Chapter 4: Votes
Shane led us up the sandy dunes and back to the highways. A white van with the words 'Delphi Strawberrys' was stopped at the curb. A blond, husky looking dude with blue eyes was at the wheel. I stared at him; his body was covered in eyes. Astrid shoved me. "It's rude to stare," she murmured. We climbed into the back of the car. "Back to Long Island South, Argus," Shane told the odd driver, taking shotgun. The blond guy nodded, and stepped on the gas pedal.
"It still feels like we're getting kidnapped," I huffed, crossing my arms. We were out in the middle of nowhere, driving along a dusty path. "Are we almost there yet?" Astrid asked, leaning against the window. "Nearly," Shane said. "And remind me where we're going again?" I grumped, still mad about my iPod. "A place where you'll be safe," the satyr said gravely. "You're just freaking me out even more," I grumbled. Shane raised an eyebrow. "If you hadn't been using your iPod, then you never would have gotten into this mess," he said sniffed. I glared at him.
"We're here." I quickly looked out the window, but saw only trees. "Umm, where exactly is 'here'?" I asked. Shane didn't answer, and instead hopped out of the car. We followed him into the woods, and up a steep hill. "Welcome to Half-Blood Hill," he said.
My eyes widened. In front of us were two Greek pillars with a slab of white marble set on top, reading 'Camp Half-Blood'. Speechless, I looked a little ways to my left and saw a great pine tree, and one one of the branches hung a pure golden sheepskin. "I see you're... a dedicated fan..." I gulped. Shane chuckled. "A little more than that, Katie," he grinned. "Welcome to the real Camp Half-Blood!" Astrid's blue eyes shone with excitement and disbelief, while I stood there in shock. "I knew it," Astrid smiled broadly. "I always thought I saw monsters when I was little, but now I know that they were real!" She frowned. "Actually, that's kind of creepy." I tuned her out and looked down into the valley. It was exactly as the books described it; the strawberry fields bloomed, and the Big House and pavilion stood looming over to the right. Squinting, I could see kids down at the lake shore, and down in a circular arena. My knees locked, and my head seemed very fuzzy. "This is... too much to comprehend..." I murmured, slowly sinking to the ground. I remember a pair of strong arms breaking my fall, and Astrid's panicked voice before I blacked out.
"Do you think she'll be alright?" a female voice asked. "Hush, Rachel. I think she will be fine. It must have been too much for her to take in at once," I heard a gentle voice say. I opened my eyes fuzzily. A girl with long red hair and freckles stood at the side of my bed, looking curiously at me. "What the..." I mumbled. "What happened?" The girl looked at me discerningly. "You fainted at the top of Half-Blood Hill," she said, frowning. "Shane came down for help, and Nico carried you here." I blinked several times before sitting up. It looked like I was in an infirmary , and sections were divided up by canvas curtains. "We're glad to see that you're alright," the man said. "Your friend was quite worried." I looked up at him. He seemed unusually tall for a normal human, his waist seeming extra long. "Who are you?" I asked, rubbing my eyes. "My name is Chiron," he smiled, holding out his hand. "I'm the camp activities director." I shook his outstretched palm. "Hi, I'm—" I suddenly noticed why his waist was so long. His torso stretched to his waist line, and then continued into the body of a horse. I yelped. "You're a centaur?!" "Ah, so my suspicions were correct," Chiron muttered. "You can see through the Mist." Then it dawned on me. "It's real? Everything?" I whispered. "So the events in the books really happened!" "Yep!" the red haired girl said brightly. "I'm Rachel, by the way." Then I noticed her bright green eyes, and the paint stains on her jeans. "No way," I murmured. "I've gone insane! I need to be put in an asylum...!" Chiron chuckled sadly. "That's what most demigods think when they arrive here. But what intrigues me the most is that you aren't one of us. What I mean to say, is that you are a mortal." "So what if she is?" Rachel's eyes flashed. "Is there something wrong with that?" "No, no, my child. I was merely saying that it is rare for your kind to see through the Mist," Chiron held up his hands in defense. "Um, Chiron, sir?" I asked meekly. "This is a lot for me to understand right now, and I'm still not fully convinced I'm not crazy. Could I please see my friend?" Chiron and Rachel stopped bickering. "Of course, Katie," Rachel glanced accusingly at Chiron. "Come on, I'll show you were she is."
Rachel led me out of the infirmary and out into the camp. It was very warm out, and I wrinkled my nose in disgust. I hate warm weather. We walked up many grassy hills, and around a lot of kids. All of them wore orange t-shirts and had either a bow, sword, or knife equipped to their belt or back. We passed many Ancient Greek looking buildings, most made out of white marble or stone, and said hello to the satyrs and nymphs who passed us. I was dazed when a girl walked directly out of a tree ad waved to me, so I waved hesitantly back.
We once passed a black obsidian cabin, and I felt strangely drawn to it. "Katie, let's go," Rachel said, turning to me. "It's not good to stand around this particular cabin." I raised and eyebrow, but followed her again. She led me down to the beach where a bunch of tan skinned teens were playing volleyball on the sand. Astrid stood among them, looking right as rain, and I felt slightly sad. She high fived a girl on her right, and started laughing with the others.
