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.

Chapter one

One-Addison knocked on the doorway of his mother's workout room."Mom," he began. His mother looked up from the mat on the floor. There was a tittering and giggling from the teenage girls in the workout room. Addison could not tell if his cheeks were turning red or not. He hoped not. "Yes, dear?" she asked, while helping a girl with her form. "I just-"began Addison, but he was interrupted. A girly scream erupted down the hall and raced past him in the form of two of his sisters. Addison clutched his ear."I WANTED TO TELL-" shouted Addison, over the noise, but his mother made silence motions with her hand."EMILY! AMY! CEASE THAT RACKET AT ONCE!" shouted his mother, down the hall. The screaming ebbed down. "Sorry, dear, what were you saying?" asked Lucille Abbott Morse. Her green eyes were inquisitive underneath her blue headband and blond ponytail. "Mom, I wanted to let you know that I'm going out to see a movie," said Addison. She nodded, and the blond ponytail bounced."Who are you going with?" asked Mrs. Morse. Her question caught him off guard. "Uhh, a friend from school," said Addison, hastily turning away to avoid any more questions."Which friend?" asked Mrs. Morse, sensing something was amiss. "Uhh, Mae," he responded, feeling his ears turn red. "You know I don't approve of you dating without a chaperone," called Mrs. Morse, to his fleeing back. "It's so not a date!" protested Addison. His sister began to roll down the stairs and bumped into him. "Jenny, move- and Mom, it's so not a big deal," he groaned, while his mother lectured him. "Fine! I'll ask her brother to go with us," grumbled Addison. Mrs. Morse turned around and muttered something to the class. He could hear their laughter echoing down the hall and up the stairs. He fell on his bed and groaned aloud. "What are you groaning about?" chirped Amy, bouncing in his room on a massive exercise ball. He groaned again."Amy, I'm groaning about the woe of man," he muttered, covering his eyes with the crook of his elbow. "Oh! You mean women?" she said, her voice slightly shaking because of the bouncing rubber ball.Addison did not answer. Call him a finicky person, but Addison did not like people. Much less talking about things that he would rather keep in his head instead of telling his step-sister. "Did you get a girl pregnant?" asked Amy, still bouncing. "WHAT?!?! Where did you get that from? Never mind, GET OUT!" he roared, jumping off his bed and shoving her out with a slam of his door. He lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. What would it have been like living with his dad? wondered Addison. No annoying half-sister, or embarrassing moms, or having to have a chaperone on a hangout with one of his best friends who was coincidentally a girl, but she was really just one of the guys. Her name was Mae Jordan. She was pretty, but she was always more like a sister than an interest. She was sporty and was extremely good at piano and singing. Her orange-red freckles always highlighted her Irish face that was surprisingly tan. Large, dark blue eyes illuminated her narrow face. She was almost always laughing when they were together. Raised by her grandparents, Mae had understood what it felt like to have a missing dad. Her mother was a music major in high-school and had gotten pregnant when she was just sixteen. Unable to raise the child herself, Diane Jordan gave the baby to her parents. The poor kid never sees her mother because her mother is haunted by her identical smile to that of her father. Although Mae was cool for being raised by her grandparents, she always seemed to get really quiet around anyone else besides her family and Addison. Addison remembered the movie, and guilt washed over him when he remembered the lie he had told his mom. Mae did not even have a brother. How was he supposed to have a chaperone without the made up brother? Easy, he would not. Addison grabbed his keys and ran down to his car. He had driven down the Mae's house countless times and had no trouble in finding it again. He knocked, and the door swung open to his touch. Mae's freckly face glowed at him."Give me a second," she said, racing back up the stairs. Addison was ushered in by her kind grandparents."So what movie are you going to go see?" asked Grandma. Addison smiled tightly and shrugged. Being talked to by both grandparents was slightly overwhelming, at least for Addison it was. As it was said earlier, he does not really like people. "Oh, dear, before you leave, how about you take some jelly," chirped Grandma, bustling off towards the pantry. Mae came down the stairs at that exact same time. "Oh, Grandma, don't do that," she implored, casting an apology glance at Addison. He smiled back. Gramps went into a long conversation about tires, and how one could never be too careful. "Oh, well, I'm sure that Addison will remember, Gramps. We've got to get to the movie," she said, pulling Addison out the door. Once they were in the car, Mae burst out laughing. She was normally very quiet around other people but not around Addison. "You poor boy," she said, laughing still. "My Gramps and Grandma must really have done a number on you," she said, chuckling. Addison smiled ruefully and kept driving. "What movie are we seeing?" asked Mae, practically bouncing in her seat. "Uhh, how about-" began Addison. He seemed to fade away. He fiddled with his necklace around his neck while he thought. Mae came up with a movie, and they went to it. After the movie, they drove home. Mae was fiddling with her eyelashes in the mirror."Are you primping yourself just for me?" asked Addison, in a playful tone. Her blue eyes glared at him. She smacked him on the arm. "Yeah, no," she said, returning her gaze to the mirror. "I've got an eyelash in my eye, and I'm trying to get it out, Attention-whore. Keep your eyes on the road before we have a car-wreck." Addison swerved the wheel to mess with Mae. YThe car jolted a little bit. Mae grinned and fished out the eyelash. "Why don't-" began Mae, but a sudden impact cut her sentence short. There was a short scream as they were hit, and the car swerved into a tree. They blacked out.Addison was the first to come to. He blinked and stared at the fluffy, white bag in front of his face. He pushed it down, and his eyes went immediately to Mae. her eyes were closed."Mae! Mae! Wake up!" commanded