Daughter of Neptune

Hermes Cabin

Chiron asked Jemma to give me a tour around camp, there was so many things to look at I couldn't stay focused. First she showed me the Arena, where you can practice your sword fighting and archery. Then she showed me the Forge, where some greasy kids were making swords. "Those are the children of Hephaestus," she explained. Then I saw the stables.

"Do you have horses here at camp?" I have always wanted to learn to horse ride.

"No, but we do have pegasi." Jemma exclaimed and smile spread across her face. 

I followed Jemma to a tool shed. "Now it's time you chose a weapon."

"What, like a shovel or a rake?" I said sarcastically.

"No silly, like a sword, spear, dagger or a bow." I followed Jemma into the tool shed, which was filled with any type of weapon you could want. I walked around flabbergasted, "This place is awesome, but how do I pick one that is right for me?"

"You'll know." is all that Jemma said. I walked over to sword about the length of my arm. On the hilt was an engraved wave. "This is the one."

Jemma looked at the sword and glanced at me, "You sure?"

"Yeah, this is the one."

"Okay, then it's yours." 

Jemma walked over to a workbench covered in sword sheaths. She picked up one and tossed it over to me. I slid in my sword it fit perfectly. "Thanks."

"No problem." Jemma smiled. "It's time for you to settle in your cabin."

Jemma led me to the 20 cabins around a giant bonfire. "Yours is cabin eleven, the Hermes cabin."

I walked into a crowded cabin. There were bunk beds on the outer walls and mattresses on the floor. Pillows, backpacks and possessions were strewn across the floor.

"Undetermined?" everyone asked.

"Undetermined." Jemma said.

"What do you mean undetermined?" I asked, puzzled.

"Hermes is the god of travellers, he doesn't mind taking in demigods who haven't been claimed by their godly parent." Jemma explained.

"Oh." I mumbled. I placed the backpack mum gave me on my mattress and followed Jemma to the dinning pavilion. I sat with the other kids in my cabin on a large table. Everyone was talking and then they were silent when Chiron said "I want you all to welcome our new camper, Brianna!" He gestured in my direction.

Everyone cheered and clapped. I felt pretty welcome. I didn't see Jemma at one of the 20 tables, but I did see one boy sitting on a table alone. He had black hair with sea-green eyes. He was looking at a girl on another table. 

She had dirty, blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. Her grey eyes looked around the room. She stopped looking around when she looked at the boy. She smiled at him and  he smiled back. I guess that they know each other.

My cup fills up with lemonade, my favourite drink. Suddenly my plate was piled with chicken parmigiana and mashed potato, also my favourite. I took a bite of my chicken parmigiana and smiled. It was made just how my mum makes it. Then I put down my cutlery. I realised how lonely my mum would be without me.

I was missing my mum. I did as all the other campers did, scraped the best part of my meal into the fire. "Dad please accept my offering. And please claim me soon." Then I walked to the Hermes Cabin and settled down for the night.

I was standing at the top of a deep hole. I could sense something bad down there, really bad. It was calling my name, "Brianna, join me. You will never be welcomed for who you are. Join me and I will welcome you with open arms. You will be an outcast wherever you go. You will not belong with any demigods. Join me and you will belong somewhere."

Then the scene shifted and I was at my mum's house. She was cowering from a dark shadow that was looming over her. "No, leave Brianna alone, don't hurt my daughter.” she begged. 

"Don't fret Marie, I am not going to hurt Brianna. She is very useful to me, but for her to be helpful she must first be broken." 

Then the scene changed and I was on a hill with a fountain. I was overlooking a roman-styled city. Part of the aqueduct had exploded and people were running back and forth. Some were removing the water and others were bringing materials to rebuild the aqueduct.

Then the city disappeared and a man was standing before me. He had a trident in his hand and was wearing roman armour. He looked down at me and smiled.

"My child, I am sorry I have not claimed you, this camp is for Greek demigods. You are a roman demigod. I can claim you but only if you know the consequences. You will be out casted because of me. There is no other way. I am terribly sorry."

"Dad, please claim me. I now know the consequences and I still want to be claimed. I want to be known as your daughter."

"If you insist." Then my father disappeared and I slept until morning.

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I woke up in the morning to my phone vibrating, "bring, bring." I grabbed my backpack and pulled it onto my lap. Then I reached into it and grabbed my phone. My mum had texted me, 'How is camp sweetie?'

'Great, I met a girl my age. I think we will become friends.' I replied.

Then I placed my phone back in the bottom of my bag and got out of bed. I found a orange camp half blood shirt on the base of my mattress. I grabbed my shorts out of my backpack and the shirt. Then I got changed in the cabin's bathroom. I brushed my hair and put it back in a simple ponytail. I got my brown hair from my mum. At age 12 I got blonde highlighted tips. 

The only thing I got from my dad was my sea-green eyes and my Dyslexia and ADHD. Great dad I have. I walked out of the bathroom into the cabin. Everyone was still asleep. I sneaked out the door, tiptoe-ing between sleeping campers. 

When I got outside I saw the sun hadn't come up yet. I saw someone out on the cabin veranda, it was one of the girls I had seen last night. She had short black hair that was cut at her cheekbone. She was wearing the same as me the camp shirt and shorts. She was staring at the ocean, deep in thought.

I coughed to get her attention, "Mind if I sit next to you?"

"Not at all." She smiled and I saw braces. Her green eyes sparkled as she smiled. I could tell she smiled quite often. "I'm Issy, by the way."

"Oh, Brianna." I smiled. "Are you undetermined?" 

"Yeah." Issy looked at the ground. "I have an idea of who my godly parent is. My father is a farmer. So I think I might be a child of Demeter." Issy seemed confident of herself, which told me she was correct. "My father has many fields that he's growing crops in. I should be at home helping him bring in the harvest." I knew I was missing home as well.

"Do you want to practice some sword fighting? I hear capture the flag is coming up soon."

'Yeah." I saw the twinkle in her eyes once again. As the sun was rising we ran down to the Arena to practice, smiles on our faces. I made a new friend.