My first Percy Jackson and the Olympians fanfiction. The beginning may be a little… Er, sketchy. I did this while I was supposedly 'banned' from the computer. So… I did it sneakily. -shifty eyes-

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Rick Riordan does!! Buuuut, I do own Ritz Knightly. :D

Warnings: … Wow, no warnings. Go figure. -mulls this over-

Chapter One: My Best Friend is a Goat

My life as a half-blood started when I was attacked by a rabid looking dog about the size of a garbage truck.

Here, let me explain better... I'm sure you've heard of Percy Jackson and his amazing misadventures at saving Mount Olympus on the 600th floor of the Empire State building, right? If not, go read about his adventures, then come back to this so it makes sense...

If you have read his adventures, then you will understand what I mean when I say... IF YOU ARE A HALF-BLOOD, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! Being a half-blood is one of the hardest things any kid, especially a thirteen-year-old nosocomephobic, who is a lazy ADHD bully...

Anyway, as I mentioned, my life was ruined when I was attacked by my first monster. I was at this small park in my town, just outside of the bigger cities with my eighth grade class. We were talking about something historical that had to do with the bird crud covered statue of the town's founder. The poor statue had this boring expression with a feathery hat and whatnot... It was so lame.

I stood by my friend, Greg, who was probably taller than all the kids in my class and looked pretty weird... He had stringy brown hair that hung like spider webs from his head matching the stubble on his chin and he made me feel like a little twig sometimes. He really had problems with his legs, but I tried not to point it out. He always had a smart aleck comment.

Like, "Hey, at least I'm not scared of doctors and hospitals and cry like a big baby!"

He was right, but it was so annoying sometimes... As for me? I was completely the opposite of him with short ringlet curled black hair and dark blue eyes. I was thin, but not... Thin thin, if you catch my drift? My mother told me I had an 'hour glass' figure.

Whatever that means.

Not to mention, I dressed like a guy with baggy clothes that hung on me. For example, right now I was wearing really baggy black jeans I bought from Hot Topic and an over-sized military jacket over a black Gorillaz t-shirt.

Our teacher went on a rave about the amazing history of the United States and blah, blah, blah. I was about to fall asleep when Greg suddenly jerked on my jacket sleeve.

"Ritz," He warned in his raspy, mature voice, "We should go." I gave him a sharp look, cocking a brow.

"Are you dumb?" I asked, although, it came out more meaner than I had intended it to. Greg noticed my apologetic after look, then quickly scanned the trees around the park with a nervous look. He was such a twitchy guy. I mean, I know what I'm saying when I say that because I have a very mild case of Tourettes... Where I happen to twitch every so often, but only when I was stressed. Not nervous...

"Hang on," He whispered, then his hand shot up in the air, flailing like it was on fire, "Oh! Mr. Pine! I have to pee!"

"What? Oh, sure... Buddy up, Gregory!" Mr. Pine warned, wagging a finger at him as if he were a kindergarten. Greg clasped a hand around my wrist and tore me off my feet, half dragging me to the bathrooms. I was getting a little annoyed. I mean, come on. History was boring, but it couldn't be so boring he'd want to skip... I could have sworn he was on probation or something for defending me in my last fight.

"Ritz... There's something I should probably tell you..." Greg warned carefully, his eyes watching me closely. It made me uneasy when he stared at me like that. Like he wanted to eat me or something. I took a cautious step back.

"Greg, look, I don't want to get in trouble for the third time this week, so can we just-"

"AROOOOFFF!!!" The bark practically shook me right off my feet and I tumbled into Greg, who smacked his head into the side of the fence by the bathroom. He yelped, flailing beneath me before I scrambled back. When I did, I smashed into something... Fuzzy.

I was really afraid to look up, but I had to bring myself to do it. I found myself looking at an upside down version of a very, very- and I mean VERY- large dog. My body froze up at its hungry eyes stared at me.

