Ambrosia's POV
My name is Ambrosia Delia Minerva. You think that's interesting? It's all Greek until my last name. Well, here's a story for you. My mom's name is Aikaterina Minerva. She is obsessed with all kinds of mythology but, her favorite type of mythology has always been Greek. She always talked about how cool it would be to actually be one of the gods. Since the beginning, her favorite god had been Poseidon, Greek god of the seas, or the "earth shaker". Her eyes seemed to sparkle whenever we went to the beach as if she felt more complete there. She admired the way the waves moved elegantly. She always smiled her award winning grin that the whole universe probably loved. Her sea blue eyes glimmered as she laughed whenever I'd crack a joke, but I knew the truth behind every smile. For fifteen years, she hid the pain of my father abandoning us when I was only two months old. She frequently zoned out, especially when we went to the beach in Malibu. I always ask what's on her mind and she always frowns.
"Nothing, mija. Just... thinking of your father." She'd say, still staring at the waves crashing against the sand.
"This is where you met him, right?" I'd ask.
She'd glance at me, her light brown wavy hair blowing with the gentle sea breeze. She would sigh then stare at the ocean as if she wanted to swim and swim until she got dad back.
"Yes... He was so kind." Her voice would crack at that point so I'd stop talking.
The truth is that my father left us and never returned. I know my mom knows why, but she hesitates whenever I ask where he'd gone.
"I... I-I really don't know. I want him back too, don't worry." She'd bite her lip, looking back at the sea.
I really don't know why she likes the ocean so much when she talks about the sky more. She was able to predict what the weather was going to be like the next day, and, to my surprise, it came true. She said it's a gift. Once I got the courage to ask her why Zeus, the god of the sky, isn't her favorite then. Her expression darkened almost instantly when I asked then she changed the subject.
Personally, my favorite god and goddess is Apollo and Artemis, the twins. Apollo is the god of, like, all of my favorite things: music, poetry, medicine- well the study of it anyways-, and archery. He's also the sun god, but the sun makes me sweat. So gross. Sorry, Apollo! My mother had put me in archery classes after she kept coming into my room to see me reading articles and books about Apollo and Artemis' archery skills. It's been my favorite sport since. Yes, it is a sport.
She had also put me in gymnastics and volleyball so I was constantly doing something while she was at work. Every night when I was a child, she would read to me one more story about a Greek hero or myth. My favorite story is probably the one about Dido and Aeneas *eh-n-ee-aa-s*. Dido was the founder and the first queen of Carthage. She fell in love with a hero, Aeneas. She was originally married, but Hera and Aphrodite forced her to fall for him. Zeus ordered Hermes to send Aeneas away. As he left, Dido burned herself at the stake because he left her. Please don't ask why that's my favorite...
Presently, I am in school. I keep tapping my fingers against the desk while my right foot taps on the floor with pure boredom. My eyes constantly watch the clock, wanting History to be over as soon as possible.
"Amb, are you alright?" my best friend, Silas *see-lahs*, asks.
Silas is an average lean guy with short, curly brown hair. He is never seen without his signature navy blue snapback that has the LA logo on it. He's a bit scrawny and sort of walks funny, but when he runs to get food from the cafeteria, you'd lose the race to him.
"Uh... Yeah. I'm fi-" I get cut off.
"Ms. Minerva!" My teacher, Mr. Haminson says.
"Yes?" I look at him, blinking innocently.
Mr. Haminson is my favorite teacher at school. If he yells at me, it's because he wants me to actually pay attention to this part of the lesson. He is also the only teacher in the whole school who doesn't think I'm a menace. It's not like I do anything on purpose! There was just this one time when Katy Cooper was getting in my face and the water fountain next to her just exploded and soaked her. I stood right next to her, yet somehow I managed to stay completely dry.
"Did you hear what I said?" My teacher raises an eyebrow.
"I- uh..." The class snickers at my flustered state.
I blush a deep red in embarrassment. Why me...?
"I was talking about your name, Ambrosia. We are on the section of Greece and Rome for history."
"Oh yes... What was the question, sir?" I ask, sitting up straighter to show that my attention is completely on him now.
"What is ambrosia?" He shifts his weight from one arm to the other.
Did I mention he was in a wheelchair? Oops.
"Ambrosia was the food and drink of the gods, correct?" I don't want to sound too nerdy.
"Correct. And what did it do to them?"
"It... gave them immortality, right?" I bite my lip, still a bit embarrassed from being called out.
"Yes. Extra credit for that answer, Miss Minerva." He turns back to the board and writes again.
"But sir, you said to raise your hand to get the extra credit." The devil herself, Katy Cooper, says "Ambrosia did not raise her hand!"
I snarl at her and she glares back. Rolling my eyes, I look back at Mr. Haminson as he clears his throat to gain back our attention.
"Yes, but, I called on Miss Minerva, Miss Cooper. Now, calm down before you breakdown from not getting an A." His voice is soft with a hint of sarcasm, making my eyes widen at his comment.
The class laughs at her pale face, her cheeks clearly turning as bright as a tomato. She scowls at me until the bell rings. Grabbing my notebook, I rush out the door before Katy could see me.
"Hey!" A feminine voice calls.
Dang it.
"Where do you think you're going, nerd?" Her two friends laugh at her lame joke.
"I'm going home. You know that place you live with your parents or guardian and-"
"Don't smart mouth me, demigod. We're not that dumb." She snaps, a snarl on her face.
