And here we are with Chapter 8, enjoy!

CHAPTER 8: THE FIRST DAY TWO-POINT-OH

I only have one question…

How in the hell does this place get its funding?

So imagine things you would normally expect to be in a summer camp, and then add a weird twist to it. I was simultaneously freaked out and amazed. Travis started me off easy with the volleyball court, the arts and crafts, the amphitheater and the dining pavilion with its massive pillars. They even had an obstacle course that they called 'the Climbing Wall' which, you know, got me pretty excited… until he told me that they occasionally poured lava down from it.

Then he showed me what he liked to call the 'good stuff'. He took me to the archery range, which seemed fairly normal until you watch the people at the archery range. This wasn't some school trip where you shoot some junior friendly arrows. No, these looked like people training for a battle. Sure, there was still a sense of camaraderie and friendly competition (I saw a poor guy lose 3-0), but man these guys didn't mess around. Next, he took me to the combat arena.

Yes folks, the combat arena.

As you can expect, there were various straw dummies scattered around the field with racks full of all different kinds of weaponry around the edges. The arena was fairly empty, with only a few occupants but one immediately stood out. In the center, practicing on a very unfortunate training dummy, moved a rather impressive display of swordsmanship. If I was the same age as him then I don't know what he's eating but he's eating something right. I thought I was pretty good in a fight, but this guy was a monster. His sword looked different from all the others I'd seen so far, and he moved it like it was an extension of his own arm. During one of his rotations, I managed to get a good look at his face.

Now I'm pretty secure, manhood-wise, but damn… even as a dude I had to admit this guy was handsome too.

I would've stood there gawking if Travis didn't stop me.

"Yo." He snapped his fingers. "Come on, there's still more I gotta show you."

"Who was that?" I asked as we exited the combat arena.

Travis raised an eyebrow, "Who? Oh, Jason?"

"Is everyone like that around here?"

He just laughed. "Definitely not. Jason's one of a kind. I guess that comes with being a child of the Big Three."

The Big Three…

"Zeus, Poseidon and Hades?" I replied, remembering what Chiron had told me.

"Yeah. Jason's a child of Zeus… or Jupiter. I get mixed up with this new Greek and Roman thing sometimes. It's all pretty new, even for us, but you'll get it eventually."

So Roman gods are a thing too? I have so many questions.

"Anyways, Jason's a fairly new camper as well. Though, you probably won't have to deal with any great prophecy shenanigans. I mean you should've seen the other guy."

"What?"

"Don't worry about it." Travis just shrugged it off. "Let's keep moving."

We passed by the next stop which was the stables. Now, it looked like any regular stables you'd find at a farm or ranch. A few people mingled outside standing next to what looked to be worn down chariots, currently with nothing pulling them. But when we got closer, the main double doors to the stable swung open only for my jaw to drop to the floor at the sight of someone riding atop a winged horse.

"Same face every time," Travis smirked at me.

A pegasus…

Look, I already know I've been told all this mythological stuff is real but still, actually seeing one is not an experience I can easily describe. Unlike the other things I've encountered so far, this wasn't weird… instead something about it was so majestic. Travis told me how learning to fly the pegasi or pegasuses comes with the whole demigod training package and for some reason my mood got slightly better. We continued walking past the pegasus stable as Travis proceeded to show me more of the camp.

"So, I heard you were in a fight just outside the border the other night," Travis said out of the blue.

"Oh, yeah." I wonder how many other people know about it?

"Monsters?" He said nonchalantly, as if it had the same meaning as a co-worker saying 'traffic?' when you were late for work.

The thing was, they weren't monsters. They were half-bloods. Before I answered him, I remembered Chiron's words.

"Yeah," I replied. "Monsters."

"Sorry they got Birch too," he added, showing a rare moment of sincerity, "I didn't personally know the guy, but I've only heard good things about him."

"I'm sorry too."

The pause from Travis gave me an indication that he understood that it wasn't a topic I really wanted to keep talking about. Hence, I was grateful when he turned on tour-guide-Travis again.

Our next stop was the Forge. It was a unique building with a white marble exterior design, except the walls were stained with soot. Carvings of monsters, and what looked to be gods, sat on the roof as a plume of smoke rose from the chimney. Inside, I could hear the various noises of working machinery and hammer hitting steel. Just next to the entrance of the building was a makeshift stall window, where currently a girl stood arguing with someone inside.

