Daughter of Kansas

Packing for a trip to save the world

I sat on my top bunk for the last time. When I come back my cabin will be built. If I come back, I thought. I shook my head. I had to stop thinking like that. I grabbed the bag I had brought to camp. Putting my clothes in, I realized I had only been at camp like a week! It felt like a lifetime. I felt like Isabella was my childhood best friend. Like me and Braxden had met as babies. Like I had always had my dad, and always lived at Camp Half-Blood. It was a strange feeling.

Thinking of Isabella, I hadn't seen her since the armory. I had no idea where she went. I wanted to tell her goodbye before we left. I didn't really have that much so it didn't take me long to pack. I picked up my new dagger and put it a sheath I had grabbed. After I finished I ran outside with the Hermes cabin too the campfire.

I looked around, but if couldn't see Isabella anywhere. I shrugged my shoulders and sat with the seven. They sat on the front row, so I felt weird. I was used to trying to blend in. I haven't been doing a very good job of that. I took a seat next to Leo. I couldn't believe he was here. It was just crazy! What are the chances that my childhood best friend and one of the few friends I ever had was here?! I glanced over at him, and he gave me that crazy wild grin.

We all sang the campfire songs I had become familiar with. It wasn't hard to learn them. All of us laughed and shoved each other around. The fire was high and a bright orange yellow. I smiled forgetting all my problems.

"Demigods!" Chiron called after a song, "Tomorrow the seven and Raini will be leaving us. They are going on a quest." The flames in there fire burst high and purple. Whispers broke out everywhere, and campers looked around anxiously.

"What's happening?!" Someone shouted from the crowd

"A threat is rising in Kansas. We don't know exactly what it is. Rachel spoke a prophecy today. Rachel?" Rachel nodded and walked up.

"The child of air

Shall meet one of despair

7 Together again

Secrets will be revealed from within

A choice for wisdom

To save the child of air from her prison

The ones of Pluto and Mars

Must work to break the bars

Fire must escape

And Beauty must not break

The sea and storm must work together

'Less the world be gone forever."

The fire rose higher as a mix of emotions grew. People were shouting trying to ask us questions. It started to really agitate me. I couldn't concentrate on anything with all of them talking. I looked over at Leo and saw little flames dancing over his fingers. What?! I thought. The first thing we learn as kids is not play with fire. Now Leo has it in his hands?! I was about to blow!

"Raini, are you going to be captured?"

"Are you going to be able to fight this one of despair?"

"Raini, are you sure it's you?" People loaded me with questions. I looked around my eyes full of worry. I couldn't stand it any longer. I stood up and ran as fast as I could towards the Hermes cabin. I bent the air to my will and floated up to the roof. I pulled my legs close to me and hugged myself. The stars were bright and the moon had been up for awhile. No street lights. No pollution. Stars spreading across an endless night sky. It was perfect. I heard people running up to the cabin probably looking for me.

"Hello?" I heard a voice from the side. I turned and saw a figure climbing up. "You up here Raini?

"Yeah." I mumbled putting my chin on my knees.

"It's Hazel." I sat up and looked at her. I never paid much attention to her. I knew she was roman, daughter of Pluto. Other than that I never really looked at her. She had curly hair lining her dark face. Her featured were soft, young, and pretty. It was an old beauty. She had some aura around her that seemed almost old.

"Hey Hazel. How'd you get up here?"

"Been practicing that climbing wall. Comes in handy. Are you okay?"

"Yes! I'm perfectly fine and just decided to run up here for no reason. Of course not."

"Nervous?" I nodded. "So was I." She comforted me.

"What?"

"I've only been at 'camp' for how long now? A little more than a year."

"Really? I thought you'd been here a long time."

"Nope. So what's bugging you?" She sat down next to me.

"I don't know. Everything I guess. I miss my mom and my brothers. Now I'm here. And just because of who my dad is, people expect me to be this great hero. I've been here like a week, and now I'm going off to save the world!" I felt tears go down my face.

"Yeah. I get you. At least your mothers still here. Lots of us, the seven I mean, don't have lots of family. Me, my mom died a long time ago, but that's another story. Jason's mom died when he was young. Piper, her dad is a movie star and doesn't no know about her being a demigod. Percy, well he has a great mom, but grew up with an abusive step dad. Annabeth ran away at seven. Frank's mom died in war. Leo, well, a lot happened since you last saw him..."

"What?!" I glanced at her my eyes squinted. Leo? How much.

"His mom died in a fire he accidentally started. He ran away a lot. Was in foster homes a lot. He never mentioned you. He went through a really tough time. He still blames a lot on himself." My face fell. Hazel looked at her feet.

"You seem to know him." I said calmly.

"It's complicated."

"Thank you Hazel. I didn't know you at all before. I really needed someone to talk to." I smiled at her. Hazel was really nice. It was hard to believe she was daughter of the god of death!

"Your welcome. You should get some sleep. You'll need it. See you in the morning!" She smiled and climbed down I climbed down after her. I walked back in. Most kids were laying in the bunks. I walked to mine. Isabella was there so she must have been somewhere else. I climbed to the top and quickly fell asleep.