Chapter 1: The Museum

Look, I never wanted to be a half-blood. It gets you killed in painful, nasty ways. And if you think you are one? Forget it. Live a normal life. Relax. Take it easy. I hope you don't realise it so they don't either.

My name is Ray Jackson, I'm twelve years old and, until a few months ago, I was a regular boarding student at a private school for troubled kids in New York called Yancy Academy. I was there with my twin brother, Percy. Were we troubled kids? I guess maybe you could say that. We had dyslexia and ADHD, meaning we couldn't read and couldn't sit still. Yeah, not the best combination.

If that isn't enough for you, I could start at any point in our short, stupid lives, to prove it but things got really bad last May, when our sixth grade class took a field trip to Manhattan. Yeah, a class full of mental-case kids and 2 teachers on a bus, going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, (or i guess MMA for short) to look at really old Greek and Roman stuff. Yeah, it sounds like we were about to suffer, most Yancy field trips were like it, but me and Percy, we had somewhat high hopes. Why?

Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher was leading this trip. He was this middle-aged guy, I would guess 40-45, in a motorized wheelchair. He seemed to always wear this cool frayed tweed jacket which smelled like coffee. He had thinning hair and a cool scruffy beard. He might not seem cool, but he told awesome storied about Greek mythology and let us play in class. He also had this cool collection of Roman stuff like armour and weapons, so his class wasn't that bad. In fact, I actually decided to learn alot about Greek mythology because of him. Yeah, it sucked because of that Dyslexia I told you about, but it was interesting. Percy liked him too. I mean, who wouldn't?

So, I hoped the trip wouldn't suck, or atleast that we didn't get in trouble.

Boy, was I wrong.

See, me and Percy, we always have bad things happening to us on field trips. Last year in my fifth grade school, we went to a Saratoga battlefield and Percy kinda had an accident with a war cannon. I told him not to do it, and he said he wasn't, but he hit the school bus anyway, and got us expelled. I wasn't mad. I never was, not at him. I knew that he was like me, feeling awkward and mad and a whole bunch more of weird feelings. I was his older brother after all. Yeah, I'm only older by like 3 minutes, but still. Anyway, before that, we went to a Marine World shark-pool and I pulled the wrong switch, so our class went for a swim with the fishes, and sharks. Anyway, you get it.

This time, Me and Percy promised we would be good. The entire ride to the museum, I put it up with this stupid annoying kleptomaniac, red haired, freckly girl named Nancy Bobofit. She kept throwing peanut butter sandwiches at my best friend, Grover. I could see Percy getting mad, and I was too. It wasn't fair. I knew that if I stood up to her, she'd lie and get us expelled. But of course, she could do whatever she pleased.

Grover was an easy target. All year we protected the scrawny guy from bullies. He must have been held back several grades cause he had a small wispy beard on his chin. He cried when he get frustrated, and above all that, he was crippled. He had crutches and a note excusing him from P.E. forever. He had some muscular disease in his legs, and walked funny, like every step he took hurt. He ran like crazy when it was enchilada day at the cafeteria, though.

Anyway, Nancy was throwing sandwich chunks in his curly brown hair. I kinda calmed myself down by thinking that at the end of school I could get my revenge on her, but Percy was getting madder. He was already on probation for getting in some other fights, and Grover was his absolute best friend, even more so than me. Grover dodged another piece and Percy started to get up. I almost decided not to stop him, but I did anyway.

"I'm going to kill her." He mumbled angrily. "Don't worry, ill do it soon enough." I whispered back to him.

Looking back, I wish I'd broken her nose right then and there, because it would be nothing compared to what we were about to get into.

The tour was being led by Mr. Brunner. He rode up front and guided us through the exhibitons, explaining us and showing us pottery and all other old stuff from ancient Greece. It was really interesting to think about how all this stuff was still fine after so much time.

He gathered us around a 4 meters tall stone column with a big sphinx on top, and told us how it was a stele, a grave marker, for a girl around our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides, and me and Percy were trying to listen, because it was actually pretty interesting, everybody as talking, and everytime I told them to just be quiet, the other teacher there, Mrs Dodds, would be the evil eye.

Mrs Dodds was our maths teacher who always wore a black leather jacket even though she was like 50 by now. She looked pretty mean, like she'd ride a Harley into your locker, and then run you over. She came to Yancy halfway through he year when our other mates teacher had a breakdown, muttering things about giant bats.

Anyway, she hated us from the very start. She obviously loved Nancy, and figured that me and Percy were the most evil people on the planet, even though that was obviously her title. She would always point her stupid crooked finger at us and say "Now, honey," real sweet, and we knew we were gonna be in detention or something. One time, she mad us erase answered out of old textbooks until midnight, and Percy told Grover that he didn't think Mrs Dodds was even human. He suddenly looked extremely serious and said "You're absolutely right."

