Helo everyone! I'm back after a break. This chapter is in Leo's POV, as you might expect. Enjoy!

Chapter Five - Which god am I?

Leo still couldn't believe his ears - Squirrelflight was he and his sibling's mother? So...so what about his mother then - or his not mother - his foster mother? Had she been lying to him all his life? It couldn't be, it couldn't be, it was impossible! And his foster father had lied as well, if Brambleclaw was his father!

Mum...he thought pensively, sorrowful of his memories. Are you really my mum? I thought you were, but these people say otherwise...Oh, please say it's all a lie! You've told us the truth, haven't you? Mum, Dad, I love you so much...if only it's all a lie!

Leo observed his surroundings carefully. The bearded man who said he was called Firestar sat behind his big, majestic darkpine desk, his deep green eyes twinkling behind a layer of wise, aged wrinkles. He had a beard of bright red hair, bushy and tangly and sparkling like fire, and was wearing a strange, green garment, similar to a soldier or general's suit. A shining green sash wrapped around him, with a strange, misty, forest-green lobe studded in the middle, around the size of his fist. Leo was sure it had to do with something important, but he wasn't sure what yet. Dark shadows loomed under his eyes, showing he was tired, but right now, his overall expression was relief.

"I understand that this comes as a shock to you. Perhaps you'd like to have a talk, alone, with your parents and me?" he suggested, getting up to open the window behind his desk. The latch loosened with a *creak* and the panels of glass swung open, letting the cool breeze flow in to ruffle their hair. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask." Understanding Firestar's message with an annoyed huff, Cloudtail and Longtail lumbered out of the room.

If you have any questions...? Leo's mind echoed the words over and over like word processor, filtering out the bits that Leo couldn't understand. IF you have any questions...?

Of course I have questions! My whole mind is spinning in a tangle of questions! I've been kidnapped by a gang of weird-named people with flying unicorns from a train crash, had a fall from the skies into a tree, been told the woman in front of me is my mother and that Ancient Greek gods rule on some mountain... Did you really expect me to take this lightly?

Leo stared at Squirrelflight, who was standing, pride beaming in her gaze, by Firestar. It was obvious that she was his daughter, for she had the same bright red hair as him, pale skin and twinkling green eyes. I always thought green eyes were rare. Now I know why my sister Holly has them, when there is no-one else in our family - foster family - who has anything but brown and blue. Squirrelflight was wearing a tight flowery summer dress, lime green and dappled with soft rose pink flowers. Brambleclaw looked burly but proud as he stepped forward to stroke Jay's hand. He had dark, dark hair, so brown it was almost black, and tanned coffee skin that surrounded his stern, brown eyes. He had on a uniform similar to Firestar's, but simpler.

"So, if Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw are our parents, then we aren't demi-gods, are we?" Jay realised, his voice not as cracked or troubled as Leo had expected. Isn't he surprised? About everything?

Brambleclaw opened his mouth to speak but Forestar got there first. "Well, you see, you are demi-gods, actually, despite the fact that you have no godly parents. There are two - well, three kinds of demi-gods. The obvious ones happen when a mortal falls in love with a god. Take Berrynose, for example. His mother is Daisy Hoarsplayce, a mortal woman who fell in love with the god Apollo. That means he is half mortal, half Apollo." Firestar looked around, as of to check that Leo and his siblings were keeping up. "The second kind is when a demi-god has children with another demi-god - I'll use your father, Brambleclaw, as an example. His parents were Goldenflower and-" - suddenly Firestar choked a little and gave a shudder, as if wincing at several memories - "-Tigerstar. Goldenflower was a daugher of Aphrodite. Tigerstar was a son of Kronos. That means that, genetically, since both were half-mortal, Brambleclaw would be half-mortal as well. However, he could have been half-mortal and half-Aphrodite, half-mortal and half-Kronos, or half-mortal, quarter-Aphrodite, and quarter-Kronos."

