Ch. 1

Natalie's POV

"Natalie", a strict voice called my name. "Natalie!"

"Get up before she douses you in water!" Aria's frantic voice jolted me up in time to see a water bucket poised over my head and twelve disapproving faces frowning at me.

"Er . . . sorry?" I tried pathetically.

"Sorry?" said the head maid, "you're going to make us late for our duties." She placed her favorite throwing-water-at-people-if-they-misbehave bucket back in its corner. "You're doing the laundry today!" she called as she walked away.

Mindy, a girl with dyed red hair smirks at me. "So, little-miss-failure has yet another mishap!" she claps her hands in fake joy, "How wonderful. If only Nathan could see you now!" she puts emphasis on his name to anger me further.

I grit my teeth. Now she's gone too far. If only my mother cared enough, I'd ask her to smite Mindy with her sword.

"Shut up!" I growl/hiss/everything that has to do with hate. I charge at her.

"Whoa, now!" Aria catches my arm and pulls be back, "Dou you want the head maid to give you outhouse duty for a week?!"

"No . . ." I mutter, peeved, "It's just . . . "My face flushes.

"Yeah, ok." Aria smiles sympathetically. She takes a comb and starts brushing my freakishly long hair. If Rapunzel had black hair and was a maid, she'd be me. My hair had something to do with my mother, Eris, goddess of chaos and discord.

Speaking of family, my dad had run off to join the army, leaving me to be a maid in the house of Roman nobles. The thing was, Nathan (the boy my fifteen-year-old-feelings haven't decided about yet) was the noble's son.

Aria's family was sort-of better. Her father was the god of death, so, in naturally, she was a loner. Her mother was apprenticed to the stonemason, and was far to busy to do anything other than carve stone. Since both our linage was Greek, we prayed to Greek gods. Everyone else was Catholic, so naturally, we were different.

Aria and I walked out into the decorated hallway. We went about our usual morning jobs. Clean the stables, feed the dogs, cook breakfast, and serve breakfast.

The problems started at breakfast. Since Nathan was Master Peterson's son, it only made sense for him to eat meals with the family. It was only a few days ago that I started acting weird, so he knew nothing.

"Hello, Allie." He said as I put his plate down.

I've been a maid here since I could walk, so we'd basically grown up together. "Allie" was his nickname for me. I hated nicknames like I hated Mindy, but I let this one go undisturbed, because secretly, I liked it.

"Hello, Nate." I answered, "How is school?"

"Good."

I wrinkled my nose, "Good? How can school be good?" We both laughed. This was this kind of small banter that I looked forward to each morning.

"Now, Nathan." said a cold voice. We turned to see his stepmom with piercing snake green eyes. "Let Natalie do her work." She put as much venom into my name as possible, making it clear she didn't want any nicknames.

"Yes, mother." Nathan looked unfazed. I scowled. Sometimes, it annoyed me how oblivious some boys could be. Can't he see his mother hates me?

I felt her glare trained on me the whole way over the threshold.

/~*~\

"So . . .?" Aria asked over a pile of laundry.

I shook my head solemnly, "That demon of a woman interrupted us."

"Ah . . ." she folded a grey shirt, "Don't worry, you'll get through. You're always so stoic."

"Yeah . . ." I took a lock of my hair and waved it around, "It's Eris. It's our linage. It's –"

I was interrupted by the door flapping open.

"Demon of a woman?!" demanded Nathan's stepmom.

"Uh-oh." Aria's voice came out as a squeak.

"You are a mistake, Natalie Hunter, You are a disgrace." She advanced with every word, "You are-"She stopped and smiled maliciously, "-completely right."

Then she started to change form. Her legs turned into snake tails, her fingernails into claws. Her eyes turned red.

She was a snake-woman. Aria screamed.

"Uh-oh is right." I muttered.

Aria grabbed the waste-basket cover to use as a crude shield. I searched for a weapon but found none.

Then, in the hallway the sound of boots ran to the room. Nathan appeared in the doorway.

"Hey! I heard a scream and- "He saw the snake-lady, "What in the world is that?!"

"Not to be rude . . ., but that's your mom."

His eyebrows furrowed, "Excuse me?"

"You heard her, boy," the she-snake hissed, "I'm your mother!" she lunged at him.

"Oi!" he took out a fencing sword. Trust a boy to carry to weapon everywhere. "Stay back, you!"

The stepmom was unfazed by the appearance of a pointy object. "Your petty sword won't hurt me, boy!"

Nathan looked panicked, "Um . . . run!" he took Aria and mine's hand. If this scene had been minus the stepmom and Aria, this would've been the best moment in my life. We bolted out the door.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we sprinted down the hallway, the sound of evil laughter behind us.

"Out of here!" he replied.

We reached the main hall and made for the door. Behind us, the snake-lady was framed in the doorway.

"Come back, come back, demigods!" she cackled.

"Demi-whats?" said Nathan.

"Never mind that!" yelled Aria.

"Tell me!" he demanded.

"Now is not the time!" I yelled.

The door was so close. My hand closed around the handle. I opened the exit door and almost fell on my face in my haste to get outside.

All three of us ran to the gates

"Open the gates!" Nathan yelled at the guard.

"Again, where are we going?!" I stopped, "I'm not going another step without that answer!"

"The next town! It's not safe here!"

"What's the next town?" A growl emanated from inside the manor, "On second thought, let's keep going" I said a bit too cheery.

The gates opened and we ran into the real world.