Chapter 2: I Meet "Apollo" and Eat Golden Brownies
"Move it, freak," a voice sneered behind me. Against my own will, my head snapped backwards to meet the mocking eyes of her.
I knew it was a dream even before I heard her voice. It was the way everything blended together, and how everything seemed to leave faint trails behind them like a glitchy movie or whatnot. Sounds were muffled and indistinct, though still audible and comprehendible. I wondered what had happened to me - the last thing I remembered was touching the silvery flames and blacking out, right after I saw the winged silhouette.
Natasha's smirking face came into focus and I mentally groaned. I probably would've done it out loud if I could, but I seemed to be trapped inside the body and I was doing nothing but relive the scene.
I leaned against my locker tiredly. "What do you want, Robinson?"
That hit a nerve. Her jaw tightened and her face contorted to a look a fury, before going back to the smirk. Behind her, her little gang of friends shifted uncomfortably, as if sensing a fight as one would sense a storm brewing.
"Don't call me 'Robinson' if you want to keep your life," she growled at me, though we both knew the threat was useless. The most Natasha could do was spread more rumours about me. Fighting, she wasn't good at. The last time she attacked me, she had freaked out about getting her makeup smeared.
Somehow - it was hard to believe- I had been best friends with her during elementary. Of course, back then, her hair had been brown instead of bleached blonde, and mascara and eyeliner and foundation didn't take up fifty percent of her face. She also hadn't been led astray by bad friends and influences. Now, in high school...well, a lot had changed. Her parents had divorced, and she refused to keep her dad's last name: Robinson. It hadn't been changed legally, but her friends and practically everyone in the school called her by her mother's last name, Young. One who referred to her as 'Robinson' or 'Natasha Robinson' was somebody who didn't value their social life.
It was odd how friends could turn into such bitter enemies. She hated me, I hated her. It hadn't always been like this - but my popularity had dropped while hers had risen. It hadn't been the only reason. I might've even been at the top of the food chain at school with her if I hadn't been seemed crazy by the rest of the kids. But I wasn't crazy, and I was sure of what I saw. I was sure when I saw one of the teachers grow fangs. When what looked like a cross between a leopard and a serpent had slivered into the equipment room in the gym. I had seen all of that with my own eyes - is wasn't my fault other couldn't see, and I was sure I had seen it. One event after another, Natasha had decided that being friends with me was a blow to her popularity. One summer later, she had stopped speaking to me, or at least as friends. Now, she spoke to me often, but there wasn't a sentence aimed at me that wasn't meant to hurt or kill. I often wondered why she had to pick on me especially - out of all people.
I took my time gathering binders and textbooks out of my locker before turning to face her again. "Your makeup is irritating my allergies," I said, ignoring her sentence from before. "Funny, I don't think it's makeup - I think I'm actually allergic to you. So can you go away before I break into a rash?" With extra effect, I added, "Robinson." I was probably asking for it, but I was in no mood for Natasha at the moment and it felt good to make her squirm, even if there would be consequences.
She had regained her composure, but there was still an angry glimmer behind her eyes. The anger intensified when I added her old last name. "That's my dad's last name," she said. "And I don't go by that anymore. But two can play the game, Hunt. At least I have a dad."
It took all my willpower not to stumble back - I actually might've, if my back hadn't been pressed against the lockers. First surprise, then confusion, then horror rose, crashing down on me like a fifty foot wave. The effect on Natasha was instantaneous. The grin on her face stretched wider, if possible, her arms lifting to her hips as she stared down at me, making me feel impossibly small. "Tell me, where's your dad, and I'll let you call me by 'Robinson,'" she said. "You don't have one, do you?"
I hoped my voice wasn't trembling, but I had a bad feeling it was. "Everybody has a dad," I stated weakly, all the fight going out of me like air out of a deflating balloon. "You can't just, not have a dad."
Taking her right hand off her hip, Natasha draped one arm across my shoulders. I almost dropped my binders. She led me down the hall forcefully, waving at a few guys she passed, blowing two kisses at two others I didn't recognize. The scent of Natasha's perfume made me want to sneeze - why did people find it necessary to smell like a bush of roses everyday? "You get what I mean," she laughed. "You never knew your dad. Your mom probably hooked up with another guy and the condom broke or something." she laughed. "She probably hates you. Surprised she didn't go for abortion. I would've had. Then again, she didn't know she would get you."
"My mom is not a slut," I spat out. To calm myself down, I counted one small blessing: at least she was wrong about my mom part, both of them. I had a good relationship with my mother, which was more than Natasha could say. She had a disliking for both her parents, but she had chosen her mom's side. But it wasn't enough, I still hadn't gotten over the shock. How did Natasha know anything about my parents? True, I never knew my dad, but no matter how much I asked my mom about him, she would smile and shake her head. It had been that way since I was four, and eventually, I had given up trying. As far as I knew, he could've died, left us, anything. The only I knew was his name started with an E: mom had a necklace around her neck she always wore, an emerald with "E" carved into it.
