The bull reared its horns and charged at Dominic as he stood helplessly near the carcass of the van. Its hooves tore rents into the ground as it charged fearlessly ripping small plants and other debris from their spots. It seemed as if this bull would stop at nothing just to get to Dominic.
"Huh!!" A loud angry yell accompanied a spear plowing itself into the flank of the bull impairing its leg. The once beautiful smoothly flowing machinery now seemed to be clunky and horrendous that a slightly crackling spear had impaired the gear. The bull stopped in its tracks and snorted powerfully from the somehow working nostrils. Who would ever put that much detail into a mechanical automaton Dominic would never know? The bull regarded the spear in its flank with a look of annoyance and a loud erring in gears seemed to show why. The brief reprieve that Dominic had gotten from the spear had seemed no more as the gears slowly started crunching through the spear, but as it was that's when something extraordinary happened. The spear released an electrical shock into a small lightning bolt freezing the mighty bull in its tracks.
" You stupid bull!! Stop crunching on my spear!" A very angry voice yelled from the tree line past the camp half-blood sign. This voice seemed to have no care that it was the one who threw the spear there, it seemed to them that they were devoid of blame. A muscular dark haired girl ran out of the woods along with a seemingly ragtag group of people that somehow kept up with the blind rage of their leader. The first dark-haired girl that Dominic dubbed Angry girl booked it toward the bull and viciously pulled the spear out of the leg while the Bull was stunned. As this happened though the bull quickly regained its senses and turned around quickly bashing Angry girl with the side of its horns. She went flying across the clearing and from the crashing of leaves and plants and the extended curses she was okay. The rest of the group circled the bull occasionally poking at it and keeping it from maiming anyone further. That's when it changed of course Angry girl came back from the forest with a vengeance with her spear in hand, anger, and desire for the beast's death guiding her spear more than her mind. The spear had maimed the beast before and now that the group had weakened it she went in for the kill. She jumped from an impossible distance and flew through the air firmly plunging her spear into the bull's mechanical brain. Thankfully with this last blow, the bull stuttered and stopped, all the mechanical gears slowly whirring down to a stop. As the glow slowly left the bull's eyes as it powered down the body of the bull exploded into a cloud of golden dust that neatly flowed away into the wind.
"Another notch going into Maimer!" The angry girl said "Don't worry team! I fearless killed the beast and you can all feel safe!"
"Shut up Clarrise best you did was get yet another concussion!" another one of the group replied, giving Dominic the clue that Clarrise does this often, possibly to the detriment of others.
Dominic tried to edge toward this group of maniacs slightly, unnerved about how they could casually talk about killing the bull he witnessed while also thinking that they could protect him. If they could defeat that metal monstrosity then they could definitely defeat anything else coming after him.
One of the group noticed him standing awkwardly at the demolished van and started making their way over to him.
"Sorry about the van. It uh, wasn't my fault per se" Dominic starts awkwardly.
"It's all good demibro! I'll get that fixed up SUUPER well!" Another demigod with striking blue hair pops out from behind scaring Dominic slightly " There's no chance this baby will be taken down by that bull, it's SUUPER! Well built!"
Dominic sees in that moment how the van seemed to be working so well as the blue haired person quickly disappears into the van and clanking and hammering noises are already starting and it seems like the van could already start working then and there.
"Don't worry about big Frank, he's a bit interesting. I'm Steven" the original guy, now Steven, walked over to him telling him "We are all a bit interesting here, you'll get used to it. Now come along we have to go to the big house, Chiron wants to meet you"
Dominic followed Steven to a large blue house, it was aptly named big house. It was massive with a front porch that seemed inviting while at the same time to be foreign territory to the very dirt it was built on. The porch was large enough for many people to be on it without crowding and the paint was peeling and patchy in some places. Some planks were visibly worn, broken, and splintered in some places. The actual house was in stark contrast to the porch. It was well maintained with a nice baby blue color scheme with what looked like it had been freshly painted last week. There were several nice glass windows that provided a slight view into the inside of the house. From what Dominic could see as he walked onto the porch and looked through the window there were several bookcases, couches, and many rugs scattered around seemingly forgotten in pursuit of something else. Steven slowly opened the white front door with a loud creak and swiftly walked inside. Dominic, not paying attention and instead looking around, saw out of the corner of his eye that his guide was leaving and tried to join him. He failed. Instead of the majestic stride he wished he had he tripped on the door frame and flopped straight onto the floor inside the house. Steven looked back and smirked slightly, chuckling at Dominic while he tried to get up and hold his composure at the same time. Steven then turned and again started his now slower walk toward the back of the house seemingly to meet Chiron. Now thoroughly embarrassed he ran slightly after Steven to not be left behind and he slowed down after Steven stepped into a more office-like room.
Dominic stopped to look around at the room in amazement as there were many trophies and other nicknacks around the room. One the left wall there was a large horn that looked like it couldn't have belonged to anything other than a Scottish highland cattle but it looked too different to be a piece of cattle. It was ridged and very curly compared to cattle. A massive animal that has cow-like characteristics? Dominic thought it was weird. How would that even happen?
There were several other things in the room but there wasn't any besides the bow hanging on the right wall. It was amazing even to Dominic's lacking sense of archery taste. It was a sleek polished maple longbow that seemed to large for a human to draw. There were several carvings in the bow that Dominic couldn't recognize including one of a baby being held in a river. Dominic thought it was weird to drown your baby but it wasn't his business.