Leo looked around at Holly and Jay. They seemed to be drinking in every word that Firestar was taking. "So what is Brambleclaw then, in terms if blood?" he asked, breaking the ice that had frosted the silence. This is confusing. And weird.

Brambleclaw nodded. "I am half-mortal, half-Kronos." As if that was enough, he curled his arm protectively around Squirrelflight, almost challenging someone to say something more. Leo didn't know why, but there seemed to be some tension around the name Tigerstar. He would have to ask about this later.

"What kind of demi-god is Squirrelfligt then? What about us? And what's the third kind of demi-god?" enquired Holly, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

Firestar looked around, drawing in a deep breath. "I am the third kind if demi-god. It is very rare, and very confusing. You see, I...was born a mortal." Squirrelflight tensed, and Holly's eyes stretched wide. How can he be leader of this place for demi-gods, if he's not even one himself? I'm not sure I believe this.

"I soon joined ThunderSide in search for a home. At first I was an outcast among us. But, see, I wasn't just a mortal - I was a special kind of mortal, one that could see through the Mist. The Mist is what protects the secret of the gods. Sometimes, monsters come and terrorise cities, and demi-gods have to fight them. Then the Mist happens. It makes it look, to mortals, as if, say, a big, hot dog truck is passing, instead of a scaly Hydra or something like that. But occasionally, a mortal is born, and the power of the Mist doesn't work on them. I was one of these mortals. I saw harpies swooping in the sky. Furies in streets. Minor gods battling in the clouds. The Fates selling tickets to theme parks. My family thought I was crazy. So...I ran away, to a place where I could find answers. Here." He paused, his huge chunks of conversation rolling into an overwhelming power on top of Leo. His stories are crazy! I'm not sure if I believe them. All the same, he must have a lot of imagination to make up all that.

"Soon, an amazing thing happened; a strange shape appeared at the top of my head, and words rang out: "May this mortal with the power of sight be Decided as a son of all gods." Whenever this happens to a mortal who can see through Mist, it means that the gods have noticed them, and have given them the power of any demi-god. I had something happen to me that had never happens before in history. The gods gave me the power of all the gods - normally it is only one. For example, Berrynose's mother, Daisy, could see through the Mist. The gods Decided her as a daughter of Hera. My nephew Cloudtail could see through the Mist. The gods Decided him half-Apollo. Do you understand?" He blinked and took a deep breath.

What?! Leo wanted to scream. But Jay was nodding slowly. "I get it, sort of. What about Squirrelflght and...Leafpool?"

Squirrelfight explained. "Firestar had us with a demi-god called Sandstorm. Sandstorm's mother was Demeter, goddess of grains and harvesting, and her father was mortal. But because Firestar had the power of all the gods in him, it meant that Squirrelflight and I could be anything. Leafpool was half Athena, half mortal, and I am half Artemis, half mortal."

Holly brightened up, colour flooding into her cheeks. "Athena and Artemis are two of my favourites!"

"So...technically, we could be demi-gods of any god?" mumbled Jay, his sightless gaze transfixed by his shoes.

Firestar, Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw shared a quick, furtive glance, as if hiding something. "Yes," Firestar replied slowly. He sounds a little...odd, thought Leo.

Brambleclaw smiled at Leo. "Perhaps you would like a tour of the camp? We train our demi-gods as warriors. Warriors to fight monsters, explore quests, survive, and fight the other Sides." Huh? Sides? What sides? "There's a lot to explain. Perhaps it would be better if we - and by that, I mean each of you three - separate? Than you can ask as many questions as you like, which we would happily answer."

Holly was looking around suspiciously. "Hold on, it might not be a good idea to separate. Once Jay, Leo and I separate, we're an easier target to kidnappers." She looked meaningfully at Firestar and the others.

