*Hmm. Hi! :) I wrote this for my creative writing class and I love this series and I hope you like it! 3*
**I of course do not own Rick Riordan's work. It's his. Sadly not mine:/**
Colorful sparks coming off your fingertips isn't normal. Right? I didn't think so either. That's been happening for the past few weeks. I kind of just assumed I was hallucinating. Every time I see the colors I freak out. My dreams, or more precisely my nightmares, are full of supernatural nonsense. There are gods, monsters, and, of course, magic. I don't believe any of it. It's all impossible and fake.
It started when I got angry at my dad. There's only my dad and me. My mom just left my dad as soon as I was born. Or that is what my dad tells me. I can tell it pains him to talk about it so I don't bring it up. Anyways, my dad and I were arguing about me getting a cell phone. It is my birthday and I thought I deserved one. He never let me have one for some unknown reason so I thought to ask. I didn't think it was fair. I mean, I am a fourteen year old girl. A soon to be freshman in high school! What teenager doesn't have a cell phone these days?
But as I got more and more angry, I felt something stir in me. The anger was radiating off me and sparks were coming off of me. With more shouting came more sparks. They looked like little bits of lightning. My dad let out a yelp when the sparks hit him. I immediately stopped yelling and let my anger go. The strange sparks scared me. I stopped what I was doing and ran to my room.
And so now here I am in my room. I am staring at my cold hands. I don't believe that just happened. It couldn't have. I would have to just ignore it and pretend it never happened. Suddenly, there was a knock on my door.
"What do you want, Dad?" I yell out.
"Marcie, honey, we have to talk. It's really important," he calls out. I walk up to the door and open it. My dad comes in and sits on my bed. I haven't moved an inch from the door. He pats the spot next to him and I sit down.
"Look Marcie, we have to have this talk. It's long overdue. It's about..." he starts.
I quickly interrupt him and yell out, "Dad, not the birds and the bees! I already had that talk!"
His smile looks sad. He says, "It's not about that. It's about... It's about your mother." I am shocked into silence. My dad never willingly talks about my mom. I couldn't get myself to say anything so I just nodded.
"Well here's the thing, your mother didn't walk out on us. She was forced to leave us. Because, because, well... she's a goddess," he says quickly.
I laugh out loud and say, "Ha ha! That's hilarious dad! Good one." My laugh is not convincing at all. My voice is shaky and ragged.
"Marcie, there is no easy way to say this. Your mother is a goddess. She is Hecate, goddess of magic. Remember, those colorful sparks that came off of your fingertips? Her magic is inside you. You are only half human. You are a demigod, Marcie. Strange things have been happening to you, haven't they?"
First there is silence, and then I say, "I don't believe you. Are you trying to make a joke, Dad? It's not funny! You never say anything about my mom. And now, you just make a stupid joke?" There are tears flowing from my eyes. But I'm not sad, I am angry. I am angry at my father for telling me these lies. With my anger the evil sparks are alive once again. They are dancing on my fingertips.
"Sweetie, you need to calm down. I'm not done. There's more I need to tell you," he says with a sigh.
As I try to calm down he keeps talking, "Marcie, there is a camp that I want you to go to. It's called Camp Half-Blood. It's for other demigods. It's a place where you can learn about all the Greek histories, the fighting, and it's a place that will keep you safe."
"What the hell are you talking about? Dad, this is all nonsense! There is no such things as Gods, magic, or any of the other crap you are saying," my words are jumbled because of the anger fueling in me. I try to clear my mind. Calm down Marcie. Dad's just playing a joke. There is no need to get angry. Just hear him out and he'll leave you alone. I think to myself.
"Okay dad. So let's say this is not just some stupid, cruel joke. You're just going to send me off to some random camp? Just like that?"
"Marcie, here's the thing. If you don't go to this camp, monsters will start attacking you. Apparently, these monsters live to destroy demigods. They can sniff you from miles away. Using any kind of technology is like sending up a flare saying 'Here I am! Come and get me!' This is why I refused to get you a cell phone. These monsters thoughts are only to kill. I love you and need you safe." I can tell it was not easy for him to say this.
"Monsters, Dad? Really? You couldn't think of anything better?"
"Marcie! This is serious! Stop acting like this is some joke! The things I'm telling you are very real! I don't want to have a dead daughter and you are going to Camp Half-Blood! That is final!" His voice is loud and angry. I am shocked into silence yet again. My dad never yells at me. This is the first time he ever sounded angry with me.
