CHAPTER ONE
The vanishing monsters hunt our dreams in the daylight
IN THE BELLY of New York City's urban sprawl, the subway system pulsates like a labyrinth network of steel veins. The underground platforms, bathed in the ambient glow of harsh fluorescent lights, echo with the symphony of screeching brakes and the distant hum of approaching trains. Commuters, like hurried ants in an intricate colony, swarm through turnstiles and rush down narrow stairwells, their collective energy a pulsating heartbeat beneath the city.
The air, thick with a blend of metallic tang and fleeting whiffs of street vendors' offerings, carries the hushed conversations of diverse voices. Graffiti-clad tunnels reveal glimpses of the city's rebellious spirit, while advertisements flicker like fleeting dreams along the speeding train cars. As subway doors slide open and shut with mechanical precision, a transient cast of characters shares this subterranean stage – a microcosm of New York's vibrant tapestry, where each station, like a chapter, tells a story of its own.
A teenage boy stood amongst the sea of ants that sprawled around trying to get to their destination. He held a guitar case in hand, a backpack on his back, with headphones blaring music into his ears. He walked trying to avoid the crowds as he walked out of the subway station into the urban part of New York and immersing himself in the rhythm of the city. He walks briskly through the bustling streets after school, navigating the sea of people and honking cars. Tall buildings surround him as he passes the usual street vendors.
He looked at the signs hanging around, he always tried to make himself understand the words, but his brain never let him. All the words always twisted around making him dizzy and unmistakably annoyed at how his brain was not willing to help him out.
Kaiden had just come out of band practice, every time he came out of band or any of his extracurricular activities he felt a sense of giddiness, vibrant and energetic since it was the only few things, he could actually do right without screwing them up, but today was not that day. His body felt sluggish, he had no energy in him. It was like his body knew something was out of the ordinary, but he didn't know what exactly and it bothered him.
The boy had tried calling his mother but the one who answered was his stepfather, Smelly Gabe. He knew he was too old to be calling the man by that old nickname, but he couldn't help it. When the man learned how to not smell like onions on a day-to-day basis and be an actual good person he would stop.
Why was the man answering his mother's calls anyway? He wanted to know more than anyone at that moment. It annoyed the boy how the reeking man tried to act like he was the big man of the house when he did nothing but sit on his butt playing poker and eating the food he didn't provide for, like the lazy pig he was.
What annoyed him the most was the lack of response from his mom. It worried him to no end, she always answered especially if it had anything to do with either of her boys.
Had something occurred to her? No. If Gabe hadn't said anything regarding his mother's wellbeing it meant that everything had to be fine with her, or so he hoped. Had something happened to Percy? He hoped not, he was in the academy, so everything had to be ok. Oh, he really hoped nothing was wrong.
Kaiden rushed to his home, hoping to get answers, and hoping to see everything alright. As he walked on the sidewalk he bumped into a woman, he felt something scratch against his jacket covered arm, he went to apologize until he saw the woman's face, she looked like some type of bird mixed with a lizard. He thought the woman was wearing a costume until she hissed at him, he backed away in alarm, staying quiet and turning around.
"Kaiden..." He heard his name echoing in a sing-like tone around him like in his dreams. "Give up Kaiden. You will never make it." He closed his eyes for a brief moment, he felt himself grow scared as his breathing began picking up in speed.
"Come on, little Kaiden. Half-bloods like you should know better." His heart raced uncontrollably as if trying to escape the confines of his chest. The air felt thick, suffocating, as an overwhelming sense of dread took hold. Breaths became shallow, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. The world around him blurred, distorted by a rising tide of irrational fear. It was as if an invisible force gripped him, rendering him helpless in the clutches of a relentless panic.
