The Fairy On Fire

Chapter 5 - Caleb's family

"I... I... I don't know!" He says. "I can only find one reason how..." I tell him. Who's your father?" He looks even more confused. "What? Uhm, my mom never told me about him..." He says. I start to laugh. "Caleb! I think I know who your father is!" "What? How? Who?" "Your father must be Zeus! The Greek God of Thunder!" I smile and laugh. It took him a moment to realize what I say. "My... My father is Zeus?! A God?!" I smile all over my face. "You're the lost half blood! You're the half blood who disappeared from the Camp 15 years ago! Caleb, you're a demigod!" I can't stop laughing. He just looks at me like I'm crazy. "What have you been drinking?" He suddenly asks. "What?" I stop laughing. "Are you on something? I'm not a lost demigod! I'm just a normal human!" "Caleb, sit down and let me explain."

I sit there in front of Caleb for the next 30 minutes, tying to make him believe me. Fire lies beside me and listen to my voice. "Caleb, you are a demigod, the son of Zeus. You disappeared from Camp Half Blood for 15 years ago. Your mom must have found a way to sneak you out. Why, I don't know. The only safe place for a demigod is in the camp." He just stares at me. "Caleb, please. Say something." "I... I can't believe it. It's impossible! Why haven't anybody told me?" "I think, it's only your mom who knew this secret until now. And your dad of cause, but the Gods may not have any contact with their children. It's one of the God laws." I tell him.

"I need to talk to my mom!" He says. I nod and stand up reaching my hand down to him to help him up. Then I take my bag and tell Fire to lay down in it. She does so. I make a spell to keep her silent. Finally the storm stops, so we walk in peace. "I think Zeus made up the storm to tell you who you are." I say after a moment in silence. "He can do that?" Caleb asks. "Well, yes of cause! He's the God of thunder and lightning!" I smile to him. He just gives me a confused smile back. "You're so cute when you're confused." I blurb out. I could've smacked myself right now. Why did I say that? But Caleb just laughs and gives me a kiss.

We're walking down to Caleb's house. As closer we get, as more nervous Caleb seems to be. "Don't worry, Caleb. You'll be fine." I give him a smile. "I'll wait here outside, just call if you need help." "Can't you just go with inside?" He asks. "Uhm, you want to introduce me to your mother, just before you ask her about your father?" He thinks a bit and nods. "Sure? Why shouldn't I? You are my girlfriend, right?" My cheeks turn red. "Yes, but-" "No 'but'. I'll introduce you and then you help me with the questioning." "Okay, Caleb." I say. We've reached his house. He goes up to the door with my hand in his.

"Hey mom!" He calls. "There is someone I'd like you to meet!" His mother transpires in the door. "Who?" She asks. Then she sees me. "Oh, hi! I'm Caleb's mother, Clarisse." She says reaching her hand forward. "I'm Flame." I say shaking her hand. "Oh, Flame! Nice finally to meet you! I've heard so much about you!" She says glad. "Mom! Seriously!" Caleb says. I just giggle. "Oh, but you've talked so much about her! Why is it so wrong that I tell her!"

I think confusedness is something that just belongs in their family, because she looks just as confused as Caleb does sometimes. "It's alright." I tell her. "Caleb just needs to ask you something." I say pushing to him with my elbow. "What is it about?" She asks curiously. "Can we sit in the sofa? This is maybe going to take some time." He says heading for the living room, still holding my hand. "Alright then." Clarisse says a bit nervous. We all sit down, Caleb in the middle, me a little behind Caleb.

"I don't know where to start." He whispers to me. "Start with who's your father maybe?" I whisper back. "Okay. Uhm, so mom. Wh... Who... who is my father?" He asks her. "Oh, I knew this would come... Flame, could you please leave for a moment, sweety?" I'm about to stand up, when Caleb stops me. "No. She can hear it." He says. "But-" "No, mom. She stays here." Clarisse sighs. "Your father is Zeus." She says. She looks up at him to see his reaction. "Why haven't you told me? Why haven't you told me I'm a demigod?!"

"How? How did you find out?" She blurt out. "Flame figured it out. Now answer my question: why haven't you told me?" I can feel he's angry now. I place a hand on his shoulder. "Flame?!" She looks at me in disbelieve. "Answer!" He yells. "Calm down, Caleb, take a deep breath." I whisper in his ear. He does what I say.

"I- I was afraid. Afraid of someone else would find out then and take you away! Away to that stupid camp, so I couldn't see you!" She cries. I look at her in disbelieve. Take him away? He can only be there in the holidays. I push Caleb in his back to make him comfort his mom. "Mom? Mom, why should they take me away? It's just a holiday camp. To protect us from monsters." He says softly to her. She looks at him.

"No. No it's not! I heard you cry there! They tortured you!" "Uhm, miss Clarisse?" I ask quietly. "He may only have cried because he missed you. Humans can't go inside the camp, so you may don't know this but it's true. The Camp is only 100% active in the holidays. Some demigods can live there all year, but it's mostly because of their human parent can't feed them well enough."

"How do you know about all this? Are you a demigod too? Who's your God parent?" "No! No, I'm not a demigod!" I say quickly. "Mom, listen! Why didn't you ask dad about the camp? Or the camp leader himself?" "I- I was afraid. They could lie to me! Take my baby from me..." She places a hand on Caleb's cheek.

"I couldn't let them do that! So I got a satyr to help me get you out from there, and then I fled. So far away from New York as possible-" "Wait! We lived in New York?!" He totally lost his focus with those words. "Caleb, focus on your mom!" "Oh, yeah. Right." He says looking at Clarisse again. She gets a little smile on her mouth. "Oh, sweet Caleb! I only did it because I thought I protected you!

Caleb and Clarisse just sit on the sofa hugging each other. "I'm sorry Caleb." "I'm sorry too mom." Abrupt my bag begins to move. "Oh, Fire!" I jump up and open my bag. Fire looks offended on me. "Oh my gosh! Fire, I'm so sorry!" I almost cry. I hurry breaking the quiet-spell and hug her. "I'm so, so sorry Fire!" Clarisse make a sound.

"Is- is that a dragon?!" She's white as a sheet. "Don't worry mom-" "Don't worry! That girl has a dragon in her bag! Caleb, she maybe was trying to kill you! Dragons eat humans!" "MOM! Fire is my dragon! Too..." He adds. "Your dragon?! WHEN DID THAT THING BITE YOU?!?" "MOM! Calm DOWN! She hasn't bitten me! Just sit down and LISTEN!" She looks surprised at her son. "What?" "Sit down!"