grow up. On the last day, when the final fight took place, there was only 28 demigods still alive.
Percy, Jason, and Nick fought against Tartarus. Every time they were knocked down, they would get back up and rush him again, taunting him the entire time. Sometime during the fight, Jesper, Dawn and Pavel had been separated. It was each demigod, fighting against the monsters that surrounded them. Even when the demigods were struck by an arrow, or slashed with a knife, they ignored the pain and kept fighting. The only time a demigod stopped was when they were dead. Jesper fought like a demon, his sword moving impossibly fast. He ignored each injury he got and killed as many monsters as possible, but he could only go on for so long. He was finally struck down with a knife to the ribs. He had felt a sharp flare of pain before the world went completely black and he died.
The first thing that Jesper noticed was the cold. When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying in a snow covered forest. The next thing he was aware of was a stabbing pain in his ribs. It felt exactly like how the wound that had killed him felt. However, his skin was unblemished in that area when he inspected it. When he looked at his reflection in the nearby creek, he found that he had been reverted back to his eight year old self. However, he had all of his scars from his years as a demigod and he was as skinny as he had been during the Final War (it was the first time he had been aware of the stabbing pains of hunger that he had felt for the duration of the giant war). He checked his pocket, and found that his sword was there in its chapstick form.
Jesper managed to walk to a fairly sizable town, but he had to stop and stare at the edge of it. It was like he had been plunged into the Dark Ages. the people of the town were big and burly, and every adult he saw seemed to carry around a weapon of some kind (most of them were axes). He discovered that the town was called Hallasholm, and was the "capital" of Skandia. He learned that the people of the town seemed to know him as someone who was a troublemaker and a thief, but who never kept his treasures. He chalked it up to the Mist messing with people's minds. He decided that the best course of action was to do what he was known for: stealing and then showing it off. It wasn't what he planned to do, but he knew the importance of keeping up appearances in order to stay under the radar.
Through the years, he learned everything he could about the world he was now in and the people in Hallasholm. He found a small hut about thirty minutes walk from the town, close enough to the town that he could get supplies, but far enough so that he didn't endanger the people in the town. He learned how to make his own bow and arrows, hunt, and prepare food. He still dealt with the monster attacks, but he managed to keep them away from the people of Hallasholm. Thankfully, people never questioned where he lived or where his parents were. He wasn't sure what he would tell them if they did.
Over the years, he discovered (from the monsters) that the other demigods have been subjected to the same fate, each waking up in a completely new world with no one that they know or trust. Every year, the same week that Jesper showed up in Skandia, the monsters would manage to catch and torture him for at least a few days before he managed to escape. He found that once he reached the same age that he died, he would stop growing. So, he would stay looking like his 15 year old self until he was finally killed. The worst part about it, he thought was not that he was thrown into a world that he had no prior knowledge of, that he was completely alone, or even that he had to deal with yearly torture sessions. No, the worst was that he didn't know if they won or not. He didn't know if they managed to defeat Tartarus or if they all died in vain, and he believed it was the worst torture he had to endure.
As a result, he watched and learned from a distance but never got too close to anyone. Now that he was in a brotherband, he knew his secret would become more difficult to keep. Jesper sighed and turned over in his bedroll. It would be especially difficult when he had nightmares. He managed to learn how to not scream out loud during them, but he wasn't sure how much he moved. He supposed he would just have to hope for the best.
