RACHAEL
Chapter 1
I thought I was safe.
I admit, almost an entire year with no monsters when you’re a demigod is pretty lucky. Especially when you’re my kind of demigod.
The classroom was in chaos, by normal standards, but this was just a normal MACC day. It was almost shameful. Usually I was on guard, watching for any ripples in the system, anything suggesting monsters. But one year in a normal classroom with no warnings from Chiron had kept me relaxed for too long.
What a stupid mistake.
I was simply reading one of my books, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Once in a while, it was nice to read about fiction that was actually fiction. I was sitting next to Leah, who was working on one of our many crazy projects. Probably something about organizing a tour for rich people, or designing a new hotel. You never knew.
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Rachael Stone, and yes, I am a half-blood.
Anyway, I was just minding my own business when Ms. Harper strolled in. This wasn’t weird. So many teachers came into our classroom for coffee that I had lost track of them. Ms. Harper was in for Mr. Brown today. She had been a TOC in our school a few times, and after the first I lost interest.
An even more stupid mistake.
As soon as my head was down, she attacked. I didn’t see her until Leah screamed.
I hadn’t seen an arai in a long time. I almost screamed myself as she got ready to lunge…. Oh, sorry. Back up. An arai is a curse monster. Straight from the depths of Tartarus, their hate toward demigods runs deeper than any other monster I’ve known. So basically, when a demigod kills a monster the monster gets mad, it plants a curse. Then if you happen to run into an arai and harm it the arai plants one of those curses on you. In other words, they are evil she-demons who hunt you in hope of planting curses from already-dead monsters.
Confused? Welcome to my world.
I thought back to every monster I’ve ever faced, and my head hurt. I looked to my left. Leah was still gaping. I didn’t really blame her, and tried my best to calm her down, until I realized that for her to be screaming, she must be able to see the truth.
She could see through the Mist.
This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, when the satyrs had started to spread thin because of sudden demigods popping up all over the place, I was actually here to help out.
But, honestly, right now I had enough to deal with.
I looked around. Everyone else was continuing his or her work, absolutely oblivious to the life and death situation. I spotted my best friend Savannah, or Savvy, as I called her, across the room, and saw her not attending to her work, but staring wide-eyed at the aria completely rooted to the spot.
Just wonderful.
Two mortals who could see through the Mist? Did this mean they were both demigods? I shook my head. First things first: I had to get everyone out. I racked my brain for ideas. The arai was pacing around the room now, glaring into everyone’s eyes. I looked around and spotted a fire alarm near the entrance to the classroom. It was risky, but what choice did I have? I couldn’t very well just sit here. I started to work my way to the alarm, sincerely hoping that the arai wouldn’t notice me.
No such luck.
I glanced around to find the once clear path - as clear as it gets anyway, the students in our class aren’t exactly ‘neat freaks’- to find my area now completely blocked off. Ms. Harper, or the arai as she now was, was standing right in my face.
This was bad. She was bigger than usual and her red eyes narrowed down on me, as if deciding whether I would taste better boiled or deep-fried. She lunged at me, but I ducked and rolled, sprinted to the other edge of the classroom and made a taunting face at her. Probably not a good idea, but I had to keep her focused on me.
Sadly, it worked.
She ran, claws drawn, but I lightly tapped the silver stone embedded in my pearl bracelet. My bow, Alexis, Greek for ‘defender’ now unsheathed, I nocked my first arrow. My bow was sparkling silver and had a pattern of leaves along the handle and the rim of my quiver. My arrows are long and slim with Greek writing along the edge.
I slammed the rear end of my arrow into her head while trying to ignore Leah‘s expression. I jumped up, and wrapped my heels around an overhanging bar, and, hanging upside down, fired arrow after arrow. I couldn’t hit the arai, because that would unleash who knows what curse on me, but I simply kept her preoccupied. I eventually forced it to back out of the classroom, after which I jumped down to Leah.
I didn’t have much time. I ran up to her, and she was staring at me with shock, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. She held up the ‘Mark of Athena’, which she had recently been reading, unable to put together words. I nodded.
“There’s no time to explain.” Leah was, like many of my friends, a fan of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books. Too bad she had to learn that the series was far from fiction.
“But your arrow, the arai…”
I grabbed her shoulders. “Look at me.” She looked, her eyes full of fear. “I need you to help. I need you to get everyone out.” I ran over to the fire alarm and pulled it, and closed my eyes and imagined flames around the back of the classroom. I snapped my fingers. After opening my eyes, I saw that everyone was in panic mode and looking at the back of the classroom and then backing away. They started to evacuate. I breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn’t sure if the Mist would work this time as it didn’t work all the time. I had learned to manipulate it only a few months ago, and I still didn’t know how I had acclaimed the ability, but I could think about that later.
I looked up. The arai was back in the classroom, more furious then ever. I sent a couple of arrows toward it, but it wasn’t falling for that trick again. I glanced around, helpless. And then I saw that one mortal hadn’t evacuated.
Savvy was still rooted to the spot. I ran forward, my bow drawn, but as I was nearing the arai, it switched directions.
It was heading straight for Savvy.
Okay, this was really not good. I needed help. I yelled into my bracelet that still encircled my wrist.
“Annabeth! The TOC turned into an arai!”
“Oh gods. Did you get everyone out?”
“Yes.”...Kind of.
“Okay. We’re coming.”
I cut it off. A table spilled over, blocking my path. Soon after, a light came crashing down, but I managed to avoid it. The arai was trying to block my path. But what did it want with Savvy?
“Savvy! SAVVY! You have to get out! You have to get to safety!” She was still frozen, simply staring, unable to do anything. “Savannah!” Suddenly she snapped back to reality.
“Rachael! Why-”
“There’s no time! You have to GET OUT!”
“But-”
The arai lunged forward, claws extended.
I made it just in time.
I leaped forward, shielding her body. Ms. Harper, or the arai rammed into me, forcing me to the ground. I tried to look at Savvy to see if she was okay, but I was pinned down. The arai’s massive wings spread out. Somehow she butted against the side of my head and all I could see was darkness.
…
Suddenly I was 12 years old again. I was being forced against the ground, the dirt and roots pressing into my clothes. The arai smirked down at me, it’s black wings spread out. It lunged yet again, this time clothing my vision in darkness.
…
I forced myself back to reality. I was fourteen, and I could handle the situation. My eyes fluttered open. I looked up at Savvy, afraid and confused. I had to help. She was just a mortal, there was no way she would be able to protect herself against the mother of hatred.
But before I could make any move to help, Savvy pulled out a knife. She rolled under and stabbed upwards, her dagger clashing with the hard metal of the arai’s underbelly. The movement messed up her balance and she ended up beside me. I was full of shock. All this time Savvy was a demigod, and I didn’t even know it.
“A what?” Savvy asked, somehow keeping the arai busy. Did I ask something about being a demigod? I didn’t even know anymore.
“Come on, Rachael,” I muttered to myself. “You have to help.” I counted to three in my head and tried to stand up, but my vision blurred. What kind of curse was this?
I looked up to see Savvy backed up against the wall, and badly bleeding. The arai lifted her claws.
“No.” Somehow I managed the words. I could not pull Savvy into this. It was my fault she was like this. I should have been there to protect her, and instead I was here, lying on the floor. I tried to stand up again, but staggered and fell to the floor yet again. Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light, which I knew could only be caused by a very powerful being, and I tried to blink the spots out of my eyes. I opened my eyes to find Savvy gone, disappeared into the light. As the arai advanced with her massive wings and sharp talons, all I could glimpse was the shadow of a Greek warship descending in the distance.