Arianna Gold & The Olympian's Crisis [title WIP; may change without notice]

First of all, I had this idea BEFORE YUGI. <__< He totally stole the idea of a Percy Jackson story. I DID THIS FIRST. It was posted on MaxusSpace, but since that is deleted now, I'm posting it here...

Second of all, everyone in this story besides characters that were in the real Percy Jackson series (the gods, Chiron, etc.) are based after my friends! But I gave them code names, to avoid the drama that came from my other stories... -__-; If you know you are in the story, but are confused as to who you are, ask me, and I'll tell youu. But please keep it to yourself ^^; There's no point in codenames if you go blabbing it to everyone, now is there?

And, I know the chapter titles are weird xD I'm trying to make them sound like the ones in the book... which were weird. xD

When my Mother surprised me with a trip to New York, I thought I’d be enjoying the bright lights and busy streets of the Big Apple. I definitely did not expect the cab driver to be a psycho woman who wanted to kill me. So much for New Yorkers being friendly people.

I don’t know how, but my mom managed to yank me out of the taxi before the woman killed me. Yeah... Great vacation, Mom.

We had been running for our lives through the streets of New York, when I got separated from her. I wanted to stop and look for her, but I remembered her hysterical voice as she yelled at me to run. I felt like the woman was after me, so I hoped my mother was safe…

I ducked into a small alleyway between two department stores. I should be safe here, right? Wrong. I became aware of quiet laughter behind me. I turned to see the taxi driver smirking at me.

“You smell so delicious, young hero.” She growled. “Perhaps after I kill you, you’ll make a tasty snack for me and my children…”

I swear, I almost threw up. Did she just say she was going to eat me!? “That’s… disgusting…” I managed to choke out. I started to back away, but for every step back I took, she’d take two forwards.

She smiled evilly as I backed into the wall. “No where to run, hero.”

As I stared into the eyes of what would soon be my killer, I noticed they were a startling shade of red. I gulped. “Who… Who are you?” I breathed.

“Do you not know who I am, dear?” She asked sweetly, closing the distance between us. I grimaced as she sniffed me. “Yes, you’ll definitely be quite tasty.”

She let out a loud, guttural growl, and tensed to attack. The growl itself was enough to scare the <CENSORED> out of me. As she lunged at me, something unexpected happened. A boy suddenly appeared behind her. He was holding a long, slim sword. The blade of it was pure black, which I thought was rather odd.

“Step away from the girl,” He said, his voice carefully controlled, but I thought I detected a hint of anger.

“Or what?” My attacker hissed, her attention focused on the boy now. I tried to get away while she wasn’t paying attention to me, but I over estimated how distracted she was. Her hand shot out and grabbed my throat, her sharp nails digging into the sides of my neck. “Take another step and I’ll kill her now. A bit of a waste… I prefer my meals to still be alive as I eat them, but I suppose I can handle a dead meal too.”

I looked at the boy, my green eyes pleading for help. He hesitated, looking from me, to the woman (which I wasn’t sure was a regular woman anyone), to the hand that was slowly cutting off my supply of air. I closed my eyes, praying for help.

“Not if I kill you first.” And then he lunged.

I don’t know what happened after that. I think I passed out from lack of oxygen, because when I opened my eyes, I was on the ground, looking up into the worried face of the boy.

“Oh, good. You’re still alive.” He said, nonchalantly. He held out his hand, offering to help me up.

I took it, and was surprised by the strength in which he pulled me up with. “T-Thanks,” I said, my voice shaking.

“No problem.” He said. “You okay?”

What a stupid question. I had just been attacked by a psycho woman, and saved by a boy who was wielding a black sword in the middle of New York. Yeah, I’m just peachy.

I ignored that. “Did you know that woman?”

“That wasn’t a woman, that was Lamia.” He replied.

“Who Is Lamia?” I asked curiously. I was starting to think there was something he wasn’t telling me.

