Loving Warfare

Chapter 4: So It Begins

        "So am I still crazy, Zach?" Chiron asks this in a humble-yet-I-told-you-so way that only teachers and principals can pull off.

Zach replies, "No sir, thank you, you saved my life by throwing me this khopesh."

"I'm sorry to say this, but I have always wanted to," Chiron chides, "Follow me if you want to live." He leaves as the children all groan because of the stupidity, but soon they follow. The six leave school and go to Dylan's mom's garage, and as Chiron and her speak in private so do the demigods.

"Should we really trust him?" Rebecca says concerned.

"I don't know. We all saw what happened back there right?" Amii says, trying to see if she is going insane.

Casey says terrified, "All I know is that we all almost died."

Dylan chides in, "Zach is the one that fought it; shouldn't we ask him what he thinks?"

"Leave me out of this one, I am still shaken up about what it said after everything was over and it died." Zach replies with a sickly pale face and skin that felt like ice. It is obvious that he was terrified for not just his life, but his friends' also, and mainly he feared for Casey. He could not live with himself if she got hurt when he was around, let alone if it was his fault. Right then he knew what he had to do.

        "Everyone, when has Chiron lied to us? I cannot think of one time so I say we trust him, this camp maybe it is safer, I really do not know, all I do know is that I love you all and I will not ever let any of you be hurt! That is my promise to you all." When he said I love you all he was looking straight at Casey who never seemed to notice him. He thinks and mumbles to where no one can hear, "I promise you, Casey, I will protect you until I die, and even after that if I can." A few minutes after he finishes, Chiron and Dylan's mom walk out to a 1976 blood red convertible Nova with white leather seats, 720 horsepower engine, twin exhaust pipes, and only 2000 miles on it. It was Zach's dream car that he was gonna buy for Casey for her 16th birthday. "Children, we are going to that camp now. It has become too dangerous for you here, but rest assured we will come home again very soon. Now Dylan, if you would please take the wheel, go 200 miles East of here. There you will find a camp, it will be called Camp Unity. It looks more like a fortress than a camp, but rest assured you will have fun there. I will meet you there," says Chiron as he changes to centaur form and rides off towards their destination faster than any car could go.

        Dylan takes the wheel, and Amii sits up front with him as Zach opens the door for Rebecca and Casey. They get in and Zach sits by Rebecca. While in the car, he has a conversation with Rebecca no one else can hear. "Rebecca I told you already I am not asking her out, not now, and not until she is safe," whispered Zach. Rebecca responds by whispering, "But Zach you have saved all of us today twice." "The second time was only because of Chiron throwing me my khopesh, I do love her, but I want her to love me back, I will not force anything to happen, and that is final" Zach says to where Casey can hear him.

       Who is he talking about, Casey wonders, who could it be, is he talking about Amii? She continues to wonder these same thoughts as they pull up to the camp. Chiron lets them in, as the five pull into the camp they see archers, and fighters from every mythology wearing the traditional clothing of their ancestors. All of them have open mouths now as their jaws have dropped, Chiron laughs at them and says, "Welcome to Camp Unity, the single demigod camp from all forms of mythology from Egyptian all the way to Norse and everything in between. This is where you will stay until you learn how to defend yourself from any kind of monster, you will get weapons and you will stay safe while you are here."