Children of Olympus

beta - The Camp

Wanderlust. Hyejeong could still not believe that she chose her desire over her family and friends. During the first twenty minutes of the drive she thought about her little brother, her friends. She didn't even get to bid him goodbye properly since he was half asleep when she told him she would be leaving for a while and to behave well while she was gone. But the boy had only nodded and replied with a quiet 'ok' and let himself fall on the soft bed again. She wondered how he would react once he woke up and realize that his sister was gone. Were their parents going to tell him the truth? Or would they make up a story? Then she thought about her friends and how she only sent them a short text telling them that she would be leaving the city for a while.

The car ride was awfully long. Carystus sat behind the wheel while Pamphilos sat next to him with a map in his hands. The radio played in the car, its soft sounds alluring the girl in the back into a light slumber. Hyejeong rested her head against the cold window and felt her eyelids getting heavier and heavier. She had never been a morning person, she preferred the night way more. As Carystus was focused on the road, he noticed Hyejeong had been quiet ever since they started their journey and took a look in the driving mirror only to find her contently sleeping. He lips were slightly parted, a small part of the window being fogged by her breath, and her cardigan wrapped tightly against her body. Once Hyejeong opened her eyes again, she rubbed the sleep in them away and massaged her strained neck due the position in which she fell asleep. They were no longer in a city nor a freeway. Carystus had taken them on a country road, there wasn't anything but fields and a few trees in sight. "Are we almost there?", her drowsy voice caught the men's attention. She looked at her watch, two hours had already passed. Meanwhile, the satyr took a glimpse at his map and eyed the surrounding before answering, "Yeah, it will only take another half an hour until we are there." Hyejeong let out a small sigh and prepped her hand under her chin, watching the scenery pass by. Carystus then asked if she had slept well. She only hummed in response. This time the man decided to ask more questions, more personal. Like how she was feeling and how her life used to be before it was intruded by them.

Soon the empty fields and lonely trees were left behind; a few bushes and single trees turned into a thick forest with large trees and a rocky road. Hyejeong wasn't even sure if it was negotiable. The further they drove, the thicker the forest became. It was dark, the sky was hidden by the trees and their crowns. Only a small bundle of light fought its way through the gaps of the large leaves. The teenager watched the trees flitting past them with a small portion excitement suddenly kicking in. Although they were driving in a decent speed, it felt like a rollercoaster racing towards the ground for Hyejeong in that moment. Suddenly there was an invisible, strong force piercing through her body. Every muscle of her tensed up, for a split second it felt like she was being pulled in every direction at once. It didn't hurt, though. The two men in the front felt the force, too, but it didn't leave such an impact on them anymore since it wasn't their first time crossing the barrier to another world. Her heartbeat increased and thumped against her ribcage, feeling the adrenaline right up to the fingertips. Carystus and Pamphilos turned their heads towards the girl to check up on her who just flashed them a bright smile.

Just then the forest was clearing again. Hyejeong could see the bold blue of the cloudless sky and the bright midday sun again. Before the car had entered the forest, it had been gloomy and seemed to rain any moment but there was no trace of the early spring weather left on the the other side. Her eyes sparkled with admiration and excitement, just like a little child getting a huge lollipop. Trees were dancing gracefully in the balmy wind, looking like they were waving at them. The green grass and colorful flowers growing on the margin of the path seemed to glow in the bright sun.

Not long after the thick forest, the car stopped in front of a wooden sign hanging on a large tree. The Camp. "We are here.", Carystus' deep voice exclaimed. Once all of them exited the car, Hyejeong stretched her limbs, letting some of her joints creak. She inhaled the sweet, flowery scented air, providing her blood circulation with fresh oxygen. Then the trio followed the path past the sign and the large tree towards the camp. As soon as they set a foot on the camp's ground, Carystus' true form was revealed. Hyejeong watched with widened eyes the man in front of her transforming. His washed-out denim jeans disappeared as his lower back grew backward until another pair of of legs and shiny, hazel fur emerged from his extended back. His hooves clopped against the ground, happy to be able to use his real legs freely again. "Ah, pardon me", the centaur chuckled at Hyejeong's surprised face, "I should have warned you beforehand."