Chapter Two
I look at my surroundings, watching the colors change from black to a blurry green and brown. I yelp as my soul suddenly bends and spins into a human shape. When it finishes, my soul hardens and bam! my new body has formed.
I touch the strands of curly blonde hair. I wonder if my eyes have the same calming effect as before. Suddenly, I see something coming from the trees. A young girl steps towards me. Her skin is a dark brown and her green hair is flowing around her like leaves. She wears a dress made of leaves, and smiles shyly at me.
"Hello, what's your name?" I ask. She is startled, and whispers, "You can see through the Mist." When I nod, she continues, "My name is Péfko. That's pine in Greek, by the way. I'm a tree nymph, or dryad, and I came here to tell you that you have beautiful eyes." Her voice is light and airy, like a falling leaf. "It's a serene blue. It reminds me of the sky on a calm day." I realize my eyes are the same, even if my host body has changed.
"Nice to meet you, Péfko. Where am I, and are there any more of your kind here?" I question.
Péfko nods, and answers, "You're in Central Park, New York City. My kind are currently resting in their host trees and shrubs. If you're looking for other humans, the path is in that direction." She points to my left, and I thank her. "Hopefully you can come back here!" she yells as I leave. I stick a thumbs up in the air, before I hear the sound of tree bark enclosing around her. Gone to sleep. I travel for a minute before I see a few pedestrians strolling along the path.
Whoosh. A strong gust of wind knocks me back into the trees. Whoosh. I battle against the winds, only to notice that the other people feel nothing. It must be a work of the gods. Which one, I'm not entirely sure. I let the wind lead me into a patch of dense shrubbery. When I enter, Poseidon appears before me.
"Listen, Kayla. The gods have a task for you. You must find other mortals who can see through the Mist, so you're going to go to one of my sons' house. Here are the directions," and he's gone. I look at the piece of paper that appears in my hand. Is this Percy Jackson's address? I dash to the path, down the sidewalks, and through the streets. When I reach his door, a middle-aged woman answers it.
"How can I help you?" she asks. Her blue eyes sparkle but seem to be tired. She runs a hand through her brown hair. She reeks of candy, but it's not enough to block the pungent smell of tobacco, alcohol, and cigars.
"Sally Jackson, am I correct?" She nods, and I introduce myself. "I'm Kayla Preech, and I understand that you can see through the Mist."
Sally's eyes go wide and she whispers, "You must know my son." I sigh and say, "I know his name, yes, but I don't personally know him. He is a demigod, correct?" Sally nods, slowly melting away her shock. When she recovers, she asks, "Right now I'm getting rid of the smell of my late husband. He passed away recently, but I feel no remorse. He was extremely abusive, so no hard feelings. Do you want to join me?" She winks, and I follow her into the apartment.
As we're cleaning the living room, Sally tells me about her adventures with Percy before he left for Camp Half-Blood. She then tells me the directions to the camp, just in case. As knowledgeable as she seemed, she did not seem to know how she could see through the Mist. I tell her it's fine, and begin my journey to Camp Half-Blood.