Chapter two

I snapped out of my flash back. And sat there staring at his head. Percy he had said his name was. He had left before giving me his last name. What was he doing here anyway? He didn't belong here! He was a crazy lunatic that ran about with a sword for crying out loud! Lunatics did not belong at high school orientations! Especially not my new high school's orientation. Without thinking I grabbed his shoulder practically screamed at him "What are you doing here?". He spun around green eyes wide.

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare."

I stared at him. I could feel my jaw dropping in surprise. I was that shocked. He had remembered my name! A part of me was strangely delighted that I had left enough of an impression for him to remember my name. And the rest of me was disgusted at that small part for feeling that way. Why should I care if I made an impression? I didn't care what he thought of me! Well he is cute I couldn't help the thought from entering my mind. Ugh. I was such a pussy.

"And your Percy somebody. I didn't get your full name last December when you tried to kill me." I put as much venom in my voice as I could manage. "Look I wasn't -I didn't- What are you doing here?" he stuttered. It seemed he was as unnerved to see me as I had been to see him.

"Same as you I guess. Orientation."

"You live in New York?"

"What you thought I lived at Hoover Dam?" Boys. They were such idiots.

Speaking of idiot boys one of the ones behind us whispered, "Hey, shut up. The cheerleaders are talking!" I looked at the podium. And saw the most horrifying (well maybe not the most horrifying) creatures I had ever seen! They almost looked like normal teenage girls. But it sure was one heck of an almost. OK, so picture to cheerleaders in purple and white cheerleading uniforms. One black girl one blond. Then mentally drain all color from their faces. Give them fangs and red eyes. Your thinking vampires! But it doesn't end there. Now stop looking at their faces and look at their legs. These sure aren't the pail legs I'm sure you had been picturing. Mentally replace there left legs with a donkeys leg. And the right leg. Leave it the same general humanoid leg shape, but instead of skin make her leg be made out of bronze. That is what these chicks looked like. Now seeing these things walking up to the podium you can't blame me for letting out a small scream. I quickly stifled it though. Not before I could be heard though. Several kids snickered at me. But they forgot about me and continued listening to the 'cheerleaders'. I had missed some of what they had said. Being busy taking in their monsterness and all.

"Run," I told Percy urgently. "Now." I had a feeling this had something to do with him. I mean he had been chased down by an army of skeletons. Call it a guess but I think these monster chicks were out to get him. "Why?" he asked me warily. I didn't bother to explain. I pushed through the crowd till I was at that the edge of the bleachers. I barely noticed the complains and glares I was attracting. I didn't check to see if he was following me. I was sure he would.

And I was right.

I ducked into the first room I saw. That roomed turned out to be the band room. I hide behind a drum. Because it was the biggest instrument in the room and so I figured the best hiding spot for two. Percy came in a minute later.

"Get over here!" I hissed. "Keep your head down!" He hesitated before coming over to hide with me. "Did they follow you?" I asked.

"You mean the cheerleaders?"

I nodded. "I don't think so" he said. "What are they? What did you see?" I was surprised. I had sort of assumed that he could see them too. Hadn't he been able to see the skeletons? I thought he had. But maybe not. He couldn't see the vampire/donkey/cyborge cheerleaders for what they really were anyway. What if it really was all in my head? Like my parents had always told me when I was little and would complain about the monsters I sometimes saw. Maybe I really did have an 'overactive imagination'. Or maybe I was just delusional. Skitzo or something.

"You …you wouldn't believe me." I answered.

"Oh, yeah, I would," he promised. "I know you can see through the Mist."

"The what?"

"The Mist. It's…well, it's like this veil that hides the way things really are. Some mortals are born with the ability to see through it. Like you." What the hell was this guy talking about? He sounded demented. I took this in. Was he saying what I thought he was saying? It sounded weird. I mean a mist? It sounded like he had made it up. But I was willing to except any explanation at this point. Better to have been born with some weird super sight than to just be another crazy chick. Wait a minute. What was that he had called me? A mortal. He had called me that at Hoover Dam too.

"You did that at Hoover Dam. You called me a mortal. Like you're not" He looked horror struck. As if he had accidentally let slip some deep dark secret. I couldn't help but be further intrigued by this development. He knew. I could feel it. I was positive. He knew all about the things I saw. He knew what they were, where they came from. I needed to make him tell me.

"Tell me," I begged. "You know what it means. All these horrible things I see?" I had meant to say it like a statement. To make it clear I already knew this. Was sure of it. But it came out like a question.

"Look this is going to sound weird. Do you know anything about Greek myths?"

"Like…the Minotaur and the Hydra?"

"Yeah, just try not to say those names when I'm around, okay?" What was wrong with saying names? I continued my list ignoring his request. "And the Furies, and the Sirens, and-"

"Okay!" he interrupted looking around franticly as if he expected the monsters to pop out of the band lockers and attack him. But nothing happened. Now I know what you're thinking. Your thinking what the heck is a fury? Okay so I know more about Greek Mythology than your average teenager. I know about most legends of any kind of monster out there really. I had tried to doing some research on the creatures I had been seeing. This was when I was when I was about seven or eight. Around the time I had started to keep my sightings to myself.

I hear the crowd of kids coming out of the gym now. We would be found sooner or later. Probably sooner what with tours and all. I willed Percy to continue his explanation.

"All those monsters," he said. "all the Greek gods- there real."

"I knew it!" I exclaimed. Ok so I hadn't really know they were real. But I had suspected. Had I not seen a giant homeless man with just one I instead of two when I was eleven? That had to have been a Cyclops. Still I was relived to finally have confirmation. And I wasn't alone anymore! He knew about them too.

"You don't how hard it's been," I said. "For years I thought I was going crazy. I couldn't tell anybody. I couldn't-"I had just realized something. He had called me mortal. Which meant he wasn't. I gave him a suspicious look.

"Wait. Who are you? I mean really?"

"I'm not a monster" he assured me.

"Well, I know that. I could see if you were. You look like…you. But you're not human, are you?"

He swallowed nervously. "I'm a half-blood," he said almost tentatively. "I'm half human."

"And half what?" I inquired. But before he could answer the Frankenstein cheerleaders clumped into the band room on their mismatched legs.

"There you are Percy Jackson," the blond one said. "It's time for your orientation."