The Heroes of Olympus-Book 2 1/2
Chapter 1
Daphne stood at the side of the road, her thumb held out in front of her. She wouldn't normally hitchhike, but she was getting desperate; she had been walking for, what, six days now? But now she finally felt as if she were close: the instincts that have been guiding her the past week told her-she was no more than a couple kilometres away. From where? Daphne wasn't sure. But the lady in white had told her to go this way. She could have just been a hallucination, but Daphne knew she was more than that...
6 days ago
Daphne sat bolt upright in her bed. She just had the strangest dream, one that kept flicking through little scenes. At first she saw a huge ship, with a golden dragon-head mast that seemed to be under construction. An orange clad teenage girl and two guys were standing back, comparing the craft to old blueprints. Then she saw three other teens, again two guys and a girl, speeding across open water in the most pathetic-looking excuse for a boat Daphne's laid eyes on. Her dream shifted again, and she was in a huge cavern, with stalagmites hanging 100 feet above her. A pale boy in an aviators jacket was making his way across yellowing grass. Suddenly, the cavern shook, as if the rocks themselves were rumbling with laughter. The boy drew a sword that was made from some sort of black metal, but before Daphne could make out what was happening, she woke up.
This is what she had been waiting for; a sign that proved she belonged somewhere else. For the past year or so, Daphne's life has felt off. It all seems so...pointless. No, she wasn't depressed, just sort of bored with a life that seemed like a copy of everyone else's. She didn't really know who she was anymore. She didn't hang out with her friends as much, or even tried getting out. It was like she was in a rut, that her life was waiting for a new story. Daphne had thought of running away, but she was worried about her family-about how they would worry for her. And after all they've done for her, she would just hurt them.
But right now, she wasn't thinking about her family. She had to get to where ever those kids were; the ones who were building the boat. Daphne threw herself out of bed and jumped into a pair of sturdy jeans and blue t-shirt. She grabbed a backpack, which she filled with an extra shirt, socks, her wallet, and a small sleeping bag. She put on a necklace with a silver pendant-a gift from her dad when he went to Greece. She laced up her sneakers, and Daphne's last act before flying out the door was to leave a note on the desk: I love all of you. I'm sorry.
The fifteen year old flew into the streets, and started navigating herself out of the suburbs; her best chance was to get to open roads. But when Daphne came to her first intersection, she collapsed in despair. What is she thinking? She has no plans, no transportation, and nowhere to go.
Daphne hung her head, when a bright white light blazed on in front of her. Assuming they were headlights from a car that had come off the highway, she braced herself for impact. No sooner had she put up her hands had the light died down. Daphne opened her eyes and squinted at the person before her, uncomprehending. She was a tall woman, maybe forty years old, with a white gossamer gown, and her long black hair in a braid down her back. Her face was stern as she glared down at the girl disapprovingly. Daphne was stunned, but quickly got to her feet. She didn't know who this person was, but she felt the need to please her.
"You're not giving up yet, are you?" The woman said, looking annoyed. Daphne was at a loss for words her mouth silent as it opened and closed like a goldfish.
"You have to go and help them, prove yourself a hero. Without you, the others won't win this war."
Hero? War? What is this lady talking about? Finally Daphne was able to form a sentence. "I'm not a hero. Now who are you, and where are you suggesting I go?"
The woman's eyes flashed with anger. "Don't snap at me! " Daphne took a step back, "And I will tell you where to go once you show me some respect!"
Daphne decided that it was probably better to be nice. She didn't trust her, but the lady seemed to not be completely...human. When she yelled before, Daphne swore she saw her eyes flash pure white.
"Please," she squeaked, trying to sound sorry, "please tell me where to go."
"Well," the woman said, crossing her arms, "you are going to camp, obviously. And you'd better get there soon. In a little over a week the others will leave, and unless you can fly, you'll never catch up. The American border, of course, would be that way." She pointed south down the highway. "After that, you should be able to find your own way. And Daphne, don't disappoint me." She averted her eyes as the lady glowed with a blinding light, which faded to reveal that Daphne was alone again.
