I dove for shelter under a fallen log as something large and angry swooped over my head. It was more or less a blur, but I could make out feathered wings, and judging from the damage it did to the log, its claws must be razor-sharp. It wasn't my first monster by any means, the last week had provided ample experience, but I was convinced my previous escapes were as much luck as anything. I had nothing to fight it with, and improvised weapons hadn't been very effective before.
It seemed the girl from my dreams wasn't full of shit after all. Hestia, she called herself, goddess of hearth and home. Apparently she's got plans for me, and if those plans involve more things trying to eat me, I can't say I'm a fan.
I reached for a heavy branch, and as the bird-thing made another pass at me, I swung the stick like a baseball bat. With an ungodly shrieking noise, the thing went flying into a tree.
And I ran. The map Hestia had planted in my head was, to my relief, accurate so far. I didn't want this to be like the time Lola the GPS promised directions to IHOP and found a corn field instead.
My heart pounded in my ears like a bass drum, and I risked a glance over my shoulder. The bird-thing was getting to its feet, shaking itself like a wet dog.
Think, think…. There.
A stream framed by a pair of massive oak trees, roots tangled over it like a roof. I rolled into the makeshift shelter, breathing hard.
The creature slammed into my 'roof' talons-first. The roots shuddered, but held, at least for the time being.
Mentally, I ran through my options while leaning against the bank. Fighting this thing wasn't really a possibility; nothing seemed to hurt it. I didn't trust my planning abilities enough to try to trap it, and I could wait and see if it gets bored of me, but I didn't like my odds. That would leave Plan A: run. Not creative, but it gets the job done. I really should be close to camp, if I can just keep this thing at bay for a little longer. Not that I really know what's waiting for me there, dream-lady wasn't exactly specific, but I'll cross that bridge later. Surely someone will know what to do with this damned bird.
The bird made another dive at my hideout, and this time the branches crumbled. I pushed off from the bank and kept going. Soon I was forced to leave the stream behind as it veered off to the left, away from my destination. I could no longer see my pursuer, but I wasn't convinced it was gone.
I was just beginning to see a gap in the trees when the bird made a reappearance, this time landing right in front of me. I backpedaled frantically, heart jumping in my throat, and wound up with my back to a tree. The thing's screech sounded almost taunting now. It leered at me, a scarlet-red creature the size of a small car. Looked more like its dinosaur ancestors than any bird I'd ever seen, with an attitude to match.
"Scree!" It yelled piercingly, arching its wings.
"Aaaaah!" I screamed back, not knowing how else to respond. I was grateful there were no other humans around to see that; I'm sure it looked ridiculous.
It took one terrifyingly large step towards me, shaking the ground with its sheer size. I picked up a rock and hurled it at its head. I missed, of course, I don't know what I was expecting, but the bird screeched anyway. It sounded angry now, maybe even pained. I stared at it, dumbfounded, until I spotted the arrow piercing its left wing. This was quickly followed by a hailstorm of projectiles, prompting me to dive behind a tree and the bird to wheel towards its new, more threatening attackers.
Not keen on becoming a shish-kabob, even by accident, I pressed myself into my tree and screwed my eyes shut, instinctively trying to make myself as small as possible.
The battle raged on behind me: I could hear the giant bird-thing shrieking in pain, as well as distinctly human shouts. I really hoped these people were friendly.
A final crash and whoops of victory signaled the monster's defeat, and I gathered the courage to stand and peek around the tree. Three kids stood by the body, which seemed to be… disintegrating, somehow, into this shimmering yellow dust. My rescuers were around my age, dressed haphazardly in ancient-style armor over jeans and t-shirts. A blond guy carrying a bow, a diminutive dark-haired girl with a dagger in her hand, and a shorter guy with pale brown skin and curly hair. They didn't look hostile…
I took a deep breath and called out to them, voice tentative and shaky: "Hello?"
They all reached for their weapons, and I flinched, but they were already relaxing, reassured that I wasn't another monster.
"Hey, where'd you come from? Are you alright?" The girl asked. Her tone was curious and friendly.
