Project cosmos: The Golden Ring

I Get Another Math Lesson

I don't know why we stayed up there for so long. After Xenon left, Mark grabbed my arm and pulled me to the very spot where we had landed.
"Time to jump!" he smirked, and dragged me with him.
"What is wrong with you?" I yelled.
"Absolutely nothing!" Mark yelled back.
Then I remembered that we were falling through the sky in the middle of a city in New York. Once again, people were staring. Some guy even tried to shoot us with a bow and arrow. Neither of us got hit though.
"So, how did it go?" Latona asked.
"I got the ring! Our quest is finished!" I cheered as I held up my hand.
"You actually got it?" Sandy asked. I could tell that she was truly impressed this time. Not a single hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Does this mean we go back to camp?" DJ asked. To be honest, I kinda forgot he was here.
"Ya, why?" I asked.
"I'm not sure if I should go. Everyone there thinks I'm dead..." DJ hid his face in his hands.
"I mean, we could drop you off at the other camp..." I suggested.
"There's another camp?" he asked.
"Ya! We had to go there looking for some advice. There's like... three other kids there. It's up in Maine," I explained.
"We'd have to go that way anyway. Isabelle did promise we'd go back, after all," Mark said.
I had a mini flashback of when Cole tried to make me stay at the camp.
"They'd like the company,"
"I guess I could give it a try,"
"Isabelle, what's the camp in Arizona like?" Adria asked me as DJ walked away.
"It's really nice. Once you get in, you can see all the cabin lined up, the fire in the middle the Meal Hall, lots of trees," I did my best to explain a place I haven't seen in a few weeks.
"OK," she said shyly.
"Hey guys!" I shouted to get everyone's attention. "I think it's time to head back,"
"For once I agree with you," Sandy joked.

And with that, we headed off to Maine.


A FEW DAYS LATER...
By this time, we had been walking for a good half a week, and the camp was in sight.
I lead my friends into the camp. Based off of last time I was here, it looked WAY cleaner. I guess they took my advice and cleaned up. And you'll never guess who was sitting at the now fixed and polished picnic table. It was Cole.
"Isabelle!" he shouted.
I guess Tommy and Stevie heard as well, because they came running from around the corner to greet us.
But to my surprise, they weren't they only ones there. A small girl, who looked to be about nine or ten years old came following them.
"Who might you be?" I asked her.
"That's Bridgette. She's a demigod too," Cole explained. "She just got here about a week ago. She talks about as much as Travis does,"
I never thought that another kid, yet alone someone this young, would end up here instead of in Arizona.
"Well, anyway, we got some new company for you. DJ here wants to stay for awhile,"
I put my hand on DJ's shoulder and gently pulled him forward.
"H...hi... My name is Djehutimesu Gruffross. You can call me DJ,"
"It's nice to meet you, DJ," Cole said.
Cole then led DJ to one of the cabins. Both Stevie and Tommy followed.
That left me alone with Bridgette. I guided her over to the table and sat down with her.
"Hi, my name is Isabelle," I said.
"Hi..." she responded.
I see what Cole meant by when he said that she doesn't talk much. Just trying to pull a simple conversation with her was hard. Then Cole came back, without DJ, Tommy, or Stevie. That as unusual. Tommy and Stevie are almost always with him.
"Isabelle, I need to talk to you," he said quietly.
I followed him to the other side of the clearing.
"What's up?" I asked.
"I want you to take Bridgette to the main camp. I don't thinks it's the best for her to stay here," Cole explained.
"Why not?" I asked.
"The monsters seem to be sensing her more than the rest of us. I want you guys to protect her. Our barrier isn't as strong,"
"Oh. I'll go tell Latona,"
"Thank you,"
I then nodded and walked back to my friends.
And then something I should have seen coming happened.
Tommy and Stevie were back, and they were arguing again.
"Do you two ever stop fighting?" I sighed.
"Of course not! Not until Tommy understands that even numbers are better that odd number!" Stevie shouted.
"No! You need to understand that odd numbers are better!" Tommy yelled back.
The they turned to me. I knew what they were going to ask. And I was not ready to answer.
"Isabelle!" they both yelled in unison.
I didn't want to deal with that again.
"Go ask DJ. He's smart. I'm sure he'll give you the right answer," I sighed.
And the boys left, I turned to Latona. We both laughed. All you could hear in the distance was DJ's frustrated moaning.
"So, Latona... How was your little alone time with Travis?" I asked.
Latona blushed.
"What about you and Mark? You guys were up there for quite a while..."
Before she could finish talking, Tommy and Stevie came back. And you'll never guess who was arguing with them now as well, DJ. To what I saw, he had agreed with one of them. Big mistake.
"DJ, what did you do?" I asked.
"I just answered their question!" DJ cried.
In the distance, we could hear Tommy bragging to Stevie.
"Ha! I told you odd numbers were better!" Tommy said proudly.
"DJ just doesn't know the difference!" Stevie complained.
"There's a difference?" DJ whispered to me.
"According to them, it's huge," I whispered back.
"Isabelle! Even numbers are better, right?" Stevie asked as he ran to me and clung to my arm. Now I felt bad.
"Ya!"
Stevie's frown changed into a wide smile.
"See, Tommy? Even Isabelle agrees with me!"
"Did you forget that Isabelle sucks at math?" Tommy scowled.
"This is why I hate kids..." Sandy sighed.
"I think it's time to leave..." Latona said.
"Good idea," I said.
I found Bridgette and told her that we had to go. She nodded and grabbed her backpack. And with that, we left the camp, not knowing if we'd ever come back.