Dominic's attention is finally brought to the figure sitting behind the desk, seemingly the one named Chiron. He was a athletic man wearing a green suit and a white undershirt compliment with a black tie. Chiron had a well kept beard with long flowing hair down to his shoulders. That wasn't the thing about Chiron that got Dominic's attention. It was his eyes. They were striking gold with a slight green tinge. They were powerfully bright, not glowing per se but it looked like they could see right through you. You had no chance at hiding things from those intimidating eyes.
"Nice to meet you. I am Chiron and the manager of sorts of camp half blood. It's good to see you alive young Dominic" Chiron started mysteriously "Normally we don't have a meeting in my personal office but no matter. This is camp half blood. It is a safe place for people like you. A place where you can grow, train, and feel safe from the outside world. As your friend who rode with you probably told you, you are a demigod. A son of a Greek god or goddess. In camp half blood there are twelve cabins for each of the olympians. As you are unclaimed you shall be bunking with the Hermes cabin. Luckily though because it is winter it is a bit less crowded." While Chiron was saying this he was looking at Dominic a bit strangely, it seemed to be a mix of curiosity, understanding, and pity. Steven hated it. He never exactly liked people's pity. It didn't help him nor them but they gave it out like free candies at a sweet convention.
"Follow me" said Steven yet again guiding Dominic to his destination. " To my current home, the Hermes cabin!"
Dominic followed Steven yet again through a path to a large open area with 12 large cabins assigned in a u shape. They were of several shapes and sizes but Dominic couldn't pay attention to that as Steven was going quickly to one of the more shabby looking cabin.
It was a once beautiful cabin painted a soft yellow that wasn't screaming at you. It looked like a classic summer cabin that whenever you went it still felt like home with nothing out of place. Now though it looked patched and under construction with a large tarp being a door rather than a front door.
"We don't exactly have a door right now, one bonehead broke it while running from someone from the Ares cabin. He tried to close the door but that brute just ran through it. Note to you is never piss off the Ares cabin and get caught!" Steven was jovial as he moved aside the tarp and broken door under it to get inside "It gets a bit cold in here during the night but never freezing due to the magic barrier of weather. That's besides the point though here's a sleeping bag and toiletries, watch out for the other guys though they have some ah, sticky fingers. You can explore the camp on your own I don't have the time, don't be stupid and get yourself killed or something like that." Steven then placed Dominic's stuff on a random bunk bed that was similar to those all around the rest of the cabin. "You are lucky though usually during the summer you don't get a bunk. They are reserved for the actual children of Hermes. No I gotta go, later" With that last sentence he disappeared so fast Dominic would have thought he teleported without the faint curse and crash he heard when Steven crashed against the broken door and tarp combo. With his guide gone and no clue on what actually was happening Dominic sat on his bunk and thought about what to do. Should he even try to do something? He saw that the monsters could be destroyed with groups of demigods but what if he was caught out on his own again?
As he thought about it a hand was slowly reaching to his bottle of shampoo. Slowly. Cautiously. It continued to reach out, straining its fingers as much as it could to grasp the bottle. As it reached the last few centimeters the hand tapped the bottle knocking it right onto the floor in front of Dominic. The hand quickly disappeared but there were no footsteps to know that someone had left, the perpetrator was still there. As Dominic reached down to pick up the bottle, he looked under his bunk to meet the wide eyes of a girl staring at him. She had red hair and was pale as a ghost with a light smattering of freckles, she looked almost the same age as him but somehow shrank upon herself when he looked at her, and that wasn't the most interesting thing about her. She was so unnaturally still he had almost thought she was a statue. As she slowly let out a breath from holding it in, Dominic connected the dots on how his bottle fell.
"You were trying to steal my shampoo!?" Dominic angrily shouted his emotions combining anger and incredulity into confusion which helped him none.
"It wasn't me! It was that guy!" With those words she pointed slightly behind Dominic at a blank empty space. But as Dominic turned slightly she took the chance to book it but tripped on a suspiciously placed board planting her face into the hard wooden floor.
Dominic could not believe his eyes. A girl not much older than him just tried to steal something from him, blamed the air, then absolutely failed to get away.
The unnamed girl turned slightly and tried to get more words out.
" I was out then I want to wash I'm sorry I'm tired my face hurts waaagh" she says which then quickly turns into crying as she cradles her face.
Dominic, even further out of his depth, tries to help by staring at her.
It doesn't seem to work, she continues to cry. Then out of nowhere she stops crying and adopts the sunniest smile he's ever seen.
"I'm Lily! What's your name?" The girl says seemingly forgetting that she was crying a scant few seconds earlier.
"D-Domonic" he stutters back completely astounded. He already thought they were crazy and that was without his interference!
"Nice to meet you! Do you want to be my friend?" She says.
And with those words a new relationship was formed. It is not one that Dominic will like, in his mind, but even he is happy for a friend. In Dominic's more frontal mind however it is more of a parasitic relationship than any real friendship. She would not leave him alone, not as he explored the camp, not at lunch times, even waiting for him to leave the bathroom. Dominic was sick of it, but as fate deals good hands it also deals quite crappy ones and Dominic would someday wish for simpler times like these.
AN: I'm not exactly sure when updates will come as school and other stuff keeps me busy but there is a plan for a chapter three. It's quite something from this brain of mine. Thanks for the support the few you are and have a great day!
