note: for any and all kind of info used or references made in this story, i utilized the non-fictional info from educational websites about real places and the fictional stuff from the PJO Riordan wiki and the books themselves

 

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood!" 

 

/ 

 

Jihyo was driving them eastward, in a light blue delivery van that said ‘Delphi Strawberry Service’ on the outside. 

Thank God— er… the Gods? 

Momo was slowly wrapping her head about the idea of Gods and Goddesses and Demigods and the rest of the Greek realm. Don’t even get her started on the Roman camp—Nayeon went on a whole detailed spiel for the Roman demigods. 

Whoever’s up there, she was just thankful that Nayeon wasn’t driving. Momo had seen the front of the golf cart before they left and oof, it was not pretty.

 

(Thunder rumbled in the distance.

Momo looked up confused—there wasn’t a single cloud in the night sky.) 

 

She settled in the backseat of the van with her duffel bags. The two demigods had helped her pack up her dorm before hightailing it outta campus.

Momo looked out to see the passing New York cityscape.

Guess I know what I’m doing for semester break.

 

 

//

 

“Wait. Won’t people see the Bull just laying there?”

“Nope!” Nayeon popped the ‘p’ cheerfully. She held one of the bull’s metal horns up, inspecting it as she put a foot up on her side of the dashboard.

A spoil of war.

She attached the trophy to her belt. Maybe she’ll give it to Chaeyoung. After all, it was Hephaestus who made the Colchis Bull. Why not give it to one of his children?

“The Mist prevents mortals from seeing the true form of the Colchis Bull. Gotta love magic!”

“They’ll probably see another golf cart or something.” Jihyo elaborated. “Anything but the truth.”

Momo nodded at the explanation before being cut off with a hiss from Nayeon.

 

Nayeon held her hands up, they were shaking a bit. The skin on her hands were burnt red. Momo only noticed now that Nayeon wasn’t glowing dark red anymore.

“Dad’s blessing finally wore off, I guess.” Nayeon remarked as she inspected her wounds.

Jihyo locked eyes with Momo through the rear-view mirror. “Momo, can you pass the plastic zipped bag behind you?”

Momo turned around and spotted the bag. There were small squares inside, a golden brown color but more golden than anything else. “What is it?”

“Ambrosia. The food of the Gods.” Jihyo answered. “It can accelerate the healing process of almost any injury but it’s extremely lethal to mortals. Can you pass Nayeon a square?”

Momo did as Jihyo asked. Nayeon popped a small square in and after a moment or two, the burn marks started to fade.

Momo’s eyes were wide as she watched the injury fade in seconds. “What was that glow from earlier?”

“Oh, it’s a blessing from one of the Gods. My old man’s Ares, the God of War. He helps me out during my battles…” Nayeon seemed to pause. A somber expression settled on her face briefly as she added, “...but only if I’m worthy.”

Momo didn’t know what to make of that. Before she could respond, Nayeon returned to her earlier cheerful nonchalance.

Momo looked at Jihyo next. Jihyo got the hint and introduced herself. “I’m a Daughter of Apollo.”

Momo’s mouth opened in an ‘o’ shape, as if she just realized something. “Ooh, so that’s why I thought your smile was so bright and pretty.”

Jihyo blushed a little, she wasn’t expecting that. Nayeon giggled in her seat. “Yeah, she gets that a lot.”

It was quiet until Nayeon fiddled with the van’s radio.

“So, um… is there anything else I need to know?”

“Oh! Yeah, there’s…”

 

//

 

Momo read the sign they passed a while back, ‘Long Island, New York’ .

The van passed another sign soon after. It read ‘Delphi Strawberry Service ’ and Jihyo let out a sigh of relief. A brief thrum of power was present as they crossed the property line of the valley and through to the other side of the translucent barrier.

Momo pressed her face against the window. She barely even noticed the barrier but she certainly felt it.

“Phew! We made it! The magical border should protect us from any more monsters.”

Nayeon spread her arms out with a cheesy smile. “Momo, welcome to Camp Half-Blood!”

Momo smiled genuinely, comforted by their silly enthusiasm. She looked out the window to see strawberry fields that marked the start of the valley.