Leo felt a rush of annoyance travelling up his spine. Couldn't Holly accept anything, or take a risk? The story they had been told certainly seemed tall, and Leo wasn't sure he one-hundred-percent believed it. He was still uncertain about Squirrelflight being his mother and Brambleclaw being his father, for instance. But he knew that some of what he had just been told was true - he just felt it. Doesn't Holly ever get that feeling?

"Give it a rest, Holly," he snapped to his sister. "If these people are gong to kidnap us, they'd have gagged us and bound us in bags by now!"

Squirrelflight put her hand in his. "It's normal for you to be in doubt, all of you. Of every single demi-god we've brought here, none have accepted this without questions. But perhaps we could tie a few loose ends if we all went our separate ways on a stroll?"

Jay was nodding. "Fine," he said, his voice muffled, "but I just need to ask one thing right now: you say you train demi-gods to be warriors. Well, what about me? I'm...blind. Will I still become a warrior?" There was a wobble in his voice when he said the word blind. Leo understood how his brither felt. Admitting the fact that he was blind must be difficult, especially for someone proud like Jay. He's brave.

Firestar winced sharply at those words. "I...well, I suppose it might be slightly...difficult to train you, especially in archery, if you are visually impaired." Leo noticed that Firestar was being especially cautious about his words, so as to not hurt Jay's feelings. "You could still become Leafpool's Oracle apprentice. Leafpool did not train as a warrior. She is our Oracle. She heals us when we are sick or injured, so I suppose you could say that she is our special doctor. She also has a special connection with the gods. They send her signs, advice and prophecies. How does that sound?"

To Leo's surprise, Jay didn't answer. Instead he looked annoyed, his eyebrows lowering into a frown. His bright, intense blue eyes wer clouded in anger. Didn't he like the prospect of escaping from physical training, and learning intellectual subjects instead?

"No thanks." Jay's voice was stone cold, frostier than ice. He glared at Firestar accusatively. "I'm not being singled out from everybody else because I'm blind. I'm sick of that. Let me train as a warrior."

There was a tense silence. Firestar got out a cup of coffee and drank in wearily, taking noisy warm sips. "Jay, why don't you stay in here, actually? We can discuss any further matters from here. Holly, and...is it Leo? Yes, well I'm sure Brambleclaw, you would love to take your son on a tour of the territory? You can explain about the other sides. And Leafpool and Squirrelfight, you can take Holly around the camp and explain the different activities."

Leo glanced up at Brambleclaw, looking authoritive and burly. His father has looking down at him, pride shining in his eyes. The long, brown gaze hovered on top of each one of the three siblings, before dropping. "I think that's a good idea," he said, shuffling inside his uniform.

Squirrelflight ruffled Jay's hair. "Can't I stay here with my son and Firestar?" she asked. Jay stiffened. "Hey, nobody asked me about what I thought of this," he grumbled, his voice muffled by his torn Westchester Hills High uniform.

Firestar ignored Jay's comment. "Why not? Let's do that. After, we'll show you to the Hermes cabin where you can all have a wash and catch up on what you've learnt."

Leo looked down at himself. His tatty, bloodstained Westchester Hills High uniform, brand-new, was matted with mud and woven with twigs, a crusty brown stain on his knees. The blood of the girl he had rescued on the train. His mind flickered over to what had happened to her - the others had said that her name was Heatherpaw - Heatherpaw of WindSide. So this was the ThunderSide...was WindSide an enemy group of demi-gods? Leo remembered her pale, bruised face, and her golden hair, as she lay limp on the train-tracks. Cloudtail had taken her inside the chariot, when she was unconscious. After the crash into the trees, Leo couldn't remember what had happened to her. He bit his tongue.

"Sounds good to me," Holly nodded, narrowing her eyes to Leafpool. "You said something about an Oracle apprentice that heals others. What's that?"

"I'll explain everything," said Leafpool softly. "Let's split up now." Her gaze swept over the children lovingly.

And that was how Leo found himself on a stroll with a stranger across an unknown forest while he was supposed to be at school.

