A/N: I know and said it would be less than two weeks, and it's been, what? Two weeks and three days? Something like that? Ah well. Here's chapter two!
Disclaimer: Still don't own.
Sierra pulled into Addy's driveway and parked behind Mr. Bell's white SUV. Getting out, she grabbed her bag and the large envelope from the backseat, and stood next to the car as Addy walked around to her side. Together, they walked into Addy's house and the two then walked up the stairs to Addy's room as Addy called to her father, "Dad! Sierra's spending the night!"
Flinging the bedroom door shut, Addy flopped down on her bed, gazing up at the sky blue ceiling of her room. Sierra set her bag and the envelope down on the floor next to the closet door before flopping down on the bed next to Addy. Addy stretched out her right arm and began tracing one of the feathers painted on her wall. Letting her hand drop, Addy started laughing. Sierra gave her a strange look. "What?" she asked.
"It's just that, well, you know exactly how to cheer me up. Even if that requires you to invite yourself to spend the night at my house," Addy responded, looking over at Sierra who was just starting to laugh as well.
"What did you think best friends were for?" she asked, a full blown smile on her face. She glanced over at the envelope. Sierra sat up and stared at it, not laughing anymore. She gestured at it. "Think I should open that now?"
Addy shrugged, sitting up as well. "If you want. Show me what it is though!"
Sierra gave her a half glare and slid off the bed to grab it. Holding it in her hands, she sat back down next Addy. She used a fingernail to slice the top open, and she slid the letter out. Unfolding it, she looked down at the black words printed on white paper. The first sentence hinted trouble, and it only got worse as the letter dragged on. It was apparently very evident on her face as Addy looked at her and asked, "What's wrong? What's it say?"
Sierra numbly refolded the letter and slid it back into the envelope. Scrambling off the bed, she put the letter in her bag with fumbling hands. "Sorry. I- I have to go. Don't know when I'll be back. Tell my mom for me, please?"
Addy knelt down in front of Sierra, who was sitting on the floor, and grabbed her shoulders. "Not until you tell me what that letter says."
Sierra glared at her. "Fine. You might as well come any. You might be helpful. Provided you are who Zach seems to think you are. Pack a bag – quickly, please."
Addy stared at Sierra.
"Did I stutter? No. Didn't think so! If you want answers, pack a bag. I'll tell you where we're going in the car. Now, hurry up!" Sierra all but yelled. She picked up her bag and stood up, moving to stand by the door, impatient.
Addy blinked once in surprise before scrambling to pack a bag. Holding it, she followed Sierra out of the house and to her car. They both put their bags in the backseat before getting in the front.
-x-
Sierra kept glancing in the rearview mirror as she drove, muttering something about a camp to herself.
"So, what did the letter say?" Addy asked, breaking the tense silence. Sierra glanced at her before swearing under her breath.
"Uh, nothing much. We just have to get to camp. They'll be able to explain things better there. All I'm going to tell you is that I'm needed right now at the summer camp I go to. And before you ask, yes, they need me on a Friday in April. When it's not summer. Just deal with it, 'k?" Sierra answered quickly.
Addy opened her mouth to retort, but quickly closed it again after realizing that arguing with an angry Sierra was not a good idea. She turned her head to watch the trees flash past.
-x-
About 45 minutes later, Sierra rolled the car to a stop in a parking lot a long since abandoned warehouse outside New York City. Getting out, she grabbed her bag from the backseat and looked at Addy just getting out of the car. "Where are we?" she asked, nervously glancing around her.
"We, my friend, are about a half hours walk away from Camp Half-Blood. Now, the letter said that they'd send someone out to meet us here in," Sierra consulted her watch, "about ten minutes. Now do you see why it was so urgent we got here on time?"
Addy sighed, and grabbed her own bag out of the backseat, not saying a word. She set the bag down on the ground and sat down cross-legged on the ground next to it. She reached into the bag and pulled a prism out of it. Sierra recognized it instantly; it was the only thing of her mother's that Addy had. She watched as Addy had it catch the dimming sunlight and cast rainbows on different spots on the ground.
Sierra glanced over at the open field next to the warehouse just as a tall boy stepped out. Recognizing him almost instantaneously, she ran over to him, yelling, "Jake! Long time no see!"
She pulled into a quick hug before he gruffly said, "We should hurry up. Chiron's waiting for you." He noticed Addy walking over. "Who's this? Is this the new demigod Zach was telling us about?"
Sierra nodded, looking at Addy as she joined them. "Who's this Zach you keep talking about? I only know one Zach, so I highly doubt it's him," she complained. Sierra laughed, thinking, oh, but it is.
Jake glanced around with narrowed eyes. "We really need to hurry up, Sierra. Come on." He turned and began walking through the field. Addy sighed, and followed without a word.
-x-
The three sooner or later came to the edge of a strawberry field, where Addy could now clearly see large cluster of buildings, but a much larger blue house stood just on the other side of a small river that was next to the strawberry fields. Jake and Sierra were walking towards it, leaving Addy behind as she drank in her new surroundings. Small snippets of Jake and Sierra's conversation drifted back to Addy, and she heard something about a magic barrier, whatever THAT meant. She shrugged it off, deciding not to worry about it until later.
Reaching the large blue house, Jake immediately went inside while Sierra stood on the wrap-around porch, waiting for Addy. "Hey, how are you doing? I know this is a lot to take in –"
"I'm fine, thank you. I still don't have any answers yet, though, even though you promised me some," Addy snapped, cutting Sierra off, who blinked in surprise at her sharp tone. Addy brushed past Sierra and walked into the house, before realizing she had no idea where she was going. She stepped back to let Sierra pass and followed her lead as she sat down in one of the chairs.
"Jake will be back with Chiron soon," Sierra said, noticing Addy's small look of confusion. As if on cue, Jake walked in from a back hallway, a man in a wheelchair following closely behind. Jake gestured at Addy.
"This is the girl Zach was talking about. The one who's a demigod. She has lots of questions. Have fun." And with that, he turned and walked out of the house, calling to someone in the distance.
The man in the wheelchair turned to look at Addy. "Hello, child. My name is Chiron. I'm the activities director here at Camp Half-Blood. I'm sure you must have questions. Feel free to ask any one of them."
Addy took a deep breath before launching into speech. "What is this place? What do you mean your name's Chiron? What's Camp Half-Blood? What exactly is a half-blood? What's going on?" She turned to Sierra, "And finally, what did your letter say that made it so urgent we got here?"
Sierra waved her question off and gestured to Chiron, who had an amused expression on his face.
"This is the only known safe haven for half-blood, unless you choose to become a Hunter of Artemis, a group of immortal girls who follow Artemis. I mean Chiron as in Achilles mentor Chiron. And I believe Sierra, if she is willing to give you a tour of the camp, will be able to answer all your other questions." He looked at Sierra, who nodded.
Sierra stood, nodded once more to Chiron, and motioned for Addy to rise as well. The two walked out of the big house, and Sierra gestured to their surroundings. "Welcome," she said, smiling, "To Camp Half-Blood."
A/N: Just a quick note, here. Remember to review, please! :)
