We both knew I was dying. It didn't matter, though. I loved him more than I could ever put into words. The past two and a half months had been the worst and the best of my life.
Finding out I was a demigod.
Finding Luke.
Finding out who my biological father was.
Nearly dying. Countless times.
"Herita." Luke moaned, his voice full of pain. "Don't die. We're almost back to camp Half-blood."
"Not… Camp… Water… Sea…" I cried, fire burning through my veins. I could feel the world fading; I was going to die. There was no doubt. If I'd known I was going to die… If I'd know my life could be so short, I don't think I would've ever agreed to come on this quest.
Okay, maybe that was a lie. I would've come, regardless if I'd known this would be the way i'd die.
"There aren't any bodies of water nearby!" He cried, clutching onto me tighter.
"Luke… I-" I couldn't finish my sentence, I couldn't get the words out. My lungs were collapsing on me. Despite this, I forced myself to speak the words I wanted to most: "I love you".
My life seemed to pass by with a flash; everything that had happened went by quickly, like I was watching a movie in fast forward.
Two and a half months prior.
Sixteen years, sixteen years of living in a ignorant bliss. I have an irrational fear of tight places- people being too close to me or being in an elevator. Those are just a few things that terrify me.
I might care to mention that I have a medical condition known as Dyslexia, which is a mental learning disability. It switches some letters around. As i've gotten older it hasn't been as bad; I can actually read and write without many problems. Though some of the time, I do see words backward or switched places. Like, A and E.
I'm also a neat freak; sometime people don't believe until I show them how clean I keep my room, or my notes. It's impossible for me focus if my notes are out of order or if there is doodles around it.
It doesn't actually matter, in the grand scheme of things. Neither does my ebony colored hair. It's somewhat long, just past my waist. I like to think of my eyes as an emerald. Or the color. The color of an emerald. I usually wear makeup, and, like most girls my age, I cared about what I looked like.
"Harita. Hello?" Hermione asked, waving her hand infront of my face, "are you even listening?" she practically demanded.
"No, 'Mione, I wasn't paying attention." I said, rather sheepishly. "what were we talking about?"
She let out a dramatic sigh, "for someone who has two boys padding after her like lost puppies, you sure are ignorant."
"Malfoy and Weasly follow me around like lost puppies?" I said, appealed. I'd always thought the two of them hated me, hated me because I was better at swimming than they were, and I was a girl.
"Last year," she said slowly, like talking to a child who refused to listen.
This made me laugh right out, "That's great 'Mione! Nice joke!" I gasped in between fits of laughter, "they'd never think of me like that. If it was either me or you, they'd chose you." I said mournfully. All boys chose her, never looked at the friend right besides her.
"I'm not joking!" she huffed angrily, "they really do like you."
"It doesn't matter anymore, 'Mione. I'm leaving for New York City in a few hours and I won't be back 'till summer break."
She groaned unhappily, "Don't remind me, Har, it's depressing."
I smiled sadly, "I'll miss you."
"You better tell me if you start dating anyone!" she cried.
I nodded solemnly as I stood up, "You'll be the first to know." I opened the door and shot one last, mournful, glance at the one person I knew better than myself. I left her house and walked rather slowly to mine.
"Harita. Where have you been?" my father demanded. He was, technically, my step father . James Potter. He's been in my life ever since I could remember, he was my father in every way that counted.
"Over at Hermiones. Didn't I tell you I was going over there? I thought I did…"
He sighed, "yes. Yes of course you did. You did tell me. We need to leave now."
"Now!?" I yelped in dismay. "I still need to pack a few things!"
"It doesn't matter! We need to leave, and we need to leave now."
No. No. I can't leave now, my stuffed animals. I needed to get them, I needed them!
Against my will, I got into the car, my Mom getting in after me. My dad had gotten in a few minutes before I could even move my muscles.
"Harita." she said softly, "you're going to a camp."
I whipped my head around to face her, "what do you mean, camp? I hate camping! You know this!"
"it's not like a regular camp, they can protect you. We should've taken you years ago."
"Years!?" I growled. Years at a camp, how fun! I was so angry that I didn't even notice that we'd been in the car for hours and we were near the border of New York. That was when it happened. A car rammed into us, on purpose. I could feel myself being flung out of the car by an unknown force. The car exploded, causing both the cars to start burning.
"Mom! Dad!" I cried, trying to rush over to them, keyword: tried. Something was holding me back, preventing me from going to help them. I couldn't do anything as I screamed for someone to help, to get them. To rescue them.
Eventually the fire stopped burning, my voice raw from screaming. My eyes stung from the smoke and crying. They were gone. How was this possible? Just that morning we'd been talking, talking about what I'd be like to live in a major city. I forced my legs to move, to move towards the trees.
I don't remember how long I walked, stumbled, or fell over. Eventually I got to a pillar, it seemed strange to have one in the middle of the forest, the sign on top read "Camp Half-blood" but I didn't pay any attention to it. I stumbled down the hill, awed about the sudden buildings that where there.
It must've been barely dawn to the east. I felt myself start to fall, the ground looked nice. This was a nice place to take a nap… right?
The next time I woke up the first thing I noticed was that I was on a bed. I was comfortable, like I would be on my own bed.
"Sleeping beauty awakes." a voice smirked, "you've been asleep almost two days."
I took a deep breath, looking over to where the voice was coming from. The guy was to my left, his hair golden in the weak sunlight. His blue eyes sparkled with amusement. "Oh, and welcome to Camp Half-blood."
I glared at him, "Camp half blood?"
"Yes, half god, half mortal."
I couldn't form any words to that, it was like something strange to think about. How was it possible that I, an nobody, was half god? It just didn't seem possible.
"oh." I said with a roll of my eyes, "where will I be staying then, here?"
"No, actually, you'll be in Cabin Eleven, where Hermes- and unclaimed- kids stay."
My head started spinning, unclaimed kids? As in, the ones who didn't actually know who their godly parents where? It didn't seem right that they wouldn't claim their children.
Despite this, I felt like i'd fit in great. My father probably hated me, I doubted many male gods liked their daughters. I'd probably be one of those unclaimed ones.
I started to get up when what'd happened to me sank in, I fell back into the bed. Tears threatened to spill over and run down my face. And I wouldn't allow it; i'd cried so much the past few days.
"Are you ok?" he asked, obviously concerned.
"Yes… Yes. I am fine." I said bitterly. I got out of the bed and looked at him with a somewhat cold gaze, "can you take me to Cabin Eleven?"
"I.. Yes, I can take you there. Do you want a tour of camp first?"
I shook my head, "I don't plan on staying here any longer than I have to."
It was an awkward walk to the cabin, where I automatically felt claustrophobic. So many people were gathered around me, to see the new girl. I took a deep, calming, breath. Why were they all gathered around me? I wasn't special!
"Get away from me, please." I grunted angrily. Anger was one of my defensive tactics. If people believed I was angry, they'd stay away.
Unfortunately, these lunatics couldn't take the hint. But they did back off, somewhat. The cabin was almost overflowing with unclaimed children- most of them boys; though there were a few girls. I felt awkward, awkward that I was the oldest person in the cabin. Besides, the boy with the blue eyes.
I still didn't know his name.
