"Is he gonna be alright? Those holes in his chest were really severe..."
A deep male voice shook off my hazy mind. Despite my efforts, my eyelids felt heavy, stubbornly refusing to open, leaving me with nothing to do but to eavesdrop on the conversation that surrounded me. I hoped it would hint at where I was.
"Don't worry about it. I already fed him some nectar and ambrosia. His life shouldn't be in danger. A demigod can't die that easily, you know."
A soothing female voice responded to the man. Her attentive voice gave the impression of a nurse. Her voice should have calmed me but her weird choice of words only weirded me out.
What did she mean by "Demigod"?
However, the conversation continued, and my question was left unanswered.
"Well... His condition was not the best when we found him at the edge of the barrier. He must have escaped from some monster on his way here."
"Probably... At least he is still alive."
*Sigh...*
The man sighed. He seemed troubled.
"It's our fault that things turned out this way. We should have found him sooner than the monsters."
"Don't be hard on yourself. You have already got a tremendous workload on your shoulders as the camp's director."
Feeling a little more relieved, the director of the camp steered the conversation toward a more serious tone.
"Anyway, I am afraid there have been irregularities in monster activity lately. It seems the monsters are encountering newly awakened demigods more often and earlier."
*Beep...Beep...Beep...*
The conversation was interrupted by the high-pitched ringtone of a phone call. With a swift motion, the man retrieved the phone, his expression turning alert as he realized who was calling him. A boy's urgent voice emanated from the other end of the line.
"Director! We've found two individuals who we suspect to be demigods. They appear to have been making their way toward the camp."
"Great! How close are you to reaching the camp?"
"We will arrive at the camp within the next 5 or 6 hours."
"Good. I'll dispatch a support unit to your location. You guys might need them along the way."
"Yes sir!"
*Beep...Beep...Beep...*
"Seems like we're one step ahead this time."
With that, the director quickly departed. Following him, the girl left too, leaving me all alone with their words lingering in my mind. I went through the conversation I just overheard to find clues about my situation.
I harbored a far-fetched idea, one that stretched the bounds of common sense. But I would need a few more pieces of solid evidence to be certain.
I just needed a mirror.
With that in mind, I cautiously opened my eyes. I was greeted by an onslaught of radiance pouring in from the nearby window. Having been lodged in darkness for quite a while, the sudden flood of light overwhelmed my senses. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I took a look at the room I was in.
It was an infirmary, a cozy wooden cabin exuding an inviting aura of tranquility. Sunlight filtered through the windows and gaps on the roof, casting warm beams on the polished wooden floor. There were simple wooden beds with plaid blankets and wooden tables stocked with medical supplies.
I was in a very comfortable bed. On the bedside table next to me, there was a glass of liquid similar to apple juice and what appeared to be cookies that gave off an extraordinary aura.
Stepping towards a wall mirror, a sense of unease washed over me as my reflection came into view. Instead of my own familiar appearance, I saw the reflection of a young man with sleek black hair cascading to medium length and striking blood-red eyes. Standing at approximately 180 cm tall, his frame was slender yet defined. Instead of clothing, bandages enveloped my chest area. My facial features were impeccably symmetrical, exuding an aura akin to that of a celebrity.
Seeing the figure before my eyes, I could only accept the surreal realization that I inhabited another person's body. I turned around and gazed upon the nearby bedside tableau, where a tempting array of 'cookies' lay.
"Ambrosia..."
With hastened steps, I made my way toward the infirmary's exit, my hand grasping the cool knob as I pulled the door open, allowing a cascade of warm sunlight to wash over my face, mingling with the gentle caress of a chill breeze. As my eyes adjusted to the brightness, I found myself gazing out upon the sprawling expanse of the campsite stretched before me, a harmonious blend of natural beauty and human ingenuity that never failed to captivate.
A sprawling expanse of towering trees enveloped the camp while Numerous streams flowed through the camp. The melodies of nature blended with the bustling cadence of human activity. A colossal campfire, reaching skyward to a towering height of two meters, stood as the majestic focal point of the camp, a beacon of flickering flames. Many facilities, such as an infirmary, a training ground, and wooden structures were scattered across the camp
"It's a beautiful place, isn't it?"
