Tales of Camp Jupiter: Spawn of Sun

The Girl at the River

Tyler walked across the grassy field towards a river that cut across the valley he'd found himself in. Across the river, he could see a sprawling city, a stately barracks, and a huge open field that looked fit for battle. He stopped at the edge of the rushing water, still staring at the buildings nestled beyond. He glanced up the river, then down. No bridge. What was with these people and crossing dangerous channels? Did they want would-be campers to die? He quickly assessed the raging current before clenching his fists and plunging into the brisk water. He felt the current tug at his legs, growing stronger the deeper he went, but he dug in and forced himself to keep moving forward.

Finally, drenched and shivering from the frigid water, Tyler dragged himself onto shore about 20 yards farther downstream than he'd started. His limbs burned from the effort of fighting against the current. He crawled all the way out of the water and collapsed in a muddy wet heap on the grass. He rolled onto his back and stared at the clear sky, heaving long breaths. He hadn't really let himself rest between running across the free way, jogging through the tunnel, and fording the river. He hadn't wanted to give himself the chance to think about it. If he thought about it, he would talk himself out of doing it.

A face appeared, staring down at him. It was a girl with short dark-brown hair and golden eyes. She looked about 7 or 8 years old. She stared at him curiously, tilting her head ever so slightly to get a better look at his face. "Who are you?"

He jumped at the sight of the unexpected girl and sat up. "Tyler." He stared at the petite girl warily. She was short for her age and skinny, her limbs like twigs attached to her slim torso. "Who are you?"

The girl shrugged. "I live here."

"No, I mean," Tyler pushed himself to his feet. "What's your name?"

A mischievous grin tugged at the girl's lips. "I know what you meant." She turned to leave. "Come on. Jamie will want to meet you."

"Wait!" Tyler jogged to catch up with her. "Who's Jamie? Where am I?"

She didn't even look back at him as she answered. "He'll answer all your questions, so stop asking me." She led him on without another word.

Tyler struggled to keep up with his young guide as she pranced towards the city. His backpack bounced painfully against a sore spot on his lower back. He cringed, imagining the bruise he'd find there the next morning.

The girl slowed to a stop at the border of the city, Tyler assumed to wait for him, but she didn't move after he reached her.

"Who's there?!" A booming voice bellowed above them.

Tyler jumped out of his skin, collapsing to the ground, his heart in his throat. His eyes darted around, looking for the source of the voice, but no one else was around.

The girl was struggling to suppress her laughter. She turned to face an armless statue next to the road. "It's just me, Terminus. And a newbie."

The statue turned its head to look at Tyler, it's eyes narrowing suspiciously. "He's got a weapon on him."

The girl nodded. "Give him your weapons."

Tyler stared at the animated statue in horrific disbelief. "Wh-what?" He met the girl's gaze, hoping she was kidding.

She just looked at him, arms crossed, and raised an eyebrow. She nodded toward the statue. "I'm not kidding."

Tyler reached into his backpack, hands trembling violently, and grabbed the knife hidden inside. He held it out to the girl.

She sighed, grabbed the weapon, and placed it at the feet of the statue. "He good?" The statue eyed Tyler once more before nodding to the girl and growing still.

Tyler sat there on the ground, staring uncertainly at the statue, wondering if he had imagined it moving.

The girl grabbed his arm and tried to force him to his feet. "Let's go."

Tyler stood and let her drag him away, watching the stone figure until it disappeared among the buildings. "What... what was that?"

"That was Terminus." She answered, explaining something for the first time since they'd met at the river. "HE guards the border of New Rome. No one can enter with weapons. He'll keep your knife safe until we're done here." She pulled him deeper into the city, leading him through twists and turns until they reached a large domed building. Without pausing, she trotted inside with Tyler stumbling along behind her.

They entered into a huge round room with a domed roof far above. A boy with shaggy blonde hair and dark brown eyes stood by a long stone table, leaning his hands on the table top. He was around 13-years-old, but stood almost a foot and half taller then Tyler and his almost black eyes seemed to bore into his mind. The boy stared at Tyler as if examining his thoughts, the darkness of his irises blending seamlessly into his pupils. "A newcomer?" He asked without taking his eyes off Tyler.

"Yep." The girl trotted over to the table and took a seat in one of the many chairs. "He crawled out of the river like a water-logged cat."

Tyler ignored the insult, completely mesmerized by the black gaze of the boy by the table.

"What's your name?" The boy finally asked.

It took a solid minute for Tyler to speak, struggling to produce enough spit to wet his dry throat. "Tyler."

The boy was silent for an uncomfortably long time before straightening. "I'm Jamie - one of the praetors here."

"Praetor?" Tyler asked confusedly. Lupa may have trained him to fight, but she hadn't been overly helpful with the Roman terms.

"It's... kind of like a general." Jamie explained.

"So," Tyler scrunched his brow. "You're in charge here?"

Jamie nodded slightly. "Sort of. Not just me."

"Where exactly is here?" Tyler asked quietly, embarrassed by his ignorance.

The girl failed to hide her snicker. Jamie shot her a stern look and replied. "It's a safe place for people like us - demigods." He moved to stand on the other side of the table. "Here we can train to fight, learn to survive, be protected from the dangers of the world." He leaned back against the edge of the table. "Lupa sent you right?"

Tyler nodded, still trying to process everything. He'd really made it. He was finally safe. He let the breath rush out of his lungs and his legs buckled. He plopped onto the floor, crosslegged, his body sagging as the adrenaline faded.

Jamie walked over with a chuckle and offered him a hand up. "Come on. Let's get you settled."