Leo still felt uneasy as he roamed the forest with Brambleclaw's heavy footsteps at his side. The earth shifted underneath his feet as his "father" and him walked through the woods, the awkward silence stretching on. The fact that there was no noise around him made Leo feel a buzz in his ears, hollow and eerie.

Leo and Brambleclaw had walked outside the camp, while Holly and Leafpool went in the opposite direction, starting the tour at the sports hall. Leo had gazed at the camp around him, the others strolling from their day-to-day lessons, staring at him wide-eyed. Some of them were children like him, clutching either a small set of second-hand textbooks, or a sword, bow or armour. Weapons. Leo had trembled under their inquisitive gaze. They're holding actual weapons. This can't be legal. Most were wearing their own clothes, while some had on a casual short-sleeved green T-shirt with an emblem of thunder on.

The adults looked more serious, coming back from the woods with heavy, straw-woven baskets, heavy with acorns, nuts and odd-coloured berries, or with heavy iron weapons.

Weapons, Leo had gulped once more.

And that was only the people.

Even more wide-eyed at seeing his shocked expression had been a girl, with branches as arms, bushy with leaves, coffee skin (or bark), cherry-red lips and a shiny robe of green and brown, resembling skin. Her feet had been bare. In the small bubbling stream they had crossed had been a group of three chattering blue-skinned girls, donning smooth dark blue hair and white-and-cyan robes had concealed their invisible legs. And last of all had been a tottering goat-man who had wanted to speak with Brambleclaw. He was wearing a messy T-shirt and plain shorts, with furry, hooves legs sticking out. Twisted horns curled out of his messy brown hair.

Leo's mind played back all of those shocking incidents as he walked silently through the woods, an eerie presence gripping him.

"What about that girl I found?" he mumbled after a while, hearing a sparrow chirp on a tree. Heatherpaw was still on his mind, her strange, deathly-pale face flickering like an image in his mind every so often.

"Brightheart asked Brackenfur, one of our warriors who was free at the fly her to WindSide," Brambleclaw replied, without even looking at his son.

Leo felt a small, unknown pang that she was gone. Pushing thoughts of her aside, he asked, "What are the different Sides?"

Brambleclaw looked at him and pointed down a small slope. "I'll show you. Run ahead and see what you find, but be careful."

Leo's mind pricked with curiosity. Without another thought, he hurtled forwards, his shoes kicking up chunks of dirt as he raced through the trees. What was Brambleclaw talking about?

Suddenly he skidded to a halt, his black school-shoes almost splashing into a shallow width of water. Leo froze, looking up. In front of him, the water deepened, and stretched on all sides, curving into a wide, wide, murky grey lake. The banks were almost as far as the eyes could see. In front of him, the massive expanse of water glinted like a moon.

"So," Brambleclaw's voice startled him, and he spun round to face the man who called himself his father. "how do you like our lake?"

Leo paused, taking in the sight before him. "It's...awesome!" he breathed, adrenalin rushing through his limbs. He felt an ADHD attack coming on, which he strained to stop with effort as his pulse quickened.

Brambleclaw nodded. "The ThunderSide has been sending for lost demi-gods since our first leader, Thunder, founded it, many, many, years ago, in the medieval age. Life for people who found out that they had godly parents was hard back then, as is now. We sent our own recruits, and satyrs, to collect them, bring them here, and train them to survive."

Leo frowned, knitting his brows as he jumped up and down. "What's a satyr?" he asked, puzzled.

"It's one of those creatures who spoke to me. They're half-man, half-goat, and they're very eco."

Oh, that guy, thought Leo. Excitement fizzed in his veins. "What about the other Sides?"