People that walked beside the boy noticed his distress, but none did anything to help until one passerby got closer to the boy. The young man was careful not to touch Kaiden in his state of panic. Gently, he began speaking in a calm, reassuring tone, he encouraged him to focus on his breath. Slowly he put a steady hand on his back, he was careful not to frighten the already spooked boy, he guided him through slow inhales and exhales, creating a rhythmic pattern to ease the racing heartbeat. As he spoke words of comfort, he remained a steady presence, offering support without judgment. Gradually, the intensity waned, and a fragile calm settled over him, thanks to the stranger's patient assistance.
Kaiden backed away slowly from the man, creating distance. The guy asked him if he was okay and Kaiden could only nod, he couldn't and didn't want to talk so he signed to him "thank you" and the stranger surprisingly signed back with a "you're welcome." and turned away not before checking that the kid was okay to leave on his own.
When he taught, he was at a safe distance he turned around and saw the costumed woman still standing on the sidewalk, staring at him. He looked around in alarm but then when he looked back, the lizard woman was gone, and the voices disappeared from his brain. He knew no one had seen what he saw, it was always the same.
The worry, anxiety, and crazy dreams were getting to him. He couldn't believe that had just happened in public. It was hard enough when it happened at school but in the street?
His heart pounded in his ear as he reached his apartment building, he walked up the stairs almost tripping on his step as he skipped some steps to get to his floor faster.
As he stepped foot on his floor, he walked past a neighbor who smiled kindly at him. Kaiden tried giving them a smile, but he couldn't make himself do it as he kept walking along. He took out his keys from his pocket and opened the door of the apartment.
Something was definitely off, he didn't know why but he could sense it, the feeling was way stronger when he entered the apartment.
"I'm home!" He announced his arrival with a raspy voice as he closed the door, locking it, then taking his shoes off and putting them on the floor beside the entrance. He dropped his backpack and guitar bag on the floor and spotted another backpack on the corner.
The sound of keyboard smacking could be heard mixed with the loud sound of chewing and the chatter of the tv. Kaiden took off his jacket with a small hiss, feeling a sting on his arm. He put his jacket on a hanger and then continued to take off his headphones and wrapped them around his neck. He groaned in annoyance as he made his appearance on the entryway of the living room spotting Gabe sitting on his recliner.
Gabe took notice of the boy as he looked up from his game. "Two in one day, what a joy." He said as he drank a beer.
Kaiden was confused by what the man said but ended up ignoring it, he didn't even try to be nice to the man he was supposed to call stepfather.
"Where's mom?" he spoke as his voice cracked but he held a firm tone.
"No hello? No, how are you? Ungrateful child." The man let out with a low chuckle looking down at his game once again.
"Why the hell are you picking up mom's phone calls? Where is she?" The teenage boy was so done with the man he was looking at.
"I don't need to repeat myself. I answer whatever's ringing. Ok?" Gabe spoke up harshly. "Why are you so worried anyway? It's not like she's your actual mother." The man pointed towards the other room, sending him away.
Kaiden stayed quiet, sending a harsh glare towards the man. It wasn't the first time he had made a comment of that sort towards Kaiden, but the boy was not willing to argue with him, again. He knew he needed to step away before he let an unnecessary comment leave his lips.
He turned away from the living room and began walking towards the other room, not before flicking his wrist slightly and then the sound of a jarring pop echoed through the room as the beer can detonated, accompanied by the metallic crunch of its explosion. Simultaneously, there's a sharp crack as the can collides with the laptop, followed by the disconcerting sound of splintering plastic and scattering metal. The destructive fusion produces a cacophony of destruction — the fizzing of released carbonation mingles with the clattering wreckage, creating a chaotic symphony that abruptly drowns out the ambient hum of the room.
The man started cursing out as the boy just kept walking to the other room. He could hear horns blaring and sirens wailing in the streets. He quickly spotted his mom sitting with a towel in her hand and as he entered the room completely, he saw his brother sitting beside his mother with a small bag of blue candy on his lap.
"Percy?" Kaiden let out the question before he could stop himself, the younger boy and his mother looked up, their faces held expressions of relief as they saw the boy.
