The first pale rays of sun stream through the open door, bringing with them the sounds of the first birds and the smell of the wet grass. Monsters howl in the woods. A tinkling giggle comes from the direction of the canoe lake. On the floor beside my bunk, the new undetermined guy snores loudly. A typical morning at Camp Half-Blood.

Yep, this is my home. The only safe place in the world for us demigods.

What is a demigod? Thanks for asking. I'm a demigod. Well, long story short, the Greek gods are still around. Sometimes they have kids with regular mortals. Yeah, you're probably thinking What the hell? I don't blame you. It's pretty weird.

So anyway, this place, Camp Half-Blood, is our only safe haven. Naturally, when you're half god, every monster existing on the planet will see you as nothing more than a particularly appetizing snack. But trust me, if you think that's scary, you don't want to be a demigod. In my world, a lot of things are scarier than monsters.

I sit up in bed and glance at my watch. 5:33am. Woah. I really slept in, didn't I.

Hah. Just kidding. But hey, I'm an early riser. The rest of the camp is probably still sleeping.

I swing my legs onto the floor, being careful not to kick the new guy's head. Then something catches my eye. A delicate silver chain around his neck. The sunlight dances and sparkles enticingly on it, and my fingertips start to tingle.

No, I tell myself firmly. He's new. Give him a break.

Tearing my eyes away from the treasure, I begin to navigate my way through the sea of sleeping bodies. It's always really cramped in here, because this cabin provides shelter for undetermined kids.

I step out into the crisp morning air, and for a moment I just stand there, revelling in the feel of the damp grass under my bare feet and the gentle breeze playing in my hair. The rising sun dances on the surface of the canoe lake, turning the water into a shining expanse of gold. I jog over to the bank and plop down on the grass.

Trailing my toes in the water, I gaze down into it. Up close, it doesn't look much like gold. Too bad. Gold's pretty awesome, just hard to get. People around here don't usually wear it, except sometimes the Aphrodite kids (duh) and the occasional earring. Earrings are pretty hard to nick, though.

Yeah, you guessed it. My dad's Hermes. God of travellers, communication, and thieves; messenger of the gods; the dude who escorts souls to the Underworld, blah, blah, blah. I personally think he has an abnormal amount of kids. So do most of the gods, but still.

Okay, while we're on the subject, I'm going to tell you a bit about me.

My name is Cassandra Vale. Ew. Call me Cass. If you don't, I'll - never mind. Just don't call me Cassandra if you know what's good for you.

I came to camp when I was ten. I'm a year-rounder, which means I stay here all year. Why? Because, like I said, this is my home. I don't have anywhere else to return to during the school year.

Stealing stuff is pretty much the only thing I'm good at. Like, for example, I've been here for three years and that silly Aphrodite girl, Aime Howard, still hasn't figured out who took her charm bracelet. Mind you, I'm not that mean. I usually return stuff after a while (anonymously, of course) but she wasn't doing anything with it, and it seemed important somehow. Especially since that horrible prophecy...

A footstep sounds behind me, and I jump, startled. I turn around and almost faint.

It's Dean Miller, head counsellor of the Apollo cabin, world's hottest man, and pretty much the only guy in this camp who hasn't tried to make a move on me. (Okay, exaggeration). Dean also happens to be single. It's weird, because all the girls go crazy over him. He can get a girlfriend any time he wants. Apparently he doesn't want one. It's too bad, because I'm single too. (Boys kinda suck). But I happen to have a huge crush on Dean Miller.

"Sorry," he says, smiling at me with those perfect white teeth. His windswept blonde hair gleams gold in the early light. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"I-it's fine," I stammer, trying not to stare.

"Mind if I sit with you?"

"Uh, sure." My heart is threatening to burst out of my chest.

"I saw you in the sword fighting arena he other day," Dean says after a moment. "You're amazing with those things."

"Thanks." I can feel myself blushing.

"I'm not joking. You're seriously talented. I wouldn't want to be at the wrong end of - what do you call your sword?"

I pull a bronze-coloured hairpin - useful for picking locks - out of my pocket and give the open end a little tug. The hairpin grows into a gleaming three-and-half-foot-long Celestial Bronze sword; a beautiful, wickedly sharp blade, and the last thing I ever got from my mother. This sword always makes me sad, because it reminds me of my mom, and the sacrifice she made... I shake myself out of it. This isn't the time to dwell on sad memories.

"This is Stinger," I say.

"Wow," Dean breathes.

I run my hand along the blade, admiring the way it glints in the sunlight. I love shiny things. I'm kinda like a magpie that way.

"I was wondering," Dean says tentatively. "If it's not too much trouble - could you maybe give me a few tips? I've never been good with swords. I'm pretty much useless unless I've got a bow and arrows."

I stare at him, stunned. "Are you serious?"

He blushes. "I mean, if you don't have time - "

"No, no, of course I have time!" My face splits into a wide grin. "We can start this afternoon!"

Dean grins back. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I am!" I don't know wether to laugh, or cry, or jump into the canoe lake, or run around camp like a maniac, screaming "Dean Miller asked me to teach him sword fighting!" Instead I twist Stinger like I'm trying to give the sword an Indian sunburn. The Celestial Bronze blade shrinks back into an innocent-looking hairpin as a conch shell sounds in the distance. Has it really been three hours? Wow. I guess time flies when you're sitting by a lake with a hot guy.

"Great!" I say, standing up and slipping Stinger back into my pocket. "I'll meet you in the arena at two this afternoon."

"Awesome. Thanks, Cass."

I smile at him and walk away, my head spinning. Dean Miller said my name.

I join the crowd of Hermes kids heading for the dining pavilion. I'm so dazed, I don't notice Carrie Crestwood, one of my siblings, approaching me.

"What's up?" Carrie says, drumming her fingers in her thighs. Even for a demigod, this girl is seriously ADHD. "You look like you've been whacked on the head with something. Oooo," she says suddenly, pointing across the lawn. "Look - it's Dean Miller! That guy is so hot. What's the use of being a daughter of the god of thieves if I can't even steal his heart?"

"You have a boyfriend," I remind her. "But about that - d'you know Dean asked me to give him sword fighting lessons just now?"

Carrie's jaw drops. I giggle at her.

"What's up?" I say. "You look like you've been whacked on the head with something."