Half Blood Heroes: Eternal Rivers

We're Going On A Mom Hunt

I got to see my cabin, it was nice. A little plain and dusty but other than that it was nice. It suspiciously reminded me of home, except my dad wasn't there. Aspen was annoying, every time he would bring up the subject of going on that quest. I was casually reading a book when there was a knock at the door. I slammed my book on the nightstand. Anyone who is engrossed in a book can share my annoyance of being interrupted. I swung my legs off the bed and walked to the door. I opened the door to be met with seafoam green eyes. "Uhhh, permission to enter Miss Kendra Waters?" I stepped aside letting the girl in. "I'm Croix, daughter of Epona. I believe we've met before." She was one of the girls who went with Brigid into the infirmary. "Yeah, I've seen you around camp." She laughed, I looked around the cabin. "You like camp so far?" I nodded, she put clothes into my closet. "Kendra, have you considered your quest? It is important to get Danu back, for us and the mortals." I rubbed the back of my neck as if to say 'is it that important. "I get it, you don't feel it's that important but Ireland has felt her disappearance. Just give it a thought, please." With that, she walked out leaving me in my thoughts. The silence was deafening. I stood up walking to Brigid's tent. I was going on that quest, whether I had a choice or not. "Hello Brigid, I know I said I didn't want to do this quest but I've given some thought and.." I took a deep breath. "I'll do it, the quest, go to Tír Na Anam and find my mom."

Brigid stood up with a smile. "Thank you, Kendra. You can take Arin with you. I trust that he will keep you safe. You can bring your weapons. The greatest quest of all Kendra?" Hearing her talk about how great it would just give me that nerve-wracking feeling. "Sorry I just thought of something." She smiled kindly as if to reassure me if I didn't want to do the quest if didn't want to do. Also, it's the smile that was saying, 'please do this quest'. I wasn't sure if I wanted to pull a Luke Skywalker or just sit in the background. "I'll do it." Brigid pulled out a pen and paper. "Kendra, talk with the camp druid, she'll get you maps." She pointed to a brown tent. I walked towards it and was hit with the smell of herbs. "I'm looking for the camp druid." A girl with long black hair and blue eyes walked out. She looked around 20, she had a white staff with mistletoe and berries hanging from it. "You're looking right at her." I was expecting a 1000-year-old lady whose mind was filled with ancient knowledge, not a 20-year-old who looked like she hosted witchcraft parties. "Don't be deceived." She said, almost as if she read my mind. "I am not too old unless you consider 1500 old." My mind wanted to scream: 'Of course, I consider that old?! You look like you're 20.' Again she read my mind. "Ah, yes. I do look quite well don't I? I've been the camp druid for so long. Also, my name is Cara, wonderful to meet you." She held out her hand.

"I'm Kendra, Kendra Waters."

"A daughter of Danu?"

"I guess."

"You had a sibling other than Aspen, it's a shame she died. I still remember her."

"Oh, anyways I need maps to Tír Na Anam."

"The land of souls?" I nodded. She turned around and looked at the scrolls. She pulled out an old gray scroll. "Take this, it's the map." I held the scroll in my hand, it smelled like an apothecary. "You gotta do this, you said jump?"

"I say 'how high'." I walked out feeling no different than I felt when I walked in. I did feel this was serious business now. Much more than before.

I walked to the training arena and could see Arin dueling another kid. "Arin!" The kid was the same boy who was watching me from the infirmary. "Kendra, hello. Meet Graham or Gray. He's also a recently arrived demigod." I shook his hand, he didn't seem too happy about that. "Yeah, so we're going on the quest." He laughed thinking it was a joke, when he saw I was just staring at him he realized I was legit. "Wait, are you serious?" I nodded, giving him a shrug. "That's great." He ran off to the Erin cabin shouting, "I'll be ready in 20." I went back to the Danu cabin and packed supplies. I stepped out waiting at the gate to the camp. "I'm here!" Arin came out of the shadows holding a bag. "The entrance is in Alaska." Alaska was a long way from Canada. "But first we gotta get to South Dakota to find a friend. We're going on a goddess hunt." I laughed at his pose and his choice of words. "We're going on a mom hunt." He pulled out a phone. "Can I take a selfie?"

"Haha, no." I give him a stern look.

"Sheesh, whatever."

He led me to the exit of the camp borders. The camp was hidden behind cliffs and mountains. Passing through mountains and lakes. A shield makes camp look like a normal field. "Honestly, do you miss your dad?" He was still walking down the steps towards a beat-up car. "No, not really. He died when I was 12. He was a firefighter and he was one of the people who were in the 9/11 attack. But he died a hero, I wanna die like him; as a hero." I made a silent 'o' with my mouth. "Sorry for asking." He laughed it off but I knew he was sensitive about it. "It's fine, you know how to drive?"

"I'm 14. Do you think I know how to drive?" He nodded and pulled out the keys. "You know how to drive?" He nodded and started the car. "You sure do like nodding." He nodded before laughing. "Yeah, I do like nodding. It's a simple way to say yes."

"I guess." I sat in the shotgun while he began driving. "Arin, I'll be able to go back home. Won't I?" He looked away trying to avoid the question but nodded reluctantly. "Okay. So first we need to cross the border. Don't you need consent and other stuff?" I hadn't been to Canada but I know people who have been there and they said stuff about borders. "Oh, there's a passage underground."

"Thought of everything, huh?" He nodded. "Can you say something other than nodding?" And, you guessed it, he nodded. "I mean- uh- sure. What do you want to talk about anyway?"

"Get to know each other."

"Ok, favorite song?"

"Any Taylor Swift song."

"Favorite color"

"Blue, light blue, any shade of blue."

"My favorite colors are any shade green, probably taken after my mo-" He was cut off by the car swerving off the road. "Kendra? You ok?" A sharp pain shot up my leg. "I don't think so." We'd crashed into a tree and a branch fell breaking the window. It must've hit me in my leg. "My leg hurts." I didn't even want to look down. Arin walked out, he had a few cuts on his head. "Looks like we have to drop the car."

"Do I have to look down or can I keep my head up? I hate blood."

"Nah, keep your head up." I felt cool liquid dripping down my leg. "Can I look down yet?" He bandaged my leg up. "Yeah." I looked down, the wounds were gone and beside my leg was a bottle filled with a clear liquid. "It's sap, oak tree sap. Mixed with water from Dían Cecht's Well." He put it back into his bag. "You'll be fine." I nodded and walked around the car to stretch my legs. "The passage is still a long way from now. And I don't think you can walk." He looked around in his bag, his very messy bag. I grabbed my bag and also looked around, sifting through the bag.