I began to move towards them, slowly. "Uh… Illinois? I'm- I'm fine really... Hest-Hestia sent me."
The curly-haired boy tilted his head sideways in confusion. "You're a child of Hestia? Isn't she a maiden goddess?"
"Oh, no- I'm not- She's not my mom. I'm completely human. I'm Hestia's champion… My name's Caitlyn."
"Well, that's new," the blond guy said, completely nonchalant. He must be used to strange things. "I'm Will, son of Apollo. This is Lou Ellen and Cecil."
Lou Ellen smiled broadly and Cecil gave me a friendly nod.
"Why don't we show you to the Big House?," Will continued. "Chiron will want to know you're here."
Camp wass awe-inspiring. We emerged from the woods into a field of strawberries, with a cluster of strange little cabins visible to the west. Dead ahead, a dirt path wound around a columned pavilion, an amphitheater, and a few small buildings, ultimately leading to a large blue house. Farther west, I could see a sort of arena and some towering structure with lava flowing down it.
As we walked, the trio filled me in. Greek gods, magic, oh yeah that's the rock wall, yes that's real lava. Lou Ellen introduced herself as the daughter of Hecate, who is apparently the goddess of magic, and Cecil's dad is Hermes- I'm thankful I didn't need to ask about that one. They were all making a valiant effort to make me feel welcome, but the stares from their fellow campers still made me wish I could disappear. Their eyes followed us all the way to the Big House.
As we reached the front steps, Will paused. "Lou Ellen, why don't you go find our oracle? And Cecil, I'm sure your cabin is missing you by now. I'll take it from here."
As soon as they were out of sight, I let my shoulders slump in relief. They seemed nice, but this day was overwhelming as is. But as exhausted and stressed out as I was, Will was like the eye of the storm. He radiated calm and seemed to know what I needed without having to ask.
"Thank you, Will."
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and I practically melted into the hug.
"You bet. C'mon, let's go see Chiron."
To round out this incredibly weird day, Chiron turned out to be a centaur. I didn't even have the energy to be surprised at this point; I just blinked a few times and introduced myself like this was a normal occurrence. Will hadn't left my side, and at this point I wondered if he was preparing to catch me if I fainted. I wonder if that'd happened before.
"Mr. Solace, I see you've brought a guest."
"Chiron, this is Caitlyn Delmirev. She's been receiving visions from Hestia. But the thing is, Chiron- she's human."
"My, that is unusual. Hestia has not spoken to me of this. Miss Delmirev, please come, have a seat, and tell us about these visions you've been receiving."
I sat awkwardly on the edge of the old, beat-up couch. Will took a moment to grab a metal box from the mantle before joining me.
"Well, there's this little girl. Maybe around twelve? I'm always sitting at a campfire with her, and it's night." By this point Will had begun digging supplies out of the box to clean and bandage my scrapes as I talked. "She introduced herself as Hestia, Greek goddess of hearth and home. And she said she's been searching for a Champion, someone to protect her interests in this realm. And she chose me.
"She said I was special, that she trusted me to uphold the things she stands for, and to take care of her family. Apparently Camp isn't as much of a home as she feels it should be. She gave me a sort of… a mental map, to your camp. She warned me to move quickly, because the monsters would recognize her scent and come for me. I woke up the next morning, not really believing any of it, and went to school like I always do. That was before the monsters came. That bird thing, the one I was running from when Will found me-"
"Strix," Will supplied.
"The strix. It showed up around the end of third period and broke every window in my English class. No one else could see it- they thought it was a tornado." I shuddered at the memory, my voice shaking.
"That convinced me the dream was real. So I bought a train ticket and followed the map… and here I am, I guess." I shrugged, not sure what else to say.
Will, bless him, had been holding my hand in his lap, rubbing gentle circles over my knuckles, ever since I mentioned the Strix.
Chiron looked remarkably unfazed by my story. "Well, Miss Delmirev, you're the first mortal to cross our borders in quite some time. This is most unexpected. Perhaps Rachel, our Oracle, will be able to tell us more."
"Rachel's the only other mortal at Camp," Will explained. "My dad chose her as the Pythia, the Oracle of Delphi, only a couple years ago."