Addison, shaking her shoulder. Her beautiful eyes fluttered open, and that was the most welcoming sight that Addison had ever experienced. "Ad, where are we?" she mumbled, groggily. She blinked and tried to push down the airbag. "We hit a car. Are you alright?" he asked, anxiously. She nodded, but her eyes were sliding out of focus."Mae, stay with me." he ordered. Mae nodded. Addison jerked open his door and hauled her out. He could not believe how light she was. He laid her on the ground and turned to see where the car had come from. There was no road at all besides the one he was on. He replayed the scene in his head. The red pickup truck had slammed in the side of his car head on. The only way that it was possible was if the person was waiting for someone to come around the bend of the road and then decided to race out onto the road. Mae looked a little more alert. "Check if the person is okay in the next car," she said. "I'll be fine," she said, getting up. Addison nodded and walked slowly to the red pickup. He could not shake the feeling that something was amiss. A woman was lying face down on the steering-wheel. As soon as Addison's sneaker crunched on the broken glass, her head snapped up weirdly. "Ma'am, are you okay?" asked Addison, tentatively. All warnings were going off in his brain. The door creaked open, and a woman clad in snake boots stepped out. "Nice boots, coughed Mae. The woman smiled, but she really was ugly. "Thanks, doll," she drawled. "You kids out on a date or somethin'?" she asked, blowing a bubble and popping it. Addison and Mae gritted their teeth."NO!" Mae nearly shouted. Addison could feel his ears go red. Mae's temper was quick, but she soon got over it. "DO you need us to help you with getting your car out of those muddy ruts?" asked Mae, a little more calmly. The lady smiled."Oh, would you? That will just be dandy!" she chirped. Addison gave Mae a look and heaved the back of the pickup truck upwards. He dropped the back on harder ground. Beads of perspiration lined his brow. A horrible stench hit his nose. He leaned against the back of the truck and against the tarp that covered it. The horrible stench was coming from the back. "What are you doing out here?" asked Mae, to the lady. Addison leaned against the back harder. The tarp moved a couple of inches. Addison leaned over to replace the tarp when he froze. He could see a hand that was holding a bronze wallet. Addison's breath froze in his chest. "What are you doing?" asked the woman, shrilly. Addison ripped off the tarp that covered it. Two, dead bodies lay with frozen expressions on their faces. From the looks of it, they were twins.The boy was the one that Addison had seen the hand of, and the girl lay clutching a
eheadband. "What the-" began Mae. The lady's image flickered. Suddenly, the snake boots were not just boots. They were her scaly legs. The woman grabbed Mae by the neck and hoisted her up in the air. Her ugly face grew even uglier, and pearly white fangs gleamed wickedly. "Who-o-o are y-you?" gasped Mae, struggling with all her might."Lamia, cursed to suck little children's blood forever," she said, hissing. Addison was frozen with fear. For some reason, he picked up the wallet that the boy was holding. A card stuck out. His hand brushed up against the card, and it transformed into an axe. Lamie slashed across Mae's face drawing blood. She tossed Mae aside and snarled at Addison. He kept swing but kept missing. Finally, he swung too late, and she dove for his neck. Addison waited with baited breath to wait the final outcome. Nothing happened. He peaked open one of his slitted eyes and looked out. With a sound like a dying dog, Lamia looked completely shocked with the point of an arrow protruding from her brow. She disintegrated. He glanced up to see who had killed her, and he saw Mae holding a long, slender bow and bag of arrows. The light faded from her eyes, and she collapsed. Addison rushed over to her and gently picked her up. Blood mingled with her fiery orange-red hair. "Mae! Listen to me!" sobbed Addison, clutching her and wiping the blood from the claw marks on her face. "Don't die on me!" He struggled to walk over to his car, but it refused to turn on. That left him with the vampire demon's car. The car rattled and banged all the way back to the grandparents' house."Oh, they're back already!" said Grandma, cheerfully opening the door. Her smile melted off her face as soon as she saw what had happened. "Louis, bring towels, hot water, and that god-forsaken letter," she ordered, to her husband. "This way," she said, hustling them to the couch. Addison sat quietly staring at Mae's pale body. The cuts had been cleaned long ago, and she lay resting on the couch. The color was slowly filling out her face and making her seem more alive. The front door opened before they heard the knock."Addison!" exclaimed Mrs. Morse, sprinting over to her son and embracing him. He stared down at the headband laying innocently on the coffee table. At the press of a button, it had become the bow and the quiver of arrows that had saved Addison's life. "What happened?" asked Mrs. Morse. Addison told his mother everything and waited for his mother to start screaming at him to stop telling lies. But she did not. She just stared at him as though putting pieces of puzzle together. "I had a dream last night, Addy," began his mother, slowly. Addison looked up from staring at his hands."It-it was your father's voice," she stammered. Addison listened closely. "He told me to send you to Camp Half-Blood, Long Island, New York," choked Mrs. Morse, breaking down in hysterical sobs. Addison's gaze returned to Mae's unconscious figure. "We need to go now," said Addison, over the sobs. His mother looked up."What?" she squawked. He met his mother's gaze evenly. "We need to go now," he repeated. he walked across the room to Mae's body. "Take her with you," croaked Grandma. She stood in the doorway connecting the living room to the kitchen. She was clutching a letter in her hand, and there were tear streaks down her face."The letter...?" began Addison. "It has the same instructions," she said, simply. Addison scooped up her body and carried her out to the red pickup truck. He threw the tarp back over the back of the vehicle before his mom saw the dead bodies. He saw Mae up in the front and buckled her in. His mother climbed in next. A two day journey awaited them.