In the distance was a hill and on one side of it, a tall pine tree stood. A golden fleece shimmered as it hung on a branch of the pine tree. Momo saw a puff of smoke coming from below the tree and could only make out a large creature laid underneath it.

“That’s Peleus, the dragon. He guards the Golden Fleece and the magical borders.”

On the other side of the hill stood a tall marble statue. From inside the van, she could make out its distinct womanly features.

“We call that Half-Blood Hill. We call the huge pine tree Thalia’s Tree and the statue is the actual Athena Parthenos. It’s a long story about those two, I’ll tell you over dinner.”

Dinner, that’s right. In the midst of everything that happened, Momo totally forgot that she left her dorm in the first place to get some food. Her body betrayed her then as her stomach growled loudly.

“Looks like you’ll be getting that story real soon.” Jihyo threw her head back in laughter and the two joined in.

 

Jihyo parked the van near the farmhouse before leading them towards the main camp. “I think dinner is just about to start.”

They picked up the pace and hurried along the path. When they got to the main hub of the camp, Momo’s feet came to a stop.

In front of her was a big marble gateway. Two marble columns stood upright on either side of the path; a few vines and flowers clung onto the sides, formed from over the years. The marble slab connecting the top of the columns had Greek lettering engraved on it and somehow Momo knew what it said: CAMP HALF-BLOOD.

“Whoa…” She just had to stop for the view.

The camp was bigger than she expected. A thought popped up; it was probably the Mist that blocked the rest of the camp from the outside.

From where she was standing, she saw rows of cabins, training fields, and big Greek-styled buildings. Honestly, she thought it looked more like a small town that was nestled in-between the valley. Surrounding said small town was the rest of the valley, which consisted of the tall and thick forest trees and the creek that cut through the middle of it.

Jihyo and Nayeon grinned at her awed expression. “C’mon, we can give you the tour tomorrow. Let’s get dinner now!”

 

They wasted no more time. From there, Jihyo lead them past a sandpit that contained a volleyball court and a huge Greek building that was a little ways from it.

“That’s usually for arts and crafts. Sometimes we paint or sculpt sculptures.” Nayeon called out.

Momo saw a big two-story house on her left. It was the only building that wasn’t styled in Greek marble.

“This is The Big House aka camp headquarters. The camp directors reside here. War councils or any kind of counseling is held inside. Oh! There’s also the infirmary. You can usually find me in there.”

“Oh, right.” She drawled out the word in fascination. “Apollo’s got healing powers, right?”

“Right!” Jihyo bobbed her head.

 

The three followed the trail north. The rows of cabins Momo saw earlier from a distance seemed to have doubled.

Up close, Momo saw that the cabins were placed in a large U-shape. Similar to the Greek letter, Omega: Ω.

All of the cabins faced a commons area that was about the size of a soccer field. In the middle of the field was a hearth; a warm fire blazed in the huge stone-lined fire-pit. Some chairs and tables were set up surrounding it.

“And here are the cabins. All demigods stay in here.” Nayeon suddenly grinned at Momo's expression, as if knowing what she was thinking. “Trust me, it’s bigger on the inside.”

“You’re allowed to visit the other cabins, even if they aren’t your parent’s.” Jihyo added in.

“The campfire in the middle is Hestia’s Hearth. The fire there never goes out.”

They kept walking. Momo noticed a lake on her right and the creek that lead up to it. As she stared at the lake she felt a sudden pulling in her gut.

Wow, I must be really hungry.

“The lake’s a fun place to go. The water naiads are nice too! Just don’t litter near them. Actually, just don’t litter in general.” Jihyo shuddered as if remembering an episode.  

 

The three walked a little further before seeing the glow of fire and hearing sounds of chatter.

“There’s the Dining Pavilion! Finally.”

Momo followed behind Nayeon and Jihyo, mainly so she could take in the sights and scents. Everything was still so new to her. It kinda felt like college orientation all over again.

The Dining Pavilion was literally an outside courtyard. There were no walls or roof, just Greek marble columns that lined the edges and torches that blazed around them. It was also situated on a cliff that overlooked the sea.

Momo calculated the distance between the cabins and here. Hmmm. Not too far to go for a midnight snack.

The din of dozens of demigods grew as the three approached the courtyard.

