I stayed on the couch for a few minutes, thinking about everything Nico had just said. None of it made any sense. How did Nico know where to find me? How could Greek Gods be real? How could my dad, the jerk of jerks, be one of them? Even though I had just woken up, I felt drained of all my energy. I rubbed my eyes and finally hauled myself off of the couch.
I walked out of the living room and into the dining room. Nico and Mom had been talking, but they stopped as soon as I walked in. Nico glanced at my mom and she nodded. Nico cleared his throat and said, "I'll be waiting outside." I watched the back of his head as he walked out of the dining room and out the front door. Even after he was gone, the room was still silent. I sat down next to my mom, but she didn't look up at me.
"Mom?" I asked, gently touching her arm. She lifted her head and I saw that her eyes were sad and her face was etched with deep wrinkles. "What's going on?" Mom sighed deeply, and dropped my gaze again.
"I know I should have told you this before," she began. "But I was scared someone would find out. You see, Juliet, you weren't born in a hospital." As she said the last sentence, she raised her head again and met my eyes. Hers were full of tears and mine were full of confusion. "You were… well, you came from the sky." That was the last straw. That one tiny bit of weirdness drove me over the line.
"Let's see," I began sarcastically. "Greek gods are real, Dad is one of them, I have to go to some sort of training camp for freaks or else I'll be killed by the monster under my bed, and, oh, this is the cherry on top, I'm an alien baby that fell from the sky!" I knew that I shouldn't have lashed out on my mom like that, but I was really frustrated. I've never even met my father and he is ruining my life!
"Juliet," Mom said sternly. "I know none of this makes sense, but that is no excuse to take that tone of voice with me!" I immediately felt guilty and I mumbled an apology. Mom's expression softened and she stroked my hair. "Just let me explain, okay?" I nodded and braced myself for more strange explanations. "When you were a baby," Mom continued, "you floated down from the sky on a ray of light." Mom looked at me cautiously, as if I might have another outburst. I signaled for her to continue. "I hadn't seen your dad for about a month and when he sent you I knew I would never see him again. You were the best thing that ever happened to me." Mom was crying now. Tears silently dripped onto the table. I sat there awkwardly and patted her on the back a couple of times. Once Mom had stopped crying, she smiled to herself and said, "He was so charming. I remember the first time we met. He was so handsome and he treated me like I was a somebody. He made me feel like I could be anything I wanted." Her smile faded as she moved on. "But all things fade, I guess." Mom stared at the tabletop and I could tell she was lost in another memory.
"Mom?" I asked cautiously. "How did you know Dad was a… god?" It felt weird to say it out loud and the words got stuck on my tongue.
"He told me." She replied casually.
"He told you." I repeated, dumbfounded. Who knew Dad could be honest?
"Yes. It took me a while to believe it, but when he sent you I knew he was telling the truth and I understood why he had to leave."
"So you do believe all this mumbo jumbo about gods being real?" I knew that my mom wouldn't lie to me about something as serious as this. If she believed it, then it was real.
"Yes." Mom replied, looking straight into my eyes. "I do." The enormity of the situation suddenly hit me. My stomach clenched and I felt like I was going to be sick. For a second I couldn't breathe.
"So I have to leave?" I gasped. "I have to throw my life away because of these gods?" I put as much venom as I could into the last word. I liked it here. I loved our new house and the neighborhood was great. I didn't want to leave.
"I'm sorry, honey." My mom said, and I could tell that she really was sorry. "But it's for the best. I'll be right here when you get back at the end of summer."
"The end of summer?!" I cried, my eyes growing wide. "I have to stay there all summer?!" Well there go all my plans.
"I'm sure you'll like it there once you get used to it." Mom reasoned.
"But I don't want to get used to it!" I whined. "I want to stay here!" I knew I sounded like a blubbering baby, but I desperately wanted to remain in LA.
"I know, I know." Mom whispered comfortingly. "Don't worry we'll see each other soon. You should probably start packing." With a last sad smile, Mom stood and walked out the front door. I knew she was going to finish her conversation with Nico.
