A f t e r g l o w | Luke Castellan x Fem OC

I

This is not how I wanted my summer vacation to start. If someone told me that I'd be forced to attend a sleepaway camp this summer, I would have been like 'Over my dead body' But when I arrived at said "camp" and found it that it was staying there, or it actually would've been 'over my dead body' I had become quite open to the idea.

So here I am, about to go through what I hope isn't the worst summer of my life.

---

Even though it was summer, there was still rain pouring down. And the heat didn't really make it any better. It just felt really humid. Since the car windows had clouded up, I had become distracted trying to see which drop of rain would make it to the end of the window first. I was so caught up in it that I didn't even hear my dad calling my name.

"Anais"

"Anais"

"Anais!" I flinched.

"Sorry, Pa." I apologized. Zoning out was normal. Dad just said I had really active imagination. And it wasn't just because I'd get distracted easily, but also because I would see things that can't be explained.

For example, once when I was 10 I went on a train with my dad, and some of the other passengers saw a herd of horses running through the field that we were passing. But when I looked outside, I saw what seemed to be a herd of centaurs. And when I told my dad he just said, " You have such an active imagination Anais." and proceeded to pat me on the head.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, with concern in his voice.

"Estoy bien." I responded. I wasn't really okay though. I was being taken to a camp that I've never been to or heard of, and I'll be stuck with a bunch of people I've never even met before.

"I know this seems like the end of the world but trust me, you'll love it at camp." He said. Even though he was trying to hide it, I could tell he didn't like the idea of me going away for the summer. " There'll be a ton of other kids your age there, kids like you." He attempted to whisper that last part, but failed miserably because I could hear him clear as day.

"Kids like me?" I repeated. "You mean kids with an active imagination?"

"Anais that is not what I meant."

"That' s exactly what you meant." I said, raising my voice a bit.

"No uses ese tono conmigo"

"What, weren't you the one who taught me defend when I feel threatened?" I stated. "Well, I feel threated."

"Anais you have no idea what it's like to feel threatened!" He yelled. "I have kept you safe your whole life, that's why I'm taking you to this camp, because I can't do that anymore!"

"What?"

"Mija, I can't tell you anything more, it isn't my place."

"But-"

"No, Anais."

The rest of the car ride was in silence, and his words echoed in my head. What did he mean he was taking me to the camp to keep me safe? What is this camp exactly? Other kids like me? I was starting to zone out again, until my dad put his hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at him. His eyes were red, and his cheeks were stained with tears. "We're here." He said. I looked out the window and didn't see much, just a giant field. I got out of the car slowly, making sure to keep aware of my surroundings. I opened the trunk and pulled out my belongings which was just a small backpack and a duffel bag.

"So, uhm, where's the camp?" I asked, still looking around. I was hoping to see something, or someone. But nothing, there seemed to be nobody around.

"There's supposed to be someone here." He looked at his watch. "I guess we are a few minutes early." Right after he said that, we heard a voice.

"Hello." The voice yelled from afar. When I turned to look, I saw a boy coming from the direction of the hill. He had dark hair and a bright orange shirt. I turned look at my dad, he nodded his head. We made our way towards the boy, to meet him halfway. "Nice to meet you both, I'm Luke" He extended his hand out and I shook it and held it for longer than I should've.

"And I'm her dad." He said before shaking Luke' hand "It's nice to meet you."

"So where's this camp at?" I asked.

"It's right over the hill, best say your goodbye now." Luke responded.

"How come?"

"You're dad can't go with you over the hill."

"Alright, okay then." That sounded a bit sketchy, but some camps do have rules, I guess. " Uhm, well I guess this is bye, Pa-"

He pulled me into a bear hug. "Goodbye, mija."

"Come on Pa, it's only for three months." I reminded him. But for some reason it felt like it was going to be for much longer than three months. "And, dad, I didn't mean what I said in the car."

"I know, Anais." He responded. "I know." He released me from the hug and planted a kiss on my forehead. He swept the hair out of face and gave me one last hug, which just put my hair back in the position it had been before he fixed it. I picked up my duffel bag which I dropped when he hugged me, and started to walk towards the hill. After I waved goodbye one last time.

"You need any help?" Luke asked.

"No, I'm alright." I responded. "So, uh, what's camp like?"

"Camp's great, I think you'll like it." He answered. "How much has your dad told you about camp?"

"Not much, he said it wasn't his place to tell me."

"Right."

We had made it to the top of the hill. Where a pine tree stood. Weird place for a tree. Then a few feet in front of us was an archway, that resembled the architecture of Ancient Greece. The letters were in Greek, but somehow, I knew exactly what they said. 'Camp Half-Blood'

And when Luke noticed that I could understand what the archway said he said, "Welcome to your home for the next couple of months Anais, Camp Half-Blood."