mercurial ━━ luke castellan

𝓞. mercurial

"You're closer than you think you are, Maristhela." The voice flowed around me, laced with an air of mystery, a soothing yet unsettling velvet that wrapped around my senses. It belonged to a man—no, a presence that danced in the periphery of my consciousness. His words hung like smoke in the stillness, throbbing subtly, vibrating with hidden significance.

I fought to pry my eyelids open, but they seemed heavy, as if coated in the residue of a long, disjointed sleep. I glimpsed a flicker of a figure just beyond reach, his face blurred like a painting left too long in the rain, rendering him both familiar and distant. But before I could grasp him fully, the subtle harmony of my dream shattered.

A jarring beep sliced through the silence, crashing into my mind like a wave obliterating the shore, snapping me back with merciless precision. My hands fumbled for the alarm clock, fingers grazing the cold surface as it droned insistently - a cruel, unwelcome harbinger of reality. Another dream, another whisper of something significant lost in the fog of sleep.

I'd grown up believing that dreams were not mere figments of imagination but mirrors reflecting the complexities of our hearts and souls. They hinted at what was yet to come, narratives woven in the tapestry of slumber. So what did this one mean? What truths were concealed within those cryptic words? What was I destined to uncover sooner or later?

And there it was again—the creeping doubt about my past. My father's absence loomed over me like a specter. Did my recurring dreams hint at the void he left in my life? I couldn't help but question if they were manifestations of unresolved wounds, or if they held something more sinister, perhaps a longing to confront the part of my history I had buried deep. But even with the unanswered questions hanging in the air, I felt the pull of my brother, Percy. With him, the darkness diminished, and my uncertainty softened.

Percy was my anchor, my companion navigating the chaos of our shared dysfunction. We were two sides of the same coin—siblings forged out of struggle and resilience. Even with our own challenges, my dyslexia and his hyperactivity, we shared an understanding that transcended our differences. As I prepared for another day, I reminded myself that as long as I had him, maybe uncovering the truth wouldn't be so daunting after all. The mystery loomed like the fog from my dream, but there was a path forward, and I intended to find out where it led.

funny right? out of everything you can leave the children you abandoned, you leave them learning disorders.

My name is Maristhela Jackson. Star of the Sea, water frequency enthusiast... Am I a troubled teenager? Yeah, you could say that, but it's more like I'm a walking comic strip where the jokes are mostly on me. Seriously, if there was an award for defying the laws of normalcy, I'd take home the gold. I don't just see things; I see things that would make a hallucinating raccoon jealous.

How, you might ask? Well, I live a life peppered with the kind of surreal moments that would have even Salvador Dalí scratching his head. I mean, yesterday, while I was trying to hold a conversation with my math homework (don't judge—integrals don't solve themselves), a giant, taco-shaped dragon swooped through my window, belching glitter and salsa.

Okay, maybe I'm over exaggerating...? All I see are a bunch of mythical creatures anyway. Heh.

Naturally, when I told the adults about it, they suggested therapy. Good news, though! My therapist—who often praises my imagination for being 'colorful'—says there's nothing to worry about. So, yay me for being like this, right?

These 'chimerical' escapades remind me of the whimsical stories our mom used to weave for me and my brother. You know, bedtime tales brimming with enchanted creatures and mischief-makers. One minute, I'm seeing flying horses outside, and the next, poof! I'm left standing in my room, wondering if I accidentally ate a magic mushroom for breakfast.

The upside to my wild experiences? I've got a cheer squad—my brother Percy and our mutual friend Grover. Sharing my bizarre hallucinations with them is like diving into a surreal therapy session with popcorn. We laugh until we cry, debating whether I should dress as a matador for Halloween. They always make me feel a little less like a lone nutcase navigating a warped reality.

But then came the day everything turned upside down. You know, whenever I say that something 'chimerical' decided to come for me, it sounds all dramatic and thrilling, like I'm about to become some legendary heroine. Spoiler alert: it didn't start with a blazing sword and epic music in the background. No, it began when I wanted realized I had nothing to lose—going on a quest, only to be meeting a three-headed creature as I walk to the underworld. Let's just say it wasn't their smile that had me worried; it was the distinct feeling that my life was about to get a whole lot weirder.

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PREFACE

This book is crafted purely for entertainment, drawing inspiration from the beloved Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. The storyline revolves around the Jackson siblings, where Percy initially plays a smaller role in Act One, setting the stage for his prominent involvement in the adventure ahead, particularly in 'The Sea of Monsters'.

In Act One, the spotlight shines on Maristhela Jackson, deemed by the gods as the more suitable candidate to undertake the perilous task of retrieving the lightning bolt. However, Percy's journey unfolds unexpectedly, proving his potential and courage in Act Two. Meanwhile, Maristhela navigates her own challenges, delving into her complex relationship with the son of Hermes.

as for their age gap, the dynamic between Percy and Maristhela mirrors that of legendary siblings like Jason and Thalia, albeit uniquely grounded in their dual heritage as children of a Greek god, rather than one solely Greek and Roman.

This author hopes you will have a good time with mercurial.