Daughter of Neptune

Out Surfing

I look at the shimmering water, it's like it's calling my name. I glance down at my toes, painted as blue as the sea. I breathe in the salty air and then run out into the waves with my surfboard in hand. I keep running until the water is at waist height. Then I slide onto my sea-green surfboard and paddle. The waves bend at my will making a wave, 5 metres tall. I steady myself on my board and when the wave comes I stand up and ride it. Although I have only spent a few weeks practicing, it seems like I grew up surfing. I balance my board and yell:

"Woo Hoo!"

I will the wave to shrink as I near the shore. I drop back down onto my board and paddle. The waves push me back to shore. At waist height I drop into the cold water and walk back onto the beach. I jog back to my belongings, my backpack, towel and runners. I rub my hands along the towel and then rummage in the bottom of my backpack looking for my phone. I finally find it and pull it out. I smile when I see the picture of my mum laughing. I type in my password 7,7,7,7. 

I call my mum's number and she picks up on the third ring. "Hi sweetie how's the surf?"

"It's good."

"Brianna, don't forget I want you home early to help with dinner."

"Yes mum, I haven't forgot," I glance at the time, 4:15, "I'll be home in half an hour."

"Okay, have fun!" Mum says and then she hangs up.

I turn off my phone and chuck it into my backpack. I then grab my surfboard and run out into the waves. I slip onto my board, controlling the water. The wave becomes higher and I stand on my board.

"Oh yeah!"

I am riding the waves like there's no tomorrow. I think of the wave shrinking and it does just that. I am paddling out to a wave when I hear growling. I turn my head and see a serpent twice the length of my surfboard. It has seaweed-green scales and peal-white teeth. Its eyes seem to follow my actions. It snarls at me, showing its lizard-like toung. I scream, "Aaaaaaagggghhhhh!"

The serpent advances; when it is 5 meters away from me I react. The ocean senses my distress and immediately slaps the monster continuously. It rears out of frustration and growls at me, then it charges. I remember hoping that something will shield me. Then the water pushed the monster away and I blacked out.

I woke up in the front seat of my mum's car, driving along a long road. I look to my left and see a forest of trees. There is one tree, which stands out. It sat higher than the others and it also has a golden blanket of some kind on it. It looks like a pine tree.

I look at my mum, she's hunched over the steering wheel and her eyes aren't leaving the road.

"Mum, what's going on?"

"Brianna, it's about your father. There is a camp for people like you."

I knew I didn't have the best grades, but it didn't help that I had Dyslexia and ADHD. 

"A camp, for people with Dyslexia ad ADHD?" I asked.

"Yes, well sort of. You know the Greek gods?"

"Zeus, Poseidon, Hades? Those gods?"

"Yes, they're real. Your father is one of them. Well actually he's a Roman god."

I try to get my head around the fact that my dad is a Roman god. I wonder which one. I think of all the times I wondered who my father was, was he a fire fighter or maybe a movie star. Now that I knew I was disappointed because I couldn't wonder any more. Then I became angry, how come I never got to see him? He just left my mum and I.

My mum suddenly stopped the car. About 30 meters on the left, there was an archway. It had some weird language but somehow I managed to read it, 'Camp Half Blood.' Whatever that is.

"This is as far as I can go. You'll be safe here," She passed me my backpack and kissed my forehead. "Good luck Brianna."

I open the car door and slowly get out of the car, then I poke my head back into the car, "What's going to happen to you?"

"I'll be fine Brianna, have fun and make some new friends."

"I will mum!" Then I walked up the hill to the pine tree. I looked down on Camp Half Blood. It had a climbing wall with lava flowing from it. I saw 20 cabins surrounding a large campfire. Then I noticed a blue farmhouse not to far away from me. It looked important, so I decided that was the place to go.

I passed the pine tree and walked down the hill to the farmhouse. As I was walking I bumped into a girl about my age. I mean bumped quite literally, I fell over her and slid down on my face. 

"Sorry, that was all my fault!" she apologised as she was picking herself up off the ground. I noticed that she had furry legs, much like a goat's. Her top half was human and she wore a red singlet top. Over the top of that she had a breastplate, she also had a dagger tied at her waist.

After I got over the fact she was half goat I noticed her face, she had long ears and small horns sprouting from the top of her head. Her red hair, with beads plaited in place, curled around her ears. 

"I'm terribly sorry, let me help you up." She extended her arm and I took a hold of it. She pulled me up of the ground and shook my hand. "I don't think I've seen you before, my name's Jemma."

"Brianna. I just arrived."

"Oh, you are probably wondering where to go. Let me show you the way." I followed Jemma as we passed strawberry fields. I could see in the distance a forest and a lake. We stopped outside the blue farmhouse I saw before. "We call this the 'big house'. It's where Chiron, Mr D and Argus stay. You're about to meet them."

I followed her to the front of the 'big house' and saw two men playing poker. One was in a wheelchair, he had a beard and was peering at his cards. The other man had a leopard-printed shirt and was looking at the other man.

"Chiron, Dionysus," Jemma bowed, "This is Brianna. She just arrived."

Chiron looked up at me and then smiled, "Welcome to Camp Half Blood."