Rachel wasn't at all like the serious, elegant priestess I'd been expecting. She was covered in paint splatters from head to toe, her red hair was in disarray, and she carried herself with the air of someone who didn't give a damn what anyone thought of her. Later, Lou Ellen would tell me the story of the time she hit the Titan King Kronos with a blue hairbrush- it sounds like a camp legend, the sort of tall tale one uses to mess with newcomers, but with Rachel I wouldn't be surprised if it were true.
She entered the Big House looking completely unsurprised to have been summoned, and the first thing she said was, "Oh, that makes sense."
This caused Will and I to stare at her.
Chiron, however, didn't miss a beat. "Miss Dare, thank you for joining us. I take it you have some insight into our present conundrum?"
"I didn't put the pieces together before." She turned to me. "You're Caitlin. You were in my visions. You're the Champion of Hestia."
I stared at her for a moment before remembering how to form words. "You must be Rachel...Hestia's been talking to you too? Do you know what she wants from me?"
Rachel looked sympathetic. "I only knew someone was coming. Your path is your own; I can't tell you how to walk it. But I think you already know why Hestia chose you."
Well, that was clear as mud. Maybe Oracles were just like that. I couldn't help but like Rachel, with her chaotic energy and subtle wisdom, but her answer only raised more questions.
"Why me? Why not choose a demigod who already knows all this stuff? I'm not one of you."
"Caitlin, I'm not one of them either. I'm just as human as you are."
I stared at her, not knowing what to say. She was the only person at Camp who could understand how I felt right now- like an outsider.
"I know you feel out of place here," she continued. "I did too. And I can promise you it won't last. You'll find friends here. But when you do, remember that feeling. Hestia brought you here to make a Camp Half Blood a home for everyone. To make sure no one else has to feel left out or forgotten. Remember that feeling, remember that pain, and let it make you kind."
She was right, of course. I was amazed she'd seen through me so quickly- I'd felt that way most of my life, and it hurt like nothing else. If I could take that experience and use it to make sure no one else suffered the way I did, there was no question that I'd do it in a heartbeat. I wondered if being the Oracle made her perceptive or if that was just Rachel. Either way, the experience left me speechless.
Fortunately, Rachel seemed to understand that, too. "Don't worry, new girl. I know it's a lot of take in right now. We'll talk more later. But right now, you look exhausted. Let's get you a bunk in the Hermes Cabin for now; he's the god of travellers, and his kids are used to welcoming unclaimed demigods. C'mon, you two." She ushered Will and me towards the door, waving over her shoulder at Chiron.
The Hermes Cabin was largely unremarkable, just a log cabin with a sort of snake symbol over the door, but its occupants were welcoming. It seemed Cecil had already set aside a bunk for me and gathered some spare clothes and other necessities from the Camp store, for which I was very grateful- asking would have been painfully awkward.
After a brief tour, Will and Rachel pulled me outside.
"We should let you settle in," Will started. "We'll talk about your living situation tomorrow- the Athena Cabin's been working on tiny houses. In the meantime, if you need anything at all, all you have to do is ask. And watch your back- I've asked Cecil to keep an eye on you, but you should know Hermes is also the god of thieves." He opened his arms in a silent invitation, and I leaned into his arms. It had been a long day, and I really, really needed the hug. He was warm and smelled like antiseptic, and he'd been a sort of human safety blanket for me all day. I was reluctant to let go.
Finally, I pulled back. "Thank you, Will. You've been very kind to me."
He just nodded and smiled warmly. "Of course. I'll see you tomorrow, but right now I'd better get back to my cabin before my siblings burn it down." He chuckled at his own joke before heading off across the lawn, and I laughed right along with him.
Rachel, who had been hanging back while Will and I talked, stepped forward. "I'll see you around, Caitlin. You should stop by my cave sometime, whenever you want to talk. I make a mean cup of tea. Ask anyone for directions, you can't miss it. I'm glad to have another mortal around- it gets a little lonely sometimes, being surrounded by heroes." Her smile was amused, but tinged with melancholy. We embraced as well, and then she was gone.