Riordanverse OC's

Otrera(Camp Half-Blood)

Chapter 1: My Life Gets Destroyed By A Lady With Weird Hair

"Ugh, why did it have to be so hot outside today?" I wondered. The path to home seemed never-ending, and my feet felt like they were burning up. It didn't help that it was like 100 degrees outside. I wished my dad could pick me up in his car, like how my friend Emma's dad picks her up every day. Unfortunately for me, my dad was busy and had work, so I had to walk home alone. My other friend Georgina had a class after school, so she was walking home later in the day. Though it's nice to be in the company of others, my dad always said it is important to have courage and to be strong, even if you are on your own. I walked down the familiar path leading to my home and noticed that my neighbor was watering her prized roses.

"Hello, Otrera, how was school today?" she asked.

I replied, "Eh, it was okay. Same thing every day, it seems."

"Well, that's too bad. Hope your day improves," she added.

"Yeah, me too," I mumbled. As I entered the house, I quickly noticed that the house had an eerie feel to it, like it was waiting in anticipation for something to happen, but what? Everything was silent, my house was never silent. Was something wrong? I pushed these thoughts to the back of my head, but as I walked farther into the house, I noticed that the entire house was a mess, and the walls showed signs of a struggle. Pots and pans clattered the kitchen floor. The whole house was a pigsty. On the floor was a trail of dirt leading to the backyard. Entire bookcases were thrown onto the floor. Now I began to worry. My dad would never be this messy, he was always so tidy. I knew my stepmom would not be home because she would be picking up my noisy stepbrother from school. I carefully placed my schoolbag next to the kitchen counter, and slowly followed the trail of dirt towards the backyard.

Like the rest of the room, the backyard was also a mess. What was once a pristine water fountain in the middle of freshly cut grass was now a mess of water and gravel. The roses that used to be in perfect rows along the edges of the garden were now in pieces with their flowers and stems scattered across the floor. The only thing that seemed untouched was the birdhouse hanging from the big maple tree in the left corner of the backyard and the brightly painted garden shed in the far right corner.

My eyes darted around looking for my dad, or any clue as to where he might have gone. Finally, I stepped out of the house completely and looked behind the shed where I saw dad in a chair, bound with rope. Right next to him some sort of monster was tying the ropes. Not like a person acting like a monster, but an actual monster. As I looked closer, I had to stifle a scream. The monster was one I recognized from one of my dad's stories about Greek mythology. It was none other than the famed Gorgon, Medusa. The snake hair was a dead giveaway, and I quickly turned around to avoid the gaze of her eyes. I hid behind the wall, trying to remember the story of Medusa. Sure, I remembered the important bits like the fact with one look she could turn you to stone, but I had mostly forgotten the story. However, I had no time to think about such things, I was more focused on somehow saving my dad. I tried to listen in on what she was saying to my dad.

"Don't worry, as soon as I turn that little girl I was sent to kill to stone, I'll give you a speedy, painless death. Yes, she'll make an excellent garden statue," drawled the monster as she faced my father. "Speaking of your daughter, I can smell her nearby. Come out, come out wherever you are Otrera, it's really futile to hide." She gave a quick slap to my dad which made him unconscious and started to look around for me.

I quickly sniffed myself. Did I really smell that bad? I couldn't really tell what she was talking about, but there was no time to think about such trivial things. My father was in danger, and this monster was starting to seriously creep me out. Right now you are thinking, "Now Otretra will kill the monster, save her father, and become a hero!" Yeah, no, none of that happened. Before I could strike, or at least try to strike, another girl came out of nowhere and fired an arrow at Medusa, which separated the head from the body. Medusa's eyes seemed to stare at me still, and where her neck should have been was this ugly gash, showing where the arrow pierced her body. Her scaly green hair continued to slither and then stopped. Once she was sure the monster was dead, she promptly took out a bag, and stuffed Medusa's head inside it with an expression that said, "Yeah, I do this all the time." The rest of the body turned to dust. I came out of my hiding place and I don't really remember what happened next, but I probably said something intelligent like, "Whaaaaat."

She seemed to understand, because she said, "It's okay. When the monsters first came for me, I was pretty confused too. I'm surprised she regenerated this fast."

"What do you mean by monsters, and there are more things like that?" I asked while gesturing to Medusa's decapitated body. She chuckled, and I wasn't really sure what she was finding so funny.

"Yeah, there are a lot more monsters from where that comes from. But, let me take you into the car because more will come soon. If she came, then you've got a decently strong scent," she added.

I asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh yeah, I should probably tell you my name. Well, I'm Amaya, and I'm a daughter of Apollo. And by that I mean I'm a demigod, and so are you. At least, you must be since Medusa was attracted to you. Don't worry I'll take you to Camp-Half Blood, where you'll be safe. I'm here because your satyr got killed. I didn't know her very well but don't worry, Lenny makes a great pomegranate tree. As for your father, he'll wake up soon, but you should write a note telling him where you are going. Any other questions you have will be answered at camp," she told me.

Though I wasn't really sure whether I could trust this girl, or whether I should be just leaving my dad behind like this, I also had a lot of questions(like why did some random guy die for me, and why is he a tree), and I was pretty sure if I followed this Amaya, I would find my answers. Besides, I had a feeling that my dad already knew about this demigod business. Maybe that's why he was always telling me about Greek myths and saying that someday those stories would save my life. This was all happening way too fast. My heart was still beating as loud as it could. I still needed to make a decision, though. Would I stay as I am now, and risk putting my family and friends in danger, or would I go, leaving behind my entire life? As I thought about my life before this day, tears seemed to form in the corners of my eyes. Would my life ever be normal again? Or would I have to always be on the lookout for whatever monster came my way, until one finally ended me? I so badly wanted to be normal again, just laughing with my friends, and my only problem being the score I got on the latest math test. However, I knew that wouldn't happen. My life was different now, and with monsters chasing and trying to kill me, I needed to learn how to fight them so I could survive and protect my family. I think my dad would agree and I think he would know that whatever "camp" Amaya was rattling on about, would be the right place for me. So I turned around, wrote a quick note for my father entailing where and why I was going, and said, "Okay, I'm ready. Take me to this camp or whatever."

Amaya replied, "Don't worry, you'll love it."

"I'm sure I will," I remarked.