Narrator's Pov
It was a day that Anthony wouldn't forget, the day he lost his father to monsters. It was ironically supposed to be a day of celebration, since it was on his surprise birthday road trip. He was turning 11 that year, 1997, and his father surprised him with a road trip across the country. From their home in Tacoma, Washington, to New York, where his father met his mother, it was when he was still interning at an institution studying sea life. It was during that trip to New York that disaster hit.
Anthony's Pov
It was the morning of my birthday, June 29th, I was a wee little kid, nothing but skin and bones. My short black hair was growing and unlike my dad, decided not to cut it. It was the summer and school was unfortunately out, but it wasn't all that bad, since my dad, Hal Rivers, gave me the best early birthday gift. An Owl that I named Felix, not the best name for a barn owl, but who could blame me, I was 10, and my intelligence leaned toward sea life, guerilla warfare, trap making, and weirdly Greek mythology.
Do not underestimate me if I had prep time, I could lay dozens of traps that could leave you in only your underwear, hanging upside down from a tree, covered in honey. Though now that I think about it now, I should've questioned my unnatural talent in those particular subjects, but as it was, I was only a 10-year-old boy turning 11.
Anyway, I woke up that morning to my dad knocking on my door, I slowly got up from bed, wiping away the sleep from my eyes and walking to my door. Slowly opening it to the sight of my dad, wearing his brown cargo pants, white t-shirt under his blue buttoned up long sleeved shirt. His short spiky hair sticking out of his beanie, his sea green eyes shining with amusement. He said," well, the birthday boy has finally decided to grace his father with his presence, huh?" I just laughed, my dad joining in.
When the laughing died down, my father told me to hurry up and get ready, I did what I was told, brushing my teeth, rinsing my face with water, and the changing my clothes. I picked a nirvana t-shirt under a red buttoned up short sleeved shirt. With black tattered jeans and my beanie finishing the look.
I ran downstairs where my dad was waiting in the kitchen with some waffles already done. I joined him in the kitchen, helping him make some of the batter and making fun off his father, mostly single dad jokes. And his father would retaliate with horrible dad jokes.
Narrator's Pov
He did all this, not knowing that this was the last time he would be this joyous, and the last time he would have laid his eyes on his dad. His father decided that since he was old enough that he would explain his heritage on the road trip, and why he had adhd, and dyslexia. Why he had to move from school to school, house to house, and state to state. And why, his father made him read day in and day out about Greek and Roman mythology. While he excelled at Greek mythology, he had an inexplicable hostility to the Roman mythology, which his father guessed to be his mother's, Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle strategy, influence on him.
So, Hal brought his son outside and into their family's Camper van, and they set out onto the road. After many hours of travel, they reach the Washington, Idaho, border. They decided to stop at a gas station near the border. Stopping for fuel, and possible snacks on the road, the two Rivers went into the gas station.
Hal's Pov
As we entered the gas station, I pondered on how to tell Anthony his heritage, and that the Greek myths he's been reading and studying are very real, and that his mother was a goddess. Making him a demigod, and that the monsters in the myths that hunted demigods were very much real, and that he was taking him to a place where he would be safe from them.
After we got a couple of hot dogs, chips, drinks, and some donuts for the road, we reached the cash register. The total was a little pricy, since adding the $70.00 to the already 40 something dollars buying the food cost. My poor bank account! I thought as I left with a lighter debit card, when we reached our camper, Anthony got back in while I pumped in the gas. After that, I got into the driver seat, only to find Anthony eating my hot dog. We both stare at each other, Anthony's stormy grey eyes wide in shock, before my hands go straight for the hotdog, while Anthony dodged at the last second.
"you brat, you do know I'm the one driving, so if I collapse from starvation, you can only blame yourself, right?" this caused Anthony to look at the hotdog for a second and then at me, his stormy grey eyes sharp in thought, a thousand thoughts going through his head. Before handing over my hotdog, snatching it before he changes his mind. As I eat my hotdog, I start the car, pulling out of the gas station, and heading out to Idaho.
Narrator's Pov
As they left the gas station, a lone eye watched them, the owner of the eye staring them down like a piece of meat, before following them. This went unnoticed by the father-son duo, as the father's senses dimmed from not fighting in a long time, while the other's senses were too inexperienced to feel the lone eye watching them.
