"You know, if you'd kept quiet, we'd still be at home at least pretending to be normal kids." Jax, my cousin, shot at me as we trudged up the hill. "Didn't really think it through, did you?"
I glared at him. "If we'd done that, then in two month an event that will shake western civilisation would have happened without us." I kicked a rock from my path as we finally crested the hill. Thalia's tree stood tall at the edge of the property, standing guard as she would for about two more years.
Walking down the hill, we headed towards the big house. Hopefully we would find Chiron and get our bunks in Hermes cabin squared away quickly.
And speak of the devil there he was. And boy is he more intimidating seeing him in person. He was tall, and in fairly good shape. But the nerve-wracking thing was his height. Take a regular thoroughbred horse, right? Now take off the head portion. That's still a beast standing at least 5' and a half. Now take the top about the 2' and a half, maybe 3' torso of a man and stick that on top. That is a large manimal.
He turned to us and smiled, and all the tension from his stature left me. It was warm and kind and promised that we always wanted the best for us. Like a father. As Jax and I walked up, he walked to meet us halfway.
"Ah, fresh new faces! Welcome, young heroes, to Camp Half-blood." He spread his arms in a sweeping motion as he approached. "With whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?"
At this, We both stepped forward and bowed as we had been taught.
"Jax Pallas."
"Sigurd Pallas"
Chiron merely continued to smile. "A pleasure, young ones. I am Chiron, trainer of heroes and administrator of this fine camp." He turned and motioned for us to follow. "I am assuming that you know what you are if you've found yourself here? If not I'd be more than willing to explain, as I know it can be quite strange."
We shook our heads. "We know we're demigods, Sir." Jax said as he looked around. I followed suit.
From an outside perspective, it really did look like an average summer camp. Barring a few obvious differences like the sword fighting arena, the satyrs, and the ever changing rock wall. Other than that, though, perfectly normal.
I looked back to Chiron. I knew, somewhere in my head, that he should be giving me some kind of sense of uncanny valley. But he just radiated such genuine kindness that I couldn't find it.
He nodded at us both. "In that case, I'll arrange for one of the older campers to give you a tour."
He walked off briefly and returned with an older boy. He had sandy blonde hair and kind eyes. And a wicked scar under and on his eye.
"This is Luke Castellan. A son of Hermes and your cabin counselor for the foreseeable future. I do wish I could be the one to conduct the tour, but I have some business to attend to." And with that, he cantered off, leaving us in the care of the very person who helped kick off the second titan war.
Luke didn't really look the type, though. He looked like an exasperated older brother with too much on his plate. But hey, maybe he was just a really good actor.
He gave us an easy smile and did an exaggerated bow. "Welcome to camp, my little friends." I bristled at that. Before this whole mess I had been physically older than him. Or at least, I think I was. It struck a nerve that I just knew might become a weird complex.
"Since we're here, we'll start with the arena." He walked through the arched entrance and moved along the edge of the sand pit in the center of the building. "This is where we'll train your combat skills. Regretfully, demigods will eventually find themselves in a situation they can't run from, so we have to be prepared." He sounded bitter at that last bit.
Jax walked over to a weapon rack and picked up a spear, testing the weight. He gave it a few test thrusts as Luke and I watched. Seemingly content, he put it back and walked back to us.
He smiled at us, happy with his small test. "I think I know what weapon I want to try." he said more to me than Luke.
Luke seemed content with that and nodded at the statement. "A good choice. Spears are great for staying out of reach and exploiting weak points. And they make good throwing weapons if you need a bit of range." He clapped his hands after his small lecture. "Alright. Since it's just about lunch, I'll show you two to the dining pavilion. Then some other camp activities and finally sleeping arrangements. Oh, I have to introduce you to Annabeth, too. She'd kill me if I didn't."
He led us towards the dining pavilion at a good clip, passing the cabins and the hearth between them. It was this pace that almost made me miss her. Sitting at the hearth, tending the embers gently, was Hestia. I made a mental note to speak with her later in the evening. We continued on and finally reached the dining area. We promptly took our seats.
And just as it was written, all you had to do was say what you wanted to eat and drink and it appeared. Lifting my glass, I felt I had to try something. "Coke starlight." I waited. After thirty seconds I heaved a sigh. "Raspberry lemonade." Unfortunately it couldn't bring me things that don't exist yet.
"Mug Root Beer." I hear Jax say beside me, absolutely entranced by the glass seemingly filling itself. He looked at his plate next. "Buffalo wings." And his plate was piled high with chicken and sauce. I looked to my own plate.
"I guess, a patty melt with steak fries?" Lo and behold, a cheesy melt and crisp fries appeared in front of me. We waited until it was our turn to give offerings. I see Jax throw a few wings into the fire as he mumbles.
"Let us know why we're here." And he walked back, much more subdued than he'd been.
And then my turn came. I take half the melt and most of the fries and dump them into the fire. "To our parents. Hopefully we serve you well." I walk back, already eating my half of the melt.
Lunch passed by rather smoothly, conversation flowing between us and the other unclaimed children. And that's when it really hit me. I looked around and realized that the oldest campers were around Luke's age. Only around 18. So many kids dying young. It really was depressing.
Lunch soon ended and the other campers went back to their activities. Meanwhile, Luke went over to the Athena table. No doubt to grab Annabeth. We waited while he did what he did to get her over here. Why he thought she'd be interested in two random half-bloods, I had no idea. Either way, seeing the way he interacted with her, and with all the kids for that matter, showed that he cared about the kids here. Seeing it, I truly can believe that all that he would do, he did for them.
He soon walked over with a blonde girl who could only be the infamous Wise Girl. She stood about two inches taller than I was, and her arms had several scars along them. She looked at us as if we were a puzzle. And to her, we probably were. Two unclaimed demigods related on our mortal sides. We must have made a nice thought experiment.
