Hey, hey! I'm updating! Some things are explained and make things make you wonder! And if it isn't obvious I've changed my pen name! But it's still me, pjoroxs, I swear to you it is!
Enjoy!
Chapter 11-Camp Half-Blood
8:19 PM
Long Island, New York
Camp Half-Blood
Danny trailed behind the group, watching how everyone seemed so comfortable and laid-back. Only Lottie seemed to be as tense as she was.
Lottie fell back and walked next to Danny.
"Weird, huh?" Lottie asked, her voice sounding tight.
"You have no idea," Danny replied, staring at everything as they past. Lottie stared as a Pegasus flew past them in the night.
"I think I do."
Annabeth laughed at something someone ahead of them said and Piper and Hazel looked back at them.
Hazel motioned for them to catch up as Piper smiled, as if saying, 'Come on, we won't stab you with our deadly weapons.'
Danny gulped as Lottie looked over at her. Danny glanced back to Lottie then pushed forward, joining the rest of them.
Percy and Annabeth drew deep breaths and Percy said, "It's good to be home," as he snaked an arm around Annabeth's waist, "What do you think, Wise Girl?"
Danny could just make out Annabeth's silhouette, nodding her head.
"It's even more beautiful at night," Annabeth said as she and Percy headed towards a giant farmhouse. Lottie poked Danny's shoulder.
"What?"
Lottie just pointed to what looked to be….cabins? Danny squinted her eyes and gasped and jumped as she saw one of the cabins glowing silver. Thalia looked back this time and laughed.
"It's just the Artemis Cabin," She laughed and continued up the porch steps to the open door to the farmhouse.
"Artemis Cabin?" Danny mouthed to Lottie who shrugged and followed Piper and Hazel into the farmhouse. Danny found herself wanting to run inside the house but wanting to run away and put herself in a mental institution at the same time.
She eventually decided to walk into the building. She saw a man in a wheelchair parked by a fire, the rest of their little group seated around the man. Danny stood towards the back, staring at the man with the scruffy beard and old eyes.
She felt as if she should know him-no, she felt that she did know him.
Chiron stared at the girl who had entered the building with great curiosity. She looked just like someone he knew….a long time ago….someone who had died about seventeen years ago. A daughter of Demeter.
The name came to Chiron almost instantly. But he said nothing. Not a word.
And they stared, as if they were sharing some deep, dark secret.
"Chiron?" Annabeth interrupted, feeling a little scared.
"Yes, child?" Chiron said, reluctantly taking his eyes off of Danny.
"Um, this is Lottie. The demigod we found at Goode."
"Yes, Lisetta Stewart, and you have a brother, correct? Max?"
"H-How'd you know about Max? And my name? I didn't even tell you that yet," Lottie sounded distant and quiet, but mostly confused ad scared, which Danny knew wasn't normal. Lottie would usually put up the brave front.
"Not the matter right now. Annabeth?"
"Yes, sir?" Annabeth sat up a little straighter, the firelight making her golden locks glow.
"Why don't you show Lisetta-erm, excuse me, I mean, Lottie-to the Hermes Cabin, where she'll sleep tonight. We'll fetch her brother in the morning."
Annabeth nodded and said, "C'mon, Lottie," and the two left without another word. Percy went on and explained about the attack back at the Chase's house, Thalia filling in for when they got to a part where Percy was upstairs.
Piper and Hazel both glanced back at Danny.
"We didn't know what to do with the mortal," Thalia whispered, "so; we kind of just brought her with us."
Danny's ears twitched. The way Thalia had said 'the mortal' made her queasy and cautious of all of them-even Percy.
"Quite all right, my dear. She may sleep in the guest room here in the Big House for tonight. You must be tired, children, why don't you go back to your cabins and get some sleep?" They all nodded and said their 'good night's and 'see you in the morning's.
Danny just backed up slightly to let them through, not responding when they said good night, and flinching when Hazel raised her hand to wave good bye. She started to turn when the man's voice stopped her mid-step.
"Dona?" He asked. A flash seemed to pass through Danny's eyes. A completely different life that wasn't her own. There was a boy, with blonde hair and sparkling hazel eyes, and then Danny saw her dad, and the person eyes she was looking through patted his head.
