The evening was wonderful. The sun shone brightly in the sky, not a single cloud in sight, giving the camp a nice, warm glow. The trees swayed gently in the breeze, the leaves dancing and gleaming in the sunlight. From here, I could see it all: flocks of birds and endless fields of grass.
I was taking a walk somewhere I felt… safe - camp Half-blood, side by side with a boy. Someone that I knew, but still felt like I didn't.
"Um… hello?" He waved at me and my gaze diverted at him instead of my surroundings. Brown eyes with specks of gold glinting in the sun. Blonde hair, fluffy and smooth, cut short but still covered the nape. Sun-kissed skin, flushed. "Has Mr. D introduced me to you yet?"
I nodded slightly.
"Yeah." I replied. "Hi." What was his name again? Oh, Jasper from, like, cabin 7, I think.
After lunch, they had me change into this vibrant orange with custom font words printed in the front. "Camp Half-Blood" it wrote and underneath it was a pegasus, exactly like the one that Mr. Jackson -Percy- had. The name still felt weird on my tongue.
"HEY ALEX!!!" Jasper called out, now not to me, but someone else. Alex. I should start keeping track of the names since every second there seemed to be a new one. Jasper rushed to this small field, with borders closing in the space. There was a tattered wooden bench by the left borderline and a tall guy sat there, unarmed and seemed to be waiting for something. Or someone.
"Didn't you get assigned to that new girl?" Jasper asked, bending forward. "That new brunette? What, Esmé?" I just stood by. The camp director, as Mr. Brunner had mentioned, Mr. D, assigned each of us girls to a camper, someone experienced since their only job was to instruct us. I guessed that the Alex guy was mentoring Esmé. Ironic how I could practically make friends in the time span of one day.
"Yeah, though now that I think about it, she's gon -oh there she is!" He tilted his head and focused on something in the distance.
I spun around and saw a silhouette, probably Esmé, running towards us, her hand gripping something that I didn't quite make out.
"Hey!" I waved, smiling ear to ear like an idiot.
She then finally came to a stop, holding up a bow high up in the air like it was a trophy to be seen.
"Christy! Look what I found!" She exclaimed, bouncing up and down. "Also, Alex, you might have to fetch the sword I left back there."
"Ha! As if." He scoffed, then rose from his seat. "You still got 12 more laps to go. Start jogging."
"Dammit." She muttered and placed the bow gently on the wooden surface of the bench, along with a sack, flailing everywhere. Then, she started sprinting away. Alex turned back to us.
"So? Aren't you gonna train the girl?" He said as he grabbed a rubber band from his pocket and started wrestling with his hair. "We got some empty space there that won't be occupied until tomorrow morning, yeah?"
"Sure, why not?" Jasper shrugged, then yanked me towards the lot.
"Finally." I mumbled in a hushed tone. "Took you long enough."
Alex shot me a look while Esmé shot the same exact look from across the field at him as if to say, "If you [censored] with my girls, I'll [censored] you." and I do not know if that is supposed to be literal or not. There was definitely some tension going on between them, that's for sure.
"So, tomorrow, there'll be a game –or sort of like a game– Capture the Flag." He repeated the same thing Mr. D said to me, or at least, that was what he meant. "As any game, it'll have some rules."
After a while of him just blabbling away all the rules, we finally began the most important part -the training.
"What about weapons?" I asked, glancing at Esmé across from me, positioning the bow on her side and ready to shoot at the targets. With one flick of a finger, the arrow cut through the air and… bullseye. Bullseye.
"Do you know what's more important than weapons?" He questioned me, his tone changing drastically. "Your fighting ways." My head just lolled back.
Suddenly, he swung an uppercut at me, but I dodged just in time; I could practically feel the air rush past as his fist missed. He'd surprised me. That's when everything clicked in place. He was playing offense. And my job was to defend.
"I'll go easy on you," He said, lowering his hands with a grin, "since it's your first time. Hit me."
