Welcome everyone to chapter 6!
It's time for Amira to get educated in the way of Greeks! Plus a little friend-time-bonding
I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!
"Wait here."
Amira noticed that they were already at the giant fire. She nodded in response to Annabeth and watched as the blonde walked over towards the large fire and stopped in front of who she saw as a really tall person.
Amira knew she would be too tired to do anything so she took a tiny part of the immense amount of energy stored in the gem in Arvindr, smiling to herself as she thought of what a fit Balenda and Eragon would have if they knew. She immediately felt her strength return and energy level rise so she awkwardly pulled from Jason's half-embrace.
Looking up Amira saw that Annabeth was walking back over with the other person. When they got closer, her purple eyes widened when she realized that the person wasn't really tall: he was half horse. Annabeth brought the horse-man over to Amira and the purple-haired teen quickly fixed her expression so she wouldn't be staring rudely.
"Amira, this is Chiron. Chiron, Amira." Annabeth introduced simply.
"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, Amira." He greeted kindly. Amira bowed her head politely in return.
"Are you the leader here?" She asked.
"I could be called that, though I prefer the term Director." He corrected humbly. Amira mentally sighed in relief. At least she found the person- er, horse in charge.
"Is there a place we speak in private? I am quite confused by this place." She asked, gesturing around her, and Chiron nodded in understanding.
"Of course." He turned to the eight demigods. "The Campfire is nearly over. All of you return to your cabins for the night."
There were protests immediately but Chiron simply held his hand up and they stopped. Amira saw that all the other people that had been sitting around the fire were beginning to head towards the weird buildings.
The small group said their goodnights then started off towards the cabins. After watching them leave, Chiron turned back to Amira.
"Come with me." Chiron started walking. "Maybe then you could explain all that has happened."
==Ω Ω Ω==
"From the looks of your clothes, I am willing to guess that you are not from around here?"
Amira was sitting across from Chiron in a fairly large room. The centaur had somehow managed to place himself in an odd chair with wheels so he now looked like a normal person.
Amira twirled her hair around her finger as she thought of her response to Chiron's question. The night had passed by and now that morning had come and she was rested and her mind more clear, Chiron had asked to explain who she was and where she was from.
"Your guess would be correct, Chiron. I am not from here; I am from Alagaesia." She confessed. Chiron looked confused.
"Amira… I have never heard of Alagaesia." He told her seriously. Amira's head started spinning.
"You have never heard of The Riders? Or Uru'baen? Or Ellesméra?" She feared the worst as Chiron shook his head.
"Afraid not, my dear. In fact, I don't believe places with those names even exist in this world."
"Does not… Of course not..." Amira nodded very, very slowly, her mind feeling numb. She had suspicions since arriving on Earth but until now, she hadn't been sure if they were true.
"Are feeling you alright?" Chiron asked gently when her hand went to hold her spinning head.
"I am very confused." Amira's usually smooth voice was now shaking with emotion. "I do not have any knowledge of where I am. It- It is scary to know how far from home I am."
"I wish I could help but I am afraid that the most I can do now is tell you about this world." He offered. Amira nodded. "What would you like to know?"
"Anything you can tell me." She decided.
"Alright then. Are you ready to learn?"
The Rider answered in the affirmative and the centaur began. Amira listened intently as he spoke about the primordial gods and all of Chaos and the creation of the universe. He explained to her about Tartarus, Gaea, and Uranus. She listened in stunned awe as he told the story of Gaea giving birth to the Titans and their uprising against Uranus, about Kronos marrying Rhea and his devouring their children because of what he feared they would do.
Chiron spoke of Zeus, the most powerful and king of the gods, and how he saved his siblings from their father and how they overthrew him. He spoke of Titanomachy and the Giant War. Chiron then told Amira about the first and second second Titan war and the camp's involvement as well as another camp, Camp Jupiter.
After hearing about how powerful the Titans were, Amira was surprised to be told that Percy had defeated an Olympian and Titan. She listened captivatingly about the second Giant War and their victory then as Chiron told her about the latest war against the giants that the seven demigods fought and defeated Gaia. He also told her everything he knew about the history of Earth's monsters (Greek and Roman).
When Chiron finished, he looked exhausted and Amira couldn't blame him: he had talked for hours, explaining as much as he could on the Greek and Roman Gods and the history of Earth.
Amira sat back in her chair, her mind reeling a hundred miles-per-hour as she tried to take in all she had learned. She slowly dropped her head to her hands.
