chapter two

Two
What the campers all saw (for those who were watching the boundaries everyday for more campers) was a beat up, old, red pickup truck rumble across the lawn. Chiron clip-clopped nervously on the porch. If you were wondering why a horse was on the porch, trust me when I say, he was not exactly a horse. The bottom half of his body was a horse, and the top half was a middle-aged man. He was wearing a t-shirt that said, "Party Pony since 40 B.C." His eyes narrowed when the truck came to a shuddering stop. The campers crowded curiously around the truck. Addison climbed out and scooped up Mae. At the sight of a buff, blond guy, half of the girls swooned. Half of that half looked disappointed at the sight of a girl in his arms. The cuts looked worse across Mae’s face. At the sight of Chiron, Addison’s jaw nearly dropped. Chiron galloped across the lawn.
"Excuse me, she needs medical attention," said Addison, convinced that anyone that was part horse must have excellent medical services. Chiron snapped his fingers, and several kids strapped with bows and quivers full of arrows rushed forward to carry her to the Big House. Addison took in the scene dotted with various cabins and patches of strawberries.
Addison’s mother was not permitted to cross the boundaries. She stood on the hill wondering how to get back to Memphis, Tennessee. A girl walked down the hillside. Her cloudy gray eyes examined the mother. Mrs. Morse stared at her lightly curled, blond hair that hit her shoulders. An orange shirt with the camp’s name somehow made her eyes even more cloudy looking. A purple headband kept back most of her hair. Dingy, gray capris, and the scrubby, purple high-tops completed her look. A rawhide string that was strung with three beads hung about her neck. What looked like bronze handled daggers were strapped to her capri-clad legs.
"Addison and Mae are safe. Give this to the first taxi cab that you see, and it will see you to where you live." said the girl, handing her a card. Mrs. Morse looked anxiously at the hill where the kids had disappeared. She nodded a little uncertainly and turned back to the city. The girl returned to the camp.
"So you’re telling me that this camp is for kids that have a Greek god as a parent?" asked Addison, to Chiron. He nodded after explaining all of Addison’s questions.
"So who’s mine?" asked Addison. Chiron smiled.
"We don’t know until you’ve been claimed," responded Chiron. "What are you good at?" Addison thought for a moment.
"Sports, fixing stuff, and umm, weightlifting," he responded.
"Hmm, Ares, Hephaestus, or Apollo," he said, tapping his chin. "You say it’s your father, right?" Addison nodded.
"How old are you?" asked Chiron.
"Sixteen," Addison responded.
"How old is your girlfriend?" Chiron asked. Addison bit back his rude retort.
"She isn’t my girlfriend, and Mae is fifteen," he responded, evenly. Surprisingly, he liked talking to Chiron. Usually, a stranger could not get more than two sentences from him. Chiron made him feel at home. Addison explained in detail what had befallen them.
"I believe I have two campers of your’s," remembered Addison. He showed Chiron the back of the truck. A cloud of sadness crossed the old centaur’s face.
"Maggie and Ethan Yew," he said. "Twins from Nike." Addison guiltily pulled out the bronze wallet that turned into an axe.
"Mr. Chiron, sir, this belonged to Ethan," he said, handing him the wallet. Chiron waved it away.
"It’s yours if you want it," said Chiron. Campers carted away the bodies. Addison nodded and walked back to Mae’s room. A girl with slightly curly, blond hair, and cloudy gray eyes stood frowning on the porch.
"Are you a friend of Mae’s?" the girl asked. He nodded and was glad that she did not refer to her as his girlfriend.
"Who are you?" he asked, glancing at the door to Mae’s room.
"Olivia Hob, daughter of Hecate," she responded, not even offering her hand. As he was watching, her hair seemed to grow.
"Is your hair alive?" asked Addison, somewhat startled. She smiled ruefully.
"My mother is the goddess of magic, and therefore, I use magic. Magic affects the host in different ways. Some have drastic weight changes, and others experience height changes. My hair changes lengths," explained Olivia. Addison nodded and was distracted by a noise from Mae’s room. She staggered out and would have fallen if Addison had not caught her. Olivia watched a look of concern and tenderness cross Addison’s face. She had been listening when Chiron had been talking about Mae, and she laughed in her head when she remembered his venomous response to Chiron’s remark.
"Here, Mae," he said, gently placing her on a chair on the porch. A girl rushed out from Mae’s room balancing a tall glass full of liquid.
"Here, drink this," offered Remy, a girl from Apollo. She offered Mae a tall glass of golden liquid. Mae took it gratefully, and her cheeks flushed with color as soon as she drunk it. The festering wounds began to melt into new skin at once.
"What is this?" asked Mae, her voice strong.
"Nectar, drink of the gods," answered Remy, smiling. Mae was already looking a lot healthier. "That and Ambrosia will heal most any injury, but if you eat too much of it, you will burn up. Literally." Mae nodded and then looked confused.
"Drink of the gods?" she asked, puzzled. Addison sat down beside her and explained everything. When he was done, Mae’s beautiful blue eyes were opened up wide.
"Wow," she murmured. "So who do you think is my dad?" she asked. Addison frowned and shrugged.
"No idea," he responded. A horn sounded.
"What is that?" asked Addison and Mae, at the same time.
"The signal to start our daily activities," responded Remy. She hovered uncertainly on the porch. Mae tried to rise.
"Don’t," advised Remy, pushing her down. "You’ll be lucky if you are able to join supper and campfire tonight." She looked anxiously out in the direction of the Arena.