We'd switched roles. I threw a punch, but he ducked smoothly to the right. I tried a kick, but he dodged that one too. He was always ready, never off guard, not for even a second.
I skidded to a stop, my shoes grinding on the sandy ground. Out of nowhere, a sharp pain hit my jaw, and in a split second, I saw a flash of gold darting in front of me. A throbbing sensation spread through my body as I took another blow to the shoulder. Grimacing, I ducked, used my forearms to fend off the attacks. "This hurts like hell." I mumbled, glancing at my shoulder.
"You're a natural." He said with a smile, tossing me a bottle, in which I desperately gulped down all the water inside. "Rest here, I'll be back."
Then, he disappeared into the distance. Checking out the duo on the far side of the training field, my eyes met Esmé's - a striking ocean against the serene sky. She'd ditched her bow for a wooden sword, now basking in the sun. The targets were speckled with arrows, some hitting bullseyes, others scattered around.
She lunged, jabbing at Alex with her sword, aiming for his weak spots. Their blades clashed, bits of wood flying. She jumped back, poised to strike again, her eyes sharp. She thrusted, hunting for an opening but coming up short.
Finally, her blade grazed his skin, almost victorious, but his sword was at her throat.
"Dead." He declared. She groaned in defeat, hopping back in place. "You're great with the bow, but what would you do if you had none?"
Another match started, but this time, Alex came out swinging, aiming straight for her gut instead of going for her throat. She wasn't ready for it, and just like that, her weapon slipped away. Now, with two swords in hand, Alex doubled his chances of winning. She let out a frustrated growl and tapped out.
"What if this wasn't a game? Just what if, love?" He sauntered towards her, tossing the sword her way. She fumbled, wide-eyed. "You'd be dead. But lucky for you, tomorrow's only a game."
I felt a light pat on my shoulder and turned around.
"Oh." It was Jasper, holding a basket of practice swords. 'Oh' was all I could say. He handed me one and grabbed one for himself.
"Wanna join in?" He nodded towards the others, a playful glint in his eyes.
"Sure." I tightened my grip on the hilt of the sword, feeling just a bit of excitement.
What does it feel like to win?
He struck hard, his blade whistling through the air. I veered left, feeling the rush of wind as his swing missed me. With a quick twist, I cut into his swing and prodded him in the ribs with my sword. "Dead," I whispered, copying Alex's taunt. "You're dead if I hit you."
"Nice job." He chuckled, backing away. Then, he jumped and aimed a stab downward. I blocked with my sword, the impact making my arms shake. Jasper landed smoothly and dashed at me, pressing the tip of his sword against my stomach.
"Now… you're dead." He took advantage of my hesitation to land what would've been a killing blow. If his weapon had been real, I'd be done for. "But pretty decent for an amateur. You protected your face."
"Gee, thanks," I muttered, flexing my neck.
"What do you want to use next?" he asked. I blinked at him, then replied slowly, "A sword. Just like normal." After a moment, I added, "Real ones."
"Uh… ok. You're probably ready." He reached into the basket and pulled out a bronze sword from a pile I thought was just for practice weapons. He handed it to me by the grip, the rough surface feeling solid in my hands.
I took a deep breath and went first, gaining momentum as I sped up. The iron blade gleamed in the sunlight, reflecting his battered wooden one. The point of my weapon missed him by just an inch, and he cursed under his breath as our blades clashed with a loud clang, sending sparks flying. I bounced back, quickly repositioning my blade and aiming it at his neck.
With a shout, I charged headfirst, every muscle in my body tensed for the impact. My mind was focused, my aim precise as I thrusted the blade straight at my target. The world seemed to slow down as the distance between us closed. Just as my weapon was about to make contact, I hesitated, something in his eyes made me pause.
Or I simply didn't want to kill him.
And then, I stopped, my blade mere inches from his neck. We stood there, breathing heavily, the tension thick in the air. I lowered my weapon slightly, still poised for action but momentarily unsure. "Aren't you gonna block me?"
