You are probably not going to believe me, you are going to think I am crazy, everybody does, but

I promise you I am not crazy. You should also know that I never asked for any of this, I didnt want to be different, I wanted to fit in, to be accepted, but I am different, and now I wouldnt change for the world, because identity is special, and even though I have been through a lot, and have a lot of doubts, I am still me. Nobody can take that away from me. Now you might be wondering, what are you then, what are you if you are not normal, do you have some sort of disorder? No. I do not have any disorders, well, I do have Dyslexia and ADHD, but that is not what I meant, I am still not normal. I am a demigod, a child of a god, go ahead and laugh, I am used to it by now, but dont think I am some imaginative little child, not knowing who she is. I can do things, things you cant. I know things, things you were never supposed to know, and never will. I am special. Now you must be wondering, if you are a demigod, then who is your immortal, powerful, godly, parent who I still dont believe in no matter what you tell me? Athena. It is complicated, so do not ask, I myself do not know my family tree. I will tell you how I found out who I was, and what happened to me after that. You probably still think I am crazy, but even if you dont believe me, just hear what I have to say. My name is Ayesha Reynolds, thats one more thing you should know before I tell my story. I know its not a common name, but I like it, and I am a demigod, so dont say anything. You dont want to make me mad. You would not like me when I am mad, I can get very impulsive, and I have a good aim.

My story started in January of 2014, about a month ago, I think, in Honolulu, Hawaii, and it was just another beautiful day. The sun was shining, warm on my back, the water was a crystal clear blue and cool, and the sand was pleasurably warm under my feet. The only unpleasant thing was the raging thirst that wouldnt stop pestering me, but I couldnt go anywhere, I had archery lessons, the ones my dad had made me take, when he had been around. The teacher was as strict about that as my dad had been, and that was a very bad thing. I was practically trapped in the wide-open beech expanse that we used as an archery range, sad, huh? What are you waiting for? came the lighthearted question from my teacher, her long, curly, black hair flowing down her back, and whispering across her tan face, she sounded like she didnt have a care in the world, but I knew that meant get back to work. She walked over to my target. Her name was Kamea, meaning The One and Only. I could see that the years of sorrow that she had gone through had etched their marks in her skin, but she seemed to be having better times then. Something to drink. I said, almost meaning it, daydreaming wouldnt have gotten me anywhere in this situation anyway, I needed to go back to archery, no matter how badly I wanted to walk away. I stepped closer and picked up my beautiful African mahogany bow, I aimed at the target, my last shot of the day, it was the hardest to make. It was about five bus lengths away from me, my teacher standing barely to the left of the target, she wasnt going to move, she wasnt going anywhere. I swallowed, hard. I had to make this shot; her life depended on it, literally. At least she trusted me, but that wouldnt help either of us if I killed her.

I released the arrow with one clean motion of my hand, the string rubbing harshly across my calloused hand. I winced at the sound of it rushing through the air, if I heard a scream I would have known that my teacher had been hit. Luckily, when I opened my eyes, she was okay, and my arrow; well it had hit the bulls eye, I was ecstatic. A scream of joy escaped me and I jumped up. That was the hardest shot I had ever made. I had a new personal record, nobody could beat me, I was my own champion. My training for that day was over, and then something strange happened. It always seems to happen to me, nobody else sees the things I see, but as I thanked my teacher for her help and made my way to the snack shop less than a mile away from the beachside archery range, I got the feeling that I was being watched. I whipped around, my hair in my face, nobody there. Strange, I thought. A twig snapped, I turned again, my hair stinging my face this time, nothing. I felt a hand on my shoulder; I looked back, scared now, nothing. I tried to scream, but I couldnt, no sound would come out of my mouth. I realized a hand was covering my mouth, but like before; there was nothing there. I started panicking and kicking and trying desperately to scream. The hand moved to my back and I got pushed to a remote area, and a person became visible out of nothingness. Dont scream, youre okay. She coaxed, trying to get me to calm down. She looked like me, exactly like me. It scared me, like my twin coming after me, but I didnt have any siblings. I screamed, but her hand covered my mouth. I tried to bite her, but I had to resort to struggling instead.

