The Raven's Call {Percy Jackson based}

Chapter 12- I Meet a Girl High on Kool- Aid

{Alivia's POV}

I turned my back on him, refusing to accept his lies.

"Please, Alivia! I swear, I didn't mean it!" Hugo begged me, but I could still sense the mendacity in his voice.

"We're done, okay? Don't talk to me again." I swiftly left the room, heading towards the woods behind my house. I loved to come here, and feel the sun melt away my anxieties. It always seemed so safe, however many people warned me against it. According to the neighbours, their great- great uncle had once spotted Bigfoot in there. As if that was true.

As I walked along my usual path, I couldn't help wondering whether my (ex) boyfriend, Hugo, hadn't been lying. I wasn't quick to trust people though, and the trust I very rarely possessed was also very fragile. We had been together for three months, mainly because we were both the antisocial, weirdos of the school, that everybody ignored. He had told me that we were meant to be, but recently he had been acting peculiar, and manipulative.

As I looked on ahead, I noticed the silhouette of a boy, standing with his back to me. Hugo? I wanted to ignore him, to let him know that we were over, but it seemed strange how he had managed to get there without passing me.

"Hugo? What are you doing there?" No reply came, so I walked closer, slightly wary.

"Hugo?" As I got closer, I noticed that he was standing almost deadly still, so I tapped him on the shoulder. What turned around to greet me was not Hugo. Hugo's coat fell to the ground, revealing a large snake, as wide as my head. It slithered towards me with tremendous speed, and I realised that it had a head at the other end, too. I screamed in shock. Maybe it was one of those government experiments from one of my conspiracy theories. I resisted the urge to call it a 'snek'.

The snake bared its fangs, spitting out a mix of salitha and venom. Some landed on my boots, leaving scorched holes in the leather. The only thing that was now on my mind was running. So I did.

As I increased in speed, it seemed that the creature did too. Spitting acid at me as I sprinted out of the woods, I was relieved to find a small shop. I jumped through the door, jogging down one of the aisles, which, for some reason, was stocked full of pillow pets. I tried to find some matches and alcohol, hoping that the plan I was formulating in my mind would work. If I could find any, then I could cover the snake in alcohol, and then set fire to it. I stumbled over a tin of tomato soup lying on the ground, causing an old lady to turn around to the sound.

"My dear, are you okay?"

"I'm absolutely fine, thanks," I turned to the door, wondering if the snake was still visible, which it was.

"Well, actually, that snake was following me in. It's probably best that you don't leave here until it's safe."

"It's not nice to prank an old lady, you know! There's no such thing outside." The woman started walking away from me.

"I'm not pranking you! There is a massive snake outside of this mini-mart."

When she didn't reply, I presumed that she was deaf, as well as partially blind. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a packet of matches, which I immediately grabbed. I ran down the next aisle, hoping that it would contain drinks. It did, so I picked a bottle of the first whiskey I saw. I held it in my right hand and glanced at my reflection in the glass. My hazel eyes and chestnut brown hair almost showed up in the glass, although my pale skin definitely did.

As I walked towards the door, I opened up the whiskey, pulling with all my might to lift the cap. I was surprised by my strength, but there was no time for revelations. As soon as I opened the door, the serpent leaped at me, its teeth grazing my arm. I poured the bottle over the snake, unsure whether any had landed on it while it was wriggling. I opened up the matchbox, quickly grabbing a match and striking it against the side. It failed to light, so I dropped it to the ground and took another. This one lit, so I immediately dropped it to the ground. I ran out of the impact area, just in time as the snake burst into flames. I charged into the distance as I realised that the lawn outside the mini-mart was also now on fire, and the flames were quickly spreading towards me.

The snake hissed and thrashed behind me. I had no clue where I was going but I knew that it was further away from the snake, and I was okay with that. Trees and buildings flew by in a blur as I ran towards the only lights in sight. Within a few minutes, the mini-Mart was lost to my sight, and all that remained were lime green hills, which looked suspicious for the area of the country I was in. It was then that I noticed an archway, with a girl who looked about the age of 13 leaning against it. She had a flask in her hand that looked like it was full of1 Kool-aid? Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this earlier, but she looked high.

"I'm sorry, miss, but I'm being chased by a two headed snake. It's on fire, but I'm not sure that's going to stop it, " Instead of the strange looks I was sure I would receive, she looked worried, and looked into the distance.

"First of all, I'm a dude, and second of all- Wait, is that whiskey?!"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Cause I'm sick of this Kool aid! I want proper alcohol!"

"Is that why you look like you're high? Also, you look way too young to drink alcohol."

"One, I don't look high, and two who gives a f-"

"I hope you weren't about to curse, Dakota," shouted a girl as she emerged from the archway behind the dude high on cool aid. She pulled me through the arches, revealing a large city not before visible to my eyes. People of all ages walked the streets, carrying various weapons, and some even wearing togas.

''I'm Reyna, and this is New Rome."