A True Hero

Chapter 4

We left at dawn. Carol pulled me aside the moment we had entered the clutches of the forest. I made sure to keep a strong sense of Roadie and Nick.

"You've been acting differently," she spoke, attempting to mask curiosity with concern, "more than I expected." She turned to look at me, "What happened?"

Instead of making some intelligently rude remark, I mumbled, "I'd prefer not to talk about it."

She left it at that, walking up to Nick and sparking a conversation. I stayed within a reasonable distance, checking for signs of danger as we advanced.

I focused intently on the sounds, much more than usual. I wished so dearly for the adrenaline from the previous day to return. The addiction came from its ability to successfully take my racing mind off of topics I'd rather not ponder.

I didn't notice an interesting detail until around noon. River was a satyr. He had hooves and hairy legs; half goat, I understood now. I ridiculed myself for not noticing sooner.

I approached him at the front of our party. "So what's it like at Camp Half-blood?" There wasn't an incentive to questioning him other than analyzing him a bit more. Something about River just intrigued me.

"It's awesome, there's something for everyone." I noticed the gestures he made with not only his hands but many of his other limbs, "There's this huge rockwall with all sorts of cool obstacles, an archery range mainly for Apollo kids, all sorts of courts and fields for sports, a new decked out video gaming station that the Hephaestus kids built, different areas to practice fighting techniques, even pegasi stables." he took a breather, "There's an arts and crafts station if your into that, a brand new music hall, and a really cool new quest simulator." His voice cracked mid-sentence but he didn't stop. "Most activities you'll get to do will depend on what cabin you're in. You'll try out everything eventually and everyone plays capture the flag." He finally finished talking.

"Do you attend camp?" I asked.

"I'm usually there in the summer, but I've been busy lately." a majority of his enthusiasm had dispersed, "satyr stuff, ya know?" I didn't respond.

Our destination wasn't far. River brought us to a New York port that seemed well hidden from the bustling city. After approaching a chubby old man, River offered some gold coins, which the odd smelling man took. We were soon boarding a rickety rowboat that almost tipped over when the owner sat down.

Much to my surprise, we all fit. What surprised me more, however, was the fact that we had made it from NY shore to an island within seconds. The moment we stopped, River dashed inland. The rest of us followed suit. River seemed a bit queasy for awhile. I laughed at the fact that someone named River could get seasick. Carol gave me an odd look after that, she most likely thought that I had finally lost it. She would probably be right.

We went out of our way onto the main road, immediately being surrounded by fields of strawberries. I smiled at the smell. The terrain changed when we eventually walked off the road. I suddenly halted when the atmosphere changed. My heart skipped a beat from the fact that an entire camp had appeared suddenly. Right in front of me.

It took less than a second to regain my composure and continue on. I followed River towards a large house. I sensed many living beings inside. Most were spread out in a rectangular shape. There were two beings separate from the others.

River sauntered in. I waited outside with Carol, Nick, and Roadie. Nick was surprisingly quiet while Roadie happened to be extra chatty. Carol responded to some of the comments Roadie made on our surroundings. I remained silent.

A few minutes later, River returned and looked to us. "Chiron wants to see one of the oldest."

"I'll go," I said immediately. Carol seemed surprised by my statement. She thought for a moment.