The Kids Aren't All Right

Weird Names and Cookie Dough

I woke up in some sort of cabin. I could feel beads of cold sweat on my forehead, a pounding inside my head, and someone looking at me. The thing I couldn't feel? My left arm. I looked down to see it was heavily bandaged. A voice rang out through the silence, "She's awake!"
I groggily turn my head and see the girl with the pale white hair and the teleporting girl rushing towards me. The dark haired girl is walking behind them, looking rather bored. The white girl hair starts introducing them along with herself. "I'm Callista Snowdon, that's Flora.", she nods to the blonde girl who gives a small wave, "And that's Aella." Which I figure is the dark haired girl. They have weird names. "You're probably pretty freaked out right now." Callista speaks further, she opens her mouth to say more and I interrupt her,
"You think?! What's going on? Where's my dad?"

Callista shows no emotion except she furrows her brow as I mention dad. Her expression softens as she tilts her head and speaks in a matter-of-fact way, "Let me guess, you didn't have a mom growing up."
"My dad said she died when I was young." I reply.
Callista crosses her arms, answering knowing, "I have to tell you something."
And so she told me everything. About how I was the daughter of a Greek goddess, how I would probably get claimed soon, how monsters are real and probably looking for me, and how this place is the only place for people like me and how some stay here all year. It was a lot to take in, I cried several times through it and nearly had a panic attack but what else do you when you get information like that? Just happily accept it with a smile?
The dark headed girl, Aella, walked over and gave me a slap on my bandaged arm with a toothy grin. "You're one of us now."
I could feel it starting to bleed again and Callista stood up, looking at Aella like a disappointed parent before rushing over to a cabinet full of what looked like either medical supplies or very fancy perfume bottles. She came back over and offered me a tiny square of a golden cake, thingy? I can't describe it.
"Eat it. You'll feel better." Callista told me as she tried to shove it in my mouth.
I swatted her hand away and furrow my brow, replying "This ain't no Remus and dementors, girl."
She rolled her eyes and chuckled, setting the square of golden something in my hand and nodded for me to eat it. I slowly picked it up. It felt spongey but soft. Hesitantly, I put in my mouth and oh my god. Or is it gods? But anyways, this was the best food I've ever had in my life. It tasted exactly like the cookie dough I would eat when my grandma wasn't looking. I haven't had it in years. Callista laughed, she must have known I would like it.
"What's this amazing thing called?" I asked, trying to savor the taste.
"Ambrosia. The food of the gods. What does it taste like?"
"Cookie dough." I tried to smile.
"Mine tastes like coconut. No here seems to like it." She said with a somewhat jokingly sad expression.
"Are you kidding me? I love coconut!" I said a bit too excitedly.
She grinned at me until I tried to lean over my bed to get some more of this ambrosia, she called out as she grabbed my arm "You can't have more. Take too much and it will set your insides on fire and turn your bones to ash. That's how we know you're a demigod. You didn't burn up."

I can't tell if she's joking or not, so I just nod. There's an awkward silence before the girl with the light curly brown here who helped saved me was standing at the doorway.
"Colette, what are you doing here?" Cal asked.
"Elsa, there's someone here to see you." Colette took a step to the side and my father walked in. I sprang out of my bed, ignoring the pain in my arm as I threw my arms around him like a child and nearly screamed "Daddy!"
He hugged right back and I had to resist the urge to cry again. Once we broke apart, I looked around to Cal and Colette had already left. I took a seat down on a empty bed and my dad sat right down next to me.
"What's going on? Have you known?" I blurted out.
He sighed. "Don't hate me, Elisabeth, but I knew. I've already known."
I couldn't keep my jaw from falling open, I quickly closed it and looked at him for further explanation.
"When I met your mother, she kind of have me the cold shoulder before we went on a few dates. She always said she was running out of time to stay here. We had you then. And when she finally left, she explained to me what she was and what you were." He explains.
"You've.. never told me. You could have told me now. I'm old enough to handle it." I respond.
"No, you aren't. I think the reason I've never told you is because I've never accepted it myself." He added.
I tried to brush that off and smiled at him, shaking my head as I responded "But I won't have to stay here, right? I don't want to. I want to go back home. And I can, and we'll be good."
My dad sighed again, looking at me with sad eyes. "Elisabeth, you can't come home."
I pause. "What.. What do you mean?"
"You know who you are now. There's monsters and Elisabeth, y-you're dangerous."
"Dad.. I'm not dangero-"
He cuts me off. "Yes, you are. You're half god."
I look down and this is the second time I'm revisiting the urge to not cry because of my dad, but this one isn't of happiness.
He continues. "I need to think about my protection. And yours too. This camp is safe, I promise."
"You've been here for like ten minutes, Dad." I cross my arms, muttering as I look down.
"It's safe." He starts to get up.
"Wait, dad. I'm not going to have to stay here year-round, right?" I say with a pleading tone.
"Uh, well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
Just like that, I know the answer is yes. That's how my dad answers difficult questions.
"I brought some of your stuff. Don't worry, you'll be fine here. I bet you'll friends soon enough." He says, kissing the top of my head as he stands backing away to the door.
"Wait, Dad!" I call out and he turns around and I swear for one second I say an annoyed expression.
"When are you coming again? Are you gonna visit?" I ask, biting down hard on my bottom lip.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." He says. So the answer is no. And he heads out the door. Just like that, he's gone.

Let's look at what has happened to me so far since arriving: my arm is constantly bleeding, I'm pretty sure Aella hates me, and my father is scared of me and god knows when I'll see him again. I've cried a lot since I've got here, but they don't compare to this. I could feel the emotion boiling inside me. I could feel the tears getting ready to pour down my face. It was like a volcano about to erupt. I tried to hold it back but before i knew it the goddamn volcano erupted. Tears poured down my face like the rain in a storm. It felt as if a warm, yet rough hand had wrapped around my heart and was squeezing softly. My throat ached as the tears tickled my eyes. I blinked for a moment then felt my cheeks covered in warm dampness. When I was younger, my kindergarten teacher you only cry if something hurts. A kid raised his hand to ask if he could cry since he scraped his knee earlier. She said no, you cry when your heart hurts. And dear god, this hurt.