—Sea of Monsters rewrite

OUR BEST FRIEND SHOPS FOR A WEDDING DRESS

(Percy's prospective)

My nightmare started like this.

I was standing on a deserted street in some little beach town. It was the middle of the night. A storm was blowing. Wind and rain ripped at the palm trees along the sidewalk. Pink and yellow stucco buildings lined the street, their windows boarded up. A block away, past a line of hibiscus bushes, the ocean churned.

Florida, I thought. I wasn't sure how I knew that. I'd never been to Florida.

Then I heard hooves clattering against the pavement. I turned and saw my friend Grover running for his life.

Yeah, I said hooves.

Grover is a satyr. From the waist up, he looks like a typical gangly teenager with a peach-fuzz goatee and a bad case of acne. He walks with a strange limp, but unless you happen to catch him without his pants on (which I don't recommend), you'd never know there was anything unhuman about him. Baggy jeans and fake feet hide the fact that he's go furry hindquarters and hooves.

Grover had been my best friend in sixth grade, along with my twin sister, Cammie. He'd gone on this adventure with me and Cam, and a girl named Annabeth to save the world, but I hadn't seen him since last July, when he set off alone on a dangerous quest—a quest no satyr had ever returned from.

Anyway, in my dream, Grover was hauling goat tail, holding his human shoes in his hands the way he does when he needs to move fast. He clopped past the little tourist shops and surfboard rental places. The wind bent the palm trees almost to the ground.

Grover was terrified of something behind him. He must've just come from the beach. Wet sand was caked in his fur. He'd escaped from somewhere. He was trying to get away from…something.

A bone-rattling growl cut through the storm. Behind Grover at the far end of the block, a shadowy figure loomed. It swatted aside a street lamp, which burst in a show of sparks.

Grover stumbled, whimpering in fear. He muttered to himself, have to get away. Have to warn them!

I couldn't see what was chasing him, but I could hear it muttering and cursing. The ground shook as it got closer. Grover dashed around a street corner and faltered. He'd run into a dead-end courtyard full of shops. No time to back up. The nearest door had been blown open by the storm. The sign above the darkened display window read: ST. AUGUSTINE BRIDAL BOUTIQUE.

Grover dashed inside. He dove behind a rack of wedding dresses.

The monster's shadow passed in front of the shop. I could smell the thing—a sickening combination of wet sheep wool and rotten meat and that weird sour body odor only monsters have, like a skunk that's been living off Mexican food.

Grover trembled behind the wedding dresses. The monster's shadow passed on. Silence except for the rain. Grover took a deep breath. Maybe the thing was gone.

Then lighting flashed. The entire front of the store exploded, and a monstrous voice bellowed: "MIIIINE!"

Gasping, I shot up from my laying position, and started yelling for Cammie, to tell her right away what I saw.

But then I remembered she was gone. Had left months ago to go to some fancy spy boarding school. She was in Virginia, leaning spy stuff, and I was stuck back in New York, leaning normal stuff. She had lots of friends, and I had never felt so alone.

But I couldn't be all that mad at her. This was her dream, already becoming reality before her very eyes. I could ask her to come home, and she would. But I couldn't ask that of her. Because even though I missed her, and knew that she would always love me, if I selfishly asked her to come home, a little part of her would hate me.

So I got up and walked over to her old bed, sitting down on it. She had written letters, and I had half the heart to write back. I knew the letters were more for mom's sake then my own. Mom would get so excited when Cam's weekly letter would come in. I would read them, then set them on her old nightstand.

Mom walked in, peering inside. "Percy, are you alright? I heard you scream."

I nodded. "It's alright mom, just a bad dream."

She took note how I sat on Cam's bed instead of my own. "School's almost over, Percy," she said, coming to sit beside me. "You'll see her again real soon."

"She comes home in two days," I told her. "She says that tomorrow is her last day of finals, and the next day everybody goes home."

Mom smiled. "That's good." Her eyes slid over to the nightstand, and she picked up the letter on top. "Do you mind reading it for me?"

I shrugged, sliding the paper out of the envelope. Cammie wrote in Greek because of her Dyslexia only allowed her to read and write in that specific language. As Annabeth once said, it because the language is hardwired into our brains, our Greek heritage coming into play.

