The Strange Girl Arrives (Open)

Adelynne Parks was running from a monster she had seen earlier, her husky puppy nipping at her heels. When she saw a large camp, she instantly got her guard up. Lynne got out her dagger, and surveyed the area. She tugged at her spiky blonde hair, and staggered up the hill.

It was an ordinary day, until Taylor saw a girl go up the hill. She stared for a few moments, noting that the girl seemed alert and vigilant. Taylor assumed that there was probably danger somewhere in the vicinity, but even after looking around, she couldn't spot anything odd about the situation. Taylor tensed when the girl walked closer. She could feel the temperature drop by a few degrees as she approached. Taylor had some suspicions as to who the girl's godly parent was.

"Hey, you okay?" Taylor asked when the girl was close enough. She spotted a puppy partially hidden behind the girl's legs, but she paid it no heed.

Adelynne nodded. " Yeah,I'm okay. I'm Adelynne,by the way. But you can call me Lynne." She picked up her small husky puppy and showed to the girl.

"Glad to meet you," Taylor said, smiling. "I'm Taylor."

Suddenly, Adelynne picked up the puppy behind her and brought it close to Taylor. Taylor's smile widened as she saw the puppy, and she began scratching it under its snout. "So adorable! I assume it's a husky?" she asked.

Adelynne smiled. "Yup, he's a husky. His name is Arctic. I don't know why I named him that, but I like it. What's your name, by the way?"

"Er, I'm Taylor," Taylor said, raising one of her eyebrows. Didn't Lynne hear her the first time? Taylor wondered if the girl was slightly deaf or something.

"Arctic," Taylor mumbled under her breath, smiling as she patted the dog's head. "So, you're obviously a demigod like myself. You know your parent yet?" Taylor asked, seeing if her hunch earlier was right.

"Sorry, didn't hear ya the first time.". Lynne smiled at her. "Yeah, I'm a demigod, but I don't know my parent. It was a goddess, though because I have a regular dad. I didn't grow up with him though."

"Ah, I see," Taylor mused, studying Lynne. She didn't want to voice out her hunch yet. What if she was wrong and an angry goddess out there got mad at her for it assuming stuff? Taylor didn't want an angry powerful goddess out to get her.

"Pardon me for asking but," Taylor rubbed the back of her head, "what do you mean when you said you didn't grow up with your dad?" Taylor tried to sound nonchalant, but she was getting really curious.

"Well, I started out at an orphanage, because apparently my dad gave me up or something. All they told me was his name, Zachary Parks. I grew up for most of my life in the wilderness." She attempted a smile after that, but it was too hard.

Taylor could see Lynne's discomfort and decided not to push the topic about her dad. It must have been a hard experience, especially at Lynne's young age. "So, how'd you get here then? It looked like you were being chased by something," Taylor asked, looking around for some kind of monster or something.

"Well, yeah. This huge dog-monster thingy was chasing me and Arctic. It was really weird." Lynne took a look at the camp. "It's very nice here.", she said trying to change the subject.

A hellhound probably, Taylor thought, frowning. At least it was gone now. Or if it was still lurking around, it couldn't get past the camp's magical borders. "Yeah, it's a great place," Taylor said, taking the hint. "You'll love it here! Want me to show you around? This is a really big camp," Taylor added, gesturing to the vast lands behind them.

Lynne nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great. By the way, who's your godly parent?". She smiled, hoping she wasn't too curious about things.

"Khione," Taylor said, watching Lynne closely for any sign of recognition at the mention of the name. "Goddess of snow and ice." She paused before continuing. "Well, if you want me to explain what exactly this place is, it would take an awfully long time. So I think it'd be easier if you just ask if there's something you wanna know. Deal?" Taylor finished with a friendly smile.

"I've heard of Khione. When I was younger, I stole a Greek myth book, and Khione was in it. She was always my favorite." She smiled at Taylor, hoping that she might have the smallest bit of an idea about who her mother is.

Taylor pursed her lips, still looking at Lynne. Experimentally, she touched Lynne's hand. It felt warm to her... meaning that they both had roughly the same body temperature. And Taylor knew that she and all her siblings have a lower body temperature than normal. Taylor let go of Lynne's hand, smiling brightly. She was now around 90% certain about her thoughts. Taylor decided not to comment, since she didn't want to spoil the fun. She guessed that it would be more fun for Lynne to actually feel the surprise when a demigod gets claimed.

"So, let's have a walk," Taylor said, unable to hold her glee in as she placed an arm around Lynne's shoulder. "I'll fill you in on the camp stuff as we go."

Lynne nodded. She was confused as to why Taylor had touched her hand. "Yeah, sure. It seems like it's gonna be fun here."

Taylor led Lynne to the highest peak of the hill, where they could see everything in camp. "Told ya it was huge," Taylor said, grinning. "There, those houses--they're the cabins. They sort you by your godly parent. But seeing as you're still unclaimed, you'll be at Hermes for a while."

Taylor racked her thoughts for a few moments, thinking of how to do the explanation thing. "The camp has an arena too, over there"--Taylor pointed to the arena in the distance--"I reckon this is the only place in the modern world that actually encourages kids to fight with real weapons. You seem pretty good with a dagger, that much I can tell," Taylor complimented. "Is it made of mortal steel? Or something else like celestial bronze? Oh, and if you wanna know more, just ask. I explain better that way."

"My dagger is made of celestial bronze, I'm pretty sure.", Lynne said. "The arena looks fun, too. Is there stuff like archery, and chariots and stuff?"

Taylor nodded. "Yep. It has every weapon available... except for guns. I haven't seen guns around here. We all fight old-style," she said, chuckling. Taylor tucked her hair behind her ear. "There are also pegasi here," she said, remembering the stables. "Normal horses too, if you don't want to fly."