The Usual Summer Camp Experience...NOT!
When Lara opened her eyes, she immediately saw yellow beams overhead. For a moment she was on the family holiday to the Rocky Mountains, but then the pain in her arm came back to her, and she remembered. She was at Camp Half-Blood, Mum and Dad's old summer camp, with a bitten arm and no idea what's going on.
Slowly, she sat up. She was in a wooden building, filled with beds and curtains. A guy was stretched out in the bed opposite, reading the weirdest magazine she'd ever seen: Demigod Diaries. On the cover there was a picture of a guy cutting Medusa's head off.
'Uh, hi?' Lara's throat was sore.
'Hello,' a boy with untidy dark hair and brown eyes appeared from behind the magazine. 'You awake?'
'Yeah, seems like it. How long have I been out?'
'Not long, a few hours. That was a nasty cut – hellhound bite, was it? Ouch. A few more seconds and you wouldn't have an arm. I'm Aaron, by the way. Of the Apollo Cabin,' he said, putting the magazine to one side and standing up. 'How do you feel?'
'Not great,' mumbled Lara, and Aaron laughed.
'Try some nectar,' he pointed to a tall glass filled with what looked like apple juice. Lara shakily picked it up, not sure if her fingers had the strength to hold it, and drank. The taste was so surprising, she recoiled slightly. It wasn't that it tasted bad; in fact she drank it so fast it was gone in five seconds. But instead of tasting sweet and clear like apple juice, it was like a fresh batch of chocolate brownies. Instantly she felt better.
'Good, isn't it?' Aaron laughed again. 'You can't have anymore though, nectar is the food of the gods, and if demigods drink too much, they burn into ashes. Makes you feel better, though, doesn't it?'
Yeah,' Lara swung her legs over the side and slowly stood up. 'Much better.' Thankfully she still had her jeans and t-shirt on, and her trainers were by the bed.
'Careful!' warned Aaron. Lara wobbled and grabbed the bedstead. 'Shall I help?'
'I'm fine, don't worry!' Lara replied, not sure why she was refusing to have a cute guy help her walk.
She got the shock of her life when she turned to the door and saw a guy standing there. It wasn't the fact it was a guy, it was the fact he had eyes all over his body. Lara could only see the ones on his face and arms and hands and neck, but she was sure that they were all over his body.
'Hey, that's Argus, head of security. He doesn't talk much,' explained Aaron. A couple of eyes winked at her.
'Okay, er hi Argus,' said Lara. Argus smiled and pointed to the outside.
'Yeah, yeah we're going. Come on Lara, go as slow as you want,' said Aaron.
Camp Half-Blood looked like an average summer camp mixed with a totally not average camp. The average part: a volley ball court, climbing wall, cabins. The totally not average part: there were kids with goat legs playing on the volleyball court, the climbing wall poured lava and clashed together, and the cabins were based on Greek Gods.
'So, you're Percy and Annabeth Jackson's kid, aren't you?' said Aaron. 'Phew, famous parents!'
'I guess.'
'I'm just plain old son of Apollo. So, do you think you'll be in Athena's Cabin or Poseidon's?'
'I don't know,' said Lara nervously, mentally kicking herself as she tripped down the steps.
'You'll find one that suits you. Let's find you a cabin first, that's the most important. Athena?' suggested Aaron. Lara nodded, and they set off towards the low grey building with a owl carved over the doorway.
Inside the cabin seemed to be a safe haven for boffins. There were books and scrolls everywhere, and Smartboards on the wall along with maps and diagrams. There were desks covered in sheets of paper and laptops, workbenches and cupboards, and all the kids inside were scribbling on bits of paper or reading, apart from a couple who were playing a weird board game that looked like a cross between chess and Risk, and one who was going through a slow motion battle.
'Everyone, this is Lara,' said Aaron. The kids all turned and looked Lara over critically. 'She's the daughter of Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase.' Immediately everyone perked up and looked at Lara with real interest.
'You top of the class in everything but English?' asked one kid. 'Like, Math and Physics and stuff?'
'Erm, not really,' mumbled Lara.
'Oh come on, you must be good!' said a girl with round glasses and pigtails. 'What's the square root of 676?'
'I don't know, twenty something?'
