Child of the Night {A Percy Jackson Fanfiction}

~ I ~

Caitlyn sat down in Latin class after a short, lonesome lunch. The bell rang, but, the teacher's desk was empty.

Mr. Brunner was always late.

He wheeled himself through the door calling order to the class. Caitlyn liked Mr. Brunner. He was one of the few people in the world who acknowledged her existence. In a good way.

Caitlyn was never liked by people, though, usually, she never liked people. They were too bright, too cheerful. Not that Caitlyn didn't like being cheerful, it's that she never had anyone to be cheerful with.

Because of her social awkwardness, she was often bullied, and having multiple foster patents who wouldn't keep her longer than a year didn't help, either.

"Alright, class, who did the reading last night on the Trojan War?" Mr. Brunner asked.

Caitlyn and a couple others raised their hands.

"Well, I'm disappointed in those who didn't read." Mr Brunner turned to the whiteboard and started writing notes. "If you don't learn about the past, you're doomed to repeat it. Stop throwing paper at mr. Arbuckle, mr. D'Brin."

Mr. Brunner turned to the class. "Do that again and you'll get another two week's detention. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Mr. Brunner," Tomas D'Brin said, unconvincingly.

The moment Mr. Brunner's head turned, Tomas went back to what he was doing before.

"What an idiot," Caitlyn thought, annoyed. Caitlyn always did have a short temper.

***

"Mr. Brunner," the principal said, five minutes to the last bell, as he stuck his head through the doorway, "May I have a word?"

"Certainly," Mr. Brunner replied, putting down his marker. He wheeled himself through the door after the principal.

The moment he left, Tomas D'Brin and his friends started horsing around and making fun of people. Caitlyn took notes quietly. Until she heard her own name.

"...bet her real parents couldn't stand the sight of her," Caitlyn heard Tomas D'Brin say, "I mean, her parents probably weren't even married and she was and accident."

Tomas's friends snickered.

Caitlyn's face burned red, contrasting her milky-white skin. "Shut up" She said quietly.

"...her mom took one look at her and named her 'Eeeeauugh!!' cuz she's so ugly." Matt, one of Tomas's friends, said. The class snickered. "Her mom was probably elephant woman or something."

"Shut up." Caitlyn said louder, starting to loose her cool.

The light above flickered.

"No wonder no one wants to keep her." Tomas said. "Caitlyn's such a b-"

"I said SHUT UP!!" Suddenly, the light above them blew up and sprayed the class with glass shards.

Caitlyn felt her vision go dark for a second before going back tomal.

Classmates screamed and ducked for cover as slivers of sharp glass rained down on them.

Fortunately, no one was hurt. Unfortunately, Mr. Brunner had entered the classroom the same time Caitlyn lost it and when the light blew up. He was staring at her with an alarmed, yet interested look.

The bell rung, signalling the end of school. Caitlyn ran out of the room dispite Mr. Brunner's call.

***

Caitlyn walked quickly back home, through the mud and puddles of April. She stared at he ground, her jet-black hair falling in front of her face.

Caitlyn didn't know what to think of the day's events. Some times lights would flicker around her, as if begging to be turned off. But they had never exploded until today.

Mud spattered her black converse and her favorite galaxy leggings. She loved galaxy clothes. If her clothes weren't black, they were galaxy. Her nose cought the scent of some thing out of the ordinary for April; smoke. She looked up as she turned the corner.

Caitlyn didn't feel the backpack slip out of her grasp and into the mud. She didn't hear the sirens in the distance. she didn't taste the falling ash as it settled in her gaping mouth. All she could see was her house.

Or what was left of it.

The doors were broken down and the windows smashed. The roof was consumed by fire. Caitlyn ran towards the house, screaming for her foster family, who had two small children.

"No, Caitlyn!" A familiar voice shouted behind her.

Caitlyn ran into the house, and turned into the kitchen, looking for the family that had actually kept her longer than two years.
There was no evidence of them, except for the large claw marks marked cabinets and chairs.

Caitlyn heard a monstrous roar behind her. She turned to see the biggest lion she had ever layed eyes on. It pounced before Caitlyn could react. A large horse leapt over her and ran a sword through the lion's mouth. The lion crumbled to dust, but its hide lingered. Then Caitlyn saw the horse's rider.

"Mr..." Caitlyn said, in shock, "Mr. Brunner?"

She then realized that Mr. Brunner was not on the horse, he was the horse.

"It's Chiron, actually, Caitlyn." he explained as he hoisted her onto his back, "and we have alot to talk about. You see, Caitlyn, you're a demigod."