This Gardener Can Kick Your Ass

Chapter 2

I so badly wanted to go back for my dad, but something in the back of my mind told me not to. I had no idea what in hell "Camp Half-Blood" was supposed to mean, so I did a little research, which eventually lead to one dead end after another. I was down to my last resort: wing it. So I drove, and drove, and drove. Until one day, the day I could have maybe almost died.

It had been about a week of driving aimlessly, living off the extra money my dad kept in the glovebox of the car, clueless as to where I was. I was lost, in the middle of a forest, and to make things worse, the car was nearly out of gas. I let out a groan and slammed by fist against the steering wheel as the car slowed to a stop, accidentally honking loudly. I stepped out of the car and ran a hand through my hair, preparing to push when I heard a loud, unidentifiable sound from behind me, and took off running. There was something following me as a ran, no doubt about it. Another noise, a growl or a roar, or a combination of the two. Whatever the beast was, it was loud. A dark figure shot out from behind a tree, silhouetted by the setting sun. The figure took hold on my arm, yanking me through the thick forest for what felt like hours. Somewhere along the line I stopped hearing the creature, and stopped caring that an unknown shadow was leading me to an unknown place. The figure stopped, and some sort of arch came into view. For the first time, I got a look at the figure by the light of a torch. She threw back her hood, revealing long, blonde hair that fell in loose waves, so light it was nearly white. Her jaw was rounded, and she stood with confidence. I stuttered out a thank you. The girl smiled kindly and spoke in a collected manner. "I apologize for just telling you this now, but my name is Callista. You seemed to be in need of help, and I just so happened to be nearby." She tilted her head and looked me over quickly. my clothes were still muddy and hadn't been changed since the rainstorm, my hair noticeably greasy. I was a mess, and I knew she saw it.

"Do you know what this place is?" she continued. "Here, come inside. It will keep you safe." She stepped under the arch and motioned for me to follow. I walked in wearily, trying to take everything in. What reason did I have to trust her? To trust anybody? But when she smiled it was so kind, and you can't deny a smile like that. Like she had nothing to hide from me. I forced a small smile.

"I'm Kerri, Kerri Jackson. Where am I?" Callista nodded and waited a moment before speaking. "Well, it will be a lot to take in, so be prepared. Now, this, is Camp Half-Blood, and-" I cut her off there. "Did you say Half-Blood? M-My dad told me to come here..." I dug through my pocket, pulling out the worn paper with the camp name scrawled across. She just nodded, looking over the paper.

"So, this is it? But, why would he send me here? He said I'd be safe, and there was something... about my mother?" I continued.

"Ah, that makes sense. I'll explain everything in detail soon enough, but your dad was right. This is the safe haven for people like us." Callista told me calmly.

"People like us? What's that suppo-" I started, cut off by a relatively short, toughly built girl as she stomped over.

"Hey, Callista, who's this? Man, you're just reelin' em in lately, aren't you?" the girl said and let out a hoarse laugh. She swung an arm around my shoulder, looking me over. "I hate to interupt this nice chat, but it looks like our new pal here needs to get cleaned up a little. I'm Aella, by the way." I quietly gave her my name, allowing myself to be dragged off into camp where I was cleaned up, givin new clothes, and sat down for a nice long explination on what the hell I was doing in such a place.