Percy got up from beside his mother and walked towards his brother, Kaiden pulled out his arm pulling the young boy to his embrace as the shorter boy held tightly to the back of his brother's shirt.
Pulling back, he looked at his brother's sadden expression. "What happened? Why are you back?" When he asked, he looked up at his mother with confusion. It had been six months since his brother was sent upstate to the academy, so the older boy was confused by his arrival.
His mother stayed quietly waiting for Percy to say something, as he had said he wanted to wait for his brother to get home to talk about the rest of the situation with him present.
Percy strained his eyes on the floor as he spoke "I got... kicked out from Yancy Academy..." Kaiden let out a confused hum but stayed quiet letting his brother continue. "It wasn't my fault, I promise."
"Hey, hey... I don't know what happened, but I know it wasn't your fault, sea bug, ok?" He made his brother look at him.
"Is there something else you wanna talk about?" Sally asked her son, while standing up to be beside her two kids. The boy stayed silent for a second before taking courage to talk.
"Something happened to me. Something has been happening to me." Percy looked up at his mother before looking down again. "More than just my mind wandering, and it got worse and... I'm scared." He finished as he looked into his mom's eyes. His expression was so stoic, but it showed so many emotions at once.
Kaiden pulled his brother to his side in concern and in curiosity. Were the same things that were happening to him, happening to Percy? He hadn't seen his brother in six months so he didn't know the full details of his "adventures", except the things the boy would write in his letters, which at some point had stopped being as vivid as they once were. He had talked to his mother about the weird things that had been happening to him and now hearing Percy say those words to them made him wonder.
"Gabe?" Sally called out towards the living room.
"Mom?" Both boys questioned, following their mother's call. The boys turned around as they saw their beer covered stepfather approach the room.
"I don't know how anyone expects me to get any work done-" a pissed off Gabe was cut off by their mother who shut him up.
"Percy, Kaiden and I are leaving for Montauk. I'll... I'll have the car back by Sunday morning." Sally concluded as her sons looked at her in confusion as she looked back at them with her arms crossed.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Since when are you going to Montauk?" Gabe asked, leaning himself on the door.
The brothers looked between their mother and Gabe in silence. "I called to reserve the place as soon as I got off the phone with Yancy." Sally told him, looking at him with a convincing expression.
"Whose Yancy?" Gabe asked, confused, making an ugly expression. The three of them looked at him with dumbfounded faces, was this man an idiot or what?
"The school." Sally responded with a grimace.
"Okay. And why exactly am I okay with this?" Gabe shrugged while looking at Sally in question.
"Because on my way home on Sunday, I'm gonna stop at D'Angelo's and pick up sandwiches in time for tipoff," Sally told looking at the man as she rubbed her nose, "but if you make this miserable, I'm gonna go anyway and them I'm gonna eat my sandwich and yours while I listen to the game on the radio." Her voice got louder as she finished looking at him with her hands on her waist.
"You know I hate watching the Knicks alone." "So do I!" The boys looked at each other, neither knowing what was happening.
"W- Make sure they put the hot peppers on my sandwich, please?" He loudly told her, making Kaiden go on high alert as he moved to step in front of his mom, but she gently grabbed his arm pulling him back to her side.
"Not if you're gonna ask like that." Sally responded firmly and sternly to the man before her.
"I said "Please"." Gabe spoke back while pointing a finger at his face. Sally only looked at him without saying a word. "Please, could you have them put the peppers on my sandwich?"
"You got it." Sally said and walked to another part of the room. The two boys really didn't know why she stayed with him.
"Both of you take your shoes off before you get into my car. You understand me?" Gabe pointed at them, neither boy responded as they looked at each other and then at the man who was retreating to the living room.
The boys turned around to their mother who was grabbing a bag. "We have a lot to talk about, but uh, that storm out there, it's getting angrier, so let's get ahead of it." She walked towards them, patting Percy on the shoulders, and handing Kaiden a small baggie.
