Avon woke up with a start, feeling a surge of pain in his head. He groaned and rubbed his temples, trying to remember what had happened. He looked around and saw that he was in a hospital bed, hooked up to various machines and wires. He felt a bandage wrapped around his forehead, covering his left eye.
He tried to recall the last thing he saw before he blacked out. He remembered walking home from school with his best friend, Jake, when they heard a loud roar from behind them. They turned around and saw a huge creature with the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle, and the tail of a scorpion. It was a manticore, one of the most fearsome monsters in Greek mythology.
Avon and Jake ran for their lives, but the manticore was faster. It swooped down and grabbed Jake with its claws, lifting him into the air. Avon screamed and threw a rock at the beast, hoping to distract it. But the rock bounced off its scaly hide, and the manticore turned its attention to Avon.
It opened its mouth and shot a volley of poisonous spikes at Avon. Avon dodged most of them, but one hit him in the forehead, piercing his skull. He felt a jolt of agony and collapsed on the ground, blood gushing from his wound.
The last thing he saw was the manticore's face, inches away from his own. It had yellow eyes, sharp teeth, and a twisted smile. It whispered something in his ear, something that sounded like ancient Greek.
"You are marked by fate, son of Hermes. You will either save or destroy Olympus."
Then everything went dark.
Avon shuddered as he remembered the manticore's words. He had no idea what they meant. He didn't even know who Hermes was, let alone that he was his son. He had always thought he was an ordinary kid, living with his mom in a small town in Mississippi. He had never met his dad, who had left before he was born.
He wondered if Jake was alive. He hoped that someone had found them and taken them to the hospital. He hoped that Jake was okay.
He looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was 2:21 p.m. He wondered how long he had been unconscious. He wondered if his mom knew where he was. He wondered if anyone cared.
He felt a sudden wave of loneliness and sadness wash over him. He wished he could talk to someone, anyone who could explain what was going on.
He heard a knock on the door and saw a nurse enter the room. She smiled and walked over to him.
"Hello, Avon," she said in a friendly voice. "How are you feeling?"
Avon blinked and stared at her. She looked familiar, but he couldn't place her. She had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a slim figure. She wore a white uniform with a red cross on it.
"I'm fine," Avon lied. "Who are you?"
The nurse chuckled and touched his shoulder.
"I'm Mia," she said. "I'm your nurse."
Avon frowned and shook his head.
"No, you're not," he said. "I've never seen you before."
Mia smiled and leaned closer to him.
"That's because I'm not really a nurse," she whispered in his ear. "I'm a demigod, like you."
Avon gasped and recoiled from her.
"What?" he exclaimed. "What are you talking about?"
Mia looked around and lowered her voice.
"Listen, Avon," she said urgently. "You don't have much time. You need to get out of here as soon as possible."
"Why?" Avon asked, confused and scared.
"Because they're coming for you," Mia said. "The ones who sent the manticore after you."
"Who are they?" Avon asked.
"They're called the Titans," Mia said. "They're the ancient enemies of the gods."
"The gods?" Avon repeated incredulously.
"Yes, the gods," Mia said impatiently. "The Greek gods. Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, Apollo, Hermes…"
"Hermes?" Avon interrupted.
"Yes, Hermes," Mia confirmed. "He's your father."
AVonfelt his head spin and his stomach churn.
"My father?" he repeated weakly.
"Yes, your father," Mia repeated emphatically. "You're a son of Hermes, the god of travelers, thieves, messengers, and tricksters."
Avon shook his head in disbelief.
"This can't be real," he said. "This is some kind of joke."
Mia sighed and took out something from her pocket. It looked like a silver coin with wings on it.
"It's not a joke," she said firmly. "It's the truth."
She flipped the coin in the air and caught it. She pressed a button on the side and the coin transformed into a sword. The blade was made of celestial bronze, a metal that could harm monsters and gods.
She handed the sword to Avon.
"Here," she said. "Take this. It's yours."
Avon took the sword and felt its weight in his hand. He felt a strange connection to it, as if it was part of him.
"What is this?" he asked.
"It's a caduceus," Mia said. "It's the symbol of Hermes. It's also a weapon that can channel your powers."
"My powers?" Avon asked.
"Yes, your powers," Mia said. "As a son of Hermes, you have some of his abilities. You can run fast, communicate with animals, sense lies, and manipulate objects with your mind."
Avon looked at the sword in disbelief.
"I can do all that?" he asked.
Mia nodded.
"You can, but you need to learn how to control them," she said. "And for that, you need to go to Camp Half-Blood."
"Camp Half-Blood?" Avon repeated.
"Yes, Camp Half-Blood," Mia said. "It's a place where demigods like us can train and be safe from monsters and other threats."
"Where is it?" Avon asked.
"It's in New York," Mia said. "But we can't take a plane or a bus. They're too risky. We need to travel by shadow."
"By shadow?" Avon asked.
Mia nodded and pointed at the window.
"See that dark spot on the wall?" she asked. "That's a shadow portal. It can take us anywhere we want, as long as there's another shadow on the other side."
Avon looked at the window and saw a small patch of darkness on the wall. It looked like an ordinary shadow, but he felt a strange pull towards it.
"How does it work?" he asked.
Mia smiled and grabbed his hand.
"Follow me and find out," she said. "But hurry, we don't have much time."
She pulled him out of the bed and dragged him towards the window. Avon felt a surge of fear and curiosity as they approached the shadow portal.
He wondered what awaited them on the other side.
He wondered if he was ready for this new life.
He wondered if he would ever see his mom or Jake again.
He wondered if he would save or destroy Olympus.
He took a deep breath and stepped into the shadow with Mia.
And then everything went black.