My entire body felt numb. I wasn't sure how I was going to get up and walk all the way upstairs, but somehow I found the energy. I felt like a robot; I was doing things, but I wasn't feeling them. I was oblivious to the world around me. When I finally snapped out of my trance, I realized that I had been trying to stuff my queen sized comforter into my suitcase. I sighed and pulled it out. I wasn't sure what I was going to need at this "camp" so I just stuck to the basics. Jeans, t –shirts, shorts, socks, and other basic necessities. When I had finished packing my clothes, I debated on whether or not to bring my makeup bag. It was kind of heavy, and I hated wearing it.
Besides, I thought bitterly to myself, you're perfect without it. For the umpteenth time in my life I wished I looked different. I looked too… generic. I wish I had brilliant green eyes. No one would forget those. Ooh, or maybe crazy curly hair. That sounds like fun. Anything other than this boring, straight hair, I thought, picking up the ends if my hair daintily and wrinkling my nose as if it were a dirty diaper.
Anyways, back to the situation at hand. I compromised and decided to bring a couple of bottles of mascara and a light pink lipstick. Then I laced on my favorite pair of black converse. Once I was finished packing, I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost noon. Now that I was done packing, Nico would insist on leaving immediately. I felt like I swallowed a stone and it was resting in the bottom of my stomach. I knew that once I left this room I would not be back for three more months. I sat down on my bed and took note of little details that I had never noticed before. There was a small crack in the blue paint on the wall near the door. The corner of the window frame had a small black smudge. The carpet was started to fray on one of the corners. I smiled to myself. I had only been here two years and I had already left my mark on this house. My smile vanished when I remembered that I had to leave.
I took a deep breath and dragged my suit case out of my room. It was heavier than I thought and I struggle to carry it down the stairs. When I had finally made it into the dining room, I saw that Nico was sitting at the table with a half-eaten sandwich and my mom was standing beside him with her arms folded. No one moved when they saw me.
"I'm all packed." I said, just to break the silence. Nico stood up and pushed his chair in. He had to sweep his messy hair out of his face in order to see me.
"Okay. We should probably go." He replied. My shoulders sagged and I dropped my gaze to the floor. I think Nico noticed because he looked guilty and mumbled, "I'll be outside, again" and quickly walked out the door. Before I could do anything, Mom rushed towards me and wrapped her arms around me. We don't usually hug, and when we do it's uncomfortable, but this time I buried my face in her shoulder and hugged her back.
We stayed like that for a long time. I had never truly appreciated my mother like I did now. When she finally let me go, I felt cold. She put her hands on my shoulders and looked me square in the eye.
"I know this is confusing," she said. "But everything is going to turn fine." She smiled. "I'll write to you every day." I pretended to grimace.
"No, Mom!" I shouted in mock disgust. "Not every day! Everyone will think I'm a baby!" We laughed and for a second everything was fine. Then reality dragged us out of our happiness.
"Alright, then," Mom replied, tears shining in her eyes. "Then I'll write to you every week." I smiled at her.
"I would love that." I hugged her again, but this time it was shorter. "I love you." I whispered into her shirt. I didn't think she could hear me, but then I heard her say, "I love you too, sweetie." That was when the water works started. I tried to hold it in, but a couple tears slipped out of my eyes and left stains on Mom's shoulder.
When we pulled out of the hug, we both picked up my heavy suitcase and went onto the porch. Nico had been sitting on the steps, but he stood up when he heard us approach.
"Ready to go?" He asked. I wanted to say no, but I was afraid that if I said anything I would start crying and I was not about to let Nico see my weak side. I settled with a nod. Then I turned to my mom.
"Bye." I managed to choke out. She smiled back at me.
"Bye." Nico walked down the steps and into the drive way.
"Just follow me this way." He said, gesturing down the street. I reluctantly followed him, but I glanced back at my mom every few seconds. After walking for a few minutes, I caught up with Nico and walked next to him. I turned around to look at Mom one last time, but we had already turned the corner and the house was gone. After walking for a few more minutes in silence, I stopped dead in my tracks. I suddenly realized I had no idea where we were going. What if Nico was taking me to a dark alley where I would be brutally murdered and the police wouldn't find my body for months? When Nico realized I wasn't beside him, he turned around.
"What are you doing?" He asked impatiently.
Staying away from a creepy dude with a sword, I thought to myself. I figure that would probably offend him, so instead I asked, "Where is this 'Camp Half-Blood'?"
"New York." He replied, still looking impatient.