And then there was something terrible. A flash of light, the sounds of explosions, and then nothing. Then a river came into view. Whoever Danny was seeing through said, "Yes," in a voice very much like her own, and then stepped into the river.
Danny's vision returned to normal, and she was staring at the wall, the fire to her left, along with the strange man.
Her voice came out shaky, saying automatically, "My name's Danny, sir. I'm no longer Dona."
Who was Dona? She wondered to herself. And how could I be her if I'm…me?
8:25 AM
Long Island, New York
Camp Half-Blood
Lottie was still in shock.
Last night, when Annabeth led her to the 'Hermes' Cabin, the person to answer the door was none other than her boyfriend, Marco.
"Marco?" She had said, utterly shocked. He said he was visiting family this weekend.
"L-Lottie? Is-Is that you?" His eyes widened as Annabeth raised an eyebrow.
"Lottie's staying here tonight. I'm sure her dad will claim her by breakfast tomorrow," Annabeth had said before leaving Lottie in the doorway and heading towards a different cabin. "Night Lottie!" She had called over her shoulder.
But Lottie hadn't slept that night. She couldn't. She found sleep an impossible dream that eluded her grasp. So she had laid in bed, staring at the ceiling through the darkness.
When morning finally came, she saw two boys stir across the room. She quickly closed her eyes and feigned sleeping; leaving just a tiny space so she could see what they were doing anyway.
"Psst! Travis!" One whispered.
"Yeah?" The other-Travis-responded, just as quiet.
"Newbie came last night! Look!" The first voice said.
"My, gods, you're right, Connor! How could I have forgotten? You know what we got to do right?" Travis whispered to Connor, who nodded so fast he looked like the bobble head that fascinated Lottie's little sister Elizabeth so much.
"But which prank to use?" Travis pondered.
"What about-"
"No. Hmmm….Oh! How 'bout-"
"Uh-uh. We did that to the last newbie, remember?"
"Oh, yeah, we did."
"How about a classic? Like, but whipped cream on her hand then tickle her nose?"
"That'll have to do. We'll do something to whatever cabin she gets put in after she's claimed." The two boys smiled devilishly, making Lottie shiver. As they scrambled around looking for a feather and some whipped cream, Marco had stirred in the bed next to Connor's.
"What're you guys up to?" He asked wearily.
"Gonna pull a prank on the newbie. What's it look like?" Travis answered as he pulled a feather from under one of the bunks.
Marco shot out of bed and took the feather out of Travis's hand.
"Oh no, you don't!" Marco replied angrily.
Connor came back in from the bathroom with some whipped cream. "And why not?"
"Because that's my girlfriend!"
That made Lottie smile and think along the lines of 'AAAAWWWWW!'. But she stayed quiet.
Travis and Connor seemed to pale at that. Then they got down on their knees and started to beg.
"Sorry, dude!"
"We didn't know!"
"If we did-"
"-we wouldn't have even thought of it!"
"Yeah! Please-"
"-forgive us!"
Lottie couldn't hold it in any longer. She couldn't help herself. She started giggling like crazy.
"You're awake?" The two boys, who looked as if they could be twins with their identical looks of shock on their faces, exclaimed. Lottie's only reply was a fit of giggles.
"Well," The shorter one-whose voice matched the one identified as Connor-said shortly. "Isn't she a charmer?"
Travis bit back a smile as Marco smacked Connor upside the head.
"Shut it, Stoll," Marco growled. When Lottie got her giggling under control, the rest of the cabin (which only had two girls in it-including her!) was now awake.
Before anyone could say anything, a conch horn blew in the distance and Travis and Connor shouted in unison, "Eleven, fall in!"
And the cabin started to line up single file. Lottie just stood where she was as people found their places in line. Marco looked at her and said, "You're at the end of the line."
Lottie nodded and gave a shaky smile as she went to the back of the line, right behind the only other girl.
The girl in front of Lottie gave her a mischievous grin and Lottie could feel that her bracelet was no longer around her wrist.
"Looking for something?" The girl asked innocently. Lottie glared.
"Yes. Do you know where it is?"
