Disclaimer: All characters, settings, or other story components taken from the Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, or Trials of Apollo series belong to J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan, respectively. I do not own any of the aforementioned. I do not intend to use this story commercially.
A/N: Hello, hello! As promised, this is the 5th installment to "The Worlds Before Us." This chapter contains spoilers, per usual. I'll try to get the next chapter up by next weekend (20-21 May) but there is a chance I won't. Please read and review! (Thanks also to Insubstancial Cookies for reviewing!)
P.S: This chapter is dedicated to my mom: Mother's Day is tomorrow and I included some sentimental mentions of Sophy's mom in this chapter. Happy Mother's Day!
The sound of hooves clacking on marble interrupts their words of welcome. I almost jump when a voice speaks from behind me.
"Ah, Sophy. I see you have made some friends?"
I turn to answer Chiron and almost jump out of my skin again. The activities director is towering over me, no longer in a wheelchair. He's still wearing his tweed jacket, but from waist down …
"Annabeth did tell you I am, ah, not confined to that wheelchair?"
Remembering, I nod. "Oh. Yes. She did. And, um, yes. I, ah, have." I flush a bit out of the embarrassment of my inarticulateness.
He smiles and nods. "That's good. Enjoy your meal."
"You, too."
He continues on his way to the open space at the front of the pavilion. With a stamp of his foot, he silences the chattering campers. Once silence has fallen, he raises a glass in salute.
"To the gods!" he calls.
"To the gods!" the campers echo, raising their cups as well.
"To the gods," I murmur belatedly, reaching for my cup.
As the campers set down their glasses, more dryads, the green-skinned girls, come forward from the edges of the pavilion with platters of food. I fill a plate for myself and carefully select some foods for Liliya: cheese, apple slices, a few baby carrots. To my surprise, a young nymph taps me on the shoulder; she's holding a small plate of cooked chicken for Liliya. I give her a huge grin and a Bolshoye spasibo - thank you very much. She smiles at me as she sets down the plate.
As I notice the lack of drink pitchers, Nico leans across the table to me. "You tell your glass what you want to drink. It'll fill with whatever you tell it to."
I smile, thinking of Hogwarts and its magically-filling platters. "Butterbeer," I murmur into my cup. It doesn't fill with the drink; instead, it glows brilliant red before fading once again to simple crystal.
He raises an eyebrow. "Except if that something is alcoholic…"
I blush as Rachel and Jason turn to look at me. I try again with pumpkin juice, and this time, I'm successful. I'm starting to get a little bit homesick for Hogwarts, where even if everything was absolutely crazy, it was still in a range of normal.
I'm about to start eating when everyone begins to rise, leaving the tables and heading for the fire in the center of the pavilion. I rise, too, taking my plate with me.
"Offerings for the gods," Jason explains as we move forward in the crush of campers.
An automatic protest about wasting food springs to my mind, but I nod instead. If the gods are real, I remind myself, it won't be a waste.
I take a slice of my bread into one hand, waiting for my turn. I carefully drop it in, sending up a silent acknowledgement: To the father I never knew. Oh, and still don't know. I hope you aren't gluten-free.
"Excuse me," I say, trying to make my way back through the crowd to my seat. After a bit of a struggle, I squeeze through the crowd and sit back down beside Rachel.
"So, Sophy," she says as I reach for my goblet. "Exactly how much do you know about the Greek gods?"
I tip my head, thinking. "I know a little bit. I had a picture book when I was learning English.. Aphrodite was the goddess of love! She was pretty! Athena was the goddess of wisdom! She was smart! It wasn't really that educational."
She laughs. "I would guess not. We should probably fill you in a bit, then. Okay. Let's start with the gods."