Brambleclaw pointed to all the other three sides of the lake. "The other three Sides have been doing so as well, but with slightly different training methods. All learn melee combat, archery, climbing, crafting armour, and strategising. ThunderSide, however, boasts the best archers, and has extra climbing sessions. RiverSide over there," he nodded to the far bank, "train their demi-gods to swim, and use water combat. A lot of their demi-gods are children of Poseidon. WindSide-" - Leo at once thought of the strange girl Heatherpaw - "teach theirs some extra non-weapon combat, using only their fists, and running, and ShadowSide uses plenty of strategising lessons, and darkness training."

Leo attempted to drink that all in. So many Sides, so many lessons! He followed Brambleclaw upslope and into the woodland once more, glancing back one more time to the lake. "What about your weird names?" he blurted out before he could stop himself. His stomach growled loudly, and he licked his lips at the thought of food. When had he last eaten? Breakfast. Now...it was early afternoon.

"When a demi-god is born to us from two demi-god parents, we raise the here, with a natural name such as "Ivy", "Branch" or "Squirrel". Then, when they are six years old, they begin their training, and are appointed a warrior mentor. Then the suffix "-paw" is added to their name, in honour of the cats that ran in the first battle in the dawn of the Sides. On their twelfth birthday, they are given an Assessment in all their skills. If they pass, that night, they are made a warrior, and the suffix "-paw" is changed to another suffix. If they fail, they wait another month." Brambleclaw didn't even stop during his speech.

Leo's mind was muddled with wild ideas and perspectives seeping into the crevices. Gods ruling on a mountain. Greek gods. Had Brambleclaw, Firestar and the others gone mad? All the same, their life seemed very complex. That must be for a reason.

No...his thoughts screamed as his mouth went dry. Leo! You're believing it! If Holly were here, you'd get into mounds of trouble! His heart hammered in his chest and saw his veins bursting with uncontrolled energy. He still didn't understand. All the same, when Firestar had explained it...it had felt real, hadn't it? Jay had believed it. At least, he acted like he did. Even Holly had admitted to take a tour of the camp with Leafpool.

Please help me! I can't tell right from wrong...and truth from lies! I'll just have to embrace what I've been told with weariness, and hopefully find proof that it's true! But Brambleclaw...my father? That just feels...wrong! And that woman named Leafpool...I don't know her at all! This is crazy!

"Don't worry."

Leo flinched as he felt Brambleclaw's heavy hand clasp around his shoulder. "I don't really get it," he admitted weakly, mumbling. "How can this be true?" I don't know what to believe!

"Every demi-god feels scared at first. It's just natural, Leo."

Leo felt himself being pulled into a world that wasn't his as Brambleclaw's words hardened before him like stone, sinking into his brain. His pulse quickened as his heart thudded in his ribs, and his breathing shallowed as he felt his soul collide into an unknown place. Brambleclaw's warm touched pulled him further backwards into an unknown world, wrapping him in vines that muffled his screams and that he couldn't escape from, no matter how hard he tried. His thoughts struggled, wrestling with the unknown. Fear edged his mind's panicked wails.

He couldn't keep this up for much longer. The lingering possibility of being suffocated into a strange new life deafened the blood roaring in his ears as his world collided brutally with another. He was pulled, pulled violently, by the imaginary vines that chained his limbs into a new, strange, desert-empty place, as dizzying possibilities and monsters came alive before his eyes. The life he knew faded as he was pulled further and further backwards from it. He thrashed in his captives, straining to stumble forward, struggling against the current that ripped his course to shreds. His head wailed with shrieks of lost voices. His heart was thumping louder than a pounding bulldozer, making his chest feel as if it was flooded with water and about to crack. Weariness edged his tired limbs.

He had nothing else to do.

He gave way to the force that strangled his bones, and slipped into the monstrous world of the Ancient Greek gods.