Captured

Captured! The word sent shivers down her spine. Cindy Grommet looked across the bay. It looked wonderful to her. She saw the ship some out of the horizon and the girl shouted, "Ship!!!!!!!!!!!!!" to her friends. "Fire at will!" shouted the commander. "Yes sir." replied the troops. The shots rang out over the once still bay. Cindy looked at the cannonball that she was holding, she chugged it in the cannon and pulled the swab and lit it on fire. She gently and carefully lit the long end of the string. It sizzled and with a mighty BOOM!SPLASH! It hit the water and part of the enemy ship. She smiled to herself and made another one go off. The Ship was gone....It was over..... They weren't captured after all.

The Little People

In Scotland there was a small child. Abandoned. Alone. Without her mother she felt out of place, out of sorts. But living in the mountain there was a wee little cottage made of moss and grass. In it there lived a very,very, small person. It was about 6 inches tall and was rather charming to look at, if only it would let itself be looked at. A woman with long, red hair, a flowing green gown, and a pert,wee little face. The woman's name was Grisie. Born right out of the ground she lived on little bits of vegetation. The wee small creature was gathering nuts for her supper when she spotted the tiny child. She never felt the way about any other human before so why should she change now? She crept towared it and said ever so sweetly, "What happened, dear Child?" The child looked up startled at the tiny voice. "Me mither died and I have no where to bed down...." she broke down into a sob. The little lady said," Come with me, my child. I have a place where you can stay." The little lady took the girl's hand and led her to a small cave next to her cottage. "Sleep weel, my bairnie, sleep. The lang, lang shadows creep, The fairies play on the munelicht brae An' the stars are on the deep.... Codladh sámh. Good Night."