Lazily, the limber blond let herself fall to the top step of the Big House porch. Her trunk and backpack behind her. She'd managed to hitchhike most of the way here from Kentucky, so getting the trunk along wasn't hard for the most part. Until she had to walk across the Virginia state line. But she soon got picked up again. But now she was here. Sitting on the porch of Camp Half-Blood, waiting for a centaur to finish her paperwork.
Yes, that's right, a centaur. She couldn't believe it either. She'd made her way here on a whim and an angry slice of information from her father. but her father had never lied to her, about anything. He never kept any secrets. Except for her being a demi-goddess, that was a pretty big one. The only thing that kept running through her mind was that he could have lied, and she could have been lost out on the East Coast. But he didn't. And she really was a demi-goddess. How cool.
"Miss Arabella Charles."
"Bell."
Chiron, as he'd introduced himself as before, trotted up behind her. "Bell." He had a smile in his voice, Bell didn't look. "Until your..." He thought for a moment. "Mother, I suppose, claims you, you'll be bunked in Cabin Thirteen. That's the Hermes cabin. Makes sense to put new campers there, you know, since he's the God of Travelers." Bell nodded. "Settle yourself in. You can't miss the cabin, it's the largest. You'll fall into routine soon enough."
With that, Bell was yet again dragging her trunk as she walked to her new home. She nudged open the door and a silence fell, then quickly started up again as the campers realized she wasn't who they were talking about. Finding an empty bunk, Bell pushed her trunk against the foot of the bed double checked the lock. She figured it wouldn't keep these kids out, since most of them belonged to the God of Thieves. But she had nothing of value in her trunk; just clothes, old, tattered clothes. Everything of value was in her over-the-shoulder bag that didn't leave her side.
She didn't stay for chit chat, she danced out of the cabin, taking in the cool late-spring air. The end of May, soon summer would close in. She needed to start her garden now. Chiron said she could attempt to plant in the forest if she wanted to, but there was no guarantee it'd live. She figured she could try anyway.
Wandering into the trees, Bell walked for awhile, her moccasins wearing small tread in the loose top soil and her knee-length skirt billowing with the slight wind. The trees lightened up and let into an opening, the creek. Chiron had mentioned it. Thoughts pummeled her head as ideas for ways to redirect some of the flow to an area for her garden. A misty shape formed and a slender woman formed from the creek, standing firmly atop the rushing water. "You can just leave my creek alone. You campers mess it up enough with your stupid Capture the Flag games." Then she fell as water back into the creek.
With a sigh, disappeared back into the trees. Heading towards Camp. She'd look again after she'd managed to eat something. Something caught her eye, she wasn't entirely sure on what said something was, but she wanted to follow it. Ducking off the hardly-worn trail, Bell found herself on a narrow path, possibly worn by one of the many camp dryads. The path thickened at a large pecan tree, it appeared to be at least a hundred years old, thick around the trunk.
"You wish to see my love, Willow? how can I be sure you're not here to harm her?" The old dryad melded from the tree, his hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and his eyes were a dark mahogany color.
"I just stumbled onto this path. Believe me, I couldn't hurt a fly. I'm too in tune with nature."
The dryad seemed to inspect her for a long moment, accessing her honesty. "What is your name, young half-blood?"
"Bell. You can just call me Bell." She smiled sweetly as she shifted her shoulder bag.
"You have your warning, Bell. Fear Mother Nature."
"I don't fear what I love. I respect it." With that, she stepped around the pecan tree, pushed through two bushes, waking those nature spirits as she did so, and finding herself in an open clearing. On one end, opposite Bell, spread a small pond, large enough for a few wild koi and a naiad to take up residence. Above it hung a large weeping willow, it's dryad sat at the edge of the water, aged and beautiful.
She looked up with cool brown eyes. "My love let you pass." She stood, nimble, tall, perfect. "What is your name, demi-goddess?"
Bell smiled again, slipped her feet free of the moccasins and stepped onto the soft grass. "Bell."
