Growing up it was just my dad and me. I never knew who my mom was. My entire life all dad said about her was that she was beautiful and at home in the wilderness like me. I would go on trips with my dad upstate just to get away. We lived in New York City near the harbor, but dad said I should get away from there a lot. We would camp or hunt. My dad even owned a cabin up there, but he was never very comfortable when we were away from water.

I liked to explore whenever we went on one of our trips especially at night. The moon always calmed me down and seemed to watch over me. I never had trouble with finding my way in the woods or seeing at night. The moon was the closest thing I had to a friend at that age, but my world fell apart when I turned eight. I became an orphan.

My dad was pronounced dead when he could not be found after I was located wondering the woods by a sheriff. They declared it a hunting accident. He was gone just like my mom I had never known. I never did well in orphanages the other kids picked on me because of my looks and strange eyes. I met one woman who liked the way I looked. Her name was Misses Chase, but when she saw me without sunglasses for the first time, she screamed and stopped visiting. The orphanage sent me to the foster system after that.

I never stayed with a foster family for very long. Either I would run away or the family sent away because of my unusual behavior problems. I have ADHD, and I am dyslexic. The weird thing is no matter where I was when I ran away the same "Good Samaritan" would always find me and take me back to the foster homes. Eventually I wound up on a small farm in upstate New York. I knew the area. Twenty miles northeast was my dad's cabin. One night after a wolf attacked a sales representative, who was coming onto the farm and dragged him away, I left. This would be blamed on me I knew it. The wolf's fur was silver, which being strange my foster family would blame me for the wolf's existence.

I slid out my window and landed on the ground without so much as a twig snapping. My old friend the moon was out and it shown bright and full in the cloudless sky. The only things I took were my duffle bag full of clothes, my dad's special pen and a stolen pair of hunting knives for protection. My dad had taught me how to use them as well as the bow. He was never great with a bow, but he was right when he said I would be a natural with it. I never used my dad's pen I just kept it with me as a reminder of him. I was in the woods in no time at all.

I took the twenty-mile hike at a leisurely pace. I was always strangely relaxed out in the wilderness. Nothing could ever sneak up on me out here. Sure, the sheriff caught me out here before. I always knew when he followed me I just could not get away from him, but he would not be on my trail until daybreak and by then I would be supplied and on the move again to find my dad. The stuff I needed to find my dad was in the cabin. He kept military issue meals and hunting gear in the cabin. I was eager to get my hands on a good custom-made bow again. I convinced myself he was still alive just lost out in the world somewhere. I traveled all night at a steady pace. I jogged some but I also slowed down to avoid waking bears fresh from their hibernation.

My dad taught me all about the wilderness and hunting. He always said he learned everything he knew from my mom who was the best hunter in history. He bragged that the one time he beat her she gave him the greatest gift of his life. He would never tell me what that gift was though. When I was about half a mile away from my destination, I froze. There was a giant black thing in my path. I started to creep around it, but I got careless and snapped a twig. It woke with a loud bark. I did not wait for it to leap. I took off into the forest jumping off and over tree roots. Just outside the clearing, I smacked into a tree from exhaustion. When I stumbled to the ground I instinctively rolled to my left and felt a giant paw clip my right knee before it slammed where I had been a moment before. I rolled backwards and flipped into the clearing landing in a crouch ready to dodge or attack the beast that stood just outside the open area.

I knew there were people around me but I did not dare turn and look away from my opponent. I had never seen anything like it. The thing was easily bigger than a full-grown grizzly, and it looked like a mix between a hound and a wolf. I drew my ill-gotten knives as the monster tensed preparing to pounce. Whoever was behind me did not like me because they were sending death glares into my back making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I knew they were dangerous but I could not turn to look at them, because the beast sprang, I dodged and slashed. I might as well have used a plastic toy knife, because the steel blade in my hand simply bounced off the giant dog's fur. Before I had the chance to turn and defend myself from the next attack I heard, twenty bow strings pop from releasing a volley of arrows. My instincts took over I dropped to the ground in an attempt to avoid the arrows, but one of the silver projectiles caught my left arm right through my left triceps. I felt lucky it did not stop in my arm just gouged it out as the arrow passed through it.

I started to get up but a boot shot out from my peripheral vision aimed at my good arm. On instinct I rolled catching the leg and yanked the owner down on top of me. I was looking into the eyes of a furious electric blue-eyed Goth teen. I started to apologize. "Sorry about…" my voice died away as the teen held a dagger at my throat. I looked past her up at the full moon. Well if I die tonight would be the best time to die. The girl stood and picked up my small stringy frame while I watched the moon. Once I pulled my attention back down to earth I scanned the group around me nineteen bows pointed at me armed with sleek silver arrows and a silver knife was inches away from my throat. That is my escape route, a gap in the circle of girls but in my initial instinctive sweep, I felt that was a bad option, why. I forced myself to look at what was there and I knew why I would not escape that way. One unarmed girl stood in the middle of the gap but her muscles looked built to move fast and trap anyone who came near. I saw her eyes and felt my stomach dropped. She must be the strongest and the leader.

My right knee caved from the pain of standing as fear gripped me. My blood ran cold and my heart skipped more than just a few beats. They trapped me in a corner, but I am a beast of the wild. You never back a beast into a corner it will do dangerous things to escape. If not for my father telling me not to fight anyone with eyes like mine I would have charged straight at her, but that would be a last resort now. The blue-eyed girl spoke up talking with the leader. "What should we do with this weak shrimp of a boy, My Lady?" Great they are asking permission to kill me while insulting my height. Her reply was not something I wanted to hear. "Thalia go take the others and set up camp around the cabin. I wish to speak with him alone." Just my luck she wants me alone to string up and flay.

The group left following her orders as she approached me. "Stand and prove that you are worthy to be in my presents." She ordered me. I could not help it I started laughing. "You who belong out here in the woods more than me a man born to run through the woods all his life expect me to prove myself worthy. That is not possible I cannot even look at myself without anger because of my eyes. The only male worthy in my eyes is lost and I think it is the only male you think is worthy as well." I spat as I got to my feet. I only stood as tall as her chest. 'I hate being short. Hopefully I will hit a growth spurt soon.' I looked up into the girl's eyes that mirrored my own except that I had a hint of sea foam green around the edge of my irises.

Her resolve falter a little as she saw my eyes. I took a shaky step forward. "What do you not like what you see? I have silver eyes like our mother but my father luckily left is mark of green." She frowned and shook her head hearing my statement. "No they are not from my mother. I am the only one with silver eyes." 'Clearly she does not see my eyes very well in the predawn light.' I thought as she continued talking. "My child bore them but he died two along with my dear Percy two years ago." I stopped listening to her as I went into shock and denial.

"NO he is just missing my dad can't be dead he just can't. Dad is too strong to die. He must be missing." I screamed as tears started to flow from my eyes. "Dad learn to survive from the best." I dropped to my knees and punched the ground with each word. She came over and pulled me into a hug taking pity on me. She then asked the question I answered without thinking about it. "What is your name little one?" My distress held too strong for me to care about her calling me little. I choked out my answer softy between sobs.

"Peter Jackson"