~ Chapter 2: No More Cookie Wagons For You ~

I woke up in a well-lit room. My vision was not perfect, but it was much better than what I had experienced… a few hours earlier? How long had I been out? I scanned my surroundings. I was lying on a wooden cot. There were identical cots all over the room. Some of the cots were filled, most empty. On the right side of each cot there was a night stand with an assortment of boxes and bottles. At the foot of the bed, there was a cart of medicines that I didn't recognise. Nearby, a tall boy with shaggy blonde hair was standing. He had the typical surfer look. He was talking to a shorter boy with flawless skin and dark hair. The shorter one was shaking his head repeatedly. He absentmindedly wrapped and unwrapped a lock of his coal black hair around his index finger.

The sun was filtering through the large window. Outside, there was a deck, with a few comfortable chairs scattered around. Beyond that, was one of the most beautiful fields I had ever seen. I couldn't tell due to the distance, but they looked like strawberries.

The surfer boy noticed that I was up and smiled at me. He patted the shorter boy on the shoulder and came closer to me.

"Hi, I'm Will Solace."

I tried sitting up, but my back hurt too much.

Will's expression changed to concern. He rummaged through the medicine cart and poured something into the cup sitting on my bedside table.

"Here. Drink this." He handed the cup to me.

Doubtfully, I looked towards the cup.

"It's nectar. It'll make you feel better." He reassured me.

Then, I tentatively took a sip. I recoiled at the taste. I was expecting apple juice. It wasn't that at all. It was choco-lava brownies. Liquid brownies. And not just any brownies—Aunt Emma's special Sunday brownies, buttery and hot, with the chocolate melting away in my mouth. Drinking it, my whole body felt warm and good, full of energy. My memory of the events that happened still remained fuzzy. Distractedly, I wondered what happened to my cookie wagon.

Irresponsible. No more cookie wagons for you, my subconscious scolded me.

"How long have I been out?" I looked at Will.

"Surprisingly, only a couple of hours." He looked like someone who knew a lot about fainting, so I took his word for it.

"What is this place?" I asked as I sat up straight.

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood." Will grinned, but his eyes looked distant like he was thinking about something else. He looked fretful.

Somewhere at the back of my mind, I began panicking. Half-Blood? That didn't sound good. I didn't want to be a part of a cult. No matter how good their strawberry fields looked. I didn't even know how I got here.

Will must have noticed the disoriented expression on my face because he added, "Percy got you here with Annabeth. He says he found in an empousai nest?"

The other boy had joined us. He was about to say something and then perhaps thought better of it and remained silent.

"Uh, yeah" I responded. "I was selling cookies." A lump rose in my throat. How long had I been gone? Aunt Emma must be beside herself with worry. The police were probably looking for me. At the back of my mind, I pondered over what must have become of the cookies. I patted my pockets. Kali was gone.

The silent boy gave a smile. His eyes were covered with strands of dark silky hair, but for a second, I thought they twinkled with amusement.

"I'm Nico. I found your bunny." He said as-a-matter-of-factly. Then he produced Kali from his pockets. I quickly grabbed Kali and put her beside me.

"Kali is a kitten." I muttered.

"What is this place?" I enquired, trying to take my mind off the horrid screeching of the empousai that was still ringing in my ears.

"Well…" Will started, "This is a shelter for demigods."

"What's a demigod?"

"Half-gods. One parent is a Greek god and one a mortal." Nico replied.

This was obviously an elaborate joke.

"I'm sorry, what? Greek gods?"

"I know it's a lot to take in. Greek gods are real. Most mythological creatures are. Sometimes, these Greek gods descend to earth and have children with mortals. These children are known as demigods. They're far more powerful than regular people, mortals." Will sounded gentle. "For example, my father is Apollo, the Greek god of archery, music, prophecy, sun and healing. My mother is Naomi Solace. She's a country singer."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"No…they are not…This is just a joke, right? They are just stories…" Neither of the boys say anything.

"So…I'm a…what is it…demigod?" I asked no one in particular.

Will and Nico looked uncomfortable.

Finally, Nico said, "We don't know for sure."

Puzzled, I looked at him. "What do you mean you don't know?"

Nico sighed. "Every demigod gives off an aura. This aura is usually detectable. An average demigod can attract monsters within a 5-mile radius. For some reason, there's no aura emanating from you. Then again, you made it past the camp borders. It is possible you are mortal, but very few mortals can do so. I've never seen anything like it before." He straightened up. "Have you ever been attacked by monsters before?"

I shook my head. "Only this once."

Nico cocked his eyebrow in surprise. Will looked pretty stunned as well.