I let out a sigh. I can tell my dad isn't going to change his mind.
"When do I have to leave? What about school in the fall?" I say.
"Since you just finished school a week ago we won't worry about that yet. You might come back for the school year, or you might not. We'll see," he says. He didn't answer my first question.
I ask again, "When do I leave?"
"You'll leave first thing in the morning."
"But… but… that's so soon!"
"Marcie, I'll miss you so much. You don't understand how much. But, I'll see you in a few months. It'll pass by fast. I promise." Then, a tear drops from his eye.
Even though I know I will miss him terribly my anger is still fuming.
I can't look him in the eyes when I say, "Get out. I need to pack my stuff."
I start packing. Well, this birthday completely sucked.
The next morning, I'm startled awake.
"Sweetie, you need to get up. We have to leave soon. The plane leaves at nine."
I sit up quickly when I hear plane, and I hit my forehead on my dad's.
"Ouch! Wait plane? You never said anything about a plane! Where is this stupid camp?"
"New York."
"What? Dad why didn't you tell me? I have to fly from Chicago to New York? Are you going with me? To drop me off at least?"
He sighs, "Marcie, I was going to tell you that it's in New York but you kicked me out of your room," I looked down, "And no. Sadly I'm not coming with you. I'm going to drop you off at O'Hare airport, and once you get there a man named Chiron will be waiting for you. So why don't shower and get ready so we can get going soon, okay?"
"Sure, yeah." My face is expressionless. He leaves the room and a minute later I hear the television.
Half an hour later, I've showered, eaten, and brushed my teeth. I'm all ready to go to New York. To a random magic camp I know nothing about. To the things I've hated and feared my whole life. I feel so betrayed by my own father. I just can't believe this. Does he seriously believe in all this magic crap? Maybe this is just a fun, nice camp. These thoughts are swirling around my head. I take my suitcase and backpack and head into the small apartment kitchen. I didn't have much to take. I brought my clothes and some of my favorite books. No pictures of friends or anything like that.
My dad is waiting for me in the kitchen. He has a bunch of papers in his hand. My plane ticket and such I would guess. On the drive to the airport I can't think of anything to say. There was only silence, not even the radio was on. After 10 minutes of this, he finally says, "When you get there, call me okay? Chiron will let you use his phone. Chiron will explain everything to you. I'm sure you have lots of questions, but I don't know much else, other than what I told you. I'm not even supposed to know anything. But anyways, have a safe flight, and remember I love you. No matter what. I know you're angry, and you have a reason to. All this is for your safety. I would never just leave you like this unless I truly had to."
"Dad," I say, "I'm not sure what all this is about. I'm not sure what I did to make you send me away. Also, I don't believe any of the magic crap. It's impossible and Gods and Goddesses don't exist. But I'll go to this camp. I'm going only because you're asking me to."
"Thank you," he says quietly.
By this time, we are already at the airport, and ready to separate from my dad. I hug him tightly and large tears flow from my eyes. I know that he's probably crying too. We hug and cry for another five minutes.
"Oh Marcie, I'll miss you so much. I love you and try to have fun. Stay safe and oh my god I'll miss you," he says.
"I love you, Dad. I'll miss you too," I give him another tight hug, "Well, bye." I turn and walk the opposite direction.
I step off of the large airplane and get my suitcase and backpack. I walk into the large group of people. I stand off to the side and see the happy reunions of families. As I'm looking around I see a man in a wheelchair. He has brown hair, a beard, and a comfortable looking sweater, and blue jeans. On top of his legs sits a blanket. He is holding a sign that says, "Marcie Addams."
I walk up to him and say, "Um… Are you Chiron?"
His smile is warm and looks sincere. "Yes. And you are Marcie, I would guess?" I just nod. He continues by saying, "Well come with me then, there is a car outside waiting for us."
I follow him outside. "So umm… Are you like the camp's director or whatever?" I ask quietly. Chiron has an agelessness about him. I found myself wanting to ask how old he was. But of course I didn't. That would be impolite.
"Yes, I am. Oh, there's our ride. You can go in the front seat," he says with a smile. While I sit down I see the driver get out of the car to help Chiron with his wheelchair. I try to get a good look at the driver, but can't because his whole body is covered. He has long sleeves, pants, mittens, hat, and even scarf. That's weird. He's probably dying of heat in all those clothes. I think to myself.
Everyone puts their seatbelts on and we leave for the mysterious Camp Half-Blood.