"Where in Islanzadi's name have I been sent?" She muttered to herself. Chiron placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Believe me, I understand how overwhelming this all is. But now you know the history and present of this world, would you be willing to tell me of yours?" He asked. Amira looked up a moment later, taking a deep breath to ready herself.
"Yes. I will tell you but it may take me some time." Chiron nodded and gestured for her to continue. "I begin by warning you that what I say may not make much sense in the beginning but it all shall become clear the more that I speak."
Amira then proceeded to tell him about the history of Alagaesia. She told them about the six races: Elves, Urgals, Dwarves, Werecats, and Dragons and about the elves' arrival in Alagaesia and the war with the dragons that almost destroyed both races. Then she spoke about the bond they formed to ensure peace as well as the human's arrival to Alagaesia and how they were involved in the bond. She also told him about the history of the Dwarves and Werecats.
The Alagaesian paused for a quick moment when she got to the darker part of her world's history but took another deep breath and continued. She told him about the human Rider Galbatorix and how the death of his dragon sent him into madness. She explained how he asked for another dragon but was refused, resulting in him vowing to bring down the Order of The Riders and how he did; Galbatorix stole a dragon and throned himself the king. She then told him about the resistance called the Varden before telling him all about the war, all the fighting that happened, and how Eragon and Murtagh finally defeated the Mad King.
Finally, she told him her own story and how she received her dragon, Balenda. She explained how, after a meeting, she found Balenda was missing then how she got sucked into a tornado and ended up in the woods at Camp Half-Blood.
By the time she finally finished, several hours had passed and her throat felt raw and dry. Chiron had remained silent throughout the entire story except for a few small questions he asked to clarify, soaking in every word. It took him a minute after Amira finished but, finally, he spoke.
"Your world is just as complicated as it seems, Amira." He noted. "I am saddened to hear you were sent here so soon after your victory against the king. What I am curious about is how is it that he was able to destroy hundreds of Riders with little over a dozen at his side?"
"Galbratorix had close to infinite power that he shared with his followers and therefore made it almost easy for them to do so." She explained as Chiron moved his wheeled-chair to a sink and got a cup, filling it with some water. He came back to where she sat and handed her the cup. She gave her thanks before taking a long drink.
"And how did he gain that power?"
Amira paused for a moment, setting the cup down on the small table in front of her.
"I cannot give you an answer to that question for two reasons: the first is because it is one of the most close-guarded secrets of The Riders and such information is not given lightly, not even to the newest members of The Order. The second reason is that I know close to nothing of said power except what Eragon has told me." She admitted. Chiron nodded but looked even more confused.
"A close-guarded secret…" He repeated. "Does that mean that all Riders have this kind of power in their grasp?"
"Yes and no. It is quite difficult to explain..." Amira paused for a moment, biting her lip as she gathered her thoughts. "I shall phrase it like this: it is no simple matter to gain the power and Galbratorix committed an unforgivable crime to gain it, the result making him nearly unstoppable. How Eragon managed to defeat him, from what I have heard, is because he had the same power though on a much smaller scale. He had cast an empathy spell that drove the king to commit suicide from insanity."
"Is there a way to gain that power here on Earth?"
"I do not think so. From what you have told me, there is no magic here like there is in Alagaesia so I can think of no way to gain it."
"Well, I encourage you to keep the knowledge of this power a secret anyway, just as a precaution," Chiron suggested. Amira agreed. Chiron stretched his arms. "Now then. It's grown late so why don't we get ourselves to sleep."
Looking out, Amira saw he was right; the sky had gotten significantly darker and the stars were just beginning to show. She was surprised to realize that they had talked all day. She agreed as she was getting tired again.
"Would you like to use the same room here in the Big House?" Chiron offered. Amira hesitated; she preferred to sleep outside under the stars with Balenda keeping her warm but Balenda wasn't here.
"I thank you for the kind offer but if you do not mind, I prefer sleeping beneath an open sky." Amira declined politely. Chiron smiled warmly; he had taken an immediate liking to the Alagaesian and she to him.
"Of course, my dear." He reached beside him on the couch and handed her a blanket. "At least bring this; it can get chilly at night.
"Thank you for all of your help, Chiron. Your kind actions mean very much to me and are greatly appreciated." She told him with a bow, genuine thanks in her voice as she stood.
She accepted the blanket then headed out the door.
Amira stepped out into the night air and was glad to feel a soft breeze that cooled the warm summer air.