“I think you mean ‘What is Lamia’.” He corrected. “Lamia is an ancient being, known for devouring children. She is the granddaughter of Poseidon, and she--“

“WOAH. WAIT A MINUTE.” I cried, my eyes wide. “Did you say Poseidon? As in the Greek god of the sea, Poseidon!?”

I heard the distant roll of thunder come from not far away.

The boy stared looked at the sky warily. “I’d be careful, if I were you. Don’t just throw names like that around. Names have power… and I just told you she’s a flesh-eating monster, and you’re worried about her heritage?”

I nodded sheepishly.

The boy rolled his eyes. “You’re an odd girl. What’s your name?”

“Arianna.” I told him. “What’s yours?”

He didn’t look to keen on the idea of giving away his identity. “Isaac.” He mumbled reluctantly. “Come on, I need to get you to camp before another monster smells us out.”

All the buildings at the camp looked like they had been pulled out of a book about Greek architecture- an open-air pavilion, an amphitheatre, a circular arena- except they all looked brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the sun. In the sand on the beach’s shore, a dozen kids where playing volleyball. Canoes glided across the water in the background. Kids in bright orange t-shirts were shooting targets at an archery range. Others rode horses down a trail. Was it just me, or did some of the horses have wings?

Isaac had explained everything to me on the way to camp. He told me that the Greek gods actually existed. They followed Western civilization; meaning that they were currently in America- New York, in fact. The very city I had been attacked in. He said that they’d often have children with mortals. Those children were called demigods, or “half-bloods”. According to Isaac, he was a half-blood. And so was I. I couldn’t wrap my head around that; me, a child of a god? I had grown up without a father… whenever I asked my mother about him she’d shake her head and say “I’ll tell you when you’re older”. I’m thirteen and a half. I think that’s plenty old enough to know about my dad. My mother obviously didn’t think so. Isaac was fifteen, and had been at camp since he was twelve. Apparently, twelve was the average age half-bloods were brought to camp. “You must be a late bloomer.” He had said with a teasing laugh. I had ignored him for ten minutes after that crack. It was a joke, but I hadn’t found it very funny.

“Have you had any encounters with monsters, besides the one I just saved you from?” He asked. I had a feeling he was never going to let me forget that.

“Not that I’m aware of.” I replied, still a bit annoyed with him about the late bloomer comment.

“Hmm… You must be the offspring of a minor god. Like Nemesis or something.”

“And why is that?” I snapped. If he was being sexist, I’d rip his head off.

“No need for the attitude,” He scolded. “If you were a daughter of one of the twelve Olympians, you’d have attracted far more monsters than that. And if you were a daughter of the Big Three, then…” He trailed off, shuddering at the thought.

“If I was the daughter of one of the Big Three, then… What?” I asked, my annoyance fading into curiosity.

“Let’s just say, you probably wouldn’t be here right now talking to me.”

I shivered as I realized what he was implying. “So basically… the more powerful your parents are, the more monsters you attract?” I asked.

He nodded. “Exactly. You catch on quick.”

Apparently, at that praise, I had started walking with a bit of swag in my step, my head held high with pride, because he snorted. “Don’t let it go to that big head of yours.” He said, earning himself a glare from me.

I had to admit, I was a little disappointed that I was only the daughter of a minor god. It would have been really cool to be the daughter of Zeus, or Poseidon, or Apollo… the list goes on. It was a good thing I had taken an interest in Greek mythology when I was younger. I probably wouldn’t even know who my father was if I hadn’t of read about Greek mythology obsessively when I was about eleven years old. I still researched it occasionally, if I was in the mood.

We had been sitting at one of the stone picnic tables in the outdoor pavilion. It was on a hill, so we had a great view of the sea. It was quite pretty.

A short, but porky man made his way over to us. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and his hair was so black, it was almost purple. He wore a tacky, zebra striped Hawaiian shirt. He gave me a look that said he was clearly not excited I was here. I was kind of offended by that.

“Oh dear. Another new camper?” He grunted.

Isaac lowered his head slightly. Was that meant to be a bow or something? “Hello, Mr. D. This is Arianna. Yes, she’s new.”

