A Touch of Destiny
by Lady Dawson
Chapter Two: Welcome to Camp Half-Blood
I didn't immediately lower my bow, but I did pull back the string slightly, not willing to lower my defences just yet. Instead, I kept my bow on him, studying Eli carefully as he came into full view.
He walked funny, as though he had problems with his legs, and he was a little bit on the short side, for a boy, anyway; he still stood a few inches taller than me. His brown hair was straggly and he had a small beard already, though he was only a few years older than I was. Most of his hair was stuffed underneath his hat.
"It's okay," he said again when I didn't lower my bow, keeping it on him, "I know you're scared right now and I know that this is all really confusing, but it's gonna be okay. I'm here to help you; I promise I will not hurt you."
His brown eyes seemed kind and something in them told me that I could trust him. Taking a deep breath, I slowly lowered my bow, returning the arrow back to my quiver, though I kept my bow in my hand in case I needed it. I didn't know how that quiver and bow had appeared there like that, but apparently, I had some higher power watching out for me, because it had appeared right when I had needed it.
"Attagirl," Eli said, giving me a smile. "It's all right. It's gonna be okay. What's your name?"
"Lilyana," I answered carefully, "Lily Sawyer."
"Lily Sawyer," he repeated. Somehow, the way that he said my name made it sound different, as though it were the name of a queen or a high priestess or a warrior. Someone of great importance. "My name is Eli and I'm a friend. But we have to get out of here, okay? We have to get somewhere safe. I can get you there, but you're going to have to trust me."
"But who are you?" I asked, my mind spinning from everything that had happened.
"I'm a friend," he said anxiously. "I'm from a camp not too far away from here, for people like you. I will explain everything to you once we get there, but right now, we have to go."
I hesitated, then glanced towards the dead monster, trembling slightly, looking back at Eli. "Are there . . . are there more . . . like him?" I asked, managing to put my thought into a stumbled order.
He nodded earnestly as he glanced towards the monster. "Yes, there are a lot more and they are gonna come after you. They can smell your blood," he explained, which didn't make a whole lot of sense.
Suddenly, I remembered what my dad had said about my mom and how if I knew more about her, then I would constantly be in danger. Was this the kind of danger that he had been talking about? I thought wildly before glancing at my dad, my fallen father, with an ache in my chest. I would never have the chance to find out.
Closing my eyes against the tears that were threatening to expel themselves from there, I looked back at Eli. "Does . . . does this have anything to do with my mom?"
He nodded. "Yes . . . a lot, actually."
My breath quavered, but I nodded, looking back at my dad. "What about my dad?" I whispered, my voice trembling as I spoke. It barely even sounded like me; it was so high and shrill, not at all how my voice sounded like. "I can't just leave him here."
Eli nodded understandingly. "I promise, we're gonna take care of it. The paramedics will be here shortly and they will take care of him, but do you really want to explain what happened here?"
No, I immediately thought, I really didn't. There was no way that I could explain what had happened here. I didn't want to explain about the wrecked car and the monster and how it had been killed—I wasn't even sure how I was able to kill it. I'd never even shot a bow and arrow before; how was I even able to use it so proficiently?
"Okay," I finally whispered, nodding miserably. Eli let out a low breath, filled with relief, and gestured me towards the car. I took one last look at my dad as I headed towards Eli's car, climbing into the passenger's seat.
It felt wrong, oh so wrong to leave my dad there, lying bloody and lifeless on the road, right next to a crime scene, but there wasn't really much of a choice. Dad told me once that if anything ever did happen to him, then my mom would send me help. She would know what had happened and she would help me; she would send people to help me.
And I had a feeling in my gut that this was what my dad had meant; Eli was sent by my mother to aid me in my time of need.
Saying one last goodbye to my dad, I climbed into the passenger's seat, strapping on the seatbelt as I heard sirens in the distance, as though someone nearby had heard the accident and had called an ambulance.
Eli sent me a truly sympathetic look before he turned on the ignition, speeding away from the crime scene. I refused to look back, refused to turn back towards where my father was, because I knew that if I took one look back, if I so much as turned around, then that would be the last of my resolve and I would jump out of the moving car and run back to him, refusing to go with Eli and stay with my dad, no matter the danger, even though every instinct in me was telling me that I needed to go with him.
With my gaze attached firmly ahead of me, tears radiating in my eyes, I was taking the firs steps that would lead me to my destiny.
But I had absolutely no idea what that destiny was. All I knew was that my whole world had changed.
My dad was dead . . . monsters were real . . . one of them had attacked us and had killed my dad right in front of me . . . and then someone had sent me a bow and arrow that I had used to kill the monster . . . and now, I was trusting a complete stranger to take me to safety and I had absolutely no idea where I was gone.
Yeah, the only thing that I was completely sure about was that everything had changed.
--
Every minute that passed by felt like an eternity and every minute the passed by, I felt like something was going to appear out of nowhere and attack us. Eli didn't seem any calmer; his brown eyes kept darting everywhere as he drove, never relaxed, never calm for a second.
