Author Notes: Okay, I'm really thinking about discontinuing this story. Lately, I've been getting no reviews so I'm not so sure about going through with it. I might just cut this short and move on instead. PLEASE REVIEW YOU GUYS. Reviews are the only things that keep me going. So I hope you like this chapter. It's pretty short and not as exciting but I promise I'll post the next one soon. Thanks!
7
Dean Collins.
I was tired. First, after the attack, since none of us could really drive besides Chiron (who was stuck in his wheelchair), we had to walk our way to camp. It was only two miles away, I know. Then again, I was tired as hell, and I collapsed several times. And my bag wasn't making it any easier walking uphill. I cursed at myself for packing so much. I was forced to climb up the hill with a pine tree on top. In fact, I was so freaking tired I barely noticed the dragon and the golden sweater or something, hanging on one of the tree branches. But I did stop to look at it for a few seconds.
"It's a dragon." Logan said.
"Mph."
"It guards the camp."
"Good for the camp then."
We reached the top. It was five in the afternoon and the sun was already setting. The orange color of the sun mixed with the blue of the evening. To the right, there was a small lake. There was a nearby tree with two teenagers sitting under it. One was a boy with jet-black hair. The girl was resting her head on his shoulder; her blonde curls falling over her face in every direction. Ahead, there were a few volleyball courts and a stream beside a big farmhouse that separated it from a big strawberry field. Beside the courts was an Arts & Crafts section and a small lake behind it. I couldn't see any farther from that.
"We're here." Chiron said from behind. A tall shadow loomed over me so I guessed that he was in his pony form. He pushed open the doors of the big farmhouse and ushered us both inside.
Once I stepped inside, all I did was freeze. Like, really. Freeze. My jaw dropped and eyes widened. Everything was white. Everywhere I looked, it was white. It looked like those ancient buildings that you'd see in pictures of Rome or Greece. The structure was bigger on the inside than it looked like on the outside, obviously. The tall white posts supported each corner and light hung from the ceiling. There were scattered vines everywhere and a faint smell of wine.
"You're here." We were greeted—well it wasn't really a greeting—by a chubby man in a tiger-patterned top. He was in purple spandex tights and—as the band members and fan girls Panic! At The Disco would like to call it—mandals. Ew. No one, and I mean no one; can pull it off but Jon Walker. Even this guy, whoever he thought he was. Oh man, his fashion sense seriously sucked. If he could read my mind…
"Very funny." He interrupted my thoughts. "Though I can read your mind."
I swallowed and blushed. Whoops.
"Er…Mr. D, this is Nikki. Nikki, this is Mr. D."
"'Sup."
Logan elbowed me in the arm.
"You don't just say ''sup' to him."
"Well, what else do you want me to say? Greetings, Mr. D?"
Chiron nodded, taking two goblets and handing one to me, and another to Logan.
"Water." Logan murmured, sipping his cup afterwards.
I stared at the empty glass in my hands. I wasn't thirsty so I just held on to it blankly.
"You're old." Mr. D told me.
I stepped back, crossing my arms.
"Look who's talking?" I said.
"Nikki," Chiron said.
"What? Am I supposed to respect this guy now?"
The purple flame in Mr. D's eyes glowed a darker, more energetic color.
"Oh, what do the kids say? 'Shut up?'" Mr. D asked this goat-legged boy beside him.
"Um. Yes, sir."
"Well then, Norah. Shut up."
I glanced around for this Norah person. It took me a whole minute to realize that was talking to me.
"Actually it's—"
"What do the kids say? 'Whatever?'" Mr. D was asking the goat-boy again.
"Y-Yes sir."
"Well then, whatever." He drawled. I felt my ears turn hot. I had only been here for 5 minutes, and already, I couldn't stand being in the same room as this guy.
"And you." Mr. D pointed at Logan. "Linda, was it?"
I choked back a laugh. I mean, I was going to let the Norah thing pass. But Linda? Linda? J
"Logan, take her to the cabins." Chiron told him.
"Whose?"
"Apollo's. Oh, and, before I forget, please stop fighting."
"We're not fighting." We both said simultaneously, breaking in to a laugh afterwards. We walked away. I could almost feel the anger rush out of me as we were getting farther away from Mr. D.
W
"I knew your dad was Apollo." Logan told me once we were a good distance from the farmhouse. We had crossed the small stream/creek behind the farmhouse and were making our way past a booth that had armor on the walls.
"How'd you guess?" I asked.
"I don't know. You just kinda look like him."
"Is that a good thing?"
"I don't know. Probably. Yeah. I mean all the girls seem to think so."
"Why?"
"They think he's hot. I don't know."
We walked past an arena and I could see a few cabins in a U formation ahead. A little bit to the right, there were smaller cabins, forming a spiral. They looked newly built, and were beside a little creek. Logan stopped once we reached a golden cabin. I was almost blinded by the one beside it. It was silver, glowing as the moon shone down on it.