"Ritz, move it!" Greg shrieked, although, he was quivering like he tended to do. I think I was quivering as much as he was now, though. This thing was huge! I mean, school bus huge! And it's mouth! It was foaming with saliva that dropped down by my hand. My eyes followed the stream of saliva as I felt the color drain from my face.

"Greg..." I squeaked.

"Move!" Greg cried again. I think my mind finally registered the situation because I finally tumbled forward, dodging the dog's snapping jaws. I slammed into the fence by Greg, who was getting up on shaky legs.

"Hellhound! I've got this one!" He yelled and I could only look at him like he jumped out of the Looney Tune bin as he tore some funny looking pipes out of his pocket. I recognized them after a second as reed pipes.

I blinked, then glared at Greg. He had to be completely insane if those little sticks were going to do anything, I thought. Boy, was I wrong. Greg placed those pipes to his lips and placed a very soothing tune, a few notes bouncing out of place. I looked at the dog, expecting it to charge, but it just stared at Greg with furious eyes.

I figured he was probably going to put it asleep eventually, but I was wrong again. I had completely missed the little tree roots that were creeping through the dirt and making their way to the big dog. Or hellhound... Whatever it's called!

"Greg... What're you doing?" I asked at last, looking at him. He only glanced at me before hitting a last note that caused the roots to rip from the ground with groans. The dog freaked out big time and began to dance around wildly to avoid the tree roots, which whipped its rear end and head. I was starting to feel sorry for it, but Greg grabbed my arm and jerked me to my feet.

"Follow me!" Greg ordered firmly as he kicked off his shoes to reveal... Hooves? Now I was sure I was dreaming, so I pulled back on his grip.

"Okay, look! I don't know what's going on, but you better explain it-"

"I will if you just come with me!" Greg insisted stubbornly and tore me off my feet again, practically dragging me. The more I stared at his hooves, the more I recognized them... Satyrs had funny looking hooves like that. Satyrs were the half goat, half man mythological creatures.

Note the word: MYTHOLOGICAL. Apparently, not as false as I had thought.

Anyway, Greg dragged me, almost knocking off my military cap as we ducked through the trees. I was beginning to wonder why the others didn't notice. I mean, it was pretty hard to miss a humongous black dog and a satyr kidnapping a student.

I kept at Greg's heels now as he pulled me after him toward, what looked like, a white carousel. As we got closer, it looked like two... Pegasi!

I had to stop, knocking Greg over when I saw them. I was an artist myself, enjoying the arts of fine writing, but this... Oh... The white horses were so white, they matched the fresh snow in December. They had feathery wings that fluttered nervously in the muggy summer wind. It made me a bit uneasy, but I still couldn't help admiring their beauty.

"Cop and seat! We're off to Camp Half-Blood!"

"Camp Half-Who?"

xxx

I got my answer after Greg forced me to hitch a ride on the flying mule, which shot into the sky. Immediately, my stomach flew into my throat as my chest floated into my brain. I felt so light, like I could float away like paper. I kept my fingers tangled in the silvery mane of the pegasus as he rode up along side Greg, who was having seating troubles.

"NOW, will you explain to me what's going on?!" I called over the wind, pressing my cheek close to the neck of the horse. I was afraid I was going to fall any minute, but the pegasus seemed intent on keeping me on board. Greg had a grim expression as we swooped through parts in trees.

"It's hard to explain..." His voice drifted and I glared daggers at him. Oh, if he was lying to me, I was going to turn him into goat soup! I think he knew that too because he rushed to continue.

"Half-bloods, also known as demigods. They're children of the gods, part human as well. For a while now, half-bloods have been popping up like bunnies."

"Looks like the gods have been busy." I mused bitterly, only to have the sky make a very odd rumbling sound. Like thunder, I figured. Greg scowled at me, raising a finger to his lips.

"Watch your lip, Ritz. The gods are touchy."

"Are they now?"

"Ritz!"

"Sorry. Go on."

"Anyway, monsters are highly attracted to half-bloods. Like you."