The sun was slinking fast against the vast horizon, hidden by the thick layer of trees in the forest. Up above, the sky turned blood red like the trickling wound of a weak child, staining the grounds pink and crimson. The woods were bright and alive with small scurrying creatures, trampling the tangled undergrowth clumsily, free in their own little unchained worlds to do whatever they liked. The lake was turned orange like a pool of honey as the scarlet sun sunk beneath the waves, melting into the rippling surface of the water. The lake glowed in perfect harmony, shining with the reflected sky. Amber flashed at Leo as he saw the reflection of the golden-stained clouds in the clear surface.

He was trudging back to camp, a heavy haul of chestnuts and hazelnuts in hand as Brambleclaw marched forward, carrying an even fuller basket with him. They had spent the whole afternoon roaming the forest grounds, Leo being showed everything, from the borders that lined the territory to the monuments at the heart, and then spent get time collecting nuts and learning about berries.

Leo remembered the hot afternoon sun burning into his back as he was shown WindSide, the fast, swift-paced Side that had its home on the moor across a small, rippling dappled stream. "Don't cross into another Side's territory," Brambleclaw warned sternly. "You'll be taken straight to their camp as hostage. You could even start a war."

Leo wondered why the Sides fought so much all the time. "You're all the same!" he had said. "You're all made up of demi-gods on a quest to safety!" All the same, he felt a little ashamed that his eyes couldn't help shining at the prospect of battle.

Brambleclaw's expression had darkened. "We must do so," he echoed like a robot. "Don't worry, no-one's died in years."

Even this didn't deter Leo.

Instead, a pale, flickering image of the girl Heatherpaw flashed into his mind. She had skin that was so white that it shone like a ghost's, like milky wax, glowing eerily. Her delicately-eyelashed eyes were closed, and he remembered her, more alive now, more vividly, lying on the rumbling train-tracks as the wavering, broken train hurtled by. Leo replayed himself throwing his body through the window, his skin meeting smashed glass, as he landed, sprawled, on the opposite train tracks by her body. He remembered a weak trail of blood trickling into her stained uniform, and another pouring other of her unconscious head. He saw her still face, weak and unalive, for one moment as he plummeted through the air, before crashing back down next to her and feeling the world black out as metal hit him.

Leo had shivered away from that memory. Then a creepy, tingling feeling crept up his spine. He had smashed through a window and landed on hard, uneven train-tracks. How was he alive? A scary sort of not-understanding gripped him strangely, as he realised the truth. The thought slid itself in his mind. How had he escaped with nothing but unconsciousness?

Maybe it was the ambrosia, he told himself. All the same, how had he lived until the sweet flavour was put in his mouth?

He had no time to ponder those questions as Brambleclaw whisked him away from the live scents of the moor and they trekked up to ten border with the normal world, Brambleclaw showing him the line that he could not pass. "It's too dangerous for a demi-god who knows so many secrets to go out into the real world," he informed.

Leo had gulped. Too dangerous? Now he knew he was a demi-god (or at least sort-of believed it), it was too dangerous for him to leave the territory? That was not a happy prospect to him.

Brambleclaw had also showed Leo the ShadowSide border, in a clearing where oak and ash melted to dark, looming pines. "Shadow is the fiercest Side," he warned threateningly. "Whatever you do, do not go in there."

And with those jolly words, they plunged back into the bright forest, Leo learning about a special tree called the Sky Oak.

"How does ThunderSide get all it's money to run a camp with so many activities?" he had asked.

"With these," Brambleclaw had answered gruffly, producing two worn-out straw baskets from an old shack. "We collect nuts. Chestnuts and hazelnuts. We sell them. And berries. But only the blueberries, blackcurrants and raspberries. The others, we bring to Leafpool. They can be used for potions."

Leo had learnt that sweetfayre was a good berry, excellent for healing stomach pains, colds and sore throats, while goldenwheeze helped more fatal flus and coughs. Wesp was a weird-named leaf that grew magically in stalks, that healed bloody injuries very well when applied to Yoze, a harmless berry with no effect on its own. Nymphwish helped breathe underwater. Darkdock, flintscar and elmpool were dangerous, fatal if touched or eaten.

