Camp Half-Blood/Camp Jupiter

Mom, I Want to Go Home

Will and Nico lead me through the halls of the Big House (apparently the infirmary is in the Big House). It's a nice place, but I kind of miss seeing the sun and feeling the breeze on my skin. Well, I'll be getting outside for Deadly Capture the Flag, which I dread. Camp Half-Blood officially ruined Capture the Flag for me. Great.
    We enter a room with couches, chairs, and a ping-pong table. A giant leopard head is mounted on the wall, staring at me. That's not creepy at all. I avoid the leopard's gaze, looking down at my feet. Nico and Will don't seem as bothered by the room. Of course they aren't. They've probably been here before. All of this is new to me, and honestly, it's a lot to take in.
    Someone clears their throat, and I notice a man sitting in a wheel-chair. Was he here before? He has a brown beard and brown hair, and seems to be about middle-aged. He smiles kindly at me, and gestures at the furniture around me.
    "You can sit wherever you want," he says.
    I hesitantly walk over to the sofa across from him and sit down. Nico and Will are nowhere to be seen; they must've left already. Wow, they left me alone. I guess I should've expected that. Why would they stay? They probably have things they need to do. I guess I had hoped they'd stay and help me get used to camp, but I can't expect that much of them. They were nice enough to help me when I woke up.
    "I'm Chiron," the man says. "You're Celine, right?"
    I nod.
    He smiles. "How are you?"
    "Uh, I'm doing alright," I say, not wanting to go into everything. I don't even know this guy. "Do you have a phone?"
    Chiron's smile falters, and he gives me a sad look. If he says no, I swear, I will find his phone and use it anyway. I need to talk to my mom. If I don't, I will never forgive myself. I'll think about her constantly (although, I'd probably do that no matter what).
    "I do," he says. "But, phones lead monsters to half-bloods."
    "Yeah," I say, quietly. "Will and Nico told me."
    "So, you've met them." He hesitates. "Well, they're right about the whole phone thing, but I'll let you use mine once."
    I can't help but smile. I'm going to talk to my mom! I'll explain everything, and hopefully she'll forgive me for leaving without saying a word. Hopefully she won't think I'm worse than Dad. I always promised myself that I would never leave her, but here I am. I'm at Camp Half-Blood where I'm supposed to belong. I don't really belong here. I can't be a half-blood. I'm just a normal girl who needs to go back to her mother.
    "Thank you," I say.
    Chiron nods. "Before that, I think I should tell you more about this camp. I'm assuming you're very confused at the moment."
    "You could say that."
    He smiles. "I'll just start from the beginning. This is a camp for half-bloods. Half-bloods have one godly parent, and this camp is the safest place to be. It's safe from monsters, and all half-bloods learn how to fight."
    I nod along, listening closely. So far, everything makes as much sense as it can. Of course, the fact that half-bloods exist doesn't make any sense at all. So, the gods had children, and they live here. That seems like something out of a fantasy book. But, I guess this is my life now.
    "As I'm sure you already know, you are a demigod," Chiron continues. "One of your parents is a god, and hopefully you'll find out which soon."
    "How will I find out?" I ask. "Will they just come down to Earth and be like: 'Oh, you're my child. Congratulations'?" I laugh at the thought. That'd be pretty entertaining to see. I can just imagine my father appearing after all these years to tell me that I'm his daughter. I can imagine how satisfying it would be to kick him in the gut.
    "Not exactly," Chiron says, laughing a little. "When your godly parent claims you, their sign will appear above your head. Most demigods are claimed by the campfire, so if you're lucky, your parent might claim you tonight."
    Oh good. My father might decide to finally give me attention for a moment. He won't even come say hi. He'll just claim me and move on like I don't exist. I don't care. I can't care. That won't change my father's mind. If anything, it'll just give him satisfaction. I don't need him. I never had, and I'll make sure he knows that.
    "Great," I say, bitterly.
    Chiron frowns, but doesn't argue. "Until you are claimed, you'll be staying in the Hermes cabin." He pauses, thinking of what to say next. "A lot of demigods have ADHD and/or dyslexia, which help you read Greek and help you in battle. I can show you the orientation video if you'd like."
