Mira Patil: The Thief of the Gods

Grandpa has a Disney Account

"Mom, dad," I say. Dad looks up from his plate of malai kofta and mom, without looking up, simply says, "yes?"

I nervously twirl the table cloth in my hand.

"So, I went to school today-"

"Well, at least you went somewhere," grandpa yells from the living room.

Mom rolls her eyes and says, "I already told you. You're too old to go play cricket."

I hear grandpa mutter some nasty curses.

"We can hear you, dad," my mom says.

"Yeah, yeah," grandpa calls out.

"Anyways," I say, stuffing another piece of naan into my mouth. "The school wants to send me to this Greek camp in New York, and I need your permission to go. You only need to pay for the plane tickets."

My mom and dad have a silent conversation.

My dad nods and then says, "I guess you cou-"

"What!" grandpa yells. He walks into the dining room and sits in an empty chair.

"You want to send your daughter to some foreign place where our gods have no control?" he asks.

"It's a good learning experience," mom says.

"Learning wearning! Back in my day, we were forced to learn english and take the english ways."

Mom shakes her head. "You weren't alive during British rule."

"Tell me daughter, are you willing to let your own daughter take the journey to this dangerous land where she could die sooner than we would like?"

"A) It's New York! B) We visited two summers ago to meet your other daughter. If Mira doesn't like it at the camp, she can always stay at her auntie's house."

Grandpa takes a swig of water and then yells, "Dishonor! Dishonor to you! Dishonor to your cow-"

"Grandpa," I interrupt. "It's only for a month and I'm not going to do anything illegal. My teachers need a break from me and I need a break from them, so why not bother someone else for a while." Grandpa thoughtfully looks at me and I chew on a piece of carrot. Mom and dad hold their breaths. Finally, after an agonizing thirty seconds, grandpa nods and goes back to the living room to watch his cricket match.

"Did grandpa get access to the Disney account?" I ask, mentally laughing at mom's confused expression.

Mom nods gravely. "Looks like we're going to be hearing movie references all month."

(>_<)

It's been one heck of a week and I never thought packing could be worrisome until this week. But, I made it to the airport on time, so that's good. Originally, my parents had wanted me to take the airport in Nagaloka, but Georgia's Terminal C entrance is under repair. Besides, it would have been strange to find a girl on their beach and no explanation on how she had gotten there.

I stretch my arms and look out the window. The sky has a light-blue hue with cotton candy clouds floating about, and, in the distance, a sky-colored chariot pulled by four deer zooms around. Lord Vayu, the god of the winds, must be herding the winds of the south up the east coast.

"Father's chariot is the most beautiful out of all the gods," a voice next to me says. With a great start, I turn to find myself staring at a muscular man with a monkey face wearing a white tuxedo, his long tail twirling in the aisle.

"Lord Hanuman," I say, putting my hands together and lowering my head in a sign of respect. Lord Hanuman smiles and pats my head.

I raise my head and ask "so, what brings you here to this Delta Flight, Mister?"

"Straight to the point. That is a good quality all demigods should possess. You probably already know why I'm here."

I shake my head.

"Do you at least have some vague idea of what the gods ask of you?"

I nod.

"Good, but just to clarify, you're going to this Greek camp to check up on their conditions." Lord Hanuman holds his hand open and an image of the camp appears. Kids in orange shirts run around with building supplies in their hands, and, on a distant hill, kids in purple shirts are dismantling tents.

"As you saw during your class's field trip last month, they've just been through a war with the Romans-"

"It wasn't just the Romans," I interrupt. Lord Hanuman looks at me quizzically.

"They worked together before the war ended to stop a really old god. My teacher didn't tell us which god, though."

"I see," Lord Hanuman says, stroking his beard. "You'll learn about who did it soon enough. Anyways, back to what we were talking about. As the most ancient gods, it is our job to check up on them-"

"Can't you ask one of the minor gods to check in?"

Lord Hanuman laughs and pats my head again.

"No, child," he says. "The Greeks cannot know of our existence. That would be catastrophic, considering that they have just learned of the Romans. But, I need you to know that this job is really important. We have already lost many cultures and traditions. Keeping different cultures alive allows the human race to prosper. Do you understand that?"

I shake my head.

"One day you will understand. Trust me. Also, if I were you, I wouldn't tell them about your soul mother."

(>_<)

I step out of the airport into the bright sunshine of New York City. Skyscrapers rise out of the ground in the distance, their windows reflecting the sky. I breathe in the city air and look around to find a taxi. As I try to spot a yellow cab, a large white sign that says "Welcome to New York, Mira!" catches my eye. I walk towards the sign and find a girl standing next to it. Her curly, blonde hair is in a ponytail and her tan face, along with the string of beads around her neck, makes her look like a Californian. Her searching, gray eyes land on me and I start to feel self-conscious of my messy appearance. She waves and yells, "Over here!" I wave back and head towards her.

"You Mira?" the girl asks. I shift my backpack straps and nod. The girl smiles at me and sticks out her hand diplomatically.

"My name is Annabeth Chase, head counselor of the Athena Cabin."

"The what-cabin?"

"You'll see," Annabeth says, as I get dragged to a white van. I could see the shadow of someone sitting on the driver's seat. I gulp. Is this how people get kidnapped?