Mortal Power: A Percy Jackson Fanfiction

Chapter 2

My eyes flicker open, taking a moment to adjust to my dim surroundings. The dark sky sparkles with stars, making me wonder which are actually still there. A hoot sounds in the distance and my head snaps toward the sound, causing my world to tip over and my head to swirl. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to let the queasyness pass.

I cautiosly sit up, making sure not to move my head too much. Next to me, a shallow river gleams lazily at me. I widen my eyes as what looks like a pretty face smiles up at me, but in an instant, it disappears. My eyes must be playing tricks on me.

My tummy rumbles grumpily and I start searching for my bag with a panic. I locate it; still on my back, and drier than it was before I was swept away by the ruthless currents. I must have been here a while. I swing my bag onto the ground in front of me and drink greedily from the bottle. My stomach protests as the water swishes into my stomach all at once, but my dry mouth is bathed in too much pleasure to care. I wrench it away from my lips when it is half empty, and begin on the salty, blissful crackers. I take them in handfuls, relishing the feeling of a full stomach.

With a final swig of cool water, I finish my feast and set off, deciding to leave the river and follow the road that winds through the tall trees.

Though it was slightly haunting at first, I find the night time quite beautiful in the forest, once I change my perspective. The stars twinkle at me through the light canopy above me and soft twitterings and chatterings weave between the trees. I try to ignore the large, yellow eyes shining at me from the branches.

I shiver. The cold Autumn bites at my fingers and sets into my clothes, making me wish I had packed more clothing. I pick up my pace, hoping to warm myself up.

My mind perks up when I realise that my path is getting steeper. This must be a hill! Maybe if I get to the top I can try to pinpoint where I am... With each step I take, more heat drifts away from me as I helplessly hope to find some kind of shelter, anything to keep me warm. My mood begins to turn bitter to match the cold. I should've gone to that stupid camp... Then maybe I'd at least be warm.

My frown raises as I notice an odd glow in the distance. A camping ground? Whatever it is, I'm coming. I begin jogging toward the light glowing through the trees, imagining warm food, warm fires and warm people. What if they're weird hobos who'll kidnap me? Shush, no time for negative thinking.

I look up and notice a large pine tree towering over the rest like a king. Or a queen, I may never know. So eager to reach the top, I put on a burst of speed, bringing the glow and the pine tree closer. Why does this feel so special?

I reach the top with a smile that slowly fades from existance. My eyes must be playing more tricks in the dark. I gape disbelievingly at the sight of a large, copper scaled dragon wrapped around the giant pine tree. It's head snakes toward me and it inspects me with accusing yellow eyes, then seems to decide I'm agreeable and relaxes, though it continues to squint suspiciously at me.

"I must be insane."

I am about to look past the must-be hallucination to look at what I hope is a camp ground when I hear a rustling behind me. I don't even have time to finish turning to look when an explosion racks my brain and I fall to the ground. I dazedly look around, but no one appears to be there. I hear a shout and someone running up the other side of the hill before my world slips away.

* * *

I am six again. I'm in the orphanage nursery, the nursery that is only for show when someone comes looking to adopt.

I am so lucky; no one ever picks me. They said that I stood out to them as they walked past, the lovely, laughing couple who is every unadopted orphan's dream. They seem beautiful and pure, and would make a perfect mummy and daddy.

They finish asking me questions about myself. "Thank you, Audin. Would you mind if we talked in private? Why don't you go over there and play with the tea set?" I obey excitedly, willing to do anything if that musical voice so wishes.

Miss Take glares mutinously at me as I skip past, furious that her attempts to deter the couple had failed miserably. Another slave, gone to a happy life.

As I fiddle with the light pink tea set, I try not to eavesdrop on their whispering, but the butterflies are too strong and I'm too anxious to know if I can leave this gloomy dwelling.

I go to gaze out of the window and shriek with terror as my eyes fall upon an ugly beast; a large, frightening creature that looks like it was born from man and bull. The couple looks at me with panic, wondering if there is something wrong. They continue to stare at me, but their faces slowly transform from terrified to worried. Can't they see the monster?

I panic, wanting to protect these lovely people who I so want to go home with. Everything goes fuzzy as the dream transforms, my last sight being fire...

The darkness procures another memory, but this time I am older, in Miss Take's office, and she looks angry. "You're saying the pipes just magically burst on their own?!"

I gulp, but I hold my chin high. "Yes." She scowls at me. I scowl back. How am I supposed to explain how my anger and frustration at her, and having to scrub the bathrooms with a toothbrush, had just built up and the taps exploded with water...

"Don't make excuses. Flooding the bathroom is appauling! I swear, this punishment will be far more..." Her repulsive voice begins to fade away as I come into consiousness...

* * *

I groan as my eyes crack open and I come to. I sit up and my head throbs painfully, so I reach a hand to the back of my head-

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I freeze, my fingers hovering behind my head, before I whip around to see a boy lounging on a chair next to my bed. He has messy black hair, glinting grey eyes and a cocky air around him. "You have a gross bruise there, it would probably hurt too much to touch it."

I look around the room, which is bare save for a window with warm sunlight streaming through, the chair with the boy in it, my bed and a table. I finish surveying the room before I turn back to the boy and scowl at him. "Who are you? Where am I? How did I get here?"

He puts his hands up and releases a light chuckle, which sounds like music to my ears. Shut up! My scowl deepens. "Unimportant, Camp Half-Blood, we carried you. Now, who are you?" My eyes wander down to his bright orange shirt, and sure enough, Camp Half-Blood is printed on the front in black writing.

I straighten, pushing my confusion aside. "Why should I reveal who I am when you haven't?" He crosses his arms and shrugs. "Fine, I'll find out sooner or later anyway. Oh, and by the way, your name doesn't define who you are, just what people tend to call you." I clench my fist. Gee, this guy is annoying.

"Oh, I was supposed to give you some Nectar." He gestures at a glass full of amber liquid. "Okay... What is that?" He sighs with apparent annoyance. "It doesn't matter, just drink it." I shrug and take up the glass, placing the straw in between my lips. Here goes breaking the 'don't accept food from strangers' rule... A stab of warning hits me as I take a sip.

Though I only took a drop, the inside of my mouth sears with burning hot pain. I cry out and the boy's eyes widen. As I spit the awful drink onto the sheets, he grabs an ice cube from a bucket next to him and shoves it into my mouth, which stems the heat. "What the hell was that? Have you drunk any recently?"

I crunch on the ice and swallow it. "You're asking me? I don't even know what the hell that was. What was the bucket there for anyway? Awfully conveniant. Did you prank me?"

He shakes his head with a frown. "Of course not, that was there in case you developed a fever..."

I sigh with impatience and fold the sheet over the spat-up drink. "Whatever. What is Camp Half-Blood? When can I leave?"

"Hold up, stranger. Before we answer any of that, you better go and see Chiron."

I scowl at him, annoyed that everything he says confuses me further. "Who's that?"