"So, Marcie, you must have many questions for me," Chiron says.
"Well, yeah. I do. First off, what is this nonsense about Gods and Goddesses? Like is my dad going crazy or something? He said my mom is a goddess. And why have I been having nightmares about these things? And why are creepy, colorful sparks coming from my hands? And why… why are these things happening to me? Where am I going and what is a demigod?" My voice has risen to a shout. I sound mean, and cold. This is very unlike me. "I'm sorry for shouting," I continue, "I'm just scared and confused." Now I just sound scared and vulnerable.
"Don't worry about it. It's normal to be scared. I'll answer all your questions. First, your father wasn't lying. The Gods are indeed real. They have been alive for thousands of years. They live on Mount Olympus. As for the nightmares, most demigods have them. Nightmares are normal. Not fun at all, of course, but nonetheless, normal for demigods. And you said that colorful sparks? That's the magic in you. Your mother must be Hecate. You'll probably be claimed when you get to camp. But it is unusual because you are already fourteen years old. We made a deal with the gods that all demigods must be claimed by age thirteen so I'll have to contact Mount Olympus. But anyways, I'm sorry this happened to you. But it did. Nothing can change that. I'm taking you to Camp Half-Blood. There you will be safe from monsters, and other evil creatures. You will learn to fight, speak Ancient Greek, and many other things. Camp is fun. You'll meet a lot of people your own age. You'll meet new friends. As for being a demigod that just means that one of your parents is a god. You're stronger than average humans. Try to accept all this."
I turn around to look at Chiron and I say, "No, I don't accept any of this. I'm sorry. I just can't accept the fact that there are Gods and Goddesses, and magic, and half-humans. I'm 100% human. I have always hated anything that's… not real. I can't just change everything I believe in because of what some random dude tells me. Sorry." I turn back and look out the window.
"Well, I can't make you believe anything. But you will see in time what the truth is. But just because you don't like any of this you should still make the best of what you have now. Try to have fun at camp," he says. He doesn't sound angry or anything, just calm.
I don't answer him. I just look out of the window. An hour of driving passes by when we finally get to the camp. The driver parks the car in an empty lot. Then he gets out and helps Chiron get into his wheelchair, and I get out after and get my bags from the trunk. I look around me and see forest all around me. I see a huge hill in front of me and on top a large pine tree. I see something by the pine tree so I squint to see it. At first I see just cables, but as I keep looking the image clears up. When I look at the hill again I scream. I see a white fleece and a dragon protecting it.
"What the hell is that? Why is there a dragon there?" I yell out while I walk backwards, away from the fierce dragon.
Chiron turns his head towards me and says, "Don't worry. He's friendly. He doesn't bite… usually."
"Right…" I say. Then we all go up the hill and pass the entrance gate, which says Camp Half-Blood. When we pass the dragon I walk as far away as I can from it. As we walk down the hill I see dozens of teenagers walking around. The camp is huge and it is beautiful. As me and Chiron head towards the large blue building I can feel everyone's stares. I can hear their soft whispers of the new girl. I look straight ahead and don't look at anyone in the eyes.
"Now I'm taking you to my office. The cabin officers will join us momentarily and we'll discuss what to do now," he says. I don't say anything. I just take in my surroundings. I try to remember how to get back to the entrance just in case I need to make a quick getaway.
I'm sitting in the large room when a bunch of other teenagers file in. They all sit in one of the chairs around the large table. I'm guessing this is where they have all of their conferences.
When everyone sits down Chiron, who is sitting next to me, says, "Everyone, this is Marcie Addams."
A really pretty red head girl says, "Chiron why is she only at camp now? She's without a doubt, older than 13 years old. When do you think we'll know who her godly parent is?"
"Well Piper, that's a good question. I have no idea why we are only finding out about her now, and why she has never been attacked, but I will call Olympus to find out. And as for her godly parent, we already know who it is. Marcie is a daughter of Hecate. Her father has always known this. But he only called camp now because Marcie's… powers… are only manifesting now. I'm sure she will be claimed in the next few days."
"So are you going to put her in the Hecate cabin? Or are you going to wait until she's claimed?" the girl, Piper, says.
"I'm sure her father wasn't lying so she'll go with the Hecate cabin. And now I would like to introduce all of you to Marcie. Marcie, here is Jason, son of Zeus. Piper, daughter of Aphrodite. Leo, son of Hephaestus. Annabeth, daughter of Athena. Nico, son of Hades. Will, son of Apollo. Clarisse, daughter of Ares. Travis, son of Hermes. Miranda, daughter of Demeter. Clovis, son of Hypnos. Butch, son of Iris. And last but not least, Lou Ellen, daughter of Hecate, and also your half sister."