Calm down, are you crazy, who are you? I exclaimed and asked, muffled by her hand, in a way that definitely told her that I had not calmed down, and had no intention of doing so. You are special, you you can do things other people cant, right, see things they cant, notice things they dont. There is a reason for that, but you are in danger, I have to get you to camp, to safety, a Satyr would have come to get you, but we had a shortage, so hi, let me introduce myself, I am Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. She rambled, trying to tell me everything at once. So, all that Greek myth stuff, its real? I dont believe you, it isnt and youre some weirdo, Im calling the police. I growl at her, but she just looks at me, smiling. That is Percy. You are our quest. She smiled on. I look behind her, a teenage boy is riding the waves, without a surfboard, without getting wet, and is on twice as high waves as the surfers. Son of Poseidon, right? I ask trying to find some logical explanation for what he was doing. He was surfing, but without a board, and on waves twice a high as all of the other surfers I repeated to myself, I stared, what if what she was right? No. I was just being foolish. Yep. She smiles on, and turns toward him. Did you get held up talking to your dad, or a sea creature, or a water nymph, she asks him accusingly, Because it does not take that long to cross the Ocean like that. Sorry, wise girl, remember I was sent here a lot later than you were, so its still a miracle that you got here before me. What did you do? Ship yourself here in an O.P.S. package or did you take the three sisters taxi?

Okay, Percy, Annabeth, Im still here, where is this camp, and I am not going there! Oh, and, whats the O.P.S. anyway, or the taxi thing? I ask, confused and relieved at the same time. Yeah, go pack your bags and meet us back here, we will tell you about camp and O.P.S. later, but we have to hurry. Percy answered looking around as if expecting someone to creep up behind us. Okay, Ill be back soon. Promise. Im not running away or going anywhere. I say trying to convince them that what I was saying was true, even though it wasnt. Need help packing? both of them asked at the same time. They looked at each other and smiled a competitive smile. Friends. That was what was awaiting me at this camp if it was real and I was going. People like me. Uh, okay! I shouted as I started sprinting down the beach, my thirst had vanished now. I had a rush of adrenaline; somehow I knew that this camp was my real home. I was going home. My mom had gone away and my dad had died, so I was alone. The thought was too much to bear. I arrived at the house that was now mine and rushed up into my room. I packed the largest bad I could find. Percy and Annabeth threw anything they thought I would need in the bag too. I was starting to like this idea more than I was admitting to myself. When we were done packing it was very heavy, we were going to have to take turns carrying it if we had to walk anywhere. We ran back toward the beach as fast as we could with the luggage, and when we arrived it was deserted. There was an uneasy feeling in the air, like the world

was holding its breath, waiting, watching. It felt heavier too, like the sky was being pressed upon us. I gasped for air. Not good, were too late, we have to hurry. Percy puffed frantically turning around like a puppy chasing his tail. Fear clouded his eyes. They were more vibrant than before. No kidding, seaweed brain. Annabeth smirked, her eyes looked brighter too, like the wheals in her head were churning at hypersonic speed. I knew that was what Athena was good at, and I had the feeling she was too. Now that I thought about it, so was I, we were probably related, but then again, all half bloods are. I have an idea, get in the boat. Percy said after reading Annabeths expression, it wasnt really his idea, but I wasnt going to say anything now that we were in his terrain. I knew better that that. I didnt want to get thrown off or whatever he whatever else he was capable of. The boat sped across the Atlantic at an impossible speed and as I looked for the engine, I realized that Percy was doing all of the pushing. He was controlling the currents; we were headed to camp the most eco-friendly way possible. I beamed, I could definitely get used to this, but I would get very stiff after a while. I recalled the state as we passed it, California. After the very long trip, we had to rest, especially Percy, who was the only reason we had already come so far, only one problem, none of us spoke Spanish, and we were in Mexico. We stayed on the streets with nothing to eat, but sleep was welcome, and I was sick of being on a boat. Tomorrow we would have to keep pressing on. The air

