Camp Half-Blood

Chapter 2: Denial

Our dad comes out of the office looking shaken.  I heard his voice shouted but with sound proof door I couldn't hear words.  Was he really talking to Artemis?
        "She says she can meet them at the Camp."  He says simply to our not-mom.  I know he didn't say it to me, but it is my business to know where we're going.
        "What's that?"  I ask as I walk up to him.  If he doesn't concede I'll give him the puppy eyes and the 'you never tell me anything' excuse.  Lucky for my, my not-mom seems more than willing to spill all the juicy deets.   
        "Camp Half-Blood,"  She starts, "Is a sort of training camp, or boarding school, for demigods, kids that have one immortal parent.  I'm sorry.  We should have taken you both there a long time ago.  If you didn't have such a powerful mother,"  She chokes on that last word, like it hurts her soul, "You might be dead out here.  You're getting older and harder to protect.  You have to go to Camp Half-Blood in LA.  Today."  She breaks down in tears and all of us rush over to console her.
        "It'll be okay."  I say, even though I know it won't help.  I talk too much.
        "It's you I'm worried about, not us."  She calms down and makes her way to the chair by the window.  I notice the misty grey storm outside sprinkling little raindrops in our pool.  I've been told I'm a good swimmer, but I don't believe it.  I only get first or second place in most races, not that good.
        "We'll be fine."  I say as I sit down on the other chair in the room.  It's only a few days from Easter so any other chairs that would be here are covered in cheesy decorations.  I don't get Easter.
        "We know you will.  Both of you."  Dad says looking outside at the small storm, "We should get going;  it's a long drive that we don't have time for.  We'll pick up Wendy's on the way or something for lunch.  Paige, can you go upstairs and get Stephanie?"  He spits out like nothing life changing is about to happen.  I take one last look at Jaydon as I head up the stairs to get Stephanie.
        I come back down with her.  She seems too old.
        "What's going on?"  She says it like the leader.
        "Um.  I'm going to go out and catch some fresh rain water.  It always tastes better than the processed water."  She stalls and goes to the kitchen to get a few big bowls.  She unlocks the back door and closes it against the wind to go outside.  No one wants to speak so we wait for her return.
        "Wow.  Those are some big raindrops."  She almost shouts over the wind as she comes in and slams the door behind her.  Her normal outfit of an old tank top and grey bottoms soaking wet along with her brown hair.  
        "Gnarly.  I mean- cool!  Man am I ready for California."  Jaydon says.  I giggle despite whats going on.
        "Paige, could you grab that towel for me?"  Asks my not-mom pointing to an old towel on the ground behind me.  I stoop down and scoop it up, tossing it to her on the carpet by the door.
        "Thanks."  She says and begins to dry herself off.
        "Hey Steph?  Wanna come have a drive with us?"  My dad asks Stephanie.  Her face lights up because, for some unknown reason, she likes cars and her daddy.  Kiss up.
        "Yes!  Where are we going?"  She sounds unbelievably excited.  Was I that jumpy when I was a kid?
        "I'll tell you when we get there."  He says to her, then turns to us and lowers his voice, "You two go up and get some things.  Nothing too heavy, not too much; only the important stuff."  He whispers to us.  I have no really important things I'd like to take that I can think of right now, but I go up into my room anyway.  
        I end up throwing some old pictures, a pair of jeans and two T-shirts into a small bag.  I'm sure I won't even need that much.  This is all just a hoax, after all.  I know I'll be coming back as soon as we reach this 'Camp Half-Blood'.  They could have come up with something this good for April Fools, but no.  They just have to do it on a random day in April.  I tighten my grip on my bag and head down stairs.  Twins is crazy enough, but all this 'children of Artemis' stuff is really stupid.  I don't really know that much about Greek mythology, but I do know that that's impossible.
        I slide into my grey and blue tennis shoes at the bottom of the stairs, thankful that I still have on socks from who-know's-where.  I stomp in them hard to get them on right and head for the door.  I lean against the piano next to my bow.  I never put it upstairs.  I grab it and my quiver and sling them over my shoulder.  My family appear next to me and Jay grabs his bow.
         "Let's go."  I say.  There is no way this is actually happening, because it isn't.  I take one last look at my so-called 'twin'.  Nope, not real.  I look at my dad.  NO way a goddess would fall for him, especially not Artemis.  So not true.