Looking around, she saw what looked like a beach close to the forest and headed over. She walked to the treeline, close enough where she could see the water but far enough away to not get wet. She smiled; she always did like the ocean. So she spread the large blanket out on the sand, unbuckling her sword from her waist before sitting with her legs out in front of her. She closed her purple eyes and listened happily to the waves lap against the sand.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
Amira jumped as a voice beside her spoke voice. She spun around to see Percy Jackson standing a few feet from her, his arms crossed as he stared at the water with a relaxed expression.
"Indeed it is." She agreed.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He apologized. At her urge, he came over by Amira and sat beside her on the blanket, turning back to the water and smiling softly. "I love coming here. Whenever I'm by the water just I feel so at home. Makes sense, being the son of Poseidon."
Amira turned back to watch the waves.
"Despite being born in an area of desert, I have always loved the sea. I find it calming to watch the water flow against the shore." She agreed. Percy nodded. They sat in silence for a minute or so. "It surprises me that you are awake; I had guessed that all here would be asleep by this time at night."
Percy gave a faint smile but Amira could tell that it was forced.
"Annabeth's over in the cabin actually. She was out in seconds but I couldn't sleep. I tried but every time I do…" He trailed off as if thinking.
"I would guess that the dreams you have are not pleasant?" Amira broke the silence they had fallen into.
"No, not really." The dark-haired demigod admitted. "I guess you could say I went through a really really bad experience a while ago. Annabeth did too and neither of us have really healed."
Amira nodded. She knew the effect war had on people but she had a feeling that it was something else that had happened to Percy and Annabeth, something worse than war.
"Well… You may not know me well but if you feel the need to share then know that I am willing to listen to your troubles." She told him with a small smile.
The two of them said nothing for several minutes before Percy seemed to agree and give in.
"It was about a year ago." He started. Amira turned to him but Percy kept his eyes on the water. "Me, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel, and Leo… We were heading to Greece for a war against the giants. Leo had made a big warship that was able to fly and sail but first we had to go to Epirus to close the Doors of Death, which kept letting monsters into the mortal world. But there were problems along the way. We had to get an important statue from Rome and to get it, Annabeth had to go on a solo quest. She went through some underground tunnels which lead her to a big chamber where the statue was but it was guarded by an enemy. The floor was all cracked and unstable and if you fell in, you would fall all the way to Tartarus."
Percy's voice hitched at the name. Amira was glad Chiron had told her about all the Greek stuff or she would have had no idea what he was talking about.
"Long story short, Annabeth and I... We- we fell. We fell all the way to Tartarus. Thankfully we were together but the things that were down there… The things we saw..." The dark-haired demigod glanced at Amira and she could see the glassy look in his sea-green eyes; even the smallest tap could break him. He turned back to the ocean. "It was horrible. We were walking through literal hell, everything there was trying to kill us. We wouldn't have survived if not for some friends."
His voice was shaking but he smiled slightly when he thought of a certain titan and giant.
"They helped us make it through hell, even helped protect us. But when we got to the doors to return to the mortal world... That's when the worst happened: the living form of Tartarus appeared. It was the worst thing I have ever seen in my life. His face was a swirling pit of darkness, sucking in and destroying monsters…" Percy took a really shaky breath. "Annabeth and I made it into the doors and came back to the mortal world but even after a year, I still can't get any of it out of my head. I can't sleep cuz I hear his taunting. Just the thought alone haunts me almost every night and I wake up every morning in a cold sweat. I just wish..."
Amira hesitated for a moment, then placed her hand gently on his. Percy looked at her.
"I am very sorry, Percy. No one should ever have to go through the things you did. I am aware that words cannot help and I wish there was a way that I was able to help you. I am truly saddened that there is none." She told him quietly.
Percy nodded slowly. He stood up and stretched before slowly started down the beach. He stopped after several steps.
"Hey, Amira?" He called. She turned to him and he smiled thankfully. "I guess I really did need someone to talk about that with. So thanks for listening."
"Of course, Percy. And I thank you for trusting me enough to share." The purple-eyed Rider smiled softly in return. Percy nodded then left back to his cabin.
Amira turned to watch the waves for several more minutes before she laid back on the blanket and closed her eyes.
And that concludes the sixth chapter of A Strange and Different Land!
Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue the story. Please feel free to leave a review. Criticism, advice, compliments or corrections are welcome.
Have a good one and I'll see you later!