The kids started whispering among themselves.
'Come on guys, she's new,' said Aaron. 'I'm gonna show her the Poseidon Cabin.'
'Why would she want to go there?' burst out one boy. 'We're way better!'
'Cool down, Quil, she has a choice. Let's go, Lara, its supper soon,' Aaron led her out of the cabin and into the gathering dusk. 'So, how were they?'
'To be honest, not my kind of cabin,' said Lara.
'Yeah, they're a bit intimidating when you first meet them, but they get better. Poseidon Cabin is more laid back,' said Aaron. 'Look, it's that one next to Hera's.'
The Poseidon Cabin was long and low, made of rough grey stone with little shells and bits of coral stuck in it. All the windows were facing the sea, and on the door a trident was painted, which glowed blue like the sea as the sun went down.
Inside there were six beds, five of them occupied. The kids were aged between about nine and seventeen. There was a fountain of grey sea rock in the corner, with a fish spouting water from his mouth, and a dozen gold coins at the bottom.
The oldest, a tall thin guy with untidy black hair and green eyes, stepped forward. He looked very like Lara's dad Percy, which was a bit weird, but he seemed cool enough.
'Hi, I'm Michael Raleigh, the head counsellor for the Poseidon Cabin,' he held out a hand to shake. 'You must be Lara.'
Lara nodded shyly. 'Yeah, everyone seems to know me!'
'Well, you're very welcome here. There are never very many of us, and we always want new siblings!' said Michael. Lara nodded.
'Okay, I'll stay here,' she said.
'Cool, I'd better go back to my Cabin,' said Aaron, heading off. Lara felt a twinge of something – sadness maybe? She shook herself and turned back to her cabin mates. Apart from Michael, there were two boys and two girls, all lounging on the bunks or floor. They introduced themselves one by one: Jaz, Emily, Zach, and Brook. Jaz was the second oldest, he looked about fifteen or sixteen, with dark skin and black hair that was combed back apart from a few strands that fell forward over his forehead. His eyes were a brilliant green like Lara's, and shone like a pair of emeralds. He had an angular face, with prominent cheekbones and a pointed chin, and had an easy grace to his movements. Below him was Brook, a pretty dark haired girl with blue-green eyes and pale skin. She was quiet and shy but when she said something everyone listened. Her hair was in a long plait down her back.
Lara was the next oldest. After that it was Zach, a stocky little guy with sea green eyes but spiky blonde hair instead of black. He had freckles all over his round face and a big grin. He was around ten. The youngest was Emily, who was around eight. She had straight brown hair in pigtails and green eyes, and a constant little smile. They had just finished shaking hands when the dinner bell went.
'Poseidon Cabin, line up!' yelled Michael. Instantly everyone got into single file behind him. It was in order of importance, and so Lara was last, of course.
They all had their own picnic tables in the pavilion. Lara saw all the kids together for the first time. There were loads of Apollo and Hermes kids, all squished up on the benches. Other cabins didn't have as many – a couple only had one or two. One table there were only three kids, and they had all brought cushions and were sleeping with their heads on the table.
'Children of Hypnos, god of sleep,' murmured Michael as they settled down on their table. Lara giggled, and jumped as a girl seemed to appear next to her. She was dressed in green and brown, and bearing a platter of barbecue. 'And that's a dryad!'
Looking round, Lara saw that more dryads were melting out of trees and placing platters of food on the tables. She piled her plate high with food, and was about to take a bite when Brook stopped her arm.
'We have to sacrifice some of it to the gods,' she explained. Lara followed her to an iron brazier, where other kids were dropping their best bits of food into the fire.
'To Poseidon,' murmured Brook. Lara followed her, unsure whether to offer the food to Poseidon or Athena. In the end she reached a compromise.
'To Poseidon,' she said quietly, pushing the best sausage into the fire. 'To Athena,' she scraped off the best piece of bread. As she turned, she caught a whiff of the smell. It was unbelievable. All the best smelling things in the world: vanilla, cookies, freshly mown grass, roses, and many more things that shouldn't have been good together, but were actually amazing. No wonder the gods liked it!'
They had a fun supper, swapping stories and jokes and eating until they were full to burst of food. Lara went to bed tired and full, and to her surprise fell asleep immediately.