Wait... demigod? Her two friends start towards me, but I sprint down the corridor. Don't know if I'm going crazy or what, but I swear I hear them hiss at me like a serpent. I push my way through the crowd of students until I get outside, running towards my house as fast as I could. Geez, I'm so glad I'm in sports. Looking back as I run, I notice them right behind me, moving at an abnormal speed. My eyes widen, quickening my pace. A quick decision was made to turn random corners so they won't know where I live, causing me to pass my own house in the process. Unfortunately through all the chaos, I make the mistake of running down an ally with a dead end. My face pales as I turn on my heels, looking at the three girls slowly striding towards me. Hissing sounds fill my ears and I freeze. My eyes wander down to their feet to see they aren't human feet anymore- they are scaly, green legs. The top half is still a young girl, but below the torso... they are half snake...
"Dracaenaes..." I pant, realizing why the situation is so unusual.
"Sssshe knowssss ussss..." The red head on Katy's right said, well hisses.
"We can't kill her... Sssshe hassss the gift of ambrosia." The blonde girl on Katy's left hisses.
"Well, then we can eternally hurt her." Katy smirks, sticking her chin up with confidence.
They bare their fangs at me then I hear the weirdest thing... The sound of bag pipes, playing slightly off key... That could only mean one thing.
"Get away from her, you slimy creatures!" Silas screams before blowing into the instrument.
Acorns start getting thrown at them out of nowhere, making them hiss at him instead of me. They try to ignore the acorns as they advance on him, but the anger rising in them is strong. I need to help him, but how...?
"Double tap your necklace, Amb!" Silas shouts at me, swinging a club made out of a tree branch and leafs at the dracaenaes.
I look down at my necklace, double tapping the silver trident charm. My mom said my dad gave it to me as a gift when I was born. I never knew what it meant... Till now. The charm transforms into two arm-length sais.
"Whoa... COOL!" My smile grows big as I examine the blades.
Katy, the dracaenae, snarls at my happiness.
"I knew I ssssmelled a ssssea sssscrub. Get her!" she orders.
The red head attacks first. I swing my two sais, knocking her so hard she flies. The poor girl slams into the cement wall and immediately disintegrates, exploding into gold dust right next to Silas. He shrieks, backing away from the spot as if she was going to appear again. The blonde pounces at me only to get smacked in the face with the hilt of my sai. I kick the creature in the stomach then punch her in the face, knocking her down. I swing the sais in a 360, allowing me to cut off her head. Once she disintegrates, I turn to Katy to see her with a shocked expression. She immediately gets over her shock once I smirk at her.
"Why you little-" she never finishes her sentence.
Silas whacks her upside the head, letting me stab her with both my sais. She curses at me in another language and somehow I understand. Was that Greek? Luckily, she explodes into dust before anything else happens. I pant, staring at the spot she was at just a few seconds ago. Double tapping my necklace, I make the sais disappear back into a charm. I look at Silas only to see him with a worried expression.
"Oh my gods! Are you alright?! Did they hurt you?! I should have known that was the monster. What's Chiron gonna say...?" His eyes were going wild.
"Silas! I'm fine... They didn't hurt me. Why were three dracaenaes chasing me?! And why did they call me a demigod?!" I ask, realization hitting me after my adrenaline starts dying down.
"Great. They know... Come on, we have to tell Aikaterina." He starts trotting off.
Yup, you heard me. He trotted. I stand there with a shocked expression as I notice for the first time that he is half goat.
"You're a satyr..." I breathe out in disbelief.
"Yes... I'm sorry I didn't tell you! If you knew, more monsters would've been after you." He explains, pressing his hands together in apology.
"No, it's fine just... is that why we don't have any more recycle at my house?" I slightly smile, teasingly.
He blushes in embarrassment, waving his hands around in panic.
"Sorry! Tin cans are just so good!" he smiles then shakes his head, "C'mon!"
We run to my house then burst in through the front door.
"Mom?" I yell, looking around the place as soon as we enter.
"In the kitchen!" she calls back, some clanging could be heard from the direction her voice was.
We walk down the hall and into the kitchen. My mom stands in front of the stove, cooking something in the pot. Her hair is tied back in a bun and she wears an apron over her clothing to prevent her outfit from getting dirty. If this was just a normal day, I would've been ecstatic by the smelling coming from the pot she is cooking in. It smells savory with pepper and some type of sauce.
"Hi, sweetie! I made your favorite pasta tonight for din- Oh, hello, Silas." She smiles at him when she turns to see us.
"Miss Minerva, we need to talk." He says, his lips pressing together with a grim expression.
She glances below his torso and gulps. Maybe she thinks she is going crazy...
"They found her..." She whispers with wide eyes, dropping the pot in her hands.
"Dracaenaes attacked her a few blocks away." He explains, pointing in the direction we just came from.
"Oh dear... I feared this day would come." She leans back against the counter, pressing a hand to her forehead as she processes everything.
"You knew dracaenas were going attack me, mom?!" I almost yell, my jaw dropping in disbelief.
"Shush! Are you trying to attract all of the monsters' attention?!" Silas says, eating the soda can on the counter, his eyes darting side to side in panic.
"No, Ambrosia... I knew that one day you would be attacked by monsters. How do I explain this..." she pauses, trying to think of what to say, "Honey, Greek mythology is real..." she frowns, sadness filling her eyes.
"I know that! But... I didn't fully believe myself until now. If I'm a demigod then that means..." I trail off.
"That's right. Your father is a Greek god." My mother confirms, nodding slowly.
"I'll go contact Chiron." Silas goes to the backyard, leaving the two of us alone for the first time since she received the news.
I look at my mom, trying to read her expression to see how she's feeling. I've never seen my mother so distressed, not even before when I continuously asked her about my father.
"Which god is he, mom?" My voice is quiet as I ask this dreadful question.
"I'm not allowed to tell you. You'll find out soon enough. They'll take you someplace safe. The only safe place for half god, half human children like you."
"What place?" I uncross my arms that I don't realize are crossed, an eyebrow raising with curiosity.
"Camp Half-Blood."