Rachel spends the rest of the meal speed-teaching me about the gods and the camp. I have to tell her countless times to slow down and elaborate, although I eventually give in and try to keep up. She flies through the basics of the gods and Western Civilization, and then starts on the recent camp history. I try to digest her stories of the Titan War discovering the Romans in Camp Jupiter and subsequently going to war with them, Prophecy of Seven, the Seven's voyage to Rome and Greece, and finally defeating Gaia and coming to peace with Camp Jupiter. She's just finished telling me about Leo's return to camp with Calypso when we hear Chiron pounding his hoof for attention.
"Now," he says, smiling. "I hope you all have enjoyed your meal. Now, if you would please tune your ears for a few announcements?"
He nods to another table farther down the pavilion. With a surprisingly audible sigh, another figure slowly stands. I blink when a short, pudgy man in an awful floral-print shirt steps around the table to address the camp.
"That's Mr. D," Nico whispers, leaning across the table. "Dionysus. The camp director."
"He doesn't look very godly," I mutter back.
"He is. Don't underestimate Mr. D," Nico warns me. "Really. It usually ends badly."
Across the mess hall, Mr. D is shifting on his feet with an air of annoyance. "I suppose I should say hello to you annoying brats. Hello. As Chiron has reminded me, our next Capture the Flag will apparently be tomorrow. Cabin Six holds the laurels, hooray, hooray." A table of (mostly) blond campers lets out a cheer. I see Annabeth sitting among them. "I couldn't care less, but congratulations," Mr. D continues. "Also, we've gained another little brat to add to your numbers. Sylvia Armstrong. Or something like that."
I look around for a moment for the other new camper before Rachel elbows me in the ribs and I notice campers turning to look a me. "Oh, do you mean me? My name is Sophy Alkaev. Not Sylvia Armstrong."
"Whatever." He rolls his eyes. "Go on, then. Off to your ridiculous campfire. Go on."
Everyone gets up, leaving the dirty plates on the tables. I hop up too, reaching down for Liliya's leash from where she's sitting under the table. Following Rachel, I make my way with the rest of the camp out of the pavilion and to this campfire.
The campers trek across the fields, past the canoe lake and to the part of camp I haven't seen yet. Rachel keeps up a steady description of different landmarks we're passing. Finally, we reach a marble amphitheater built into a hillside. The campers are filing in the rows, probably by cabin again. I follow Rachel down to the very center of the amphitheater, where she makes her way around a glowing campfire to sit on a front-row bench. A bit daunted by the number of campers sitting behind and above me, I sit next to her.
As everyone is seated and the camp fall silent, a group of campers rise and make their way down the steps to the amphitheater floor. Most of them are holding guitars and some weird sort of handheld harp instrument. Rachel just has time to inform me that this is Cabin 7, Apollo's children, before the campers strike up a chord and burst into song.
Without missing a beat, the rest of the camp chimes along, and I suddenly realize that I've found my way into a sing-along. The words of the song are unfamiliar - something about putting on armor? The tune sounds vaguely familiar, but I'm sure these aren't the words I know. I sit, absentmindedly scratching Liliya behind her ears and humming along. On my other side, Jason and Thalia are getting into the song, sometimes pushing or whapping one another as different body parts are mentioned per each piece of armor. As the song progresses, the campfire begins to grow higher and higher, changing colors like Parvati's mood earrings. Just as the fire is turning gold, the song ends and the campers, amidst much laughter, file back to their seats.
When the campers are sitting back down, Chiron clip-clops to the center of the amphitheater floor, an enormous bag of marshmallows in one hand. He passes them to Rachel, who takes a handful and passes it to me. I copy her and hand the sweets to Jason.
"Campers!" Chiron says. "Excellent singing. Now, if we could please give a warm welcome to our newest camper, Sophy Alkaev?" He waves his hand, indicating for me to stand.
I shakily rise to my feet, a bit nervous. Liliya lifts her head up as I stand, give the camp a little wave, and sit quickly back down again.