He said with a grin. "I think… you're going to be fine during the games."
***
The night sky unfolded in its breathtaking beauty, the full moon casting a soft, silver glow from above. Stars shimmered like distant diamonds against the dark expanse.
"Hey," Nebby drawled, a lazy grin quirking her lips as she looked my way. "Got yourself a trainer?"
"Yup. You?" I replied.
"Yeah," She shrugged nonchalantly. "I figured, first day in a strange place, might as well have someone to show me the ropes."
I sneered, appreciating the dry wit in her words. "Name?"
"Um... Lauren?" She paused, a puzzled expression crossing her face as she searched her memory. "Gah. I don't remember." She shrugged.
"Mine's Jasper." I yawned, scratching the back of my head. "Did a pretty good job."
The fire in front of us crackled and popped, emitting warm light that flickered and illuminated the area around it. The heat was pleasant, enough to drive away the chills of the night and not yet uncomfortable. I looked around at the surrounding tables, all packed with people smiling and laughing with each other. My eyes landed on Helen and we made eye contact for a moment. Now that I think of it, those eyes do seem familiar, like I've said before, but I couldn't recall where I've met them.
I brushed the topic aside and stared at the bonfire. The orange flames danced as the light wind played with them, the light smoke rose towards the sky, dancing in the air before eventually disappearing amongst the clouds.
The campers sat around the bonfire, the warm light reflecting off their faces, each expressing a different mood. They were all chatting noisily, with the tenth cabin particularly lively. Songs played, and people danced, swaying playfully with the wind. Laughter mingled with the music, and everyone moved with easy, carefree joy. The night was alive with happy sounds, each step and note adding to the fun. Some were even throwing 5-star gourmet dishes into the fire but who cares? Nothing's normal these days.
Nothing's normal these days. I didn't particularly feel comfortable leaving behind my old life, but I guess this was for the best. I'm a half-blood now, which may be seen as weird, but something I've needed. It's tough. It's a challenge.
Jasper was up front, casually strumming a lyre. His songs drew everyone in. I hummed along with the melodies, joining in with the crowd. Each and every note held me mesmerized, pulling me in deeper.
I found myself staring at him, and his eyes flickered toward me, holding my gaze for a moment longer than expected. A smile played at the corners of his lips and I quickly looked away.
"Excuse me." A voice called out to me, alongside a light tap on my shoulder. "Can I sit with you?"
I spun around and realized it was a woman, with fiery red hair pulled back into a tousled ponytail. Gentle eyes, shimmering with the hue of jade. Her face was graced with dimples, complementing her lightly freckled pale skin with an endearing charm. "Um… sure. Esmé's not here anyways…" Wait, that raised a question. Where is Esmé?
"Thanks," She said with a grateful nod, settling down beside me on the log by the crackling campfire. "New here, aren't you?"
"Hm… yeah." I sighed, "And you are…?"
"I'm Rachel Elizabeth Dare," She leaned in, "the Oracle of Delphi."
The Oracle?
She speaks with Apollo. That doesn't make a lot of sense but… yeah, okay.
"How does it work though? I mean, it doesn't really match what I've learned in school." I pressed on. "So, he - Apollo - just, like, tells you the prophecies?"
"Not exactly tell, more like… speak through me." Her forehead creased, she then added. "You'll see soon enough."
What do you mean by "You'll see soon enough?"?
Suddenly, cheers erupted, and I jerked around, trying to see what all the jumping and excitement was about since they interrupted my interrogation. That's when I realized that the music wasn't playing anymore.
Before I could even get my questions out, Rachel stood up and smoothed out her wrinkled jeans. "Ah, I didn't catch your name." She said hurriedly.
"Christal. But wait! I need to ask y-" I blurted out but I didn't get the chance to ask anything when she cut me off mid-sentence.
"Bye!" She glanced at me one last time before heading over to Chiron on the other side of the fire.
