Chiron was the type of guy (technically centaur) who you could have a proper conversation with. After he presented Camp Half-Blood by literally saying "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood" (or something along those words) he beckoned me to follow his trail. I was hot on his heels considering that I was just beat to almost unconscious by Silena.
On our way, many other teenagers were looking at me with curiosity. I mean, looking at it from their perspective it must be a little weird. Imagine, you're a camper here, you know everyone and then suddenly out of nowhere, that Aphrodite girl came back with a guy you don't know and she started beating the devil out of him. Of course, you would be curious as to who the hell is the guy. Even I don't know who I am!
We entered the Big House, which contained about four floors more or less. I followed Chiron into a room where a fat guy with leopard print shirt and purple pants sat with cards on his hands. On the table sat a half-empty diet Coke, some empty cans and a magazine that read "Wine Enthusiast Weekly". The guy seemed to have a powerful aura, but also seemed lazy so he didn't pose any immediate threat.
"Jagger, this is Mr. D, the camp director. Mr. D this is Jagger Buckley, a new camper" I simply nodded. Mr. D, on the other hand, let out a loud sigh and put his cards down. He looked at me with so much annoyance I thought he was going to make me disappear right then and there.
"Great, another brat!" Mr. D said sarcastically
"Great, another adult who doesn't care about kids. You should go to work at a school, you could pass for a PE teacher" I told him
Mr. D's face turned redder than a chili. He glared at me with so much hate that I almost regretted what I said to him.
"Listen Jesper Budding, you better learn to respect a god. Others would not hesitate to kill you where you stand" Mr. D said in a serious note, making no room for jokes or arguments.
Wait a minute...respect a god? Mr. D...reading wine magazines...lazy...this could only mean one thing.
"You're Lord Dionysius aren't you?" I said in a low but confident voice
"Finally, a brat who gets who I am. Hopefully there will be no need to turn him into a dolphin. I'll be nice to you and try to learn your name. It's Jesper Budding right?"
"Jagger Buckley"
"Now, Mr. D" Chiron interrupted "I have some personal manners I wish to discuss with young Jagger here. Do you think you could leave me and the child alone for a few minutes?"
"This is bull- yeah ok I'll leave, but make sure you're fast. I don't want to wait to play my game any longer" Dionysus took his leave from the room and closed the door, letting me alone with Chiron.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. The room suddenly became more habitable as to say, the sun light shone more brightly, the air felt lighter and I felt as I could inspect the room for possible escapes.
That's just something I've always liked to do. Wherever I'm in a close space, I like to look for ways to escape in case of an emergency. For example, right nor I could go through the window and run about 200m towards the woods. I could also jump on the table, punch the ceiling (it had a little hole in it that could break with the smallest effort) and go from there. Then there is the easiest one that would be escaping through the main door, but that could resort in many problems.
What was I talking about before? I was alone with Chiron the centaur right.
"So, how do you know who I am?" I asked breaking the ice while simultaneously asking what I had in the back of my mind since he said I was from West Virginia.
"Well Jagger. The story of your birth isn't one that many would like to hear. You see, almost every demigod here was born because their parents love each other or they-how can I put this gently- had a night of passion. I assume you do know how babies are made"
"Yes, there's a girl in my class already pregnant. If you ask me she's way too young. Like, I get it if you like guys or girls or whatever, but she's 12! At least wait a couple of years until you know who you want to be with. It's just plain irresponsible on her and the guys part" I started ranting about the topic. Sure, I am what Britney Spears would call a womanizer, but it doesn't mean I'm okay with girls 12 years old to do stuff. In fact, the most I've done with a 12 year old is make out, but everything other than that it was always someone older than me. Why am I getting so off topic lately? Right, don't have my ADHD pills anymore.
"Okay well...so you do know how babies are made" I nodded "Great. Now you see, your conception was like a glitch of the universe. Of course there were all the steps necessary for a conception, but there were also some abnormalities. Unfortunately I'm not the one you should go to for these details. What I can tell you though is, how I know who you are"
"Well yeah that's all I ask"
"Your godly parent came to Camp Half-Blood as soon as you were given to the orphanage. Your parent then gave me these two charms that one day I should give to you" he said pulling out a necklace and a hoodie. I took both of them in my arms and inspected them thoroughly.
The necklace was a silver chain, but not one of those really big ones. It was big enough to be noticed, but not so big so that it looked bad. When I put it on, the chain glowed a little.
"Go on, pull it like you're going to break it" Chiron instructed me. I did just that but instead of the necklace breaking, it just turned into a bow and quiver. How it did so is the mystery of the century, but who am I to judge in this great world with apparent gods. The bow was well well balanced and the quiver of arrows was a good weight, great for being able to move at fast rates and maneuver. The grip of the bow fit perfectly in my hand. I was so amazed by this new bow that I could've stayed studying it for hours. Sure, it wasn't a compound bow like the ones I used in competitions, but it felt better as simple as it was.
"Now check the hoodie Jagger" Chiron said. The hoodie by itself looked pretty normal, and kind of cool actually. The colors changed depending on where I put it, but there was a clear message written: "Ta agória tha eínai agória, tóte tha eímai ándras"
"'Boys will be boys', then I'll have to be a man" I translated quickly "Why does the message has to be so gay? Like no offense, but it's really gay. Do I have to wear it?" I asked Chiron and chuckled slightly
"Put it on and see for yourself what it can do" I looked at him weirdly and put the hoodie on. I saw how I could no longer differentiate between me and the room it's like-
"Camouflage" I said impressed. I focused on the hoodie and suddenly it turned to a white adidas hoodie. Unfortunately, the lame message was stuck on the hoodie on one of the arms.
"So this is cool. Anything else you might need to tell me about where I come from?" I asked Chiron
"Yes, two things in fact. First of all, your parent is going to be claiming you soon. Probably in a couple of days, a week at most"
"How do I know if I've been claimed?"
"Trust me, you'll know" Chiron said wisely. I hate when people do that. Like when I ask if I can go to the bathroom and the teacher says 'I don't know, can you?' I mean, you know what I meant. If you don't know what I meant, then how can you be my teacher?! Seriously, every time I'm peeing myself or almost shitting myself, the teacher pulls that card. On day I'm going to pee on them. That is, IF I ever return back to school.
"The second thing is your name. Jagger Buckley, why did you change your name?" Chiron asked me. My face turned into one of panic. Jagger Buckley has been my name since I changed it because I hated my old name. But now, the name of the past is coming back"
"I hated it. Simple as that"
"Well, if you are curious about who your parent might be, look at your old name Jagger, or may I say, Huntley A. Arc"
"Don't say that, I hate it. Huntley is a nerds name. The A stands for Artem which is short for Artemos who is a freaking senator and there's nothing lamer than that. Arc reminds me of Joan of Arc, who was on drugs or something thinking she could talk to angels and she died burnt at the stake! I don't want to be associated with that. Jagger Buckley is so much better and I shall be known as that. So please don't use my old name"
"Alright, I won't. Just remember, your old name contains the answers you're seeking" he said again mysteriously.
Just then a hunting horn and many people running outside was heard. Chiron's eyes widened the size of dinner plates.
"The Hunters, what are they doing here?"
