Chapter 5:
Erikka's P.o.v.
Coach Hedge was giving me the grand tour of the place. Everything was spectacular, from the strawberry fields to the stables (did I mention there were pegasus' in them?!). The place was straight from one of my childhood fantasies.
And yet, I couldn't enjoy it.
The whole time I kept thinking how much my mom would have loved this place. How much she would have enjoyed picking strawberries and splashing in the water. If she'd been healthy, she might have ran with the tree nymphs, or played volleyball with the saytrs. And I couldn't help thinking, if she'd been healthy I might not have to be here. I could go on thinking that Lionel Foster was my father, with Nickole Emmens-Foster as my mother. Not mom and some moldy old greek god.
When we got to the cabins, Hedge explained that each one stood for a god and there children. He pointed out minor gods and major gods, and the big three: Poseidon, Hades, and Zeus. "Hades got his cabin in here two years ago when percy saved Mt. Olympus." Coach said.
"He saved a mountain?" I asked, surprised my occasional geography class was coming in handy.
He shook his head. "No. Chiron can explain this better than I can, but something about Western civilization and Mt. Olympus is on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building." I shrugged my shoulders.
"Sounds legit."
Coach Hedge laughed before walking us to the dining pavilion. "Now this is what you've been waiting for. Lunch." My smile grew as I looked at the space I was sure would soon be filled with food. A gurgle came from my stomach causing someone to chuckle behind me.
"New camper? Sounds hungry." I turned to see a boy with curly brown and red hair, and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. At my puzzled look, he smiled a smile that promised I should watch my back for a 'kick me' sign. "The name's Travis Stoll. My brother Connor and I are the heads of the Hermes cabin. Assuming you haven't been claimed yet, you can sit with us. Hermes likes travelers."
I smiled at the offer, and he turned to the coach. "Mind if I take her from here? I will get her some supplies before lunch, and her own spot." Coach grunted out something like 'sure thing, cupcake,' but Travis was already pulling me away.
"What's your name kid?" He couldn't have been more than a year older than me and he was kind of tall.
"Uh, Rikki." I said, remembering I didn't want to hear the name Erikka anymore. At least a new name was a new start. Travis glanced at me.
"Not too shabby. I'd try and hook you up with Connor, but I'm already trying to get him with Anna." I scrunched up my eyebrows.
"Um, thanks I think?" He smiled so I guess that was the right answer. In no time at all he had led us to the Hermes cabin. Almost no one was in there except a small mousy girl and an older boy almost identical to Travis. The only difference was height. Connor was about two inches shorter.
The cabin was large enough with about ten beds packed into it. It seemed clean but I was willing to bet that the stuff was just shoved somewhere else. "Lisa, it's ok. Your mom said you can visit anytime you feel lonely after you try this place out for at least one more week." Connor said quietly to the little girl who sniffled and wiped a tear.
"Ok, Connor. Will you stay with me when I'm scared?" Connor smiled and ruffled her hair fondly.
"Of course, sport. Now get to archery to pack up. Lunch is in ten." Lisa smiled and ran past us, off to do whatever Connor could ever want. "Such a cute young mind we must corrupt. So what's up, Trav?" Connor asked, nodding in our direction.
Travis walked to a couch in the corner and plopped down. Shoving his hand down the crack, he pulled out a Butterfingers bar. My mouth began watering uncontrollably, but I reminded myself that lunch was coming. "New camper. Hasn't been claimed yet, but that will probably be taken care off at the campfire."
Connor chuckled. "You got a name?" He asked, walking over to me while sizing me up. Instead of cowering under his curious gaze, I stood up straight, taking pride in my worn out jean shorts and blue Cookie Monster shirt that I had gotten on sale at Good Will. That's ride. Good Will has sales, too.
"Rikki Foster. And I take it you're Connor, Travis' twin?" I said with as much strength as I could, my brave front when I met people. Or, most people. Leo didn't count.
