Chapter 6
The next day, I was lying in the Hermes cabin. All I had was a blanket, with another blanket over it (the first blanket was supposed to be my "mattress"), and a pillow. Oh, and I had bag of toiletries that Connor Stoll (a son of Hermes) said he had stolen from the camp store for me. I hoped he hadn't meant literally, but I wasn't sure, him being the son of Hermes, and all. It was early morning and everyone else was sleeping, but I couldn't fall asleep. I walked outside. I hadn't meant to stay here. I needed to figure out how to get back to Circe's Island. I knew she would already have repaired it by magic and banished the pirates. But some girls would probably have left and would never come back.
"Hey El," I turned around. It was Silena, "Hey, come on," Her voice dropped, "I found a way to contact Chiron." We walked into the deep into the forest and found a river. She said, "Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow please accept this offering," She threw a coin in the river and said, "Chiron, Party Ponies HQ," The water rippled and it showed a picture of a half-horse, half-man I instantly recognized as Chiron. Silena handed me a few drachmas (Ancient Greek coin) and said, "In case the time runs out. Or the water," She walked away.
Chiron asked, "Who are you?" I started to tell him my story. I told him everything except for who my parents are.
"And who are your parents?" He asked when I had finished.
"I swore never to speak her name again," I almost snarled
"And him?"
I told him. I watched as his voice changed from confusion to astonishment. Then the water rippled and he vanished.
I was sitting in the Hermes cabin wondering if I had done the right thing and wondering what to do next. Silena came in.
"El?" She said, "Who are your parents?"
"Silena," I said, "I really don't want to talk about it."
"Oh, okay. But there is something different about you. You're not a normal demigod," No kidding, Silena.
"I'm not," I confessed.
"I knew it!" She shouted, "Who are you then?" I told her everything, making her swear not to tell anyone. I even told her who my mom was.
"But that's not possible. You, you, you should be dead," She said.
"Circe gave me immortality, remember?" I reminded her.
"Oh yeah. So what are you going to do now?" She asked.
"I'm going to go back to Circe's Island," I said.
"You're leaving?" She asked.
"I have to," I answered
"I know. I'll miss you," She said
"I'll miss you, too," I replied
"When will you leave?" she asked another question. She was feeling curious today, I guess.
"Right now," I said.
"Now?" She asked.
"Yep," I said, not sure about what to say next.
"Oh, bye," She said
"Bye" I hugged Silena and stepped outside. As I walked by the campfire a little girl was sitting by the flames. I don't know why, but I walked up to her. She looked at me with eyes that I was surprised to see were red. I knew she wasn't a normal camper. While, neither was I.
"Who are you?" I asked her.
The girl replied, "Who are you?" But her eyes looked like she knew the answer.
"I'm Elpida," I said determined.
"Elpida the daughter of…" Those eyes still looked like she knew the answer.
"Just Elpida," I said.
"You do not care for your parents," It wasn't a question.
"That is none of your business," I almost snarled. I get very sensitive when it comes to my parents.
"I see," she said, but her eyes looked like she didn't.
"You already know the answer, don't you? You know all about me," I asked, and I'll admit, it might have sounded a little mean. But she had asked about my parents. And that's when my guard went up.
She did not respond for several moments. When she did she said, "We cannot change or talk about fate. We cannot control it either. You of all people should understand this,"
"I do, but…" I started, but she interrupted me.
"No buts. Since you were born the Fates decreed that your path would be hard, full of suffering, but you would have great rewards at the end," She said, almost like she was praying.
"Am I at the end of my path now?" I asked.
"I think you know the answer to that," She said. Why do people always have to be so infuriating?
"Will I know when the end of my path is? Have I already received my reward?" I asked. This was my fate and I deserved to know.
The little girl did not answer but the flames did. They grew bigger and I saw me when I was little picking flowers while my brothers practiced their swordsmanship. On each other, but I wasn't worried. They did a lot. Besides, I didn't care. I was picking flowers. As I picked up an especially beautiful one, it flew away before my eyes. I started crying. My father came over to me and picked another one up and gave it to me.
He said, "Here is another flower. Another chance. There will always be second chances, Elpida," He put the flower behind my ear and I giggled. Then the picture vanished.
"That is your fate," The girl said.
"Picking flowers is my fate?" I asked and the little girl smiled.
"No," She said, sounding amused.
"Then what is?" I asked.
"You'll find out soon enough. You're almost there. Go back now. I'll see you soon." As she spoke those words she disappeared almost like she was part of the wind. The fire she had been sitting next to went out. And I swear, just before the fire went out, I saw the flower that my father had given me so long ago. Then, like everything else in my life, it disappeared.
A/N Okay, so there are eleven chapters, and we are on Chapter 6. So we are over halfway through! Yay! Do you like it? Love it? Hate it? Despise it? I have like no reviews for this.