Burning Passion: A Leo Valdez Love Story

Chapter 4

"Thank the gods and pass the hot sauce."

Who could have claimed me? I thought, desperate to know.

Chiron looked at me and bowed, the others following. "Ave, Naia Johnson, daughter of Bacchus."

Bacchus? The god of wine? Yay, I get one of the most boring gods ever as a parent. Just my luck. Thank goodness I was a legacy of Apollo.

"Um... so, now what?" I asked him, feeling stupid. Why was it so hard? Why couldn't it all flow together effortlessly? I felt like an idiot right then.

A boy walked forward. He had blond hair and was medium-height and skinny, and not particularly attractive. I wondered who he was.

"Naia, this is your half-brother, Pollux. He'll take you to the cabin," Chiron told me, nodding to Pollux.

He beckoned for me to follow him, so I did.

"So, um..." I wanted to say something, since he hadn't yet, "how long have you been here for?"

"A while. I had a twin brother, but he died three years ago. So now it's just me in the Dionysus/Bacchus cabin."

"Oh... I'm sorry." I knew that didn't really cut it, but I had nothing else to say. "Why doesn't Bacchus-or Dionysus-have many children? The other gods have lots."

"He was stuck in Camp Half-Blood for a long time. So, not very many good opportunities to-"

"Yeah. I get it. Too bad. But maybe there will be soon?" I said.

"Maybe. It's pretty lonely. I'm glad you came," Pollux told me.

"I'm glad I came to Camp in the first place," I agreed.

We got to the cabin. It was covered with grape vines, and inside was a whole cupboard full of alcohol.

"Um, is that really alcohol?" I asked.

"No, it's not. It's just for decoration. But if you want some, Travis and Connor know where to get it. We've had some pretty good parties here," he told me, grinning.

I wasn't sure if he was joking or not. Probably not.

"You know what?" he exclaimed, while snapping his fingers.

"No, I don't. What?" I asked.

"We could have a party, to celebrate you coming here! What do you think?"

I thought about it for a moment. "Not a bad idea, actually," I said. "And it's my birthday in a two days, so it could coincide with that."

"Cool! So, when is your birthday, exactly?" Pollux asked me.

"In three days. September fifth," I said.

"Okay, then. I'll plan it."

"Sure," I responded. I walked into my part of the cabin. There were several rooms, and since there was just the two of us, we got our own. I was happy about that.

I looked at the floor, and saw my backpack lying there next to the bed. I wonder who had brought it for me.

I looked through it and pulled on my pink Hello Kitty pyjamas. They consisted of shorts and a tank top, and were probably better for summer, but the blankets looked thick. I'd be fine.

Then I lay down on the bed. For a camp bed, it wasn't too bad. Not nearly as comfy as my king-size back home, but I'd deal with it. Anything was better than living with a madwoman, right?

Eventually I fell asleep, listening to the distant sound of the water.

***

When I woke up later that day, I got up, dressed, went to the bathrooms to take a shower, and then I ran down to the eating area.