    I think for a moment before I shake my head. "You've explained it all pretty well."
    "I'm glad," he says, smiling. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, Celine."
    My heart leaps in my chest. I guess I really do belong here. It doesn't feel like it, but I do; this isn't a mistake. My father is a god, and that makes me a demigod. Maybe I'll get used to this new life. Of course, it'll be hard to get used to fighting monsters. I don't get how the other demigods do it.
    "Thank you," I say. "Can I still use the phone?"
    He nods. "Of course." He exits the room and then comes back with an old cell phone. He hands it to me. "I'll wait outside. Just tell me when you're done."
    I nod, and he leaves the room. I immediately turn the phone on and dial my mom's number. It rings a few times, but eventually she picks up.
    "Hello?" Her voice comes out of the phone, and I feel tears spring to my eyes. I let them fall freely, since I'm alone. No one's here to judge me.
    "Mom," I say, my voice cracking. "Mom, it's me. Celine."
    Her side of the line crackles, and I fear that the call is going to end. The noise stops, and I hear my mother sigh with relief. I wish I could see her, but this will have to be enough. I hold the phone tightly in my hand, holding onto my mother's voice. This might be the last time I hear it for a long time.
    "Celine!" She sounds tired, like she hasn't slept recently. "Where are you?"
I wince. That's the question I'm not sure how to answer. I want to tell her everything, but what if she doesn't believe me? What if she thinks I ran away for no reason? I can't let her think that. I have to at least try to tell her the truth. Right. How do I even start?
"I'm at a camp," I say, hesitantly.
"Why are you there? Is something wrong?" I can hear the panic in her voice. She's really worried about me. I knew she would be, but I never thought it would hurt like this. I caused everything. It's all my fault.
"I'm fine. You don't need to worry." She's about to say something, but I cut her off. "Um, Mom?"
"Yeah?"
I squeeze my eyes shut, thinking of what to say. Nothing seems right. Nothing will make sense. She hasn't seen what I have. She hasn't fought giant monsters that want to kill her. My heart races. I'm finally talking to my mom, and I don't know what to say. This is pathetic.
"Mom, have you ever heard of the Greek gods?"
She laughs. "Of course I have, sweetie." A flood of relief washes over me. Maybe she does know that I'm a half-blood. That would make all of this so much easier.
"Okay," I say. "Well, those gods are real." There's silence on the other end of the line. "Mom?"
"You're at the demigod camp, aren't you?" she asks.
I sigh in relief. She knows. "Yeah. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was in the infirmary for a few days." Before she attacks me with a flood of questions, I say, "I'm okay now! An Apollo kid healed me."
"What happened to you?"
I hesitate. Does she really need to know? It would only freak her out more, and I don't want her to panic. If I tell her that I was attacked by empousai and then a cyclops, I don't know how she'd react. I don't want her to worry about me more than she already does. "What matters is that I'm okay now."
She sighs. "I know. You didn't get into too much trouble on your way there, did you?"
I almost laugh. Of course I did. I almost died twice. But, I guess that's a secret I'll have to keep. At least the other campers know; I guess I could always talk to them if I wanted. It doesn't beat talking to my mom, but it'll be enough. I just have to get used to it.
"Me?" I ask. "In trouble? Never!"
"Please," she says. "Answer me honestly."
I shake my head, even though she can't see me. "It was a very easy trip," I lie. "I was only in the infirmary because I fell out of a tree." I never climb trees, but I hope that she'll decide to believe me. Lying to my mom is hard, and I hate it. My mom is the one person I can trust completely. I'm doing this to protect her. It's okay.
Her laughter fills my ears. I can imagine her smiling on the other line back at home. Her green eyes would fill with light, and the skin under them would crinkle a bit. I wish I could hold her hand and cry into her shoulder. I haven't had much of a chance to let my emotions loose; now, I'm finding it difficult to keep them reigned in.
"Celine?"
"Yeah?"
She's silent for a moment. "Has your father claimed you yet?"
Does she know who my father is? If she does, would she tell me? My heart swells with hope. I don't think I'm ready to find out who he is, but I'm also dying to know. I might as well get it over with. I'm going to find out eventually.