There was something weird about the way he said it though, as if he really meant it, that she wasn't human. That she was a demon or something.

Mr Brunner talked about funeral art and Nancy snickered something about some naked guy on the stele, and both me and Percy turned around and said in the exact same tone of anger, "Will you just shut up?" Percy looked embarresed, as if he didn't mean to say it so loud, but I meant it. Everybody laughed, but I looked at them, confused for a second.

"What's so funny?" I said to them in a serious voice. See, unlike Percy who wasn't really that strong or smart, (he is smart but not like am extreme amount, im smarter, and he knows.) but I'm not someone to be messed around with. I'm not that much stronger, but everybody knows that when I punch, it hurt. So, they all shut up.

"Mr Jackson," He said, looking at me. "Did you say something?" I looked back at him, my normal face back. "Just telling someone to be quiet so i can actually listen, sir. Is it a problem?" I asked. I don't get it. Did I really do something wrong?

"No," He said, smiling slightly. "But it shouldn't be one either for you to tell me what this picture represents, yes?" He pointed at a picture, and I recognized it easily. Glad I listened and studied.

"That is Kronos, the king titan. He's earing his kids, the gods." I answered. Mr Brunner nodded. "And why did he do this, Percy?" Percy looked at me for a second and I nodded slightly. He knew this. I taught him a few things.

"...because he was scared they would defeat him. So he ate them all up,except Zeus, because Rhea gave hima rock instead of Zeus. Then Zeus grew up secretly, and made Kronos barf up his siblings-"

"Ew!" A girl said behind me. "-and then they had a big war, And the gods won." He finished. Mr Brunner nodded, satisfied. Then Nancy said, "Like this is gonna matter in real life, like they'll ask us on our job applications to explain why Kronos ate his kids."

"And why, Ray, to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?" Mr Brunner said, with a glint in his eyes. The same ones that felt thousands of years old.

"Busted." Grover whispered, talking about Nancy.

I thought about it for some time. "Well, i can think of 2 reasons." I started. "In this story, the gods overthrow Kronos because he was a bad dad. Maybe they wouldnt have done it if he hadnt been so paranoid. So i guess, it teaches us to be good parents, and relax? Either that or its cause the gods are real or something. But that isnt possible." When I said that last part, Mr Brunner and Grover looked shocked for a split second. I thought it must've been my imagination, though.

"It is a good answer, but not entirely true." Mr Brunner said, not explaining further. "Anyway, time for lunch!" Everybody cheered as they all started going outside to eat. Boys being doofuses and girls talking. We were about to follow them when suddenly, "Ray and Percy." I told Grover to go ahead as we turned to face him. I knew it was coming. Yeah, I gave an answer, but it was kinda more like a joke.

" You two must learn the answer to my question. It is absolutely vital." I kinda saw Percy getting mad. I felt it. He was mad that Brunner pushed us so hard. We had dyslexia and adhd and stuff, yet he expected us to be better than everybody else. I put my hand on his shoulder though. It calmed him down. He looked up at me. "Relax, i got this." I told him. Then I looked at Brunner.

"Why? Its not like our lives depend on it." I told him jokingly. Still, as I said it, it felt...wrong. Like it wasn't the truth. "Ray, I understand it may not seem like it, but one day, they might just do." He replied, wise as ever.

"Ok, but...do you really have to push us so hard, sir? You know we have disabilities, but you think we have to be better than everyone." Mr Brunner looked at me with a sad smile, and looked back at the stele.

He then looked at me again and said, "These are not disabilities, Ray. They are blessings in disguise." He then looker at the stele on last time, almost mournfully. Then we left.

Me and Percy came and sat down next to Grover on the fountain, away from the rest of the school. We had enough bullies to school, we didn't need to get bullied for being in the school for people who couldn't make it anywhere else, either.

"Detention?" Grover asked. "Nah, not from Brunner." Percy replied. We talked about the stuff we saw in the museum and ate. Then Nancy and a friend of hers, who I recognized to be a girl called Cindy, came up to us. They dropped their lunches on to Grover's lap, and started laughing at us, and making fun of us. I put my lunch off to the side and stood up. I was slightly taller than them. Still, they weren't afraid of me. Not like everybody else.

"What do you want, Nancy?" I asked in an annoyed tone. "Oh nothing, just wanted to laugh at you losers again!" She said in her annoying voice, then laughed with her friend. Percy stood up. Nancy was facing me and Cindy was facing him. "Stop annoying us." I told her, but she came up to me to push me, and I raised my hands to protect myself, but suddenly a strong wind came from nowhere, and pushed her into the water. I mean, the weather was looking weird, with a hurricane starting, but this wind came out of nowhere.