“How did she get here? Shouldn’t she have been brought straight to me, by the Satyr that collected her? I am the Camp Director, after all.” His chubby chest puffed out with pride.

I glared at him. “Collected?” I growled. “How dare y--“ I stopped as Isaac kicked my shin under the table. “OW!” I yelled. “What was that for!?”

Isaac ignored me. He addressed Mr. D instead. “She wasn’t brought here by a Satyr. I was out in the city on… the business we discussed, when I came across her. She was under attack. I saved her sorry self and brought her back to camp.”

“I see…” Mr. D eyed me with distaste. “What kind of monster attacked her?”

Isaac frowned. “Lamia, actually. The very monster I was supposed to be hunting.”

Mr. D’s eyebrows rose considerably higher. “Lamia? Really? Humph. What’s your parentage?” He demanded, rounding on me.

I opened my mouth to tell him I didn’t know who my “parentage” was, but Isaac beat me to it.

“She hasn’t been claimed yet.” He said simply.

“Throw her in Cabin Eleven then.” He said, waving a hand at me passively. “I have more important things to deal with. Where is Chiron?”

“No idea,” Isaac replied, standing up. He turned to me. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to your new cabin mates.”

I got up, shooting a glare at Mr. D. That was one person I definitely did not like. I don’t care if he’s the Camp Director. I didn’t like him.

Apparently my glare didn’t go unnoticed. “Mind that attitude of yours,” Mr. D told me. “If you don’t show me some respect, you might find yourself slowly loosing your mind.” And then he walked away.

Who walks away after saying something like that!? “Did he just threaten me!?” I cried.

“Yes… and keep your voice down. You don’t know who that was, do you.” Isaac said.

“No. And I don’t particularly care, either.”

“That was Dionysus; the god of wine. And a few other various things.”

I was silent for a few seconds as I process that tidbit of information. Great. I just got on the bad side of a god. What a great way to start off my first day of camp.

Isaac showed me to the cabins. There were at least twenty of them, arranged in a rectangular formation. They all faced a commons area about the size of a soccer field, dotted with Greek statues, fountains, flowerbeds, and a couple of basketball hoops. In the center of the field was a huge stone-lined fire pit.

This had to be the most odd collection of buildings I had ever seen in my life. They looked nothing alike. The only thing they had in common was they all had a large brass number above the door (odds on the left, evens on the right). Cabin number nine looked like a mini factory, smokestacks and all. Cabin seven seemed to be made of solid gold, which gleamed so much in the sunlight that it was impossible to look at. Number thirteen had solid obsidian walls with a skull over the door, and torches that burned with green fire. Isaac caught me staring at it, and grinned slightly.

The pair of cabins at the head of the field, numbers one and two, looked like his-and-hers mausoleums; big white marble cabins with heavy columns in front. Cabin one was the biggest and bulkiest of the twelve. Its polished bronze doors shimmered like a hologram, so that from different angles lightning bolts seemed to streak across them. Cabin two was more graceful somehow, with slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls were carved with images of peacocks.

“Zeus and Hera?” I guessed.

“Correct,” Isaac said.

“Their cabins look empty…”

“”Cabin two is empty. Hera is the goddess of marriage. Do you really think she’d have a bunch of kids? She was always getting angry with Zeus for having affairs with mortals. She is not a hypocrite.” He responded. “As for cabin one, there is one occupant there. I’m not sure if she’s at camp right now, seeing as summer vacation only just started.”

“Oh,” Was all I said.

Cabin number four had tomato vines on the walls, and a roof made of real glass. Outside, a girl with shoulder length brown hair, was running around the cabin frantically. It looked like she was searching for something. She was short- maybe around 5’2” or so- not quite as short as me, but very close. She looked up and spotted us.

“Oh, there you are, Isaac! Where have you been? James has been looking for you…” She trailed off, looking at me. “Oh, who’s this?”

Isaac sighed. I think I caught him rolling his eyes, but I’m not sure. “Nikki, this is Arianna. Arianna, this is Nikki.” He introduced.

“Hello,” I said shyly.

