In the Beginning

Chapter Two

     Everything was dark. I could hear voices, but they were muffled. As time passed, they gradually got louder and clearer.

     "How'd she get here?" A male voice, he sounded about forty something.

     "No idea, I found her passed out in the woods." A girl's voice, the one I had spoken to earlier.

     "Where in the woods?" The man replied, his voice was deep and it sounded as if he'd done a lot of speaking in his life. At first, I had been hesitant to open my eyes, but curiosity got the best of me and I opened them. I saw two girls, the one I had spoken to before and another blonde girl. The resemblance stopped at the hair. This other girl had stormy gray eyes, and such a look of determination it was frightening. The man was indeed, much older than these two girls. He looked much older then forty, there was age in his eyes.

     "Where am I?" I looked at them, trying to process what this all was. The girl I had spoken to before smiled as if it could make me feel more safe.

     "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. I'm Brittney, this is Annabeth, and that's Chiron." I stared at the man. He was part horse...how is that possible. Brittney explained the whole "demigod" thing to me. She spoke very convincingly. I had no idea what to believe. Brittney...or what I had grown up with. Annabeth was still staring me down. I stared back, I was not going to be sized up on my first day at this "camp". Chiron interfered and led Annabeth away to discuss "private matters". "Look, I know this is confusing and everything but it's true, trust me." I nodded...I guess I did believe her, she seemed trustworthy enough. "Here" Brittney walked to a drawer at the front of the room. "Put these on." She tossed a pair of jeans and an orange shirt on the foot of my bed. "Meet me outside when your ready." I nodded and she started walking away. "Oh, and don't forget to take it easy."

     "Why?" I grabbed the clothes and unfolded them. "How'd you know my size?" I asked, checking the tags. Brittney laughed.

     "I didn't." She turned and walked out of the room, leaving me with an eerie silence.

     I walked out of the room, pain shot through my left leg and my side. Brittney leaned against the railing that outlined the long porch. She was talking with Annabeth and Chiron. Annabeth was the first one to see me standing there. She was wearing the same shirt I wore. There were three letters across the front: CHB. Brittney turned to look at me, also. She waved me over.

     "...her name?" I heard a small bit of Chiron's sentence.

     "What was that?" Chiron also turned to me. I limped over to them, leaning on the railing for support. "What was that?" I repeated when I was closer.

     "What's your name?" Oh. What is my name? It was alarming I had to think about it.

     "Starr. I'm Starr Skies." Annabeth raised an eyebrow and looked at me as if I was crazy.

     "That's your real name?" She asked. Why was she so skeptical about me? I nodded. "Interesting name. Who named you?" What kind of question is that? I answered anyways. "My mom, so I'm told." Annabeth nodded. "How old were you?"

     "How old was I?" Annabeth nodded, urging me on.

     "How old were you when your mother left?" Chiron asked with that strange voice of his. How could he possibly know such a thing?

     "I can't remember...young." Chiron, Annabeth, and Brittney exchanged looks. What is going on here? What do these people want?

     "And your father?" I froze. This was a bit of a sensitive subject. I clutched the wooden railing, my knuckles turning white.

     "He's dead." Another exchange of looks. "How?" Brittney asked. Wasn't that a little rude? "He went missing when I was five. He was presumed dead a year later." Brittney seemed to be considering this.

     "Well, this makes everything ten times more complicated." Chiron nodded slowly in agreement. Made what ten times more complicated? Annabeth was walking away when I looked up. "Annabeth." She turned. "Where are you going?" Brittney had a look of concern on her face. Annabeth mouthed something, I couldn't really make it out. Brittney's concerned look got worse. "Oh gods." She murmured under her breath. A girl with dirty blonde hair walked past. "Mavis!" The girl turned.

     "Yeah?" The girl had a strange voice. It was a lot nicer then I expected it to be.

     "Would you show Starr around for me, please?" Mavis nodded and jogged up the wooden stairs. They exchanged a quiet whisper. Mavis nodded again. "Just cover the basics."

     "Of course. Good luck." Mavis smiled at me. "I'm Mavis. Follow me, I'll show you around the camp."