A True Hero

Chapter 5

I entered the Hermes cabin, heading straight over to Roadie, who was asleep on one of the bunk beds, she had the top bunk while Nick had the bottom. I didn't have the heart to laugh at her posture. The cabin was void of people, excluding them. I found her backpack, a magical item that had fallen into our possession awhile back, and pulled out three items, one of which was a small spray bottle.

I was at a standstill for the longest time, swishing the dense liquid occupying the bottle around until finally removing the cap. Clearing my head, I relived all the memories me and Roadie had with each other, some of which caused tears to fall, at the same time spraying the liquid slowly over Roadie's sleeping form. I knew I would feel guilt later, however, if they knew how much I was placing them at risk by just being near them, they might not be so against it. I did the same for Nick, his not as emotional as the former. I reached over the top of the bunk from behind and gently placed a kiss on Roadie's forehead. I climbed back down and found Carol's bed by stroke of luck, as she left her dagger beneath her pillow. I placed the bottle beneath the pillow, next to the dagger before walking out of the cabin. I was going to have a quick chat with River.

He was incredibly easy to find. This was mostly due to the fact that he was screaming at the top of his lungs while hopping along the narrow ledges of a lava-infested rock wall. I walked up to the wall and leaned against a shelf containing gear and safety equipment to wait. When he expertly came back down after reaching the top, many kids grumbled that he was a show off. I didn't disagree.

"Thank you for that demonstration River," an exasperated sigh came from a mature-looking camper who turned to a small group of younger campers whose inexperience and awe could be felt within their surrounding energy, "Now then, shall we do this the right way?"

River pretended to look offended, making a few greatly exaggerated gestures. As the older camper returned to instructing the group, River walked over to me. "What's up?" he asked enthusiastically.

"I need to inform you of something."

The dining pavilion was empty when I arrived. I had come as soon as the clock struck, there was food, yet not many campers in sight. I would assume most were busy with other activities. I was placing some food on my plate when a young camper appeared next to me to do the same. "Hi," she exclaimed loudly. I didn't respond and continued on, collecting plenty of fruits. "I'm Isabel," she held out a hand. I shook it after a moment of hesitation. She seemed satisfied with that and continued on, approaching a blazing fire and dumping a portion of her food into the heart. Afterwards she said "Hermes" and the burnt food disappeared. Isabel then proceeded on to the largest table in the pavilion.

I wasn't sure if the food sacrifice was required by all campers so I approached the fire. I didn't know many Greek gods other than a few of the major, such as Zeus, Hermes, and obviously Artemis. However, as I dumped a portion of my food into the fire, a persistent thought manifested in my mind. A name that just wouldn't go away. Although but a whisper, it made it difficult to think of any other names so I softly said, "Erebus."

I then continued on to the same table as Isabel, since the Hermes cabin was where I was staying and this table was my best bet. I ate quickly yet savored the flavor as much as possible. Before I had completed my meal, Isabel finished hers, she had stood to leave. Passing by me as she exited the pavilion, she spoke, "Campfire sing-along starts at nine. The harpies will find you if you don't come, better hope you're good at hiding." she made a gesture with both of her hands like she was shooting pistols, then left.

I left the pavilion before more people started arriving, heading out into the forest for a walk. The point was that I'd be secluded.

I found a comfortable spot to lay back and pass the time. I sat in a semi-burrow in a large tree, the soil below me somewhat loose and soft. I eventually fell in sync with my surroundings. I wasn't asleep. I was resting, in my own terms. It was bliss. I didn't necessarily become detached with the world, quite the opposite really. I felt more connected with the earth, at least all the good parts.  The longer I stayed, the more I melted into the ground. The less thoughts that crossed my mind, the more I felt as if the burdens I had been carrying were no longer there. I could almost feel the corners of my lips curl. However, as always, the moment was short-lived.

I noticed, much too late, someone approaching my side. It was Allen.

"Didn't Chiron warn you? You're not supposed to wander these woods alone." he leaned against the tree.

"I don't recall the warning. However, if that is so than it can be considered a good thing that I'm not wandering. Can it not?" I don't know why I chose to respond, especially in such a way that offers a continuation of the conversation.

"Technically the warning suggests that a camper should not enter these woods alone or unarmed, but usually newer campers don't come near these trees anyway."

"What's so provoking about these trees?" Surprisingly I felt rather comfortable in his presence.

"I don't think it's the trees that are provoking, but rather the shadows they cast."

"A shadow," I sighed to myself. "How would you describe a shadow?"

"I think a shadow is just a word to describe something that goes unnoticed to most or somewhat of a wall that shields people from seeing what's unknown to them. People are scared of shadows. People like to be in control, to know everything, and those who don't think that they already know everything. That shadows are weird, they don't belong because they're different."

"There are people who despise anything different from what they know and believe. Those people never get to see the beauty of diversity."

"Can I ask you something?"

"You already did."

"Are you afraid of shadows?" he said it as if "shadows" referred to a group of people.

"No." I answered simply. I was enjoying are conversation, it was fun and intellectual but didn't require much thought. "Are you?"

"Have you seen me?" he asked sarcastically.

"No actually, I haven't. In fact, I've never seen a shadow, I never will. But I do in fact see all the unknown. I see it as if the shadows were never there. I don't think a shadow is the unseen. I think the shadow is why people choose not to see it."

It was silent for a long time. I could feel his energy pulsing off of his form. The image of his figure was strong. I concentrated and his features came into focus. I noticed that he was playing with the corners of his jacket, slowly stroking the material and twisting it around his fingers.

"They'll be expecting us at the campfire soon," I laughed at his comment as it was obvious he wasn't interested in attending the event in the slightest. "Why're you laughing?" His question only made the humor grow in my mind. He crossed his arms when I continued laughing, "They really are you know. They'll send someone for you if you don't go, you are new after all."

"Is that what you're here for, come to escort me to my inevitable demise?" As my laughter turned into chuckles, I heard him say softly, "You never know." His words, as it seemed, were not intended to reach my ears.

My laughter ceased. "Alright then, I will not protest. As long as you're going, I will go too."

His face contorted into a cringe. He sighed in fake defeat before saying "Let's get going then. Wouldn't want to miss the introduction."

He held his hand out. Despite all my doubts of love and loyalty, here I was making friends. I knew it wasn't fair to make him my rebound, but he had found me. He signed up the moment he came up to this tree. I took his hand and stood.

It was a serene walk back. The forest was calm and it seemed to flow with us as we strode through, side by side. When we arrived, there were already campers sitting around a campfire. There weren't as many campers as I had originally thought. There were hardly enough for each person to get there own cabin. However, the closer I came to the fire, the more hesitant I was about everything that would come with joining the campers. It wasn't a closed off Carol that had me concerned, not even the two kids walking around with a bottle of super glue. It was the fire itself that made me think that I was going to regret every choice I made from here on forth.