Fomalhaut

4. I almost get turned into Flipper.

Montauk, NY

The tree was disturbing. I stare at it from my place on the hill, the vague body of a girl shaping the trunk of the pine tree. Chiron urges me past it but my eyes don't leave the sight of it until it is no longer visible.

I try not to stare at Chiron's lower body, which sounds weird, admittedly, but you go see a half-horse half-human and then tell me you wouldn't stare. His tail swished behind him as he clipped down the hill, me and my bags in tow.

I had been hesitant when we first pulled up, Argus as our driver. To me, it was only a hill with a pine tree atop. Chiron had told me to be patient, but patience has never really been my forte.

Anywho, we cross the threshold of what Chiron called "the border." And, suddenly, I was no longer looking at just a hill and a tree. I was looking at an entire camp nestled into a small valley, the landscape dotted with buildings that look like ancient Greek architecture—an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, a circular arena—except that they all appear to be brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the sun.

A lake glittered around the outskirts of the valley, canoes gliding across it. Kids in bright orange T-shirts are chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range.

My fingers twitched when I noticed that their bows were similar to mine, wooden and feathered. Though the racks also held other long-range weapons, such as crossbows (noticeably not made of wood), guns, and sling-shots.

Chiron leads me down the rest of the hill and we come to stop in front of a large house. The Big House, as Chiron called it in his descriptions of camp on the ride here, is baby blue with a white trim and a deck that wraps around the outside. On the roof is a bronze eagle weathervane with wind chimes that turn into dryads as they spin.

On the porch of said house is a man, a leopard-print shirt, sunglasses, and a curly beard, playing a card game with two boys, one looking extremely nervous and the other calm and collected.

Chiron and I approach the three.

"Took you long enough, old man!" exclaims the leopard-print guy, aggressively taking a sip of his diet coke. I jump back a bit at the loudness of his voice but Chiron just places a hand on my shoulder.

"No need to worry, dear, Dionysus here is all bark and no bite."

I balk. I can't help it. And then I cringe.

"He's the god of wine?" I ask, keeping the second part to myself – 'Sure looks like it.'

Dionysus just raises an eyebrow at me. "Careful with your tone, girl. I could turn you into a dolphin."

"A dolphin?" I ask, noticing the nervous boy sinking into his chair and the calm boy grinning more and more. "You do know dolphins are only ranked 2nd when it comes to animal intelligence, right? They're right behind orangutans. Presumably, I'd still be able to backtalk you, you just wouldn't understand what I would be saying."

I frown as soon as the words leave my mouth. What just happened? The calm boy is outright wheezing and the nervous boy is hiding his face in his hands. Chiron looks mildly worried and Dionysus is sneering at me.

"You're lucky, girl," he starts and I have to restrain myself from saying more, "that you are funny. Or else you would've met a sorry fate."

"Good thing I'm funny then," I deadpan.

That's when the calm, now laughing, boy takes his cue and stands up.

He's blonde, with bright eyes and a brighter smile. "Alright, I think you've given Mr. D enough grief. Chiron, do you mind if I take the lead? I am a counselor, after all."