The next day I feel drained and like a bag of soggy chips. I wanted to stay in bed but I had school. I groaned loudly before climbing down the ladder. I was about to leave when I saw a note on my desk. Huh, I wonder what that's for. I walked over and carefully picked it up. I squinted and tried to read it, but I didn't have my glasses on. I set down the note and whipped out my glasses. I slid them on and continued to read the note. There we go, that's better.

"School is canceled due to the incident yesterday at school, there's some leftover pasta in the fridge. Sorry that I'm not home, Mrs. Brown will be checking up on you later— Love, mom," I read and sighed. School is out again, yahoo. Mrs. Brown, our neighbor, will be checking up on me. Ugh, she's one of those crazy old cat ladies but without the cats.

I may as well get up and brush my teeth. I'm not that lazy, well, most of the time anyway. I changed out of my PJs and into a white shirt and loose jeans. Perfect. I went to brush my teeth and noticed something different on my left hand. I quickly splatted out all the toothpaste foam and rinsed my mouth. The toothpaste always felt too minty for me. I gazed at my left hand, it had no scar or mark. Yesterday it was bleeding and had a cut on it, now—there's nothing. That's a bit freaky, no cut can heal that quickly. There must be a reasonable answer, nothing can just fully heal on its own! Right? I started to question myself. I finished up in the bathroom and made my way downstairs.

I yawned and went to the fridge. Where was that leftover pasta that my mom was talking about? Then I perked up my head when I heard the doorbell. Oh, that must be Mrs. Brown. I slammed the fridge door and went to the door.

"Mrs. Brown, is that you?" I asked and peered through the door's blurry window. Even with my glasses, I couldn't see through.

"No, it's me, Miss. M from school," she explained and knocked on the door.

"What? What are you doing here?" I yelped as I opened the door. I saw Miss. M waved at the doorstep with a school bus parked by the curb. Wait, can teachers drive a school bus?!

​"I must speak to you right away, this can not wait, Amara," she said quickly, marching over to the bus. She stopped and turned back to me, "please, Amara, you need to trust me on this,"

"Okay, what's going on?" I said, running up to her.

"I'll explain everything to you when we're on the bus. Quickly, we don't want any unwanted guests to notice us," Miss. M explained as I tried to keep up with her. Unwanted guests?

What did she mean by that? Why did we have to go inside a school bus to talk? Is Miss. M going to take me somewhere? I had so many questions, but the most important one was, should I trust her? I never considered why Miss. M was asking me all those questions last night, and she seemed to have an interest in me yesterday in class. And she just happened to be there when Farrah blacked out.

Miss. M wasn't telling the truth right now, but Miss. M was so nice. She wouldn't dare to hurt a fly, she would take pity on the bug, letting it go. I decided to trust my gut and follow her to the school bus.

"Come on, get in," she ordered me and nervously tried to force me into the school bus. When I got in, I could instantly smell a putrid smell. I gasped and coughed out the smell.

"Oh gosh, this smells like someone died in here," I sniffed and gagged. Miss. M closed the doors and grabbed something from a large bag. It was a spray can that makes the air smell better. Even with the spraying, the bus smelt worse than ever.

I turned to face Miss. M when something rose over my head. It swooped and snatched me and trapped me inside. It was the big bag that Miss. M had and trapped me inside. I panicked and kicked my arms.

"MISS. M!!! LET ME OUT!" I screeched as I could hear her tying a knot on the bag.

"I'm truly sorry, Amara. This wasn't my idea at first, but you would have tried to run away anyways," Miss. M sighed as I struggled to free myself from the bag. It was tight, and dark, but had lots of room. I started screaming at the top of my lungs as Miss. M started the bus engine. Oh no. Where was she taking me?! I plunged back to the back of the bus as Miss. M started to drive. I could tell she wanted to get out as soon as possible since we were driving so fast.

"I'm really sorry, Amara, everything will make sense when we get there. I promise," Miss. M sighed, and I started to calm myself. I'm stuck in a plastic bag, so it should be easy to get out of if I had something sharp to tear with. I checked my pockets, but I only had my dad's silver coin with me. A lot that does me now!

"Oof!" I yelped as we ran over a speed bump. I took off my glasses, trying to cut the trash bag. Sometimes the corners are sharp but mine wasn't even sharp. Oh brother. I started to freak out, worrying Miss. M was taking me somewhere dangerous. Then I wondered why she was kidnapping me in the first place. I'm not worth anything, my mom probably doesn't have enough money for a ransom, and Miss. M was just a middle school teacher. Why would she need to kidnap me?

