Home (A PJO Short Story)

The Story

Rebecca weaved through the crowds, dodging between people and taking turns as she occasionally glanced behind her in hopes of not seeing her pursuer. As she ran, she frequently bumped into people but quickly moved away to avoid much notice. 'Just a little further, perhaps go through a few shortcuts.' She thought to herself as she went, determined not to be caught by the one that could still be following her. She had run for a reason, after all, and she didn't plan on returning to where she had come from any time soon.

Once she finally got a respectable distance between her and her chaser, Rebecca slowed down and collapsed on a nearby curb of a sidewalk. Taking deep breaths, she allowed herself to relax slightly and examine her new surroundings. She was still in New York of course, but she was now on a slightly less trafficked street about a half mile from Times Square. Those milling by her paid her no mind, as most New Yorkers do with such things. Swinging her backpack off her shoulders, Rebecca took a quick inventory of her supplies and what she would need to get at the stores nearby. She noticed she still had 3 water bottles, but she was running a bit short on snacks and other food. After quickly pulling the backpack on again, Rebecca stood and dusted herself off.

She spent several minutes looking for a store that might hold travel provisions, then finally entered one that looks promising. The store did in seem to have plenty of options for camping gear and the like, so Rebecca hoped that it might have MREs she could purchase and take with her. She quickly found the appropriate section and started looking, when another girl bumped into her. Through the bandanna around her eyes, Rebecca could tell that the girl seemed to be about her age and had curly blond hair and stormy gray eyes, a book in one hand.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't quite paying attention to where I was going, I was looking for something." The girl apologized, looking at Rebecca.

"It's alright, I'm fine, thank you." Rebecca replied, smiling slightly at the person.

"Do you by chance know where the canteens are?" She asked, glancing around.

"I saw them over there, on the left side of that aisle." Rebecca explained, pointing a few aisles over.

"Thank you much!" The girl smiled, then started to walk away, then paused. "I'm Annabeth, it was a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Rebecca, likewise." Rebecca took a step forward and extended a hand to shake, which Annabeth took.

With that, Annabeth departed, and Rebecca gathered what she needed and continued to the checkout. The cashier rung up what Rebecca had grabbed, which she quickly paid for and deposited into her backpack. Once she arranged everything, Rebecca left the store and turned down a small side street nearby. She continued until the street turned into a narrow alley, which Rebecca hadn't realized would be there. Cautiously, she kept going forward until she heard a noise behind her and spun around. Now in front of her was a pair of strange creatures that appeared something like a snake with a ring of spikes around their necks. Startled, Rebecca backed up at the sight and grabbed a switchblade from her right boot, which she flipped open. 'No idea why there are snakes in New York, but at least I'm not defenseless.' She thought as she watched the two slither towards her. She leaned down and slashed at the closer of the two, only for the blade to seem to go through the creature. Confused, Rebecca jumped back and to the side, out of reach of the creature as it hissed and snapped at her. "What in the world are you?" She asked no one in particular, dodging as the other snake lunged at her. After a few minutes of dodging away from the two snakes, Rebecca heard a slight whistling sound. She turned just in time to see a bronze colored knife embed into one of the two snakes, which exploded into golden powder. The girl from the store, Annabeth, ran forward, grabbed the dagger, and plunged it into the other snake. With two small piles of gold dust on the ground, Annabeth walked over to Rebecca and asked "Hey, are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"No, they didn't... What are they, why did they explode, and who are you?" Rebecca questioned, perplexed by the odd girl.

"This is hard to explain, but those things are called basilisks, and they exploded into gold dust because I killed them. Look, you and I... are different from most people." Annabeth started to explain as she returned the dagger to a sheath attached to her belt.

Rebecca scoffed slightly at the mention that she was different, as she had long been aware of that. "How exactly are we different?" She asked, looking at Annabeth.

"How much do you know about the Greek gods?" Annabeth asked, her stormy eyes looking serious and deep.

"Some, what does that have to do with this?" Rebecca inquired, wondering if Annabeth was changing the topic.

"Well... they're real, and you and I are children of them." Annabeth stated, looking straight at Rebecca.

"They're.... what? That can't be true."

"You saw the basilisks, and I'm sure you've seen plenty of other weird things. Think about it, you've probably seen or done things that seem out of the ordinary. That's because they are, for most people." Annabeth said. Rebecca paused, remembering a few instances she could recall when something strange or peculiar happened. "But while the Greek gods are real, so the monsters. They're strong, can only be killed by a few things, like the special material my dagger is made of. It's called Celestial Bronze, and it's from Olympus." Annabeth further explained, gesturing to the dagger.

"From Olympus? You mean to say that exists as well?" Rebecca asked, eyes narrowing slightly. If Olympus was real, people would likely notice it and flock to it.

"It's hidden, but it's real, just like the gods, the monsters, and us. Each of us has a godly parent, and that makes us different. However, there's a camp for people like us, and it's safe from monsters. I could take you there, and you could learn more about the gods, how to fight, meet others like us, and be safe." Annabeth offered, smiling. Rebecca considered the offer, hesitant that if such a place was real, she wouldn't be welcome there. As she thought she realized that maybe, just maybe, this could be a chance to start new, free from the worries that had constantly held her back. Maybe she could find a safe place, and even if it took time, maybe it could even become her home.