Chapter 3. Reviews always welcome! :P

Golden streets, glorious statues

Fountains and beautiful plants

Magnificent views and wonderful paintings

O Olympus, the home of the Gods

"What did I miss?" asked Lucy as she ran into the classroom. Her lesson had just ended, and someone had told her there'd been a dog in one of the Geography classrooms.

The room was a complete mess; tables and chairs had been knocked over, and some were even broken. Just under the smashed window, numerous books and bits of paper were scattered on the floor, among fragments of glass. Parts of the ceiling had been pulled off, not to mention the cupboard door that had been yanked off its hinges while the lion tried to buck Alex off. There was a dent in the wall beside the door, probably where the Nemean lion had leapt at it.

"What's happened in here?" Lucy asked, gaping at the damage to the room.

"There was a Nemean lion," Helen told her, which obviously didn't mean anything to Lucy but she nodded all the same.

Hestia glanced back at Mrs Smithton, who was quivering like a frightened rabbit. Her clothes were covered in dust from the torn wallpaper, and her face was pale and worried.

"I suppose you need to go and tell someone there was a dog in your classroom," Hestia said.

Mrs. Smithton shook her head. "I can see through the Mist," she explained, fiddling nervously with her graying hair. "I, I know all about the Gods, and Half-Bloods. My friend is a daughter of Hephaestus, and she explained it all to me because I could see through the Mist. B-but don't worry, I've never told a soul until now."

Hestia smiled. "Don't worry then. You can tell everyone that you took the dog back to its owner, and that it won't happen again." Her cheeks were a rosy red colour as if she was sitting in front of a fire, and her eyes danced as she looked at the teacher.

"Okay," she replied slightly less nervously. "Thank you." Gathering some papers from the floor, she quickly left, avoiding the main debris on the carpet.

"What?" Alex demanded when she'd left. "What did she say about Gods, and mist?" She had gone from scared, to relieved, to confused to angry in a matter of minutes.

"We'll explain on the way. I think it's time we took you to Camp Half-Blood," Hestia decided.

"Yes!" shouted Lucy, clearly very excited.

"What?" cried Alex, running after them as they left. "Where are you going?"

They climbed into Hestia's gold Mini, Alex questioning them all the way. Hestia drove, with Lucy sitting happily next to her, Helen gazing out of the window, and Alex beside her sulking. Soon Hestia pulled up beside her cottage, and Lucy enthusiastically jumped out the car. They all went inside, and the sisters bounded up the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Alex called.

"Just to pack a few belongings," answered Hestia. "We're going to your house next. I'll explain to your foster mother."

"But you haven't explained to me!" Alex protested.

Hestia had no time to reply, however, because Helen and Lucy were coming down, carrying small suitcases.

When the Mini stopped at Alex's house, she got out and walked straight past her foster mother, to her room. Now, she had to pack! How can you pack if you don't know where you're going? She thought grumpily. She grabbed some clothes, an old notebook filled with poetry, some toiletries, a teddy and her gold necklace.

By the time she came down Hestia was finishing talking to her foster-mum, smiling and nodding.

"Bye Julie," Alex kissed her, and then hobbled into the car with her bag. Hestia sat down in the driver's seat and started signaling right.

"Where are we going?" asked Alex, exasperated as she waved to Julie. There was no answer.

"What's happening?" she shouted angrily.

"You're a demigod!" Lucy shouted back. Helen shot her sister an irritated glance, while Alex sat dumbfounded. Lucy ignored her.

"What does that mean?" Alex asked quietly, her anger gone.

"It means you are half god. You're a child of one of the Greek gods," Helen explained. Everything was silent except for the car's engine.

"But…" Alex's head was swarming with questions. Should she even believe these people? Somehow it all seemed true. "How do you know?"

Hestia was keeping quiet as she drove onto the motorway. Helen answered again.

"You're dyslexic, ADHD, and you can see through the Mist. It's like that for all half-bloods. And the Mist is something that stops mortals from seeing what's really happening – like if there's a Cyclops or something, they see a normal person to stop them from freaking out." She said, answering Alex's next question. "Plus you don't live with your parents."

The car was silent for a few minutes as Alex tried to understand what they were saying.

"So the Greek Gods are real?" Alex asked.

"Yep!" said Lucy, "and the monsters."

Suddenly they turned off the motorway, and after a minute the car was heading towards a sign that read "Gatwick Airport".

"Airport? I don't have my passport!" exclaimed Alex, worried.

"Don't worry; I can take care of that," said Hestia. They joined the long queue of traffic waiting to get into the airport, as a plane roared above them.

"So Hestia…" Alex began. "You're a goddess, right? So do you do lots of fighting monsters and rescuing people and stuff?"

"I'm not usually one for fighting," Hestia admitted, her red eyes flickering. "I stay at home and keep the fires burning, often unnoticed." Alex realized Hestia's eyes were filled with flames.

"Mum, how long will the flight be?" Lucy enquired, still looking quite excited, completely oblivious to Alex's emotions.

"Around six hours, I should think." Hestia told her.

About half an hour later they were buying their tickets and boarding the plane. It was quite full, as it was summer. They sat down together, and Lucy immediately started chatting to Helen about something that had happened in class that day.

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"Welcome to New York. The plane is about to land," an electronic plastic sounding voice came from the speakers. "Thank you for flying with us today. I hope you had a pleasant flight. We are coming in to land in New York, and the weather is sunny. Enjoy your stay in America. Your air hostess or steward will show you to the exits." There was a metallic click as she put the receiver down.

Alex drearily sat up, rubbing her eyes. Looking out the slightly steamed-up window she saw they had landed. Helen was just waking up, but Lucy was still fast asleep. Hestia was starting to stand up.

"Can I help you?" asked a loud voice by Alex's ear, startling her.

"Uh?" she mumbled, suddenly remembering the morning's events. A tall young man with chin length dark hair and the beginnings of a beard was standing next to her, wearing a badge that read "Lionel, Happy to Help".

"I am your steward," he confided, close to her ear. "Would you like me to show you the exits?"

She looked marginally confused for a second, having just woken up. Then she realized what he'd said. "Oh, erm, if they're all ready." She glanced back at Lucy and Helen, who were just awake. They stood up, and Lionel led them to a door at the side of the aeroplane.

"Here is your exit," he told them with a flourish. Hestia smiled at him.

They collected their baggage and went to hire a car.

Around two hours later they parked on the road beside a hill. Alex looked around. It was early evening, because although it was nine hours since they left the school in England, there was a five hour time difference in New York.

They were at the foot of a grassy hill, with a huge tree at the top of it. In the distance she could see a large farmhouse, surrounded by fields and bordered with forest. The sky was still a lovely pale blue, with the sun low in the sky, peeping out from fluffy clouds. As they walked up the hill Alex could hear laughing and shouting, mixed with the sounds of running, galloping and breathless cheers.

"Where are we?" she panted when they reached the top of the hill.

"We are on Half-blood Hill."

Dun dun dun! What do you think? Please review! :D