They all say, "Hey."
This whole time I haven't uttered a word. But they are expecting me to say something so I say, "It's nice to meet you an all, but…I just can't accept any of this. I don't believe in gods, and… and…magic and this isn't real. I just want to go home, but my dad doesn't want me there. I just want to treat this like a regular camp. Just get this over with so I can go back to Chicago." I am close to tears. I can't let these strangers see me crying. I look away and swallow my fear.
The girl, Annabeth, looks to me sympathetically and says, "Look, we've all been there. I'm sure everyone in this room understands completely what you're going through."
Still looking away, I say, "Yeah, thanks."
Now, Chiron says, "Well, it's settled. Marcie will go with the Hecate cabin. Lou, can you give Marcie the tour of camp?
Lou says, "Sure, no problem." Her smile looks sincere.
Then everyone gets up and gets out of the room. Some of them look like they want to stay behind and talk, but I don't want to talk to anyone. I stay behind and wait till everyone is gone.
Lou Ellen stays behind with me. Now she says, "So now I'm just going to show you around camp. It's really great here. I'm sure you'll like it."
"Can we just do the tour tomorrow? I'm sorry. I'm just not up to it today. I just want to go to sleep and the day to be over."
She reluctantly says, "I don't know. I'll ask Chiron. Wait here. I'll be right back." I wait in the room and she runs to Chiron and asks him. I see him glance at me and nod. Lou runs back to me and says, "Chiron says that's alright. Right after breakfast I'll give you the tour. For now, I'll just show you to the cabin and give you a bunk." We walk to a cabin. It is black with torches on the walls. The fire in the torches is all different colors. The cabin looks creepy, yet strangely… comforting. I walk in with Lou, only to see that the cabin is empty.
Lou must've seen my questioning expression because she says, "Everyone is still at their activities. That's why the cabin is empty. In the Hecate cabin there aren't many of us. Dear old mommy didn't have a lot of kids. There are six in all, including you," I cringed when she mentioned Hecate. "So, do you really not believe in any of this?" she continues. When I nod, she grins and backs up and says, "Well not for long." Then, there are sparks all around her. It looks like lightning dancing all over her body.
I yell, "Stop! Stop! Please!" I back up as far away as I can.
When she sees my horrified expression she stops. "Are you alright?" she says. "Look, I'm really sorry. I didn't realize you hate this stuff this much." She looks like she is really sorry about frightening me so I just nod.
"Can I just go to sleep?"
"Yeah that's fine."Then she shows me to a bunk. "You can have the bottom bunk. There's no one on top. And you can just put your suit case under the bed for now. We'll find you some shelves and stuff tomorrow."
I put my stuff down and immediately lay down. Lou leaves the cabin and the lights turn off. My last thought is I forgot to call dad. He's going to be really worried. Oh well I'll call in the morning. Then, I fall into a deep slumber.
When I wake up I hear laughter. I sit up and look around me. When the others see they all become silent. Lou comes up to me and smiles.
"Good morning. How'd you sleep?"
"Umm… Good I guess. Thanks. Is there a bathroom here? I need to shower and stuff."
Since Lou was being nice to me, I was nice back. Even though I didn't want to be here I wasn't going to be mean to a person for no reason.
"Yeah it's right around the corner, and to the left. Just try to hurry, because breakfast is in half an hour. But before you go, I'd like you to meet the rest of the family. Line up people." Four people line up in a line right by Lou.
Lou points to them and says, "Marcie, this is Vicky. She is eight. And this is Sebastian, he's eleven. Then here is Simon, who's fourteen, like you. Not sure how Hecate got two kids who are the same age without having twins, but whatever. Then this grumpy looking guy is Adrian, and he is eighteen. And I'm Adrian's twin, Lou. I am also eighteen, obviously."
At the same time all of them say, "Hey, what's up."
I smile, oddly comfortable with these complete strangers. "Hey guys. It's nice to meet all of you. So um… are we all supposed to be like half-siblings?"
They all laugh. Then Simon says, "Exactly. But obviously we look nothing alike."
Then Lou looks at the clock on the wall and says, "Go shower. We can't miss breakfast!" I nod and take my things to the bathroom. The bathroom is huge. I noticed last night that the cabin is small on the outside, but when I went inside it was huge. It even had another floor inside. Nah! I'm sure I'm just imagining things. There is no such thing as magic. My mind is just playing tricks on me… again. I sigh.
