Hello readers! This is chapter 2 of Tara. I'd like to thank Son of Hyperion for commenting my story! You're awesome, man! Review what you think of the story. Suggestions, criticisms, everything is appreciated!
Chapter 2
I woke up sweaty and panting. I quickly sat up to wipe the moisture off my brow and gather my thoughts. Sunlight was streaming through my window. Odd, because when I usually have dreams, I wake up at night. But then again, this wasn't much of a regular dream scenario. What had happened last night?
Mom had visited me, that much I knew. But what about the other stuff? The apartment, the cave. The cave. That was eerie. What did it all mean? It was hard to believe that the girl that was rammed in the back was me. Where did I learn to fight like that? What's going on with my life?
My dad always said that if you face a dilemma that you can't solve, keep facing it until it blinks. It's metaphorical of course, but it still wasn't bad advice. But for this?
I shook my head. No, I needed to stop thinking about it. I looked at my clock on my bedside table. It read 8:39. I frowned. Today was a school day. Why didn't my alarm clock go off? Today was a school day.
"Oh, god," I muttered. I shot out of bed and did a mini-marathon of fifteen feet across my room to my closet. Four and a half seconds later, I was dressed up in faded jeans and plain black-and-white striped t-shirt and was halfway to the kitchen. When I sprinted into the dining room, I saw dad in his full clothes chugging his mug of coffee and stopping every two seconds to fan off his mouth.
"Tara! Good, you're up. I was just about to wake you. Listen, change of plans. We're leaving for New York today. You need to pack your bags."
I stared at him. Today? I thought he was joking, that this was all some sick prank. But it became clear to me that he wasn't messing with me.
"Today?" I croaked. Why didn't he say something? Why didn't he say that we were leaving early? I needed to make amends, say my goodbyes. But me being ADHD, it wouldn't have mattered anyway. Deadlines never seem to be real until they're here for me.
"Yes. Today. You need to pack." Dad sounded irritated, but there was something else in his voice. Something that I couldn't quite comprehend.
"But dad! My friends, my school! You said we weren't going 'till next week! We can't possibly-"
"Tara!" he snapped. "This isn't a joke! We really need to leave! It's urgent. So go upstairs, get a duffel bag, and start packing!" He was angry, but there was an undertone to his voice. I realized now what the other thing in his voice was. It was fear. Deep fear.
I realized that I'd better get my rump upstairs on the ASAP or else dad would get even angrier than he already was. So I lugged a suitcase upstairs to my room and tossed in my stuff.
I couldn't believe I was leaving. I was leaving behind everything I had here. I remembered trekking through the woods with my friends and climbing trees. I remembered getting up early in the weekends, going outside, and breathing in the fresh forest air. Dad would have an omelet ready when I got back. It seemed all that would disappear, the tall trees and huge boulders be replaced by towers of concrete and mountains of metal. By the time I had finished packing, my eyes were misty and I felt miserable.
~~O~~
As we walked into Portland International Airport, I felt a strange sense of nothing. For the first time today, my mind and body was completely devoid of emotion. Everything was a blur. Placing our luggage on the conveyor belt to be loaded into the airliner, stopping at a cafe to grab a last-minute double-shot espresso, standing in line for our turn at the ticket booth, and finally cruising at an altitude of 20,000 feet, sitting in seats A and B16 in the economy section.
I gazed out at the world below us. South Dakota's grassy fields stretched out below us. I could almost feel the power of nature radiating off of the earth. It's beauty and might was almost mesmerizing.
Then, the grass seemed to swirl and take shape. The end result was a woman's face. It was beautiful with a healthy amount of don't deny me or I'll feed you to the wolves harshness. High cheekbones, full lips, and a hollow smile dominated her features. But the strangest thing was, the face seemed to be asleep. Literally. Her eyes were closed and she had a dreamy look on her face.
Even though it was slumbering, the face started to speak. "Yes, hello Tara. You will make a fine pawn. The one. The loner. The only. How much strength did Artemis have to muster to talk to you last night? It is only a matter of time before she falls. Her and all her Hunters."
Now I had seen some pretty weird things before in my life. A guy with a bent-up sword fighting what looked like a giant crocodile, a really chilling version of some sort of cave, (as of last night) but the earth woman was the strangest thing I'd ever seen in my life.
"Such a powerful demigod," the earth woman continued. "You may make a valuable asset. Or a deadly threat. The seven don't know Artemis broke her oath. Yes... very valuable indeed."
"Shut up. Shut up. You aren't real," I muttered. I blinked a few times. Hard. When I opened my eyes, the woman's face was gone, dissolved into the deep green grass as if nothing had ever disturbed the endless fields of South Dakota.
~~O~~
Our house was in Long Island. After we arrived in MacArthur Airport, we unloaded our bags and hailed a taxi to the north shore of Long Island. When we arrived there, we got our bags and headed into the double-story house. It was a cozy house, with crisp, white walls and cream-colored wallpaper. Upstairs, there was two bedrooms and a bathroom. Downstairs, there was a kitchen area, a pantry, and a living room with a TV and a DVD player.
"Come on," dad said. He sounded urgent. "We need to go."
What? Already? What was up with dad lately?
"Seriously? We just got here! I haven't even unpacked!" I said.
But dad was already out the door. He walked out into the road and looked around nervously for a moment. When his brain dinged the 'All Clear' light, he whipped out his phone and dialed a number. Maybe the Taxi company? But I was wrong. Three minutes later, a white van pulled up to the driveway. I could read the printing on the side of the van, which was strange, since I was dyslexic and it usually took me some time to figure out what the actual words were. The van read Delphi Strawberry Service. Dad was talking to a buff guy with a rainbow tattoo on his huge bicep, which seemed a little out of place if you ask me. They were babbling about Camp something-or-other. A few seconds later, the buff guy and dad walked over to me.
"Tara, this is Butch," dad said.
The buff guy put his hand out and I shook it.
"He's going to take you to camp."
I looked at my father. "Camp? You never said anything about this," I said.
"This camp is the special place I told you about. It's vital that we get there immediately."
And before I knew it, I was sitting in the white van, heading towards a place called Camp Half-Blood.