"Annabeth, these are Jax and Sigurd Pallas. Unclaimed. Boys, this is Annabeth Chase. Daughter of Athena and all around know-it-all." Luke said with fondness in his voice as he ruffled her hair half out of its ponytail. Annabeth gave him a quick pout while she thought we weren't looking.
She went right back to studying us. "Jax, derived from Ajax, cousin of Achilles. Sigurd, a Norse name. My cousin Magnus' name is Norse as well." If her look could get more critical, then it did. That look single handedly showed why she would become one of the most feared and formidable demigods.
So I did the stupidest thing I could think of. I met her stare head on with one of my own. Onlookers may say that our staring match was fairly evenly matched. The truth is, a piece of my soul died that day. Before it could get too intense, Luke and Jax got in between us, taking to opposite sides of the table for the sake of peace.
After that little altercation, Annabeth joined us on our tour of the camp. She added little tidbits of information and actually seemed to loosen up a bit as we asked questions. Then, about an hour before dinner, Luke told us that Chiron would be making the official announcement of our arrival during dinner. Before that, we had to see Mr. D.
Lord Dionysis. We would be meeting our first actual god. As he led us towards the Big House, I couldn't stop the nervous energy that overtook me. I felt this reverence in me towards his name deep in me that I couldn't quite explain.
As we got closer, I could almost feel the change in the air. It became choked with the smell of fresh grapes and wine. I faintly heard drunken and ecstatic laughter in the distance. Looking to the others, they didn't seem to sense or feel anything out of the ordinary. When we were almost on the back porch, a man wearing a Hawaiian shirt stepped out of the back door with a cup in his hand. And suddenly, his eyes were on us.
It felt like my soul was being forcibly removed from my body with white hot tongs. A quick glance showed that Jax wasn't doing any better. And then he was in front of us. He looked how the books described him. A bit disheveled and overweight. Until he didn't. His form began to flicker. Flicker between the man from the books and the God sculpted in so many statues.
"Now this is interesting. Two wayward souls, far from home." He chuckled to himself, taking a small sip from his cup. "It seems the fates aren't just cruel to me. Give me one good reason I shouldn't set every cell in your bodies aflame."
Everything hurt. He was rubbing my soul raw, reading everything like a badly bound book. But in that instance, I regained a smidge of my missing life.
With what energy I could find, I knelt, bowing to my lord. "Lord Dionysis, please spare us. The Fates must have a reason for bringing our souls here. In my life before you were my patron, and I would like the opportunity to worship where I can see you." Each word felt like acid with the effort I had to exert to grind them out. But they were true.
He looked us over a moment longer. Then the pain stopped. I was able to stand and breathe again. I looked up into the eyes of the god before me. And again he searched my soul. Only this time, it felt less like a flaying from the inside out and more like the loose feeling after a few glasses of wine.
The feeling lingered even as he moved to inspect the soul of my cousin. Even if he had no words of allegiance to offer, he was family to both myself and Dionysis in a sense. He wouldn't die this day. After what felt like hours, he finally addressed us both.
"I suppose you have a point. Killing you would only pit the Fates against me unnecessarily. So this once I'll let you both slide." He took another sip from his cup, a disappointed look crossing his face. "You seem like intriguing little godlings, so don't prove that notion wrong."
Suddenly, we were back standing where we were when he first stepped out of the house, with no god in sight. Until he walked out the door again just the same way he did before. Only this time, his form stayed solid. The androgynously beautiful face that adorns sculptures replacing the facade of an old, tired camp director. He looked at our group with decided disinterest.
Luke spoke up from beside us. "Mr. D, these are the new campers who arrived today." He gestured over us. "Sigurd and Jax Pallas." He smiled, though it looked almost strained. Like being in the god's presence made him uncomfortable. Knowing who he is, it probably did.
"Yes, yes, very good. We'll announce Simon and Jace at dinner tonight, so let Chiron know not to pester me until our game tonight." And he disappeared back into the house.
With that, Luke and Annabeth went off to their duties as cabin counselors, so Jax and I were free to do as we please for the better part of an hour. Jax decided to visit the arena, leaving me with the opportunity I needed. I made my way through the quickly darkening campground till I was back to the hearth between all the cabins.
She was still sitting there, tending the steadily growing fire. I approached slowly, not sure how this divine meeting might go after the strange fiasco with Lord D. She turned to me, most likely having sensed me. I was greeted with a smile. A smile that felt like home.
She waved to the empty spot beside her and I promptly sat down. "Well you're a new face. Recently arrived, young one?" I nodded. "Then welcome to Camp Half-blood on behalf of myself. Do you know who I am, young one?"
I nodded again. "I do, Lady Hestia. I hold you in the highest regard among the gods."
She laughs to herself. "Don't let my brother catch you saying that or you might end up thunderstruck." She took a moment to regard me. "You feel like Dionysis. Not like his children, but his mark is definitely there. Now what could you have done to gain his interest, I wonder."
Before I could answer, the conch horn sounded, signaling dinner. She gave me a small wave I took to mean go ahead. Soon I was seated beside my cousin once again at the Hermes table. Soon we all had food and good conversation. I walked up to the fire and dumped three portions into the fire. "For Lord Dionysis, Lady Hestia, and my father, whoever you might be."
Soon enough, Chiron and Lord D stood before all the campers. "Alright little godlings, we got two more of you today so try to not kill each other." With that, Lord D walked away, leaving Chiron.
"Um, yes, well, as Mr. D has said, we have had two more demigods make it camp. Please welcome Sigurd and Jax Pallas." The reactions from the other cabins were mixed, but at the very least most of them didn't seem malicious aside from the Ares cabin.
Guess this is life now.