"Ray pushed me!" She screamed, drenched and crying. I looked at Percy, and Cindy was about to push him too, but the water, it sorta grabbed her and pulled her in. She screamed as well.

Mrs Dodds appeared next to us. Like literally from no where. She was an old lady, she couldnt move that quickly and quietly. I didn't have time to think about it though. This was too weird. Water grabbed that girl? What the hell? Mrs Dodds, after making sure her favourite child was safe, told me and Percy to follow her. I looked at the two girls with my say-your-prayers stare, and looked at Mrs Dodds, but she was already up the stairs, waiting for me and Percy.

Ok, she was too fast for an old lady like her. I thought your back starts hurting when you get older, not that you get to teleport. Anyway I followed her, confused. I thought she was going to make me buy shirts for them or something, but she kept us following way ahead of the gift shop. Eventually, there was nobody around where we were.

Then, she looked at us, and her teeth started becoming fangs, her jacket melting into wings. She looked like something I had about in Greek mythology.

Her transformation was complete. "A Fury!?" I yelled in confusion and shock. She growled and flew at me. I barely dodged in time. She almost got to Percy, but I suddenly saw her moving in slow motion, and tackled her.

I was able to tackle her to the ground and save Percy just in time. Then Mrs Dodds- or I guess I should say Fury, pinned me to the ground and was trying to get to me, but before she pinned me down I got a metal bar lying on the floor. I was able to stop her claws using the bar but, well she was a giant bat demon thing and I was a regular human, what was I gonna do? She was much stronger than me, I knew it was only a matter of time before she hurt me. I saw out of the corner of my eye that Percy was fine but on the floor. I couldnt lose concentration, so I couldn't say anything. Just then, something weird happened. Or, I guess, two weird things happened.

I saw Mr Brunner in the doorway, throwing a pen to Percy, who was now standing. It turned into a sword mid air, and Percy caught it.

"What ho, Percy!" Mr Brunner told him.

Then, the second weird thing happened. I really wanted to get her off me, but I had no idea how to. I focused on getting as much energy as I could into my hands to hold her off for a while, until suddenly they started feeling hotter, and tingly. Then suddenly, the metal bar started giving off a few sparks, and then the Fury got blasted away in some sort of explosion. I heard electricity cracking. Anyway, she was on the ground, sizzling, and very hurt and angry.

"How dare you! Give it back or else!" She screamed. I had no idea what she was talking about. "Look, whatever it is, i dont have it. What the hell even are you?" I said as I got up. Percy was still standing there with his sword. I looked at him and told him to slice her. She was some sort of monster, and she was weak. He nodded and walked up to her.

"Lord Ha-" she began but Percy slashed her and she evaporated into dust. I looked at him and we both shrugged. Suddenly a very bright light showed up in the room. It was so intense that I fainted, and saw Percy did too. When we woke up, it seemed like almost no time had passed, but Percy didn't have a sword anymore, just a pen. We left and went outside to Mr Brunner. He looked at Percy and the pen.

"Ah, thank you Percy. Next time bring your own writing utensil." He said as he smiled at him. What? He saw the Fury thing attacking us. Why wasn't he saying anything?

"Mr Brunner, what was that?" I asked him. He looked at me confusingly. "That giant bat thing, that looked like what i read as a Fury. Mrs Dodds turned into that thing, and you gave Percy the pen which turned into a sword. What was that?" He said as he thought about it. It sounded stupid, but it was the absolute truth.

"I dont remember such a thing," He replied, after a small silence. "And as far as I know, there hasn't been a Mrs Dodds on this trip or even in the school, ever." He said to us, and Grover stood behind him, who nodded. But he hesitated first, as if he had rehearsed this or had to remind himself that 'Yeah Ray, you are crazy. No Mrs Dodds.' But I knew that it just couldnt be like that.

"Sir, i know that you are lying. There is no way that what me and Percy saw was just our imagination or something. Tell me the truth, now." I then noticed the pen that Mr Brunner had taken from Percy. He was still holding it. On its side were Greek letters, I recognized them from the textbooks. Suddenly, they started moving, changing. It turned into English which I could read perfectly. No dyslexia.

"Riptide." I said after a long pause. "W-wait. That pen has greek stuff written on it and i could understand it?" I looked at Mr Brunner questioningly. He had to know about this. He gave Percy that pen, which had Greek stuff that I could understand, and he was now lying to him when Mrs Dodds had indeed existed.

Mr Brunner looked at Grover, who was very nervous. He then looked back at me and Percy. "I guess there is no point is keeping this a secret any longer. They have come for you, so we need to tell you." He paused, choosing the words to say.

"Both of you are demigods."