She nodded at me, turning her direction back to Isaac. “You better go find James. Whatever he needs you for, it sounded pretty urgent.”

Isaac glanced at me. “Nikki, do you think you could show Arianna to cabin eleven for me, while I go find James?”

“No, Isaac, I can’t. I’m very busy myself, at the moment. Do you have any idea how bad my situation is? The Satyrs are outside trying their best to take care of it, but it’s just not enough. I was about to ask Chiron if me and a couple of my siblings, along with a few of Persephone’s kids could help.” She explained quickly. “Sorry, but the new girl is going to have to fend for herself, at the moment.” And with that final statement, she ran off down the hill, leaving both Isaac and I glaring at the place where she had been moments ago.

“I swear, she’s never any help at all,” He grumbled. “If she would just—CASSIE!”

A girl, who had just came out of cabin number one, looked up, startled. She had blonde hair that was highlighted with brown and dark red streaks. Sounds odd, I know, but it actually looked quite nice. She jogged over to us.

“Hey, Isaac. You need something?” She seemed a little friendlier than Nikki, which I was pretty happy about. She turned to me. “Hi, I don’t think we’ve met before. I’m Cassie.” She said with a smile.

“Arianna,” I said, smiling in return, though I was a little intimidated being in the presence of Zeus’s daughter (I assumed she was, anyway, considering she had been in cabin one).

Isaac cleared his throat, making both of us look at him. “Yes. I was wondering if you could show Arianna to cabin eleven for me. I have to find James.”

“Oh, sure I can! It’s this way, Aria!” She said happily, taking my hand and leading me towards the middle of the left hand side of the cabin formation.

“Umm, it’s Arianna…”

Cassie laughed. “Oh, I know. But Aria is easier to say. So I’m going to call you Aria for short!”

I said nothing as we passed other cabins. We passed number five, which was painted bright red, the roof lined with barbed wire. A stuffed wild boar’s head hung over the door, and I felt like it was staring right at me. I could see a bunch of mean-looking kids inside, both boys and girls, arm-wrestling and arguing with each other, while rock music blared.

When we finally reached the middle of the left side’s cabins, Cassie stopped. “Cabin eleven!” She exclaimed.

Out of all the cabins, cabin eleven looked the most like a regular summer camp cabin. The threshold was worn down, the brown paint peeling. Over the doorway was a caduceus; a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it.

We opened the door, and I stood in the doorway, looking at the kids. They were all staring at me, sizing me up.

“Well?” Cassie prompted. “Go on!” She gave me a little nudge, and I had no choice but to enter the cabin.

“Aria, meet cabin eleven!” She announced happily.

“Arianna,” I corrected again.

“Regular or unclaimed?” Someone asked.

Cassie frowned, not knowing the answer, and looked at me expectantly.

“Umm…” I said, not knowing what to say. I remembered Isaac telling Mr. D that I hadn’t been claimed yet. “Unclaimed,” I said hesitantly.

A girl stood up, her long red hair flowing down her back. She was tall, with an athletic build. “Welcome, Arianna. My name is Cailey. I’ll be your counselor for now—“

“For now?” I asked, unintentionally cutting her off. I realized my mistake, and apologized.

Cailey just smiled and pretended as if there was no interruption. “You haven’t been claimed yet,” She explained patiently. “They don’t know what cabin to put you in, so you’re here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, and all visitors. Naturally we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers.”

“How long will I be unclaimed?” I asked, slightly nervous. I didn’t want to be stuck in such a crowded cabin for very long.

I had asked Cailey, but Cassie answered. “Not very long! Your mom or dad should send a sign soon. They have too, now. It’s a rule.” She stated matter-of-factly.

“The gods have to follow rules?” I asked. A few people snickered at that comment.

Cassie laughed, her blue-ish green eyes twinkling. “Come on,” She said. “Dinner’s in fifteen minutes. You should wash up a bit. You look kind of… dirty.” She stated, looking me over.

“Gee, thanks.” I glared at her.

She smiled apologetically. “Sorry, just stating the truth.”

