Camp Half-Blood

I Meet The Family

"What is all this.... MATT!" A girl yelled walking into the cabin and tripping on a stack of sheet music. 

I was still in the middle of unpacking so she startled me and I jumped, knocking into a stack of novels which knocked into a box of props, which knocked into an electric piano, and sent everything tumbling to the ground.

"Oh my gosh! Are you OK?" The girl asked walking over to me and helping me up from where I lay, strewn on the floor.

"I'm fine." I insisted. "Just a little startled." 

"Dale! There you are! Be careful where you step, I'm reorganizing. That's Kaire by the way-OHMI GOSHWHATHAPPENED?" Matt asked as he came back from the upstairs room.

"Careful where you step? Could have told me that a little EARLIER." Dale growled.

She was a pretty girl with long golden blond hair that she tired back into a ponytail, out of her green eyes. She was tall. Taller than me by about 5 inches and I'm 5'5. She was also well muscled and carried herself with a sort of pride. I felt puny standing next to her. 

"You really need to learn to organize in a more... organized fashion. You know, Books over here, Sheet music there, where people don't trip on it and nearly twist their ankle!" She said fixing her tunic like shirt. 

"You need to learn to loosen up!" Matt replied handing her something that looked like a bow. Like, A bow you use to shoot arrows with, not the kind that goes in your hair. 

"I'm still trying to get sent on a quest and you're telling me to loosen up! How could you possibly know what I need? Shadow and I have been training and training for this and we still aren't good enough! All we can do now is train more! All you do is sit around here playing with the instruments and 'reorganizing'." She spat.

"No, I write plays." Matt said, somewhat solemly. "If you really  want to go on a quest you need to talk to the Oracle, not just train. And sometimes to much training can be a bad thing. You'll wear yourself down."

"Whatever." Dale answered walking over to her bunk. "I just came to get a new bow. I broke the string on this one."

"So... You like shooting arrows?" I asked trying to get a conversation going. 

If I was going to be with these people for the whole summer I might as well get to know them.

Dale nodded and then looked at me expectantly, asking if I wanted to come along.

"You can meet Shadow! Besides you're my little sister. It would be shameful if I didn't teach you how to shoot a proper arrow."  She said and dragged me after her before I could answer.

When we got to the court I saw a boy who looked somewhere between my age and Dale's. I figured he was Shadow.

"Come on! You can use Shadow's bow since mine is a bit to big for you." Dale said dragging me over to him.

Shadow was a lot like his name. Tall, with jet black hair and silver eyes. He wore a black shirt, a pair of heavily chained skinny jeans, and black skate boarding shoes. A single ear bud hung down from his neck and the other was in his ear, blasting some kind of screamo music. It was a wonder he didn't go deaf. Something glinted in the sun light and I noticed a tiger eye necklace hanging from his neck.

"Hey Dale... Who's this? I thought you were only getting a new bow.... not picking up a little kid." He said in a mellow tone.

"This is Kaire and she just so happens to be our sister. Now be nice." Dale said glaring at him.

"Chill. I was just wondering. Our sister huh? Well, Nice to meet ya. I'm Shadow. Here to try out your shooting skills?" He said looking over at me.

"I guess. Dale just kind of dragged me here." I answered. 

"Here, use my bow. Dale's is to big even for me. " He said handing me his bow and an arrow. "Now Put the arrow in like this.... and pull back. Keep your elbow down and level with your shoulder. Good. Now aim.... and... Release!"

The arrow went straight into the bull's eye and I looked over at Shadow in disbelief.

"Begineer's luck." He said simply, taking his hands away  from my hand and elbow.

"Come on. You know it's because you were helping her. Let her try it by herself." Dale said handing me another arrow.

I took it and put it on the string as Shadow had shown me then pulled back hard. Something about the way the bow felt in my hands felt familiar. Almost like it was supposed to be there. I took aim, aiming at the center of the bull's eyes then let go of the string, feeling it snap back into place and launching the arrow. It felt amazing. I watched my arrow fly and then arch towards the target. It didn't hit bull's eye, but it hit just outside of it on the left side. Even though I hadn't shot a bull's eye I was still proud of myself.

Dale cheered for me and came up, crushing me in a hug, while Shadow grinned and went over to retrieve the arrow.

"That was awesome!" She said jumping up and down with me. "It took me at least three tries to get anywhere near the bull's eye! You're a natural! " 

"Good job. We'll have you shooting like a pro in no time. Maybe even training to go on a quest like us." Shadow commented.

"Matt said you had to go to the Oracle before you were sent on a quest. Why haven't you?" I asked as I handed the bow back. 

"Withered old ladies that look like mummies can't possibly tell us if we can go on a quest or not. That and Dale's scared of her." Shadow explained.

"I'm NOT!" Dale protested. "Anyways, We aren't satisfide with waiting for a dead thing to come and tell us what to do."

I nodded but somehow I felt that they needed to do what Matt said. Talk to the Oracle.