Son of the Huntress

Chapter Two: Growing Up

A New Friend

It had taken Harry a couple weeks before he had gotten used to the constant buzz at Camp Half-Blood. Kids of all ages walked around wearing t-shirts colored the brightest orange Harry has ever seen on clothes, various weapons strapped to each one of their backs. They all did activities that Chiron wouldn’t let him do because he was “too young.” And every time Harry would stop and watch the older kids they would stop as well and start whispering. 

“That’s him.” 

“Son of Artemis.” 

“What a freak.” 

That one always stung, reminding him of the family he had escaped not two weeks ago. He had run back to his cabin and cried for the umpteenth time since he arrived, wishing that the woman who said she was his mother had taken him with her. 

It was minutes before he heard a knock at the door. Expecting it to be Thalia or Annabeth coming, Harry stumbled out of his bed and to the door, opening it to reveal a girl his age. 

“Hi!” She said brightly, “My name’s Lou Ellen, daughter of Hecate, but you can call me Lou. You’re Harry, right?” 

Harry shied away slightly, “You’re not here to make fun of me too, are you?” 

The girl cocked her head in confusion, “Why would I make fun of you?”

He looked down at his shoes, “Because I’m a freak.” 

“Of course, you are, silly,” The girl giggled, “This whole camp is a place for freaks, it’d be stupid if we all made fun of each other for it.” 

Harry looked up with hope in his big green eyes, “Really?” 

“Yep!” Said Lou, “I wouldn’t want to make fun of you in any way, you’re the only kid here that’s the same age as me, so that means we’re friends!” 

Harry gave the girl a bright grin, “Cool! I’ve never had a friend before!”

“Neither have I!” The girl said, smiling just as bright as she grabbed his hand, “C’mon, we have a lot to explore, and I want my brothers and sisters to meet my new best friend!”

And that was the beginning of an unbreakable friendship that would last forever. 

The Necklace: 

The one gift Harry has ever gotten was the arrowhead necklace given to him by his mother, Artemis. 

Everyone kept telling him that it wasn't just any necklace, that it had some kind of magic that would protect him for as long as he had it. But the more he tried to figure it out, the more doubt he had that the necklace really was magical and really just some cool jewelry. 

That is, until the day Harry met the newest bully; Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares and an all-around pain. 

Harry has been at Camp Half-Blood for a little over a year. Now six years old, Chiron had finally let him start on weapons training to find out what he was good at. Bow and arrow seemed like the obvious choice, but every bow his cousins in the Apollo cabin put into his hands never felt...right. 

So, every time he drew back the bow the arrow would miss by a few feet or go in the opposite direction. Most of the older demigods just chalked it up to him being too young and inexperienced, and that would make sense if the arrow didn’t occasionally land behind him when he wasn’t pointing the bow that way.