Chapter Text
Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood.
If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: Close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.
Percy! You can't tell them that! Listen, being a half-blood is dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways. That's why you have to prepare yourself. Not knowing can be just as dangerous as knowing.
Ignore her. If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.
But if you recognize yourself in these pages-if you feel something stirring inside-stop reading immediately.
Don't listen to him, if you do recognize yourself in our story, you might be one of us. Once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you. You have to get to Camp Half-Blood.
Don't say we didn't warn you.
Charlotte Pov
Charlotte Foster was having a good week, which should have told her that something was going to go very wrong. She had been looking forward to the field trip to the art museum, eager to see the old Greek and Roman stuff. Her head rested on her friend's shoulder, trying to get a few more minutes of peace before having to deal with her classmates.
Charlotte had only been at Yancy Academy for this year and she didn't get along with most of her classmates. She had met her two friends in the first week of school. Percy had sat next to her in Latin class and the two had quickly bonded over their shared Dyslexia and ADHD. While she preferred to blend into the background, Percy was a bit of a troublemaker, he could be quick to anger, but was always the first to defend her if a bully looked her way. Their other friend, Grover, was a scrawny crippled kid who cried when he got frustrated, something that made him a prime target for bullies. That was how they met when Percy jumped in to defend him when a bully had stolen his crutches. He had easily fit in with the two of them and Charlotte had latched onto them.
"I'm going to kill her," Percey's words brought the girl out of her thoughts. Lifting her head from his shoulder, looking for what had set him off. Nancy Bobfit was throwing wads of her sandwich at their friend Grover. Charlotte frowned, reaching out to tug on the sleeve of his hoodie. The boy turned to face her, anger swirling in his sea-green eyes.
"You're already on probation," she reminded him, voice soft but her eyes twinkled with mischief.
"It's okay." Gover interrupted, "I like peanut butter." Another wad of the missile was aimed at the back of his head, Charlotte narrowed her eyes as Grover dodged the missile. Looking back at Percy his eyes still focused on the girl next to him, she grinned at him.
"I could hit her though if it would make you feel better," She offered and he scoffed, turning back to the front of the bus and shooting a look at Grover. The other boy just shot the two a wide grin. All three of them missed another wad of sandwich sailing through the air, stopping just before it landed on Grover, before falling to the floor.
⚓ 🌊 🔱
Mr. Brunner led the museum tour. He rode upfront in his wheelchair, guiding the class through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues, and glass cases full of really old black and orange pottery.
He gathered them around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top and started telling them how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about their age. He told the class about the carvings on the sides. Charlotte tried to focus on what he was saying but the whisperings from the other kids were loud and Percy's snaps of shut up weren't helping.
She could see Mrs. Dodds, their math teacher who always wore a black leather jacket, glaring at him. Charlotte tugged on his sleeve hoping he'd get the message to calm down. Mrs. Dodds hated both of them since she had shown up halfway through the year when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown. However, her hate for Percy, way outweighed what she had for the girl. She was nervous Percy was about to get himself in trouble.
Mr. Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art. From behind them, she heard Nancy snickering something about the naked guy on the stele, and Percy whipped around with a loud, "Will you shut up?" Charlotte's head dropped into the hand not holding his sleeve. The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story.
"Mr. Jackson," he said, "did you have a comment?"
"No, sir," he answered his face bright red. Charlotte had to fight the smile that threatened to appear.
Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what his picture represents?" Percy glanced at the girl next to him before turning back to the stele.
"That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"
"Yes," Mr. Brunner said, but his face was scrunched up like he wasn't happy with the answer. "And he did this because...?"
"Well..." Percy's eyebrows furrowed, "Kronos was king god, and-"
"God?" Mr. Brunner asked and Charlotte winced, nudging his arm.
"Titan," he corrected, eyes flickering down to her, and she beamed at him. "And...he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters-"
Charlotte couldn't help the way her face scrunched up, or stop the "Eeew!"
"-and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," he continued but she could see him fighting a smile, "and the gods won."
Nancy mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids."
"And why, Mr. Jackson," Mr. Brunner said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"
Charlotte snickered, and from Percy's other side Grover muttered "Busted."
"Shut up," Nancy hissed, Charlotte turned, shooting the other girl a harsh glare as Nancy's face turned even brighter red than her hair.
Percy shrugged. "I don't know, sir." Mr. Brunner looked at him for a long moment before his eyes slid to the girl next to him.
"Miss Foster?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
She froze, eyes blown wide open. The stories didn't truly matter, right? Unless they were real. Her mind whispered. It would explain some things she had seen, the things she had done, like with the accident. No. They were just myths. "I'm not sure." she finally answered.
