Tales of Camp Jupiter: Spawn of Sun

A Not So Warm Welcome

Tyler tried to take in everything as Jamie led him out of the city - New Rome, and out towards the barracks. The girl - Eliza, Jamie had called her - trotted distractedly behind them. Another statue waited at the border. It matched the one that Tyler had given his knife to. He stared in wonder as Jamie held a short conversation with the armless stone man and retrieved Tyler's knife, handing it back to him.

They walked purposefully towards the barracks. Jamie led them through a maze of bunk beds to an empty cot. "This is you."

Tyler tossed his backpack onto the bed and sat down with a loud squeak.

Jamie turned to Eliza. "I need to get everything ready for his orientation. Keep an eye on him for me?"

She pouted. "Why me?"

Jamie crossed his arms. "Because I said so. Blame yourself for tagging along." He added when her frown deepened. "Why don't you give him a tour or something."

Eliza a scowled at the praetor, but didn't argue.

"Thank you." Jamie faced Tyler again. "I'll see you in about two hours. If you have any questions, ask Eliza. She knows more about this place than most of the other kids around here." He winked and walked away.

Tyler faced Eliza awkwardly. "So..."

"So what?!" She snapped back from her place sitting on the bunk bed ladder. She took a deep exasperated breath and dropped to the floor. "Come on. I'll show you the camp." She trudged out of the barracks with Tyler at her heels.
                                       •   •   •
By the time an hour had passed, Tyler and Eliza were standing at the top of a hill, which supported over a dozen small temples. Each one was dedicated to one of the Roman gods. Eliza walked briskly passed them, curtly naming who they were built for without so much as pausing. Tyler struggled to keep up with the petite girl as she strode purposefully forward.

Eliza waved her hand to a bright building with carved sun rays splaying out over the doorway and intricate spirals winding up the columns. "This is Apollo's temple. Probably one of the least interesting."

Tyler froze, staring mesmerized at the simple building. Unlike the others, it had no extravagant, defining feature. The carvings were subtle, but beautiful.

Eliza made it about three temples down before she glanced back and realized he wasn't following her. Rolling her eyes annoyedly, she marched back over to him and looked from him to the temple... then back at him.

"He's your dad." She said simply.

Tyler jumped as she spoke, failing to have noticed her approach. "How did you?"

She gave him a rather bored look. "This is the only one you stopped to stare at."

Tyler's whole body sagged. He wasn't sure why he was disappointed. They were all going to find out soon enough. He just hadn't wanted it to happen like this. He hadn't expected a little girl to figure it out, especially that quickly.

Eliza shrugged. "You don't have to feel bad about it. I suspected it from the moment I met you."

His head snapped up and he looked at her quizzically. "What?! How?"

She shrugged again. "You look like an Apollo kid for starters. You also have this insufferable pessimism that's so obviously used to cover up how hopeful you actually are."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm not a pessimist. I'm a realist."

She eyed him knowingly. "Same difference."

He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "You're too smart for a 7-year-old. You know that right?"

Eliza crossed her arms back at him and shot him the sassiest look Tyler had ever seen. "I'm 8 and maybe you're too dumb." She smiled mockingly at him.

Tyler was about to retort when a bell rang from New Rome.

"Time to go." Eliza started down the hill, half bouncing in triumph.

Tyler glared at the back of her head before realizing he needed to follow and jogging after her to catch up.
                                      •   •   •
Tyler stood awkwardly next to Jamie and the other praetor - a girl of about 14 with red hair pulled back into a painfully tight bun. The whole Roman legion stood before them, divided into five groups - hundreds of eyes watching them as Jamie made his announcement.

"Today, a new demigod found his way here." He gestured to Tyler, signaling for him to step forward. "Tyler St. Cyr - Son of Apollo."

Tyler scanned the crowd for their reactions. Most of them were indifferent, some even bored.

Jamie waved a blond boy over who was wearing a white toga with a belt of stuffed animals tied around his waist. "Octavian." He simply nodded to the boy as if to say 'Do your thing.'

Octavian released a purple teddy bear from his waist and pulled a knife from somewhere in the billowy folds of his toga. With a quick violent motion, he sliced the bear open, spilling its fluffy insides onto the grass. He knelt and stared at them for a bit, changing angles every so often. His eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed. Straightening, he moved closer to Jamie and whispered something in his ear. Tyler was standing right next to them, but the only word he caught was "strange."

Jamie walked over to the abstract stuffing art and stared at it. Octavian tried to discreetly point out what he was talking about. Jamie just looked confused. He grabbed Octavian's arm and quietly asked. "Is this something we should be worried about?"

"Well, the implications are unguessable, which is why we should be wary. For all we know-"

Jamie cut him off. "Is there an immediate threat to the legion?"

Reluctantly, Octavian shook his head. "Not that I can see, but it's still troubling."

Jamie nodded as if the comment had solidified his decision.

Tyler stood, body rigid, painfully aware of the many eyes watching the whole thing take place. He noticed a few people exchanging whispers. What had Octavian seen? Was he a threat?

After an agonizing silence and a hushed argument between Octavian and the Praetors, Jamie stepped forward to address the whole legion. "After consulting with my fellow Praetor and our Augur, Tyler," he turned to face the terrified little 10-year-old. "Welcome to the legion!" He said it as if expecting thunderous applause, but the legionnaires just stared at their new comrade in confusion and suspicion.

"Who will accept him?" The red-headed girl spoke with striking authority, immediately drawing everyone's attention. She eyed the soldiers with her piercing turquoise gaze. No one spoke up. "I said," her voice carried over the crowd weighing down on its listeners. She stepped forward to stand beside Jamie. "Who will accept him?"

There was some movement to the right. Eliza was pulling on the arm of a blond boy around her age and saying something. The boy pulled himself free of her grip and raised his hand over the crowd. "We'll accept him!" The declaration earned him more than a few glares.

The redhead raised an eyebrow at the boy as if surprised he had spoken up. Jamie on the other hand just grinned and nodded. "It's decided! Tyler St. Cyr will join the Fifth Cohort." He placed a hand on Tyler's shoulder as the legion dispersed and guided him over to the blond boy. "Jason, I'll leave him to you. He already has a bunk in your barracks, not too far from yours if I'm not mistaken."

Tyler scrunched his brow at the comment and faced Jamie. "How did you know?"

Jamie met his gaze with a knowing smirk. "That Jason would claim you for the Fifth Cohort? I once did the same for him." He nodded to Jason before walking away.