"Artemis." Logan said to me. "It's her cabin."
"Who stays there?" I asked, recalling that she was one of those virgin goddesses.
"The Hunters…Well, they're rarely here, but honestly, I think I like it better when they're away."
"Why?"
"Long story." He said, handing my bag to me. "But my half-sister's one of the hunters so I guess I can't completely hate them."
"Oh…uhm…Thanks again. You know, for carrying my stuff." I said.
"Sure." He replied, making his way to Cabin 1, the biggest, bulkiest, and most beautiful of the twelve.
W
I went over to my cabin, a sleek, golden one. It blinded me slightly as I climbed the stairs. The door was open and I could see several other people inside. I was about to get in when someone stepped in front of me.
"Apollo's?" he said.
The boy looked my age with turquoise eyes and blond hair. He was in an orange t-shirt like everyone else.
"What?"
"God of the sun, medicine, music, poetry, and prophecies?"
"I know who Apollo is, you know."
"So you're a daughter, then."
"What do you want?" I asked, trying not to get annoyed. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.
"Well, I like to get to know the members of my team when we play Capture the Flag on Friday. And since you happen to be the only addition to the sun god's kids—" he stopped himself and smiled. "I'm Dean."
"Hi Dean." I stepped forward again but he stopped me.
"'Hi Dean. My name is…?'" he prodded me.
"Come on, Collins. Lay of the girls for a minute. She's new." A familiar voice said.
It was Will Solace. He was wearing an orange tank top and long, cut-off shorts. His green eyes sparkled in the moon.
Dean scowled and stepped back. "When Yew was counselor, he didn't shoo me away."
"Just get back to your cabin?"
Dean huffed, but backed off, making his way to the last cabin of the row.
"Nikki!" Will smiled welcomingly. "You're here. We've been waiting, you know."
When I looked around, all I saw was gold; the floor, the walls, the ceiling. It was scary how much there was of it. Whoever made this cabin must have been extremely rich to afford all of it. Everything was gleaming around me as Will led me inside to a cabin to the right. It was the second-to-the-last bed to the wall. I slung my bag off my shoulder and onto the mattress.
"Hi." One boy said to me. He was lying in the bed to my left. He was a ginger, with bright orange hair and a sprinkle of freckles across his nose. His blue eyes were big and warm.
"Hi." I replied, sitting down.
"So…where are you from?" he asked. I noticed the heavy accent he had. The way he spoke was like the way Gerard Way did.
"San Francisco."
"Oh, cool. So is Justin." The boy pointed to the boy in the bed to my right. Unluckily for him, he was the closest to the wall, unless he liked that of course.
I turned to "Justin." He was asleep, both arms over his eyes. He had black, disheveled hair and was in the same orange t-shirt that the redheaded boy was in. Actually, it wasn't just that guy. Everyone around me was in that shirt. Now that I thought about it, Logan was in the same one. I wondered if I would have to wear one too.
"Here." Will handed me a bundle of orange shirts, strapped together by a thin rope. Great.
"Thanks," I muttered, taking it from him. He gave me one last smile before leaving the cabin.
"Yeah. It sucks wearing these things." The redhead said to me.
I turned to him and started examining the clothes.
"Obviously."
"What did you say your name was again?" he asked.
"I didn't." I smiled. "But I'm Nikki."
The boy smiled too. "Nate Burlap. From New Jersey."
"So…that's Justin?" I referred to the sleeping guy beside me.
"Yeah. So, how old are you?"
"Fifteen."
"Oh. I'm fourteen. Wow, you came late."
"What was that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. It's just…I came to camp three years ago. No one ever comes here after thirteen."
"Why?"
"Just…cause. I don't really know. I started a few years ago. I dunno."
He touched a beaded necklace tied around his neck. I didn't really know what to say next so I just turned my attention to the beads.
"So, where did you get these from?" I asked.
He untied the necklace and gave it to me. There were five beads, each of them hand painted. The first had a fruit, the next had a flower, the other one had a tree, another had a sword, and the last had some kind of animal on it.
"Cool." I said.
"Thanks. You get one every year."
"So you've been here for five years, then?"
"Uh-huh."
Awkward pause.
Nate didn't seem to notice though. His eyes suddenly clouded as he continued to stare at his necklace. I cleared my throat to wash away the silence.
"Uh. I'm gonna…"
I gestured towards my bed, swallowing. This kid was younger than me, and he was making me nervous. I REPEAT: I AM SUCH A WUSS.
"Oh yeah, sure." He had snapped out of his train thought. I could almost feel that thought bubble popping right above his head.
I lay down on my bed, closing my eyes. Something about the heat of everyone inside the cabin lulled me to sleep. I didn't know if it was the weird fire that I felt in my chest, or the feeling that I had a real family.
"Shhh! She's waking up!"
"We're supposed to wake her up!"
"Oh. Right. It's Nikki, I think. San Francisco."
