Daughter of Poseidon

Chapter 2

Waking up was a process. I could feel new aches and pains where I hadn't in my previous bout of consciousness. My head was still throbbing but much less intensely and the injury on my ankle was almost nonexistent, but my whole body ached from the beating I took from the waves. I could only hope that my mother wasn't nearby. If I had to choose to hear one of her lectures or choose to let the ocean pummel me again, I'd pick the ocean. Slowly, I opened my eyes to access the damage and my location. The room was made of white cloth, and my skin was made up of black and blue. Where the hell was I?

"Hey, sleepyhead. Don't move too quickly, the nectar is still working on those nasty bruises." came a gentle voice from my right side. Why did he sound familiar? I turned to him and immediately knew that he wasn't a nurse. He was slightly older than me with a bizarre outfit on. Certainly a nurse would not be wearing armor and a helmet!?

"Nectar? Where am I? Who are you?" I demanded, voice ragged from the saltwater.

"My name is Sam Thurston, son of Apollo. You're safe here at Camp Half-blood. What's your name?" he half explained, pushing his dark hair out of his shockingly blue eyes. He was the one who found me on the beach!

"Grace Lockwood. What's a half-blood? And what's nectar, some kind of drug?" were my next questions. I was only getting more confused.

"It's the name of someone who is half human and half Greek god. Nectar is the drink of the gods. We use it to heal stuff." Sam answered seriously.

I frowned, "Greek god? Is that why you said something about Apollo?"

"Yeah! He's my father."

"Right, well can Apollo make sure my mom stays out of the hospital? I don't want to see her." I sighed, remembering the argument I had before all this.

"It's not a joke. Greek mythology isn't actually myth. It's very, very real. Here, let me give the welcoming speech. It'll help you out. Oh, and drink this while I do." he said, handing me a tall glass of golden liquid with a straw.

"Okay?" I took the drink, unsure about where this was going. Had I been kidnapped while I was passed out?

"Okay, so, this camp is special. It's home to people like us, generally kids and teens. We are the children of one human and a Greek god or goddess. Hence the term half-blood, or demigod if you want to get fancy. All of those stories you learned in school are real. Each camper is separated by their godly parent. For instance, I'm a son of Apollo so I stay in the Apollo Cabin. We're all supposed to get claimed at thirteen. You, since you're clearly undetermined, will be staying in the Hermes cabin. He takes those who are lost, and gives them a home. You mentioned your mother, so I assume your godly parent is your father. And before you start, you can't deny that you aren't a half-blood. You wouldn't be able to find the camp if you weren't. Mortals are barred from crossing the enchanted border. It protects us from the monsters, both human and otherwise. Trust me, you belong here." he explained quickly and efficiently. Sam said it with such certainty that I almost believed him.

"I...I don't even know what to say. How can this be real?  If I was claimed at thirteen, don't you think I would have noticed! How do I know you're not just some weirdo who kidnapped an injured girl off the beach?! There's no way what you're saying is real." I demanded as harshly as my scratchy throat would allow.

"How old are you?"

"I'm sixteen." you snapped, frustrated.

"Hmm, same age as me. Drink that. It's magical. It'll taste like something you love. When I drink nectar, it tastes like the chocolate milk my mom made me as a kid." Sam said simply.

I thought about this for a moment. If he was trying to drug me, he wouldn't have waited until I was awake. It wouldn't make any sense to let me wake up first. Besides, even if he was lying I wasn't in a position to try and escape. Taking a massive risk, I took a sip.

Instantly, I was transported back to my childhood. I had won a contest at school for making a miniature nature display (it was of a waterfall), and my mother spontaneously decided to bake a chocolate cake from scratch to celebrate. It wasn't the best cake I'd ever had, but it was from my mom. The week after that she landed her largest shoot yet, and she gave up on trying to be a decent parent entirely. Why be a mom when she could be on the cover of some magazine, right? It was such a profound memory that I began to tear up.

"What is it?" Sam asked gently.

"It tastes like chocolate cake. One my mom made for me when I was little." I whispered, unsure why I was telling him but unable to hold it back.

Sam nodded, "Do you believe me now? Our world is magical, Grace. You're one of us."

"Maybe. But there's still more that I don't understand." I blinked away the tears that had threatened to fall and took another sip of the drink. I began to notice that some of the pain in my head had disappeared and that my bruises were turning yellow. Was this real?

"Ask away."

"Where exactly is this camp? Wouldn't it be on a map somewhere? I've never seen it, and I've lived here for two years." I began, finding that my throat had healed significantly.

Sam explained for me, "It's part of the enchantment for our safety. On the outside, it just looks like a strawberry farm in the middle of a valley. It's not on a map, but if it helps we're technically on the North side of Long Island."

"Huh. I didn't think I was anywhere near here. I was trying to surf a stupidly big wave." I frowned again. It didn't add up.

"Oh, we know. The leash had to be cut off your ankle. Any more thrashing, and you might have lost a foot." he grimaced. Now that he mentioned it, I could see a fading line along the skin where the wound used to be.

I shuddered and then took a large drink of nectar, "Glad I was out for that bit."

He gave me a sympathetic look before changing the subject, "Don't take this the wrong way, but were you diagnosed with ADHD or Dyslexia? I was diagnosed with ADHD. It's another demigod attribute labeled with a human's guess. The doctors think that that's the reason we're impulsive and stuff. In fact, each one of us is hardwired to fight and have fast reflexes, and mortals diagnose us with something to make up for the fact that we're different. Oh, and if reading is hard for you, it's because we're also born to read ancient Greek. Is this ringing any bells?"

I stared at him in shock, "Are you serious?! I was diagnosed with ADHD, too! Is that really what it is? It would explain a lot. I can't focus that well in school, which is actually what my mom and I were arguing about before I went surfing. She pulled me out of school to be taught at home instead. She thinks it's embarrassing for her that my grades were so bad."

"Ouch. That's a low blow from your own mom." Sam winced.

"Tell me about it. She's got an ego the size of her chest. She's got this whole Hollywood starlet act all the time where she thinks the world revolves around her because she's a semi-popular model. The nanny she hired back in Los Angeles was more of a mom to me than she ever was. Her name was Claire. She stayed in California when we moved here because my mom said I outgrew her. But it's not like my mom ever came back. Fame sucked out her soul." I rattled on, realizing that I was beginning to trust Sam. He seemed like he genuinely cared about me.

"Well, I can't make your mom come around on how cool of a daughter she has, but I can be your friend. You deserve a chance at a happier life, one where you know exactly who you are and what you're capable of. And one where the people around you recognize that." he stated, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze.

"Wow, thank you. No one has ever said something like that to me before." I got out, tears finally spilling down my face.

"Get used to it. Now finish up your drink, I've gotta introduce you to Chiron." Sam gave me a smile.

I asked, "Who is that?"

"A very old centaur who runs things around here." Sam chuckled.

"A what!?"