GOLDWING [PJO]

II. FOTIS

Fotis always liked traveling through the rainbows their mom made. Even though they rarely traveled, when they did, it was a comforting, warm, but somehow cool feeling that came with it. It was like a cool mist rinsing your face during a hot summer day, or a warm fireplace during a snowstorm. It usually made Fotis feel calm, but this time, traveling through the rainbow while thinking about their mom felt a bit uncomfortable, like squeezing through a tight crowd to get on a train. Hot and humid.

When Fotis walked out of the rainbow, they felt a sense of nausea. The woodland landscape and silent forest created an eire feeling that surrounded them. They also felt something heavy attached to their back. It wasn't their bag, cause that was on top of the suitcase they had, so what was on there? Fotis dropped their stuff on the ground to reach as far as they could on their back. They felt something feathery. It felt boney but fuzzy. Fotis grazed further down the base of their back. They started to feel feathers growing from the base. They were wings. Fotis moved around trying to somewhat shake them off, but of course, they stayed on. They thought maybe they were imagining things, how could these human sized wings appear on their back out of nowhere? Fotis pulled out their phone and opened the camera app. They faced the front camera to their back as far as they could. In the camera , the wings were a shiny yellow that almost looked metallic. They were gold wings.

Why these wings appeared, Fotis didn't know, but they felt their body adjust, like it had always had these bird like accessories on their back. This confused Fotis even more. But a bigger situation came to hand. Fotis started to focus on their surroundings a bit more. They saw a row of Greek like cabins with flags that had symbols and cabin numbers on them. They went from one to twenty. There were also many kids around Fotis' age who were walking around, talking to each other, or playing card games. They all happen to be wearing faded orange t-shirts with the label 'Camp Half-Blood'. These shirts were a sore to Fotis eyes, but it made them sure they were in the right place, Camp Half-Blood. They were right where they needed to be.

Right behind Fotis, came a tall middle-aged man with a chiseled beard. He also happened to have a horse body for a lower half. "Oh you must be Iris son, Fotis correct?" The horse man said. Fotis turned around and jumped back. They've never seen a mythical creature before, but who were they to talk, they were the one with the obnoxious golden wings on their back. "Ah, I expected that to happen, Hi, I'm Chiron, the program director at Camp- Half Blood, your mother sent you here, correct?". "Yes!" said Fotis. "When can we find her? Is she okay?" Fotis face once again was tensed up at the thought of their mom. Chiron looked away as if he had bad news. "...What?" said Fotis. "Come, well talk about it later, for now let me show you around the camp" said Chiron.

Walking around the camp, Chiron talked about the rules of the camp, the cabins, the traditions and other stuff that Fotis couldn't pay attention to. They were too busy thinking about their mom. Why would someone kidnap her? Why was she so messed up in the Iris message. Not only was their mom flooding their thoughts, but Fotis started to notice all the campers had stopped in their steps, and were looking at Fotis. They couldn't figure out if these wings were a gift or a curse, but one thing they did know, the feathery nuisances on their back weren't helping.

Chiron leaded them to what was known as "The Big House" and they sat down. Chiron looked uncomfortable, like he did before when Fotis talked about their mom. "Listen... You can only find your mom with a quest given by the oracle, and no prophecy has been told so for now, theres nothing us, or even you can do" said Chiron. Fotis was confused. Why did they need permission to find their mom? And why does a prophecy have to be given in order to do so. "What about the gods? Will they go find her?" Fotis asked. "It's not that simple" said Chiron. "The gods simply wouldn't stop anything they're doing to save a minor goddess". Minor? Fotis mom was anything but "Minor" to them. How could anyone even say that word in the same sentence as their mom? "But who will deliver their messages? She a core part of the gods lives?" said Fotis. "Well.. they have Hermes for that" said Chiron. "But your mother and I happen to be good friends, So you may visit the oracle tomorrow, after our game of capture the flag". Fotis mind wondered off . They've never heard anyone say their mom was a "Minor" goddess, or how she wasn't the only messenger. "Let me show you to your cabin, and you're just in luck, the only other person just left for a while, so its all yours...Fotis?". Fotis came back to reality. "Oh okay".

The Iris cabin reminded Fotis of home. It was white with little splotches of color in every corner. There were beds on each side and canvases with paintbrushes and art supplies on a desk at the end. One bed had looked like it was being used. Random items like tool gear and clothes were laying around it. Fotis felt a something in their brain twitching at the mess. "Well, I'll leave you to it! Dinners at the dinner hall in an hour" said Chiron. "And Fotis", "Yes sir?" said Fotis. "I like the wings on you" said Chiron. After he left, Fotis immediately started to work on the mess on the bed. They don't know why they have to clean it, but something tells them it just needed to be done. They couldn't stand looking junk laying around for the time that they would be there. When they were done, they set up their sketchbook on a easel on the desk and sorted out all their clothes in their bag. While doing this, their wings couldn't help but knocking into stuff due to their size. Fotis scoffed and noticed a Camp- Half Blood shirt was on their bed in the ugly orange they saw before. Fotis held the shirt up and concentrated on the shirt. The color then darkened into and almost black, while the logo became white. Much better, Fotis thought. At least the color of a shirt was something Fotis could control.