"Hah. Me too."
"She knows."
"You didn't tell too much about me, again…did you?"
I rolled to the side, groaning.
"Shut…up…" I managed to croak.
I opened my eyes, two figures looking over me starting to come clear. I squinted and yawned.
"Good morning." A familiar face said. It was Nate Burlap, the redhead. His face was only inches above mine. His hair glowed orange over his freckled cheeks. Something told me he was lying and that it was still the evening. Beside him was a black-haired boy with blue eyes. They both had the same smile on their face.
"Hi." The boy said. "I'm Justin."
He stretched his arm out and helped me up.
"Nikki," I rubbed my eyes as he hoisted me to his feet. "How long was I out?"
I looked around to see that the golden cabin was empty except for us three.
"An hour or so." Nate answered. "It's dinner. Chiron told us to wake you."
I followed them outside. There was a pit at the center of the cabins that I didn't notice earlier. We walked over to the far end of the cabins, at the curve of the U and slipped between two. On the other side was a mess hall a few feet away and hundreds of kids sitting at the tables.
"Dinner." Nate clapped his hands happily.
"Finally." Justin nodded in agreement.
When we reached the middle of the mess, Nate turned to me. I followed them towards a table adjacent to one with Will sitting on it. The table we sat in was packed, but at least it wasn't as full as the other one. Everyone was served the food: braised beef, mashed potatoes with gravy, baby carrots, celery, and a glass. I picked up the empty goblet.
"Uh…"
"Say something." A girl beside me said.
"Hi?"
She rolled her eyes, but smiled. "I mean, say something you want. A drink."
"Vodka." I joked.
She gave me a straight face.
"Kidding. Fine." I said, "Coke."
Before my eyes, the glass magically filled with the brown, fizzy liquid. My jaw dropped.
"Holy cr…"
She smiled. "I'm Julia."
"Nikki."
"Cool, huh?" she said. "Yeah. That's what I thought the first time I was here."
"Why are we so many?" I asked.
"Well, I guess dad can't pick just one girl." She replied.
"Oh."
Again, my head filled up with anger. My dad was a freaking playboy. I was wasting my time thinking that he even cared about me.
"Don't worry." Julia said. "Hermes and Athena are a lot too."
"It's not that." I said. "He didn't even say…"
I decided to stop talking, and just smile sheepishly.
"Um. Turns out, I don't want Coke."
I tossed the liquid out the glass and watched it splatter on the grass. Julia blinked, clearing her throat.
A conch shell sounded. It was kind of weird hearing a conch shell. I mean I had never really heard it myself. I remembered hearing one in Spongebob…except it was some kind of Magic Conch.
Hah. Snippets of that episode played in my mind.
Spongebob: Magic Conch! What should we do next?
Magic Conch: Nothing.
*Spongebob and Patrick proceed to sit down on floor and do nothing*
I blinked, snapping out of it.
Everyone rose and made their way to a fire pit in the center. Logan was first. He threw a piece of his beef into the fire and walked back to his table. Next was the black-haired boy I had seen under the tree earlier. And so on.
All of the campers threw in a portion of their food into the pit and murmured something. I thought this was pretty stupid. I mean all these kids were burning their food. BURNING THEIR FREAKING FOOD.
"To Apollo." I heard Justin say.
"To Apollo…?" I repeated, tossing in a beef.
Once the meat fell into the fire, I smelled the best thing in my life; chocolate-chip cookies, hot chocolate, bubblegum, brownies, pizza…
Someone pushed me aside and I made my way back to the table.
"Did you smell that?" I asked Nate.
"Amazing, isn't it?" he said.
I nodded, smiling.
I realized how nice his eyes were. I mean, I knew he was my half-brother and he was younger and all, but still. They were just so freaking familiar, I couldn't help but feel like I've seen them somewhere. In a dream maybe. And his smile. God, I sounded like I was in love with him—I wasn't—but I knew I saw him somewhere.
"Are you okay?" Justin started waving a hand over my face.
I jumped back and blinked. "What…"
"You spaced out." He informed me. "You okay?"
"Yeah," I said. "I'm fine."
Justin smiled and it hit me again. He had the same smile that Nate did. And Nate, he had Will's smile. And Will had…
"Are you gonna eat that?" Julia asked. She pointed at the mashed potatoes.
"Oh, you can have it." I pushed my plate towards her and washed her scoop and handful onto her plate.
After dinner, all the campers headed for the bonfire at the center of the cabins. Being Apollo's daughter, I was forced to lead the sing-a-long with my half-siblings. At first, I was just mouthing "watermelon" again and again, but soon, I got into it as we sang about gods and music.
When I fell asleep that night, I thought about my dad again. I thought about how many things he did that I shouldn't be happy about. I had all these hundreds of siblings. He left me after my mom died. I was crap to him. I should hate him. He practically abandoned me when she was gone.
I shouldn't want to see him.
But God, I really did.