Hours go by and Hal's gains the courage to tell his son about his heritage. So, he started the conversation with a simple," say buddy," Anthony looked over to him, with a curious look saying," yeah dad," Hal looked over to him with the most serious look he has ever seen on his face before saying," you ever wonder about who your mother was, and why you have to move from state to state, and why I always push for you to study Greek and Roman mythology?"
Anthony always wondered about those things, but his dad would always look so devastated when he asked, so he just stopped asking. But since his father was the one who brought up the subject, he thought it was okay to say," yeah dad, I always had," His father then looked torn, but he resolved himself, and thought he was ready to be told the truth.
He then spoke, saying," You know how, sometimes, in the Greek myths, that the Greek gods would sometimes take a liking to a mortal, and make a child with that mortal." Anthony nodded, having a sneaky suspicion of where this was going. " Well, you see Anthony, your mother was a goddess, Specifically, Athena, goddess of Wisdom and Battle Strategy," Anthony, being the kind of kid he was, looked at his father like he was going mental. He was about ask if his dad was okay when he saw a creature he thought only existed in myths, running at them full speed. Outside their Camper was a 10ft tall Cyclopes, looking to tackle their camper.
Anthony was about to warn his dad when something hit their camper, making it flip over, this resulted in Anthony going unconscious. While Hal with quick reflexes honed through battle after battle, took his seat belt off, and jumped over to Anthony to shield him from harm. Wrapping Anthony in a hug, shielding his head and vital organs, he then felt a pain in his side, but shrugged off the pain. Too focused on his son to acknowledge the pain, the Camper flipped onto its side, blocking the passenger side door. With no choice, he mustered his strength and broke the front window, making sure none of the broken glass hit Anthony before carefully getting himself and Anthony out of the Camper.
He then heard a stomp behind him, he quickly put Anthony in his arms, then sprinted to the tree line, knowing that if he could get there then it would be harder for whatever was after them from getting them. He took a chance and looked back, staring back at him was a cyclopes with a club in its hand. He thought that he made the right decision in running to the tree line, but he then looked down, seeing the massive piece of glass protruding from his side.
Unlike most of Poseidon legacies, Hal wasn't the strongest of demigods, because he didn't inherit much from his godly lineage. he only inherited the healing effect from water, the ability to breathe underwater, and to be able to speak to sea life. So, he made up for it in his expert swordsmanship, tactics, and knowledge of the weaknesses of monsters.
So, when the only weakness of the Cyclopes, its eyes and its intelligence, can only be exploited if he had a ranged weapon, or the agility to set up traps for it. But he only had his trusty sword at his side, the spear that Athena gave him for Anthony, and a stab wound that sapped his strength. So, his only option was to weave through the forest, with his son in his arms.
Anthony's Pov
I woke up to me in my father's arms, with him running through the forest, with the cyclopes behind us chasing him. The panic and stress must've got to me at the time, because I unconsciously started to analyze the Cyclopes. Noticing the squinting of the eyes and the minute twitching of its nose, it all indicated behaviors of creatures with bad eyesight relying on their excellent sense of smell. This meant that we could potentially lose it through the forest and mask our scent.
But when I looked at my dad's pained expression, and pale face, I knew, deep down, that he wasn't going to make it. But since he was still alive and breathing, I told him of my observations, and how if we could lose him in the forest and cover our scent with mud or leaves; that we might be able to survive. My dad chuckled saying," nice work son, but it seems I won't make it, and I know you are smart enough to know this too," I couldn't admit it to dad at the time, but tears started to build in my eyes, as I could feel tears fall on my back.
The thought of dad, who usually had a smile on his face, crying, broke something in me. But then something happened when I heard water running, meaning we had reached a river, a strength that was sapped from him before returned as we reached the riverbed. After we reached the other side of the river, he put me down, he then reached into his pocket and took out a piece of paper and a necklace with an owl pendent.
He handed over the item to me and then said," go, now, I'm may not make it, but you will, there is a place where demigods like us are safe, now go, go!" he then pushed me into the woods. I ran and I ran, until the stars came out and I exhausted all my strength. And as I closed my eyes, resting in a hollowed tree, the tears I held in came bursting out. I had the most restless sleep I have ever had in my 11 years of life.