"Dear Mom and Percy,

Things are going great here. Liz has been helping me study for finals, reading and rereading all the notes she's taken (which is a lot). We've been doing some small scale experiments in our room, and I've become quite the bomb maker. I now know how to make an explosion using a battery, nail polish and a gum wrapper. We did a small scale explosion in our room yesterday. What would have gotten me expelled anywhere else, is encouraged here. Bex has been training with me in the P&E barn, and things are going really well. I haven't broken anyone else's noses since Eva's, and once again, it was an accident, and she wasn't at all mad at me. In fact, she told me it was a good shot.

"I've already become fluent in Spanish, French and Japanese, and started to learn Korean, and Chinese, which is awesome. You wouldn't believe all the things I've been learning over here. It's like being part of the X men or something.

"I'm sorry this letter is so short. I've been so busy with studying, that nothing really interesting has been happening. I'll be home in a few days, and I can show you all the other pictures I've taken while here. And I can show you some of the other things I've learned, like updating your computer, and making it run faster. That way you can work on homework a little faster, mom.

"I miss and love you both so much, you can't even begin to understand it—not even you Percy.

"Until the end of the week. Love, Cammie."

I folded the letter back up as neatly as possible, taking one last look at the picture of Cam and her friends standing proudly outside their school that she had slipped in the envelope .

Mom took the letter and held it to her heart. She pulled me into her side, kissing my head. "Two more days, Percy. I'm sure you can make it."

I nodded, but knew that wasn't the whole truth.

"Go back to bed, Sweetheart. You have school tomorrow."

As soon as morning came around, I grabbed a drachma and iris messaged Cam.

When her image popped up, it was of Cammie brushing her hair in a lavish room, books and wires, and all sorts of odds and ends everywhere. She looked so different. Her long black hair had gotten longer, straighter and shinier since I last saw her in person. She wore makeup—something she used to scorn—and it made her sea green eyes pop. She didn't look much older; taller, maybe. Her eyes held a sort of knowledge that they didn't before. A sort of confidence. But she didn't stick out. She was pretty, but she looked normal. Someone you would pass on the streets and never even know she'd been there in the first place. And that's what was so different about her. My sister doesn't blend in. It's like she doesn't even know how.

After a moment of scorning these new changes, I snapped back. "Cammie," I said, trying to gain her attention.

Jumping, Cam held her hairbrush out in defense. I rolled my eyes. "Really? What could you possibly do with that?"

"You'd be surprised," she said in a hushed voice. "We learned a few moves yesterday. I could kill a man with this thing." I flinched at 'kill a man'. Months ago, it would have been 'kill a monster'. "But, come on, Percy, what are you doing calling me this early in the morning? One of the girls could have been in here and seen you."

"It's important," I told her, almost in a defensive tone. She's my sister. I have every right to call her whenever I want.

"Obviously, I can feel your emotions, remember? You're just lucky I'm running late today. Anyway, where were you last night? I didn't see you in my dream."

"Grover's in danger, Cam. I had a dream that he was running from something." I told her every part of my dream, from start to finish.

She looked panicked. "Oh gods. Did he look okay? I mean, other than the obvious panic attack he must have been having."

"He was fine. Now when are you coming home?"

She looked a bit sheepish. "Uh, tomorrow. I have finals today, and then I'll be heading straight over to Camp Half-Blood tomorrow."

I gave her a wounded look. "You're not coming to see mom?"

She ran a hand through her hair. "I've already written to her, she understands!"

"Maybe, but you know it hurts her."

There was a knock on the door from her end. "Cammie, you coming?"

"Be right out, Bex!" she yelled. "Don't wait up." She turned back to me. "Look Percy, if Grover's in trouble, we shouldn't wait up. We can leave camp a week earlier this summer; spend two weeks together with mom."

"Make her wait three more months?"

Cammie eyes narrowed slightly, as if she was trying to hide the hurt in them. "You said it yourself, Grover is in danger. How am I going to sit and relax when I know my best friend is out there probably about to get eaten?"

"Oh, so you still consider him your best friend?" I scoffed.

Now her eyes narrowed in anger. "Why wouldn't I? Don't you?"

"Yeah, well I was just assuming, since you have new best friends and all—"

"Yeah, well you assumed wrong," she growled.

I crossed my arms over my chest, my anger growing as well. "Bit defensive right now, huh?"

"Of course I'm being defensive. Grover is still my best friend, no matter how many new ones I make. And who are you to talk? Aren't you best friends with that boy Tyson now?"

