history of man | pjo

Prologue: My Brother & I Almost Die in a Car Crash

Have you ever known that something was going to go bad before it happened?

Had a sinking feeling about getting in a car or on a plane?

Wanted to stay home not for any reason other than a gut feeling?

Well, ever since I was a kid I've had these feelings more than anyone else I know.

People usually listened to them. Small town Montana meant people learnt quickly when to listen to me when it came to my premonitions.

Really it all started when I refused to leave the church after my father's funeral when I was three because something was going to happen. And two minutes later the tornado sirens went off and everyone was ushered back into the church and into the basement.

From that day on people learnt that if I thought there was trouble brewing to listen to me, which is why when I refused to get into my brother's beat up Bronco to go to my grandparents before he deployed, and he made me I knew we were in deep trouble.

I now know that he thought I refused to get in the car because I didn't want him to leave, and how I wished my life was simple enough that my biggest worry about getting in that car was to stop my brother from leaving, but it never had been. And that day had proven that point to both me and my brother.

The drive had been doomed from the start but when Nick slowed the car down and let out a quiet 'shit' at the giant snake in the middle of the road, with ram horns that was coming straight at us.

After the initial sighting and shockingly good defensive driving from my brother, the rest was a blur.

I remember him calling his commanding officer asking for the ability to report two days late so that he could drop me off with family friends as our grandparents couldn't take care of me.

I remember the long drive from Montana to Long Island, mixed in with diversions and dangerous driving to get away from other monsters.

I remember being a terrified 9 year old being met by Mr D and a sweet girl my age, who I know call my best friend, under a tree and my brother saying he couldn't come with me past the tree.

I remember getting a call from my brother when he arrived in Miramar telling me that my grandparents thought I was at a summer camp, and that he'd come and visit when he could but he wasn't sure if I would be able to leave Camp Half Blood.

I remember making friends and watching them get claimed wondering when it would happen to me and it never happening.

In all honesty I think I'm still in that survival mode, not entirely sure if 11 years later if I ever left it.

I know now that Cerastes wasn't the first monster to attack.

I know now why Cerastes attacked.

I know now that my brother has been fighting for my survival since he was 18 and I was 3 when he didn't have to.