THE SUNLIGHT STREAMED in from the grimy window, splashing across Y/N's face. He groaned and rubbed his eyes, before squinting over to the clock on the wall. 8:32. Time for breakfast.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, his feet meeting the cold, worn floor. Y/N sighed and stood up, stretching to ease the tension in his body. For a thirteen year old, he was above average height. Not monstrous, but tall enough to where his age would get mistaken quite a lot.

He looked around the dorm room. It was small, with a desk and a chair in the corner, along with some cupboards for clothes. Bland and boring. He walked to the door, before walking down the hall to the cafeteria.

Out of the entire school of Annadale, Y/N was one of the only orphans. For as long as he could remember, he had lived in that dorm, being unceremoniously adopted by the entire staff.

They lined up for food, and as Y/N glanced at the lunch lady, a shiver ran down his spine. Her beady eyes seemed to track his every move, and Y/N couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about her.

"Next!" A gravelly voice growled. The next student trudged forward, and Y/N was next in line. He heard some snickering from his right, and when he turned to look, Y/N instantly returned his gaze to the front. It was Kurt.

Kurt might not be a name that struck fear into the hearts of everyone that heard it, but it did for Y/N. He was almost 5 inches taller, and was a year older than he was. And of course, thanks to Kurt's wealthy donations to the school, it was 'impossible' to get him expelled for all the stuff he did.

"Next!" The gravelly voice announced. Y/N was ripped from his thoughts. He was at the front of the line, directly in front of the old ladies. He flinched, and the tension in the room seemed to intensify.

"Eggs or bacon." Miss Mable hissed. Her piercing eyes cut through the air like a knife.

"How about both?" Y/N replied, attempting a weak smile. Her evil grin made him uneasy as she piled food onto his plate.

"Probably for the best," she cackled. "You're a powerful one, aren't you? Need all the strength you can get." Y/N nervously laughed before making his way to an empty table.

"Oi!" A voice called out. Y/N didn't respond. He hoped they weren't talking to him. Of course, he was wrong.

"How's my best bro doing?"  Another boy asked sitting down next to Y/N. He was tall and pudgy, with beady little eyes and a buzz cut. He grabbed Y/N's food with a meaty hand and shoved it into his mouth.

"Leave me alone, Kurt." Y/N muttered.

"Or what?" Kurt mocked. He ruffled Y/N's hair with a greased hand. Y/N tried to keep his temper in check. 'Walk away from them.' The school councillor had always said. 'Don't give him the satisfaction.' Y/N went to stand up, but Kurt grabbed his arm.

"Leaving so soon?" Kurt mocked.

"I said... leave me alone!" Y/N yelled, pushing Kurt away with all his might. Kurt just smiled evilly, before jumping back onto the cafeteria floor.

"Y/N! What did I do to you to deserve this!" He moaned in fake agony. "I need a teacher!" He yelled, smirking at Y/N

"Sonny!" Y/N turned. Mis Mabel was trudging towards him. "Follow me to the principals office this instant!"

"But he's fine!" Y/N protested, pointing at Kurt, who was still rolling around, holding his arm and fake groaning.

"I don't think so," the lady growled in frustration. The old hag had always hated Kurt, so Y/N wasn't sure why she had suddenly taken his side.

"My boy," The lady's voice turned stern, and she gestured for Y/N to follow her. He followed her around the back, into the kitchen.

"Uh... this isn't the principal's office." Y/N scratched his head.

Behind him, the door locked. He whipped around to see the her staring back at him with a hungry grin.

"You're a strong one," her words sending shivers down his spine. "I wonder who your mummy and daddy are. I bet you'll taste goood." She drawled, licking her lips. Y/N breath caught in his throat.

"W-Wha... what?" He whimpered

"Hmm... better than letting a repulsive satyr take you!" She cackled.

Suddenly, her appearance began to shift. Her pupils narrowed into slits, and her irises glowed a deep red. Her clothing disintegrated, revealing a transformed figure. Her body elongated, fur sprouting from her skin. Her face contorted into a ferocious visage, teeth protruding from her snarling mouth. It was no longer a human. Y/N slowly backed away, his eyes as wide as dinner plates

"Die!" The monster roared. It lunged at Y/N, it's sharp talons aiming for his face. In a desperate attempt, Y/N closed his eyes, throwing out his hands.

Instantly, the air heated to a million degrees. A sound like a small jet engine roared in Y/N's ears. Y/N opened his eyes and gasped. The gas fire from the stove was swirling around the monster, forming a protective barrier in front of Y/N. He didn't have time to examine it though.