"She's way older than thirteen!" someone yells in the back. "Why hasn't she been claimed yet?" As soon as the words leave his mouth, pandemonium erupts in the amphitheater. I shrink back a bit, but Rachel quickly reiterates her earlier explanation of the gods' promise to claim their children before the age of thirteen.
"Maybe I'm not a demigod?" I press again, but she just gives me a look.
Chiron is trying to calm the crowd down, but he's not having any luck. Lovely, I think guiltily. I just provoked complete mayhem. Liliya is stirring by my feet; I reach down to scratch behind her ears again.
"Hold on, Lils," I whisper to her. "I'm still here."
The noise is starting to bother me, and I'm starting to feel sorry for Chiron. Bracing myself for the attention, I put two fingers in my mouth and whistle - really, really loudly. The noise cuts through the din like a gunshot. Everyone quiets immediately, staring at me. I self-consciously take my fingers out of my mouth.
"I think you just got the attention of every taxi in Manhattan," someone remarks, sparking several laughs.
"Thank you, Sophy," Chiron says. "Now. Like Damien has pointed out, Sophy has not been claimed yet, although we don't know why."
The campers are turning and muttering to one another. Apparently this is big news.
"How do you tell?" I ask, the whispers quieting as the words leave my mouth. "How do you know who your godly parent is?" This was one point Rachel left out of her high-speed summary.
"They claim you," Annabeth calls out from across the amphitheater. "Usually they send a hologram, a glowing symbol that appears over your head. Sometimes they do other things. It depends."
I shift in my seat. "How long does it take?"
There's a moment before someone answers. This time, it's the girl with braids, who's sitting under a big banner with a dove emblazoned on it. "Again, it depends. But you should've been claimed already. The gods promised to claim all of their children before the age of thirteen. You're … what? Sixteen?"
"Yeah." I nod. "But maybe I don't have a godly parent. Maybe that's why I haven't been claimed."
I don't know why I'm so adamant against being a demigod. It would certainly make things easier right now if I just accepted it and moved on. But for some reason, all of my instincts are screaming at me to keep pushing the topic, to keep denying it.
Rachel gives me a look and Chiron opens his mouth to explain, but before either of them respond, a voice chimes in from up above us.
"You could be right." Everyone turns to see a pretty Asian girl leaning forward from the other side of the dove banner. "I mean, who knows?" Piper's giving the girl a death glare, but she still continues. "One thing's for sure. If you are a demigod, you definitely aren't in Cabin 10. Honestly, hon, who even wears that kind of pants anymore? Do you usually dress like you're disassembling parts of a business suit?"
Around the amphitheater, campers are starting to mutter how yeah, my outfit does look a bit like a business suit. Even Annabeth is studying me with an eyebrow raised.
I feel my blood starting to rush to my cheeks. My pants are from my school uniform; they aren't that bad!
"Being in Cabin 10," I snap, "I would expect you to be able to tell the difference between school uniform slacks and a business suit." The girl stiffens, obviously insulted. I know I should feel a bit sorry, but I don't care. "And, I'm sorry, but I'd choose these over what you're wearing. Are you sure those are long enough to count as shorts?"
The girl splutters, indignant. Behind me, I hear Thalia snickering.
"Okay, okay!" I hear, and Annabeth is squeezing past the campers in her row to join Chiron next to the campfire, which has turned a livid red. "Drew, please sit down. Remember," she says pointedly, "we need to make new campers feel welcome."
It sounds like this isn't the first time this Drew girl has heard this. With a glare thrown my way, she sits back down.
"Okay. Back to you, Sophy," Annabeth says, turning to me. "I remember when we first met, you mentioned that it was your father-"
"Yes," I clarify quickly. "I only knew my mother."
"And," Jason says slowly from my left, "in the woods, you flew." He sounds almost reluctant to bring the topic up again.
I bite my lip as pandemonium erupts again. Rachel is leaning behind me to hear the full story from Hazel and Nico, Chiron is turning to Annabeth in surprise.