Well, he had to be a great deal calmer than I was. All I could think about was seeing my dad like that, lying motionless on the ground.
My dad was dead; he was just gone. I never thought that he could actually be gone. I mean, this was my dad I was talking about, this was Charlie Sawyer, who was so full of life and never slowed down, even for a second, a restless free spirit who was always looking towards the horizon, seeking adventure and excitement with every step. How could he be gone?
It was almost midnight when we reached wherever it was that we were going. A camp, Eli said that it was some sort of camp. But why would he take me here? Why did my mother want me to come to a camp? She had never been involved in my life, so why did she care about what I did during the summer?
But at the moment, I didn't feel like asking many questions. I just pulled my bag onto my shoulder as I followed Eli up the hill, past a giant pine tree and a sleeping dragon. But my eyes travelled beyond that and my eyes widened with surprise and disbelief, astonished by the sights that met my eyes, sights that I never would have expected.
At the very bottom of the hill, there was a blue house, standing taller than all of the rest of the camp. There was an amphitheatre, a climbing wall, an arena, cabins in every colour, shape and form, and several other buildings. There was a volleyball court, stables, and a farm that smelled like strawberries, if the smell that carried was any hint.
I could barely even believe my eyes and I actually raised my hands to my eyes and rubbed them before opening them again, making sure that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me.
Eli chuckled at my reaction and spread his arms open wide. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood," he said, smiling at me. "Come on, we'll go to the Big House and talk to Chiron."
"Who's—" I began, but decided that, upon reflection, just to wait. I was sure I would find out shortly.
And I was right.
Leading me up to the house that was painted blue—which had to be the Big House, I guessed—Eli opened up the door and gestured for me to follow him inside, where I could hear voices talking inside and as I entered, I saw two figures talking. One of them was a guy appearing to be around my own age, tall and handsome, slightly muscular with sandy blond hair and intense grey eyes. The other was a centaur.
I'm not joking. There was an actual, real-live centaur standing not ten feet in front of me as I followed Eli into the room, my mouth actually falling open in an unladylike manner, but I was too stunned to actually care.
"Chiron," Eli said and the centaur turned around to face us, smiling pleasantly at me with a hint of amusement in his brown eyes as he noticed my astonished expression.
"Eli," he said, nodding towards the guy next to me. "I was wondering when you were going to get back. But I see that you haven't come back empty-handed. Hello, my dear," he said kindly to me. "I'm Chiron, Activities Director here at Camp Half-Blood. Welcome."
"Uh . . . thanks," I said awkwardly, trying to figure out if this was just some bizarre dream that I was having and believe me, I really thought that it was possible, because I've had some bizarre dreams before. "I'm Lily . . . Lily Sawyer."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Sawyer," he said kindly. He looked at Eli. "Have you told her?"
Eli shook his head. "No, I found here a little way away from here, under attack with her dad," he said quietly, remorse in his voice and a hint of guilt. He met Chiron's eyes and there was some sort of understanding that passed through them and Chiron turned to the unknown guy in the room.
"Stefan," he said, "I think that we're going to have to pick this up tomorrow."
"Sure," Stefan said, shrugging. "No problem. I should probably get back to my cabin, anyway." His grey eyes met my blue ones and I felt my cheeks flaming slightly as he grinned at me before he walked out of the house, shutting the door behind him.
"Come with me, Miss Sawyer," Chiron said gently, gesturing for me to follow him and, with a quick glance towards Eli, who gave me an encouraging nod, I did as I was told, following the centaur into another room.
He gestured for me to sit down, which I did, though with much reluctance. This whole day had been crazy and strange and I didn't want to talk; all I wanted to do was crawl into a bed and cry myself to sleep. The only coherent thought in my head was that my dad was dead.
"What do you know about your parents?" Chiron asked me once I was sitting down.
The question startled me. "Uh . . . my dad's an artist, I live with him in New York," I said, a pain shooting through me. I lived with him in New York. That was over now. For a second, I wondered where I would go. Probably get sent to a foster home. It wasn't like Dad had any relatives. At least, none that he talked to. "I've never my mother, but Dad always said that one day, I'd know who she was and why it had to be a secret."
Chiron nodded gently. "Your father had reasons for keeping the truth about your mother hidden, Lily," he told me. "There is no easy way to explain this to you, so I'm just going to say it." He took a deep breath. "Lily, you are a demigod."
For a minute, I didn't hear him clearly, then what he said slowly began to make sense and I shook my head in complete confusion. "Demigod?" I repeated slowly and he nodded, watching my expression carefully. "As in . . . as in the offspring of an immortal god or goddess and a mortal?"
He seemed pleased that I knew that much. "Yes, that summarises it exactly," he said, smiling. "We don't know who your mother is, but I'm sure that she will claim you soon."