And I was left there dumbfounded. God, how cruel could people be in this world? Yes, I know that she was in a hurry but that did not mean she could leave me hanging like that.
After a while, the chatter started acting up again. People talked a whole lot, mostly just the topics that I've already covered with Chiron. But the drama I overheard from cabin 10 was just fabulous. I mean, trying to spike the beer of a person who doesn't drink is just purely stupid.
Nebby was still munching on her marshmallows, and I was just sitting by, spouting nonsense to her. Trying to be normal. To fit in.
But God didn't allow it. I felt it, something big. Huge.
There was something lurking in the shadows. Crows spiraled in the sky, forming a black tornado as the moonlight dimmed, blocked from view by a dark storm cloud. The atmosphere didn't feel so cheery anymore. Thunder grumbled and lightning cracked across the darkening sky. The noise around me slowly faded away, leaving behind an uneasy silence. It felt like the calm before a storm, where even the smallest sound -a leaf rustling, a distant creak- seemed magnified in the quiet. Weird.
"What," Nebby's voice was barely above a whisper, her gaze flickering between the sky and me with a mix of confusion and concern, "is happening?"
For a moment, no one made a sound. No one answered her question. Chiron didn't seem as calm as he did a while ago. Jasper put down his lyre and reached behind his back for his sword and the others quickly followed. Soon, almost all of the campers were armed with either swords, bows or daggers – three in which I unfortunately didn't have.
"Stay back." Jasper heaved a breath as he passed by, like this wasn't an uncommon occurrence. I frowned. I was still searching for anything that could protect me since what I've learned from this camp is that I could get killed pretty easily and a day's training isn't exactly enough. And I wasn't joking because seconds later, he added, "Don't die. That's all I ask for." I gulped.
We waited for what seemed like hours to pass by, the rustling getting even louder as the unknown creatures got closer and closer. I could practically feel the earth vibrating beneath my feet with each step they took. Then, as I peered into the shadows, my eyes made out some very unsettling images, and I'm sure that some of the campers also saw them. Two pairs of eyes the color of blood, glowing in the dark.
I heard snarls, rabid growls and hostile barks echoing through the trees and suddenly, the three biggest demonic dogs I have ever seen came out of nowhere in a flash. Shaggy fur, as black as night ruffled, long claws dug into the ground and saliva slugged down its jaw, its fur now slick with sweat.
I froze at the sight of them. My palms were clammy. I was nervous. Unarmed. Defenseless. I shuddered, my body stiffening and my arms went limp. Running away was very much an option but everything here screamed, "WE ARE FAMILY. WE FIGHT TOGETHER." So I didn't. But I also kinda did. While my body was definitely not cooperating, my eyes scanned the area, looking for an escape. I really didn't wanna end up like those dumb protagonists in horror movies.
And there they were - the hounds - lunging at the Aphrodite cabin and the girls screamed. I half-expected the boys to scream with them but I guess that wasn't the case. Some of them tried fending off the vicious beasts, vigorously jabbing spears at them while others… well, fled the scene. I was about to do the same thing, but one of the three dogs had already marked me as its target. My life was on the line, and my unarmed combat training was useless against these hellhounds- I figured that was what they were called- they were thrice my size and oh boy were they fast. I crouched down and quietly snuck right past them, making sure I didn't make a sound. My heart was pounding, and I could barely breathe, but I just kept moving, hoping they wouldn't notice me.
And they didn't. I was in the clear.
"HEADS UP!!!"
In a blink of an eye, I felt something warm on my hands, leaving behind a searing pain. Something… irony and scarlet. Blood. It was blood. It throbbed heavily, and I clenched the hand into a fist, my eyes landing on a bronze sword in front of me. There was no time. I took it into my good hand, my grip unwavering as I saw something charging at me. Another one. My way. But it wasn't aiming at me, no. It was at Percy.
