Chapter One

The Life

The girl had looked innocent at first sight. She was incredibly beautiful, just sitting there at the table in the coffee shop. I saw her as he was passing the window, concealing a hotdog that he'd just stolen from a nearby vendor. I couldn't resist a closer look. So I went in the coffee shop, and leaned against a wall, studying the girl. She had long, blond hair, brown eyes, and she was wearing a pink sweatshirt a few sizes too small for her, with a short denim skirt. She looked about my age. I'd seen lots of pretty girls since I arrived in New York, but she was by far the prettiest.

I wanted to talk to her. I thought for a couple of minutes, trying to figure out how to approach her. I didn't notice her get up and start to leave until the bell on the door of the coffee shop rung. I jumped and started to follow her after a moment's hesitation. The girl turned off into a dark alleyway. I followed behind her a couple of seconds later. She had stopped and was staring at me as I entered the alleyway.

She had an amused look on her face.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"I, um...live down here. Uh, just past this alleyway I mean," I replied awkwardly and started to walk away, my hands shoved in my pockets.

"Are you sure that's why you came back here?" the girl asked, closing in on me slowly. She pushed me up against the wall gently and slid her fingers slowly down his cheek. Her lips met his and they kissed for a second. She pulled back slowly, and I flinched when I saw the look on her face. She had a twisted grin and her eyes were intense.

"Now for your real treat," she said menacingly. She began to change, her beautiful blond hair turning to flames, one of her legs changed to brass and the other morphing into a donkey's. Her hands changed to claws and she lunged at me, aiming for my throat. I jumped back quickly and ran around the corner of the alley. Good thing I had always been quick on my feet. I sprinted as hard as I could for a few minutes, looking over my shoulder every once in a while to see if I had lost the strange creature. She was still following me. People looked at me and back at the thing chasing me and some of them smiled, some of them sighed as if saying "I remember when I did that".

What the hell was wrong with them! A flaming demon was chasing me, and they were pretending like it was a love scene from a movie. I ran into another back alley and slid behind a dumpster. I pulled out the knife he always kept with me.

The monster walked leisurely towards me complaining, "I just wanted to have a little fun!" I almost stepped out and apologized for running away, but then I remembered the beautiful girl I had kissed had just turned into a flaming demon. She knew I was hiding behind the dumpster.

"Come out and we can have some fun!" she said excitedly, and once again I almost believed her. I looked back. There was nowhere to go. The alley was a dead end. I would have to fight the demon. I stepped out in front of the once beautiful girl.

"So you've decided to have some fun with me?" she asked happily.

"Not exactly."

I charged at her with my knife behind myself. I jumped up, meaning to stab the blade into her shoulder, but she knocked me out of the air.

"Playtime is OVER!" she yelled angrily.

She came at me quickly and I barely had to time dodge before her claws ripped through the air where I had been standing a moment before. I started sprinting out of the alleyway, but she was too quick. She gained on me within seconds and slashed at my back. This time, she didn't miss. I screamed in pain and fell to the ground. The demon sliced at him again, but Ethan rolled and sprinted away. My shoulder screamed at me to stop, fall to the ground, curl and up and cry, but I kept going. I decided that she might get lost if I ran through an office building or an apartment or...that's when I saw it. There was a huge parade going on two streets away.

I ran as fast as I could with an injured shoulder into the crowd. I reached a float and climbed on board. There was a small opening on top, probably meant for storage. I climbed in there and stayed for a long time. After what was probably another hour, the float came to a stop. I climbed out and ran into the nearest alley I could find. There was no sign of the demon or anyone else. I sighed, exhausted.

That was the closest I'd come with a monster. My shoulder still ached, and I felt dry blood on my back. I had no way to treat it. If I went to the emergency room, they'd ask questions I couldn't answer such as where do you live, who are your parents, blah blah blah. I could always shoplift some hydrogen peroxide, but pharmacies always had uptight security. I'd have to ignore the pain. I went back to my regular spot, in a rundown area of Brooklyn. I had a blanket and a worn out mattress there that I'd found thrown away and dragged back to a small abandoned shed that provided good cover. Inside my makeshift home, I had a small iron lockbox, in which I kept some band-aids, Neosporin, a little bit of cash, and other basic supplies. I also had a couple of books. I'd never been much of a reader before I was on the streets, but I had nothing better to do now.

This was the life of a poor, homeless thief... except, I was no ordinary thief. I wasn't sure what exactly was different about me, except my ADHD and Dyslexia. I seemed to attract the worst of New York. I'd never believed in monsters and demons before I came to New York. I'd been attacked constantly since I ran away from my peaceful town home in Iowa and came to New York. I dug a candle and a match out of my lockbox and lit the candle. I read by the light, just looking at words I'd read a million times, not really reading them, considering I'd pretty much memorized the entire book. I put the book down fairly quick and curled up in my mattress. I closed my eyes and began to dream.

I was standing before a guy who was a little over twenty. He looked like a normal guy, except for his eyes. He wore jeans and a t-shirt, but his eyes glowed gold.

"Ethan Nakamura... you were the last one to pledge yourself to me. But you are by far the most loyal. You have fought bravely and I admire that. When we fight those fools from Camp Half-Blood, you will lead my army. I have seen you train and you are better than any of your fellow demigods."

I looked much older and more experienced. But most of all, I noticed the eye patch on my eye. Who was I fighting with, pirates?

The future me kneeled before him. "I would be honored, my Lord," I replied.

The man smiled. "Good. Now go. Your mother has something for you, something that will help you in the battle. Go see her, and tell her we attack at the stroke of midnight."

"Yes sir."

My mother? I'd never known much about her, except what his father had told him, which was almost nothing. He'd only said that she was beautiful, and they were in love, but they could never be together. Perhaps in the future, he would meet her and the dream would come true.