Y/N's fight or flight response kicked in, and he certainly didn't know how to throw a punch. He Bolted to the kitchen door, before sprinting down the corridor. He didn't know where he was going, all he knew was that he had to get away from that... that thing.

He rushed through the main door, crossing the alley leading to the main gate. Y/N tried to unlatch it. Locked. He glanced up at the chain link fence, which looked climbable.

Y/N crawled over the fence as swiftly as possible, still in shock. A deafening roar echoed behind him. He finally reached the parking lot, and continued running, his body running on pure adrenaline. 

And then he tripped. Unfortunately.

Y/N hit the asphalt with a sickening Thunk! He tried to get up, but the nausea and dizziness that followed was too much, and he fell back onto the curb. Around him, pedestrians didn't even seem to notice him, going on with their lives as if a 13 year old didn't just catapult onto the street.

To his right, he heard the sound of... hooves?, clip clopping against the pavement. A boy around the same size as Y/N rushed over to him, lifting his head to meet his eyes.

"Help... I-I... Need..." Y/N stammered, his head still reeling from shock and pain.

The young boy didn't answer, still analysing his features. Then, out of the blue, he took a long sniff of Y/N, as if he was sensing something.

"What are the chances of that, huh." The boy's face broke into a grin. "You are one lucky demigod, you know that?"

"W-what? Who... are you." Y/N felt his vision growing dark, and the pain didn't seem so strong anymore.

"Jeremy." The boy smiled.

And then it all went black.

.

.

.

Y/N groaned as he sat up, letting out a sigh of relief. 'Thank goodness,' He thought happily. 'That was just a dream.' But his relief was short-lived as he opened his eyes, tumbling onto the floor. As he scrambled to sit up, the sound of a revving engine reached his ears, and Y/N quickly took in his new surroundings within the car.

"You're finally awake, huh?" Jeremy's voice snapped Y/N out of his thoughts. Y/N looked around, feeling the motion of the car beneath him.

"Where... where am I?" Y/N's words stumbled out. "Who are you? Why are we in a car? You don't even look old enough to drive."

"Relax," Jeremy smiled, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. There was a brief pause before he spoke again. "I promise I'll keep you safe." He assured. "Besides, it doesn't look like that bump on your head is going away anytime soon."

Y/N blinked rapidly, his head throbbing. The dull ache pulsed behind his eyes, making it hard to focus. His body still felt heavy, weighed down by exhaustion and confusion.

"Safe from what?" he muttered, rubbing his temples.

Jeremy chuckled. "From things that go bump in the night. Or in your case, monsters."

Y/N shuddered. His mind flashed back to Miss Mabel, or whatever she really was. Her glowing red eyes, her inhuman snarl. It hadn't been a nightmare. It had been real.

"How did you know it was a monster?"

"Let's just say, you got really lucky back there. Not everyone manages to fight off a manticore and live to tell the tale."

"Manticore?"

Jeremy glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "You really don't know anything, do you?"

"Apparently not!" Y/N snapped. "Can we start from the beginning? You need to tell me where I'm going and who you are."

"In time. Be patient and eat this." Jeremy pulled out a ziplock back with a small brownie inside of it. Y/N eyed the brownie suspiciously. His stomach twisted with hunger, but after everything that had happened, he wasn't about to blindly trust some stranger handing him food.

"What is it?" he asked.

Jeremy smirked. "Something that'll help with that headache. Just take a bite. Trust me."

Y/N hesitated. His head still throbbed, and his limbs felt like lead. If Jeremy wanted to hurt him, he figured he already would have. So, with a sigh, he took the brownie and bit into it.

The moment it touched his tongue, warmth spread through his body, like drinking hot cocoa on a freezing day. Flavours exploded across his mouth. The ache in his skull dulled instantly, and the pain from the grazes across his hands and arms seemed to subside.

"What, what was that?" Y/N sighed happily into the car seat.

Jeremy grinned. "Ambrosia. Food of the gods. Heals demigods, but don't eat too much, or you'll burn up from the inside."

Y/N blinked. "Oh, great. So I can add 'spontaneous combustion' to my list of concerns."

Jeremy laughed. "You'll get used to it."

Y/N wasn't sure about that. His mind was still reeling. He glanced out the window. The highway stretched ahead of them, the city lights fading behind. He was leaving everything he had ever known.

"Where are we going?" he asked again, quieter this time.

Jeremy's smile faded, and his expression hardened. "Somewhere safe. I promise. For now, I need to concentrate on getting you there."

A/N: So this is the first chapter done! Sorry if it doesn't seem as original or different from the other stories that you've read. As the story progresses, I intend to make Y/N quite different from the usual demigod oc's. Happy Reading!