"So, what happened there? Percy wasn't exactly in a shape to answer a lot of questions given that…" Will trailed off. I had a feeling this was about the blonde girl, Annabeth being injured. The way Perseus - uh, Percy had looked at her, there was something special about it.

Nico looked at me intently. "Can you tell us what exactly happen…in detail?" He hesitated for a bit, perhaps wondering if it was right to make such a request. He hastily added, "Only if you feel like sharing…"

I didn't know what to say. So many weird things had happened to me in the last twenty-four hours, I was overwhelmed. Somehow, I maintained my composure.

I told them everything. My name, where I was from. I saw Will tense. I narrated how I had stumbled upon the monsters while trying to sell cookies, how oddly the empousai had behaved, their reluctance to hurt me, what happened when Percy and Annabeth had showed up. I told them about how the empousai had retreated, screaming. After narrating the whole incident, I felt like I had lived through it all over again. My stomach felt queasy and shivers travelled down my spine. It felt like someone was clawing at the nape of my neck. Reflexively, I rubbed the back of my neck.

As soon as I finished, I saw Will's eyes swimming with anxiety. "Aunt Emma's Foster Care?" he asked. "Where exactly is that located?"

I was slightly taken aback by the bizarre question. "83rd street, Elmhurst." I murmured.

"Is that anywhere near St. Adalbert Parish?"

I nodded. Sometimes, Aunt Anna used to take us to the church for being a part of the choir. Even though I sounded like a wailing walrus when I sang, church choir and carolling were some of my best memories.

Will shook his head. "Oh no…not good…definitely…we need Chiron…oh man…."

Nico's face seemed to have turned paler.

"What happened?" I demanded. A million horrible thoughts ran through my head. "Is Aunt Emma alright?" I said, my voice now softer and jarringly calm.

Nico fidgeted in his seat and exchanged a glance with Will, conversing silently. It appeared that had reached to a consensus.

Will sighed. "Yesterday, we had a few demigods around the parish. Usually, demigods do not leave the camp unless we have a quest. However, recently, our friend Thalia Grace, gave us a list of what one would call danger zones in New York. It's the places where the most abnormal or monstrous energy is felt. The parish was on the list, so we decided to check it out. That is why Percy and Annabeth were able to rescue you. They happened to be in the neighbourhood. About an hour or so ago, there was an attack. A horde of monsters had gathered up. A chimera, couple of elder cyclops and a hydra. Nothing that demigods couldn't handle, but there were, uh, collateral damages. Kristine Iris-Messaged me and told me that a fire broke out and that the entire street had been destroyed. It had to be sealed and evacuated."

My face fell. Sealed? Evacuated? Fire? I felt like someone had just pulled my heart out of my chest and ripped it apart in front of me. Suddenly, I felt like I was lying in the empousai nest again, my head splitting apart. I wanted to cry out in grief, agony, pain. I didn't even know whether Aunt Emma and the other girls were safe. The idea of them being held captive by some monster gave me the chills. It was true that those girls weren't my friends, but they are children who have suffered through the loss of parents. They are after all, just girls like me, who want someone to hug them when they're upset, tell them stories and kiss them goodnight. I bit my lip to hold back tears. If the foster care was destroyed, where would they go? Where would I go? All the energy that the nectar had given me dissapated.

Will saw the tears well up in my eyes. I expected him to look away in embarrassment. Instead, he did something that surprised me. He hugged me. "I know it's horrible, but you'll make through it." He murmured. From the corner of my eye, I saw Nico standing there and smiling, as if impressed by Will's display of affection towards me.

"Anathema…" Will started.

"Ana." I interjected.

He gave a little smile. "Ana, I know you're upset about this, but it would help if you could tell us a little more about these…powers?"

I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell them, but before I knew it words were flowing out of my mouth. I told them about my predicament. The inability to make friends, the scaring off people and the incident with Sarah. I revealed how I was constantly told that I was imagining things. Despite my state of mind, it felt good to talk to someone. Maybe it was because Will and Nico were great listeners, or maybe because I kept piling it up and had finally unburdened myself. Whatever the reason, I felt warm, welcome and safe around these boys.

I opened my eyes. I just realised that I had closed them I while I was narrating the story. Will was idly twiddling his thumbs. He looked more concerned than ever. He also seemed nervous. Nico was staring into the distance. His eyebrows were furrowed. He seemed lost.

Abruptly, Nico turned his gaze to me. I felt self-conscious. It was like that moment when you are writing a test and the teacher comes and stands behind you, breathing down your neck, scrutinising your answers. "You are special." He said, looking at me as if I'm time bomb, ticking until I explode. "I can feel it." He looked at Will. Will said nothing, apparently lost in thoughts.

A few moments later, Nico glanced at his watch. "We have half an hour before dinner. Let me show you around the camp."