School starts tomorrow. As if my update schedule wasn't bad enough.
Also, why do I feel like the quality of my writing varies everyday? Like sometimes it's okay, other times it looks like I wrote it at midnight when my brain was clouded with sleep. Wait—that's probably because that is what happens.
Me at midnight: Whoo! I have so much inspiration right now! I feel like I could write thirteen more chapters!
Me reviewing the next day: ...Who tf is Gerald? And where did Lou Ellen go?! GeRaLd Is ThE dAuGhTeR oF hEcAtE?!
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After what felt like days of walking, they reached a campground in the middle of the woods. Xanthi had lead them to what appeared to be a small huddle of trees, but once they were inside, it became a forest. There was no path and everywhere they looked they were greeted with nothing but trees, so Nico was surprised that Xanthi was able to lead them to their destination.
"This is it," Xanthi said.
There were a few children running around the clearing who stopped to stare at the four demigods, but no adults. They were probably in the tents. The tents were all pretty shabby and very obviously handmade, as was everything in that clearing in the woods. There were maybe a dozen tents, and each was big enough to fit maybe 3 skinny adults.
"This tent isn't currently occupied. You can rest here tonight, freshen up and gather supplies, and I expect you out of here by tomorrow morning."
"Why isn't it occupied?" Cecil asked.
Xanthi shot him a look. "My hospitality has limits. Do not overstep your boundaries. I'll go get you some food." She spun around on her heel and immediately began walking away.
"Oookay then," Cecil began awkwardly. "Should we go in?"
Lou Ellen pulled open the curtains covering the entrance and went inside. It was tall enough so that she and Nico didn't have to crouch, them both being 5'4", but poor Will and Cecil had to. It was almost as though the tents had been made for children. There were four little 'beds' lined up next to each other with a little space between them and the entrance. Lou Ellen set down her bag on one bed and gingerly sat down, and even then it creaked under her weight. Will and Cecil claimed beds on either side of her, and Nico took the bed on the other side of Will on the far left. It didn't creak under him at all, but he felt the weakness of it. He lifted the thin sheet off of it to reveal a handmade bed frame that seemed to have been made in a middle school wood shop class. Over it was a rope net and a sheet of animal skin. The others were similar, but Cecil's was slightly better constructed than the rest of theirs. He made sure to tell them that.
Xanthi reentered the tent with a plate of random foods. Bundles of grapes, some cheese, pieces of stale bread, and maybe a teaspoon of chocolate chips. Cecil immediately went for the chocolate and fought Lou Ellen for it. She ended up letting him have a single chip. Will took some grapes and handed a few to Nico, who refused. Will continued to offer them, but Nico ignored him.
"Were these beds handmade?" Nico asked.
"Yes," she answered curtly. "Complaining?"
Nico snorted. "I lived in a sewer for months, this is great."
She smirked, "My brother and I lived in a dumpster for a little bit."
"Then what happened?"
"I made this place."
"What do you mean by that?" Lou Ellen asked.
"I built a tent right here in the middle of the woods where I lived with my brother. Then, I began picking up some friends."
"Are there any adults here?" Will asked.
"No, we are the adults here. We run the show, we take care of ourselves."
"Are you orphans?" Nico asked.
Xanthi simply shrugged before tearing off a chunk of bread with her teeth. "Yeah."
"Did you ever know your parents?" Nico asked.
Xanthi eyed him. Slowly, she began, "One of them. But It was really just me and my brother our whole lives."
"Do you have any weird abilities?" Cecil asked.
Xanthi set down her chunk of bread and put her hand over her dagger. Nico mirrored her action. They made eye contact and remained like that as she slowly and cautiously answered, "No, why?"
Cecil, who didn't notice, continued, "Have you ever had strange interactions with creatures that no one else could see but you?"
"What are you suggesting?"
Nico noticed her tensing shoulders but also narrowing eyes. She glanced at around them, not directly at them, but her eyes kept returning to Lou Ellen's bag, and Nico was sure it wasn't just for the pig. She could see what was in there; the mist wasn't stopping her.
"Do you know about the gods? Greek and Roman?" Nico asked.
Her eyes immediately darted to him and widened. "Do you?"
"Nico di Angelo, Son of Hades."
She sharply inhaled. "I don't know my parent, but some of the other kids here were claimed. His bed," she gestured at Cecil, "was made by a five-years old daughter of Hephaestus. Your other beds were made by 11-12 year olds. There are a few children of minor gods and nymphs here too, and one young son of Hermes."
Will introduced himself, "Will Solace, Son of Apollo."
"Lou Ellen Blackstone, daughter of Hecate," Lou Ellen said next.
"Cecil Markowitz, son of Hermes. I have a brother here?"
Xanthi was now the least tense she'd been since she met them, but she was always on edge. "Yes! Would you like to meet him?"
Cecil nodded.
Xanthi stepped out and in Greek said, "Agafya, férte ton Dimitris." Agafya, bring Dimitris.
A few moments later, a girl about seven entered the tent carrying a baby, Xanthi followed close behind.