“Ah, Chiron’s here. Awesome.”

“C’mon, we’ll talk to Chiron before getting some grub. He’s one of the camp directors.”

Momo straightened up unconsciously. She noticed some stares she got from some campers. They were friendly enough so she took it as the usual welcoming they gave for all the new and bewildered demigods finding out about their heritage for the first time.

They made their way through the decorated dining tables—more like picnic tables with high-quality tablecloths—before stopping at a long table. Momo guessed this was where the camp directors sat.

“Chiron, we’re back.” Jihyo addressed the occupants of the table.

“Ah, welcome back children.” A mature and deep but kind voice greeted them. The man Jihyo had addressed turned to them and— wait a second!

Momo had to do a double take at his form. He wasn’t a man but a centaur. In the flesh!

Sure, Nayeon had told her about other mythical creatures during the car ride but knowing is one thing, seeing is a whole other story.

Momo composed herself, hoping that no one noticed. Chiron chuckled low, a kind and knowing glint in his eye. Momo took it as ‘this has happened many times before and I am not offended’.

Well... I hope it is.

“You’re just in time for dinner.” Chiron said. “I’m afraid it’s a little late for a tour right now.”

Chiron looked to Jihyo and asked, “Claimed or unclaimed?” To which Jihyo answered “Unclaimed.”

The centaur hummed a noncommittal sound and said, “We’ll get you settled in the Hermes cabin tonight.”

“No worries, Chiron.” Nayeon had slung an arm over Momo’s shoulder, and Jihyo stood close by her side. She appreciated their protectiveness, especially now that she was technically in a new and strange place. “Me and Jihyo can give her the tour tomorrow.”

“Excellent. You must be hungry, Miss…”

“Hirai. Momo Hirai.”

“Yes, Miss Hirai, go ahead and sit with the Hermes table. Enjoy your dinner. We can talk more tomorrow. I imagine your stressed body and mind might appreciate some food and rest.”

Momo was glad he mentioned food. Adrenaline was all that was keeping her standing right now.

 

Nayeon and Jihyo led her away after Chiron gave them a nod of departure.

“Usually we have to sit at our designated tables but Chiron lets us sit wherever we want after the first 15 minutes.”

“Ooo you can meet our friends!”

“Fair warning—some of them are as crazy as her.” Jihyo stage whispered to Momo. She giggled at Nayeon’s fake-offended look.

“Please,” Nayeon flipped her hair in a faux dramatic fashion, playing along. “You all would be utterly BORED without me.”

“Yup. And probably still sane too.” Jihyo agreed readily.

As they passed through the pavillion, Momo noticed the symbols on each table. She knew that they were the symbols of the Gods somehow. It was probably her demigod blood coming into play.

The three stopped at a table adorned with a golden tablecloth; Hermes. A brown haired girl rose to meet them with a grin. She had shoulder length hair and twinkling eyes that screamed mischief.

Momo liked her already.

“Momo, this is Jeongyeon, Daughter of Hermes. She’ll take care of you until the first 15 minutes are over.”

Nayeon patted her arm and said, “Good luck.”

Momo waved goodbye to the duo before sitting down next to Jeongyeon. Jihyo already told her about the determining process. All unclaimed demigods are suppose to stay with the Hermes cabin until they were claimed by their parent. It made sense, since Hermes was the patron of travelers after all.

“Nice to meet you. I hope Nayeon wasn’t the one to drive you guys back.” Jeongyeon snickered at the thought.

“Oh no. We made sure she didn’t.” Momo burst into laughter as she remembered the earlier incident. “Can’t say the same for the golf cart though.”

“Golf cart?” Jeongyeon’s eyebrows rose up. “ Please , tell me more.”

She grinned as she recounted the way Nayeon took on the Colchis Bull with only a golf cart and her celestial bronze sword.

“No way!” Jeongyeon laughed loudly with her. “Oh! I almost forgot, the food.”

“Follow me.” Momo walked by Jeongyeon’s side as she explained.

“The wood nymphs serve all of the food here, usually BBQ. Lots of healthy food too, cause you know, they’re wood nymphs.” Jeongyeon handed her a plate, gesturing to grab what she wanted.

When they were done, Momo was confused when Jeongyeon led them to the central fire in a ridiculously big bronze brazier instead of back to the Hermes table.