It felt as though she had slapped me. "That's—"

"Don't you dare say it's different," she said, picking up her backpack. "I'm late for breakfast. I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah," I brooded.

I'm sorry, I told her through our bond. It seemed easier thinking it instead of saying it.

Her eyes softened, and she smiled sadly. "I know," she whispered, waving her hand though the mist, wiping herself away.

I looked to the window, the morning sun blinding me.

I thought I saw a shadow flicker across the glass—a humanlike shape. But then there was a knock on my bedroom door—my mom called: "Percy, you're going to be late"—and the shadow at the window disappeared.

It must have been my imagination. A fifth-story window with a rickety old fire escape…there couldn't have been anyone out there.

"Come on Percy, last day of school!" mom yelled. "You should be excited! You've almost made it!"

"Coming," I managed.

I reached under my pillow. My fingers closed reassuringly around the ballpoint pen I always slept with. I brought it out, studied the Ancient Greek writing engraved on the side: Anaklumos. Riptide. Cammie had a sword similar to it, but the engravings that decorated the sword were names of all the soldiers that had ever used the sword, and it was nameless.

I thought about uncapping Riptide, but something held me back. I hadn't used it for so long…

Besides, my mom had made me promise not to use deadly weapons in the apartment after I'd swung a javelin the wrong way and taken out her china cabinet. I put Anaklusmos on my nightstand, and started to get ready for school.

Getting dressed as quick as I could, I tried not to think about Grover, or my nightmare or monsters, or even the shadow at my window.

Have to get away. Have to warn them!

What had Grover meant?

I made a three-fingered claw over my heart and pushed outward—an ancient gesture Grover had once taught me and Cammie for warding off evil. I smiled at the memory of Cammie using it on our stepfather, Gabe, and it actually working, sending him flying backwards.

Last day of school. my mom was right, I should have been excited. For the first time in my life, I'd almost made it an entire year without getting expelled. No weird accidents. No fights in the classroom. No teachers turning into monsters and trying to kill me with poisoned cafeteria food or exploding homework. Tomorrow, I'd be on my way back to my favorite place in the world—Camp Half Blood. And I'd be with my sister, and everything would be so right with the world, there would be a holiday created just to celebrate this possibly once in a life time occurrence.

For a moment I couldn't help but thinking that my luck had to do with Cammie going off to Gallagher. Obviously, I love my sister, but she can get slightly over the top. Her bad temper and quick fists have gotten us into a lot of trouble over the years. I mean, I have a horrible temper too, but hers is slightly more rampant then my own. Maybe that, and not having two demigods blood pumping around in the same area throwing around the stench for all the monsters to sniff out.

Picking up my backpack, I took a deep breath. Only one more day to go. Surely even I couldn't mess that up.

As usual, I didn't have a clue how wrong I was.

My mom made blue waffles and blue eggs for breakfast. She's funny that way, celebrating special occasions with blue food. I think it's her way of saying anything is possible. Percy can pass seventh grade. Cammie can make it through her first year at spy school. Waffles can be blue. Little miracles like that.

I ate at the kitchen table while my mom washed dishes. She was dressed in her work uniform—a starry blue skirt and a red and white striped blouse she wore to sell candy at Sweet on America. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

The waffles tasted great, but I guess I wasn't digging in like I usually did. Mom looked over and frowned. "Percy are you all right?"

"Yeah…fine." I wondered if Cammie just told me that she sent mom a letter saying she wasn't coming home. "Mom...you do know that Cam's not making it home tomorrow, right?"

Mom gave me a sad little smile. "Yes, the letter came in two days ago. It's in English too. Apparently her roommate, Liz, had gotten into some of the final stages of development on her language translator. It's so cool, she says that all you have to do is take a picture of what is written on the page, whether it is typed or written by hand, and it'll translate it for you. How exciting. Anyway, she told me that she'll be heading straight to camp this year because she's going with her friends to an in town carnival the night that school gets out. And since Chiron had been so insistent that you guys get back as soon as school ends, she doesn't want to worry him further by coming late." Her shoulders tensed as she started talking about camp.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said. "I'll tell you what. This afternoon, we celebrate the end of school. I'll take you and Tyson to Rockefeller Center—to that skateboard shop you like."

Oh, man, that was tempting. We were always struggling with money. Between my mom's night classes and my private school tuition, we could never afford to do special stuff like shop for a skateboard. But something in her voice bothered me.

