The Nature of a Demigod

A Much Needed Vacation

There was a built-in fireplace, crackling in the cave wall, with a pot bubbling over. It smelled like soup. I just wasn't sure what kind.

I sat up in the bed, ignoring the soreness of the muscles as I moved. My body was covered in red scars, and pink marks. Like my wounds had just really started healing.

I felt cleaner than I ever had. I looked down at myself, and saw I was wearing a plain cotton T-shirt and drawstring shorts that I knew weren't mine. I guess it's safe to say my shirt was gone forever. My feet were bare. Thankfully, my weapons were still in place around my finger and my neck.

When I tried to roll out of the bed, I immediately felt light headed, and the ground was staggeringly cold underneath my feet. I turned and saw someone standing in a doorway in front of me.

Wait... it was a mirror.

I looked like I hadn't eaten in months, which, now that i think about it... I really haven't. I'd lost some definition in my muscles, and I looked so much skinnier than I had when I last looked in a mirror in May. It was like a husk of myself.

My hair was longer still, having begun to grow past my shoulders now, but it was washed, no longer greasy and tangled, and my face was clean shaven. I turned away from the mirror. The cave entrance was to my left. I headed toward the daylight.

The cave opened up into a fresh, lush green meadow. It felt so surreal. On my left, there was a field of cedar trees, and a huge flower garden opposite. Four fountains trickled in the meadow, each spouting water from satyr statues. One kind of reminded me of Grover. Hopefully Medusa didn't come back and get him. That would suck.

Right in front of me, the grass sloped downward, to the rocky beach I heard before. The waves slapped against the stones.

The sun glittered in reflections off the water, and the sky was a shining bright blue. It felt perfect. Which immediately concerned me.

Word to the wise in a demigod's life, if something seems too good to be true, it absolutely is. Like 95% of the time. And even still, that last five is more of a margin of error than anything.

Last place I thought was perfect was a spa where a witch turned dudes into Guinea Pigs. If I became a rodent again, I'd throw myself off a building.

The girl from before, with the braided hair. Calypso, was her name. She stood at the beach, speaking with someone. I couldn't see the guy very well, but they were having a heated argument about something. Her name felt familiar, like I'd heard of it before, but I was still far too tired to really think about it.

I just hoped she wasn't a monster that ate unsuspecting guys. That's a step down from being a guinea pig, believe it or not.

I tried to walk towards her, but my knees wanted to give out. I was surprised that my leg had healed so much, but it still wasn't enough. I could feel the part where the bone was broken. When the grass changed to loose gravel, I kept my eyes on the ground, so I didn't stumble and fall.

When I looked up at Calypso again, she was quiet. She wasn't talking to anyone anymore. She wore a sleeveless white dress, with a low neck seam, trimmed in gold. Her eyes were puffy and red, like she'd just been crying.

"Well," she said, trying for a smile, "the sleeper finally wakes."

"Who was that you were talking to?" My voice sounded like a wasp in a jar. It buzzed and cracked with just about every other syllable.  "Oh... just a messenger," she said. "How do you feel?"