Jeongyeon saw Momo’s face and smiled. “Before we eat, we have to pay tribute to the Gods by scrapping a portion of our food into the fire. Apparently, they like the smell.”

She shrugged with a lopsided smile. “You can offer prayers or ask for some advice. Sometimes they listen and reply, sometimes they don’t.”

Jeongyeon demonstrated with her own plate before encouraging Momo. She mimicked the action and whispered some words—mostly thanks for her new found friends and hopes for a quick sign of her parentage soon.

They walked back to the table and Jeongyeon introduces her to the rest of the Hermes kids as they ate. Everybody talked about their next pranks and what went on in the camp recently. Momo liked them. She appreciated the way they included her like she’s been here for years.

 

//

 

A bit of time passed. Jeongyeon showed her the enchanted goblets that could be filled with whatever she desired. The best thing about them? They never go empty.

(When Jeongyeon told her about the magical cups, Momo almost didn’t believe it.

She hesitated before speaking what she really wanted to drink.

Her cup steamed as it filled up with hot liquid. Momo smiled as she smelt the familiar scent. She blew into it before taking a sip.

“So,” Jeongyeon asked curiously. “What did you wish for?”

“Green tea.” Momo had a reminiscent smile.

Jeongyeon was a little taken back, she didn’t expect that. “Just... green tea?”

“Yeah. The way my mom makes it.” Momo simply said.

“Ah.” Jeongyeon nodded and said nothing else. She’s been there before.)

 

Jeongyeon looked up as some campers started moving around. “Oh, I guess 15 minutes has passed. Let’s go join the others.”

The two moved to another table, one without a symbol this time. Nayeon and Jihyo were already there and there were 5 other girls sitting with them.

“Momo! You survived!” Nayeon threw her hands up with glee.

“The Hermes kids weren’t so bad.” Momo grinned like a kid. “They thought me how to pick a lock!”

Two of the girls laughed along. Jihyo looked exasperated, “Not you too.”

Jeongyeon had a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”

Momo sat down at the table, Nayeon was just starting the introductions.

 

“The tall one there is Tzuyu, Daughter of Apollo. She’s a genius with a bow, even without her Dad’s blessing. Ask her about the Camp’s legendary archery contest.”

“My hair just happened to be dragged along by the bowstring, really.” Tzuyu rolled her eyes but smiled fondly.

 

“The wildchild next to her is Chaeyoung, Daughter of Hephaestus. Don’t ever give her alcohol. Ever !”

“ One time. It was just ONE time! But you guys will never let me live it down.” Chaeyoung whined and flailed her hands for emphasis.

Momo noticed they were marked with oil? Grease? Her jumpsuit was also marked with flecks of paint.

“Yeah one time and you crawled into the fireplace !”

Chaeyoung pouted as the others burst into laughter at the memory.

“Fireplace?!” Momo gasped in shock.

Chaeyoung wiggled her fingers in a dramatic sense. “Children of Hephaestus are immune to fire.”

“But clothes aren’t!” That drew another round of laughter, even Momo giggled. Chaeyoung’s cheeks tinted red just a bit.

 

“The tofu looking one is Dahyun, Daughter of Zeus. Honestly, it’s funny cause she still gets scared of heights sometimes whenever she flies.” Nayeon snickered into her hand. “We call her Eagle cause she used to do this crazy dance during her first summer here.”

“Maybe if you can get Chaeng drunk, I’ll show you the dance.” Dahyun grinned widely when Chaeyoung whined. “Hey!”

 

“On Dahyun’s left is Mina, Daughter of Athena.” A girl with brown hair and delicate features waved at her. She looked delicate but Momo could tell from the calluses on her hand that that wasn’t the case.

“During her first summer here, everybody was convinced she was a child of Hypnos with how much time she spent sleeping.” Jeongyeon sniggered. “Turns out she just likes taking naps.”

Mina shrugged and smirked. “I was tired from getting dragged into your prank war during that summer. Which, remind me again, who won?”

A series of “OOOOOOH’s” echoed from the group. Jeongyeon laughed as she held her hands up in defeat.

 

Nayeon’s laughter trailed off as she introduced the last member. Momo looked over at the girl sitting beside Mina.

