CHAPTER 5: A DAY AT CAMP

The inside of Cabin 11 matched its exterior: Old, and completely normal. Bunk beds were stacked up against the wooden walls. I saw various pictures, stuffed animals, and other sentiments by each bed. Several people were here and there throughout the cabin. When I walked in, all eyes turned to me.

And then there was Hayden.

He was sitting on his bed, open book in hands (I winced, feeling guilty about the bookmark incident). As everyone's faces…well, faced me, I did a double take. Why? Because all of the people there had the exact same eyes as my brother. Then I realized. It was because they were all related.

Strange feelings coursed through me…Jealousy? I mean, Hayden and I were obviously related: we had similar features, and his hair was just a shade lighter than mine. But looking at them all, it felt like these people would always know him better than me…understand him better than me…be more liked by him than me? What was I thinking? I blinked furiously, as if to clear my head, and finally noticed Hayden's voice. "-iana…Earth to Mariana…" "Ah, yes." I smiled awkwardly, partially raising my hand. "Hello, everyone…?"

After my brother introduced me to everyone, he took me on a tour of the camp. He told me about the lake, the climbing wall, the Big House and the second Titan War. I shuddered at the thought of my baby brother in a war. But Hayden seemed a lot more excited than I had ever seen him. Why? What was so special about this place that made it oh-so-much-better than our home together? I must have stopped paying attention at some point, because I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Gods, Mariana, you're so spacey today." Gods…? Well, now that I thought about it, I guessed it made sense… It would probably have been best to start replacing my vocabulary. Or not? How was I to know?

I started to pay attention. Hayden told me about lots of things: How apparently his father was Hermes, god of thieves and travelers. He talked about how nice it was to finally understand what was going on with his life, to have an explanation for the inexplicable. I told him about the things I had seen, and how nobody else seemed to. How nice it was to have someone understand what was happening to you—even just a little bit. Eventually we just settled into a comfortable silence. Then the little girl from before came running up to us. "Chiron wants to see you," she said to me, "at the Big House." The Big House, wasn't that the blue farmhouse? Hard to miss. I thanked her, and would have tipped her, except this wasn't really a job. "Bye," I said to Hayden, "See you later."


When I got to the Big House, the centaur and another man—wearing the most peculiar clothes—were sitting in front of a table, playing cards. "Ah, Mariana. There you are," said Chiron. "This is Mr. D, our director here at camp. Mr. D, this is Mariana, our new camper's clear-sighted sister." The man gave off an unsettling aura. I felt like I wanted to get away as soon as possible. He glared at me briefly, and then ignored me completely, like I wasn't worth his time. Chiron began to speak.

"Mariana, after some thought, we decided it would be best for you to leave rather than stay at camp." Wait, what did he just say? Chiron continues, "We can keep your brother safe here, whereas you, being mortal, don't need our training or our protection. In fact, it would only put you in more danger. The safety of everyone is our primary concern." "What? But—" was all I managed to get out before Mr. D. cut me off. As in, he literally swiped his hand through the air and I couldn't speak anymore. "Stop complaining and go home," he said, and I nodded mutely and started to walk away, but Chiron stopped me. "Wait, before you go. Argus will take you home in the van, and this is for you" he said, picking up a book I hadn't noticed before and handing it to me. I looked at it: Greek Mythology. The cover showed an Ancient Greek-style columned building, and above it the words were in that 'Greek' font. "Thank you," I responded mechanically, putting it in my backpack and walking away. On the ride home I was completely silent, distantly staring straight ahead. I didn't even blink an eye at all the ones "Argus" had.

Upon arriving at my apartment, I immediately went to my room. I lay on my bed, and then I snapped out of it. What had just happened? The past two-something hours had gone by in a flash. I barely remembered getting home at all. And I absolutely did not want to go home. I wanted to stay at camp. At camp, with Hayden. But that man…that man! Of course! He must have done something to me, cast a spell or something. I began to feel angry. How dare him! He wasn't a god or anything…was he a god? He probably was. But still! That just wasn't fair! I deserved to have respect as much as anyone else. I definitely did not deserve to have…whatever that just was. Just thinking about it made my blood boil. No one had the right to treat others like that. Even worse, it was my brother he was in charge of. It was not acceptable in any way, shape or form.

So I made an (admittedly rash) decision—one that I would most definitely regret later. Well, you only live once, right? Or thrice. So I've heard, anyway. And that was what led me to, at 7 A.M. sharp the next morning, show up in front of the pine tree on Half-Blood Hill with a picnic basket, a book, and a whole lot of determination.