Hello fellow authors! This chapter is in the present. The whole flashback thing is done, and now this is where Alyssa is exploring Camp Half-Blood and meeting the other demigods.
Anyways, read on! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or RA. All rights go to their respectful owners.
3rd Person POV
Alyssa's eyes fluttered open. She was still laying in the same cot in the infirmary. She hadn't realized that she drifted asleep. Alyssa attempted to sit up, and winced as pain shot through her ribs. She took a deep breath and swung her legs across the bed, and stood. She immediately felt nauseous and she groaned slightly as she leaned against the bed for support. Despite the bad condition she was in when she arrived, Alyssa felt better. She realized in awe that her cuts and scrapes had disappeared, as if they had never been there in the first place.
Alyssa wanted answers. What was this place? She started toward the building doors, but stopped as an alarming thought struck her. She looked around quickly. Where was her weapons? Her double-scabbard was gone from her belt, and the bow and quiver was absent as well. Grimacing, she headed out the door, and into the sun.
She looked around, and there were kids everywhere. Aged from ten year olds to teenagers, they were either talking to their friends, or participating in an activity.
"Thank the gods you're all right!" A voice exclaimed. Jogging towards her was the elvish boy that had saved her life. Alyssa searched her mind for the name...Leo!
Alyssa couldn't help but give a small smile as he approached. Leo's smile was infectious.
"Perhaps you would know where my weapons are?" she asked. Leo nodded and ran over to a nearby shed, and produced the weapons. He came back and handed them to her. "Here you go. We moved them in there so that they were out of the way."
Alyssa nodded her thanks and clipped her scabbard back on to her belt, and slung her bow and quiver across her shoulder. "C'mon, Alyssa! I'll introduce you to some of the other people here," Leo said, tugging Alyssa's arm. She let herself be led over to a large, open field.
Leo stopped in front of it. "This is one of our training arenas, it's where we learn swordsmanship, archery, that kind of thing," Leo called over his shoulder. He called to a boy and a girl that were engrossed in their sword-fighting. The pair turned and jogged over to Alyssa and Leo. The boy had a mop of jet-black hair and sparkling sea-green eyes. He was tanned and muscular, and was easily a foot taller than Alyssa, but then again, most people were taller than her.
The other girl Alyssa recognized as Annabeth, who she had seen in the infirmary before. The boy inclined his head toward her and flashed her a grin. "You must be Alyssa. Nice to meet you, I'm Percy Jackson," he introduced himself, and shook hands with Alyssa.
"It's nice to see you up and about again, Alyssa," Annabeth acknowledged. Alyssa shrugged. "My ribs are still slightly bruised, but I'm sure it's only time," she said.
Percy nodded meaningfully at the bow over Alyssa's shoulder. "You know how to use that?"
Alyssa nodded. "I've been training for over three years now," She replied.
Annabeth arched an eyebrow. "You mean, you already know you're a half-blood?"
Alyssa frowned. "Half-what? I haven't the slightest inkling of what you're talking about."
Annabeth dismissed the conversation with a wave of her hand. "Never mind that. You'll know all in due time. In the mean time, I recommend you wash up and get ready for dinner. To put it mildly, you're a bit...ripe," she said, smiling humorously to take the sting out of her words.
Alyssa looked down and had to agree with Annabeth. She was still caked in dirt, twigs, and leaves.
"C'mon, I'll help you find a change of clean clothes," Annabeth said, and lead
Alyssa to the Athena cabin. Alyssa looked up at the owl decor that was perched over the doorway. Its eyes seemed to follow her as she past.
Annabeth searched through the drawers that sat in the corner of the room. "Aha!" She exclaimed, pulling out an extra camp shirt, along with a
pair of jean shorts.
Alyssa tried not to show disgust on her face. She would normally never wear a shirt that was colored so vibrantly. Like most Rangers, she felt uncomfortable drawing attention to herself, and wearing brightly coloured garments wasn't going to help. Nonetheless, she accepted the clothes with a degree of gratefulness. Vibrant or not, it was definitely better than the rags she was wearing currently.
Annabeth led Alyssa over to where the girls' showers were. She directed Alyssa to a stall. "There you go, Alyssa."