was getting heavier here too, and Percy and Annabeth were getting more fidgety by the second, the faster we got to the camp, the better. When the sun rose above Mexico, the smell of fruit woke me, Annabeth and Percy had handfuls. We would be eating fruit for breakfast, none of us complained, something was better than nothing, and in our hurry it was a miracle that they had come by anything to eat. The fruit was juicy and fresh, but there was only a little bit for everybody, and we left far too soon for my liking. We headed back to the boat less than an hour after I woke up. I was still drowsy. I must have fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes again we were at the coast of Panama. We were taking the Panama Canal. Annabeth was astounded. She loved it. I took my mind off of the canal and focused on the sea, it almost seemed purer after we made it across, bluer, clearer. We were in the Caribbean. After a while of just being out in the open sea, specks started appearing in the distance, islands, according to Annabeth and Percy. Land, our home for the next couple of hours while we rested. Manzanillo, Cuba had a beautiful beach, and that, we decided, was the best place to stay until the sun came up. We took off our jackets and took anything we could find to shield us from the sand and constructed a sleeping site. It was a sad thing to see, but we would have to deal with it for the night. It would have to be enough. Nothing is more pleasant than waking up to a beautiful sunrise and the taste of brine and sand in your mouth. Take it from me, if you want to stay on a beach,

take a tent. No breakfast is also a very bad idea, very bad, very, very bad. That was the worst day of my life so far. We hit the road, so to speak, after we rinsed our mouths out with sea water, luckily, it was filtered by Percy, otherwise I think I might have barfed, right then and there. The beach and crystal clear water were enchanting as we set sail, or more like, set Percy. I was so tired that I fell asleep on the boat again. I woke up slightly more awake, but stiff, so stiff I could feel every muscle. I was miserable. The only reason I wasnt despairing was that Percy said that we would be there tomorrow. A real bed was really inviting then. We docked on Sols Island in North Carolina, we had to sleep on a beach again. I was thrilled. We set up our temporary shelter again. It didnt take as long and we had time to explore and become familiar with the area we would be sleeping in. We decided to call it a night much earlier than usual and I got the feeling that Percy and Annabeth wanted to get away from this place as soon as possible. That was fine by me. I just wanted to get away before whatever we were running from caught up to us. In the morning, the cold sea breeze woke me up before anybody else. I got up to look around, the thick smog that had seemed to be following us was now gone. Fresh air and winds blew at the mist surrounding the island. Mist, what had I learned about mist? Right, it obscures the vision of mortals, and sometimes if its thick enough half-bloods like us. Oh no, I have to get back to Annabeth and Percy! My feet pounded

heavily against the sand, my legs and lungs were burning and my hair was in my face as I arrived at our shelter, waking them up. Percy took the cap off of his pen. It turned into a sword. Anaklusmus, the Greek-style sword that his father had given him. Annabeth took out her Yankees hat. The one that could make her disappear. Her mom had given her that. I couldnt help but wonder whether my godly parent would give me something to help me survive in the harsh world out here, but then again, nobody had ever helped me. Nobody had ever done anything for me. I found my bow next to me in the sand. It had been on the other side of our shelter seconds ago. My gift. Ive had it all along, my parent has heard my thoughts and wants to help me. Thank you great godly one. I dont know what to say. You have helped me; I must somehow return your favor. I smile. I wasnt alone. I wasnt defenseless. I was a soldier and I was proud. We threw everything into the boat the way it was and fled the island, we were close, today, if we werent attacked, we would make it to camp. We would be safe once again, although I doubted that I had ever truly been safe, there had always been someone there for me, and then I realized something as we were bouncing over the waves. My dad had sacrificed himself for me. He had done so much for me and the way I had repaid him was with shunning him. I was so ashamed. I had done nothing for him, and I had never repaid him. As the waves and sea kept flowing by at a steady and blurring rate I tried to make out what was beyond the mist and the spray, but to no avail. I would have to