"We'll talk at the beach, okay? Pack your bags, Let's go." Once again, the boys just stood in silent confusion while watching their mother walk out from the room.
"What was all that about?" Percy asked in a small voice.
"I have absolutely no idea, but why complain?" Kaiden said trying to push away his growing worry, he looked at the baggie in his hand and saw some yellow candies, he smiled a little and then started pushing his brother out of the room so they could pack their bags. Percy stopped as he looked at his brother's arm and pointed to it in worry.
"What happened?" he asked, Kaiden looked at him confused and looked at where he was looking. He saw a bloody gash on his arm, the boy looked at it for a second before telling him he scratched his arm at the subway station. The younger of the two didn't look convinced but let it go as he walked to his room.
An hour passed and they were ready to go. Kaiden pulled up the last bags to the Camaro with a huff, Gabe stood on the building entrance with a scowl on his face as he whined.
The boys ignored him until he turned back to enter the building, both boys looked in annoyance at the man and suddenly, the door slammed shut on Gabe, hitting his behind, hard. Kaiden let a grin appear on his face and turned to his brother who had let out a quiet snort into his hand.
They heard a pained wail but didn't stay long enough to see or find out what would happen next as they got into the car. Sally was already in the car waiting for the boys to get in. Kaiden sat in the back while Percy sat in the front, they had played rock, paper, scissors in Kaiden's room before leaving the apartment, and guess who won?
The trip would be two hours long, the cabin they would be staying in was located on the south shore at the tip of Long Island. It was always a calm ride to their location, even if it was pouring rain. And as time passed and they got closer to their destination their mom seemed to look more relaxed than she did hours prior.
In the beginning of the ride Percy explained to Kaiden what had caused him to get kicked out of the academy, which Kaiden thought was ridiculous. He believed his brother and if he said he didn't do it, he didn't do it.
To Kaiden, things had been happening to him since he was 7, but he never thought much about it until he was 11 and things started appearing out of thin air. Monster-like creatures, mystical animals that you would only see in fantasy books. And then his dreams, his dreams were clouded with nightmares that never made sense to him. He only knew that it scared him, and he confided in his mother about it. Sally suspected why the boy had been having these occurrences happen to him, she would talk to him trying to give him a clear mind, without spilling too much of the truth but confirming that something was occurring to him.
Kaiden knew he was special, the things he could do and the things he could see were not normal. He always suspected what he was but was too scared to admit it to himself and if Percy was going through the same, then he was special too.
As they continued down the road both boys had fallen into a deep slumber. Their bodies and minds growing insanely tired.
Kaiden sat on the back with headphones on, the world around had gone silent as he let his body rest. His mind was clouded with a blank canvas, no nightmares like usual. His body was strained with worry for his brother, confusion towards his loving mother and fear towards himself and what was to come out of the trip. But no thoughts were willing to cloud his mind in those moments, it confused him, but he didn't complain. For the first time in months, he was having a peaceful sleep, even if it was in a car. The boy ended up waking up, hearing the loud thunder but then realizing they were still in the car, outside of the cabin.
Percy had fallen asleep in the passenger seat, his head being supported by the window as he let out silent whispers in his sleep, he woke up startled looking around realizing they were still in the car.
"We're here." Their mom turned to them both with a little smile. Her eyes looked puffy as if she had been crying.
The boys looked outside. "On three?" Percy asked them both. Kaiden took his seatbelt off and grabbed his bag looking at the two at the front with a grin.
"Ready?" All three held the handles of the car as Sally counted and when she reached number two, both boys got out of the car, hearing their mother laughing as the sound of the two boy's laughter was covered by the sound of the pouring rain as they all ran towards the cabin.
As they entered the cabin the musky smell of beach and old furniture hit their nostrils. The floor was covered with a certain amount of sand that they just kicked away. Percy dropped his bag on the couch, dust flew over to his face as he coughed.
