Prologue

Hi. I'm Rachel Elizabeth Dare. I am the daughter of one of the richest men in New York. I love drawing and painting, and I support numerous charities(Mainly the ones that help the rainforest and exdangered animals.)

You may not believe me, and I wouldn't blame you if you don't. In fact, if you think this is mainly fictious, and you're reading this for kicks, congrats. If you're a mortal like me, fine. But if you're a demigod... I suggest you pack up and run to Camp. Now. Because your life is in danger.

I can see Greek monsters, gods, heroes and villains. Most mortals don't have the ability. But for me, of course, there's that tiny little disfunction with my brain, possibly a hint of insanity that lets me see. I thought I was crazy and I couldn't tell anyone – not my parents, not my friends – until I met Percy Jackson, a demigod, last winter at Hoover Dam, while I was on a winter getaway with my parents and aunt and uncle and cousins.

He had been running away from some weird skeletons and attacked me with a sword... because I'd sneezed – but shockingly, it had passed right through me. Turns out it doesn't work on mortals. Apparantly, it had been made with a special metal- celestial bronze. It passes sraight through mortals, and viciously maims or kills anything with a drop of magical quality.

Anyway, I'd helped him get away, but saw him again last summer at Goode High School orientation. That time, I'd helped him get away from a couple of vampirish monsters called empousai who were disguised as cheerleaders. They'd had fire for hair, fangs, and very odd legs; on made of bronze, the other a donkey leg... In response, I'd thrown a snare drum at oone of them. Good times.

He had told me he was a half-blood (a demi-god, in other words) and he goes to this camp called Camp Half-Blood during the summer. His father is the Greek God Poseidon and his mother is a mortal. Last winter I thought he was a weirdo but last summer I found out that he's some kind of hero.

I had helped him and a female friend of his, Annabeth (also a demigod – daughter of the greek goddess Athena), on a quest through the Labyrinth (remember it from that myth about Theseus, that girl Ariadne,and the Minotaur? Yep, the very same one. It was creepy), since I can see through the Mist. Annabeth was pretty pissed at me at first because it was her quest, and I had been leading it and plus Percy was a whole lot of attention to me (she has a crush on Percy, surprise surprise), but she's okay now, I guess. Percy obviously has a crush on her, not me and I'm pretty sure that I don't have a crush on him. We're just friends. It's cool, being friends with a demigod.

That is, until I get captured by the demigod's arch enemy.