​"Miss. M, this trash bag is really stuffy, I can't breathe," I lied, and started to gasp really loudly.

"Amara, I know you're lying," Miss. M scoffed and the bus seemed to drive a bit faster.

"Please! I can't breathe, I have asthma! Really bad asthma!" I lied again, prompting her to let me go of the bag. But I wasn't lying, the bag had lots of space but I was just inhaling my own breath. I coughed and coughed until Miss. M took pity.

"I don't want you to suffer, I'm not cruel, Amara," she shouted and the school bus stopped. Yes, this will be my chance to be free!

"You're not cruel? Says the one who kidnapped me," I scoffed, trying to make a small chat. My breath became heavy as I heard her footsteps getting closer. I could hear her untie the knot and she gently opened the bag up.

I scrambled to my feet, took a quick breath, and made a run for the back door of the bus. We were in an abandoned area, but we must be close to the roads either way.

"You can not escape the Fates, Amara!" Miss. M yelled back, not even trying to stop me. What did she mean by you can not escape the fates?! I didn't care, all I cared about was making it out alive. I tried to push open the door but it was jammed.

Aren't school buses supposed to make sure you get out safely?! I pushed and pulled, but nothing happened. I heard Miss. M getting closer to me. I shut my eyes tightly, turning around.

Please don't hurt me, Miss. M," I squeaked. Then I felt something wrapping around my arms tightly. I opened my eyes gently to see Miss. M hugging me. I didn't know how to react. I mean, you usually don't have your kidnapper embracing you. Well, then again, I've never been abducted before.

"Amara, I would never ever hurt anyone. I wouldn't even dare to take you here but it's dangerous for you to be out there. You're special," she chuckled softly, letting her arms unclutch from mine.

I was too scared and confused to speak another word, so I nodded. But a slight wave of relief washed over me. I still don't trust Miss. M but it doesn't seem that wants to hurt me. I relaxed a little and loosened my shoulders.

"Wait, what did you mean by I'm special?"

"Uhm—well, I was going to wait until we got to Camp Unspeakable with Chiron. But it's going to be a long trip, I'll explain the details now," she said, walking towards the steering wheel.

I grabbed her wrist, desperate for an answer.

"What is Camp Unspeakable, and who's Chiron? He's just a fictional character from Greek mythology. Tell me the truth! Where are you taking me?!" I protested, but all Miss. M did smile.

"That's the thing, Amara, Greek mythology is real. I'm part of it, and so are you," Miss. M said, "Amara, you are a demi-god. There's not many of you but you are not the first."

I stood there frozen, and frankly, a bit stunned. I mean, I guess it was always possible, the Greeks had their version of how the earth was formed. And they believed in the gods and Miss. M told me all this stuff, so I suppose they could be real. Wait, what am I thinking? Science has proved that all that stuff is rubbish! Right? Or is there a multiverse? Or are we living in a world where mythology exists? Wait, does that mean there could be a cross-over of other mythologies? Like Norse mythology, Egyptian mythology, or Roman mythology? But where is the proof for all of this?! How come no one has ever found out about this? How is all of this hushed up? I had more questions than answers.

"Amara? Are you still with me?"

I blinked and came back to reality. Miss. M could be lying but why? What's the point of all of this anyway? I started to think she was telling the truth.

"Miss. M, uhm—if this is true, how come no one has told the world yet? Better yet, how come you know all of this?" I asked and she laughed.

"You're clever, Amara, a little awkward, but clever,"

"So I'm told—wait, don't change the subject!" I argued, crossing my arms. She motioned for me to come to the front of the bus to talk. She started the engine again as I sat down on a seat.

"Amara, have you ever seen your father before?"

"N-no, he left and he lied to all of us," I sighed as we drove away from the abandoned area.

"Well, I believe your father was one of the gods or Olympians. I don't know which one, but I have proof to support it. Enough of it to convince Chiron to take you into Camp Unspeakable," Miss. M grinned, and I shot her a funny look.

"Camp Unspeakable? Like Percy Jackson, that kind of manner?" I asked as we got back onto the road.

"Camp Unspeakable is a safe haven for all demi-gods, like yourself. I'm taking you there right now,"

"Um, d-does my mom know that I'm here?" I squeaked quietly. I had mixed feelings from last night but I didn't want her to worry. She's my mom.

"I sent a letter to her—asking her to send some of your stuff you'll need over to Camp Unspeakable. I think she knows. And it's kind of hard not to notice your lover is a god," Miss. M chuckled.