"Wait a minute," I said. "I thought we were packing me up for camp tonight."

She twisted her dishrag. "Ah, dear, about that…I still haven't gotten ahold of Cammie about this, you might have to be the one to tell her…but I got a message from Chiron last night."

My heart sank. Chiron was the activates director at Camp Half-Blood. He wouldn't contact us unless something serious was going on. "What did he say?"

"He thinks…it might not be safe for you two to come to camp just yet. We might have to postpone."

"Postpone? Mom, how could it not be safe? I'm a half-blood! It's like the only safe place on earth for us!"

"Usually, dear. But with the problems they've been having—"

"What problems?"

"Percy…I'm very, very sorry. I was hoping to get ahold of Cammie myself, tell her, get her here and tell you tomorrow. I can't explain it all now. I'm not even sure Chiron can. Everything happened so suddenly."

My mind was reeling. How could we not go to camp? I wanted to ask a million questions, but just then the kitchen clock chimed the half-hour.

My mom looked almost relieved. "Seven-thirty, dear. You should go. Tyson will be waiting."

"But—"

"Percy, we'll talk this afternoon. Go on to school. Make sure you're sister knows. But don't tell her while she's taking finals, I don't want her worried about it then. She's been studying so hard, I'd hate for it all to be a waste."

The last thing I wanted to do was go to school and pretend nothing bad was happening. But mom looked so tiered, so fragile—like one wrong word and she might start to cry. Besides, she was right about my friend, Tyson. I had to meet him at the subway station on time or he'd get upset. He was scared of traveling underground alone.

I gathered up my stuff, but I stopped in the doorway. "Mom, this problem at camp. Does it…could it have anything to do with my nightmare?"

She wouldn't meet my eyes. "We'll talk this afternoon, dear. I'll explain…as much as I can."

I felt Cam nudging at the back of my mind, sensing my horrible mood. I send a warm feeling her way to calm her. Mom was right; she had finals today, so there was no point worrying her.

Reluctantly, I told mom goodbye. I jogged downstairs to catch the Number Two train.

As I stepped outside, I glanced at the brownstone building across the street. Just for a second I saw a dark shape in the morning sunlight—a human silhouette against the brick wall, a shadow that belonged to no one.

This it rippled and vanished.

Cammie sat at the lunch table with the rest of the eighth graders, not even touching her food. With her brother's feelings shoving their way into her mind, and her lack of sleep last night, she wasn't feeling all that hungry.

A little blond haired, pixie like, girl slid an orange across the table towards her. "You have to eat something," the girl said, her accent soft and southern. "We have finals today, and you need something to fuel you."

Cammie gave her a small grin. "Thank you, Lizzy. I'm just not all that hungry this morning." Still, she took the orange and started to peal it.

"Test nerves?" Liz guessed.

Cammie shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so," she lied.

The caramel skinned, black haired goddess sitting next to Cam eyed her carefully. "You had another nightmare last night," she started in an English accent. "Same one?"

"Every time," she nodded. Seeing the worry sketched on her face, she smiled. "Don't you worry about me, Bex, I'll be fine. I'll bomb these tests and then I'll break down into a nervous puddle of sleep-deprivation and fatigue."

"Look at you," the Brit said slyly. "You come in this school with a vocabulary bank of nearly nothing, and are about to walk out with a thesaurus of big words. You seemed to have rubbed off on her, Lizzy."

Cammie smiled, but her trouble-o-meter was going off.

So that's the first chapter! It's short in the book and so it's a bit short here too.

Because I have not finished my other fanfiction yet (out of pure laziness) I'll be alternating between this story and that one. I won't post another chapter here until I get one up there. so expect updates every other week.

That last part was in third prospective showing a bit of Cammie. I don't know, just thought I'd try it out, did you guys like that part at the end? I wanted to include the girls a bit in this story. The nightmares are kind of an overflow from the first story. Pretty important later on.

I'm going to be taking some rather strange turns in this story. Things won't go exactly as they did in the book, and I might be leaving some things out. I'll include everything important, so don't worry.

The one-shots of Cam's first year at Gallagher are up, but they suck majorly, so don't feel like you need to read them. Anything important that is from the one-shots will be explained in here, so don't worry you don't need to read them to understand it.

I don't know what else to say. Thanks for sticking with this, and I hope you're all excited for the second part in the rewrite!