I quickly shower and put on a comfortable hoodie and skinny jeans. I walk back to the room. The only person there is Lou.
"Hey, where is everyone?" I say.
"Oh, hey. I told them to go to breakfast without us. Come on, I'll walk with you to there."
"When we get there I need to ask Chiron something. I need to call my dad. He wanted me to call him to tell him I got here okay."
She looks at me sympathetically and says, "I'm not sure if he'll let you. But we'll ask."
Me and Lou walk to a brown building and walk inside. There, there are over twenty large tables with kids of all ages sitting in them. They are all laughing and eating. At the far wall there is a huge furnace. Some kids are in line by it and they dump their food in it. The room smells delicious. It smells like a tasty kitchen. I can smell my favorite foods in the air. As Lou and I walk over to the farthest table, which Chiron is sitting at with another older man, in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts, and also a bunch of other people. Anyways, as we walk I feel the stares of 100+ kids staring at me. Some are out right staring and others don't care and continue their conversations. As I walk by the tables I hear things like: That's the new one. Did you hear? She doesn't believe in magic. I wonder why she's coming to camp so late. She probably thinks she's better than us. I ignore everything I hear and try to focus on the table I am heading towards.
When we get there Lou says, "Good morning everybody. Chiron, Marcie says that her dad told her to call her when she got to New York. I guess she forgot to. Can she call him with your phone? Or are you going to do it?"
"Good morning Marcie and Lou. And, I'll call him myself. You know it's not safe for demigods to use any technology. I'll tell him you got here safely. Is that alright Marcie?" he says to us. All I can do is nod. I was hoping I can talk to him, but I also didn't want to face him.
He smiles and says, "Now if you don't mind I would like to introduce you to everyone," I nod again. Then he looks at the room of people and says loudly, "Everybody! I would like you all to meet our newest camper. Her name is Marcie, she is from Chicago. Let's give her a nice welcome."
I give a half-hearted wave. Suddenly everyone gasps. They are all looking at something above my head it seems. I try to look up and see a glowing image. I try to get a good look at it but it disappears before I can tell what it is. A glowing image above my head? Surely my mind is playing tricks on me again. I try to ignore everyone's looks and I look down. Then Chiron says, "Here is Marcie Addams. Official daughter of Hecate, Goddess of magic. Marcie you have just been claimed by your mother." He smiles. I frown. Oh no, not this nonsense again.
The Chiron looks at everyone again and says, "Now back to breakfast!" Everybody goes back to their conversations and look away from me, which I am glad for. Next, he looks back to us and says, "Lou, can you show Marcie to the Hecate table? And tell her about what to do with the food?" Lou nods and we both walk away.
Lou smiles and says, "Okay when we get the food we are going to go to that big furnace and throw in some of our food. It's a burnt offering to the gods. They love it. And you can say a small prayer or whatever to your parent."
"Um… okay. Sure why not?" We walk up to the table. Sitting there are the four other kids I met earlier today. I see Lou piling her plate with food so I do the same. We both walk over to the large furnace. Lou scoops off some of her food and I see her lips for the words, for Hecate. The she steps aside and lets me go. I scoop off some of my food into the furnace. It smells strongly of chocolate chip cookies. I close my eyes and think to myself, Umm… Hi there. Marcie here. I'm not sure if all this gods' nonsense is real or not but this food is for Hecate I guess. Give me some kind of sign. Is all this real? I open my eyes and step back. Then, the fire in the furnace turns to a bunch of different colors. My eyes widen and I look at Lou.
She grins at me and says, "Let me guess. You asked for some kind of sign. Just to make sure all this is real?" I just nod. She laughs. "Yeah I figured. Let's go eat." Lou and I go back to the table and sit down.
After breakfast Lou took me on a tour of the camp. First she talked about all the things the camp offered: magic archery, Pegasus riding, the lava wall, fighting monsters, learning Ancient Greek, and so much more. She showed me all the cabins. Each cabin was completely different from the next. One was completely pink, one smelled like the ocean, another was silver like the moonlight, and one had barbed wire all over it. Next, Lou showed me the Big House, which is where the meeting took place when I first got here. Next was the lava wall. The second I saw the huge wall I screamed and ran away. Lou quickly came after me.
"Why the hell did you run away?" Lou said angrily.