It leapt and Percy dodged just in time, veering left and stabbing his sword into the hellhound's side. The monster howled in pain and snapped its jaws, narrowly missing Percy's head by inches. From behind, I saw Alex plunging another blade into the creature's spine and another agonized roar escaped its mouth. Not dead yet.
My head was spinning from all the yelling, blood everywhere, and my own throbbing wound. I struggled for air, feeling the pain layer on layer. Then, I felt something tugging at me and with a loud splash, water sprayed out from the dam behind me in every direction, drenching everyone from head to toe. And I wasn't -so was Percy. While everyone was in a state of shock from getting decked with water, I ducked under the hound's belly and jammed my sword into its gut, hoping to finally put an end to it.
I pulled out the blade and scurried out from under the helldog right as it slumped to the ground with a whimper, and began to crumple into a pile of nothing.
My first kill. I wasn't sure whether to jump with pride or pass out right there and now. I chose neither one.
Everyone was staring at me. I chuckled nervously, my grasp tightening around my weapon as it threatened to slip from my sweaty fingers. It was probably really weird for someone who's new at camp to suddenly turn into a water hose like that. And Percy was grinning ear to ear. "Um… Why are you guys staring at me like that?" I asked worriedly.
"Y-You're Poseidon's?" Jasper's voice came from my left and my mouth gaped open. Was I glowing right now? Last time somebody got that kind of info was when they turned into a "glow-stick" a.k.a getting claimed.
I snuck a quick look at my injured hand or now better known as my ex-bloody hand. It wasn't wet, but it was healed. Not even a scratch remained on my palm. It was like it was never there.
"Must be," Percy grinned, but an agonized screech snapped him back to his senses. Behind him, the second hellhound cried out in pain as an arrow slammed roughly through its eye. It was painful to watch, even though it had tried to kill us. His forehead creased and he furrowed his brows. "Who died? Who did that?"
I shook my head as another arrow whizzed by and the hound screeched again. Who did that? I couldn't help but admire the skills of whoever did that. Admiration and fear.
The perfect combination…
"Hi~" Esmé's voice, unmistakable, broke in. She held a bow, with a quiver full of arrows slung over her shoulder. "Miss me, Alex?" The guy arched his brow at her and cocked his head. "Also, can someone please finish off this thing before I step in?" She fixed her hair like she didn't just poke out the thing's eye, then stuck another arrow into its other eye, which had it squealing like a pig.
That is just cruel.
Emelie stepped up in response, her steps quickening as she closed in on the suffering creature. With a swift move, she struck it right in the throat. The hellhound let out a final, gurgled roar before bursting into a cloud of black dust. In seconds, the monstrous beast was gone, leaving just a pile of ash behind.
Woah.
"Christal, hate to break it to you, but you have a glowing trident on your head." Esmé hopped down from the branch she'd been perched on and teased, "I believe that is the reason why everybody's looking at you like they're in love. Isn't that right, Jasper?"
"Uh…" Jasper stammered. "Um…"
"Poseidon. Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses." Someone said, "All hail Christal Delacourt, Daughter of the Sea God." It took me a moment to recognize the voice – Chiron's. Then everyone bowed down and it was to me. Even Nebby was down on her knees. I fought the urge to laugh at how ridiculous she looked. I couldn't help but find the situation both funny and strange, especially coming from her.
"Alrighty," Percy stepped forward with a smile. "Can I have a word with you, Christal?"
Oh no.
I let out a shaky breath and shuffled towards him, feeling like I was about to get called into the principal's office.
"Congrats, Christal." He grinned at me and patted my head. "You're my little sister. Well, welcome to the family."
I knew what that meant. I was… his sister.
Half-sister. I corrected myself silently.
Well, that was unexpected. Nebby had the same theory when he filled in as our substitute. The guess had seemed crazy back when we weren't even aware of any of this -back when we were just carefree and normal. I wanted to live my life without knowing I was a demigod again, but now... now, everything was real.
No one said anything else after that. And neither did I.