"Go," urged Mae, seeing her longing expression. "I’ll be fine." Remy grinned and sped off.
"See you around," said Olivia, almost lazily. She grabbed a hold of the porch railing and flipped over. Addison’s brown eyes followed her.
"Who’s she?" asked Mae, seemingly innocently.
"Olivia Hob," he responded.
"So, you going to ask her out? Or are you just going to look like a marooned puppy all day long?" she asked, teasingly. Addison flushed.
"No way. I don’t even begin to feel that way about her." said Addison, giving Mae a look. Mae laughed and took another sip of Nectar.
A lazy haze had settled over the campers as they toasted marshmallows around the campfire and sang songs. Addison and Mae had never had so much fun in one night. A friendly, black girl with corkscrew curls sat next to Mae and explained everything of importance to her. Her hair stood out in a curly mass that had been cut halo style around her head. Electric blue eyes lit up her mixed chocolate and vanilla face. When she walked over to the s’mores table, Mae could see her leg muscles flex. Must be Nike’s kid, she guessed. However, she was wrong. When she bounced back, Mae asked her.
"Who is your godly parent?" asked Mae, watching Addison out of the corner of her eye.
"My dad’s Zeus," she replied, biting into a gooey S’more.
"Really? So you can control weather and stuff?" asked Mae, biting into her own s’more. The girl nodded.
"That would be cool if I was a daughter of Zeus," remarked Mae, imagining zapping Lamia with lightening. The girl laughed and finished her s’more.
"Then you could be my sister, and I would have competition for head counselor when Jason leaves," laughed the girl. Mae smiled and looked across the campfire. A blond boy was sitting next to a gorgeous, Indian girl and a Hispanic boy. Mae’s mouth dropped slightly open. The boy was gorgeous. Chiron cleared his throat and held up his glass. Everyone fell silent.
"As we all know, tomorrow, Jason, Piper, and Leo are going with Annabeth to retrieve our long lost Percy Jackson." said Chiron. The roar of approval nearly deafened Mae. A girl with stormy gray eyes and blond hair in a ponytail stood up next to the Athena banner.
"To Percy," she cried, holding up her glass. The crowd echoed her toast, and the fire became a blazing red. Mae leaned over to the girl.
"Who’s Percy?" she asked. The girl’s blue eyes glittered brightly.
"He is the one who basically leads this camp and who defeated Kronos last summer," replied the girl.
"Trixie, where is your banner?" asked a boy, behind them. Mae and the girl glanced up. He was cute.
"Jason’s got it," she said. The blond kid rolled his eyes.
"No duh," he replied. "That was an oh-so-casual way of saying go sit with your cabin," he snapped. Trixie rolled her eyes and pulled Mae up.
"If you are a daughter of Apollo, you know where you aren’t wanted," said Trixie, laughing. They walked over to Jason (the gorgeous blond one) and sat down. Mae enjoyed every minute of that night. Mae was laughing at a joke Leo had said and was too busy to notice the glowing emblem above her head. Trixie turned to her and gawked.
"Chiron, we have a claiming!" shouted Trixie. Everyone turned and reverently bowed. Mae glanced around confused.
"Hail, Mae Jordan, daughter of Apollo, god of music, prophecy, healing, and the sun," said Chiron. Mae looked up to see a glowing stick with two serpents entwined around it. Her gaze met Addison’s. He looked shocked.
That night, Mae was led by the boy that had sent Trixie back to her banner.
"Will Solace. I’m the cabin counselor," said Will, extending his hand. His brown eyes were warm and friendly.
"Cool," Mae responded. "Mae Jordan, as you probably heard when Chiron announced my parent." Will smiled again and led her into an elaborate, gold cabin. Inside was an array of bunks, and trash. Apparently, the Apollo kids were not big on cleaning.
"Here’s your bunk," said Will, showing her the bottom half of a bunk pushed against the wall. There were some nifty little crevices, shelves, and drawers at the base of the bed. A window was right between Mae’s bunk and another bunk. Hanging where the curtains should have hung, a Nerf basketball hoop lay slightly crooked. Clothes and trash littered the place. Dart boards, Nerf hoops, and pictures lined the walls. Underneath each bunk bed, there was a pair of drawers.
"That’s where you keep your stuff," said Will, pointing them out. Mae nodded and could not help grinning broadly. Her grandma described her as messy. Mae unpacked her clothes and articles and crawled into bed. In all the excitement, she had completely forgotten Addison.
Addison watched with envy as Mae was scooped up by the Apollo cabin and carted off. The night was getting late, and all hope for being claimed that night was melting away. The Hermes cabin welcomed him with open arms, however, and the feeling of loneliness only intensified. Addison fell asleep quickly but with one hand on his luggage.
"Thump. Thump. Mae’s heartbeat pounded. An eery chant was following her as she sprinted through the woods at night.
"Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall. An oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death." chanted a woman, behind Mae. Please do not kill him, screamed Mae, inside her head.
"Don’t kill him!" she screamed, at the woman. Black hair cascaded down the woman’s shoulders.
"He must keep his oath," said the woman, with a twisted smile."
"No!" screamed Mae, bolting upright and slamming her head against the roof of her bunk bed. Remy stood beside her bed.
"What is it?" she asked, her eyes huge.
"My d-d-dream," stammered Mae, shaking and sweating with fear. She clutched her throbbing head. Without another word, Remy grabbed her hand and dragged her to the Big House. Addison approached form the other side being dragged by Travis Stoll. Chiron was on the porch.
"She had a dream," said Remy, at the exact time Travis said,
"He had a dream." they both looked at each other fearfully.