Breathing heavily, I said, "There was lava on that wall! Why? That can kill someone!"
She sighed impatiently, "Marcie, that's the point. The wall is part of training. Your objective when on the wall is not to get killed."
"But… that's insane! Why would anyone want to do that?"
"Obviously, you've never seen or had to run away from a monster."
My eyes widened. "Monsters? My dad said that the reason he sent me here is because he didn't want the monsters to get to me. Is… is… that true? So you want me to believe that monsters exist? Now the boogey-man is going to come after me?" Despite my fear I smiled. Lou grinned at her too.
"Well not exactly. But they are real. You need to trust me on that. You have to be careful. Here, you'll learn to fight them, their weaknesses, and also you will learn how to survive out there. The world you thought you know doesn't exist, Marcie. The world is terrifying and dangerous." Lou looks down. Suddenly, she looks… sad.
"Lou? Are you okay? Is everything all right?"
Lou looks up at me and says, "Huh? Oh yeah, fine. I just had a little flashback. A sad little flashback. Um… when my magic first started manifesting, it got out of control for some reason. It hasn't happened to anyone else. And um… when it was going out of control… um… my little brother, or half-brother, died. It was all my fault," she says with tears in her eyes.
"Oh… oh my god Lou. I'm so sorry." I pull her into a tight hug. "And no, it wasn't your fault. Not at all. It's not your fault that you're… um… powers… were… ah… manifesting. It's not your fault you were given these… gifts. If anyone is to blame it's the… um… gods." I hug Lou again.
"Don't say that. Never blame the gods. It's not really their faults either. But anyways, let's move on from this sad topic. Plus, I still have a lot of the camp to show you."
So next, Lou showed me the strawberry fields. To me, it looked like miles of land, although I'm sure it was less. The smell of strawberries filled my nose. The smell was strong, sweet, and lovely. Lou and I picked a bunch of strawberries and instantly ate them. On the large field there was many others fruits and vegetables growing. I saw tomatoes, cucumbers, cauliflower, broccoli, raspberries, and many, many more. The last things that Lou showed me were the forest—which was creepy—and the gorgeous beach, the creek, and the canoe lake.
I turn to Lou and say, "I love the actual camp. It's beautiful. I love the mysterious forest, the beach, and even the cabins. But I can't accept the…the magic. It is even hard to think the word. I faintly remember when I was a little kid, around seven or eight, and I loved all of it. I loved the fairy tales, the magic, and the mystery of everything in the world. I even used to pretend I had magical powers. But one day all the love just… stopped. Thinking about the past gives me a migraine. It hurts to think about the happiness I used to have. Now, when I think of anything that has to do with magic I get scared and angry. I… I'm sorry about that, ranting on and on like that."
Lou frowns and says, "Marcie, the part about you getting headaches is weird. It probably shouldn't happen. You should probably talk to Chiron about that. And also don't apologize. And I understand about not believing. It's hard to accept. But once you accept it all, it's great. The magic… it's… it's wonderful. There is nothing else like it. But anyways, we better get going back. We've been gone for a while."
As we walked backed to the cabin Lou said, "So you are going to have to pick something to do now. You can't just sit around doing nothing. You can learn to fight first, learn Ancient Greek, or anything really. In a few days we need to get you a weapon. And when you get one, we'll put magic inside it. It's awesome. I have this totally cool dagger in the cabin and it shoots flames when I tell it to. How awesome is that?"
"Um… a weapon? Why would I need a weapon? Isn't that dangerous?"
Lou laughs out loud. "Oh Marcie. Little, naïve Marcie. Being a demigod is dangerous. You're life is constantly threatened. You never feel safe. Sorry, that's a lot to take in, but it's true. That weapon will protect you. Another thing you can learn first is magic. Hecate's history. Or just Greek history in general. You don't seem to know much."
"Umm… I'll stick with the…history… first. Where can I get the books to learn all of this?"
Lou smiles, "Good place to start. We have a large selection of books in our cabin. Those are about Hecate. There's a lot on magic. How to use it and things like that. Herbs, charms, incantations, ghosts. The general Greek history is the library. The library is in the Big House. Come on, I'll take you there."
So Lou takes me to the Big House and we go into the huge library. As we walk in I say looking around me, "Wow. That is a lot of books. This stuff looks ancient."