"Jake, you need to understand; the balance has to be perfect."

The girl had the same sharp features on her face like Travis did but slightly more chiseled, and a more stoic look compared to his sneaky smile. She had black hair tied up into a bun, that gradually faded into a soft hazel as it reached its ends, with a hastily stabbed hairpin at the center. She was wearing the same orange camp t-shirt as everyone else, with a fitted light gray vest over the top with enough pockets to make a dad cry of joy. It looked like she wore a long-sleeve compression shirt, like the stuff I see athletes wear, underneath her camp shirt. Her sweatpants and sneakers were a matching black, similar to her hair. Everything about her looked rushed but sturdy, like an organized messiness.

"And we've gotten it as perfect as we could", the boy replied, "but this isn't a common request."

The boy named Jake, leaned against the inside of the stall. He didn't really look like the type that cared about his appearance. To his left were a set of crutches and behind him, were other individuals seemingly working on all manner of armor and tools. I could see the faint flashes of light that came from the billowing flames of the forge.

"I really appreciate what you and the guys have done, I really do," the girl said, "but a rapier is a delicate weapon and the balance–"

"-needs to be perfect," Jake finished, as if hearing the words a hundred times. "I know, but the problem is the schematics you gave us were for your old foil which is used for fencing. It's close to a rapier but not quite the same."

The girl shot her hands at her hips, wanting to protest but didn't really know what else to say. I hadn't noticed at first but she had been constantly tapping her foot at an unusually fast pace. Travis called out to the two of them, catching their attention.

"Val! Jake!" my tour guide yelled as we abruptly joined the conversation.

The two looked away from each other and towards Travis. Jake and the girl simultaneously let out a sigh of relief, though I couldn't imagine it was for the same reason.

"Yes, Travis, thank you," Jake said. "Can you please tell your half-sister, Valerie, here that she needs to be a little more patient when it comes to requesting difficult orders."

"Actually, Trav," Valerie butted in, "I was hoping you could tell Mr Mason that he's taking way longer than usual."

"You ordered it… YESTERDAY!"

"Yeah… and I've been WAITING since yesterday!"

Travis let out a nervous chuckle.

"Well, it would've only taken a day if we didn't have to REMAKE IT TEN TIMES because you wanted it perfect."

Sensing things were getting a little too heated – get it? Cause of the forge? Okay, I'll stop – Travis chose to finally step in.

"Woah, guys!" he interjected. "Let's just turn it down a bit, okay? Val, I know you like things done fast but I'm sure the hephaestus cabin is doing their best with your, let's be honest, complicated requests."

Valerie let out a deep sigh, crossing her arms and visually transitioning from constantly tapping her foot to constantly tapping her arm with her index.

"And Jake…" Travis turns to him. "...you know Val needs that sword to be near-perfect in order for it to be usable. And look, you've got a week or so until the next Capture the Flag. Is it fair to say you can get it done by then?"

Jake thought for a moment. "Shouldn't be too hard."

Valerie exhaled another sigh and waited a beat before looking back towards Jake. "Yeah, sorry about that Jake. I just got excited."

"Look, it's all good," Jake replied with his best smile. "Just been a bit busy around here ya know?"

A grin grew ear to ear on Travis' face. "There, see! Problem solved!"

He then physically shook his whole body. "Oof, I always feel weird doing 'counselor' stuff. Makes me feel all serious."

Jake softly laughed. "Tell me about it. That's why I resigned."

I think Travis forgot I was there for a second, as the two of them started to strike up their own fun little conversation, until the one called Valerie decided to address the new face that clearly has no idea what's going on.

"Oh right!" Travis finally realized, stammering his next words. "This is uh… Arthur! He's a new camper. Chiron wanted me to show him around. "

"You?" Valerie stared at Travis, trying to stifle a laugh.

Travis just gave her a knowing look. The first to introduce himself was Jake Mason, as he extended his hand to meet mine. I shook it, which I may have done a little too hard as he massaged his hand afterwards. He told me all about the forge and how he and his cabin mates are practically in there, working every day. I then learned they were children of Hephaestus and if I remember correctly was the god of the forge so it made sense. He insisted that if I needed anything made, that I could stop by anytime. I then asked him about the crutches only to find out that, long story short, he tried to capture a bronze metal dragon.

Now I need to know the long story.

Then the girl, Valerie, introduced herself.

