Chapter 2: Kenzie

When Nico started tracking me, the first thing that I had felt was fear. I knew who he was, or rather, what. I knew that he was, like me, a half-blood. But he was a son of Hades and me… Well, I knew who my parents were, and once he found out… I had pushed that thought away, but I knew that I couldn't hide it forever. I liked him for some inexplicable reason. Don't ask me why. It wasn't that I thought he was cute or anything, I'm not like those shallow Aphrodite girls that way. He hadn't given up on me though. Even when he thought he had lost me for good, he refused to quit and give up. Somehow, I wanted to go with him to wherever he was trying to recruit me to. I knew that it was important, but also that people got hurt when I was around. I couldn't bear it if it was Nico. So I fled, fearing capture and bringing my curse down upon more innocents.

When that hellhound found Nico, I panicked. There, I admit it. I didn't want either of them getting hurt, but it was really the hellhound whose life was in jeopardy. Nico's sword would banish it to Tartarus for eons. I couldn't have that. So I naturally did the stupid thing. Instead of shooting at him, I tackled him like he was a football. It pained me to hear his head crack the ground like that, but he was alright. I had time to tell Ankah to get out of here before he got up.

What amazed me most however; was that he was still willing to take me with him. Even after all that. I was stunned, flattered even. Despite my inner fears, I had allowed him to persuade me into coming with him. I was so desperate for a friend after years of being alone. Ever since I had run away from the orphanage when I was six, I had yearned for a friend. But being who I was, that wasn't probable. I had traveled with another girl for a time, but she was recruited into one of the demigod camps. While a blonde girl with gray eyes talked to her, I had run off and hidden. That was the last time I had seen Erica, but she'd be safe at their camp. Heck. She'd be safer anywhere that was away from me.

So when Nico reached out to me, I was desperate to keep him from slipping away too. I had taken his hand and he, in his turn, had taken me to camp. Darkness glazed my eyes and I felt a sensation close to flying. Then we were there. I took one look around and saw that this was it. We were on a hill by a huge pine tree. Stretched out in front of us was the camp that he had mentioned, but not named. A place for demigods. A sanctuary for kids like me. I corrected myself instantly. There was nobody else like me. I was the most dangerous demigod alive.

Nico looked at me with concern in his dark eyes. "You okay?" he asked. "Most people pass out after their first time."

"Really?" I asked. I felt fine. Well enough, in fact, to poke around for a bit.

He nodded, looking puzzled. I wondered what he was thinking. My eyes narrowed and I walked forward down the sloping crest of the hill. After a moment, he followed me. Realizing that I didn't know where I was going, I stopped and waited for him. "So what is this place?" I asked him.

He seized the chance to make conversation and began telling me everything there was to know about the camp. I listened hard, trying to commit it all to memory. He was still going on when he arrived at a large blue farmhouse with a wraparound porch. He went up the steps and bowed to a man sitting in a wheelchair. Supposing that this was the right thing to do, I bowed as well.

The man appeared to be about middle-aged with a frayed tweed jacket and a scrubby brown beard. A deck of cards lay on the table in front of him and he was holding four in his hand. He had light brown eyes that seemed thousands of years old. Maybe more. His graying hair was neat and orderly, reminding me vaguely of a schoolteacher. I had never been to school, but Erica had. She ran away when she was ten and knew all about them. I was smart, but not book smart you understand. Give me a textbook and I wouldn't know what to do with it. I could barely even read and my writing was slow and clumsy.

The man in the wheelchair looked friendly however, and smiled kindly at me. When he did that I felt myself anger instinctively. I wasn't a charity case. I could look after myself. I had been for eight years. I glared at him as my mental shields went up.

Nico was looking uncomfortable for some reason. "This is Chiron," he told me, "the trainer and teacher of heroes."

So he was a teacher. Great, I thought sarcastically. Now I'll really look like a fool. I had manners though and did my best to be polite. "My name is Kenzie," I told him. "Forgive me for asking, but aren't you supposed to be a centaur?"

Nico wasn't the only one this time to be astonished by this. Chiron blinked once before he answered. "Yes, I am. But most new recruits find it unsettling to come face to face with a centaur on their first go round."

I nodded. It made sense enough. "So I guess that means you're wheelchair is magical."

"Yes," he replied. He seemed to be getting over his initial surprise. "You're a sharp girl Kenzie. What grade are you in?"

I stiffened. What grade were most fourteen year olds in? I was very conscious of them watching me as I struggled for an answer. Fortunately, I was spared from answering.

After a few moments of tense silence, Chiron said, "Nico, why don't you take Kenzie to the undetermined cabin? And maybe you can show her around a bit while you're at it."

Nico nodded and walked down the steps. I didn't even bother with them. I jumped down and landed lightly beside him. He flashed me a quick grin and I returned it. He showed me the archery range, the arts and crafts, the amphitheater, the sword fighting arena, and the pegasi stables. The winged horses shied away from me when I got close. Even though I was disappointed, I couldn't blame them. I probably smelled like monsters. Last of all, Nico showed me the cabins where the campers stayed.

Twelve of them stood apart from the rest and were somehow grander than the others. They were for the twelve Olympian gods. Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hephaestus, Ares, Apollo, Hermes, Dionysus, Hera, Artemis, Aphrodite, and Demeter. They were the members of the Olympian Council and the most famous gods and goddesses. The Hades cabin was the coolest and Nico looked delighted when I told him so.

"I helped design it," he told me. "It was built right after the Titan War."

I frowned remembering. "That was about two years ago now. Kronos corrupted a demigod from your camp and used him as a weapon against you. He tried to overthrow Olympus and almost succeeded it you guys hadn't stopped him." Impressed, I managed to meet his eyes. "Y'all were amazing."

He drew his brows together in a puzzled manner. "How do you know about that?"

Equally puzzled, I replied, "I've lived in New York almost my entire life. Other half-bloods roam its streets. We fought too. Our parents may not be Olympian, but their fates are tied together all the same."

Nico was staring at me so hard that I felt embarrassed. I stuck my hands in my jeans pockets and studied that ground. "So," he said at last, "you already know about all this stuff?" It wasn't a question. I nodded anyway.

Since it was late, Nico dropped me off at my cabin for the night. I lay awake for many hours, wishing curfew were not so early. And wishing also, that I could see the stars.