Prologue

Noelle

Noelle crouched down in the tall grass, her heart racing. Before her stood a minotaur, a monster she only ever heard of in legends. She wouldn't believe her eyes but in the past few days she had seen (and fought) more creatures than she ever knew existed. They all looked familiar (probably from her history book) and she recognized some of them, like the minotaur, from Greek mythology. She had come to the conclusion that they were all related in some way. I wish I paid more attention in history class, she thought.

Noelle crept slowly in the opposite direction of the great beast. Then it roared.

"Damn it" she whispered, but it wasn't looking at her. It was looking at four kids having a picnic at the bottom of the hill. "Double damn it" Monsters rarely ever attacked anyone but her and when they did attack others they either died or were gone by the time the monster was dead.

She wasn't going to let that happen this time. She pulled out her kitchen knives and ran toward the creature screaming. Anything to get its attention off those kids and on her. It turned as the kids stood up and gasped. She didn't have time to watch the rest of their reactions, she got right to work.

She ran up to the minotaur and slashed at it with one of her knives creating a deep wound in its leg. It screamed and turned to face her head on. She took aim and threw one of her knives as hard as she could at the creature's face. It landed in one of its eyes, right on target. The creature cried as it held its eye with one hand and sliced at her with the other, cutting her across the shoulder and ripping her brand new jacket. She leaped and rolled out of the way as the creature's hand came for her.

Again, and again, and again she dodged and cut at the creature and at this point she was getting tired and the monster's attacks were coming much closer to hitting her. She knelt down on the floor bleeding and exhausted. The minotaur brought its claw down on her but only grazed her cheek.

She looked up and saw a boy flying, with blonde hair in his face and sword in his hand. There was a girl with blonde hair and a knife, not a kitchen knife like Noelle's, a hunting, killing knife. Then there was another girl who was absolutely gorgeous with a soft voice as she talked to the monster calming it down. The last kid had dark hair and sea green eyes. He was manipulating water.

These kids were the scariest, most awesome people that Noelle had ever seen. They cut, and splashed, and distracted the monster, working as a team in almost perfect sync. Finally the blonde girl leaped and stabbed the other eye of the minotaur. The minotaur turned to dust and blew away in the wind.

"Are you okay?" said the pretty girl walking over to where Noelle was sitting on the ground wrapping her shoulder.

"Well, yeah I guess," Noelle replied, trying to keep the pain out of her voice.

"Here," the pretty girl handed Noelle a small golden pastry.

"What am I supposed to do with it?" Noelle asked cautiously.

Pretty girl smiled, "you eat it, it will make you feel better." Noelle took a bit of the golden pastry and instantly the pain in her shoulder went away. She unwrapped it and the wound was slowly but steadily healing.

"Wow, Thanks"

"What's your name?"

"Noelle"

"I'm Piper"

"What are you?" Noelle asked.

"We are children born of Greek gods and mortals called demigods, and you are one too."