This Gardener Can Kick Your Ass

Chapter 1

The morning of my sixteenth birthday, I woke up in a cold sweat. I could only assume i had just awoken from a nightmare, but I couldn't remember for sure. All I knew was I had a pounding headache, and it was time to go water the flowers. I rolled out of bed and slumped outside, grabbing my watering can along the way. As I turned on the hose, something felt different. Was it the realization that I was sixteen, my newfound maturity kicking in? I'd have to go with no, not by a long shot. I tried to shake the feeling and went along watering the plants. When I was nearly finished, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Naturally, I turned on my heel and swung my watering can at full force. To my surprise, there stood my father, who ever so cunningly dodged the attack. I let out a nervous laugh, as did he.

"Come get dressed, kiddo. I got you something I think you'll like." he told me, and I could't help but squeal in excitement. I hurried inside and threw on some clothes, making sure to take a thin sweatshirt as it was nearing the end of summer. My old man was waiting by the door when I burst out of my room, grinning wildly. He held a set of keys I didn't recognize. I froze, wide eyed, hit with a sudden realization of, hey, I can drive! I was about to burst, I couldn't believe it. I practically dragged my dad outside, and I found myself standing in front of a brand new, shining car with a cute little bow on top. All of the sudden, my dad was laughing. A lot. He pulled the cute little bow off and opened the door to the drivers side, climbing in.

"Did you really think I was getting you a car? This is mine, my lease on the other ran up. Surprise!" he called out, shutting the door. I was happy for him, his other car was a piece of junk, but I was still a little angry. I saw him patting the passengers seat, motioning for me to get in, so I did. At times like this, I guess I've just got to trust the old dope.

A short drive later, my pappy pulled into the parking lot of our local community garden. I was a little confused, I already had all kinds of flowers back at the house. But I kept my mouth shut, and let ol' dad lead me out to a bare area in the middle of the garden. He pulled a few small packets of seeds from his pocket and stuck the cute little car bow on top before handing them to me.

"Happy birthday, Kerri," he said with a smile. "I thought you'd like to try your hand at some fruits and things, but you didn't have much space left at home. So, this is for you." I grinned and gave him a quick hug, taking the seed packets and sticking them in my sweatshirt pocket.

"Thank you, dad. This means a lot," I said. I glanced up at the sky, only to see dark clouds rolling in. My dad muttered something under his breath and motioned for me to follow him back to the car. I started walking, but stumbled over my own feet and fell face first into the dirt. The rain started coming down hard, and I scrambled to get up, but my feet kept sliding as the dirt as it quickly turned to mud.

"Just go to the car dad, I'll catch up!" I yelled over, but he came back anyway. I dug my fingers into the mud and pushed myself up with a grunt. There was a sudden feeling throughout me, a surge of energy coursing through and building in my fingertips, still dug into the mud. I heard my dad yell out, and I jumped to my feet. "Dad?!" I squinted through the pouring rain, spotting my father on the ground, surrounded by vines, leaves, and roots of all sorts. A vine wrapped around his leg and he reached out a fist, yelling in pain. I lunged forward and crouched next to him, grabbing onto his hand. He slowly uncurled his fist, revealing a small piece of paper with what seemed to be an address scribbled on.

"Find this place as soon as possible," he told me quietly between breaths.

"Did...did i do this to you? Why do I need to leave? I don't want to leave you, I can't!" I yelled frantically. I shoved the paper in my pocket before it could get any wetter, and tried yanking at the vines slowly curling around my dad's torso.

"It's no use, Kerri. Yes, you may have done this, but it's okay. Take it as a sign, your mother wants you. She loves you dearly, as do I. You have to go, now. It will all make sense once you are there."

"But dad-"

"Kerri, go. Now! I will be okay, but you have to go!" he sputtered through the rain, pointing to the car. he dug a hand into his pocket and weakly threw me the keys. I gripped them tightly in my hand, standing up. The rain lightened ever so slightly, and I saw my dad flash a small smile. I couldn't tell if i was crying or it was just the rain, but I hopped in the car and pulled out of the lot. I knew I had to trust my dad, no matter what. A few blocks from the garden, I pulled over to the edge of the road. It had stopped raining at this point, and I let out a sigh of relief. Maybe my dad is right, it will all be okay, I thought. I pulled the seed packets from my pocket and tossed them onto the passenger seat before taking out the paper, unfolding it slowly in an attempt to keep it in one piece. Much of the writing was smeared, but I could make out the one part that mattered.

Camp Half-Blood.