Yeah, I'm back! And, first, I'd like to thank each one that reviewed my last chapter! Thanks guys! And now, for Chapter two!
Disclaimer: how many times should I tell you?
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They slipped unnoticed in a small ally. It was damp and cold, not a suitable place for a couple of teens.
As they reached the end of the ally, Zin couldn't help but look at the boy with curiosity. Nico, who seemed to feel her stare pierce his back, didn't look back.
"We stop here." He announced. And so Zin stopped a couple of feet back. The ally was blocked by a brick wall. She wondered why he would lead her here, unless he was planning something. He seemed completely at ease though. He smiled encouragingly to her and held up his hand.
"Take it." he said firmly but with authority. Zin took it right away. Normally, when Nico di Angelo brought campers to camp by shadow travel, they would hesitate. But it seems this kid was too gullible for her own good.
But before they touched, an electric spark tingled his finger tips. He looked at her, wondering if she felt it too, but she seemed too preoccupied with the near brick wall for him to ask. He quickly intertwined their fingers, to let him not lose her, and they were off.
Smiling to himself, he willed the shadows to open to his will. "Stay close. We wouldn't know where we would end up." He warned her. He closed his eyes and imagined camp. The cabins, the forest, everything.
Meanwhile Zin opened her eyes through the journey. Her emotionless eyes surveyed the darkness that surrounded them. 'It reminds me too much of home.' She thought.
And then, light appeared, drenching all the dark out of the surrounding.
Nico's hand became clammy instantly, like he was stressing on all of the energy loss. Zin, still having the blank expression on her face didn't notice anything. She didn't even notice it when Nico fell on one knee.
Because standing in front of her was the largest gathering she ever saw. There were, in fact, more than 2 dozen tables lining the floor. On the center was a large pit, where some people were gathered around. But that didn't caught her attention. It was, in fact, that all pairs of eyes are looking directly at her.
There were different reactions to her grand entrance. Some gasps could be heard from the table, which she stood on. Several others made wolf whistles, which to her utter surprise made her uncomfortable. And for some, they look like it wasn't out of the ordinary.
She gripped Nico's hand tighter, wishing they would stop looking. But Nico's hand slipped off her grasp and He somehow managed to stumble down the table, glare at the angry kids he stepped on and proceeded to Chiron.
"Get off my food!" a boy yelled from below. Zin looked down at him. He looked somehow cute. His dark brown eyes filled with white specks and his short hair was chopped above his neckline. He wore an old military jacket over a black shirt and camouflage pants. He looked like a regular boy wanting to go in some army.
But he looked different from the other boys in the pavilion. The shape of his eyes and his heart shaped face. But she couldn't point it out for now. She then, slowly made it down to the floor, returning the boy's glare with a blank stare.
"Settle down children." A deep voice rang throughout the hall and all racket quiet down. All that were heard were quiet murmurs and whispers. The voice seemed old and wise, like it was somehow old enough to belong to a hermit.
Zin turned and saw a man riding a horse. But later did she notice that he was connected to the horse. She quietly went up to the man and looked at him with those big brown eyes.
"You're a pony." She said with a tone of innocence a person wouldn't guess it belonged to a teen.
The man smiled politely at her, though there was some humor in his eyes. "I'm a centaur my dear. My name is Chiron. And you are?" he asked with a smile.
"Zin." She mumbled, stepping away slowly. She landed right next to Nico.
"Pony." He snorted at her, like it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. Zin looked at him blankly.
"Hush." He said to Nico but his eyes never turned away from Zin. "Child, are you somehow aware of your current position? Where you are right now?" he asked. Zin merely shook her head.
"Does your parents know where you are?" he asked again. She answered a little longer. Was her dad looking for her right now? Does he know she ran away? But then, she shook her head to answer Chiron's question.
The old horse man had his features darken. "Oh my. Who is your godly parent my dear?" he asked.
"I can't remember." That was the odd part. Several times she was called by her father. But never did she know who he was.