"... Are you saying I'm a half-whatever?"

"... Half-blood. Yes. What surprises me, though... Is why you're undetermined."

"Undetermined?"

"A god hasn't claimed you yet."

"... Is that good or bad?" I asked, frowning at the thought. So, I was psyched about being a demigod or whatever, but... I was unclaimed. I was alone. I couldn't tell if that excited me or not. I looked at Greg curiously, watching his green eyes dart around for any more of those monsters.

"Greg... Are you telling me my dad is some kind of Greek god?" I asked. Greg nodded carefully.

"Yea... We just don't know which one, but we'll find out at Camp Half-Blood."

"What's Camp Half-Blood?"

"A camp that keeps demigods safe and sound... Or, well, close to it."

"... That's so reassuring! Thanks, Greg!" I exclaimed sarcastically, giving him a thumbs up, which quickly reverted to a thumbs down. Greg's eye twitched irritably, but he turned away to hide his annoyance. I sighed.

"So, why is it 'close to it'?" I asked. Greg frowned.

"Lately some weird things have been happening... I don't know. Monsters get past the special barrier set up around the camp."

"Barrier?"

"Trust me, Chiron will explain when we get there. He's the camp's activities advisor."

"Fascinating." I drawled icily, then jerked my head the other way, burying my fingers tighter in the horse's mane. As if life wasn't hard enough being a failure in school and considered a loser at school. If all this was real, I had to hand it to those gods. They sure knew how to torture the children on planet earth. Reminded me of the boogeyman, only less merciful...

"Greg," I said suddenly as a thought burst into my mind like an avalanche, "What about my mom?" My mother's face burst into my head. Her dark curly hair tied into a ponytail, her chocolate colored eyes warm like, well... Chocolate. She and I didn't really get along when it came to school or anything personal, but we had fun together when it came to shopping and eating... Especially eating.

"Don't worry, your mom's known this time would come. Chiron will let you send her an Iris-message." Greg assured. I glared at him.

"Who the heck is Charon and what's a Virus-message?" I demanded. Greg smacked his forehead and probably guessed I hadn't pronounced that information wrong. I had a tendency to talk faster than I can register the words on my tongue, which was a pretty bad flaw to have if you ask me.

"CHIRON. I told you, he's the camp's activities advisor. And, it's IRIS-message. Not Virus-message. Don't worry, I said Chiron would explain. He and the other camp director... Mr. D." Greg shivered as he said the name. Well, title. I raised an eyebrow, eager to meet this 'Mr. D'. If he scared Greg, he and I could get along well because right now I wanted to belt his furry butt for not telling me all this later.

When I was just about to plot my revenge, we were hovering above a field of strawberries. I almost expected a field of fairies and flowers, but hey. Strawberries work too. As soon as we got off, two figures came rushing to us.

One of them was a stubby looking satyr with bluish eyes and a blindingly bright orange T-shirt that read CAMP HALF-BLOOD. It looked a bit... Weird. I tried not to stare at it too hard. I might ruin my retinas.

"Greg! You found another one?" He sounded perplexed, which made Greg bleat in protest. The boy standing next to the satyr is who caught my attention. He had dark hair and ocean green eyes. He was wearing a camp shirt too and a pair of torn jeans, his sneaker caked in mud.

"You should have more confidence in me! I actually got this one here alive!" Greg retorted smartly, folding his arms over his chest. The older satyr glared at him.

"Greg-"

"Cool it, Grover. At least they're both here safe." The boy pointed out innocently, earning himself a huff from the older goat man. I raised an eyebrow, pursing my lips, then began to wave my arms in a TIME OUT gesture.

"Hold up, hold up! I am completely lost!" I cried furiously, clenching my fists and slamming them at my sides. The boy looked at me closely for a moment before giving a very welcoming smile. It actually made me feel calm, like looking at the painting of an ocean or something.

"It's all right... If you want, I can explain things to you on the way to the Big House. I'm sure... Chiron," The boy looked like he wanted to say someone else's name, but he changed his mind, "Would love to help the introductions. Come on."