"That's because it is. Some of these books are thousands of years old," she says as she hands me a handful of books. "Okay, this is the stuff you should start with. Those are in English. And here is one on the basics of Ancient Greek. Trust me; it'll be easy to learn. Your brain is wired for it anyways. Demigods are usually dyslexic or have ADHD. Dyslexic because of the Ancient Greek. And ADHD because of all the fighting we do. Sitting still and everything is not easy for any of us."
"Thanks. These books are huge. But yeah… um I better get to reading then. Is there a place outside where I can read?"
"You can sit by the fire, by the cabins, or you can anywhere really. There are people everywhere reading and studying. But anyways I have to get going for now. I have to go check on the others and I have to go practice this one spell. So are you going to be okay for now?"
"Huh? Oh yeah I'll be fine. Thanks, Lou."
Lou and I part ways and I try to find a place to read. These books are freaking huge. I can barely lift them. I think to myself. I look for a spot for another five minutes, and then I settle on a secluded spot in the trees behind the Hecate cabin. I open up the huge book about the history of Ancient Greece. It stars off with the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus. Suddenly I hear a noise behind me. I turn around and see a woman standing there. She looks to be in her twenties. She's wearing dark skinny jeans, and a purple t-shirt. Over her clothes she has a dark cloak. Her raven hair reaches her knees.
I step back and say, "Who… who are you?"
She smiles crookedly. "What you don't recognize your own mother?"
"Well, I've never met you in my entire life so no, I don't recognize you," I say angrily. Why do I sound so angry? There's no chance this strange woman can be my mother.
The woman frowns. "Hey that's not my fault. We're not allowed to stay with our kids. Just watch over from far away. But anyways, you know what's not cool? When your own daughter believes you don't even exist."
I look down. "There's no such thing as magic," I say in a low voice.
"And what? Unicorns don't exist either? Anyways, I needed to talk to you about that. Your magic training needs to happen very soon. You have a special gift. A gift no other children of mine have. It is a very dangerous gift. Your brothers and sisters will help you train."
"I… I… How do I know this is all real? I've always… I'm still having trouble processing there are such things as gods. Gods that have been around for thousands of years? And now… now you want me to also believe I have super magical powers?"
The woman, Hecate, looks me in the eyes. Her eyes change colors. I see green flames in them. "That is exactly what I want you to believe. I have been alive a very long time Marcie. You have given the most resistance to believing in us. It hurts. My own flesh and blood thinks I'm some kind of stupid fairy tale."
"I… I'm sorry. It's just a lot to take in. You know? Um… can you show me some of your magic? Just so I know that this is real. I need to see it, please?"
She looks at me and smiles. Her hands start to glow and her lips are muttering strange words I can't understand. It sounds ancient and powerful. The next thing I know there is a white unicorn behind me. Hecate goes to the animal and pets it. And in the next moment the unicorn is gone.
Hecate looks at me and grins. "There. Happy now?"
My mouth hangs wide open. "Umm… Uh… Did… did I just see that? That just happened? There was a… a unicorn there and then… then it disappeared. Right?" Hecate nods.
"My child, accept who you are. Accept what you are. And, accept me, and the gods."
I slightly nod. It feels like a fog has cleared in my mind. "I'll… I'll try…. mom. Wow that word sounds weird. I have a mom. And she's the goddess of magic. Hah…"
She puts her hand on my shoulder. "Thank you Marcie. You have a large role to play in the near future. You will see happiness, but you will also face great sadness and tragedy. There is a great war ahead for everyone. Help fight it. Help your brothers and sisters. Everyone at camp," she looks up at the sky as thunder rumbles, "Now, I have to go back. It was wonderful to finally meet you in person." Then, she was gone. Just like that.
"Goodbye," I whispered.
My mother is a goddess. I'm only half-human. I have magical powers. What special gift was she talking about? What do I do now? Learn to fight? Learn magic? Oh my god. I just can't believe all this is real. I stood there with my jumbled thoughts.
I read the books Lou gave me for another four and a half hours. I read about the battles, the heroes, and the gods. It seems like my brain can't take anymore. My thoughts turn to magic. The possibilities of my so called… gifts.
I run back to the cabin and run right into someone.
"Ouch! Sorry! Are you alright? Oh, it's Simon right?"
Rubbing his forehead, he says, "Yeah. Marcie, right?"
I nod. "Hey, can you help me with something? I need help with which book to get from our cabin."
"Yeah sure, come on. So what exactly are you looking for?" he asks curiously.
"Um… I need a book on Hecate's magic. I need to know all the things she is capable of. Or like… like special powers; powers that are extremely powerful, for lack of a better word."