wait with bated breath to find out what camp looked like. I was dying of anticipation; I just hoped that I didnt actually die. It didnt take long before Percy told us we were getting closer to our destination, but I was to busy praying that we wouldnt get killed to react. If we were ambushed then, I would have been helpless, but we were at sea, Percys home element. He could save us, but I didnt want to rely on any one person. We started slowing down as the sun set over the horizon and I started getting butterflies. What would camp look like, would I really be welcome there, or would I be an outcast like in Hawaii, alone and confused? I decided worrying would have to wait until later, we had to get ashore, we had to dock at camp. Long Island loomed in front of us, dense with forest, the perfect place to hide a camp from the world, the perfect place to protect people like us. Percy steered us around the side of the island and into a small salt-water river, the one that would lead us to camp. My heart pounded, I could feel the energy of camp already. It was thrilling. Have you ever eaten so much candy that you felt you could do anything and you would never fail or run out of power? That is what this place felt like, and it was heaven. After a minute I started hearing the shouts of people, half-bloods, my home sounded so inviting that I would have jumped out of the boat right then and there and swam to shore if I didnt know better, but thankfully I did. The noise just continued to get louder as we approached the shore, but since I was still having trouble processing all of the Greek myth stuff, I didnt want to trust my eyesight when I saw Nymphs, Satyrs, a Centaur, a Cyclopes, a Hellhound, a funny

looking pale adult, and lots and lots of campers. It was a paradise, with all sorts of challenges and obstacles, from the start I knew I was going to fit right in. We docked at the beach and were greeted by the Centaur and the man. The man was wearing ridiculous clothing, and I couldnt get over the fact that the other guy in front of me was half horse; apparently he noticed that I was staring at him in confusion, awe, and utter amazement. Well, havent you ever seen a Centaur before? he asked accusingly, he seemed to be very protective of his appearance, but so would I if I was half horse. No, sir, but I have heard all about them, you brethren are, um, different, than you or mortals, right, eh, they are, how do I say this without sounding like I am insulting you, immature? I rambled; I tend to do that when I am nervous. If I learned anything right there, it was that what I had said was a very wrong answer. Yes, I am Chiron activities director, and that is Diony Mr. D. Chiron said rather tersely. I am Ayesha Reynolds, and youre Dionysus, I thought you were, like, on Olympus or something. I replied. Another bad answer, it turns out Dionysus is a very proud god, they all are, but he takes proud to another level. Well, then Miss Alicia Rogan, let me give you a quick lesson, I was sent here by Zeus because he is holding a stupid grudge against me that will last all of eternity, so I will be stuck here as long as there still is a here to be, so you better get over it! He lectured, his eyes burning with a purple fire, his face turning a very similar color. A warm welcome, but I knew how to hold my ground, so I just kept on smiling.

Okay, I replied and looked over to Chiron, where will I be staying? There were twelve cabins, each one was different, they were all for the children of the gods, one cabin for each major god, but I had no Idea who my Godly Parent was, so would I doubted I would even get to be in a cabin. This is a highly unusual event, but since the Hermes cabin was burned down, you will have to stay in a different cabin, and because almost all of them are packed to the rim, you will stay in Percys cabin until you are determined, or until the Hermes cabin is rebuilt. Chiron says, thinking about whether or not I was going to cause any trouble, but after a short period of time he decided that he had other things to do and trotted away in full thought, Dionysus stomping behind him like a little kid who just had a tantrum. Dont worry about it, Mr. D is always like that, and Chiron just has a lot on his mind with the whole Titan war going on right now. Oh, yeah, and Mr. D has only said my name right once, so dont let that bother you either, he does it on purpose, still doesnt want to admit that he said my name right. Percy commented, I wondered what the cabins would look like, and why Annabeth was being so quiet. Percy, she whispered, barely audible, did you see that, I think it was L Lu Kronos. I had no idea why she was whispering, or who Lu was, but Kronos, that was not good, even I knew that. He was the Titan Lord, then it clicked, Titan war; the Titans were rebelling against the Olympic gods. One thing went through my mind as I thought or that. Im dead, no training yet, war, and Im dead.

