- Percy Jackson Fanfic - The Golden Pantheon: Book 1 ╰┈➤ ✎ ~ CHAPTER 1: ~ ✎ ✩ LYDIA ✩ Having god-like powers and omnipotent parents who have blessed you with amazing abilities sounds great when I say it aloud, but you wouldn't know anything. How could anybody know, when they're oblivious to the fact that monsters breathe down your neck every second, that you'll need to constantly have a sword at hand, so you can maim some life-threatening beasts into shreds. This is, drumroll please, known as being a demigod! And I'm (whether it is fortunate or unfortunate is up to you, but I'm leaning towards the second option) one of these people. My name is Lydia Garcia, and to be honest, I stopped counting how old I was ages ago, so I reckon I'm about... teenage? Life has been wild lately, and it all started when I accidentally summoned a magical hammer to k1ll my best friend. We were on a camping trip, for "educational purposes", but everyone on that school bus understood it was a prime opportunity to cause as much chaos as humanly possible, which includes arson and near murder in my class. It was a gifted school, and I have dyslexia and ADHD. I've been through every school in the state, from the most proper establishments to teachers that despised themselves, I've been through it all. We had to move state so we could find a school, since I had an unredeemable reputation that seemed to leave every member of staff aghast, even though I did nothing wrong. Back to the campsite, we were lining up on the derelict bus, and everyone was feral, hissing and clawing at anyone who tried to sit next to their friends, and cacophonies flooded the entire vehicle, and there was tons of incoherent screaming of 'That's my seat!' or 'I saved it for someone, back off!'. I scrambled on and fought my way through the jungle of people to find Malcom and Ren, sitting next to each other. Me and Malc were friends since elementary school, when I got a suspension for locking some pushovers who were picking on him in the closet for half an hour, and we only recently met Ena, who was weirdly smiley, and latched onto us like a leech. I sat down, Ena bearing her slightly sharpened teeth in a wide, unfaltering smile, and Malcom pulling a short but warming smile, and signaling with his eyes how uncomfortable he was. He despised her, from the moment they met, and, to be honest, so did I, but he had this hidden, livid passion of hatred that he was far too sensitive and polite to show in front of her face. "Lydia! Me and Malc are so glad to see you!" Ena beamed joyfully. "Ena, I told you, I'm called Malcom. Oh, and hi Lydia!" he said timidly. She flashed him a glare full of malice and spite, like a flash of summer lightning, so furious that I was slightly taken aback. I cautiously sat down, and watched as Ena snapped back into her usual, happy demeanor. "Where are we even going, Malc?" I asked, trying to speak to my actual friend. Ena interrupted and I spat back at her, " I said MALCOM." Ena went completely silent, and I grinned quietly to myself, no-one was going to be rude to my only seemingly real friend. "S-Somewhere in the north of New Jersey, in the thick of a forest." he replied shakily. Ena still continued to smile so hard it look liked it would ache. I stop talking, and just looked out the window, drowning in a tidal wave of my own thoughts. After half an hour, Malc was sleeping, and snoring lightly, squirming and wriggling, occasionally murmuring various sleep-infused phrases. Ena had her brows furrowed and was staring aimlessly, speaking in a sultry, sort of hissing tone to herself, probably reciting something we were supposed to do in class that no-one else had bothered with. The sky was shades of vibrant, eye-stinging orange, with strokes of rich, silky pink woven in, and the sun was blasting its rays in the summer heat. Mr. Smite yawned, relishing in the new-found silence, "Okay, class. I-I think we're here, now remember, please exit formally and quiet-" The whole class herded rowdily out, exploding in exclamations of excitement, wails of anxiety and just chaos embodied in speech. We clamoured out, aggressively pushing and shoving heads out of our paths, not caring how many limbs we stepped over. Eventually, everyone was out, some were winced with agony and holding their aching legs that were toppled upon, some were sprinting and darting around and soaking in the country air. Malcom groaned groggily, rubbing his eyes, as he nearly tripped over walking out. I rubbed his head, messing up his hair, "Hey, wanna wake up next decade, or wait a little longer?" He stifled a laugh and moaned, "Give me an aeon, then I'll think about it." We were sorted into tents, me, Malcom and Ena obviously were grouped into the same one.