"No," I say. "Do you know him?"
She sighs, and I know what she's going to say before she says it. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I don't. But you'll find out soon!"
"Was he a good person?" I don't think I'll like the answer, but my curiosity gets the best of me. "He must have been, right?"
"He was," she says. "I loved him."
    "He left us," I argue. "And now I find out that he's a god. He never thought to help us. It was always just us, and he never came back to meet his daughter!"
    I hear her sigh over the phone. "He had his reasons for leaving us. I'm sure he's been watching over you."
    "Being a god doesn't excuse what he did!"
    "I'm not saying that it does," she says, gently. The phone crackles again. I can't hear what she says next.
    "Mom," I say. "You're breaking up." Again, I can't hear what she says. Curse this dumb cell phone! "Mom, I can't hear you. I'm going to hang up." I wait, hoping that she'll say something. Nothing. "I love you, and I'll be come back after this summer."
    I don't want to hang up. I could stay here with my mom on the phone all day, but I know that I have to let her go eventually. I force myself to end the call. Tears stream down my face. I won't be able to contact my mom all summer, and I don't even know if she heard me say that I love her before the call ended.
    Chiron is there, smiling kindly. I hand him the phone.
    "Thanks for letting me use it," I say.
    He nods. "Of course." He doesn't ask me what's wrong or anything, and I'm thankful for that. If he asked me, I'm certain that I'd break down in front of him. That would be embarrassing.
I give him a small smile before he leads me out of the Big House. I step into the sunlight for the first time in days. The weather is beautiful, and I immediately start to feel better. I can see a bunch of cabins in the distance, and a strawberry field. This place is truly amazing. There's so much to take in and explore!
Will and Nico are waiting outside of the Big House, talking to each other about something. I pick up the words 'snakes' and 'Hermes' kids.' That's an interesting combination. I wipe under my eyes, trying to erase any evidence that I was crying. I doubt seeing a demigod cry is anything new for them, but I don't want to seem weak. I bet that they've been through things ten times worse than their mother not hearing them say 'I love you.' I can't really complain.
    "Are you ready for your tour of Camp Half-Blood?" Will asks.
    I nod, afraid that if I speak I'll start crying again. Will smiles, and links his arm with Nico's. Nico tries to pull away, but eventually gives in. He blushes furiously, but he's smiling.
    They lead me around camp, pointing out the different cabins and places. I find out that there are over twelve cabins that I have no intention to memorize. I'll just figure it out over time. That'll work.
    Will leads me to the arena where other campers are training. I watch as swords clash. It's amazing to watch, but I remember seeing Leo fight the empousai and suddenly feel sick. Fighting is fun to watch, except for when it's real. When it's real, it's terrifying. I remember seeing Leo almost die, and feeling like I couldn't do anything to help him. It turned out that I could. I ended up tackling the empousa. That was my first battle, and I hated it.
    The next stop is the stables. Instead of horses, there are pegasi. I didn't know that pegasi existed! I stare at them in awe as they stamp their hooves and eat hay. I wonder if I'll get the chance to ride one of them someday. That would be epic. I can imagine soaring through the sky, the wind blowing my hair in every direction. I silently promise myself that I will ride a pegasus at some point during my time here.
    We go to the armory next. Will and Nico show me various different weapons. Supposedly, half-bloods are supposed to choose a weapon that they use as their main weapon. I don't like the fact that I have to make that kind of decision, but I guess I have to.
    "What kind of weapon do you want?" Will asks.
    I shrug. "A weapon, I guess."
    Nico and Will search the armory, giving me weapons to test. They bounce ideas off of each other, holding up various weapons for the other to see. If they both agree on it, they give it to me to try.
    Nico holds up a spear and gives me a questioning look. I take it in my hand, and make a few stabbing motions with it. It's light and easy to carry, but something doesn't feel right. I don't feel anything special. Of course, I don't know what I'm supposed to feel when I use a weapon, but I know that this isn't right. I shake my head, and Nico returns the spear to it's place.
    He comes back with an axe. It has a shining bronze head (celestial bronze, I'm guessing. Will told me that most of the weapons here are made of that material). "Try this," he says.