"I see." Mr. Brunner looked disappointed. "Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his five other children, who, of course being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"
The class drifted off, the hand not on Percy's sleeve resting on her stomach.
"Not sure how I'm supposed to eat after that," she grumbled, Grover shot her a look of amusement.
The three of them were about to follow the rest outside when Mr. Brunner said, "Mr. Jackson, Miss Foster." They sent Grover on before turning to Mr. Brunner.
"Sir?" Percy asked.
Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go, intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old and had seen everything. They bore into Percy before settling on Charlotte and then flicked back.
"You must learn the answer to my question, the both of you," he told them.
"About the Titans?" she asked, something stirring in her stomach.
"About real life. And how your studies apply to it," he answered.
"Oh." Percy and Charlotte shared a confused look.
"What you learn from me," he said, "Is vitally important, I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from the two of you." she frowned, he spoke as if this was more than school. From where her hand gripped his sleeve, she could feel Percy's arm begin to shake. She dropped her hold on his sleeve and gripped his hand, giving a sharp tug. Percy looked away from their teacher, bringing his eyes to the girl. He watched her for a moment, his nostrils flaring before his shoulders sagged.
"We'll try harder," he muttered before turning them around and tugging her along to find Grover. Charlotte looked over her shoulder watching as Mr. Brunner took one long sad look at the stele like he's been at the girl's funeral.
The class gathered on the steps of the museum, where they could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue. Percy and Charlotte found Grover sitting on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. As she settled down next to Grover, Charlotte watched as Nancy tried to pickpocket something from a lady's purse, Mrs. Dodds missing the entire thing. Naturally.
"Detention?" Grover asked. She shook her head pulling out her lunch.
"Nah," Percy started from her other side, pulling out his lunch. "Not from Brunner." He frowned, "I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean- I'm not a genius."
Her head snapped up, "Hey," her voice came out harsher than she meant it to, "You may be a bit clueless at times." She grinned at him, dimples flashing, taking any sting out of her words. She received a scoff and an eye roll from the boy.
"Gee thanks, Lottie."
"But, you can be smart too. He pushes you because he knows that, Perc." His eyes scanned her face, his face softening before giving her a small smile. He turned back to the traffic, watching it pass by.
She elbowed Grover, wanting him to say something nice to cheer their friend up. However, his eyes were glued to the apple in her hand. "Hey can I have-?" she scoffed, and with a small eye roll she handed the apple over.
Being back in Manhattan reminded the girl how close the school year was coming to an end. Unlike her classmates, she wasn't looking forward to the end of the year. Not because she loved school but because that meant she would have to go home.
Charlotte's father, who lived in the city, wasn't what you would call warm. Her Grandma Mary had said he had taken the girl's mother leaving very hard, but she always got the feeling it was more due to her leaving behind a child. He had never wanted to be a father, so after her mother dumped her on his front step, he dumped her on her Grandmother.
So Charlotte grew up just south of Buffalo, clear across the state from her father, in a small beach house, with her Grandma, and her grandmother's three best friends. The four women had decided that, since none had husbands, and the children that they had-it was only Charlotte's dad none of the other women had kids-it just made sense. The four women had raised Charlotte as if she was their own.
Grandma Mary, her dad's mom, had been her rock, the one who at the end of the day would love her no matter how bad she messed up and would pull her in for a hug. Growing up she had always taken pride in how much she looked like her Grandmother. While Charlotte's eyes were blue, the same shade as her father's, she had her grandmother's light brown hair that sometimes looked red in the sun. Every antic the other three would drag her into, Grandma Mary was there always
Card lessons with Grandma Cynthia-"Remember to always play your cards close to your chest, a good Poker Face is always important."-into late hours of the night pigging out on junk food. Grandma Deborah, Deb would often drag her out to the garage, insisting the girl learn to change a tire, "Every woman needs to know how to change a tire, Darling. No sense in waiting for a man to do it." It didn't matter if the tire weighed more than she did. Then there was Grandma Ruth, or Ruthie, who was her shopping partner, but Charlotte figured she was also a secret romantic, with a knowing twinkle in her eye she would say, "My Darling girl, you'll find someone who looks at you like you put the stars in the sky, and I can't wait for it."
It wasn't until she was older that she realized people didn't have four grandmas. And it wasn't until she was even older that she realized that the four best friends were two couples. Between her small size and her odd family dynamics, it had made her a prime target for bullies, but those four women had shown her every ounce of love she had ever needed. With their death last year, she had been forced to move away from her home and back to her father.