"Hey, I'm Valerie." She shook my hand firmly but in a friendly way. "Valerie Aldara. I'm a daughter of Hermes which means I'm somehow related to this guy."

Hermes… Hermes… Hermes… that's the god of messengers right?

Travis just bowed his head. "I know. You love me."

I could hear Jake just snickering in the background and Valerie just rolled her eyes, but soon after couldn't help smiling either.

"I'm sure in good hands," I replied, still deciding whether I was being sarcastic or not.

"Oh for sure," Valerie smirked, looking at Travis who was still grinning. "So how are you taking it so far?"

"Well, I mean the whole camp seems pretty nice, a little intense in some areas I think–"

"I meant being a half-blood." Valerie cocked her head. "I mean camp's great and all but finding out you're the son of a god? You have a substantially higher death rate now?"

"Oh right." I took a deep breath. "yeah it's a bit rocky."

"Welcome to the club." She slapped me on the shoulder. "Ain't all that bad though, you'll see."

She gave me one of those reassuring smiles, like someone comforting a sibling or a friend. So far, everyone I've met at camp has been much nicer than I expected. Will, Chiron, Jake, Valerie, even Travis treats me like I'm his 'pal'.

"Heard, you also got attacked at the border," Valerie said so suddenly.

"Does everyone know about that?" I asked.

"Yep," Jake replied.

So that means, most likely, everyone knows about Birch as well.

"It's the most recent buzz we've had since a table threatened the safety of the camp," Valerie added on.

"I'm sorry– a table?"

I could see Jake just nod. Then Valerie started asking questions like flashcards.

"So what was it?"

"Huh? Oh– uh…"

"Was it a Chimera? Manticore?"

"I don't really–"

"A Colchis Bull? Or maybe a Cyclops?"

"A wha–"

"How about a werewolf? Though I suppose that'd be pretty difficult without any silver."

I just stopped talking. This girl was speaking so fast that it was hard to keep up. When she noticed my silence, she quickly grew a little red and stopped herself.

"Sorry." She scratched her head. "I tend to do that sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Travis remarked.

"Shut up, Travis."

"It's alright," I said to her. "Not the worst tendency to have if you ask me."

I think back to all my outbursts.

"Sweet." She nods towards the three of us. " Anyways… Travis; see ya at dinner. Jake; thank you. Arthur; have fun."

She phrased it like she was reading out a grocery list and in such a quick succession that I almost didn't catch it. Immediately, in a very abrupt way, she took off without saying another word and with no explanation as to where she was going or what she was doing. Strange, how her walking pace looked like most people's jogging pace. She stormed out of the area like she was on a mission. The other two seemed to accept her bluntness like it was a common occurrence.

I made my final pleasantries with Jake whilst Travis swore to continue their conversation later.

After moving on from the Forge, the next destination I could see was a clump of buildings centered around a large bonfire. If I had mapped our directions correctly, these buildings would've been at the center of the entire camp.

He took me to the edge of the huddled structures and as I got a closer look, it was much easier to tell that these were in fact the cabins. What was interesting was that each cabin looked unique. One cabin appeared to be made out of solid gold – a bit overkill don't you think? – whilst another was a simple gray foundation with pale white curtains. Another one even had some vines stretched across its walls.

"These are the cabins where you'll pretty much be living," Travis said, "and your cabin is according to your godly parent. So that golden one is Apollo's, the oceany, beach-house looking one is Poseidon, the one that looks like a mini factory is Hephaestus which you've already met a member of, that dingy looking one is Hermes – that's ya boy…"

Travis continued to point out the rest of the cabins in a very simple manner. There wasn't much to it since if you at least had a general gist of the gods, then the cabin aesthetic was fairly straight forward. Although, there were a set of cabins that I had to get some clarification on. Apparently those were the cabins for the minor gods, which I didn't know too much about, and they had only been added fairly recently as well. I also noticed how the Zeus, Poseidon and Hades cabins looked much more empty compared to the others which Travis informed was due to the rarity as well as the rule.

The rule was that the Big Three supposedly weren't allowed to have kids which I was told was made a little complicated in the last few years, so it was best not to think about it too much.

"Also, word of advice, watch out for the Ares cabin…"

Uh...

"...they're not always fun. To be honest they're all fine, it's just Clarisse, their head counselor." Travis shivered. "She's like if Cruella Deville took steroids."

I just stood there silently.