"Oh, sweetie," Natasha cooed. Honey was spread over a double edged blade dripping with venom. "Keep telling yourself that! At least you won't end up like your mom. I don't know if anybody would want to sleep with you."
With that, she tossed her hair and left. The relief and fresh air from her perfume was overwhelming, but I didn't dwell on it. Already, the world felt like it was crashing down on me, and I felt like I was feeling the unfairness ten times over. I blinked away tears and repeated over and over to myself not to cry.
One of Natasha's friends brushed past me. Cathryn. She gave me a sincerely sympathetic look, as if to say sorry, then opened her mouth to say something. I remembered clearly what she said: "Don't take her words to heart."
Instead, the words that came out was strangely in a guy's voice.
"Wake up, Clara."
***
The first thing I was aware of was the empty kind of pain in my stomach. Then, my eyes slowly peeled open and the blinding light was the next thing that my mind digested. Then, my vision began to clear and I saw the blonde boy.
It was a cheery looking guy, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a blue t-shirt and Bermuda shorts. And flip flops. He had a laid back look to him, but there was a spark in his eyes. I scanned the room, trying to make sense to it. It seemed to be some kind of infirmary, with white moveable beds and shelves of what was probably medicine.
"Wh-what?" I still felt groggy. I tried to grasp at what happened. Why did my stomach hurt so much? "Who are you?"
The boy grinned at me. He had a slight dimple on his left cheek. "I'm Apollo," he said, then frowned. "Wait. You're new. Never mind. I'm Will, Will Solace."
I had never heard of a Will Solace, but I tried to nod politely. Besides, it felt odd that someone talked to nicely to me for once, talked to me like I was human. The incident at the schooling grade nine - everyone believed it was my doing, and now half of them were convinced I was some kind of witch that had tried to burn down the school. This time, the silver flames, well...
"There was a guy," I said, still kind of hazy. "Angel."
Will raised an eyebrow. "Di Angelo? Yeah, Nico."
Memories came rushing back to me. Touching the silver fire, blacking out. Nico breaking the window, telling me to jump. I had no time to jump before I had passed out. Nico. What had happened to him? If my hesitation had cost him his life...then I didn't know what to say or think.
"Is he alright?" I asked.
"Yeah!" Will said cheerily. "He broke an arm jumping off the second story and supporting you, but he's perfectly fine now. It took only three days for doses of ambrosia to heal. He brought you to camp. He may be in his cabin right now, I'm not sure."
"Camp? Cabin?"
Will frowned. "Oh. Yeah, you're new. I keep on forgetting. This is Camp Half Blood, where demigods stay. You're a demigod!"
I tried to make sense of what Will was saying, but it was rather hard. Camp Half Blood? Why was I at some sort of camp? And why was everyone calling me 'demigod?' First Nico, now will. "How long was I out?"
Will handed me a square of golden stuff. It looked kind of like a brownie. "Eat it while I explain," he said. "Don't eat it too fast, you might spontaneously combust if you do. Even if you're hungry, which you probably are." Normally, I was all against accepting food from strangers, but my stomach was so empty that I had to. I was half doubting about the spontaneously combust part, but I decided to take Will's word for it. After all, I had been chased by silver fire, so what wasn't possible? I took a small bite of the brownie. Taste exploded into my mouth - why did it taste like my mom's homemade apple pie? Not only that, but the aching in my stomach began to get duller and duller. Will Solace continued speaking. "You were unconscious for maybe four days. Nico left the infirmary yesterday. Thankfully Brooklyn isn't far from here or Nico would've never managed the shadow travel to here. He might've zapped both of you into eternal shadow, and that wouldn't be good."
"Uh," I said. "No. Anyways, could I please get an explanation?"
Will frowned, as if just realizing that I had absolutely no idea what was going on. "Oh," he said. "Yeah, that. I keep on forgetting. Sorry. Anyways, as I was saying, you're a demigod! Welcome to Camp Half Blood."
I decided it was politer not to point out that that didn't make any sense either, so instead, I nodded and took another small bite of the golden brownie. I figured there were weirder things than the fact that it tasted exactly like my mom's apple pie, and that it was golden.
Will stayed quiet as I ate the brownie slowly. It spread a tingly, comfortable feeling into my body and straight into my bones. My head stopped pounding. My mind drifted to peacefulness. My breathing evened out into a steady rhythm.
When I finally finished my brownie, Will didn't waste a moment. He handed me a napkin, which was totally unnecessary, and gestured me to stand up. "We're going to the Big House," he said. "Chiron would like to see you."
He paused.
"He's also a centaur," he added. Then, said cheerily, "Don't faint!"
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Author note: Hey guys, it's Jamie! Just a quick note here, I republished Fading Angel. Heart27 and I will be writing it together still, though it's published on my account. Sorry for the crappy chapter title XD