"What's 'it' darling?"
"A bracelet."
"Oh, you mean this one?" The girl held up her wrist and flashed the gold and silver bracelet.
"Yes! Now give it back!"
"Finders keepers, losers weepers!" She sang like a five year old.
" Please! It's the only thing I have of my dad!"
The girl's eyes immediately softened and she slid the bracelet of and handed it back. "Oh, yeah. Sorry. If I'd known it was from your dad-"
"It's alright. Thanks," Lottie muttered, not speaking another word until they reached whatever destination they were heading for. Upon entering the dining pavilion, Lottie's eyes widened at the sight.
There were a bunch of picnic tables with cloths covering them. Several people-hundreds-sat around various picnic tables. Some were full to bursting, others had very few or no one sitting at the tables. Lottie was led to an empty table where the rest of the cabin was.
"Heroes!" The guy who had been in the wheelchair last night called, pounding his hoof on the ground. Lottie's mouth dropped, and she searched around and looked at people's faces. They all seemed to find it normal. Even Danny seemed only a little startled but not as afraid as she'd been last night.
"Good morning," Chiron continued once everyone's conversations seemed to die down. "And welcome! Last night, Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, Piper, Grover, Nico, and Hazel brought us a fellow camper!" A cheer went up from the crowd, causing Lottie to blush. "So, we not only welcome a new comer, but we welcome back our own heroes. Our campers! Our friends! But most importantly, our family."
Percy, who was sitting at a table alone nodded to Chiron. Annabeth, who was at the table across from Percy's smiled wide. Thalia, who sat with a bunch of girls dressed in silver, just kept laughing and whispering with the group of girls. Piper and Hazel both smiled and gave a short nod.
"And they've also brought us….a new friend."
"A camper?" Someone called from one of the many tables.
"No. A mortal."
Whispers rose immediately, and a red-headed girl who sat next to Danny put an arm around her shoulders and smiled mysteriously.
"Silence!" Chiron's voice rang through the pavilion, hoof clopping on the tiled ground. "Mr. D, if you'd do the honors."
Chiron backed away and who must've been Mr. D stood and said dully, "Welcome Liza Seward to Camp Half-Blood, blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada…." Chiron whispered in his ear. "Sorry, Lottie Stewart, I mean."
Then he sat down, completely forgetting about Danny. Chiron whispered in his ear again and Mr. D rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"And the mortal, Danielle Lilac," Mr. D said through gritted teeth, not even bothering to mess up her name. He had said mortal with complete loathing in his voice, making a shiver run through Danny.
As breakfast progressed, Lottie felt less and less awkward with the group of people she was surrounded by, even if they believed their parents were immortal gods who didn't exist. She found them fun to talk to and they made her laugh and feel welcome.
But soon a bright light appeared along with a collective gasp. Chiron kneeled and announced, "Hail, Lottie Stewart, daughter of Apollo!"
Lottie looked straight up at the glowing gold sign floating and bobbing in the air above her head. Some people at a nearby table started cheering and whistling, Travis and Connor doing the same. Marco smiled and got up and pushed her over to the table.
She turned and gave him a playful glare, he just responded by saying, "Go on!"
She took a deep breath and headed for the cheering group. There were three other girls not including herself. One of the girls who had dark, wavy, brown/black hair and red highlights came over and looped her arm through hers.
"Welcome to the Apollo Cabin! Always glad to have another girl around. I swear, these guys…." The girl looked at the boys at her table, "are worse than idiots."
"I heard that!" A boy, whose mouth was full of food, mumbled. He somehow swallowed it without choking and held out his hands. "Hold. Everything."
The Stolls started grabbing at things, causing the girl who had looped her arm through Lottie's laughed.
"C'mon, Oliver, no need-"
"New sister has come
Forward she steps to our table
I can't believe it." The boy-Oliver, bowed, expecting applause.
The girl rolled her eyes as she sat Lottie down in-between her and another girl.
"I'm Jaycee," The girl introduced. She then pointed to the girl on the other side of Lottie. "Nina. Then there's Andrea. The Haiku Idiot is Oliver, then there's the cabin counselor Will, and then there's Dean and Levi."