She was right, of course. I had been attacked by a monster, ending up passed out on the ground in an alley. Of course I was dirty.

Cassie grabbed my hand again, and led me out of the cabin.

Cassie dragged me into a cinder-block building, which I found out was the girl’s bathroom. There was a line of toilets on one side, and a line of shower stalls on the other. It smelled just like any public bathroom, and I was thinking that if this place belonged to the gods, they should’ve been able to afford classier bathrooms.

There were two girls standing in the corner, the younger of which was crying quietly as the other patted her shoulder comfortingly. They both looked up as we entered, and I figured they must be sisters. Both of them had sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes. And they were both looking at me curiously,

“N-New camper?” The younger one sniffed, wiping her tears away on her sleeve.

Cassie nodded. “What’s wrong, Robyn?” She asked kindly.

Robyn’s response was too break into a fresh wave of tears and hug the other girl (who glared at Cassie) tightly.

“Sorry, sorry!” Cassie cried hastily. “Don’t cry!”

I looked at the other girl. “What’s wrong with.. umm… Robyn.” I asked.

“Who are you?” She asked, not unkindly.

“My name is Ar—“

“This is Aria! She’s a new camper.” Cassie answered enthusiastically.

The girl looked me over carefully, seemingly deciding whether she liked me or not. Then, she said, “Nice to meet you, Aria. I’m Kayla.” She smiled.

“Nice to meet you too. But it’s Arianna, not Aria.” I corrected, glaring at Cassie.

“Sure thing, Aria!” Kayla laughed happily.

Robyn let out a loud wail suddenly, and our attention went back to her. Kayla went back to patting her on the back.

“Was… Was it… Derek again?” Cassie asked hesitantly.

Kayla nodded sadly, wincing as Robyn cried a fresh batch of tears as the name was said.

“Yeah,” She said. “He just can’t get enough of making fun of her…”

I looked at Robyn. She was small, and obviously very young. She couldn’t be any older than eleven years old. Whoever this Derek guy was, he obviously has no heart. Robyn was just so cute and defenseless. It’d be like killing a bunny. You just don’t do that. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I found myself wanting to punch something… or someone.

“If he wasn’t an Ares kid… I swear…” Cassie growled.

Ares? That’s all I needed to know. I spun around on my heel and practically ran out of the bathroom. I could hear Cassie calling my name, but I ignored it. I stormed up to cabin five (don’t ask me how I knew this was the Are’s cabin. I just did, okay?) and wrenched the door open, ignoring the creepy stuffed boar over the door.

“Okay!” I yelled. The entire Are’s cabin glared at me. “Which one of you is Derek!?”

“That’d be me,” A boy, about eighteen years old, with long, oily black hair responded. He looked like a cross between a hippie and a biker; not a very good combination. “What can I do for yah, beautiful?” He said with a wink and a playful smirk.

I think I almost threw up. “First of all, EW.” I said, glaring at him in disgust. “Second of all, what gives you the right to make an innocent little girl like Robyn cry!?”

“First of all, who gave you permission to just barge into our cabin like that?” He said, still flirty, but I could hear the edge in his voice. “Second of all, she’s just fun to pick on, that’s all.” He waved a hand dismissively, as if that closed the matter.

“I gave myself permission.” I said shortly.

“I think we should teach her some manners,” A girl behind me growled. I turned and gave her a dirty look.

“Now, now, no need to be hasty. I wouldn’t want any of you to ruin that perfect little figure of hers before I got a chance to—“

I slapped him. Probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever done, but I slapped him. Hard. Right across the face. I put as much force in it as I could muster, and the echo of it rang across the cabin, which was now silent with shock.

Derek gave me a look of pure hatred, before he said, “Okay, new plan. You get <CENSORED> out of this cabin before I snap you’re neck.” He hissed dangerously.

“Or what.” I challenged, clenching and unclenching my fists in anger, trying not to hit him again.

He was saved the trouble of answering when a horn blew in the distance. Somehow, I knew it was a conch shell, even though I had never heard one before.

“Five!” He ordered, looking at the rest of the cabin’s occupants now. “Follow!”