- CONTINUED FROM FIRST PART- The teachers were so bored us, they just decided to immediately face-plant into their beds. That's right, they got to laze in luxurious beds, and warm, heated huts, whilst we rotted and decayed in the bitter cold. Wonderful, and totally fair, considering they couldn't even be bothered with us. I was shivering, and my teeth were chattering so aggressively together that they started to sting. Malcom threw a blanket over my shoulders from behind me, and grabbed two sticks, collected another pile, carefully placed them individually down, and rubbed them the two together, until sparks flew everywhere. Ablaze with livid flames, the fire was just felt warmer than usual. "I didn't know you were a survivalist," I exclaimed, warming up my hands, "Teach me, Instructor Malcom, you'd do better than any of those oblivious fools," He chuckled, and flushed bright red, "I'm no good at anything else, just fires, you were the one who put the tent, I'm utterly hopeless." "Aw, don't worry little Malcom, you're just nearly as good as us!" Ena grinned happily. I stared with a confused grimace, raising one eyebrow. Little Malcom? Staring invisible daggers at her, Malcom placed himself down next to me, swaddled himself in my blanket and desperately ignored her. I place my arm around him, patted his back, and gave the sarcastic, and half-laughing look of 'Don't patronize me even further...'. Ena dropped the camping equipment with an almighty thud. Me and Malcom snapped to look behind us, and saw the irate, seething face of Ena. "I... have had it to HERE." she spat, "With you impatient, ignorant little PESSSTSSSS!" Malcom murmured, anxiously, "Uh, Ena? Surely we can talk these out-" "NO!" She yelled, high-pitched and shrill with fury, "I kept up with you all year, waiting for Masster'sss ordersss to get rid of you! They forbid me, but, maybe they won't mind now..." Suddenly, serpentine-like scales were ejected out of her entire body, her legs transformed into two snake tails, with yellow underbellies. Her pupils and irises rolled back, and her sclera shifted into a dark, golden yellow. Her sheets of black hair wildened, and curled and slinking around like the tentacles of an octopus. A stab of nostalgia struck me. From my Greek myth book. A beautiful, hand-drawn illustration, every brush-stroke embedded with delicate detail, of a snake woman. Malcom screeched, "W-What? Ena, you look like Medusa, are you okay-" What had once been a teenage girl hissed angrily, "MEDUSSSSSA? WHY YOU INSSSSOLENT LITTLE- You BETTER not be the one Massster demanded to have ALIVE!" She slammed herself onto Malcom, her teeth ready sink into his skin, as he squirmed and wriggled, trying to break free. Oh, god. What was happening? I yelled for him to hang in there, and darted to get the nearest log. It caught the raging flames easily, and I hurled it towards the beast. Hissing and burning with livid fury, her skin became irritated and mottled from the fire, and pounced towards me. I dodged, desperately clawing through the thorned, gnarled trees to try and get to some member of staff. The hardened bark caught my skin and uniform, as I fought my way out of the trap. The monster approached and had me cornered. I could either bathe in a inferno of furious flames, collapse half way through in the thick of the forest, or just face the almighty wrath of a reptilian creature with a bounty on my head. There were no directions to turn. No person I could turn to, Malcom was rapidly bl33ding outwards on the damp floor. Nothing. So that was exactly what I did. I stood. Waited for her to kill me. But as I stood, I bottled up all my rage. All my grief, and toil, and all my resentment for her hurting my only friend. I felt the cold, panting breath of the snake woman near my face. I closed my eyes, and I was enveloped and swaddled in fury. When I opened them, the lady was edging away. I had a huge, magical hammer in my hand, positioned to attack, made of this pulsating, glimmering aura. Oh yeah. This was more like it.