Alyssa looked at the odd metal-like handle that adorned the wall of the stall. "How...does this work exactly? Where's the water?" She asked, perplexed.
Annabeth had a confused look on her face. "Well, you just twist the handle and the water comes out." She demonstrated and lo and behold, water came out of the spout in a crystal clear stream.
Alyssa narrowed her eyes. "But...that's not possible. Don't you carry the water from a river?"
Annabeth snorted. "Alyssa, no one's done such a thing in a long time. You don't need to do that if you have running water." Annabeth was slightly worried. She had a strange vibe, as if Alyssa wasn't normal. How had she not known what a shower was? And suddenly, it struck her.
"Alyssa, what year is it?" Annabeth asked urgently. Alyssa's eyebrows shot up at the abnormal question. "Well, it's 643."
Annabeth's eyes widened into saucers. "Alyssa, it's not 643. You're in 2013," she said at length. Alyssa said nothing. She had a far-away look in her eyes, and a knot started to form in her stomach. "H-how is that possible?" she finally sputtered, looking to Annabeth with fearful eyes. Annabeth shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. We'll talk about this later. I'm sure you want to clean up first." Annabeth quickly showed Alyssa how to use the bottles of shampoo and conditioner, then went to get ready for dinner herself.
Alyssa got out of the shower, still dazed at the fact that she had magically teleported to the future. She saw kids gathering around a series of large tables in the middle of the camp. She approached the nearest table, and she recognized Percy, who was the only one at the table. Percy turned as Alyssa approached.
"Hey Alyssa. You can come sit here if you like," he said, gesturing to the empty seat beside him. Alyssa gratefully sank into the chair, and placed her bow and quiver underneath the table. Percy looked at Alyssa with concern.
"Annabeth told me what happened. Don't worry, we'll help you get back to your home, or at least try," he said. Alyssa nodded with gratitude. She looked at the empty plate that was laid in front of her. At the smell of food, she realized how hungry she was. Her stomach grumbled in
anticipation.
Percy gestured to glass tumbler that lay beside Alyssa's plate. "Just...tell the cup what you want to drink, and it'll automatically fill itself up," Percy instructed in a matter-of-fact tone. Alyssa looked at Percy as if a second limb had sprouted from his chest.
"Is this...a joke? There's no way it-" she began, but was cut off by the son of Poseidon. "Trust me. This isn't a joke," he reassured.
Alyssa looked at the demigod suspiciously. She saw truth in the young man's eyes. Joke or not, there was only one way to find out. She leaned forward, closer to the cup, and whispered. "Coffee, please."
Miraculously, the cup filled up with the fragrant brown liquid. Alyssa looked to Percy in awe, her mouth hanging open.
Percy chuckled and his face split into a smirk. "The cup's enchanted. And if you think that's cool, you haven't seen anything yet. Do the same thing to the plate, and it'll fill itself up."
Again, Alyssa leant forward, whispering "Rabbit stew." And lo and behold, the plate warped into a bowl and filled itself with Alyssa's favourite stew. She took a spoon and experimentally tasted it. She marveled at the warm broth that slid down her throat, seeming to warm her whole body.
Percy tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to the bonfire that laid in the back of the field. "We're supposed to burn a portion of our meal as an offering to the gods. Don't worry, we'll explain to you about the gods after we eat," Percy added as an afterthought.
Alyssa nodded and followed the son of Poseidon to the bright bonfire. Imitating Percy's actions, she scraped a chunk of rabbit meat into the fire, and it fell into the ashes with a sizzle.
They went back to their seats and wolfed down their meals, savoring every bite; Alyssa especially.
Alyssa sat back after finishing her meal, nursing the coffee that she held in her hands. She sipped blissfully at the cherished drink as Percy finished up the last remains of his meal. She noticed that the buzz of conversation slowly diminished as people, with full bellies, drifted away from the tables. Percy glanced sidelong at Alyssa. "Now's the time you're going to learn about demigods. I assume you're going to be here for
a while, so it's best to learn about this," he said.
Alyssa nodded and followed Percy to the Big House. But she never knew the surprise she was in for…
So that's it for this chapter! (Sorry for taking so long…)
~Seas of Emerald