Connor turned to a dresser and pulled out the bottom drawer. Grabbing sheets, a tooth brush, and half a dozen orange t-shirts from its depths, he handed them to me. "You can take any of the beds without a sheet. Except for that one." Connor said, pointing to one by a window. "That's Dave's and he's washing his. Five year olds are still allowed to wet the bed when they have nightmares. But we look out for the little ones. Most of them didn't have a choice of coming here."
"I know the feeling."
Both boys chuckled. A beeping sounded came from both of them. Glancing at their watches, Travis stood up and said, "Pick a bed. We gotta go or our cabin will kick our very nice you-know-what's." I chuckled and shoved the stuff under the top bunk of a bed near Travis and Connors.
"She's learning already!" Connor said, referring to the hiding of my new items. I laughed with them before following them out the door of the cabin, enjoying the feel of the well worn steps beneath my feet.
Travis led the way to archery, and once all of the campers were in a line, they introduced me. "This is Rikki. For now she's undetermined, but by the camp fire she will either be out for good, or another sibling. So no pranks until after the first day. She's still getting used to everything." Connor gave me an encouraging smile while the rest of the group gave me hello's and some waves.
There were about four girls and five guys, making me the tenth. Three of the group were about ten or younger, while the rest seemed to be fourteen to eighteen. Being the newest, I was last in line, standing behind Lisa who had gotten there a week before me and was claimed as soon as she crossed the boarder. She was very chatty, and very fond of Connor and Fire Boy who had apparently helped save her.
"Who saved you, Rikki?" She asked, taking my hand and swinging it between us. Lisa was only seven and a half, apparently the youngest since a girl named Annabeth.
Smiling down at her, I replied, "I don't know. Coach Hedge, I think. There might have been others, but I blacked out." Lisa gasped, so incredibly dramatic that I couldn't help but laugh. She giggled a little with me, her voice high pitched and curious in everything she did.
"I like your laugh Rikki! It's pretty." I stopped laughing and my smile slipped before I could catch it. My mom had said that whenever I accidentally laughed around her in those last weeks. She would just repeat it and ask me to laugh some more. "What's wrong?" Lisa asked, giving my hand a squeeze.
My smile painted back on as I glanced at the little girls knotted hair. "Nothing! You wanna sit by me at lunch?" She nodded vigorously.
"And Connor and Trav because they are the bestest brothers. I would sit by Fire Boy, too, who has a cool name I can never remember, but we have to sit at our own tables." I nodded, barely following her speed talk.
And then we were there, sitting down at a picnic table while our plates began filling with food. I would tell you what food it was, but I didn't know. My fork was raised to snarf it down, until Lisa grabbed my hand. "We have to give some to daddy!" My confused expression spoke volumes, so a guy at our table named Brian filled me in.
"You give the best parts of your food as an offering to the gods, usually your parent. They can't eat it, but they like the smell." I glanced at my plate. "And that's barbecue chicken, by the way." He poked his own before standing up to go in the offering line. "Tastes better than it looks, promise."
I smiled and stood up with them, taking my plate. When I was at the front of the line, I followed suit with Brian. "Look." I whispered to the wonderful smelling flames. "I don't care if you claim me, I don't care if you care about me, but I need to know that moms ok. That her soul is safe. She deserves the best." With that, I scrapped off all of my chicken into the fire.
I turned from the flames, ready to eat my delightful smelling macaroni and cheese, when I ran into someone. Have I mentioned I'm a klutz? My Mac and Cheese splattered all over them while the green beans fell on the floor. More specifically, they fell where I was stepping, making me slip and fall flat on my butt.
"Seriously? Are you blind?!" I glanced up at the figure before me. No way. Not possible. No way can I do this twice in one day. Everyone in the pavilion had fallen silent, apparently not used to the sound I his raised voice. I, however, was becoming quite used to it. Because I had just spilled my lunch all over Leo Valdez, who was glaring at me.
Again.
So the Fates do have a sense of humor.
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HI STALKERS! I love you lots :) would you guys please comment your thoughts on all of this? Thanks! ~BrieD