The Eye of The Storm - 1. Rememberance

CHAPTER 2 Doctor's orders

The rain has stopped and the ground was still wet. A cool yet pleasant breeze was caressing my hair, as if it was comforting me and telling me everything will turn out fine. There were people on the camp grounds, going back and forth, alone or with their friends; not many people, I assume the short tempest scared them off a little. In the distance I could make out a string of cabins stretching in the horizon.

"I still can't believe it." I say to Noah as the two of us begin to walk in no fixed direction.

"You'll get used to it." He replies. "Even I was confused like you on my first day."

"You too got into a fight with those hellish beasts?"

Noah led out a hearty chuckle.

"No, my family brought me here two or three years ago." He says. "They said that in here I would be safe from any harm and get to know my abilities better."

"Abilities?"

"Yeah, like powers, combat skills...you know, the works. For instance, there is a guy here, Johnathan King, a son of Hermes who can throw knives really far. Or Eleanor Thomas, daughter of Eirene, who bakes the sweetest cookies."

I look at him trying to process everything. Seeing me, the boy can't help but chuckle again.

"Explanations?" he asks cunningly.

"Please proceed." I reply. "As you can see, I'm still in the dark."

We pass a big volleyball court and suddenly turn left.

"How good is your Greek Mythology knowledge?" Noah asks.

"Not bad." I say. "I know the basics. Zeus is the god of the sky, Poseidon is the lord of the sea, and Aphrodite is the goddess of beauty..."

"Yeah, those are the Twelve Olympians, but there are also minor gods roaming around." Noah says as we pass a building looking like a blacksmith's workshop. "Like Eirene, the goddess of peace. Or Phobos, the god of fear. Regardless of rank in the Olympian hierarchy, gods tend to have an eye for mortals and, after flings and affairs, us demigods come to be."

"Like, say, Hercules?" I ask with excitement as everything is clear now.

"No, Heracles. We Greeks use this name, Romans use the other."

"And who's the lucky guy to have you as their son?" I ask.

Noah sighs and rolls his eyes, before saying:

"I can't say they are lucky. I've been terrible at combat, becoming the laughingstock of my brothers."

"Your godly parent is a god of war?"

"Yeah, the worst of all." Noah says looking at the sky. "Ares."

I try to figure out how a gentle figure like Noah Lewis, who cared for me in the infirmary and he still does now, can be associated with war and destruction.

"How can I get to know mine?" I say, my eyes glowing in awe and excitement, almost childlike.

"It's easy," Noah replies simply, "they claim you."

"When?"

"It's not a fixed date. I was claimed nine months after I joined the halfbloods."

"How exactly does this claiming work?" I ask.

"It differs from god to god." Noah explains. "I remember mine was during a training session at the climbing wall."

"You've got one of those in camp?"

"Yeah, but bear with me." The boy says as he turns to me, gesturing wildly. "I couldn't climb the wall any longer. I was exhausted and I didn't care that I was only halfway through. I just wanted to quit and head back down when I felt a power rushing through my veins. It felt unlike anything I've ever felt and it gave me faster reflexes and enough energy to finish the training. As I reached the top of the wall, I watched the kids below staring at me in awe. I looked around me and noticed a red glow coming from somewhere above my head. Lifting my head, I saw a bloody-red spear hovering above my head."