A/N: Here's ch5, written by OCDragon. Please review!

Kait V

"Yes?" I say.

"I'm here to take you somewhere safe for people like us." The boy-Nico- said seriously. For people like us? What is he talking about?

"People like us?"

"Demigods." Nico replied, still completely serious.

I knit my eyebrows together in confusion. Then understanding hits me; he was either completely nuts or making fun of me. Probably the former- demigod isn't much of an insult. "Thanks but no thanks." I say with false politeness and try to shut the door in his face. But the kid is fast and has his foot in the way so that the door doesn't close completely. I frown, "Look, I don't know who you are or what mental institution you came from but if you don't leave right now I'm calling the cops." I threaten.

"Please just let me explain." He pleads.

I'm about to open my mouth to make a retort when Mogley comes from the kitchen, He's telling the truth. He says.

I stare at him, stunned. Nico is equally shocked, "You have a talking dog?"

I ignore him, "What do you mean he's telling the truth?"

Your mother is a Greek goddess that makes you a demigod. Mogley states. He looks at Nico for a long moment as if debating whether or not to trust him. Finally he says, Let him in. We need to talk. Mogley goes back into the kitchen.

Reluctantly, I open the door to let the boy in. Nico is still staring after Mogley- shocked. I glance at him in sympathy, "You get used to it after a while." I say.

Tearing his eyes away from the kitchen, Nico says, "You have a talking dog and yet you think I'm nuts for believing in demigods?"

I shrug, "I've been talking to Mogley since for as long as I can remember. A talking dog is normal." I head into the kitchen, not looking to see if Nico was following.

I sit down at the small dinner table my dad and I share and Nico does the same."I'm here to take you to the only safe place for demigods."

I frown, "Where's that?"

"A special camp, Camp Half-Blood. You'll be safe there, you'll be trained to fight among other things."

"Thanks but I'm perfectly safe here. What is there to be afraid of anyways?"

"Monsters." Nico said with the same serious voice as before.

"Monsters." I'm incredulous.

"They are attracted by the scent of demigods and most would kill you soon as looking at you. Half-Blood is protected from monsters and as I said already we'll teach you how to protect yourself."

"I don't know what you're talking about I've never had any problems before." I argue.

That is because I've been keeping them at bay. Mogley says, entering our conversation.

I stare at him, shocked, I had no idea of any of this. I shake my head to clear it, "See, I have Mogley. Thanks again for your concern, but I'm fine."

"No offense, but he's just a dog. A freaky talking dog but still just a dog. He might be able to keep you safe now but eventually a monster is bound to get past him. Besides, do you think you are the only one monsters will go after? What about your friends and family."

I mull over his words for a moment. At last I say, "I have no friends. But it would kill me if anything happened to my dad. I will go with you. When do we leave?"

We should leave now. Mogley replied.

"Now! But, what about Dad? I can't just leave unannounced!" I argue.

Leave him a note. He'll understand, we knew this day would come eventually. Mogley's golden eyes held an emotion something like the sadness of a mother bird whose baby is old enough to leave the nest.

I smile at Mogley and rub his ears, causing the pit bull to mock growl at me in warning.

I follow Nico through the streets, hoping he knows where he's going. Mogley trots behind us. "Where is this camp again?" I ask.

"New York, on Long Island." Nico replies. I immediately stop and turn around, heading back the way we came.

"Where're you going?" Nico asks.

"The airport is this way."

"We're not going to the airport."

I stare at him, "I'm not walking all the way to New York. We're in California for Olympus's sake!"

Nico gives me a crooked grin, "You're already starting to sound like a camper. We're not walking to New York."

"Then how do you propose we get there?"

The answering smile Nico gives me makes me nervous as he extends a hand to me. I look at it skeptically. "Trust me." He said. I stare into his brown eyes, unsure if I can trust him- I learned long ago not to trust anyone other than Mogley and my dad. Nico meets my amethyst eyes unflinchingly and I take his hand. Electricity shoots through my hand and the California night disappears.