All the names swirled in Lottie's head as people gradually went back to their breakfasts and the table said 'hi'.
"So, what just happened?" Lottie asked, completely bewildered.
"You were claimed." The table shrugged.
"Claimed?"
"You're dad-our dad-Apollo, claimed you as his daughter," Will said casually, taking a swig of milk.
"That can't be possible. The Greek gods are just a bunch of-"
"Don't. Say. Myths," Jaycee said sternly. The look in her dark chocolate brown eyes shut Lottie right up. If Lottie really concentrated, she could've sworn they were glowing gold. "Sorry," Jaycee mumbled.
"It's a sensitive subject for her," Nina whispered. "Home life isn't good and she likes to hold on to Camp and demigod stuff."
"Demigod?" Now Lottie was beyond confused. She was beyond lost. She just didn't understand.
"Chiron hasn't talked to you yet, has he?"
"Not really, no. I think Annabeth was supposed to-"
"Nope," Annabeth's voice came from behind. Lottie turned and saw Annabeth standing behind her. "Your cabin counselor does that, so Will will be showing you around. Percy and I get to explain things to Danny, calm her down, and swear her to secrecy."
"Have fun!" Jaycee said cheerily, which didn't fit her. She finished her breakfast and cleaned up. "Me and the Stolls are gonna go….hang out."
"No pranking Apollo Cabin!" Will called after her as she ran to meet the Stolls at the edge of the pavilion.
9:08 AM
Long Island, New York
Camp Half-Blood
Percy and Annabeth led Danny to the beach, where they had her sit down. Danny sat without a word, extremely cautious of everyone now. Why had Chiron called her Dona? Why had she said she was no longer Dona, indicating she was at one point?
And the weirdest part seemed to be the fact that she knew this place already. She knew Mr. D was a grumpy old man, and she hadn't been fazed when Chiron explained the gods to her, and she wasn't fazed at the fact that Percy-the boy she'd been crushing on for a while-was a demigod and he'd already saved the world quite a few times.
Percy and Annabeth lowered themselves onto the sand, sitting on either side of her as she stared at the waves that softly lapped the sand.
But before Annabeth could get a word out, Danny blurted, "I-I know this place!"
Annabeth looked at Percy then back to Danny. "How?"
"I don't know. I just do," She looked to Percy. "You got to believe me!"
Percy looked at Annabeth quickly, then back to Danny and nodded. "Okay."
She took a shaky breath and smiled, a stray tear sliding down her cheek.
"Last night. Chiron called me….he called me Dona. And I said I was Danny and no longer Dona. What does that mean?"
Recognition flashed in Annabeth's eyes. "I've heard of a Dona. Dona Lilac, daughter of Demeter. She was a sole survivor from a quest gone wrong, but the Oracle had warned them not to, they went anyway. She then disappeared the next day, deciding the demigod life just wasn't for her and she kept the truth from her brother."
"What happened? To her afterwards, I mean."
"She died. She worked in a lab with herbs and things like that. Someone had a grudge and sat it on fire. And there was an explosion. She died about seventeen, maybe eighteen years ago." Annabeth looked at Percy. "Do you think that Danny could-"
Percy shrugged.
"What? I could what?"
"Maybe Dona tried for rebirth and was reborn into her brother's daughter."
"How do you know?"
"I don't."
Danny continued to stare at the waves as Annabeth and Percy quickly changed the subject and had her swear to secrecy. But honestly? Danny thought that was unnecessary. Who would believe a seventeen year old girl screaming the Greek gods were real? She'd get a straight jacket and white room for sure.
Yeah, not much of a place to end, but I needed to end somewhere and this chapter got long in my opinion. Camp is just too amazing, ain't it? :)
Well, not much to say...you all know I don't own PJO or HOO. Some more of the HOO characters'll be involved soon, if you were wondering ;) And someone said 'Isn't an empusa the Greek version of a vampire...?' Well, to answer that question, the Greeks had many different types of vampiric creatures. The Lamia is one. It only feeds upon children, whereas an empusai feeds upon men.
The Greeks were weird, we know. I should know. I am a Greek X) *In my imagination. I'm not really Greek. I'm American.*
~*J.C*~