Chapter 4

Lucas is a son of Hermes, messenger god so his cabin was a couple away from mine. Each god and goddess has their own cabin for their mortal children. The cabins were arranged in a semicircle in a large clearing, decorated to match each god or goddess. For example, the Poseidon cabin (god of the sea) had a sea-green cabin made with swirls of white marble to look like waves and two statues of horses on the either side of the door.

So anyway, Lucas dropped me off outside the Apollo cabin, patting me on the arm and then running towards the battle practice arena.

"Ok," I muttered to myself, exhaling slowly, "Here we go. It should be ok. I mean you're related to these people aren't you?"

I walked up the golden-white steps, decorated with suns and pushed the large golden door open.

"Oh my gods! It's her, guys!" someone screamed.

I was charged by about 11 or 12 over-excited people who all looked pretty similar to me. They all had a splash of freckles, golden-ish hair and were wearing shorts. I noticed that I seemed to be the only one with green eyes however.

"How did you do it?" a little girl squeaked at me.

"Yeah, how'd you do it?" a buff guy with highly gelled blonde hair said.

"Do what?" I said, looking round at my siblings in surprise.

"Killed the Chimera!" they said in unison and then they all collapsed into giggles, exactly like I did when one of my friends said something funny. Ah, family similarities…

"Well I um… punched it." I said, kind of embarrassed, not used to all this attention.

"Cool!" said a tanned muscular guy, winking at me. Woah! If that guy wasn't my brother, I would say he was pretty fit!

"Yeah, that is like so awesome! said a girl in a tight purple vest top and the tiniest shorts I'd ever seen, pushing the door open and click-clacking into the room in her high-heeled black sandals.

"Um… who are you?" I said, looking at her and trying not to sound scornful.

"I'm Gabriella!" she said in an annoying Californian accent. She flipped her (fake) blonde hair over her shoulder and made the dove necklace around her neck rattle. Dove?

"You're a daughter of Aphrodite aren't you?"

"Sure am, sweetie!" she said, walking over to the tanned guy who had spoken to me and linked her arm with his. "And this is my boyfriend! Drake!"

I groaned inwardly. So far, kids of Aphrodite seemed to be really annoying- not to mention shallow!

A girl with plaits led me towards an empty bed in the corner of the room. "This is yours!" she said smiling.

"Thanks." I said, forcing myself to smile back. I was still exhausted after my battle just under two hours ago. My sleep on the chariot had been fitful and uncomfortable. Now I was ready to collapse. The girl seemed to notice how tired I was and said, "Chiron asked me to give you these." She handed me some pyjamas.

This time I didn't have to force a smile.

"Thank you!" I said. "Umm… where shall I change into them?"

"Oh yeah! Sorry, forgot you don't know!" she then pressed a button in the wall beside my bed shaped like a sun. A panel right beside me on the floor opened up to reveal a set of golden steps leading downwards.

"Go on down!" she said.

When I walked down the narrow steps, I found myself in a medium sized round room which had a bathroom, TV, laptop, stereo, books, anything I would want in my room it just seemed to appear as soon as I thought of it.

"Everyone has their own personal room." The girl said. This made me wonder how big this place was underground, because it didn't look that big from outside. I heard other people calling down the stairs.

"Kalina, come see my room!"

"Nooooo come and see mine!"

"She wants to see my room first!"

This could take some time, and I had to go to the camp fire soon, it was almost dark.