"Why am I learning the names of all these berries?" Leo had grumbled.

"You're right, that's an Oracle job," Brambleclaw replied, rolling his eyes. "You'll probably going to forget them all soon. But it's the job of us to teach the fatal berries, just so you don't eat them by accident. Just remember those ones."

They had then spent the rest of the afternoon collecting hazelnuts and chestnuts.

Now, Leo's mind replayed those memories as he trudged back to camp overladen with nuts and new knowledge. His once-polishes black school shoes were muddy and already worn out, and his Westechester Hills High uniform was so dirty that you couldn't tell that he wearing it for the first time today. His jumper was stained heavily with a swamp of crusty, dry brown blood from Heatherpaw, one sleeve's half had been ripped off. His blouse underneath had the collar torn away, and was rippe sto shreds and itching with dirt that made him jumpy. His tie had gone missing, and his trousers we slick with mud, dirt, twig and tree bark, splatters and small drops of blood dappling one leg.

As for his messy, curly brown hair...dirt, odd leaves and twigs poked out as strange angles everywhere, and his face was greased with dirt.

Holly would have a fit.

So he and Brambleclaw trudged through the forest, limp, barren and exhausted from the afternoon's work. It was already late by now, but they had almost reached camp.

Suddenly, Leo, who was looking behind him, bumped into something warm and about his height. Startled, he spun his head round to stare at a young girl with a surprised expression.

"S-sorry," she gasped backing away. Now Leo noticed that she was wearing a draped robe of green and brown, with scraggly twigs poking out of her sleeves, bare feet, and an open face with dark brown hair.

Leo had seen one of these before on camp, but that didn't stop his surprised expression. "What are-" he began, before the shy creature scurried off, skipping hurriedly into the trees. Leo was speechless as she ran to a dark elm and...melted inside its bark.

"How on earth...?!" Leo spluttered, stepping backwards and eying the way that her skin morphed with the tree bark and she became one with the trunk, fading into its chipped brown depths.

"That was a tree nymph," explained Brambleclaw calmly, putting down his basket of nuts. "In fact, this one's name is Elmena. Most trees here have a spirit inside that comes out in the day. They'll be going back to their trees now."

In fact, Leo spotted another one skipping into view. She paused several steps away from him before blushing and shyly saying, "Hi, are you new?" before rushing into a chestnut tree in a copse and disapearing into it without an answer.

"They're very shy," Brambleclaw explained gently. "The same goes to naiads, the water nymphs you saw in the tree. Nutasha just there is normally very quiet. I'm surprised she even said something to you." Lifting his eyes from the tree that Nutasha had miraculously vanished into, he picked up his basket and continued to walk. Leo hastily followed after him.

A familiar rush of affection for his siblings pulsed itself into Leo's veins. At last, he could see Holly and Jay again! As much as his afternoon in the forest had brought him closer to Brambleclaw, he still felt a little nauseous and disbelieving at the thought that the gruff-looking man was his father.

Using the enegery that built up in his legs, Leo sprinted forwards into the tree-less camp, the breeze from the open air sweeping through his hair. He felt as light as a balloon after hours of being cooped up in a tight, enclosed forest. And he wanted to see his sister and brother again! Not bothering to stop his ADHD attack as he raced forward, bouncing up and down excitedly, he heard Brambleclaw spurt forwards after him.

"Wait!" his "father" called out, catching up to Leo just as he was about to hate over the small wooden-planked bridge. "I'll show you the way to the cabins, where your siblings surely are. But first," and at this he eyed the steady pile of chestnuts and hazelnuts grouped into ten pair of baskets, "we'll put these inside the collection point." He was looking towards a small wooden shake with a dark green flag on a white pole poking out of the roof, flapping wildly in the sunset wind.