Simon pulls out two large, dusty books. "What exactly are you looking for? I can help you look."
I look at him. Can I trust him? Should I tell him about Hecate's visit? Yes. I know that I can trust Simon. He's my brother. Even though I just met him, he seems like a good person. "I need to tell you something. Earlier when I was reading, Hecate showed up. She wanted to prove to me that she is real, and that the gods are real. I think… I… I'm starting to believe all this craziness is real. She also told me that there is something special about me. I have a gift that none of the people from the Hecate cabin have. Something ancient. I want to figure out what it is. Can you help me look?" My voice is breathless and quiet.
Simon grins. "You saw her? That's… that's crazy. And ancient power? Hmmm… Let's get looking then. We have a lot of work to do."
So, Simon and I look through the books for another hour and come up with nothing about ancient gifts. While reading I learned a lot about my mother, but nothing that was useful to the situation. Then, Lou and Adrian walk in through the door. They are dripping sweat and they are both laughing.
"Hey guys, what are you guys up to?" says Lou.
"Looking for ancient powers of Hecate. Marcie has one. We just have to figure out what it is. Wanna help?" Simon smiles at them.
"Simon, what the hell are you talking about?" Adrian said impatiently.
Simon laughs out loud. "You heard me."
Lou and Adrian look at each other. "Powerful gift? Hmm…" they say at the same time.
"Could it be…?" Adrian said looking at Lou.
"What are you talking about? Do you know something?" I say with hope in my voice.
"A few weeks ago Rachel, our oracle, said a random prophesy that no one understood. It was something about ancient magic. The gift mentioned was… shape shifting. Being able to change form to whatever you want. We looked it up in our books but there wasn't anything. We asked Chiron about it but he didn't know anything, or at least that's what he told us. But I don't know, do you think that could be it…?" said Lou.
I don't say anything because I'm speechless. Simon on the other hand is not.
"That would be so cool! How do you change shape? Gahh! You are so lucky! That is so cool!" Simon says excitedly.
Suddenly Adrian laughs out loud. "Dude, that is pretty cool."
"You guys are so inconsiderate! Marcie, are you alright? What do you think? If you tried to change shape could you? Have you ever before?" said Lou.
I look at Lou, then Adrian, and Simon. "I… I don't know. This is so weird. I just got it that all this," I point to outside, "is real. The gods, Hecate, magic, all… all of it. And now I need to accept that I can change shape into anything I want? This is all too much!" I sit down on the closest bed. I lay back and look at the sealing.
Lou looks at me sympathetically and says, "I'm sorry Marcie. It's a lot to take in. Trust us, we know. But here's an idea. Why don't you concentrate really hard on becoming someone else? Try to change into me. See if it works."
Adrian kneels down next to me and says, "Clear your head. Don't think about anything but Lou, changing into her. Relax. Just try your best." He grins.
I try to do exactly what he says. I clear my thoughts. I try to relax. I sit up straight. Change. You got this. You can do this. Just change into Lou. Marcie! You got this! I think to myself.
Then, a sharp pain hits my arms and legs. The incredible pain spreads all over my body. I yell out. I hear Lou's and Simon's yelling. Adrian seems scared but calm.
"No! I—I'm fine! Just—AHH!—I'm changing. I—I can feel it!" I feel my body changing. Then, the pain stops. I get up and run to the mirror. I feel my clothes are much tighter and smaller. I can feel my hair is shorter. I look into the mirror and see Lou's alarmed expression, but then, I realize that that's not Lou. It's me. I changed into another person.
"Oh. My. Gods." Lou and Adrian say at the same time.
The pain I felt earlier comes back and I fall to the floor. I can feel my body changing again, back to its original state. Then everything becomes blurry, then black.
I wake up to three very shocked faces. I sit up and gratefully take the water Simon hands me.
"You said you've never been attacked—"says Lou.
"By a monster before? That is impossible—" says Adrian.
"Completely impossible! With powers that strong—" says Lou.
"You should've been attacked dozens, if not hundreds, of times." says Adrian.
"Umm…" I say.
"I still say this is totally wicked!" Simon says with a large grin on his face.
"So… now what? What do we do now?"
"Now," says Lou, "Now, we train you. We need to perfect your changing. And, all the other magic."
"Oh. Oh my. This is…crazy." Then, I become really dizzy and lightheaded. I feel my thoughts drifting in and out. I fall to the floor with a thud. My last thoughts being: This is certainly a lot to take in.
THE END.
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