As Percy started getting red, and Annabeth started running away, I dragged Percy over to the Oceanic looking cabin, I figured that would be the only cabin that belonged to him. He got out of his shock, but not out of his moment of anger, and he kind of let that out on me. Forget what I said earlier about dying, I thought right then and there that I was done for. He drowned the entire cabin, and even though I was a good swimmer, I couldnt hold my breath for forever, unlike him, I had to get him to stop. Immediatly. I kicked and thrashed, my limbs getting heavier, my lungs were on fire, but I couldnt snap him out of it. He was crazy. My vision started clouding and blackening at the edges, like black sand was coming to engulf me, I screamed one time under water, getting his attention. He propelled himself toward me and stopped the flood, my head hit the ground hard and that was the last thing that I could remember. I woke up in the infirmary of the camp, and young man standing over me. I thought that I recognized him from somewhere, but I was being delusional right then, so I couldnt trust my senses. He had sandy blond hair, and a scar across his face; the next time I looked he was gone. Not long after, or was it long after? I couldnt tell how long I had been lying there, but the next time I opened my eyes I heard shouting, ringing in my ears and I saw Percy and Annabeth standing at the edge of my bead. They hadnt realized that I had woken up, so I played asleep and followed their fighting through half-closed eyes.

How irresponsible can you get Percy? Along all of our quests you have always made something go wrong, you have always messed up, but now youre so drawn into you own selfishness that you go ahead and practically drown a camper! Maybe my mom was right! Annabeth yells at him. I wonder what her mother said, but I am too drowsy to think. Oh, so now its my fault? If you hadnt fallen head over heals for the bad guy in the first place, I wouldnt have to get mad! You always swoon when hes around, protect him from negative thoughts, and still dont accept that he is not coming back! He is working for Kronos! He isnt a camper anymore, he tried to kill me when I had done nothing wrong, and you accuse me of being selfish, talk about putting you own needs first! Percy screamed back, both were looking hurt now. They stalk off, anger bubbling in their eyes. I felt bad; maybe I shouldnt have come, if I hadnt come, than none of this would have happened. I wouldnt have destroyed their friendship. The blond man with the scar on his face returns and hands me a glass with nectar inside it. Nectar helps me heal, and it makes me feel better, so I take it readily. When the nectar flows down my throat it sends a warm feeling through my body, but it doesnt taste like anything. Strange, nectar always tastes wonderful. I start panicking. What if this wasnt nectar? That was my last thought before I blacked out, I was really angry at myself for being so foolish, how stupid could I get, I was putting myself in danger to feel better. The darkness was more blinding then the sun had ever been, I couldnt see anything, but I heard the cold, dark laughter. It sounded like two knives scraping each other in perfect rhythm. I didnt know if I wanted to cry or to scream, but I

wanted to let my emotions out. I had betrayed myself and I had made my only friends fight, what kind of a person was I? That was when the voice started talking, it was loud and cold, and it took me a while to realize that it was in my head, I wasnt imagining it, but whoever, or whatever this was, it had access to my thoughts, to my head. I was too scared to move, but that was before the bark echoed through the cave. It was deep and loud, and it had to belong to something huge. When my eyes had finally adjusted to the pitch-blackness I saw the man who gave me the nectar and a dog, but not just a regular dog, it was huge, skyscraper huge. Nice of you to show up Ms. OLeary, is your owner looking for you? Percy wont find you down here, but I know there is a game that you love to play, what is it called again? Right, Get the Roman! The man shouted unsympathetically, pointing to me for the last part. Oh no, the overgrown dog probably thinks I am a Roman chew toy, and belonging to the Greeks, that is not good. I thought, I was going to die, if this thing landed on me, I was dead meat. Ms. OLeary whimpered at the sound of Percys name, I hadnt known he had a hellhound, and how long would it take him to realize that she was gone. She walked over to me and gently picked me up in her mouth, she shook me cautiously stories above the ground. When the man realized that the hellhound wasnt going to intentionally hurt me, he got really angry and he decided to make her hurt me without her realizing it.

