The highway unwound behind us, the asphalt blurring into the horizon. I watched the road disappear, swallowed by the vastness of the sky, and struggled to believe my fate. Half a school year with my stepmother—a woman who clearly loathed me—felt like a sentence. To make matters worse, she’d chosen San Francisco, a city notorious for its…demigod dangers. Of course, any monster attack, any disruption, would be instantly blamed on me. How was I supposed to survive a year without running away? + 

My father had brokered a deal: I attend school here, keep the monsters at bay, and I could finish the year in New York with Percy. I could handle the school part, I thought, but how to prevent my stepmother’s inevitable meltdown every time a monster glanced through the window? This semester was already shaping up to be a trial. + 

… + 

The moment I reached the house, I stormed to my room, slamming the door behind me. Hot, angry tears burned tracks down my face. My stepmother had accused me of attempting to harm her perfect children before I’d even unpacked. And as luck would have it, my father was locked away in his workshop, unreachable. I collapsed onto the bed, staring at the white ceiling. The accusation stung, but it was also the aching absence of Percy that finally broke me. + 

“Percy,” I whispered, knowing my voice was lost to the silence. “Where are you now? When will you protect me?” + 

I knew this semester would be unbearable, and I hadn’t even started school yet. Exhaustion pulled me under, and I drifted into sleep, the residue of dried tears clinging to my face. + 