Opposite Ends of the Spectrum
I do not own Percy Jackson
A car drove down the roads outside of Manhattan, heading out onto Long Island. Inside were two occupants: a kind, loving, yet worried mother and her surly eleven-year-old son. He sat in the backseat watching the city disappear as the crossed the bridge out of town. He wore a Muse t-shirt and slim fit jeans. His hair drooped down over his eyes a bit. As the houses grew farther apart, the boy's mother cast a few furtive glances at their surroundings. "We'll be there within an hour," she said to the child behind her. No response. "Scott!" she called. He was listening to his iPod and couldn't hear her. She reached behind her and smacked his leg. "What?" he cried, pulling his earbuds off. "I said we'll be there soon," his mother repeated.
Scott slumped in seat and stared resiliently out the window. "It wasn't my fault, you know," he said to his mother. "That scary bird lady crashed my school bus, not me! I didn't even get hurt. That weird kid that eats sticks ended up in the hospital, but everyone else pulled through okay." His mother sighed. "I know it wasn't you. But... it's not safe for you at home. Not right now. It's... complicated. I'm taking you to a place where you'll be alright." Scott rolled his eyes. "Where/" he asked, still looking out the window. "To a special summer camp," his mother replied.
Scott groaned in the backseat. "Summer camp! Are you serious? I'm not seven years old anymore! Why the hell do I need to go to a stupid camp?" His mother shot a look at him that silenced him suddenly. "Don't talk that way to me, young man. This is the best thing for you. Your father wanted me to send you to this place when you were old enough. When you were ready." Her voiced trailed off as she brushed away a tear. "Yeah, my deadbeat jerkwad of a father wants what's best for me now. And where has he been, huh?"
Silence was his answer. "Don't call him that. Your father had to leave. He didn't want to, but I can't really explain. It's..." "Complicated, I know," Scott finished, shaking his head. "I've heard that all my life." His mother tried to brighten the mood. "I'm sure you'll have loads of fun. You'll make all kinds of friends. I know you will." Scott let out a derisive laugh. "How do you know? I had no friends in any of the schools I went to growing up. What makes you think this place will be any better?" Now his mother rolled her eyes. "Maybe if you didn't wear black all the time or listed to nothing but Linkin Park or watched all those godawful zombie movies. Or maybe, just maybe, if you attempted to be an approachable human being you would have friends." Scott stared out the window in stony silence.
His mother drove on, tears welling in her eyes. She wanted to explain everything, but she knew he would find out from better sources soon enough. Scott turned up his iPod to drown out everything else, even his mother. He sat up in his seat as the car began to slow down. The car stopped near a field of strawberries. "Are we here?" he asked, pulling his earbuds out. His mother nodded, wiping away a tear. Scott got out of the car and stood there, taking in his surroundings. "Where's the camp?" he asked. His mother got out of the car. "It's just over that hill, Scott," she replied, pointing to a small hill in the distance. She gave him a hug and a kiss, which he promptly wiped off of his face, presumably embarrassed by this.
She got back in the car, leaving Scott looking curious. "Aren't you going to walk me to the camp?" he asked. She shook her head. "I can't," she said sadly. "I know you're sad to see me go, but-" Scot began. "No, I mean I physically can't. It won't let me," his mother answered. "I love you very much, sweetie," she said, tears forming again. "I love you too Mom," Scott replied, a little confused. "But it's not like I'm going away forever." His mother started to cry and got back in the car. She waved good-bye and drove off, leaving Scott standing among the strawberry fields.
Scott turned towards the hill as soon as he could no longer see his mother's car driving off into the distance. He felt a little weird walking to a place he had no definitive location for. As he walked through the fields he saw a cluster of trees and an arch in between them. Something was written on the arch in strange letters that he didn't recognize yet somehow he knew them to spell out Camp Half-Blood. He tried to figure out what that meant but was drawing a blank. He figured that this must have been the camp his mother was referring to, so he proceeded through the arch.
He stood there stunned at the sight that greeted him. He saw loads of other kids, sure. But why were they all decked out in battle regalia? Swords and shields and armor adorned the kids. He felt like he wandered onto the set of 300 or Clash of the Titans. What kind of camp was this place? A group of burly looking kids spotted him and jogged over. "Fresh meat!" one of them cried as they approached him. A few of them looked like they could be linebackers. The others looked sooty and smelled like ash and motor oil. He tried to look brave in the midst of the big kids, but he couldn't help but feel intimidated. "What's your name kid?" asked one of the linebackers. "Scott," he replied quietly.
One of the grease monkeys clapped him on the back. "Well Scott, welcome to Camp Half-Blood! Best place there is for demigods!" Scott looked confused. "Demi-what?" he asked. The whole group of kids looked shocked at his question. "Come on Twilight. Don't play dumb with us. Why else would you be here?" A muscle twitched in Scott's fist at the mention of Twilight. He liked dressing the way he did, but that didn't make him emo. He got suspended from school once when someone said he liked to wear his sister's pants and cut himself. The kid ended up with a bloody nose, a black eye, and a swollen lip. But Scott restrained himself. He knew that anyone of these kids could beat the stuffing out of him at the drop of a hat.
However, he did not like the implication that he was a moron. "Who claimed you?" asked one of the girls in the group in a much kinder tone. Scott was beginning to feel uneasy by now. "I don't know what you mean," he replied. "What's a demigod?" A couple of the bigger kids started laughing. "Oh gods, what a noob!" one said, doubled over with laughter. Scott had no idea what was going on and he did not like it. His breathing became a little labored. "I want to go home!" he cried as some more people came over towards him. "What's going on here?" asked an authoritative voice. Scott looked around for the source of the voice and saw a man... with horse legs. What little color was left on Scott's face drained and he fainted at the entrance to the camp.
Scott was on the bus to school. He sat by himself as usual. Some kids were giving him looks like he was something they scraped off the bottom of their shoes. A few rows behind him Glen, the weird kid was chewing on a twig. Everything was going fine until the bus driver didn't take the correct turn to go to the school. If anyone noticed, nobody said anything. As they got farther away from the school, Glen got up to talk to the bus driver. Figures the brainy kid would say something. "Excuse me, but I believe you've missed the turn." All of a sudden, Glen was thrown against the window and rendered unconscious. A few kids screamed. Scott got up to help Glen. When he got to the front of the bus he nearly wet himself when he saw the bus driver.
Instead of a person, he saw a bird. But it was unlike any bird he had ever seen. It looked like a demon bird with a woman-like face. It grinned at him with sharp teeth and let out a horrible shriek. "What are you?" Scott screamed. "A friend of the family!" replied the bird-thing in an otherworldly voice. It lunged at him. Scott ran along the length of the bus as the bird grabbed at him with its claws. Kids began to scream as the bus swerved out of control and collided head-on with the scaffolding outside a deli. Patrons and schoolchildren ran out screaming. The creature leaned into Scott's face, snarling. Suddenly, a deep, booming voice shouted, "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" The creature disintegrated instantly leaving Scott alone in the bus with a knocked out Glen. He didn't know what else to do, so he ran. He didn't know to where.