Earth's Eyes

I life had finally begun to not be so bad around seventh grade, I guess. I finally started to gain control of my temper, and wasn't as massive a problem for the family. I live during the week with my grandparents, my two older half-siblings and our mother. My dad takes me for the weekends. I'm a good student and get straight As and there aren't as many phone calls home as say fifth grade (I won't say much but there was a big fight and I nearly got arrested).
But right around this time, that things started to look good, my Dad started acting weird. He requested that I call him by his name: Johnny and insisted that I learn sword play. Which I sucked at, but kept at it because he was my father. He also kept going on about mythologies and the roman gods and made sure I was never outside alone.
He also wanted me to learn about rocks. Weird right? But he said it had to do with one of my ancestors and would help me in the next few coming years. Then my mother found out.
She got angry and the fight of the century occurred and I never saw him again as long as my mother was around. So the next two years which should have been normal, were just plain bizarre. I kept up my grades and what not to keep my mother off my back. But my dad would sort of 'kidnap' me after school and we'd do more training. Until he thought I had actually achieved something.
Then, about half way through my freshman year at high school--things went horribly wrong.
I was walking with my friends, talking about convincing one of the girls to watch the amazingness of Avatar the Last Airbender.
"Oh, come on," protested Lia, as she pouted at Kat, who was the only who hadn't seen it. "It's one of the best shows around! And it has life lessons in it!"
Kat shrugged. "I already have a lot on tv shows on my plate," she said. "I don't need anymore."
"Avatar is just a tv show Kat, its--" she paused and looked at the parking lot. "Um, Emma, I think you're about to become the topic of the school rumors again."
I followed her gaze and paled. Both of my parents were in the parking lot and they had noticed each other. I excused myself and ran towards them, just as they started yelling.
"You've delayed this for too long Vanessa!" my dad yelled. "She should have gone to Lupa two years ago!"
"You are not talking my daughter to that she-wolf," screamed my mother. "I'll be damned before I let her anywhere near that camp, Johnny!"
"Mom! Dad!" I called, showing up out of breath. "What's going on?"
My mother yanked me behind her. "She'll never be allowed there!"
"She won't be safe in the mortal world! It's too dangerous! I can't train her anymore than I have!" protested my father. "She needs to go to Lupa!"
My lessons with my father were starting to kick in, as I realized where I recognized the name Lupa from. My voice felt small as the cogs started turning in my head. I was probably the smartest person of my friends and siblings, and if I didn't have dyslexia, I'd probably have skipped at least one grade.
My mother continued to scream at Johnny. "You'll never be able to take her from me," she snarled. "You'll have to be a god." She seemed to smile at that last part. I looked at my dad. Suddenly, I wasn't so sure he was human.
He stared at my mom. "Don't make me do this," he said, suddenly going quiet. "She isn't safe here."
"Never," my mother repeated.
Power filled the air. Unfathomable power. I suddenly felt scared and closed my eyes, not wanting to see what was about to happen, though I had no idea what might happen.
Suddenly, I was yanked from my mother and whisked away so fast, I thought my skin might rip off. I was glad I wasn't a cartoon, I had no desire to see my skeleton.
When I opened my eyes, I was in a clearing in the middle of a forest. A decrepit old house stood in the center almost tomb like. On the steps to it, stood a tall alien, yet beautiful she-wolf.
She bowed slightly to the man who I was no longer sure was my father. "Lord Mercury," she greeted quietly.
"You have one day," Mercury said curtly. "Then she must be sent to camp, she can't linger long."
"I presume she has been taught the basics?"
A curt nod, and then he vanished. Lupa, as I assumed she was, smiled at me, her mouth full of sharp, deadly teeth. "Let's she just how much you know."
A sword appeared in my hand and she launched. I screamed in terror and raised the blade, blocking her claws but only barely, as I reeled backwards.
"Faster," chided Lupa as wolves started to come quietly out of the forest surrounding me and Lupa. "You'll need to be much faster if you wish to make it to Camp Jupiter."
That was how the first half of the day went. I sparred with Lupa (though I'm certain she tried to legitly kill me a couple of times there) all while she pointed out where I needed work. Which happened to be everywhere. Then she gave me lessons in wolf glares, recognizing monsters (seeing through mist) and outdoor woods survival skills.
Then she kicked me to the curb. But that's taking it lightly. What she actually did was have her wolves chase me through the woods until I ended up in a vary unfamiliar city, all while I screamed and cried and seemed very un-hero-like. Yeah, um, maybe I'm not the best protagonist for this story? No?...continue?...if you say so. (You seriously need to check your taste in books--cuz take it from the author, this one sucks).
Once, I got away from the wolves, I kinda just sat down, right there, focusing on my breathing. I'm not really one meant for running, seeing as all I ever do with my life is go to school, go home, and read. (Not much activity except on the weekends I spent with my father).
So I just sat on the curb, trying to get more air into my lungs. To get my legs to stop aching and my heart to stop pounding. I closed my eyes and leaned against the window of a repair shop.
My stomach started to churn and my arms prickled. Suddenly, I felt like I should keep running. Something else was coming, but it wasn't the wolves, it was something worse. Of course, at the time, I believed this all to be a gut feeling. It never occurred to me what it might actually be.