    I take the axe and swing it a few times, almost knocking various things over, including myself. It's too heavy. Whenever I swing it, it feels like I'm using way too much of my strength when I could be using that energy for more than one hit. Nico takes it from my hands before I have to say no. Well, I didn't know I was that bad with an axe.
    Will comes over with a dagger, and hands it to me. I test its weight. It's almost perfect, but I don't know if I can see myself fighting with it. It's small and easy to lose. Sure, it's good for stabbing people in the back, but I'm not sure about it. I make a few slicing motions in the air, imagining myself fighting a monster. Yeah, no. This isn't right.
    "So?" Will asks.
    I shake my head. "It doesn't feel right..."
    He nods, taking the dagger back. "Okay." He goes back to searching with Nico. Will holds up a weapon, but Nico shakes his head. This goes on for a few minutes, until they both agree on one. Nico comes over with a celestial bronze sword.
    "Try this," he says. I take the sword, holding it in both hands and unsheathe it.The weight is just right: not too light, not too heavy. I shift it from hand to hand, and make a few motions in the air. The bronze shines in the dim lighting. The hilt is smooth, and words written in another language are inscribed on it.
    "What does it say?" I ask.
    Will takes the sword in the hands, scanning the words. "Είμαι δόξα και φόβος," he reads. "It means 'I am glory and fear' in Greek."
    He hands it back to me, and I inspect it again. There's nothing wrong with this sword. I can imagine fighting monsters with this. The bronze sword would shimmer as I fight them off, striking my enemies with fear. That sounds pretty good to me.
    "I like this one," I say.
    Nico nods in approval. "Then you can keep it."
    I smile a bit and return the sword to its sheath. I tuck it under my arm since I have nowhere else to put it at the moment. Now, I have a weapon to defend myself with. I don't have to be completely helpless against a monster, and wait for someone to save me. No, I'm going to be saving myself.
    The rest of the tour is nice. We go to the strawberry fields, where campers are taking care of the crops (Demeter kids, I think). They show me the climbing wall, which I find absolutely terrifying. How could someone climb that high without freaking out? If they fall, they'll at least break a few bones. This camp is crazy. If they think I'm going to climb that, they're wrong.
    We pass by the climbing wall (thank the gods) and head to the edge of the forest. The trees tower over us, reminding me of the cyclops. I wish we could go anywhere but the forest, but I'm not going to complain. It'll make me seem foolish if I'm afraid of a forest. I shouldn't be scared.
    Will sits on the ground, crossing his legs. Nico stays standing, and smirks when he realizes that he's now taller than Will. He places his hand on Will's head, messing up his hair.
    Will sighs. "How did I not see this coming?"
    "Because you're an idiot," Nico says, fondly. Will doesn't object. He just punches Nico's leg gently.
    "I'm totally going to destroy you at Capture the Flag."
    Nico laughs. "Sure, Solace. Whatever you say." He lets out a surprised squawk when Will pulls him to the ground beside him. He glares at him. "You're the worst."
    "Oh, shut up," Will says, grinning. "You love me."
    "Which is why I'm going to destroy you."
    Will shakes his head. "You wish, di Angelo."
    I watch this go down without saying anything. It's kind of fun to see. I honestly wonder who's team will win Capture the Flag. They both seem like great captains; if only they didn't have to go against each other. They'd be unstoppable. I don't want to get on either of their bad sides.
    Nico pulls a golden coin out of his pocket. "Let's settle this," he says, determinedly. "Heads."
    "Tails."
    He flips the coin and catches it, then slaps it onto his palm. Will groans, and Nico smirks. It landed on heads. Nico puts the coin back in his pocket, satisfied with the results of what happened.
"Alright," Nico says. "I get to pick first."
Will nods. "You'll still lose."
He shrugs. "I don't think I will."
They go back and forth, arguing over who will lose. I have no idea who will win, but I hope it's the team I'm on. I still don't like the whole weapons part of this game, but I'm starting to look forward to it. It'll be interesting, probably the most interesting thing I've done since I got here. It'll be dangerous, but I'm ready. At least, as ready as I'll ever be.