Hunter

Chapter Five - Old Place, New Meaning

I woke up to Deirdre and my mother's concerned faces peering down at me.

"How long was I out?"

"Several hours," they replied in unison.

My eyes took in the familiar room. The furniture was covered in white linen, brightening the dark wooden walls. Four other beds sat on either side of me, empty and bare. I clambered out of mine, walking over to the colossal bay window. Acres and acres of green land rolled out for miles, before being swallowed by a crystal lake. I immediately knew where we were.

"What are we doing here?"

"There's more to this place than I've let on," my mom muttered as she and Dee stepped behind me.

"Obviously." Outside, I saw a few... people, if that's what I could even call them. Their stretched ears with pointed tips, and bright eyes shaped like kernels of corn gave them an ethereal air. I lost my sense of normal as I watched them working, some conjuring foods, and others training wild creatures. I backed away from the window, my white shorts catching a nail. Dee unhooked my torn pants, which immediately started to knit themselves. I could feel a steady headache beginning to thrum.

"A lot has changed since we were last here," Dee said, and I nodded once, my lips pursed.

"So, you knew about this too? Just how much have you been hiding from me?" I turned to face her, but before she could respond, my mom cut in.

"I asked Jasper and Deirdre to keep your status a secret. So, if you have anyone to be angry with, it's me."

"I'm already angry with you, and where is Jasper anyway? He's not getting let off that easily."

"Jasper couldn't be here: his mom needed him."

"Is he... one of us?" Dee nodded. "My entire life is a lie!" My hands flew up in the air before landing on my head.

"Come on, Hayley," Dee protested.

"It's okay. She'll get over it soon."

"No, I won't." My stubborn streak was starting to rise.

"Well, you have to, because Dee is giving you the rundown of the New Arcadia." Dee lead me down the stairs, leaving my mother's eyes boring into our backs. After taking a deep breath, I braced myself to step out into the new world.

Arcadia was a hundred acre plot of land that my mom had owned since forever, which was probably accurate, considering some newfound information. I knew Arcadia as the lakehouse that we stopped visiting because we grew out of it. When we were younger, Dee and I used to go there every weekend and play in the trees and water. Looking back on it, my mom used to praise me for having such a vivid imagination, because I would hear the trees talking to me, and see faces in the water. I guess I wasn't crazy after all.

"Hayley, your mom created this place for you. It's a training camp of sorts, where you can learn about all that you need to."

"How could she even manage something like this?"

"Because, your mom, she's a Celestial." A what?

"A what?"

"A Celestial: each god has one. A Celestial is a Demigod who has completed at least ten of the thirteen Labours--"

"Thirteen Labours? I thought that there were only twelve?"

"These aren't the Herculean Labours. These are different. Just let me finish, I'll explain. A Demigod tends to overcome a series of challenges throughout their life. Each Olympian, and Hades, defines these struggles as a Labour, but a Hybrid overcomes each differently. For example, Aphrodite's Labour is to overcome a love struggle. That could mean anything. So, once we complete at least ten, we have the option of becoming a Celestial."