This time, I remember what Rachel told me. The Pact of the Big Three, their promise not to have any more kids. My godly parent is male. I can fly. Oh, Merlin help me.
I open my mouth to say something, I don't know what, but a blindingly golden light fills the amphitheater before I can say anything. I step back instinctively but I trip over Liliya's leash and go sprawling back. Catching myself on my elbows, I look up and gasp.
My vision is completely filled by a translucent lightning bolt, emitting that glowing golden light.
Immediately, my mind jumps to Harry's lightning bolt scar. But somehow, I can tell that this bolt is fuller and less foreboding. The symbol of Zeus, a little voice in my head. You just got claimed. By Zeus. The King of the Gods.
I hear Chiron speaking from somewhere above me. "Hail, Sophy Alkaev," he announces. "Daughter of Zeus, god of lightning, Lord of the Sky, King of the Gods."
I sit up awkwardly, the lightning-bolt bobbing up to hover above my head. I redden when I realize that the camp is kneeling. Everyone has gotten up from the benches and knelt, including Chiron. Is this normal? I wonder nervously. Does being the daughter of Zeus make me some sort of a princess? Because I don't want to be a princess.
As soon as the thought enters my mind, Mama's voice echoes in my head, repeating the words she uttered to me over a decade ago. Hold your chin high, little lion. Confidence will carry you far. You come from a centuries-long line of princesses. There. See? You are a princess.
Leaning on one palm, I push my hair out of my eyes and lift my chin up a little. The strangeness and unfamiliarity of the situation hits me like a brick, and I suddenly want to cry. I miss you, Мама, I think nostalgically. I wish you were here. You always knew what to do.
The campers are rising again, settling back down in their seats. Rachel gives me a hand in untangling Liliya's leash and standing back up.
"Daughter of Zeus, huh?" Jason says as I sit back down on the bench. "Welcome to Cabin 1." He offers me his hand and I tentatively shake it. "My dad is Zeus - well, technically Jupiter. Thalia's your half-sibling, too."
"Really?" I ask, feeling a bit dizzy.
"Truly," she says. "But I'm staying in Cabin 8 - I'm a Hunter of Artemis." She's about to say something else, but I hold up a hand.
"Did you hear that?" I'm certain I heard something. It was nearly unintelligible from the chatter of the campers, but I'm certain.
Jason frowns. "No."
"Shh." I stand up, turning to face the woods across camp. Then, louder, "EVERYONE BE QUIET!"
The campers hush immediately, staring at me. Annabeth's hand has flown to a sword at her belt, and a few campers are half on their feet.
I slowly start up the stairs, but break into a sprint when the sound reaches my ears again.
I stand at the top of the stairs, facing the forest. All of my nerves are jangling, and a strange panicky feeling is creeping through my bones.
"Who heard that?" I ask, whipping around to face the amphitheater. Behind me, more campers are reaching for their weapons, still staring at me. I hear it again and this time, it's loud enough that I know they did, too.
With a shaking whimper, Liliya scrambles to her feet down below me. She's quivering head to tail, and with a start, she turns to cower underneath one of the benches. She's never been this terrified, I think, not even during a thunderstorm.
"What," I say, voice shaking, "have you got in that forest?"
No one answers. The faces of the campers below me are a mass of fear, intensity, and utter confusion. No one has heard this before.
I turn, one hand on a marble pillar, as a string of sounds echoes through the night. I hear the faintest of shuffling sounds, like that of a large animal squeezing past underbrush. It's accompanied by a familiar - terrifyingly familiar - clacking noise, a strange clicking sound that I can't place. As I stand, the wind rustling my hair, the clacking is broken by a long call - a wild, feral, timeless cry that makes my blood run cold. It's answered by another cry, wild and inhuman.
For not the first time in my life, I stand frozen as my instincts repeat and repeat: Something is wrong. This isn't right. Something is totally, terribly, irrevocably wrong.