The woman's last words rang in her head. Don't disappoint me. She sounded like her mom, stern, in a "it's for your own good" kind of way. But what did she mean by it? Daphne still didn't know who she was, but she started walking down the road towards the border that separated the edges of Ottawa and New York State. If only she realized then what was in store for her.
•••
So, that is what lead Daphne to where she is today. Standing at the side of the road, hoping someone will be kind (or stupid) enough to offer her a ride. She knew that it-the camp, as she was told- was close. And she did not want to spend another night in the woods. Not that it had been very cold; it was mid-June, and she had her trusty sleeping bag with her. The woods were scary-she'd always hear grunts in the dark, and see shadows looming towards her. That's what prompted her to get a weapon-okay, it was a crowbar she found in the ditch, but it made her feel safer.
Headlights illuminated the road in front of her. Finally, she thought as an old green pickup truck pulled over. She checked out the license plate. MONTANA. Well, this guys a little far from home.
"Howdy," greeted a small, hill-Billy-esque man from the front seat, "where ya headed, kid?"
"Umm, a few miles that way," replied Daphne, not knowing exactly where herself.
"Well, hop on in."
Daphne climbed up into the cab and couldn't help but stare at the large thermos of hot soup in the cup holder. She hasn't eaten anything warm since about four days ago, when she ran out of money. At first she tried searching behind restaurants for old food, not wanting to steal. But after one incident with a very territorial dumpster cat, she had been eating whatever she could swipe from the highway rest stops. Daphne's hand went over the deep claw marks on her hand. "Stupid cat," she muttered.
"What'd ya say?"
"Nothing," she answered quickly, "my name is Daphne, by the way."
He started down the road. "Well, I'm Gus. Nice to meet'cha Daphne." Then he noticed her lingering gaze on his food. "Oh, go on and take a sip. Heck, eat it all, I'm stuffed."
"Really?" He gave her a grin, "Thanks!"
Daphne inhaled the soup as Gus filled the silence by telling her all about his truck, which he's had since 1963. Only after ten minutes of chatter did he finally ask:
"So, you're not runnin' away, are ye?"
She had been dreading that question-he seemed so nice, and she didn't want to lie to him. Then again, if she told him the truth, he'd probably think she was crazy.
She was grouping for words. "Well, I uhh-" All of a sudden, the truck came to a stop. Gus looked confused.
"What in the world-"
Daphne was glad for the distraction from their conversation. "I'll check it!" she said, jumping out of the truck, and almost immediately wishing she could jump back in. She tried to keep the shock from registering on her face. The vehicles front wheels had sunk two inches into the pavement like it was mud. Daphne had heard of cement getting soft in warm weather, but that was usually when the sun was out, and never like this.
"Yeah, you ah, you're stuck in a mud puddle," she told him, hoping her voice didn't waver, "just see if you can back up."
It took a few tries, but Gus managed to free himself. Daphne felt that this was a sign: she'll have to make the last leg of her journey alone. "Hey Gus, why don't you head back into town? I think I'll be fine from here."
He gave her a suspicious look. "You sure?"
"Yeah, I think they'll be more mud ahead, and you've already helped me so much. Thanks for everything."
You could see him weighing the options in his mind. "Okay," he said reluctantly, "but be careful kid."
She waited until Gus has driven out of sight to continue down the road. The clock in the truck told her it was nine thirty; she still had half an hour before it became pitch black. Then, on the top of the hill in front of her, Daphne spotted a huge pine tree. Her senses went crazy at the sight of it, and she knew that was where she needed to be. She could see a dark figure curled around the trunk, and something glittering on the lowest branch. Daphne was practically skipping now, her eyes wide and a smile spreading on her face as she made her way up.
Then she heard something that made her stop in her tracks: a low, canine growl pierced the silence, followed by a boy's scream that sounded close. Fear replaced her joy as Daphne bolted towards the pine, praying for help.
