Chapter One

The Greek gods are real.

I found that out when I realized one of my best friends was a satyr.

Okay, okay. I should back up.

My name is Seoyoon Kim. I live, or used to live, in Seoul, South Korea. Even though I am one hundred percent Korean, I speak English like it is my first language. And unlike most Koreans, I have ADHD and synesthesia. But why? I asked myself constantly. There was no reason for me to have such good scores, for me to have disorders like this, for me to be inhumanly fast.

That's why it made perfect sense when I figured out gods were real.

From a long time ago, I had enjoyed Percy Jackson, the bestselling kids' series by Rick Riordan. I was a huge fan of it, and some may say I was obsessed.

But never had I thought that its contents were real.

It all started on the day of the trip to the U.S…

I ran to school, eager to see my best friends. Nayeun, Minjoon, Berry and I had been best friends since fifth grade. We were all outcasts, often bullied and ostracized by the other kids.

Nayeun was not someone you can mess with. She was small, but broad and feisty, excellent at sports and at making snide comments at boys. Most kids steered clear of her, because her strength and wit together could permanently wound you. Like me, she had ADHD, as well as dyslexia, so she could

n't ever stand still, and her scores were remarkably low.

My other friend, Minjoon . . . well, he was, to say the least, a musical prodigy. He was a great singer, and he played five instruments. He was also in the school orchestra, first violin, first chair. He had a severe case of ADHD, to the point that he reminded me of Leo from HoO. He didn't have dyslexia or synesthesia, though his scores weren't good, not bad though. And, in one word, he was simply amazing. I wished I could have the same confidence he did, the same self-assuredness that everything would be alright.

Finally, Berry. He was, probably, the weirdest one out of all of us, starting with his name. Berry. That was most definitely not a Korean name. And, appearance wise he wasn't very Korean either. He had curly brown hair and peculiar green eyes whereas most Koreans had black hair and brown eyes.

Not that I'm one to talk, of course. I am also part of our school orchestra, cello first chair. It's how I first got to know Minjoon. And not to brag, but my scores are not bad, better than the rest of the gang at least. It's weird; since I have synesthesia shouldn't it be the opposite? I'm not strong, in fact I'm really weak, but I am also super fast, the fastest in our class. I have black hair, similar to the others, but in the sun it seems to shift color. My eyes are usually brown, but they change color whenever I feel an intense emotion. I mena, what's up with that? And, in my life, a lot of weird things had happened. I'd gotten kidnapped at the age of four, by a guy who had two heads; my dad didn't believe me though. And once I'd turned a chocolate fountain rainbow, not something serious but still odd. When I found out who my godly parent was, it all made sense.

All of us were so different, but we were the 'weird kids', so we stuck together. And, as it turned out, it was a good thing we did. Because in the future, there would be obstacles. Alone, we would perish. But together, we could overcome any obstacle in the road.

So. Back to the story. Where was I? Oh, yes, the run to school.

Anyways, I ran to school. And by ran, I mean I practically flew. In a matter of minutes, I was in front of the school gates. I walked hesitantly inside and up the stairs to my classroom, 5-3. Everything was so…quiet. No sign of my friends or anyone else. I sat down at my desk, my excitement at going to the U.S. subsiding. If nobody was here. . . had they already gone without me? Why?

Suddenly, the door opened and I sat up, relieved…until I saw who it was. At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but no. It was real. The creature standing in front of me was real. It was green and scaly, with so many snake heads that I lost count. It bared its blood-red fangs and hissed,

"Sssseoyoon Kiiiim. We've beeen exssspecttinng youuu."

I screamed, jumping out of my chair and slowly backpedaling. I didn't want to fight the monster–hydra, I remembered from my Greek mythology books–but that didn't mean I would let it devour me. And…my mind was spinning. If hydras were real, did that mean…did that mean…no, it couldn't be. The Percy Jackson books were not real! They just couldn't be.

The hydra advanced towards me, it's many tongues hissing ominously.

Dad, I thought desperately, closing my eyes. I'm so sorry I yelled at you today. Mom, wherever you are, in heaven or somewhere else, I'll see you soon.

I braced myself for the monster's teeth against my skin, but the pain never came. I opened my eyes and saw…there was a shield protecting me from the hydra; a shield made of shimmering, colorful light. The hydra didn't seem to be able to go through it. And in my hand, there was…a bag of Skittles. Why? I didn't need Skittles. Though I loved them, they would be no use against the scary reptile thing. But it would only be in my hand if it was useful, wouldn't it? I sighed and opened the package–immediately being transported to another country in a swirl of rainbow light.