I had no choice, but to follow him. We walked past a few groups of other campers, who were laughing at something going on near some weird looking stables. The boy chose to ignore it, grumbling about something under his breath.

"So... What's your name?" I asked at last. The boy smiled.

"Percy. Percy Jackson. And you?"

"Ritz Knightly."

"Nice name," He complimented very quickly, as if he were expecting to get jumped, then hurried on, "So, who's your parent?"

"... My dad," I mumbled slowly, "Uh... Well..."

"... You have no idea, do you?" Percy asked, looking a bit upset and annoyed. I'd only been there for a few days and I was already getting an enemy? So unfair, I tell you. He apparently wasn't the first because a girl's voice roared from behind him.

"Hey! Percy, you're in loads of trouble!" A girl with string brown hair, who reminded me of a female wrestler, was glaring daggers at Percy, who looked at her with wide eyes.

"What did I do?" He asked, his voice cracking a bit. I wanted to laugh, but I'd be a hypocrite. I probably sounded like that sometimes too. The girl stomped on the ground and it almost caused an earthquake, I tell you. She held up a sopping wet suitcase, which Percy gaped at.

"I-I didn't do that!" Percy protested.

"Then who did, you sea donkey?! Nobody here can control water like you!"

"Haven't you tried asking the Hermes Cabin, Clarisse? They play all the dirty tricks..." Percy muttered. Clarisse blinked a few times, then scowled.

"I'm on to you." She hissed, then glanced at me. I stared at her, then tilted my head as if to examine her.

"Keep your guard up," Clarisse warned me harshly, "Nobody likes a cowardly half-blood."

"Who said I was cowardly?" I demanded in a snippy tone that made Clarisse's eyes flare. Percy stepped between us quickly.

"And onto the Big House!" He exclaimed, hooking his finger on a hoop of my jacket to drag me away from the angry girl.

"Who was that and why is she so temper mental? I've met rabid raccoons with better control than her." I muttered. Percy cracked a smile at that and I was personally pleased with myself. Maybe he wasn't an enemy after all.

"That's Clarisse... She's a daughter of Ares."

"Really?" I asked sarcastically. Percy only smirked. I paused our conversation as we walked up to a large building with a wrap around porch. It smelled like... Grapes and fruits around the area. I glanced at Percy, but he didn't seem to notice or care. He looked a little uncomfortable as our shoes tapped the floor.

"... So, I take it your a son of Poseidon?" I asked, trying to remember my Greek history. Percy's eyes flickered as he tilted his head to look at me.

"Yea..."

"I hope you don't get blamed for everything around here..." I mumbled. Percy shrugged.

"Not that much... Until the other cabins discover who's behind it." He explained slowly and I smirked at that. He was certainly cute for a fish boy, I'd give him that. Our happy conversation was ended when we approached a table near a corner of the Big House.

A man in a wheelchair was holding up a few cards, facing himself as he eyed the opposite man over the cards. The opposite man reminded me somewhat of Santa from the red nose he had. Or maybe Rudolph? Whatever. He wore a tiger print Hawaiian shirt and torn khaki shorts as he tossed a card onto the table. His eyes were hidden behind his glasses, but I could tell by the look on his face that he was annoyed.

"Percy! You're back!" I heard a girl's voice exclaim. I didn't even notice the blondie sitting next to the man in the wheelchair. Her stormy gray eyes gleamed and my first thought was 'Must be Percy's girlfriend'. I was right. Percy happily took a seat beside her, flashing a toothy smile. I blinked, pausing a ways from the table.

The man in the wheelchair noticed and smiled kindly, gesturing.

"You can come closer. We don't bite." He coaxed. The big man snorted, slamming all his cards down.

"I do." He growled, but it was so fake and silly, that I just walked right up to the table, looking straight down at the cards.

"So what am I doing here?" I asked, looking at the people at the table.