"OK," Leo nodded excitedly, and edged closer, peering through the clouded dusty windows. He spotted a small and grumpy-looking satyr sitting at a desk by the wall, staring at the open pages of a book. Leo could it help flinching at the strange sight of his curled horns, furry legs and hooves.

Brambleclaw pushed open the shack's door with a loud, groanish creak, and set down his heavy bundle at the back of the small dimly-lot room, by the wall, where other baskets laden with forest goods were waiting. Leo hastily did the same.

"Hello Benny," Brambleclaw greeted the satyr, who hadn't even looked up from his book yet.

"Hi," grunted the satyr gruffly, still not lifting his eyes from the inked black-and-white pages.

"Hi," mumbled Leo in return, equally gruffly.

Brambleclaw coughed, as if attempting to grab Benny's attention. "We, err, went through the forest and picked up a good load," he hinted, trying to start a conversation.

Benny didn't say anything except for "I hate Collection Point duty," before snorting loudly, slumped on the desk, his gaze not leaving his book once.

Leo saw that Brambleclaw looked cross as he shuffled out of the shack, empty-handed, before loudly slamming ten door shut. "Rude satyr," he muttered, before looking at Leo. "Well done then!" he congratulated as his gaze brightened. "We collected a lot, and you learnt so much about the territory."

"Thanks," Leo nodded in excitement, thoughts of his siblings drifting over to his mind. He wondered how they'd be faring. Had Holly explored all of the camp? Had Jay settled the matter do being a warrior with Squirrelflight and Firestar?

"Where are the cabins?" he asked, forcing himself not to run forwards wildly.

Brambleclaw led the way all the way across camp to a cluttery arrangement of small buildings, each with different attributes. They were arranged in rows, four in a row with three rows in total.

The first cabin was shining brightly white like a star, the fanciest as it was raised on a small porch with glinting marble columns rising up protectively. The roof was glazed gold from the dying sun, and carvings of bolts of lightning or hated the outer walls. The others lay by or behind it, all painted different colours with different styles of architecture.

"Why are they all different?" Leo enquired, eying them all as he sled to the last row.

"We have twelve different cabins," Brambleclaw explained, "one for each Olympian god. If you are, for example, a child of Poseidon, you would sleep in the Poseidon cabin. If you have the blood of two gods in you, the brighter image in the Deciding will determine which cabin you sleep."

Leo was about to ask what the Deciding was when a sudden thought pierced his mind and he froze. He felt a sudden jolt of alarm as something dawned on him.

"But-" he stammered, unusually stumbling over his words. "If Jay, Holly and I don't know which god we half-are, which cabin are we supposed to sleep in?"

Brambleclaw still looked calm as he led Leo to the last cabin, a small wooden shack, painted in bright colours to look like a caravan. Jet-black paint marked the tyres on the wheels, with a white-and-red body, and real glass where the where should be.

"Don't worry," Brambleclaw nodded, reassuring Leo. "We have that covered. Every time a new demi-god joins us, they sleep in the Hermes cabin until their Deciding, since Hermes is the god of travelling."

The Hermes cabin didn't look fabulous to Leo, but he nodded politely anyway, thankful that Brambleclaw had been willing enough to sop end the afternoon teaching him. There was one cabin that had caught his eye, a dark red one with two floors and paintings of war hung on the outer walls. Fake boar head (or at least, Leo hoped they were fake) lined the walls, the snouts pink and large, the eyes round with fury. Leo had to admit that the boar heads were a little creepy. But the crisis-crossed spears on golden plates looked really cool, and there were quoted words painted white on the walls, such as "Crush 'em!", "Don't let others deter you!" and "You can win this thing big time, baby!". Impressive.

"Go on," Brambleclaw nudged. "Go in."

Then Leo's mind flashed through the smiling face of his siblings, and he wanted to see them more than ever. Energy seized his bones as he shouted "Thanks! to Brambleclaw, who was leaving, and he charged up the painted wooden steps to the front, and flung open the door.

And came face-to-face with a shrieking ghost.