Kaiden laughed at him and began to open the windows around the living area of the cabin. The cabin was small and definitely infested by spiders, but it was homey, at least for the three of them.
"Percy, go get cleaned up!" Kaiden called out to him.
"What? Why? It's cold!" Percy let out as his mother stood in the kitchen pulling out some little baggies of blue and yellow candy, listening to her boys talk.
"And? We were in the car for two hours, you stink. Go get cleaned up, I'll go after you." Kaiden turned and looked at Percy with a raised eyebrow. The boy only groaned and walked towards the bathroom with his bag so he could get changed.
Hearing the bathroom door close, the blond boy walked towards his mother and leaned on the counter.
"When he comes out are we... gonna talk about the whole... situation?" His voice shook a little without him realizing. Sally looked up at the boy who held her nervous stare.
"After you get cleaned, yes." Sally told him as he looked at her with an expression that made him look older than his age. She moved to the other side of the counter and pulled him for a hug, he accepted the hug graciously.
"Did you bring your archery bag?" Sally asked him while she pulled away. Kaiden nodded his head, pulling away completely and walking to the couch. He played with the sun necklace that rested on his neck as he waited for Percy to come out.
A few minutes passed and Percy came out of the bathroom with a solemn face. Kaiden saw him and got up from his position on the couch with his bag in hand.
Percy stepped aside letting Kaiden go pass, the older brother ruffled his blond curly hair with a chuckle and entered the bathroom letting out a "I'll be quick!".
When the boy closed the door he let his face fall in a frown, the day was going to be a bad day, he could feel it in the air. Pulling his shirt away from his body, he took a long look at the gash that resided on his left arm. The injury was not deep, but it stung and as he cleaned it out, some black substance kept coming out of the wound making it difficult for the boy to clean, as a final option he poured water into the wound with a hiss and wrapped it with some gauze and a bandage. He hid the bandaged arm with a long sleeve sweatshirt.
The mother and son duo stood in the kitchen working around some marshmallows as they waited for the other boy to be done. They heard something fall and then some cursing, the duo chuckled silently as the door to the bathroom opened and the teenager had a towel over his shoulder with a faint scowl on his face. He turned the bathroom light off and walked towards the couch.
Percy didn't say anything, but his little giggle had said enough for him, Kaiden mocked his laugh as he sat down. The once calm air that surrounded the cabin became stiff, the feeling of nervousness stunk up the room like a plague.
The mother son duo sat down on the couch beside the other boy who just looked at them in silence waiting for whomever of the two was going to start talking. Not surprisingly, Percy was the one that started the conversation.
"I'm used to feeling weird. I'm used to the world feeling weird to me." Percy began while rubbing his hands "Like a puzzle with half the wrong pieces. I try to pay attention. I really try, but..." he stopped momentarily as he thought about what he was saying. "Then I'm daydreaming. I can't help it."
Sally and Kaiden stayed silent as the boy spoke. Kaiden knew exactly how Percy was feeling because he had been feeling the same way for years, but he decided to stay silent.
"But lately it hasn't felt like daydreaming. It's felt... I don't know. More real, maybe?" He looked at his mom before looking back down at his hands. "And then we were at the museum and..."
"You saw something." Sally spoke up looking at her kid. "Something that felt real to you, but no one else could, see?" Percy slowly nodded with an upset expression as his mother rubbed his back soothingly.
"What did she say to you?" Sally asked, Percy turned his head at the speed of light towards his mother. Kaiden just looked between the two in confusion.
"She? How did you know it was a she?" Percy asked his mother backing away so he could look at her face more clearly. Sally turned her head to the ceiling preparing herself to talk.
"Do you know why we come to this cabin every year?" Sally asked, Percy only stayed quiet, so Kaiden decided to respond for him even if he knew what he would be saying was not the full truth, but he himself didn't know the full truth just yet.
