Chapter One

This was now or never.

Tanya Burlington was hyperventilating. She stood outside a tall building with glass walls, reflecting the sky above and the busy streets below. Her reflection was etched in the glass in front of her, mirroring her red leather jacket, white shirt and skinny jeans. Her face held the expression of nervous and whipped, as if she was in danger.  Besides, it's acceptable. This was her very first encounter with a famous man. This could turn into a dream or a disaster.

Tanya licked her lips, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. As she opened her eyes, her feet brought her towards the double doors. She was ready. She was already there. There's no turning back. She grasped the cold metal handle and pushed the door. A huge wave of cold air had greeted her and made her shiver. The soles of her ballet flats crushed the soft brambles on the maroon carpet. Inside, people were everywhere. She even thought she was in the wrong place. There were business-people, rich people, cameramen and ladies with shopping bags. There wasn't a place for a fangirl here.

The beige walls of the Expo hall were lined with posters and tarpaulins of the promotions held inside the building. There were authentic designer bags sale, kitchenware sale, and even Chinese junkie food fair. There wasn't any poster of what she was looking for. Tanya was a bit disappointed. Her legs clad with her skinny jeans crossed the hall and she sat on the waiting area, next to a balding old businessman who was reading a newspaper. The supposed autograph signing was due in fifteen minutes and she wasn't close to it. All the handwork was now wasted. Tanya began to mope. Her hopeful eyes darkened with pain and her lips turned into a frown. Never in her whole life did she get this disappointed. Not even when her parents separated. Not even when her old bestfriend, Becca, moved to the West Coast.  This was a close opportunity but it seemed like she was far from it.

After a few minutes of drowning herself with hates, she saw a couple of girls wearing the same shade of orange shirt she possessed pass by. In their shirt, she recognized something. It has the same print with her fandom shirt. She composed herself, stood up and followed the girls. She was in the right place after all. Tanya followed them deeper into the halls, like this was their own home. They were chatting about some stuff she couldn't very much comprehend. After a few turns, they entered another double door with huge silver 25 embedded on each wood. In the doorway, a poster stood before, bearing the words, "Get the official certificate of enrollment, Demigods! And a sneak peek of Riordan's new book!

Tanya stopped and smiled. She has done it all right. Well, with special thanks to her fandom family of whom she stalked to get here. With a final shaky, nervous breath, she pushed open the door. The sight was unbearable. People were everywhere. The whole room was jam-packed with readers of all ages. A mass of yellow, brown, black and red hairs were swimming before her eyes. Everyone was seated on steel gray folding chairs. The room was lit idly so the scene was a bit dark and yellow from the spotlights. Tanya squinted her eyes as she scanned the crowd. Her nose can smell the fragrance of the crisp smell of books, the smell of perfumes, the smell of aircons and the smell of happiness.

"Hi, how can I help you?" A lady in her early thirties, with a headset and clipboard, came up to her. She was wearing a long-sleeved black polo and black tight slacks.

"Oh. Hi, where will I head?" Tanya replied, clearly blessed with no clue.

"Just sign here and take a seat anywhere," She handed Tanya the clipboard and smiled at her. Tanya grabbed the pen from her other hand and began writing.

Tanya Burlington                                                                                            Maine

"You're from Maine?" The lady asked. Tanya looked up and nodded,"Well-Tanya- have fun and I hope the trip was worth it."

"Thanks." That was all she could muster.