Darkness envelopes me and it feels as if all the air is squeezed out of my lungs. After what feels like eternity the pressure vanishes and I find myself at the foot of rolling hills. The world spins around me and my legs collapse beneath me. Nico reaches out and catches me before I can fall. Electricity shoots through me again but I dismiss it as the remainder of whatever he did moments before. "Sorry about that, shadow traveling has that effect on people who aren't used to it." Nico apologized.

I start to pull away from him once the dizziness had past. No sooner had I broken free of Nico's grasp than the earth shook and rumbled underneath us. Trained by years of earthquake drills at school, I remain calm and just wait for the shaking to stop. I look at Nico and am surprised to find fear in his eyes. "What's wrong? Its just an earthquake."

"Its not so much the earthquake itself as the reason behind it. Haven't you noticed that there have been a lot of earthquakes lately?" Nico replied.

I shrug, "I live in California, its practically the earthquake state."

"Well they are not so common in New York. It's the product of an ongoing war between two gods." Nico explained.

"War? Why are they fighting?"

"Persephone is missing. Its winter, she should have been back in the Underworld by now. Both Hades and Demeter blame each other and they've declared war. Thus the earthquakes."

I thought about that for a moment, "How does that explain the earthquakes? I thought Poseidon was the god of earthquakes, has he joined the war too?" Nico shot me a surprised look. I shrugged, "My dad teaches mythology of ancient cultures, Greek mythology is our favorite."

He nods in understanding, "You're right, Poseidon is the god of earthquakes, but these aren't earthquakes per say but rather the Underworld quaking at the wrath of its master."

Deciding to change the subject, I look around and say, "Where are we?"

"We are on Long Island, the camp is just over that rise." He indicates the hill in front of us with a jerk of his head. I nod and start to walk up the hill. "Wait where're you going?" Nico calls.

"You said it was just up this hill."

"Yeah but we can't go right now."

"Why not?" I ask

"Its night time, it's not a good idea to approach camp in the dark, what with the overly cautious demigod campers. Especially now, the quakes are releasing more monsters than usual, so they are even more cautious than usual. No, its best to approach in broad daylight, that way no one accidentally gets skewered. We'll camp down here for the night." He explained. I nod and head back down the hill.

We start to set up camp. I'm going to hunt. Mogley announced. Nico jumps three feet in the air at the dog's voice. Used to Mogley appearing out of nowhere, I just grin at Nico. Mogley pads off into the night.

At last camp is set up, and we have a small fire going. "So, tell me about yourself Kait." Nico said.

I shake my head, "No I've had enough talk about me. Tell me about yourself. Who is your god parent?"

Nico shakes his head, "I asked first."

Resisting the child-like urge to stick my tongue out at him, I say, "Life sucks, end of story. Your turn."

Nico laughs, it's a laugh that sounds as if he doesn't laugh often, but something about it makes me want to laugh with him. "Amen to that. To answer your question my dad is Hades."

I wince in sympathy, "So Persephone is your stepmother. I'm sorry."

Nico shrugged, "Persephone and I were never really close, she doesn't like any of Hades' demigod children. But I do feel bad for my dad. I mean he's not the most loving father out there, but he's still my dad and he does love her. I just hope someone finds her before the grief of the two gods who love her most destroys the world."

I follow Nico up the hill; a mix of excitement and nervousness fills me, What if they hate me? What if I'm branded as a witch here too? Who is my mother? At last I stand at the crest of the hill. A tree stands there with a gold piece of sheepskin draped from one of the branches, what appears to be a small dragon sleeps under it, one eye open to watch for danger. But all this pales in comparison to what I see in the small valley: buildings mirroring the architecture of ancient Greece spread out through the valley, a large cluster of them create a large U-shape with many more smaller buildings in the center of the U, on one side there is a forest and in the middle of the valley is a beautiful lake.

Nico watches my face as I take in the view, "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, Kait."