Chapter 4: Camp Half-Blood
Sally lead me out of the room once I could feel my legs again. I paused at a tall mirror cringing at my curly brown hair in frizzy swirls and my wide green eyes. I pretty much look like a human tree.
We walked through a small hallway that opened up to the living room, and suddenly all voices went quiet.
The teenage guy, Percy, started at me like I reminded him of himself. That's why he's been so familiar. I've seen him around school once or twice.
I wondered what they've all been through. The way each person in the room had a connection, like something huge had happened and it's finally the happy ending.
But then I arrived and they had to do everything all over again.
I suddenly felt guilty and sunk into the end of a couch next to Grover.
"Do you think Chiron will know what to do?", Mr.Blofis asked.
All these questions ran in my head, but I knew it wasn't a good time to ask any of them.
"The winter solstice is in three days, which means Camp Half-Blood is taking a trip to Olympus.", Annabeth contemplated.
"The gods will find out eventually...", she said, looking at Percy.
"What's Camp Half-Blood?", The question slipped out my mouth, and I mentally kicked myself for asking.
"It's a camp that keeps all demigods safe from monsters.", Percy explained.
"Demigods. Like part time god? Is that why I bleed golden ichor?", I asked.
"Not exactly. No mortal, demigod or not, should ever bleed golden ichor. Only full gods bleed that.",
My head started to ache again, which was probably a sign that I should stop asking questions.
"Who's your mortal parent?", Percy asked.
"My mom.", I replied, rubbing my temples.
She'll start worrying about me eventually...
"I need to call her.", I spoke up, and Sally waved me over to a phone in the kitchen. I was glad to step away from the group of people.
I dialed my moms number, and she picked up after the last ring.
"Mom?"
"Do you have any idea what time it is?", she sounded stressed, and I felt guilty for a moment.
"Yea, I'm sorry. I just have a question."
"What is it and when are you coming home?"
"What's with all this Greek mythology stuff?"
The phone was silent for a moment, but I could still hear her breathing through the line.
"Terra, get home and I will try to explain the best I can."
"You knew about this, and you've never told me?", I could hear my voice raise a bit, but I didn't care. I had a reason to be angry.
"I needed to keep you safe. It's my job.", she said, her voice was shaky. I knew something was wrong.
"Mom, are you okay?"
"I'm not you're mother, Terra."
Now this time I was silent.
It's just the concussion. You're making it up.
"I swore on the River Styx, I can't tell you any more than I already have...", she sounded scared now.
"What do you mean you're not my mom?", I asked, but she avoided the question again.
"Listen, Terra, you're a daughter to me, but I am not your mother-"
"What haven't you lied about then?", my voice was surprisingly calm.
"I haven't lied when I've told you I love you. Go to Camp Half-Blood. Whoever's found you will take you there. I just hope-"
The line cut for a moment until her voice came back,
"-I love you."
She wasn't lying when she said that.
The others were silent when I walked back into the living room, and I forced my eyes to stay dry.
You will not tear up in front of these people, ya big baby.
"She's not my mom.", I said blankly, crossing my arms.
I could feel my face burning up.
Awkward silence filled the air again.
"That just made it a lot more difficult.", Percy said, but Annabeth stabbed him hard with her elbow.
"I'm sorry.", Percy coughed.
"It's fine. She told me to go to Camp Half Blood.", I said, looking down at my feet.
It was her job to protect me...
Did my parents have her take care of me for this exact reason?
Did they know I was a freak, so they just threw me to some random person to take care of me?
My mind trailed off, the way it usually does in Mr.Blofis's class
"Terra.", his voice snapped me back to reality.
He turned his attention to Percy, Annabeth and Grover.
"Take her to Camp Half Blood," and he reluctantly handed over his car keys.
"Please...don't let the car explode this time."
That's something to look forward to.
We silently were on the road, watching small snowflakes hit the ground. The winter had been strangely warmer this season, with barely any snow.
I occasionally caught Annabeth glancing at me from the front seat. Her grey eyes were so...familiar.
Who has those grey eyes?
Grover was in the seat next to me as I fed him wads of Mr.Blofis's test sheets he left in the car.
My mind wandered aimlessly. As you can tell by now, it's kind of my thing. Especially at the worst time when the car gets flipped over. I jolted from my seat, my head hitting the roof painfully as we were flipped.
Percy seemed used to being flipped upside down inside a car, because he was the first one to get out alongside Annabeth.
Meanwhile I struggled to open the door until Percy came to help Grover and me out.
Yup, I'm complete fighter material.
I turned over to see what flipped the car over, but Percy pulled me away as a blast of fire came forward, and inhaling the car, which eventually exploded (Sorry Blofis).
Seriously, I was planning on egging his car. This was so much better.
I then saw what ever monster had breathed fire on the car, and I could've settled for eggs any other day.
Once I saw the lions head, the enlarged goat body and a serpent tail, it's name clicked in my mind.
Chimera.
In literature, I remembered how terrified people were to go up against these things in the Colosseum. Especially because they got torched within the first few minutes.
The Chimera threw another spit ball of fire toward us, and I dived to the right, the ball engulfing the trees behind us.
