Daughter of Neptune, Book one

IV

Disclaimer: I'm not Rick Riordan, I don't any characters except for Tori.

Chapter four- We Should be Dead

Jason's pov

                As soon as I saw the house, I knew that I was a dead man. "Here we are!" Drew said cheerfully "The Big House, camp headquarters."

               It didn't look threatening, just a four-story manor painted baby blue with  white trim. The wrap around porch had a lounge chairs, a card table, and an empty wheelchair. Wind chimes shaped like nymphs turned into trees as they spun. I could imagine old people coming here for summer vacation, sitting on the porch and sipping prune juice while they watched the sunset. Still, the windows seemed to glare down on me. The wide-open doorway looked really shallow to me. On the highest gable, a bronze eagle weather vane spun in the wind and pointed straight in Tori's direction and my direction, as if telling us to turn around.    

               Every molecule in my body told me I was on enemy ground. "Is it just me, or does be here feel wrong?" Tori whispered in my ear. "I know how you feel." I whispered back. "We are not supposed to be here," I said.

               Drew circled her arm through mine. "Oh, please. You're perfect here, sweetie. Believe me, I've seen a lot of heroes." Drew smelled like Christmas--a strange combination of pine and nutmeg. I wondered if she always smelled like that, or if it was some kind of perfume for the holidays. Her pink eyeliner was really distracting. Every time is blinked, I felt compelled to look at her. Maybe that was the point, to show off her warm brown eyes. She was pretty. No doubt about that. But she made me uncomfortable.  

               I slipped my arm away as gently as I could. "Look, I appreciate--"

               "Is it that girl?" Drew pouted. "Oh, please, tell me you are not dating Dumpster Queen or Rainbow Hair."

               "You mean Piper and Tori? Um..." I was sure how to answer. I didn't think I'd ever seen Piper or Tori before today, but I felt extremely guilty about it. I knew Tori and I shouldn't be in this place. We shouldn't befriend these people, and we certainly shouldn't date one of them. Still...Piper had been holding my hand when I woke up on that bus. She believed she was my girlfriend. She'd been brave on the skywalk, fighting those venti, and when I had caught her in midair and we held each other face-to-face, I couldn't pretend I wasn't a little tempted to kiss her. But it wasn't right. i didn't even know my own story. I couldn't play with her emotions like that.

               Drew rolled her eyes. "Let me help you decide, sweetie. You can do better. A guy with your looks and obvious talent?"

               She wasn't looking at me, though. She was staring at a spot right above my head. "You're waiting for a sign," he guessed. "Like what popped over Leo's head."

               "What? No! Well... yes. I mean, from what I head, you're pretty powerful, right?" You're going to be important at camp, so I figured your parent will claim you right away. And I love to see that. I wanna be with you every step on the way! So is you mom or dad the god? Please tell me its not your mom. I wold hate it if you were an Aphrodite kid."

              "Why?"

                "Then you'd be my half brother, silly. You can't date somebody from your own cabin. Yuck!"

               "But aren't all the gods related?" Tori asked. "So isn't everyone here your cousin or something?"

               "The godly side of you family doesn't count except for your parent," Drew then turned her attention away from Tori and back to me. "So anybody from another cabin-- they're fair game. So who's your godly parent--mom or dad?" As usual, I didn't have an answer. I looked up, but no glowing sign popped above my head. At the top of the Big House, the weather vane was still pointing in my direction, the bronze eagle glaring as if to say Turn around, kids, while you still can. I looked over at Tori, she was also looking at the eagle, and then she took a step back.