Not Quite Mortal • HoO

XI Andrew Kerr

It was still daytime after we had finished putting up tents, organizing our stuff, and taking a break to eat some sandwiches.

"We should go swimming," Mira suggested.

I shrugged. "I was kind of hoping to go hiking or something first." I wasn't much of a swimmer, although I knew that both Percy and Mira loved to swim. I just had to hope that one of the others was of the same mind as I was.

"I think I'd rather hike as well," Piper agreed.

I looked over at her again. At first glance, I had guessed that Piper would be more of the Mira type than the Leah or Annabeth type, but there she was, proving me wrong. Mira would never have agreed to hike unless everyone else was going.

"I'll stay with whoever wants to go to the beach," Lara said, "And Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"You wanna lead the hiking group?"

Ben nodded. "Let's get this stuff cleared up first though."

The hiking group ended up walking to one of the marked trails, while the beach group drove a little farther from the campsite so that they wouldn't have to carry the kayaks. Piper's car, with Annabeth driving it, vanished down the dirt road as we began our trek.

Ben led us as we walked two by two down the path, Leo with Savannah, and me next to Piper.

"So," I asked. "Where do you two live?"

"We're year-rounders at camp," Leo said. "Sometimes Piper stays with her dad for a while, but mostly, it's just camp."

"And that's... legal?" I think of all the times Percy went missing for a time, and then had claimed to be with family or at camp. If it truly was okay for someone to stay at camp year round, why had he ever come back? Miri and I were friends, but I had never gotten the impression that he enjoyed spending time with us any more than with his camp friends. We couldn't be the reason why. I supposed it could have been for his mother and stepdad.

"Of course!" Piper assured me. "We still get an education there."

"So it's like going to a boarding school?" I asked.

"No, no, definitely not." Leo shook his head. "It's way better than any boarding school. It's..."

"Specialized," Piper finished.

"Does it cost a lot?" Savannah asked. "I mean, I know that Annabeth mentioned that you have a private plane, Piper, and I think he said something about his dad paying for him to go to your camp."

Piper hesitated before responding. "It's not expensive. I suppose getting in is more about who you know and are related to than anything money related."

"That seems kind of unfair," I said.

"I suppose it would when you haven't been to camp."

"As for your private plane?" Savannah followed up.

Piper sighed. "It's my dad's. You know, Tristan McLean?"

I snickered, and then felt guilty when Piper glared at me. I didn't know too much about the actor. He was just one of those guys that so many girls I had seen had posters of, or just generally admired. After talking to Piper and finding that she seemed pretty down-to-earth, Tristan McLean just didn't seem to fit.

Savannah obviously recognized the same too, as her eyes widened and mouth opened to ask more questions. When Piper seemed to avoid giving detailed answers though, Savannah seemed to catch on that it wasn't a topic Piper liked talking about much.

After a while, we got into the rhythm of walking in comfortable quiet. The forest was quite thick around us, but not thick enough to stop a trickling stream from breaking through our path. Ben crossed first, walking along the stream for a short time to find the place where it was easiest to hop off the miniature canyon it had carved, presumably when it had swelled during a heavy rain. Piper, Leo, and I followed. Savannah was just about to hop across when something made a loud snapping noise ahead of us.

Savannah gasped, her foot slipping on a tree root as she tried to cross. By finding a foothold for her other foot, and with Leo's support, Savannah caught herself before she fell into the muddy water.

"Thanks," she told Leo. She put her right foot down again and winced.

"No problem," Leo said. "Is your ankle okay?"

"You're not putting any weight on it," Piper pointed out. "You probably shouldn't go any further."

Snap. A brief silence followed, then growls that sounded as if they were coming nearer.

We all turned towards the noises this time. Savannah's dad was a couple of feet away already, looking into the forest where the sound had come from.

"You all start heading back," Ben said. "I'll go look and see what the trouble is."

I shook my head but didn't say anything. I didn't know what kinds of wild animals lived in the woods in that area. I figured that it couldn't be anything too big, not when we were only less than two hours away from the city, but that didn't mean that it would be a good idea to go looking for whatever it was.

Ben headed off into the trees anyway. I looked at the others. Piper and Leo were looking at each other, seeming to have a silent conversation before speaking to Savannah and me.

"We'll follow him. He might need some help," Leo said. He slowly moved away from Savannah, making sure she could stand on her own before fully stepping away.

"How would you two be able to help?" I asked.

Piper shrugged. "We've been in situations like this before. Trust me."

Savannah frowned. "My dad's done stuff like this before too. He can take care of himself."

"I have no doubt that he can," Piper responded, "but it can't hurt to have a backup."

As they walk after Ben, I heard Leo whisper "He won't be hurt, right? He's mortal." And Piper murmured back "I'm starting to think he might not be."

Mortal? Wouldn't mortal mean that he could be hurt? After all, it was the opposite of immortal.

I helped Savannah walk over to a tree stump so that she could sit while we waited. It would be pointless to try to go back with just the two of us, especially with Savannah's twisted ankle.

Only a few seconds after we had made it to the tree stump, Piper and Leo returned with Ben behind them.

"That was quick," I said.

"There wasn't anything there," Leo said, frowning.

Not oblivious to Leo's evident confusion, I said "good." What else was I supposed to say to that?

Piper and I helped Savannah as we walked back, but the walk wasn't filled with chatter as it had before. Everyone was more alert, and when we reached the road without meeting any trouble, Leo and Piper looked relieved and confused.

But not as confused as I was.

What had they been so afraid of?

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I actually didn't realize that this chapter hadn't been posted until someone commented on the previous one. Sorry :)