Drop it! he yelled at her, she obeyed. I heard a snap, my vision blurred and I hurt all over. Ms. OLeary whimpered. I must smell like Percy and Annabeth. I thought, I had spent a lot of time with them, so that wouldnt surprise me, and the hellhound didnt want to hurt me because she liked both of them. That was a serious advantage, but I wasnt strong enough to think of advantages. I tried to get up and Ms. OLeary nudged me to try and help, every movement was like a blade slicing through my skin. When I finally stood, it was only with the help of the hellhound, and that did not make anything better for me because the man was furious now, he wanted me dead. The man walked toward me snickering, Go, now, you stupid hellhound, you are of no use to me, run to your owner and whimper you head off! Now! he yelled, I felt really bad for the hellhound, she was only doing what she felt was right, and it came to my advantage too, so that was a big help. As soon as she left, he walked the remaining distance between us so he was standing in front of me, Im sorry, we havent formally been introduced, have we? Im Luke, son of a god who doesnt care about his children, just like all the other gods, I am one of the leaders of the revolt, join us or die. He informed me, a very pleasant conversation starter. I glared at him. Ayesha, daughter of a god, undetermined, but not joining your stupid cause, so deal with it! I replied, not knowing what I would do to escape, but hoping to buy myself some time to think. Feisty, huh, reminds me of a captive I had before, Annabeth, you know her dont you, yeah, she was bait for the goody two shoes demigods out there, it worked,

so was the goddess Artemis. Youre next. He gloated; proud of his achievements, and the fact that he captured a goddess didnt make me feel any better. A horrible pain chorused through my body as something hit me in the back of the head, I assumed it was Luke, but then there was nothing, not even the fading of my surroundings, just black, I prepared myself for death. It didnt come. I woke up with excruciating pain in my body, but especially my back, I looked around, but I couldnt move. I was on top of Mt. Tam, in California, and I was holding up the sky. I blinked, I was holding up the sky? Then I realized that the Titan Atlas was standing in front of me, huge and repulsive, I had taken his place, I would be here forever. I would have to strain until I was rescued, if I made it that long. Days have passed since I first felt the weight of the sky on my shoulders; I struggle constantly, without food, water or sleep. I cant keep track of time and I have no visitors other than the ever-returning feeling of guilt. This was my fault, I had destroyed my friends bond, and I had brought myself here. I felt horrible, counting on them to save me. A large gray streak has formed in my hair from holding up the sky, I am weary and my vision is blurring, the pain is unbearable and worse than ever before, I felt like the world was trying to break me, and I was starting to fall under the pressure. Each day the sky came closer to the ground, each day, was a day closer to everybodys doom. I think it has been months now, I dont know, but I can barely see anything, except for the occasional gloating look that Luke flashes when he passes. I hate him even more than I hate myself. To most girls, I think, he would be attractive, but I see

past his fake face, I dont think he is good looking, I think he deserves to die, no matter how many people will cry for him, or how little he will have when he dies. I am compacted by the sky now, I might actually be shrinking, I feel like a thousand needles have been stuck in me for years. I am too thin, I am weary, I am dying. I will die; with everything I have done still gnawing at me like a parasite. Never again will I be the same. I hear the raging sounds of battle outside, they have come, the sounds drone in my ear in a monotone, one sound blending with the next. The world is black all around me and the cries of agony are non-existent. I hear footsteps, and I am aware, yet unaware, I do not know who it is, or if I will be punished or saved, but I feel some one grab my arm. I dont feel anything else, I am completely numb, all I taste is the coppery liquid that I have come to see to often. Blood. I see a face in front of me and I cant tell who, I feel myself shake and I dont know if I am crying or screaming or laughing. I feel the weight being lifted off my shoulders and the feeling of cold hard ground meeting my face as I fall. I open my eyes and see Percy and Annabeth, their gray streaks hidden in their hair. I smile as I feel cold spread through my body. Im sorry, I have just caused you trouble. I manage to whisper through the pain that the cold spreads. No, no, you didnt, you helped us, you Annabeth pleads with me, trying to push the will of living back into me, but I think its to late, my worries have vanished, and she told me that there was no reason for my guilt. I would die happy. I would die happy.

I smiled, the pain was gone. This was what death felt like. Nothing. Peace and serenity. Death. I think I might have smiled again, but I dont know, I still cant feel my movements. The world is releasing me from the bonds that had once held me down. I am free. Free of sadness, free of guilt. Free of feelings and emotions. Free.