"They also may or may not give you a swirly."

I'm sorry, what?

He instantly moved on.

"Also, if you don't know -slash- haven't been claimed, you'll be in the Hermes cabin with me," Travis said, almost proudly. "By the way, how old are you?"

"Sixteen."

He moved his hand to his chin and began to calculate something in his head.

"So yeah," he concluded. "You still might not be claimed."

"Oh, apparently I am."

Travis then glared at me for a second before giving himself the biggest smack on the forehead.

"Travis, you idiot!" He stomped his foot. "I haven't even asked you about it. Sorry, big guy, it just kinda flew past my head."

"Nah, you're oka–"

"Unless it's a sensitive topic, because I know some campers don't really like to talk–"

"Travis. It's fine." I couldn't help but chuckle at him fumbling over his words. Part of me admired his childishness.

He wiped his forehead, even though there was no sweat, with an animated phew.

"Okay then, so who's your gal or guy in the sky?"

"Supposedly, Ares." I rubbed the back of my neck. Still felt so weird to say that.

I could see his expression drop a few inches with a slight twitch in his eye.

"Oh." He cleared his throat. "Well… uh, forget everything I just said about them. You're gonna do great…"

Travis proceeded to eye me with a scrutinizing look on his face. "Are you sure you're a child of Ares?"

I just gave him a nod.

Trust me, I couldn't believe it either.

"Huh. But you're so… chill."

Again, he just looked confused until he did one of his signature shrugs. He led me down to the cabins where I managed to see details on them that I didn't notice before. One of them I saw was much more intense than the others. The walls of this particular cabin were carelessly splashed with red as barbed wires lined the roofing. However, the main thing that stood out was the blaring rock music that played from it.

I mean I like rock but it seemed a little excessive.

That cabin also just so happened to be the one Travis was leading me towards. As I looked around I could see more of the campers in their orange tees and various clothing socializing around the different cabins and the bonfire in the middle.

When we passed the Apollo cabin, I also noticed some of them giving Travis the stink-eye. Will was even there, though I think he was too busy trying to carefully remove a flute stuck to one of the camper's mouths for me to catch his attention. Meanwhile, Travis just continued strolling with his head held high. The both of us kept moving, making our way towards the barbed wire cabin as Travis continued to wave to the fellow campers. Some took less kindly to his greetings than others. Most were just curious of the unfamiliar face strolling next to him. I got plenty of stares and some muttering but they seemed to move on just as quickly as they noticed.

The rock music only got louder as we made our final stop.

"So here we are, the Ares Cabin." Travis wrapped his arm around me once more. "Welcome to the rest of your life… probably."

I stared at the cabin before me, up and down. It looked like a bunker or a barracks more than anything. Not really your 'Big Bear Lake' weekend camping trip you hoped for. The stuffed boar head above the main door stared back down towards me, or at least that's what it felt like. I took a second to take it all in before turning towards Travis.

"Well Arthur." He gave me one of those wild grins. "Hope you enjoy your stay. My brother and I will be around if you need anything."

"Thanks, Travis."

"Don't forget to give me a 5 star rating." He winked.

Then he went in for your classic bro hug.

"Jeez, you're solid," he grunted.

"Oh sorry about that."

"Nah you're all good, big man." He rolled his shoulder. "You definitely look like an Ares kid, I'll give you that… and hug like one too."

We shared another chuckle as Travis looked towards the cabin, the rock music still blaring from its interior.

"Good luck in there," he said, "and try not to get yourself killed by the landmines… also, sorry not sorry if one of these days you find your pillow filled with shaving cream."

"Wait–"

He was already walking off, waving to someone else in the distance that looked almost exactly like him. I, on the other hand, was just left standing outside the Ares Cabin, currently having a staring contest with the boar head whilst also suspiciously eyeing the ground beneath me. I took one last deep breath before moving my hand towards the door…

The rest of my life huh?

… but before I could make any contact with it, the door to the cabin swung open at a lightning speed. Towering above me, in the doorway, was one mean looking girl. We were actually about the same height but it felt like she was taller. She had arms the size of her legs, exposed by the ripped sleeves on her camp shirt topped with a camo vest and a rough looking bandana. Very rambo-esque. The girl sneered at me with dark eyes set into her stone face, eyes that seemed familiar for some reason. She took one look at me, up and down, before speaking.

"Who in the Hades are you?"