"So my mom knew? That I was a demi-god all along? Why didn't she say anything?"

"Well, I think it pained her too much to consider it. Your mom is—uh, unstable, Amara. I think you staying at the camp for a bit is the best we can do right now," she said, and a slight tear fell down my cheek. Maybe, it was for the best. I needed a break, my mom needed a break, and we both needed a break. Perhaps it was for the best.

"Uhm, again with another question, I hope you don't mind," I chuckled nervously, Miss. M looked up at the head mirror.

"Ask away, Amara,"

"How come no one knows about this whole demi-god problem? Someone from a relationship with a god or Olympian is bound to spill at some point. Also, does that mean monsters from Greek mythology are in the modern world? How come one has ever seen this stuff? Seems a bit far-fetched,"

Miss. M seemed uncomfortable with those types of questions, nevertheless, she answered them.

" As you might know, mortals always interacted with the Olympians and had relationships. And over the past years, well—they lost connection over the years I guess. As the humans grew in size and evolution, the gods, I suppose, lost them." she sighed, sounding a bit sad, "All I heard about was that Zeus decided to cut all connections with the humans and the gods would just serve as a cultural belief,"

"Wait, so Zeus, the king of the whole freaking Olympus, and also who loved pursuing mortal women, just said to forget everything?! But why?! Zeus, well—is known for getting women to do his bidding, why lose all of that?" I exclaimed and we stayed silent for a few minutes. Then Miss. M spoke up.

"Hera. Hera, the wife of Zeus, had the power. She and a few other wives were fed up with their godly husbands, and they forced the gods to make this rule. But as you might have guessed the Olympians broke this rule many times in recent years. Even Zeus himself who published the rule broke it. They held out for many hundreds of years but started their cycle again a few decades ago."

I was shocked and slumped onto my seat. Wow, I guess all of this is real. But what does that mean for me? Until now, I thought this stuff only happens in Percy Jackson or Harry Potter. I never thought this could even happen in real life. I'm starting to doubt my own existence.

"Amara?"

I blinked and realized I'd been looking out into blank space again.

"Sorry. Wait, you still didn't explain why I was in danger or who the unwanted guests were," I said, Miss. M looked out into the distance. I could see her hand trembling at the question on the steering wheel. My cheeks reddened as she stayed silent. Did I make her feel uncomfortable? I thought, and she saw how anxious I was in the head mirror.

"Oh Amara, the world has gotten...dark. Shortly after the Gods started getting back into affairs, they had to worry about the demi-god population getting high. Then the council of Olympus enlisted a new law, I suppose," she said quietly, her breath sounding shallow, "they had the law of bounty hunters. These kinds of hunters were not like Hunters of Artemis, oh no, not that. They were sent by Zeus to kill young demi-gods like you,"

I swallowed hard as Miss. M continued to talk about how the Gods did this to keep the population low. Knowing your parents have sent bounty hunters to kill you must be sickening. And what was worse was that it was because you were a demi-god, but it wasn't your fault. You didn't wish to be born as a demi-god. It was your godly parent's fault. It was them who broke the rule and made this happen. This made my blood boil. Why can't adults admit their mistakes and stop their affairs to prevent them from going to great lengths to do this? Sometimes a literal child can be more mature and responsible than a grown adult.

"Tell me more about this uh—camp," I asked, changing the topic.

"Oh, this place is run by Chiron. Trainer of all heroes, but now he's the trainer of young demi-gods. The Olympians set up Camp Unspeakable since they didn't want all of their children to die. So they had it slightly fair for them, even out the game," Miss. M replied. I grunted when she said slightly fair, but it didn't sound fair at all.

"Is there a way for the camp to have protection? If there's a large sum of these demi-gods then shouldn't there be something that protects the camp?" I asked, "Is it like Harry Potter and only the same species can enter?"

"You ask very strange questions, Amara," she chuckled, but to answer your question, no. At the center, which is also the feasting hall, are fourteen shrines. Each one is for each Olympian, and the two extra shrines are for Hestia and Hades. After a while, we make offerings to them to keep the camp safe and to make sure no humans see us,"

"Cool! So it's like a shield or a bubble?"

"Yes, it protects us. But...." Miss. M sighed and drove a bit faster, "there is a mishap that happened a few days ago,"

"What happened?" I asked, getting more and more curious.

"The shield keeps fading in and out, leaving the camp vulnerable." she sighed, "But I am sure we'll find the issue and fix it!"

I smiled and looked out the window. Wow, so this is happening. But the question is, what's going to happen next?