“Last but not least, that’s Sana, Daughter of—“

Aphrodite?

Momo’s breath got lodged somewhere in her chest. To say the least, she was stunned. It was like Momo suddenly had tunnel vision and all she could see was Sana’s face.

Her very, very pretty face.

A small smile was directed at her which slowly morphed into a pretty beam of a smile the longer she looked at her. Don’t forget about her bright eyes. It reminded Momo of the pretty stars she gazed up at when her Mama took her camping back in Japan.

Momo snapped back to reality as Nayeon finished her sentence.

“—Athena. She might seem friendly now but don’t cross her if you’re on the opposite team. She’s brutal when it comes to strategy.” Nayeon grimaced, remembering a particular game in the past.

The others nodded in agreement. They all made similar faces as if they all experienced Sana’s methods.

 

“And that’s everyone in our group.” Nayeon concluded cheerfully. “Including you!” She gave Momo an affectionate pat on her shoulder.

“All that’s left is just finding out who your parent is.” Jihyo said.

“Yeah, so when exactly is that?” Momo tilted her head in question. “How will I know?”

“Oh, you’ll know. Trust me. It’s like a huge sign over your head.” Dahyun chimed in. She gestured a circle over her head with her arms.

 

There was more movement as campers got up from the Dining Pavilion. Some stayed at the tables, some left to do their own thing.

Jihyo looked around before saying, “Oh, I think dinner is over.” She turned back to Momo and elaborated, “Campers have a little free time after dinner. They can do whatever they want before ‘Lights Out’.”

“Speaking of—let’s get you settled in the Hermes cabin. You’ll be staying there until you get claimed.” Jeongyeon stood up and Momo followed suit.

“We’ll get you suited up tomorrow. And finish the rest of the tour.” Jihyo and the others waved them goodbye.

“Stop by the Forge tomorrow!”

Momo heard Chaeyoung’s words as they walked away. She waved her hand a little longer in response.

 

The loud chatter from the Dining Pavilion faded into quiet background chatter the further they walked.

“So, what do you think of Camp so far?” Jeongyeon asked as they walked on the path back to the cabins.

“Honestly…” Momo started off slowly. “I’m still a bit overwhelmed about everything.” She had mixed feelings, that was for sure; she was suddenly ripped away from her normal college life and the knowledge that she was a demigod and that the Greek Gods were still alive and kicking was shoved into her face. Quite overwhelming if you asked her. “But everyone is really nice and inclusive. And everything that’s happened in my life so far is making sense now—regarding the demigod thing, that is.”

Jeongyeon nodded empathetically, she’d been in her shoes before when she had first arrived at Camp. In her case, add in some tattered, burnt clothes and an arrow to her . “That’s understandable. I hope you’ll be sticking around for longer though. You haven’t even tried the camp games yet. Or the prank wars.”

Jeongyeon wiggled her eyebrows at the mention of pranks and Momo laughed, lightly shoving her shoulder.

“Alright, only for the prank wars.” Momo played along.

 

Before long, they reached the rows and rows of cabins. Jeongyeon pointed to a large building adjacent to the cabins.

“That’s the showers and toilets. The cabins only have sleeping functions inside of them… except the Aphrodite Cabin. They probably have a whole luxury spa built inside theirs.” Jeongyeon chuckled at her own quip.

The two walked towards the Hermes cabin. There was a caduceus hanging over the doorway. Momo recognized it as a sign of Hermes, even though she had no clue what the object was or what it did.

“And here’s Cabin #11—Home sweet home.” Jeongyeon grinned as she opened the door. It really was bigger on the inside.

It was noisy when they entered. Several campers were already inside; sitting on the cots, talking, or playing games. Sleeping bags and scattered belongings littered the floor.

“Yeah, it gets kinda packed in here. Only the children of Hermes and unclaimed campers stay here.”

Momo gently smiled in response. “It’s fine, it’s kinda homey. I think it’s better to have someone to talk to than being alone.”

Jeongyeon swung her arm around Momo’s shoulder with a wide smile. “I knew I liked you! C’mon, we can continue our lockpicking lesson!”

 

“Hey guys! Look who’s back for more!”

Cheers rang out in the cabin.