"So . . . I'm the daughter . . . of a goddess?" I said, trying to get my head around this. "Like the Greek gods, Zeus, Athena, Aphrodite? They actually exist?"
I had always liked learning about the Greek gods; they had always been so fascinating to me and even though my dyslexia made it extremely difficult, I had read anything that I could on the subject and watched every single movie and TV show having to do with them. My dad had laughed at my obsession, but on my birthday, he had bought me the entire series of Xena: Warrior Princess.
Chiron nodded, impressed. "Yes, they do. Camp Half-Blood is a sanctuary for all of the children of the gods and offer training, to help you defend yourselves against the monsters outside of these walls. This is the only safe place for demigods. No monster can enter unless they are invited."
"But why is it here in America?" I asked. "Shouldn't this camp be in Greece?"
"The gods move with the height of western civilisation. They are half of the reason why it is so prosperous. Back then, Greece was the height of western civilisation. Now, however, it is in America, so they live here. On top of the Empire State Building, actually."
"You're kidding," I said, bewildered. How could Mount Olympus be on top of the Empire State Building? "But . . . how do you know that I'm a demigod?"
"The monster wouldn't have attacked you unless you were one. They can smell the blood of a demigod profoundly, especially if you're a powerful force. If you were one of the children of the Big Three, then they would be especially attracted to your blood."
"The Big Three? You mean Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades?" I asked, remembering what I had read about them. The three powerful brothers, sons of the Titan King.
"Correct," Chiron beamed. "Forgive me, but do you happen to struggle with dyslexia? Perhaps ADHD?"
I felt my stomach clench as he asked and I slowly nodded, an idea forming in my head. "How do you know . . .?"
"That's another mark that you are a half-blood," he explained. "For demigods, your natural language is ancient Greek, not English. As for the ADHD, you have quick reflexes that allow you to excel on the battlefield, but make it difficult for you to adapt to the slowness of normal life, make it difficult to sit still in a classroom."
That kind of made sense, so I just nodded, my mind adapting to the idea that my mother was one of the Olympian gods. I was the daughter of a goddess, a demigod. Well, this certainly didn't happen every day.
Seeming to notice how late it was getting, Chiron looked around at Eli, who had been standing behind us, completely quiet while we were talking. "Now, it's getting late and I think that you could use some rest," he said kindly. "If you don't mind, Eli, could you please take her to Cabin 11?"
"No problem," Eli said, gesturing for me to follow him.
"And Lily," Chiron added. I turned back to look at him and noticed his extremely saddened expression. "I am very sorry about your father."
The heaviness that seemed to be pressing down on my chest seemed to multiply and I nodded mutely, not trusting myself to talk, before following Eli out of the Big House.
Eli must have realised that I didn't want to talk, because he seemed to realise that I didn't particularly want to talk, because he didn't say a word as we left and headed towards the smaller cabins across the way.
"So . . . what exactly are you?" I finally asked, glancing at him. "Are you a demigod?"
Letting out a laugh that sounded like a goat, Eli shook his head, a grin spreading across his face. "No, I'm not," he said, still laughing that strange laugh. "I'm not a half-blood. I'm a satyr."
"A . . . what?" I asked, incredulous.
"A satyr," he said, shrugging, looking down at his feet, then back up at me. I looked down and noticed that—while he was wearing pants—he had no shoes on and his feet, instead of feet, they ended in cloven hooves.
I realised that I was staring and yanked my eyes away from him. "This is insane," I muttered.
"Yeah, I know," Eli said sympathetically. "Most kids here feel that way in the beginning, but it'll get better. You'll get used to everything, in the end." He sounded so sure of himself that I almost believed him, but I wasn't sure how I was going to get over losing my dad. It just seemed too surreal and I hoped that, when I woke up tomorrow, that I would be in my own bed.
Eli led me through the quiet camp. It was well past midnight, so everybody was asleep. Well, almost everybody. There were still a few people that were up and about.
When we reached cabin 11, Eli opened the door and I stepped through uncertainly, taking a look around the sleeping cabin. It was crowded and almost every single bunk was full. There was only a single girl awake, who was looking through a book as she lay on her stomach, but she looked up the moment that we entered.
"Eli," she said softly, gesturing him over. "What's going on?"
"New camper," he explained, nodding towards me. "Lily Sawyer, meet Alexia Ryder, daughter of Hermes."
"Regular or undetermined?" Alexia asked, looking me up and down for a long minute.
"Undetermined," Eli answered, though I didn't know what she meant by that at first. Then I got it; they didn't know who my mother was and until she sent a sign, as Chiron had called it, I would be staying here.
Alexia sighed as she stood, motioning me to follow her through the crowded cabin, finding me a bunk through the sleeping campers. "Here, this one's empty." She kept her voice low as she smiled. "Welcome to cabin 11."
"Thanks," I said. She nodded as she walked back towards her own bunk and I crawled into my bunk, placing my bag underneath my bunk as I pulled the blankets around me tightly.
Within moments, I was asleep.