Grover landed right next to me, but he was unconscious. He probably landed on a rock or something. Part of his goat leg hair was burnt off, and left a huge pink spot which would have been funny if we weren't in danger.
"Run through the forest!", Percy yelled to me, and pulled out a pen.
That's like, totally affective.
The pen then transformed into a long sword. I should really stop underestimating the impossible.
"You'll see a valley, get to the huge wooden house! Go!", a fireball reached the trees, and it's heat threw me farther into the forest, landing into a heap of mud. I wanted to help Percy and Annabeth, but I knew I'd turn into a crisp. Besides, I'm pretty sure they can handle whatever monster comes their way.
I soared through the forest carrying Grover like a sack of potatoes, but moving faster than ever.
As soon as we were deep and far enough, I sat next to a tree to rest. I was shivering, wanting to use Grover's goat fur as a wool coat. The silence and darkness surrounded me.
Then suddenly the strangest thing happened.
These people, dryads, slowly came out of the trees. I know I just escaped from a Chimera, but these people freaked me out even more. There was one for every tree as they slowly came out, and then the weirder part came.
They bowed in my presence.
I felt so weirded out, I hated the attention.
But I really needed to get Grover to Camp, so I didn't have time to find answers.
I crouched next to the closest one, and the girl looked up me with these beautiful leaf green eyes. Even in the darkness I could almost see the stems of the leaves within her eye color.
"Can you help my friend? I need to get him to Camp Half-Blood."
The dryad nodded, and I thanked her, picking Grover up.
"Food.", he said and my stomach growled.
"Same Grover, same."
I marched along with the dryad, as more and more of them came out of their trees to bow as I passed.
"Why are your friends doing that?", I asked, and she looked up at me in surprise.
"In the presence of a goddess, we show respect by bowing. But of course, if you don't like that we can do something else." She suggested, her voice very musical.
I didn't know what to say, so I continued to walk through the cold, dark woods.
The silence was ringing in my ears.
"What's your name?", I asked the dryad, her beautiful branch-brown hair blended with the darkness of the night.
"Ostrya.", her green eyes glowed in the darkness.
Ostrya, named after the Ostrya Virginiana tree.
"I'm Terra.", I replied, hoping the conversation wouldn't die down.
I've always hated silence.
"It's an honor to meet you, Terra.", Ostrya bounced happily around other tree dryads as they bowed, their faces fixed with jealousy that Ostrya was able to help me out. As if I chose her because she was special enough to help a "goddess". But in reality, I didn't deserve her help. I wish I was a goddess, then I'd be able to give her something in return. I wish.
Suddenly, a bright glow came closer until I felt a sudden burning sensation in my back. The tree dryads fled in terror as I grabbed Ostrya and took to the snowy ground, the fireball passing through the trees.
So Percy and Annabeth hadn't killed it.
I hoped they were okay.
The fireball passed by, burning several trees and dryads. I wished I could help them, but thankfully the snow was there for them to roll around in.
I pulled Ostrya along with me as I ran, dodging fire after fire. I wasn't going to let her get hurt.
The chimera was too fast for me.
It caught up to me, and side by side, bursted out another fire breath of doom and caught my leg, burning it severely as I rolled down a small snowy hill, Grover falling off my shoulders and into an ice cold puddle. That woke him up.
"Food?", he shot up to attention.
"No. Fire."
He immediately understood as another fireball crashed into the other side of the hill. Thankfully, Ostrya slid down unharmed.
"We have to get you out of here.", I said, taking her hand and Grover's.
We used the valley of the short and small bump in the land as cover, but it soon ended into flat land in the woods again. Then we sprinted side by side.
"We're almost there!", Ostrya shouted.
No dryads were in sight anymore, but I hoped they were safe.
I thought too soon.
Another fireball bursted behind us, and I was too slow to save Ostrya.
We were blown to the edge of a huge hill, and down below inside the huge flat land valley were cabins and pavilions and woods.
"Ostrya!", I screamed, clawing at the snow, climbing up the hill. The Chimera was charging toward me, but I didn't care.
"Terra, don't!", Grover shouted, but his voice faded as I saw Ostrya burning away slowly.
I didn't care about the fire or the chimera. I swiftly picked her up, burning my arms and dove for the hill again, right as the chimera blew it's last fireball.
The boarder that kept all monsters out had stopped the fireball from roasting me alive.
I frantically packed snow onto Ostrya to stop the fire.
She was shaking despite the fact of being nearly burned alive. I pulled off Sally's sweatshirt and wrapped it around Ostrya, holding her gently.
"You're okay now, we're gonna help you.", I said, my eyes welling with tears.
I looked up at Grover and he sniffled, putting a hand on Ostrya's shoulder.
"For you, goddess.", she whispered.
She took her last breath and slowly she disintegrated in beautiful green and golden light, leaving a large Ostrya Virginiana seed in my palm.
I sobbed. I never wanted to be called a goddess, I never wanted her to get hurt.
Grover helped me up, and suddenly I was weak. But we made it to Camp Half Blood.
For you, Ostrya.