He exited the cabin without looking at me, the rest of the campers following. The girl who had suggested teaching me some manners passed me and hissed in my ear, “You’re lucky, newbie…”

And then I was alone in cabin five, the rock music from before still pumping loudly out of the speakers. I stood there alone for a second, my blood boiling, my fists clenched angrily. Finally, I got a hold of myself and left the cabin, swearing to myself that I’d make Derek and his cabin mates pay, if it was the last thing I did.

(Sorry for such a lateeee update... I wasn't able to update while on Earth -.-')


I stormed through the grounds, making my way towards the pavilion, where I figured dinner would be held. I realized I was still dirty, but I didn’t really care. On my way there, I passed a boy that looked almost exactly like Isaac- only this boy’s black hair was longer, and tied back in a ponytail. As if he could feel me looking at him, he looked up and met my gaze. I blushed slightly, embarrassed at being caught staring at him. I ducked my head and continued walking, but I could have sworn I saw him smile slightly.

At the pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns. A central fire burned in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. Each cabin had it’s own table, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. I saw Cailey waving at me from what I assumed was the Herme’s table, and I sat down beside her.

“First dinner here, huh?” She asked, with a small wink.

“Heh,” I said nervously. “Yeah…”

Derek sat behind me at the Are’s table. He apparently had not gotten over being slapped in the face, because when he saw me, he gave me a sneer, before turning back to his friends.

I saw Mr. D sitting at table twelve with a couple of odd half animal (a goat, perhaps?), half human creatures, and a couple of plump blond boys who looked like Mr. D. Mr. D didn’t look to pleased as he cleared his throat loudly, calling for attention. Everybody fell silent.

“To the gods!” He yelled.

Everybody else raised their glasses, and I hastily did the same. “To the gods!”

Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food- grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, freash bread, and yes, barbecue! My glass was empty, but Cailey said, “Speak to it. Whatever you want—nonalcoholic of course.”

“Mountain Dew,” I spoke. Almost instantly, my glass filled with sparkling green liquid. I took a cautious sip, and was pleased to find it tasted normal; maybe even better.

“Here you go, Arianna,” Cailey said, handing me a platter of smoked brisket.

I loaded my plate and was about to take a big bite, when I noticed everybody getting up, carrying their plates toward the fire in the center of the pavilion. I wondered if they were going for dessert or something.

“Come on,” Cailey told me.

As I got closer, I saw that everyone was taking a portion of their meal and dropping it into the fire—the ripest strawberry, the juiciest slice of beef, the warmest, most buttery roll.

Cailey murmured in my ear, “Burnt offerings for the gods. They like the smell.”

“You’re kidding.”

Her look warned me not to take this lightly, but I couldn’t help wondering why an immortal, all-powerful being would like the smell of burning food.

Cailey approached the fire, bowed her head, and tossed in a cluster of fat red grapes. “Hermes.”

I was next.

I wished I knew what god’s name to say.

Finally, a made a silent plea. Whoever you are, tell me soon. Please. I scraped in a big slice of brisket into the flames.

When I caught whiff of the smoke, I didn’t gag. It smelled nothing like burnt food. It smelled of hot chocolate and fresh-baked brownies, hamburgers on the grill, wildflowers, and a hundred other good things that shouldn’t have gone well together, but did. I could almost believe the gods could live off that smoke.

When everybody had returned to their seats and finished eating their meals, Mr. D stood up again and called for silence.

He sighed hugely. “Yes, I suppose I better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. I should tell you that we have a new camper here today. Aritha Goulde.”

One of the blond boys sitting next to Mr. D muttered something.

“Er, Arianna Gold.” Mr. D corrected. “That’s right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly little campfire. Go on.”

Everybody cheered. We all headed down toward the amphitheater, where Apollo’s cabin (which included Robyn and Kayla) led a sing-along. We sang camp songs about the gods and ate s’mores. Cassie joined me after a little bit, and we laughed and joked around with everyone else.

The funny thing was, I was already starting to feel like I was home.