"Hey, Astrid!" Rachel called. "Sup, Rachel?" she grinned, then spotted me. "Katie!" she came bounding up the hill. "Are you okay? Thank the gods Nico was there to help us!" she chattered. "I'm fine, Astrid," I signed heavily. "Who are they?" I motioned to the kids on the beach. "Oh, they're the Athena kids," Astrid grinned. "Ah." I nodded slightly, frowning. "Oh, and guess what?!" she practically bounced with excitement. "I'm a demigod!" She laughed happily. "What?" I asked, incredulously. "How—who's your godly parent?" "I don't know yet," Astrid's smile faded. "The campfire's tonight, so maybe I'll be claimed."
I nodded stiffly. "Are you okay?" she asked, slightly concerned. "I'm fine," I forced a smile. "Its just the heat; it's messing with my acid reflex." "Oh, okay!" Astrid perked up. "Well, I gotta get back to the game. I'll see you tonight!" "Okay... buddy," I said as she skipped back to the net. Rachel seemed to sense my loneliness. "Hey, why don't I show you my cave?" she asked, putting an arm around my shoulder. "Cave...?" I hesitated. "Don't worry! It has AC!" she smiled. "Ok..." I said, a little flabbergasted. "Come on," she took my wrist and dragged me back up the hill and into the forest.
I kept jumping at the sound of a snapping twig, and I'd constantly look over my shoulder. "Dude, chill," Rachel said, after noticing my tension. I hardly relaxed. Bugs were biting at my legs, and plants kept making my skin itch. "Ughh, I HATE the outdoors!" I grumbled, swatting a mosquito off my arm. "Then you'll like my cave," she said mischievously. She led me to a rocky side of the valley, where a gaping entrance to a cave stood with a tattered purple curtain hanging from the stalactites. "Ummm," I licked my lips nervously. Rachel laughed. "Don't worry, it's a lot more modern than it looks." She swept aside the curtain, revealing a carpeted floor, air conditioning, and a... hot tub?
"Ah, finally! Twenty-first century live style!" I sighed happily, sinking into a chair right next to an air vent. "How did you get it like this?" I asked, amazed. "Oh, some daughters of Nyx did it for me," Rachel said casually. "Of course. Silly me," I said, still extremely confused. "Never mind, you'll meet them sometime," she waved the topic aside. "Whats more important right now is finding you a place to sleep, that is, if Chiron decides you can stay." "What?" I looked up. "Oh, well he and the head counselors are having a meeting right now to decide whether you can stay or not," Rachel frowned. "But what if they vote that I can't? What'll happen to me?" I started to panic. "I can't just leave Astrid here! She'll—" "—Be fine," she said calmly. "We will just work the Mist into forgetting that you ever found this place." My eyes widened in fear. "No! You can't do that! I-I'll forget ever meeting Astrid too!" I stood up angrily, and stormed out of the cave. "Katie, wait! Where are you going?" Rachel called. "To settle things with Chiron," I shouted stubbornly.
I trudged down the grassy hills, and around the cabins, looking for the Big House. I pushed through several groups of campers, not bothering to be polite, and looked for any sign of recognition. 'This place is bigger than I realized,' I thought. "Hey, Shane!" I spotted the blond satyr and walked up to him. "Well, well. The zombie awakens," he grinned. "Whats up?" "I need to get back to the Big House," I explained. "Can you show me the way back?" Shane nodded. "Sure thing, beautiful," he grinned, and motioned for me to follow him. Flirt. I rolled my eyes and followed him back up the hill and around the beach.
By the time we reached the pavilion, my forehead was sweating and my tongue was dry from the heat. "How do live like this?" I panted. He shrugged. "You get used to it." "Yeah right," I took off my jacket and nervously walked up to the Big House. I hesitantly knocked on the door, and I heard the clipping of Chiron's hooves from inside. He opened the door. "Ah, Katie. I was just about to come find you," he said. "Please, come in." I squeezed past him and into the room. About twenty two teenagers, all seated around a ping pong table, stared at me. I shifted uncomfortably as a boy around seventeen looked at me with piercing blue-green eyes. Wait, bluish green eyes... I glanced at him again. He had jet black hair and a silver streak to the right, almost as if he'd dyed it gray. "We were just about to vote over whether you may be permitted to stay," Chiron said, jolting me out of my thoughts. "As you are mortal, it may be unwise for us to allow you to stay. But you could be a great strength for us too." I looked desperately at him. He smiled sadly.
"All in favor of erasing her memories through the Mist?" About eleven hands raised. "And all in favor of letting her stay here and adding to our defense force?" I saw the blue eyed boy raise his hand, and a couple people followed. Chiron grimaced. "Then it is decided—"
"Sorry I'm late." the door swung open and a boy around sixteen came striding in. He wore almost complete black, with the exception of his brown jacket and silver chains that hung off his belt. "Nico," Chiron greeted. A few of the counselors shifted in unease. His brown eyes flicked over to them, and they froze. "I was afraid that you wouldn't make it," Chiron said. "Yes, well Percy sent me a notice last minute...as usual..." Nico sounded bored, and he ran a hand through his dark shaggy hair. "Well, what have I missed?"
"We were just deciding; the vote was tied," Chiron said. "But since you are here now, I suppose you should vote too." Nico's eyes shifted over to me, and the room suddenly felt ten times warmer. He studied my face for what seemed like forever, and I averted y eyes, feeling awkward.
"Let her stay."
I felt relief wash over me, and I gratefully looked at him, but he was turned the other way. "Very well. She will stay with Rachel for the time being," Chiron cleared his throat. "Katie, I suggest that you find your friend now; dinner is almost ready and we have business to discuss." I recognized my dismissal, and I awkwardly bowed. "Yes, sir," I muttered, and I quietly left the Big House.
