Daughter of Poseidon

Chapter 1

"Grace! Come back, it's not safe!" I heard my mother screaming over the wind whipping around my body. A huge storm had rolled in, which matched my mood.

I kept running toward the beach, too angry to notice how bad the weather really was. I just kept the surfboard tight in my grip as I ran. I didn't care to go back and face my mother's excuses. She was taking me out of school to be taught at home, and I was not having it. How dare she do that without asking for my permission! She hadn't even asked if I had wanted to! Didn't she care that I liked that school? That I had actually made a friend or two this time? It would have been fine to be home schooled if she had just wanted to spend time with me, but she claimed that my grades were too embarrassing to stay there and that she'd rather have me take lessons from a tutor in the privacy of our home. That's what hurt the most. I was just an embarrassment.

"Leave me alone!" I called back, the wind ripping away the sound before it could reach my own ears. The sky and sea were both a startling shade of grey, but I kept marching across the sand. She wouldn't follow me down here. She was worth too much to risk getting hurt.

Freezing water sloshed at my legs as I finally reached the surf. It forced a gasp from my lips, but I kept going. I was already in my wet suit, having planned on going surfing before the argument broke out. Storms were usually when the biggest waves formed, and I needed more practice before my next lesson. The instructor here in New York was much tougher than the one I used to have in California. Oh, to be back in the Golden State again.

Rain began to fall from the sky as I attached the leash to my ankle, making visibility even lower. I made the rash decision to keep going, even as tears began to spring to my eyes. I couldn't go back there. I couldn't face her like this. And so, I began to paddle far out to sea. A wave was coming.

Faster than I could imagine, it was upon me. I jumped up onto my feet and managed to stay up as the initial rise of water came. It was like no other feeling in the world; I felt as if I was part of the ocean itself. That didn't last long, though. I was going too fast, and I knew it. I also knew I wouldn't have a chance like this again anytime soon, and decided to stay on the board. The slightest shift of my weight would cause me to turn much quicker than I intended, which started to make my anxiety rise. What would happen if I fell now? This wave was huge!

In typical Grace fashion, I worried so much about the worst case scenario that it came true. I tried to turn to keep parallel to the wave and overdid it. I hadn't had time to suck in a breath before I was pitched into the black water, where I immediately lost all sense of direction and control.

Something large and hard hit my head. Red flashed through the black water. My ankle felt like it was about to be cut off due to the leash. Salt water scoured my throat and lungs as I struggled to find the surface. My body ached as it was thrashed around, and I began to panic as I realized that I was going to drown.

When the surfboard hit my head again, I lost the fight to stay awake.

*****

My head was pounding, and my body felt battered and broken. I was in agony. I couldn't seem to open my eyes or even get myself to move, but I was awake. I could feel the cold water splashing around my toes, the grit of sand on my face and in my eyes, and the misting rain on my skin. Something warm ran along my head and my ankle was burning. I lay there, willing myself to either wake fully or pass out again. Being in between the two was maddening, and unbelievably painful. My head felt like it was going to pop off with every thrum of my pulse.

Strangely, I heard a few voices carry on the wind. I hoped my mother wasn't among them.

"Someone get Will! Get the Apollo cabin!" a voice called, much closer. It was a boy's voice, and he sounded my age. Apollo cabin? Where was I?

I tried to open my eyes, and immediately regretted it. The sky was much lighter than I remembered, and my irritated eyes couldn't handle it. A cry of shock and pain passed my lips, which in turn just hurt my throat.

"Don't move. We don't know how badly you're hurt. Gods, you took quite a beating." the mysterious boy spoke, sounding directly above me. Something soft was pressed against my head, which sent ragged spikes of pain shooting through me. A whimper left my mouth at the contact.

Suddenly, many more voices began speaking at once. In my state, I could only focus on the boy's. He murmured soothing words to me as I was lifted onto a stretcher, and heaved off the ground. The last thing I heard before drifting into unconsciousness was the boy introducing himself as Sam.