I turned toward the source of the feminine voice and found myself face-to-face with a vision of supernatural beauty. Standing before me was an eighteen-year-old girl with long pink hair that framed her delicate features, her eyes sparkling with a matching color that seemed to mirror the soft pink hue of dawn. Her slender figure exuded an air of grace, emphasized by her smooth skin. It was as if she had stepped straight out of a fairy tale.
I now knew for sure where I was.
"Who are you?"
I steered the conversation directly toward the pressing matter at hand, ignoring her attempt to chit-chat.
She nonchalantly waved her hand and pouted at my serious demeanor. Then, with a soft tone, she spoke.
"I am Grace Elsher, daughter of Aphrodite. I am just one of the inhabitants of Camp Twilight."
'Daughter of Aphrodite, is it?'
Seeing my blank expression, she sighed slightly before commencing a detailed narrative of the events that had unfolded last night, tracing the narrative that had led me to this moment. She articulated how they found me at the border, whisked me away to the infirmary, and tended my wounds with her divine healing skills. After listening to her, the missing gaps gradually narrowed, allowing me to formulate theories about my situation.
"So that's how it is?"
I murmured under my breath, I plunged into a silent daze. Seeing the gravity etched upon my darkened face, she remained silent. I closed my eyes and delved deep into the recesses of my mind. In that moment of introspection, the puzzle pieces sluggishly fit into place.
The bus incident and certain death... The conversation in the infirmary... The ambrosia... My reflection in the mirror... And finally Camp Twilight...
And this girl is claiming to be the daughter of Aphrodite. I opened my eyes and looked at the girl before me.
The name "Grace Elsher" struck a chord within me, I knew her. She was a character from the novel I had read. And the very setting I was in mirrored the vivid descriptions of that fictional world. Despite the inclination to dismiss it all as an intricate dream, the overwhelming evidence surrounding me forced an acceptance of the undeniable truth.
Unable to endure silence any longer, Grace once again tried to initiate a conversation.
"Would you mind introducing yourself?"
"I don't feel quite myself right now. Maybe another time."
Entering the infirmary, I swiftly closed the door behind me, cutting off any potential conversation. Truth be told, I didn't even know my own name and I needed some time to recollect my thoughts before engaging with others.
"Huff... Okay. Let's take it from the beginning."
First, I was inside a novel called "Rise of The Son of Zeus". The setting of the novel was modern-day Earth but imbued with a subtle twist. In the novel, the presence of Greek mythology was braided seamlessly into the fabric of reality. The main character was destined for a heroic quest to rescue the world from impending peril.
Demigods were the offspring of unions between mortal humans and Greek gods. Such unions occurred when the Greek gods descended from the heights of Mount Olympus, wandering the human world. Sometimes a god and a mortal could fall in love with each other, giving birth to a demigod. Yet, despite the fleeting moments of affection shared between divine and mortal, the god would invariably depart soon after the birth, leaving behind the demigod and their human parent alone in the mortal realm.
Unfortunately, in most instances, the godparent would never see the child again. These demigods, unaware of their extraordinary lineage, would lead seemingly ordinary lives, oblivious to their true heritage, until their sixteenth birthday.
Upon reaching the pivotal age of sixteen, demigods would begin to hear a mysterious voice in their head urging them to head to Camp Twilight. Simultaneously, their divine energy would start to mature and leak around him/her, drawing the attention of monsters who feed on this energy.
Even though their human parents were aware of the truth about the child's divine lineage, they adhered to withholding the truth until the child turned 16. This was because telling them the truth would only lead demigods to be aware of their divine energy prematurely, which would cause the divine energy to leak and attract monsters much sooner.
But monsters were not the only ones who could track the divine energy leaking out of a demigod. The other demigods and mythological creatures as well possessed the ability to sense divine energy. In fact, the man on the phone, who was the Director of the camp, was talking about finding two new demigods just now, planning to help them reach the camp alive.
"The voice I had heard... It can only mean one thing. I've just reached my sixteenth birthday, and I, too, am a demigod."
Right now I was in the US, Montauk, where Camp Twilight was stationed. A camp, surrounded by a divine barrier, where demigods seek protection from the wrath of the mythological monsters.