"This is Agafya and Dimitris. Agafya, these are Nico, Will, Lou Ellen, and Cecil. They are friends who will be staying for a while. Dimitris is your brother, Cecil.
"Hi," Cecil said softly. "May I.."
Agafya looked at Xanthi, and Xanthi nodded to her. Agafya laid the baby boy into Cecil's arms. "He's one year old so you don't have to worry about supporting his head, but of course still be careful."
Cecil nodded but kept his eyes on his baby brother. He gingerly wiped some hair out of his face and said, "Hi, my name is Cecil. I'm your big brother."
Dimitris giggled.
Lou Ellen and Will fawned over him and even Nico couldn't help but smile.
"Why is he all alone? Where's his other parent?" Cecil asked.
Agafya frowned. "Gone. She just kept him until he could eat solid food, then left him on my doorstep. I used to visit him and his mother everyday to help out, so she just gave him to me, I guess. But my dad was already getting enough monster attacks with me. With Dimitris, my dad had enough. He tried to kick Dimitris out, but I went with him. How would he survive on his own? He's just a baby. Anyways, we were alone until Xanthi found us."
"Is it the same with everyone here?" Lou Ellen asked.
"Alexander was abused by his father, Kassandra's mother died in childbirth, Paris's father was killed by an empousa, Andrew's mother was killed by a Dracana, the list keeps going," Xanthi said.
"Who takes care of you guys?" Will asked.
"Xanthi does," Agafya answered.
"My brother and I were seven, Agafya's age, when we took in our first kids. Before that we slept in a dumpster since we were three after our mom and step-dad kicked us out. By the time we were six we discovered this forest of trees that was hidden in virtually just a little arboretum. We built a tent and lived here for a year, hiding from monsters. One day I found a group of little kids that stumbled across this place just like us, and I raised them. Every so often lost children would find their way here, to us. The trees would guide them home."
Agafya looked up, as if staring right at the trees through the tent, "We call this place the Forest of Whispering Trees. Ever since Xanthi and Constantine moved in, the trees would guide children to them. They became the leaders of the orphans."
"The parents they never had," Nico said, barely above a mutter.
Will shook his head, confused. Almost angry. "I can't believe this. The gods swore to Percy that they would claim their kids before they turned thirteen. What makes them think that the ones in other countries are any different?"
Nico nodded. "The gods aren't very good with oaths. Le- Leo told me that he met Calypso who was still imprisoned in her island, even after the gods swore on the Styx to free her. Percy, Thalia, and Jason's very existence is proof of this too."
"W-What happened to him? Constantine? And the people who owned these beds?" Lou Ellen asked tentatively.
Xanthi suddenly became interested in the floor. "The people who you are looking for—they happened. We let the younger kids play on the sand and in the water by the river sometimes, and Constantine and those three 11-12 year olds were supervising them. The group of people and monsters came and took them all. One of the little kids managed to run back to me in time. I gathered a group of my best fighters and ran to the beach as fast as I could but... I was too late. They were all gone, but blood remained, floating in the water."
"I'm so sorry," Will gave her arm a supportive squeeze.
"Are they..." Cecil began.
"Dead? No, I can feel it. They are alive. However, I don't know where. But they are alive." She seemed to be convincing herself more than them.
The tent was silent except for Dimitris giggling as he stole Lou Ellen's rings and began pulling at her hair.
"So you have to help us," Will said, "Come with us."
Will-
"And lose more people? I'm the oldest standing person, everyone here is 12 and under. By the time they turned 13, they died, except for Constantine and I- but look at how that turned out. We have no help to offer other than supplies."
"You have so much to offer. Fight with us, we can't do this alone."
Xanthi hesitated, Dimitris gurgled.
"I have duties. Constantine wouldn't want me to get myself killed for him, and I cannot leave the children. I'll help you as much as I can. Come, let's have supper."
Cecil reluctantly handed Dimitris back to Agafya and the rest of them headed out. A few children from babies to 12 year olds emerged from their tents or around the woods and gathered around a few wooden tables and benches. The older kids and Xanthi helped set out platters of some charred mystery meat, another smoked meat, boiled eggs, and a variety of fruits, berries, and vegetables.
The four sat near Xanthi, who sat at the head of the table. Cecil reached for a plate but was stopped by Lou Ellen when Xanthi began to speak. "Today we have some friends joining us, and they will be staying for the night," the four demigods awkwardly waved, "they are guests, it's your responsibility to help them with whatever they may need."
She then reached for a plate, and everyone took that as a cue to follow suit. Nico took a plate as to not seem rude, but only put a single strawberry on it. Will nudged his foot and looked at him pointedly.
No, Nico sent him a silent message.
We haven't had breakfast and we literally had a piece of cheese for lunch, and you didn't even take any! Will shot back with his eyes, somehow.
I'm not hungry.
Yes, you are. You can't possibly not be, especially after you fought her for like an hour.
Nico thought back to what Will said last night. "'If you had the money, why did you let yourself starve?'"
