BRIDGET V
I started to come around. My head was like a blaring alarm. I blinked a few times as everything came into focus. I pulled myself forward, but something held me back. My blurry eyes looked down and I could see an outline of shackles on my hands and ankles in this dark room.
“Hello!” I called out to no one in particular. My own voice answered.
“Hello! Hello! Hello!” I almost called back, but I realized I was alone here. I tried to sink to the floor, but I didn’t even have enough slack to do that. I sighed. Tears poured like a waterfall off my face. I tore at the chains over and over again, yet it was useless. At some point I nodded off, hanging there, crying my eyes out. I couldn’t keep track of time. I nodded off often, and no food appeared at any time. I kept trying to make fire, but none appeared. At one point an invisible person unlocked my chains and put globs of stuff on a plate in front of me. A spoon stuck out of it. My stomach growled like a fierce tiger. I grabbed the spoon and shoved food into my mouth.
It tasted just how it looked, like crap. Even though it tasted like that, I swallowed it. I pushed the plate to the side, and tried to looked through the darkness. I stumbled around for a bit, and finally ran into something that felt like a table. I found a box of matches and a candle. I fumbled around and ran into a wall. I turned around to try to get the matches. I shuffled back to where I was to light the match. I struck it many times, until finally, I got it to light. I could see it. I walked to the table and lit the candle. There was a cot, a simple side table, and a wooden chair with a bookcase full of books. I slowly walked to the bookcase, in case there was any traps. I bent down at the bookcase, and looked at the books. I should say book. There was only one, Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief. I have nothing else to do. I picked up the book went down to the cot and sat down.
The first page read:
Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood.
If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe what-ever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.
Being a half-blood is dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways. If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.
But if you recognize yourself in these pages-if you feel something stirring inside-stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
My name is Percy Jackson. I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.
Am I a troubled kid?
Yeah. You could say that.
I immediately dove into the book. I had an idea about this. I will keep reading this book. I wonder if there are any other books in the series. The story carried me many always. When the girl, Annabeth came in, she reminded me of Ella. Percy reminded me of Theo.
I had reached the last page of the book.
She pursed her lips. "You won't try anything stupid during the school year, will you? At least not without sending me an Iris-message?"
I managed a smile. "I won't go looking for trouble. I usually don't have to."
"When I get back next summer," she said, "we'll hunt down Luke. We'll ask for a quest, but if we don't get approval, we'll sneak off and do it anyway. Agreed?"
"Sounds like a plan worthy of Athena."
She held out her hand. I shook it.
"Take care, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth told me. "Keep your eyes open."
"You too, Wise Girl."
I watched her walk up the hill and join her family. She gave her father an awkward hug and looked back at the valley one last time. She touched Thalia's pine tree, then allowed herself to be lead over the crest and into the mortal world.
For the first time at camp, I felt truly alone. I looked out at Long Island Sound and I remembered my father saying, The sea does not like to be restrained.
I made my decision.
I wondered, if Poseidon were watching, would he approve of my choice?
"I'll be back next summer," I promised him. "I'll survive until then. After all, I am your son." I asked Argus to take me down to cabin three, so I could pack my bags for home.
I flipped the page, and it was done. I put it up on the shelf and fell asleep on the cot. I don’t know how long I slept, but by the time I woke up, there was another book on the shelf. I went up to it. This time it was Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters. I grabbed it, walked to the cot, sat down, and started my next adventure.