"Isis! Wake up, Isis!" Mom called. I snapped awake, fear spreading through my body. My test was today. I jumped into the shower then pulled on some clothes. Boots, jean shorts, and a black T-shirt. Then I went into the kitchen where Mom was sitting. She was buttering one of the cinnamon toast slices she brought home yesterday.

"Good morning, Isis." She said. I sat down slowly, a little worried. Mom used to call us by our godly name when we were little, and I had a feeling she was doing so now to honor Dad. I smiled.

"Good morning, Mother, peace be with you." I said out of habit. Her face fell and she dropped her knife with a clang. I quickly picked it up and cleaned off the table.

"Oh, Isis, everything is going wrong! Oh my! Your test is today! I said I would braid your hair! No! You can't take the test, Isis, you can't!" She cried. She looked wild, her hair tangled and her eyes heavy with sleep. I got up and tried to calm her. If the Hermes got here and she was acting like this we would be kicked out for sure.

"Mom, it's okay! I'll pass the test, I promise!" I said. She shook her head vigorously. Something clinked with her plate. It was the bobby-pin Dad left her in his will. I picked it up and slipped it into her hair, pulling her chocolate brown hair out of her face. She looked up at me.

"You look so much like Ares." She said. For a moment, I almost thought she was talking about Ares, the god of war. Then I realized she was talking about Dad. His middle name was Ares. There was a knock on the door.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Mom stood up and gripped my shoulders.

"You can't take the test." She said with conviction. I pulled her arms off my shoulders and walked to the door.

"I'll be fine, Nike. Mento, make sure she gets some rest." I said, opening the door. The Hermes nodded to me then walked back to the long white government bus. I glanced back. Mom seemed to relax slightly when I called her by her godly name, but only slightly. Mento was nudging her towards the living room. Then the door closed between us.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I sat next to Annie as we waited to be called. We were allowed to talk, but most of us only talked in low whispers. Annie leaned over.

"I'm sorry about your father, Cory. Did he leave you anything?" She asked me. It took me a minute to register her question, I was shaking terribly. I felt cold and hot at the same time. I brought out the small silver dog paw with the button on it, and showed her my necklace. She smiled sadly.

"That is so pretty. Cory, I..." She began. She was cut off by the announcer.

"Annie Artemis Lowe." The announcer said. Annie's face paled. I squeezed her hand lightly and she got up and walked into the back room. I waited alone for what seemed like years. Then the announcer called me.

"Cory Isis Silverstream." The announcer said, his voice sounding the slightest bit uncertain. I pushed myself out of my chair, blood rushing in my ears. My head hurt and I felt sick to my stomach. I walked past the rows of kids and through the door in the middle of the auditorium. A Hermes was waiting for me. He grabbed my arm and led me to a computer completely surrounded by walls except for one side. He sat me down, then walked away. I took a few deep breaths then touched the screen of the computer. A holographic keyboard materialized in front of me. A message popped up on the computer screen.

Please enter full name.

I typed in my name. I hit the enter key and closed my eyes. My test was about to begin. But there was a beeping sound. I opened an eye and glanced at the screen. It was red and another message popped up on the screen. I opened both my eyes.

Cory Isis Silverstream could not be found. Please try again.

I typed my name in again.

Cory Isis Silverstream could not be found. Please try again.

Again.

Cory Isis Silverstream could not be found. Please try again.

I was beginning to panic, checking to make sure I spelled everything correctly. Suddenly, I was being pulled out of my chair and onto my feet. It was Zeus, our leader.

"What are you playing at?" He snarled. I shook my head.

"It won't let me take my test!" I said, my heart pounding. I pointed at my screen. Zeus looked at me with a strange expression on his face.

"What is your full name?" He asked, his voice terrifyingly calm.

"C-Cory Isis Silverstream." I stuttered. Zeus crossed his arms.

"Miss Silverstream, your middle name cannot be Isis, so if you would please enter your real name, this would all be over." He said. I gulped.

"Zeus, sir, I promise you that this is the name my mother gave me! I don't know of any other..." I started to explain. Zeus banged his fist against one of the walls. A head poked out from behind the wall. It was Annie. She raised an eyebrow at me and I quickly shrugged and shook my head. She ducked back inside and continued her test. I looked back at Zeus. He looked at one of the Hermes behind him.

"Take us to her place of residence." He said shortly. The Hermes nodded then led me out of the room. I could feel curious eyes on me as I walked behind Zeus and surrounded by Hermes. I kept my head down, watching my boots as I walked outside and stepped onto a hover board. I followed behind Zeus, my heart racing the wind in my ears. If Isis wasn't my middle name, what was? We stopped at my house and Zeus knocked on the door. Mom opened it before he even finished the third knock.

"Yes?" She asked. I saw Mento behind her, trying to nudge his way over to me.

"Nike Silverstream, I'm afraid your daughter doesn't know her real name." Zeus said. I grabbed my arm, uncomfortable. Mom smiled slightly.

"Must be the nerves. Her name is Cory Isis..." She began to answer. There was a loud smack and my mom had her hand to her cheek, her hair was messed up and Mento was growling. I gasped when I figured out what had happened. Zeus had smacked my mother.