"Lovely to meet you Bell. I am Willow. This is my tree. And this clearing is where I roam." She gestured, her eyes were soft, mother-like.
"It's beautiful."
"Why have you come here?"
"I was looking for a place to plant my garden. I just arrived at Camp Half-Blood and I wanted to get my garden going, it isn't too late." Bell looked around herself some more, taking in the empty round clearing, the small dose of sun that spilled in through the treetops around her. "I saw a trail off the path I was on and followed it. It brought me here."
"You can not just find this place. It has to be shown to you. Lady Demeter must have wanted you to find me. To find my clearing." Willow didn't venture far from her tree, maybe because she was older she couldn't be far from it. "She must have wanted you to plant your garden here. Are you one of her children?"
Bell looked at her feet, shuffling the bare skin against the smooth grass, "I don't know. I haven't been claimed yet."
"You will know soon enough, young one. Maybe it would help to plant your garden in such a sacred place. It might catch the god's attention." Willow smiled tenderly.
Bell looked up shyly, "That's kind of you."
"I am a willow, Bell, a mother tree. Kindness is all I have." She smiled again. "Be wise with who you show such a place. Once you lead them here, they may enter whenever. Meaning they could destroy me if they felt the need to poison this environment."
"I'm all about preserving the wild."
"I wish the satyrs were more like you."
With that, Bell began her project. She used her hands to upturn the grass and loosen the soil a few inches down. Her garden was in front of the willow, almost like a barrier against those who entered. She planted a variety of things. Seeds she pulled from her bag; which had finally been removed from her shoulder and placed on the ground. She planted a wide variety of vegetables; a few pumpkins, some chives, garlic, onions, green beans, peas, and tomatoes. The middle section was filled with perennial flowers; Black-Eyed Susans, Day Lilies, Coneflowers, Poppy, Thistle, Sunflowers of various varieties, and Daisies. Then the last section consisted of a variety of things; Catnip, Basil, Chrysanthemum, Graffiti, and Forget-Me-Not.
By the time Bell finally stopped working, she realized it was getting dark. She had to have been out here for hours, because she had arrived mid-morning. Willow was basking in the fading sunlight just outside the spray of her leaves, seeming content and relaxed. Brushing her hands off, Bell managed to get most of the dirt off. She didn't bother tagging her seeds, she knew what was what, even when it was just sprouting. With a sigh, Bell gathered her things back into her bag and stood.
Willow's eyes danced open and she turned her head to watch Bell as she put her shoes back on. "Your garden is safe here. Thank you for being my company for the day. I look forward to more visits."
Bell smiled, "Thank you, Willow. It was generous of you."
"Anything for someone like you." She winked and vanished.
With a shrug, Bell found the trail she'd come in on and rustled the two nature spirits awake again. She passed the pecan tree again and he huffed as she disappeared down the small trail. Soon, she was back on the main trail. She turned back, but the trail she'd just emerged from was gone. Willow had said she could only find it when it was shown to her. She shouldered her bag again and quickly made her way down the trail. Adjusting her bandanna and wiping the sweat from her forehead, Bell found herself back in Camp, just in time for dinner.
Landing herself in the dining pavilion just as Chiron had begun to speak, Bell took a seat at one of the two Hermes tables, glancing around the large pavilion. She took in all the different faces, the dozens of faces. How they were all sorted neatly into tables. Some larger than others, some housing only one resident. Most tables looked alike. Most of the Aphrodite children had blond-red hair with blue-green eyes and were stunning. The Apollo all sun-tanned and bleached teeth. The Demeter's dark-haired, sun-kissed, and smudged with a bit of dirt from their greenhouse-like cabin. The Ares all black-haired and angry looking. The Athena's all blond hair and stony-grey eyes.
Soon, dinner was about in its usual routine, and over in a flash. Then the head table rose and lead the rest of the Camp to the camp fire. There seemed to be a natural precession, that Bell didn't catch on to. She managed to lose her cabin and get hung up with Ares in front of her and Athena behind her. The camp fire went about quickly and passed and they were released for some recreation time. Bell didn't know a face, didn't know a name, Bell didn't even know who her mother was. Loneliness was a terrible tragedy. Friends would come to her in odd ways, that she was sure of.