"Greg didn't explain anything to you?" The blondie asked in a harsh tone that made me feel a bit stupid, so I threw her a quick glare, before looking at the two older guys.

"I think there's some mistake... My mom is completely normal. By that, I mean she doesn't date all mighty gods or anything. My dad just dumped her and left. That's it. Nothing special." I said lamely. The man in the wheelchair looked at me a bit sadly.

"You mean... You have no idea who your father is?" He asked.

"Should I care?" I returned, cocking a brow. The bigger guy grunted.

"I like her." He stated, although, I could sense a bit of sarcasm lurking in Santa's words. I sighed, rubbing my temples.

"Well, if you guys think I'm special, I won't argue. No way in heck am I going back to where I came from." I said slowly. The blondie frowned, her nose crinkling on the side a bit.

"You are special because you made it past the magic barrier and mortals can't do that." She responded sassily, which made Percy sigh irritably.

"Fine. Whatever you like, miss. I don't know what going on here and you obviously do, so I will have to comply to your outrageous ideas that gods actually exist." I explained with a straight face. Overhead, the sky grumbled like it was angry with me. It made me rethink my words a bit. Who controlled thunder and lightening...?

Oh, that's right. Zeus, the king of gods. Brother to Hades and Poseidon. The guy who saved his siblings from getting eaten by his father, Kronos. Bet they were yummy.

NOT.

"Well," The man in the wheelchair began carefully, "Let's do some introductions. My name is Chiron. This here is Annabeth and Percy. This is Mr. D. I'm sure you've found out about your friend, Greg."

"Oh, you mean the satyr with a nasty attitude? I've known him much too long." I muttered, leaning back and folding my arms over my chest.

"He saved you," Annabeth blurted angrily, "If it wasn't for him, you'd be back wherever you came from, getting eaten by monsters!"

"The least he could have done was make my ride here pleasant." I responded innocently. Annabeth's gray eyes flared like fire at my stupid response. I probably shouldn't have been so rude, but sometimes I can't help it. I just… Blurt things out. Chiron flinched a little, then rushed in before Annabeth could retort.

"Let's not argue, guys. We have to work as a team here at Camp Half-Blood." He advised, although, Mr. D was looking like he was trying not to laugh. He wasn't that bad for a god. I don't get why Greg didn't like him.

"How about Percy gives you a tour of the camp?" Chiron suggested, gesturing out at the camp. I looked up, scanning it over before lowering my eyes. I felt a little out of place here… It made me uneasy. Percy noticed and smiled reassuringly.

"I can show her around before dinner." He announced, getting up. Annabeth looked at him with a frown before slowly smiling at him and getting up. I frowned.

"You don't have too… I could just wonder around aimlessly…" I drawled, but Chiron shook his head.

"Not so smart if you don't know the other campers… Especially-"

"She's already met Clarisse." Percy blurted, blushing lightly at how rude it came out. Chiron looked at him, then me and smiled apologetically.

"Not everyone's as… Rough as Clarisse. I'm sure you'll make friends in no time. For the time being, the Hermes Cabin will accept you. Since we have new cabins for other demigods, I'm sure they'll have room."

"… Hermes must be really busy." I stated with such a deadpan expression, Percy tried to choke down a laugh. Chiron cleared his throat, holding his head down. Mr. D peeked at me past his cards, the corner of his lip twitching. Annabeth scowled at me, like I had just committed a sin. Instead of beating me with a stick or something, Annabeth gave Percy a little shove to start my tour.

A/N: Yea, my excuse is at the top of this. xD Anyway, I am allowing people to enter their characters for this one if you like. SEE MY HOMEPAGE FOR OC GUIDELINES!! It's important if you wish to join any of my fanfictions… Ah, yes. I've read all the books from front to back and I have rediscovered my Greek obsession. Mwahaha… Anyway, if I get something wrong, I'm sorry. I'm trying real hard since this is my first fanfiction of this series… So, thanks for reading and please review!! (No flames included, please…)