"New York?" I shouted, shocked. "And we're just going to walk there? You do realize it's on the other side of the country." Maybe he was more messed up in the head than I thought.
"Of course not!" Nico said, as if his plan were obvious. "We're going to shadow travel."
"Yay," I said sarcastically. "Another freaky magic trick that is no doubt connected with the gods." This time I did offend Nico.
"You aren't very nice." He said flatly. I was not expecting him to say that. It hurt my feelings a little, but I wasn't going to let him know that.
"You're no ray of sunshine yourself." I snapped. It was true. He was as pale as a ghost and he was only dressed in black. He even had as skull ring! I noticed that, like me, he was wearing black converse, which happened to be my favorite type of shoe in the world, but I wanted to stay mad at him. He didn't say anything back. He just turned around and kept walking.
"Hey!" I yelled after him. "You still haven't told me where we're going!" He didn't turn around. I yelled in frustration and stomped my ground (yes, I actually stomped my foot like the fifteen-and-a-half year old that I am). I looked back in the direction of my house. I could turn around right now and just go home. I sighed. No I couldn't. Mom would be disappointed in me. She would send me right back out the door. With an internal groan, I started walking towards Nico, my suitcase rolling behind me.
We walked for ten more minutes before he stopped and I finally caught up with him.
"We're here." He said. His voice was still cold. When I looked at the spot where he was gesturing, my blood froze. You'll never guess where he took me. That's right. A dark alley. Nico walked into the alley like he was at home there. I stayed where I was. He stopped walking when he was about halfway into the alley.
"You coming?" He asked.
Into a dark alley with you? Yeah, no.
"Why should I trust you?" I called back. I planted my suitcase on the sidewalk and folded me arms to add more affect.
"Your mom trusts me." Nico replied. Ouch. I had a really bad feeling about this, but I knew I had no other choice. I slowly dragged my suitcase into the alley and stopped next to Nico. I kept one eye on his sword and the other on the rest of the ally.
"Why are we here?" I asked. Nico looked at me as if it were obvious.
"You need shadows to shadow travel." He didn't say it out loud, but I could tell he wanted to add "Duh." My heart started beating faster. I wondered what shadow traveling was, but I didn't want a long explanation.
"Take my hand." Nico said, holding out his hand. I stared skeptically at his skull ring. Nico smirked. "What, scared of the dark?" He taunted. I straightened my shoulders and stood at my full height.
"No." I said defiantly and grabbed his hand. It was cold, but not clammy, and when I touched it a trill of ice ran up my spine. I was scared out my mind, but I tried to keep my hand steady.
"Hold on tight." He warned, almost grinning. He looked like he was enjoying my terror. With a half-smile he pulled me toward the end of the alley. Soon we were jogging. The walls around us were starting to go fuzzy and black. The alley was being swallowed by darkness that crept up from the shadows. Nico sped up. Then we were sprinting straight into darkness.
Shadow traveling was the most unpleasant thing I have ever had to do. Believe me when I say you do not want to try it. As soon as we ran into the shadows, the world was enveloped in darkness. It felt like 100 mph wind was blasting in my face, trying to hold me back. I couldn't see Nico, but I could feel his cold grip on my hand. I squeezed his hand tighter. There was no way I was going to let go and get lost in an internal darkness. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, the world stared spinning. It started out slow, but it quickly gained speed. I spun faster and faster and I thought I was going to be sick. Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, the darkness was sucked away and replaced by a blinding light. My feet slammed into solid ground and I stumbled forward.
When my eyes finally adjusted to the light I saw that I had landed next to an enormous pine tree. Oh, and an enormous dragon. I stared dumbly at the dragon until I realized that someone was holding onto my hand.
Nico! I suddenly remembered. I whipped around to look at him. He looked pale (well, paler, if that's possible). He tried to walk forward, but he lost his balance. I released his hand and caught him before he fell. Well, I tried to catch him, but he was too heavy and he knocked me over. So, there I was; lying on a grassy hill with a nearly unconscious boy crushing the wind out of my lungs.
"Get. Off!" I grunted, rolling Nico onto the grass. He let out a puny groan as he hit the ground. I sat up and looked down the hill. When I saw what was at the bottom of the slope, I gasped. Nico winced as he sat up and said weakly, "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."