Yes, that's right, a centaur. She couldn't believe it either. She'd made her way here on a whim and an angry slice of information from her father. but her father had never lied to her, about anything. He never kept any secrets. Except for her being a demi-goddess, that was a pretty big one. The only thing that kept running through her mind was that he could have lied, and she could have been lost out on the East Coast. But he didn't. And she really was a demi-goddess. How cool.
"Miss Arabella Charles."
"Bell."
Chiron, as he'd introduced himself as before, trotted up behind her. "Bell." He had a smile in his voice, Bell didn't look. "Until your..." He thought for a moment. "Mother, I suppose, claims you, you'll be bunked in Cabin Thirteen. That's the Hermes cabin. Makes sense to put new campers there, you know, since he's the God of Travelers." Bell nodded. "Settle yourself in. You can't miss the cabin, it's the largest. You'll fall into routine soon enough."
With that, Bell was yet again dragging her trunk as she walked to her new home. She nudged open the door and a silence fell, then quickly started up again as the campers realized she wasn't who they were talking about. Finding an empty bunk, Bell pushed her trunk against the foot of the bed double checked the lock. She figured it wouldn't keep these kids out, since most of them belonged to the God of Thieves. But she had nothing of value in her trunk; just clothes, old, tattered clothes. Everything of value was in her over-the-shoulder bag that didn't leave her side.
She didn't stay for chit chat, she danced out of the cabin, taking in the cool late-spring air. The end of May, soon summer would close in. She needed to start her garden now. Chiron said she could attempt to plant in the forest if she wanted to, but there was no guarantee it'd live. She figured she could try anyway.
Wandering into the trees, Bell walked for awhile, her moccasins wearing small tread in the loose top soil and her knee-length skirt billowing with the slight wind. The trees lightened up and let into an opening, the creek. Chiron had mentioned it. Thoughts pummeled her head as ideas for ways to redirect some of the flow to an area for her garden. A misty shape formed and a slender woman formed from the creek, standing firmly atop the rushing water. "You can just leave my creek alone. You campers mess it up enough with your stupid Capture the Flag games." Then she fell as water back into the creek.
With a sigh, disappeared back into the trees. Heading towards Camp. She'd look again after she'd managed to eat something. Something caught her eye, she wasn't entirely sure on what said something was, but she wanted to follow it. Ducking off the hardly-worn trail, Bell found herself on a narrow path, possibly worn by one of the many camp dryads. The path thickened at a large pecan tree, it appeared to be at least a hundred years old, thick around the trunk.
"You wish to see my love, Willow? how can I be sure you're not here to harm her?" The old dryad melded from the tree, his hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and his eyes were a dark mahogany color.
"I just stumbled onto this path. Believe me, I couldn't hurt a fly. I'm too in tune with nature."
The dryad seemed to inspect her for a long moment, accessing her honesty. "What is your name, young half-blood?"
"Bell. You can just call me Bell." She smiled sweetly as she shifted her shoulder bag.
"You have your warning, Bell. Fear Mother Nature."
"I don't fear what I love. I respect it." With that, she stepped around the pecan tree, pushed through two bushes, waking those nature spirits as she did so, and finding herself in an open clearing. On one end, opposite Bell, spread a small pond, large enough for a few wild koi and a naiad to take up residence. Above it hung a large weeping willow, it's dryad sat at the edge of the water, aged and beautiful.
She looked up with cool brown eyes. "My love let you pass." She stood, nimble, tall, perfect. "What is your name, demi-goddess?"
Bell smiled again, slipped her feet free of the moccasins and stepped onto the soft grass. "Bell."
"Lovely to meet you Bell. I am Willow. This is my tree. And this clearing is where I roam." She gestured, her eyes were soft, mother-like.
"It's beautiful."
"Why have you come here?"
