I stepped out the door behind Garrett onto a wide porch that overlooked a clearing surrounded by a forest. The air smelled like it always does near an ocean, salty and warm. The sun hung lower in the sky, and I guessed it was around 4 pm or so. Towards the left near some cliffs leading to the ocean were a few buildings and a circular arena surrounded by a quarter mile track. A few kids looked like they were fighting in the arena, while another was running laps. The middle area straight in front of the cabin had tables for what looked like eating, archery stations, and an obstacle course. Over more in the woods and by a beach area that was partially hidden by trees was what looked to be like cabins. Very nice looking cabins, that is. Throughout the whole camp, kids were walking, talking, or practicing. Garrett started off towards the cabins.
"I was thinking I'd show you where you'll be staying until you get claimed by your mom and then show you the rest of the camp." Garrett said.
"Alright. Barnes said something about you being from Apollo?" I asked.
"Yeah he's my dad. I've been at this place since I was 8 years old. My dad claimed me when I was 10, which is actually sooner than most kids around here. I'm 17, by the way. This place has been my whole life for almost 10 years." Garrett said, surveying the camp.
"What about your mom?" I asked. He tensed at the question and his eyes darkened.
"She and I never really got along very well." He said simply.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-." I started.
"Its fine. It's not a big deal or anything. Barnes took me in and took care of me until I was old enough to start training. A year from now I'll be able to choose if I want to keep training here or go out on my own." Garrett cut me off. I looked at him, wondering why he seemed to want me to know only parts of his story. At that point though, it was too late. We had reached the first cabin.
"This one is Zeus's." Garrett said. I stared at the cabin, but it was more like a mansion. It had warm, tan walls and red tiled roof. It looked like something out of a Spanish villa. The windows arched cleanly and revealed rich-looking colors on the inside. A tree near the entrance held a cocoon swing, which a dark-haired boy sat in. He held a sketchpad and kept his eyes down.
"Who is that?" I whispered to Garrett.
"That's Jake, the only child Zeus has currently claimed. He's a nice kid, and absolutely brilliant at running, but he's really quiet for the most part. Come on, the rest of the cabins are this way." Garrett said, taking off.
The next cabin was nearly opposite of the first. Gleaming white walls and modern lines made up the entire building. Square windows were placed on the walls geometrically, and a keypad rested outside the door. I wondered what was inside the mansion from outer-space.
"This is Hephaestus's cabin. He personally designed it, after a few of his kids a while back blew up the original cabin. They've got the nicest features of any of the other cabins. Of course, they made it all themselves." Garrett said. We continued on our way.
The next cabin was very pretty. It was also modern styled, but it was made out of wood that had been polished until it glowed. White and silver accents adorned it, and the roof itself was white and shone brightly. Large glass windows covered many of the corners, facing towards the ocean. The top floor was a small square and enclosed by gauzy curtains.
"This is Artemis's cabin. No one ever stays in it besides the Hunters, or her eternal maidens that follow her around on all of her adventures. From what I've heard, everything inside is eco-friendly and a lot like nature. Should be, too, since she is the goddess of the hunt." Garrett looked admiringly up at the building.
"You seem to wish you lived there." I smiled. He grinned back.
"I appreciate Artemis. She's not afraid of anything, and she can actually get things accomplished around Olympus. Better her to have a nice cabin than someone like Ares." Garrett shrugged. We came up to the fourth cabin and Garrett started towards the door.
This cabin was nice, but not as nice as the previous three. It was large, and colonial style. It had a big wraparound porch and white siding with dark blue shutters and doors. A few guys were tossing a football around while a girl read a book on the porch swing. I could only assume that this was the Apollo cabin.
"This is where I live. Its one of the biggest cabins we have, but right now we only have about 15 kids claimed by Apollo. I'm cabin-leader. You have to stay here and be a part of our cabin until your mom claims you. We have tons of open rooms, so you won't have to bunk with any of the girls here." Garrett said, pushing the door open. A large staircase wound up three levels to the top of the house. The floor was wood with old and frayed carpets lying on top of them. I didn't get much time to survey the rest of the room until Garrett motioned for me to follow him up the stairs. He stopped on the second floor and walked down to the final door on the end of the hallway. He paused at the door before opening it, then turned the handle and moved past to allow me to see. The room was light yellow and had a double bed pushed up into the corner against the window. A desk sat in the corner next to it and contained a lamp. A dresser sat next to the door. The floor was still wood, and was covered with a small area rug that had blue and yellow flowers on it. Overall, it wasn't as nice as the room I woke up in, but it was pleasant enough. The dresser reminded me of something though.
"I don't have any clothes." I said groaning.
"Yeah your dad said he would ship them. Tell you what though, I'll introduce you to Kalyn later. She's a daughter of Athena and one of the nicest girls around here. I'm sure she has something you can borrow, she's been dying to meet you too." Garrett smiled.
"Really? How come?"
"She thinks you might be a daughter of Athena too."
"Oh, well, cool. I guess." I said, somewhat uncomfortably.
"She's great don't worry. Besides, the Apollo cabin is throwing a party tonight and I somehow don think you'll want to be wearing sweatpants and a tank top." Garrett smiled teasingly.
"What, are you saying that this isn't party material?" I asked, pretending to be shocked. We both laughed.
"Come on, let's go find Kalyn." Garrett said.