Crossroads of Two Worlds

5- Just a Summer Camp, Right?

(Above are the skylights in Alana's cabin)

"You're Percy Jackson, right?"

He nodded and I went on, "My Mom, Nalani Faye, says to tell you 'hi.'"

Percy's eyes widened and a small smile flitted across his lips, "Nalani? I thought she was dead!?! She's your mother? Well now I see it, you look so much like her! No wonder you seemed familiar. You tell her that I said hi and tell her that 16 years without even a letter makes a man worried."

I laughed, "Will do, sir!"

Chiron cleared his throat and commanded my attention in a matter of moments, "I assume that you already know that you are a daughter of Zeus?"

I nodded and he went on, "And you know that you are a granddaughter of Apollo?"

I nodded again, wishing he'd just explain it all, everything my mom and Maya hadn't been able to. His ancient eyes unnerved me while somehow also filling my mind with a million questions. His eyes, shining with centuries of memories, made me wonder how old he really was. I had seen too much in the past few weeks to just accept the man to be 50 or something years old, even if that's what he looked.

Looking away from me, as if he knew he kinda freaked me out, he focused again on the checkers board and moved his piece to conveniently check one of Percy's figures and spoke without looking at me, "We suspect that since both are major Gods, you will have gifts from both. What exactly the gifts are, time will tell. I put you in the Zeus cabin, and I'm sorry that you'll be the only one there. However, I'm positive that you, like so many others, will find a home here, despite your lack of siblings. I will have a camper show you around, though I need Maya at the moment. And we'll enroll you in activities tomorrow morning."

I was actually quite relieved that I wouldn't have to engage in any more strenuous activity for the day, I'd had quite enough for now.

Just then, three campers, two boys and one girl, walked by the open doors. Chiron called out to one of the boys, "Noah!"

A golden-haired boy with deeply-tanned skin and warm, sky blue eyes turned towards us and Chiron gestured for him to come inside. Up close he seemed taller than I'd originally thought, maybe 6"0, and not more than fifteen years old.

He was smiling, but slight pinch of not fear but hesitation bubbled in my stomach when I saw the bow carelessly strung across his back. Still, his sunny disposition made me automatically like him.

Chiron gestured at me, "Would you mind showing Alana around?"

He smiled wider, if that were possible, and thumped me on the back and he spoke in a warm, booming voice, "Not at all."

He led me out of the Big House and through the archery range which was (thankfully) empty. Still, the dirt below my sandals was littered with arrow heads and even a few bowstrings, showcasing the hours of work that must have taken place here. I could almost picture dozens of kids in orange shirts shooting arrow after arrow towards the rows of targets. Noah picked arrowheads off the ground as we passed through, stowing them in his pocket.

I chatted with the ever-jubilant demigod as he showed me around, he started with telling me about himself, "My Mom's name is Alina, my dad is Apollo but she didn't know who he was until he showed up right after I was born and told her everything. Still, comparing him to some of the other Gods, he's a pretty good dad. My mom married three years after I was born, and I have four younger siblings. Three brothers, Carson, Axel, and Ashton. I only have one sister but she is the sweetest. I don't know where she came from really, because the rest of us are total troublemakers. We traveled around a ton so we all speak... too many languages probably. I love music and I am, if I do say so myself, the best healer in Camp, thanks to Apollo no doubt."