"I was looking for a place to plant my garden. I just arrived at Camp Half-Blood and I wanted to get my garden going, it isn't too late." Bell looked around herself some more, taking in the empty round clearing, the small dose of sun that spilled in through the treetops around her. "I saw a trail off the path I was on and followed it. It brought me here."
"You can not just find this place. It has to be shown to you. Lady Demeter must have wanted you to find me. To find my clearing." Willow didn't venture far from her tree, maybe because she was older she couldn't be far from it. "She must have wanted you to plant your garden here. Are you one of her children?"
Bell looked at her feet, shuffling the bare skin against the smooth grass, "I don't know. I haven't been claimed yet."
"You will know soon enough, young one. Maybe it would help to plant your garden in such a sacred place. It might catch the god's attention." Willow smiled tenderly.
Bell looked up shyly, "That's kind of you."
"I am a willow, Bell, a mother tree. Kindness is all I have." She smiled again. "Be wise with who you show such a place. Once you lead them here, they may enter whenever. Meaning they could destroy me if they felt the need to poison this environment."
"I'm all about preserving the wild."
"I wish the satyrs were more like you."
With that, Bell began her project. She used her hands to upturn the grass and loosen the soil a few inches down. Her garden was in front of the willow, almost like a barrier against those who entered. She planted a variety of things. Seeds she pulled from her bag; which had finally been removed from her shoulder and placed on the ground. She planted a wide variety of vegetables; a few pumpkins, some chives, garlic, onions, green beans, peas, and tomatoes. The middle section was filled with perennial flowers; Black-Eyed Susans, Day Lilies, Coneflowers, Poppy, Thistle, Sunflowers of various varieties, and Daisies. Then the last section consisted of a variety of things; Catnip, Basil, Chrysanthemum, Graffiti, and Forget-Me-Not.
By the time Bell finally stopped working, she realized it was getting dark. She had to have been out here for hours, because she had arrived mid-morning. Willow was basking in the fading sunlight just outside the spray of her leaves, seeming content and relaxed. Brushing her hands off, Bell managed to get most of the dirt off. She didn't bother tagging her seeds, she knew what was what, even when it was just sprouting. With a sigh, Bell gathered her things back into her bag and stood.
Willow's eyes danced open and she turned her head to watch Bell as she put her shoes back on. "Your garden is safe here. Thank you for being my company for the day. I look forward to more visits."
Bell smiled, "Thank you, Willow. It was generous of you."
"Anything for someone like you." She winked and vanished.
With a shrug, Bell found the trail she'd come in on and rustled the two nature spirits awake again. She passed the pecan tree again and he huffed as she disappeared down the small trail. Soon, she was back on the main trail. She turned back, but the trail she'd just emerged from was gone. Willow had said she could only find it when it was shown to her. She shouldered her bag again and quickly made her way down the trail. Adjusting her bandanna and wiping the sweat from her forehead, Bell found herself back in Camp, just in time for dinner.
Landing herself in the dining pavilion just as Chiron had begun to speak, Bell took a seat at one of the two Hermes tables, glancing around the large pavilion. She took in all the different faces, the dozens of faces. How they were all sorted neatly into tables. Some larger than others, some housing only one resident. Most tables looked alike. Most of the Aphrodite children had blond-red hair with blue-green eyes and were stunning. The Apollo all sun-tanned and bleached teeth. The Demeter's dark-haired, sun-kissed, and smudged with a bit of dirt from their greenhouse-like cabin. The Ares all black-haired and angry looking. The Athena's all blond hair and stony-grey eyes.
Soon, dinner was about in its usual routine, and over in a flash. Then the head table rose and lead the rest of the Camp to the camp fire. There seemed to be a natural precession, that Bell didn't catch on to. She managed to lose her cabin and get hung up with Ares in front of her and Athena behind her. The camp fire went about quickly and passed and they were released for some recreation time. Bell didn't know a face, didn't know a name, Bell didn't even know who her mother was. Loneliness was a terrible tragedy. Friends would come to her in odd ways, that she was sure of.
