Being a Starship Ranger

Chapter One
Happy Birthday to Me
TQS

Name: Tori Quiver Stevens
Preferred Name: Tori
Age: 15
Gender: Female
Planet of Origin: Earth
Species: Demigod

Preexisting Medical Conditions: ADD
Medications: None

Allergies: None
Other: I do not eat birds

Reasons why you joined the Starship Rangers:
I didn’t join the Rangers because I wanted to, I did it to save my friends. You said you were going to help camp, instead you rampaged. You destroyed the Big House and the cabins, set fire to the woods where we play capture the flag, and killed our Oracle, Melissa Waters.

Is there any people you would recommend us to recruit:
NO! Because you destroyed my home in Arlington and then you destroyed my home at Camp Half-Blood. You killed the only person I would strongly recommend which is Evelyn Reynell. Best magic user other than Mercedes.

How do you feel about going into battle against your fellow demigods:
GO DIE IN A FUCKING BLACK HOLE! I NEVER LIKED FIGHTING OTHER DEMIGODS SO YOU ALL CAN GO FUCK YOURSELVES AND NEVER TALK OR RECRUIT ANYONE EVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's what my form looked like. I remember Clarity and I walked to the front together and turned the forms in. A girl about our age, the leader of the shit we’re in now, led us to the orientation room. In there was two things I did not expect. Sam Stevens, my half brother, and Nova Blackburn. Nova gave us a weak smile and Sam looked like he was going to pass out. But then my mind is blank from then until today.

I just woke up on Starship No. 843 with no clue what happened the last two years of my life. I looked at the calendar. Today is October 7th, 3013, my 17th birthday. I look around the room for Clarity. She’s up but her head is lolling back and forth. She’s regained her memory too. “Hey,” I said. “Do you remember anything? From yesterday even?”
“No, it’s like the last few years are just... not there. Do you remember anything? Can we still use our gifts?” Clarity asked frantically. I didn’t know, if I didn’t have Eros’s gift, I didn’t have anything. There were no birds on alien planets and charmspeak didn’t work so well on aliens.
“I- I don’t know.” I stuttered, it’s all blank. Nothing was there I couldn’t think about what had happened yesterday or two days before that or my birthday last year. The last two years of my life was gone. These freaking Starship Rangers stole two years of my life. And I had no clue how I was supposed to get them back.
A searing pain shot through my head. I blacked out. I woke up not in my dorm but on a beach sitting next to some guy, he was holding my hand. I looked up towards the sky, there were three moons rising, and one sun setting. I looked over to the guy. He had short brown hair, green eyes and a slightly crooked jaw. “Amethyst, what’s wrong?” A surge of electricity went through my body. I’m not Amethyst, at least that’s what I wanted to say.
“Nothing James, I’m just tired.” I say, instead of saying that I am Tori, not Amethyst.
“Okay.” He pauses, “Are you and Irony fighting again? I know you guys have known each other for a long time but I think she’s a really bad influence.”
“I don’t really think you have right to say anything about our friendship, you hang out with that no good Mark. You know he hits Irony and I all the time.” I exclaim. I let go of his hand and storm away. The scene shifts, Clarity and I are standing at the edge of a cliff staring down at the people below.
“There’s no way they can get up here.” Clarity said, “Well done. Now come on. We’ve got to run back to the ship. Sooner or later the Hiladinians are going to find a way up and I don’t want to be here when it happens.”
“How right you are Irony. Let’s go,” I sheathe my knife. Where’s my Frisbee? I wonder. Again, the scene changes, but this time it’s just back to my dorm. I get off my bunk and head to the closet. I press the automatic door open button thingy and an outfit pops out ready for me to wear. I look it up and down. Sequins and rhinestones and the worst possible thing... feathers. I shudder. Instead of wearing the horrific shiny, sparkley, feathery Lady GaHa outfit, I search through the closet for a pair of denim jeans and a t-shirt.
The only things I find are a pair of shorts that are splatter with a strange, dried goo and an orange t-shirt with faded letters. Even though the letters are faded, I know what it says. It’s my shirt from my last year at Camp Half-Blood, before I was forced into becoming a Starship Ranger. I look around for a pair of shoes. Then I spot a well worn pair in the back, nearly all the sparkles have fallen off and the sole is almost gone but it feels right to where them.
Clarity comes out her changing room as I’m lacing on my shoes. “I can’t believe that we just don’t remember these past two years. I mean, how can we not know anything.” She said as she was brushing her hair. I noticed something that was definitely not there the last time I remember looking at her two years ago. She has a purple streak running through her hair. And it’s braided.
“Where is the rest of camp? Chiron and Melissa? Mercedes and Violet? Sam and Nova?! and worst of all Jake.” I say, close to tears. “Well Happy Birthday to me.”
“Happy Birthday Tori.” Clarity said, putting the brush down and coming to sit next to me. “All I know is that it can’t be that bad, and if it is we can just go kick some monster ass.” I walk over to the window expecting to see a courtyard and the dining pavillion but when I get there I’m shocked to see what I’m seeing. A purple and black alien planet that we are coming closer to by the second and that I’m not at camp anymore.
“Nothing will ever be the same!” I exclaimed, “we’ll never get back to earth, or camp. Not even H-B! They took away my Frisbee! My Frisbee!”
“And they took my staff. We’re defenseless.” Clarity said. Then I catch her eye. “Unless they wern’t able to find out about our special gifts from our parents and our swords!” We run to our backpacks that have our “medication” (a.k.a. Nectar, Ambrosia, Prisms, Drachma, etc. All the general needs of a demigod.)
I pull out a chunk of metal and my sword, a gift from a good friend, it was made of Imperial Gold and shrunk into a Sharpie. I placed the metal on the floor and concentrated hard on the the block a small pink fire sprouts in my hand and grows bigger. It starts to make its way towards the sliver metal. Once the fire touches the block it starts to melt rapidly. In about thirty seconds, there’s only a flickering pink flame and a pool of silver.
“Holyshit! I still have my gift!” I exclaimed. The only problem was that one, we couldn’t get in touch with the gods since we where not on earth and two, we had no clue if Clarity could still make people insane. I look at Clarity and she’s smiling too, at least we know one of is still in touch with our godly side.
“How are we going to figure out how to get off this acid ship and get everyone else off even though we want to get back to earth?” Clarity asked.
“Um... we... I don’t know. But first things first we need to find where they’re keeping Heather, Mercedes, and Violet and the rest of camp hostage,” I said.
“How are we going to do that?” Clarity said, “It looks like we’re on twenty-four/seven.” She points to a video camera in the corner of the room.
“We do the only thing we can do. Break the camera and sneak out to the recesses of the Starship.” I said with much more confidence then I actually have.