She was brought out of her thoughts as Nancy appeared in front of the three of them, flanked by her friends, dumping their half-eaten lunch in Charlotte's and Grover's laps.
"Opps." She grinned with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange as if somebody had exploded a can of cheese whiz on her face. Charlotte sighed as she rolled her eyes. Her mouth dropped open, a retort on her tongue, but Percy was faster. The boy shot to his feet, and the sound of rushing water filled the air as the water from the fountain surged forward. Giant watery hands wrapped around Nancy, pulling her into the fountain.
Charlotte's jaw dropped as she looked from where Nancy was sitting in the fountain, to Percy, who looked as shocked as she felt. "Percy pushed me!" Nancy's scream echoed around in the silence.
Mrs. Dodds materialized next to them.
She could hear the whispers from some of the other kids. "Did you see-"
"-the water-"
"-like it grabbed her-"
They had seen what she had seen, but she just couldn't understand what it was. What she did understand was, that Percy was in trouble. Again.
Mrs. Dodds turned to Percy, a gleeful smile glued to her face. "Now, honey-"
"I know," Percy grumbled. "A month erasing workbooks."
"Come with me," She said.
"Wait!" Grover's voice had taken a desperate edge to it. "It was me. I pushed her."
Percy and Charlotte both turned to him, stunned. It was no secret that Grover was scared to death of Mrs. Dodds. She turned her glare from Percy to Grover.
"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood."
"You're right." The girl moved, sliding in between Mrs. Dodds and Grover, making her the focus. "It's nice of you two to take the blame, but it was me. I pushed her because she dumped her food on me." she gestured down to her ruined clothes. The teacher seemed to consider it, her smile dimmed a bit. It only lasted a few seconds before it was back full force.
"Not likely, Miss. Foster." she hissed at the girl.
"But-" Both Grover and Charlotte spoke at the same time.
"You both will stay here." The girl glared back at her.
"It's okay, guys," she heard Percy say. "Thanks for trying."
"Honey," Mrs. Dodds barked at him, and Charlotte ground her teeth at her tone, "Now."
As Percy left Nancy turned her smirk to the shorter girl, her grin victorious. All she saw was white. Percy was in trouble, which meant he wouldn't be able to return to Yancy next year. Grover had already said he may not be back next year. With Percy gone it would mean she would be alone again. All because of this girl in front of her. Charlotte took a step forward, ready to hit her. Grover's hand on her elbow stopped her. Although Charlotte's mind cleared for a moment, her blood was still on fire, she could feel her heart pounding and there was pressure building in her chest.
"Leave." She spat out, pouring as much anger as she could into the word. Nancy's eyes seemed to glaze over before she turned around on her heels and marched away from her. Grover watched his friend with wide eyes, before pushing her back to the fountain.
"Wait here," he rushed, "I'll be right back." he didn't wait for a response before turning and moving away from her. Charlotte sagged, her head dropped into her hands as exhaustion swept through her body. She looked up, watching as Grover spoke to Mr. Brunner, hands flailing frantically.
Charlotte frowned as Mr. Brunner snapped his fingers and a fog-like substance seemed to spread out over the area. The girl watched as the class froze, their eyes glazing over before resuming what they were doing. Grover appeared back at the fountain, taking his seat next to the girl. Her eyes furrowed as she looked at Grover.
"What was that?" she asked, he didn't answer, just shrugged his shoulders.
Above, the sky opened up and it began to rain. The cold water on her skin seemed to wash away her exhaustion. Grover offered a map to tent over her head.
Nancy's voice announced Percy's return. "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt." Charlotte felt her face scrunch up in confusion. Who?
"Who?" Percy spoke her thoughts out loud.
"Our teacher. Duh!"
Charlotte looked at Nancy, "There was no teacher named Mrs. Kerr, what are you talking about?"
She just rolled her eyes and turned away. Percy and Charlotte shared a look before turning to Grover.
"Where is Mrs. Dodds?" He asked.
"Who?" he hesitated, and wouldn't look at them. Percy rolled his eyes.
"Not funny, man," he told him, "This is serious."
Overhead thunder boomed as a bad feeling settled over the girl. Percy looked around, his eyes landing on Mr. Brunner, and moved towards him. She followed, trying to keep up with his hurried steps.
"Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson."
When had he given Percy a pen? Charlotte asked herself. Percy handed the pen over.
"Sir," Percy said, "where's Mrs. Dodds?"
His face was blank as he looked between the two of them. "Who?"
"The other chaperone," Charlotte answered, "Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher."
He frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned. Charlotte's hand moved on its own, reaching out to grab Percy's hoodie as unease filled her stomach. "Percy, Charlotte, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there had never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you two feeling alright?"