It's not like he let himself starve, because he wasn't starving. He had nothing in him to fill. Even now, his stomach was hollow, and the smallest bite would make him purge himself clean. Will wanted Nico to eat, but where would it go? Would it disappear, like the rest of him? Once it entered the nothingness that is him, would it too vanish? Why would you throw food into the wind? Where will it carry it? Nowhere. It will just drop to the ground as the wind dies down and stay there to rot. This food should go to the other starving children at this table, it should not be wasted on him. He put nothing else on his plate as he nibbled on the smallest strawberry.
The other demigods, including Will who finally realized that he wouldn't be able to get Nico to eat, emptied their plates, and the children filed back to their tents. Xanthi, Agafya, and Dimitris followed the four back to theirs.
Agafya set Dimitris on the floor and he played with various objects he must have stolen. She and Cecil sat on either side of him. The remaining four sat at the foot of each bed.
"So who are you?" Xanthi asked, "We told you our stories, now it is only right you tell us yours."
"As master storyteller, I should tell it," Cecil immediately volunteered. "We come from America."
"We could tell," Agafya smiled. Dimitris giggled.
"There are lots of children of gods there, two camps full. The gods live in America too."
Agafya gasped, "have you met the gods?"
"Once or twice."
"You're not missing out on much," Nico reassured her. "We only see them when they need help."
Agafya nodded solemnly, "None of us have ever met or been acknowledged by our parents. Only Hermes regularly claims his children, if we get them. Aphrodite and Hephaestus do as well. Sometimes."
"The gods can be irresponsible, having kids," Xanthi sighed.
"You've had other children of Hermes?" Cecil asked.
Xanthi and Agafya nodded.
"Not... not anymore, though."
Cecil pulled Dimitris into his lap, and Lou Ellen slid off the bed to sit next to him.
"But we've learned to manage without the gods," Xanthi said. "We have each other, and there are other little demigod camps scattered across Greece."
"We have two major camps in the U.S. One is run by a centaur and the other by elected Roman Praetors," Nico said.
"A centaur?" Agafya repeated.
"His name is Chiron," Lou Ellen told her.
"It would be very helpful to have something like that here, but if we have more than the amount of demigods we already have in one area, we'd be a magnet for monsters. The only reason we're safe with so many here is because of the forest. It protects us. Most camps have up to 10 demigods in them, but we can usually get away with twenty," Xanthi said.
"How many do you have in your camps?" Agafya asked.
"A lot. We have well over 30 cabins! And there are more in the making. We have magic to protect us," Cecil explained.
"Which is why you should come with us," Will said with determination. "You could come with us, you'd be safe. And Chiron will take care of you, you don't have to be a mother at 15 years old."
Xanthi shook her head, "How? Everyone here is so young, and we'll attract monsters easily. How would we get all the way to America? And what about the other camps?"
"I..." Will tried to say something, but clearly couldn't think of what to say.
"I already told you, we'll help in whatever ways we can, but not anymore than that."
"What do you need help with? Why are you all the way in Greece?" Agafya asked.
"We're on a mission to free the prisoners," Lou Ellen answered.
"They've got someone else with them, other than your friends," Cecil added.
"Whoever they are, they kidnapped a god." Nico's words hung in the air.
"A god?!" Agafya gaped at him.
"How? And who?" Xanthi asked.
"We believe it is the god Apollo, my father," Will said, his grip tightened on the sheet covering his bed. "And how? No clue."
After a moment, "What do you need? We'll see what we can give," Xanthi said.
"Food, non perishable preferably," Lou Ellen said.
"You got some cheese, and I'll bring you some dried meat in the morning," Agafya said.
"Thank you, and what medical supplies do you use here?" Will asked. Of course.
"Some of our Hermes kids would 'borrow' medical supplies from stores. We have very limited supplies of Aspirin, ibuprofen, bandages, and cough drops. But because we have so few of those we really just use herbs. This forest has just about everything we need. Edible plants, animals for meat, trees for wood, vines for rope, poisonous plants for protection, fertile soil for gardening- but the plants have been dying ever since Rene and Phoebe, suspected children of Demeter, were taken. Only one is left who spends most of her time in the garden, trying to save them. We have just about every herb native to Greece, if you look in the right spots."
Will's eyes lit up, his worried look disappearing. "Do you have manna or hellebore?"
"What are those?" Cecil asked.
"That's the reason most mortals believe honey has healing properties, because they often confused manna and honey. And hellebore is used as a cure for madness," Will explained.
Xanthi nodded. "As I said, this forest has everything."
"So you have poisons too?" Lou Ellen mirrored Will's expression of excitement. Nico couldn't help but also feel a little intrigue at that question.
"Yes."
"Can you show us where they grow? Is it alright if I take some?" Will said, his excitement shining like rays of sunlight.
"Cecil, do you wanna come?" Lou Ellen asked him.
He politely shook his head. "I'm okay."
"We have time before sun down, so I guess I could show you." Xanthi smiled and stood up, leading Lou Ellen, Nico, and Will out of the tent, leaving Cecil alone with, Agafya, and Dimitris. Oh, and Mino the demon pig who was snoring away on Cecil's bed.
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