Still, I trusted my gut, and jogged half heartedly away from the shop. I should've run faster. I should've sprinted out of there as fast as my legs could carry me.
Why? Well, something lived inside that shop. Something was most definitely not human. And something, I of all people, shouldn't have been facing. Medusa.
I slammed my eyes closed and took off running as fast as I could, running blindly into traffic. I know, what you're thinking--wouldn't a failure of a hero like me be instantly hit and killed by a car.
Yeah, I thought the same, so I peeked my eyes open a bit to see why I wasn't: the asphalt was rising up out of the ground, making a safe path in front of me with she step I took.
Did I think this was strange? Yes. Did I care? At that particular moment...no not really. I just kept running screaming and crying like some crazy person. (Still not putting down the book? I told you--this story is terrible--no...you want me to keep going? geeze...it's not going to get any better!) Until I hit a cliff. Well--not exactly a cliff--more like a really, really steep hill. But not much better.
I turned around carefully. Medusa was still behind me. Could I take her? Ha ha, you're funny! Fat chance of me doing anything but dying in this situation, however, going down the hill, there was still a chance that I might life. Miniscule, yes, but still a chance--where as Medusa, I'm stuck being a horrible statue of an ugly teenage girl.
So naturally, I went down the hill. I tried to play it cool like though (I am a teenage girl you know, I do want to appear at least slightly cool). I grabbed a nearby trash can lid (the cool round metal ones that you only see in the movies and I don't know why it was lying there --I'm just assuming the author has no idea what she's doing.)
HEY! I resent that Emma!
Only speaking the truth!
Shut up at narrate the story already! No more interruptions!
Yeah, yeah. Basically I slid down the hill sitting on the trash can lid like it was a sled, but just when I was about to run into the traffic (Did a mention there was a freeway down there? I told you the author has no idea what she's doing.) I can always kill you, you know. Alright, alright. I'll keep going.
So just when I was about to crash into cars going at like 90 miles an hour, the earth started acting funny again. Out of nowhere, a rock ramp sprouted in front of me and I shot over the cars and had a terrible crash landing in the middle divide.
I looked back at the ramp. It wasn't there anymore. I scowled, sure I had seen that.
"Are you done lying there on the ground?" asked a voice above me.
I looked up, two boys stood over me in full roman armor. And If that wasn't strange enough, one shouted: "Look out, we've got a gorgon!" then started firing arrows like he was the male reincarnation of Katniss.
The other one, pulled me to my feet irritably. "Get inside," he snapped, pushing me into a tunnel behind him. "We'll tack care of this."
But something told me they wouldn't. I had a horrible feeling they would just end up turned to stone. And when I heard the cackle of their stony flesh, I knew I was right. I clamped my eyes shut and turned around. The earth had been helping me all day. Maybe it would help me now.
"Don't do this, my dear," I heard a sweet old lady voice come from my right side.
"You really shouldn't've spoken," I told her.
"Swig hard, now!" yelled a voice in my head. I swung. There was a 'shunk' sound as the blade Lupa had given me, sliced the Gorgon's head off with ease.
I opened my eyes slowly. Something wasn't exactly making sense. If my dad was Mercury, I was by all means likely, that I had some sort of godly talent, but Mercury was no god of the earth, and that was not Mercury's voice in my head.
I turned to the tunnel. The boy had wanted me to go down this tunnel. I wondered if I should. Then shrugged. Not like I had any place else to be. I walked down the tunnel and emerged into a whole 'nother place.
It looked like ancient Rome...but you know...not ancient. I started walking towards the first buildings I saw, attracting attention because I was too lazy to walk around to the clearly visible but also a sizable distance away bridges and trudged straight through the water.
A pretty girl, also in full roman armor, approached me. "Who are you? What happened out there? Where are Mike and Rick?"
I blinked. "Get those questions out fast enough?" I asked. "In answer: My name is Emma Roland, I have no idea, and if Mike and Rick are those boys out there, they're stone."
"What?!" She exclaimed loudly, drawing a crowd. Loads of people in roman armor were everywhere. I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. Then quiet fell over of soldiers (I guess) and a girl much older than me, probably collage age stepped forward.
She had the air of a leader and watched me suspiciously. She opened her mouth to say something, but a flash of light, stopped her.
I turned to see my dad standing before everyone, looking all regal and god-like. Everyone started to bow. "Lord Mercury," bowed the leader girl.
I glared at him. He smiled at me. "Glad to see you made it to camp," he said.
"Glad to see you lied to me for most of my life, ass," I bit at him, ignoring the audible gasp that ran through the crowd, as my words.
"Well, nothing's apparently changed, you are still just as sarcastic as always," he said dryly. I stuck my tongue out at him. "And childish."
He turned to address everyone else, "Camp Jupiter, I present to you my daughter, Emma Roland," He looked at me, almost as if wondering if he should say something else, but as I curled my hands into fist to prevent myself from punching him, he thought otherwise and only added. "She had been blessed by Apollo, and I leave her in your capable hands." Then vanished.
The leader girl looked at me. "I am Reyna, praetor of the Twelfth Legion," she said.
"I'm Emma Roland," I replied snarkily. "And I'm really, really, confused."

Notes

So there's my start. Hope you like it! Please Rate, Comment, and Subscribe, to let me know what you think! Because I really don't know about this story.

--Kim