"Because it's near the septic tanks, so it's cheap." Perly looked at him nodding and then at his mom.
"Mom, how did you know about that thing I saw?" He looked at her firmly.
"We come to this place every year because it is the place, I met your father." The duo stared at each other with intense expressions.
Kaiden now felt like he was intruding in a private matter, he tried to sneakily stand up, but his mother pulled his arm making him slump onto the couch once again.
"My dad? What does my dad have to do with this?"
Kaiden really felt like he was listening to something he shouldn't. Sally never talked much about Percy's father, it made her upset, so they tried to never bring it up.
"A long time ago, I... met a man, here on the beach." She started tearing up "He was wise and brave and kind and... noble. From the moment I first saw him, I knew that... that I had never met a man like him before."
"And then I realized he was unlike any man I had ever met before... because h... he wasn't a man at all. He was a god." Kaiden choked on air as he heard his mother speak those words out loud. Percy looked at their mother with what could be defined as a 'wtf' face.
"You fell in love with God? Like... like Jesus?" Percy asked his mother as Kaiden tried to silence his growing laughter.
"Not God. A god. Percy..." Sally cleared her throat, slightly hitting her oldest thigh and turning towards her youngest. "The stories... that I have told you two about Greek gods and heroes and monsters, they are real."
"Mom-"
"In those stories, I have told you about how gods and mortals would sometimes have children together..."
"Mom, please stop."
"...children called demigods and sometimes they are known as half-bloods." Both Percy and Kaiden looked at their mother, one held a surprised expression while the other held understanding.
"That's what the monster called me. Mom, what's happening?"
"You are a half-blood. You both are. And half-bloods are not safe in the world." She told them as she then turned to look at Kaiden who sat in his spot confused, he had been silent throughout the whole conversation and now she is bringing him into her story.
"When I found you" she hesitated before revealing part of the truth that he had been waiting to hear for years, even if it wasn't the full story. "I always say it was a gift, and I still believe you were a miracle giving to me. But as you grew up, you grew up with the exact same symptoms as Percy. I suspected but didn't have proof for it, I still don't but I am sure of it." She didn't explain more as she turned back towards Percy, leaving the other boy confused.
The news, instead of evoking wonder, casted a shadow of uncertainty on his face. The weight of divine expectations and the realization that his life could be forever entwined with a celestial entity left him with a sense of unease, as the familiar ground of his identity crumbled beneath the weight of this unexpected revelation.
"Once they reach a certain age and they begin to understand what they are, terrible forces are drawn to them, driven to harm them before they can become strong enough to fight back. That's what you have been feeling." She spoke looking directly at Percy but making sure both boys heard what she was saying clearly.
Weird things had been happening to Kaiden for years but nothing that was willingly trying to kill him, harm him? Yes, but never kill.
"Why are you telling us this?"
"I know it's hard to understand, but you have to believe me this is real." Percy stood up, he was clearly upset with his mother.
"No, this is crazy. Okay? I'm not a god. There is something wrong with my brain. I understand that I'm weird, believe me, I get it, but I am afraid something may really be broken now." Percy spoke, his voice cracked with emotion as their mother let silent tears stream down her face, she tried to interrupt but the boy just continued.
"And- and now you're telling us stories, like it's gonna make it okay? Well, I'm not a baby! We are not babies! I know there's no such things as monsters, I know there's no such things as gods, and I know for a certain that there's no such things as demigods." As Percy finished talking there was knocking on the cabin door.
AUTHORS NOTE
If it wasn't noticeable, I have never been to NY, I'm not from the USA so my knowledge is very limited. I kinda based my knowledge by the books and by videos I've watched before regarding the city, so I really hope my descriptions does justice to what it's really like.
I definitely followed episode 1 script but gave it a little bit of more information regarding Kaiden so he could be included in the story line.
What do you guys think of the first chapter so far? I kind of got carried away with the descriptions and dialogues.
Hope you all enjoy this first chapter!