The Legend of Elodie Grant (Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Chapter Four

I jerked awake, breathing heavily with sweat rolling off my body. I felt overheated, but I couldn't stop shivering. I say up, looking around at my surroundings.

I had been laying on a couch in a huge room. There was a man in a wheel chair at a table in the center of the room, playing with a hesitant Brooke and the boy who I had punched after school the other day. The boy had a black eye. A plump man wearing a Hawaiian shirt was playing a pinball machine in the corner.

I swung my feet off the couch, hoping not to attract to much attention to myself. Flashbacks of the fight went through my mind, and I was completely confused. I climbed up to my feet and tried to make myself appear smaller. I turned to leave.

The man in the wheelchair cleared his throat, noticing that I was awake. I came to a halt, squeezing my eyes shut in regret. I slowly turned to face him, my muscles tense.

"Oh, look. Sleeping beauty is awake." The plump man drawled, refusing to look away from his pinball machine.

"Does that make you Maleficent?" I retorted, raising an eyebrow.

The boy with the black eye coughed to hide a chuckle, as the plump man swung his eyes around to glare at him, and I could hear thunder.

"I am Chiron." The man in the wheelchair announced.

I turned to look at him, keeping my face stoic. I didn't want them to know how weak and vulnerable I felt in that moment.

"You already know Brooke, and that is Grover." He continued, motioning to the other two at the table. Grover turned to shoot me a bitter look. I narrowed my eyes at him and he quickly turned back away. Chiron nodded towards the man in the corner. "That's Mr. D."

I didn't say anything, staring around at everyone with obvious distrust. When nobody said anything, however, I quickly broke the silence by saying, "I'm Elodie."

Chiron smiled as if this was a big breakthrough with me. He motioned for me to join him at the table, which I did with great hesitation. I sat down next to Brooke, seeing as she was the only one I was relatively comfortable around.

"What is this place?" I demanded, "And what were those...beasts?"

Chiron sighed, leaned forward, and folded his hands out in front of the table. I crossed my arms over my chest, setting up my defensive position.

"Elodie, what do you know of the Greek gods and goddesses?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

I frowned, "You mean, like, Zeus and Hera and them?"

Mr. D scoffed in the background, but I ignored him. Chiron nodded, as if he was pleased I was knowledgeable.

"Well, they are real."

I stared at him blankly for a minute. I felt like breaking out into nervous laughter, but I knew he was being completely sincere. He truly believed the Greek gods were real. I waited for him to continue talking, but he paused, seeming to be confused over the fact that I wasn't reacting.

"They move with the ages, and they now reside here in Manhattan. They control the world you know, and mortals don't ever notice."

"Mortals?" I asked finally, "You talk as if we aren't human."

"Grover and I are satyrs." Brooke spoke up, motioning down to her furry legs.

"But I'm human."

Every one of them, except for Mr. D, stared at me. I felt as if I was stupid and they were holding a giant secret over my head.

"What do you know about Demigods?" Chiron asked finally.

I frowned. While I had known about the gods, I had never heard of the term 'Demigod.' I raised an eyebrow, but I didn't say anything.

"Sometimes, the gods and goddesses take on a mortal form and spend time in what we consider as our world. They'll meet mortals and, the next thing you know, a baby is involved."

I turned away, blushing slightly. I couldn't help but remember the first time I received the sex talk from my dad. He had used various flowers to get his point across. I couldn't help but feel like this conversation was a little bit like that one.

"We call those children demigods -- half god, half mortal." Chiron finished, leaning back into his chair.

"Okay." I said, slowly taking all of this in, "But what does any of this have to do with me?"

"Elodie, who is your mother?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but quickly snapped it shut. The truth was, I didn't know who my mother was. It had always been just Dad and I, and I was perfectly fine with that. I never once even felt the slightest interest to know what happened to her.

I paused, realization coming over me. "You're saying I'm a demigod; that my mother is a greek goddess."

Chiron nodded and said, "Your mother is the goddess Demeter."

I dropped my head into my hands, a headache forming. I didn't bother to question any of what he told me, because it made sense. In my heart, I just knew it was right.

"Because she is your mother, you have exhibited control over plant life." He said. He opened his mouth to continue, but I cut him off.

"What were those dogs?" I asked, frowning.

"Those were hellhounds." He explained, "There are monsters that also exist in our world. Their sole purpose is to destroy half-bloods. Demigods usually give off a certain scent that attracts them. This camp was built as a safe haven against beasts such as these."

I nodded, processing the information. Finally, I stood up, the chair screeching away from the table. Chiron frowned up at me.

"I...I can't listen anymore to this." I said, "It makes sense, but I need time to accept that I have lived my life completely wrong for years."

"Of course," He said, graciously, "Take your time. Brooke can show you to your cabin."

I nodded and started moving away, leaving Brooke to hurry to catch up with me. I was about the exit the house when Chiron's voice brought me to a halt.

"Welcome to Camp Half-blood, Elodie."