"This is serious," he turned to Nico, who was looking bored out of his mind, "Come with me to the big house please." He said.
Nico groaned. "Really? Do I have too? Those Hermes kids still needs a lesson on-" he was stopped by the glare Chiron gave. "Fine." He said miserably and stalked off into the distance.
"For the others, you may proceed to your activities as usual." He said and turned to Zin. "Come my dear." He said and slung her to his back.
-o-o-(time passes by)
"So let me get this straight. You pulling me off my biggest prank because?" Nico asked indifferently.
"Because we need to know her parentage." He said, placing Zin to a comfy chair. She was now holding a cup. For an unknown reason, Chiron never saw her holding it until now. He frowned slightly.
"Why don't we wait until she gets claimed. She looks what? 13?" Nico whined and sat by her. Zin looked at him for a while, taking in his response and began to fiddle with the cup.
"Because, if I'm correct, we better be knowing her parentage rather than get her claimed. If I'm correct, then we need to know the god, and fast." He said. From the time he saw her, there was a cold feeling at the pit of his gut, something that warned him of danger.
"Then, how do we guess her parentage?" Nico asked, challenging his trainer's intelligence.
"I want you to call Sam first. She'd be a big help." He murmured.
Nico looked kind of angry he was being ordered around, but he turned his heels and faced the door, mumbling something. Zin caught a few words. It was something about being the ghost king and stupid horses.
"Now, child, I want you to do everything I say okay?" Chiron said, trying to sooth her. She nodded a bit, trying hard to concentrate on the man rather than the cup.
"Okay, but first, where did you get that cup?" he asked. Zin just shrugged.
"I wished it here." She said. True, she did wish for water while she was riding horse man.
"Hmm, interesting." He said with a stroke of his long beard. "Child, could I order you to wish something more?" he asked. He looked like a mad scientist experimenting on his subject.
Zin closed her eyes and opened her palms. She concentrated hard on that one thing she wanted. A doll.
And true enough, to their surprises, a doll appeared out of thin air. Chiron made a jesture, the hand over his heart and prayed silently, to not startle the kid.
"This is bad." He mumbled to himself.
Just then, the door opened revealing Nico and the boy from the lunch table. Nico looked like he was about to faint but kept his grasp on the boy shoulder. The boy was squirming in his grasp and threw daggers at Chiron and Zin.
"Order one, coming up!" Nico yelled and pushed the kid inside.
"I told you, I ain't helping anyone!" he yelled. But that was when Zin realized something. From the tone of his voice and to the posture he took.
"You're a girl." She said. The girl turned around to face her.
"Got a problem with that." She said threatingly.
"Zin, meet Sam. Sam, this is Zin." Chiron introduce. Nico decided to lean against the wall and take in the silence of his own place.
"Hi Zin. I hope you live. Now can I go now?" she asked, standing up and crossing her hands across her chest.
Chiron shook his head. "No, you have to help us. We need to retrieve a memory." He said.
With the word memory, Sam straitened up. "Why didn't you say so?" she grinned. It was in fact her talent that she brags about. "Okay, to start off, we need a pillow and a blanket."
Zin handed it to her. Sam looked startled and stared at her. "How did you get these?"
"Wished it." she explained. Sam looked at Chiron for help but the old man looked curious too. 'Maybe she got it from behind the couch. Yeah. That's it.' she thought with a shake of her head.
"Now Zin, I want you to lay down on the pillow and just dream okay?" she said with a slight coo.
Zin looked terrified, which was a new look on her always blank face. "No! The dreams are there." She said, shrinking back on the couch. Sam looked at Chiron for help.
"I promise, the dreams wont come." He said. Zin hesitated.
"Tell you what. Why don't you sleep and I keep the dreams away." Sam said with a smile. Surprisingly, Zin nodded. She laid down and then, her eyes began to drop.
"Gullible kid." Sam muttered and began to work.
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Whoa! And this, my friends, is the start of the story! Yehay!
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