The Legend of Elodie Grant (Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Chapter Five

I leaned against the porch railing, my head in my hands. Brooke stood next to me, unsure of what to do.

"I know it's a lot to take in, but--"

"You're right," I interrupted, "It is a lot to take in. Dad never told me a thing. I could've been prepared for this. I could've..."

I trailed off and she looked at me with pity in her eyes. I glared at her, whirling around to face the other way. There were many things I was tolerant of, but I could not stand it when people pitied me.

"Would you like a tour?" Brooke asked awkwardly after a couple seconds of uncomfortable silence.

I nodded stiffly and jumped off the porch, leaving her to scramble in order to catch up with me. I relaxed slightly once I was on the grass. I had lost my shoes somewhere in the fight, and the cool grass felt wonderful against my bare feet.

I looked over to the side, seeing a giant field of strawberries. I shot a questioning look in Brooke's direction and she hurried to explain.

"The camp needs to get its revenue somewhere. We raise and sell strawberries." She said, "Right next to it are the pegasus stables. The children of Aphrodite usually take care of them. Just to the right of that is the armory and the Arena."

I looked at each structure as she pointed them out. She led me around the camp, pointing out everything as we went. I couldn't help but marvel at the size of this place. It was so much bigger than you would imagine, considering it could be hidden behind a hill and some strawberries.

Finally, we reached a cluster of buildings in the shape of a U. I raised an eyebrow. They were all so different for being in the same cluster.

There was one that looked like an old fishing shack, and another that looked almost solid gold. Finally, my eyes caught on a cute cottage with a grass roof.

"That one is where you will be staying." Brooke told me, noticing my line of sight. "That's Demeter's cabin."

"I have siblings in there?" I asked, frowning.

"Well, half-siblings, but yes. There are currently 10 other Demeter campers." She said, watching me out of the corner of her eye, "You'll get to know them when you go in."

I frowned at the cabin. I had lived in a cluttered apartment my whole life, so I wasn't too upset about space, but I did not want to share that space with strangers, even if they were my siblings.

"Okay, I need to go take care of some chores." Brooke said, starting to back away. "You can go ahead and get settled in. Your bags should already be inside."

She whirled around and skipped away, her hooves churning up the grass slightly. I watched her go before turning to face the cabin. I clenched my fists, nervousness taking hold of my body.

This whole day had been a whirlwind of emotions and I really just wanted to sleep. Maybe I could take a nap.

This thought motivated me enough in order to walk through the gaping doorway of the cabin. I immediately stopped three feet into the room, my mouth gaping open in wonder.

There were plants growing everywhere, both in planters and on the actual walls themselves. There was a giant skylight in the ceiling, letting in the sunlight to help the plants grow. The air was warm and dry. Various succulents were lined up on the window sills.

But, the most amazing part of the cabin was the fireflies. Fireflies flew around the ceiling, forming images and constellations. They blinked off and on, providing their own light to the room as well as projecting patterns on the walls.

"Oh! You must be the new girl!"

I tore my eyes away from the gorgeous fireflies to face the person who spoke up. Three other campers were watching me, their eyes wide. They had the same golden brown eyes as I did and I couldn't help but feel a little taken aback.

"Uh, yeah." I said, shoving my hands into my pockets, "I'm Elodie."

The girl smiled brightly, her white teeth flashing. She said, "I'm Daisy."

I smirked, but she didn't seem to notice. She turned to motion to the two boys next to her. They appeared to be twins and I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows.

"That's Brock and Evan."

I smiled at them, which they returned. They quickly returned to watering the plants around them, but Daisy wiped the dirt off her hands and hurried to my side.

"I'll show you to your stuff!" She exclaimed, her voice perky and joyous. It almost irritated me.

She led me through the maze of plants, leading me to a bed in the corner next to some sunflowers. The duffel bags Dad had hastily packed were tossed on the floor next to the bed.

"This will be your bed." She told me, "Dinner is in a couple of hours."

I smiled at Daisy to show my gratitude, and she hurried away, moving to join the twins on the other side of the room again. I didn't bother touching my bags, climbing into the bed and, almost immediately falling asleep.

I was shaken awake by Daisy a couple of hours later, just in time for dinner. I climbed to my feet, a little dazed and bleary-eyed. I stumbled, following the rest of my cabin to the platform where they ate.

I tripped a little bit and Brock caught me, chuckling. I apologized, blushing. He kept an arm out for me to grab, since I was so disoriented. Soon we were sitting at a table and a dryad was placing a plate in front of me.

It was a hamburger.

"Wait!" I exclaimed, holding out my hand. The dryad turned back to me, kicking out her hip and raising an eyebrow. I could tell she was irritated, so I quickly said, "I'm a vegetarian."

The dryad immediately smiled at me, warming up greatly when she heard this news. She whisked away my plate and it was quickly replaced by a salad.

"Sorry it's so plain." She apologized, "We don't have any vegetarian campers, except for you. We will have something more special tomorrow."

I thanked her and she whirled away, her slightly green skin flickering with shadows. I went to eat, but suddenly everyone was standing up.

"What's happening?" I asked, alarmed.

"We always sacrifice a bit of our food to the gods before we eat." Evan explained, "It's a sign of respect."

After the offerings, we all sat down and began to eat. Chatter filled the air, laughter echoing in the night. I looked down at my food, feeling slightly left out. I felt eyes on my back and whirled around, narrowing my eyes.

I met the gaze of a large, dark-skinned boy. He was glaring at me, his eyes narrowed. I could tell he was curious about me. I wondered why for a moment, but then I remembered that I kind of killed a ton of hell hounds. I'd be curious as well.

He noticed me staring at him and raised his hand, showing me his middle finger. I glared, flipping him off myself. He gaped at me on surprise, but I whirled around to focus back on my food.

I only got a couple of bites in, though, before everyone was standing up again. I frowned and didn't even bother to ask before rising to my feet.

"What's going on?" I asked Brock, following the crowd.

He turned to me, a wicked grin on his face. I raised my eyebrow curiously.

"It's time for the campfire!"