"Don't lie to me, Nike! There is no way this girl's middle name is Isis, the Egyptian goddess of magic! Our government would not have allowed it! All godly names must be Greek!" Zeus shouted. I pushed past Zeus and stood in front of Mom. Mento jumped in front of me.

"Peace be with you!" I pleaded. "She has been through a lot! My father, her husband, has just died!" Zeus's glare hardened.

"If that is your real name, you are not Olympian. Your name isn't registered, and you are not a citizen. You are not aloud to take the test, so therefore you fail. And only citizens, well..." He said. He glanced at the Hermes behind him. I knew what was coming. "Only citizens are given rations when banned from Olympus. You will be given a knife and that is all." Then Zeus nodded at the Hermes. Before I could blink, I was bound in glowing ropes, a knife was shoved into my hands, and I was pushed against a wall. The Hermes brought out the transporter.

"No! Isis!" Mom shouted. She lunged at Zeus, but before she could even touch him, there was a bang. My mom collapsed on the floor in a pool of blood. Mento was barking like mad.

"MOM!" I screamed. Then I was alone, screaming in a forest. Miles away from Olympus, where my mother laid dead on our doorstep, where Mento was probably trying to either attack Zeus or running away. A moments debate forced me to concede that life out here was better for him. I brought out the silver dog paw and pushed the button. Mento appeared beside me, growling. When he saw me, he stopped growling and rubbed his head against my leg. I pet his head and looked around, gripping the small knife in my hand. The past ten minutes blurred together in my mind. What had just happened? I kept hearing the gun go off in my head, the worried look on Annie's face. What had she wanted to tell me? I would never know, now. If Isis wasn't my real name, then what was? Had my mom really not known my real name? Why was Zeus, the leader of the perfect society, so cruel? I shook my head. There would be time to think later. Now, I needed to find shelter and food. I figured protection was covered while Mento was here. I patted his head again and set off in a random direction, Mento trotting behind me loyally, his ears pricked, nose twitching taking in every scent. We walked for hours as the sun rose. The forest was hot, the sun high in the sky, and I was grateful when we came to a river. Mento jumped in and so did I. It was great while it lasted, but my clothes were soaked. Didn't think about that. I pulled myself onto the muddy bank and pulled off my shirt, laying it on a rock. I wrung my hair out and took off my boots and socks. Then I laid flat on the rock as I dried my skin and pants. I closed my eyes and dozed in the warmth. After a while, there was a splash that made me open my eyes. Mento was standing in the river, water dripping off his long hair, a fish wriggling in his jaws. I smiled and patted the rock next to me. Mento ran out of the river, shook himself off, then dropped the fish on the rock next to me. I brought out the knife and killed the fish. Then, not wandering too far, I gathered some sticks and logs. Mento ran around, grabbing sticks and running with them in his mouth, nearly hitting me on multiple occasions. We went back to the river and I cleared a place to make a fire. I positioned the logs in a triangle shape, then tucked sticks and pine needles around them. I cut a notch in a flat piece of wood, then grabbed a stick. I placed one edge of the stick in the notch, then quickly rubbed my hands around the stick. Faster and faster, moving my hands up and down the stick. Finally, there was a spark. I blew gently on the ember and the piece of wood caught on fire. I put it in the middle of my little camp fire, and the pine needles lit up. Greenish smoke rose into the air. I gathered some rocks and put them around the fire so it wouldn't spread, then de-scaled the fish, put it on a sharpened stick, and cooked it over the fire. By the time the fish was cooked completely, the sun was beginning to set. I wondered if Annie had finished her test and had come home to find our house empty. Or maybe another family had already moved in. One thing, I knew for certain. There was no way Zeus was going to tell the truth about what happened. Everyone saw me leave the Test building and go home with Zeus before the test began, so they couldn't lie about that, but what about my mom? Mento? They would probably say we were a public disturbance or something ludicrous like that. As I threw a piece of fish to Mento, whom caught it happily in the air, I was filled with a sudden hatred for the place I used to call home. There was something that Zeus had said about my name. Was I an Olympian? They sure didn't treat me like one. Was this all a mistake? How did I have an Egyptian godly name if I had only ever lived in Olympus? And how was it Egyptian if Egypt was gone? I shook my head again, hid the rest of the fish, then walked down to the river to clean off my knife. With the darkness came cold, and I was grateful my clothes were dry. I pulled my shirt back on and slipped on my socks and shoes. I went back to the campfire and sat on the ground next to Mento. He laid his head on my lap.

"You wanna stay here for the night, buddy?" I asked him, rubbing his ears. His response was a yawn. I laughed slightly.

"I'll take that as a yes." I said. I heard a stick break and Mento and I whipped are heads around in unison. We both stared off into the darkness, a growl rising in Mento's throat. I rubbed his neck.

"Probably just a raccoon." I said after a while. Wether it was or not, I didn't know. I'd never seen a raccoon before, only heard of it in school. Mento huffed and curled up again. I curled up with him, my arms wrapped around him, face buried in his fur. I watched the fire as I drifted in to sleep. Not to shabby for an outcast.