The Demigod Secret - Chapter XIV

Narrator: CRASH!!!!! Rina and Empress Ryuuna looked at each other quickly.

Rina: What was that?

Empress Ryuuna: How should I know?

Narrator: The two of them raced outside to the courtyard only to find a blur of
  campers in red tee shirts swarming around two teenagers in orange shirts on
  a half-lion/half-eagle creature.  All the campers had their weapons pointed at
  the intruders.  George—who seemed to be at the front of everyone else—
  hungered for battle.

George: Kill them!  Die intruders! (He shouted)

Narrator: Natsuki and Mai came out of the medical cabana to see what all the
  noise was about; Natsuki's face turned red the moment he saw Nicholas.

Nicholas: (he marched up to the front like he owned the place) You two! (He
  pointed his katana at the light-haired girl and the brown-haired guy on the
  lion-eagle beast) State your business here; this is my camp!

Rina: Larisa!  Jet!  (She turned to Nicholas) Stop!  Those are my friends!  (She
  took off her bracelet and whispered one word) Shika.

Narrator: Her bow formed and Rina aimed an arrow at Nicholas.  Natsuki drew
  his sais and Mai readied her shuriken; everyone was prepared for a fight...
 Larisa, Jet, Rina, Natsuki and Mai vs. Nicholas and all of Camp Kami-Sama—
 the odds were not in their favour.

Empress Ryuuna: Stop!  All of you! (She turned to the petrified Larisa and Jet as
  all the campers bowed to the empress.) I am Ryuuna Inoue; Empress of the camp.
  Who are you and why are you here?

Larisa: (She felt strange, taking orders from a lady who was—what?—nineteen
  years old, so she whispered to Jet) You talk.

Jet: Why me? What do I say? (He whispered back)

Larisa: Because, you're a bright guy, you'll figure something out.

Jet: What do you mean?

Larisa: Son of the sun god.

Jet: (he turned to the lovely Empress) I'm Jet, this is Larisa.  Within the last two
  weeks we have been attacked by apple cores, met m'dad (for real), been to a
  camp for demigods, were lectured at the bottom of the sea by Larisa's father and
  then we just found a gryffin.  Now we need Rina and then we're headed to San
  Francisco, California, to save Larisa's strange boyfriend and two total strangers.

Rina: I've missed you two! (Group hug)

Mai: So...those are your friends? (Rina nodded) And you're seriously leaving?
  (Rina nodded once more then felt regretful at the sight of Mai's disappointment)

Rina: I'll come back to visit, promise.

Mai: What if something happens?  What if you get capture, or what if—

Empress Ryuuna: She will come back, I can assure you, since Natsuki will be
  accompanying her.

Mai and Rina: (they objected in unison) What!?

Natsuki: That's not a bad idea.

Jet: Who's Natsuki?

Larisa: Who are all these people?

Empress Ryuuna: (to Rina) You'll probably need help.  It sounds like your friends
  here are monster bait and, well, Natsuki is our strongest camper here.  It only
  makes sense.

Larisa: What camp?

Rina: Let me welcome you to Camp Kami-Sama; home to all Shinto (Japanese)
  Demigods.

Andrew: You're sending our strongest camper away with strangers?  Who are
  they anyways; they don't look even remotely Oriental or like they could be
  related to gods...but they'd have to be otherwise they wouldn't be able to enter.

Jet: I'm not related to any Oriental noodles!

Larisa: We're demigods, I am the daughter of—

Rina: (she cut her off, not meaning to sound rude) They're my friends, legacies of...
  of two very important Japanese gods you've probably never heard of they're so
  old; Poseidonichimura...and Apollonazami. (She lied then whispered to her
  friends) They can't know about Greek gods; only Mai and Empress Ryuuna
  know...maybe Natsuki too. (Her friends nodded to let her know they understood,
  even though they had little clue as to who Mai, Natsuki and Empress Ryuuna
  were)

Mai: (to Larisa, menacingly) And in case you're wondering, he's taken!

Narrator: The crowd began to die down, very few people remained. Natsuki blush-
  ed in embarrassment and let go of Mai's hand.

Larisa: That's fine, I already have a boyfriend.

Rina: (to Empress Ryuuna) What about the prophecy?  What does it mean?  And
  who's going to decode the rest of it?

Ryuuna: I'll...figure the rest of it out later (probably not since we're all dyslexic
  here).  But I do know one thing; in the words of my great ancestors, "The son of
  the moon and the daughter of the sun, shall restore all balance and make the
  world to one, and the war of the sky shall finally be won."

Narrator: Larisa and Jet were slightly confused, but Rina and Natsuki understood
  what it meant; that was their prophecy.  Unfortunately for them, that meant they
  had to work together...

Rina: (unhappily) Looks like I'm stuck with you! (She raced off to the girls'
  cabana to go retrieve her things, Ryuuna handed Natsuki a small blue backpack)

Mai: (to Natsuki) Please be safe. (She grabbed his hand)

Natsuki: I'll be fine; besides, I am the strongest camper here! (He winked at her)

Mai: Be back by your birthday; I have a very special surprise for you. (They hug-
  ged, then Rina came back with her stuff all packed into a one shoulder book
  bag—probably filled with a bunch of textbooks.  As Rina was about to hop onto
  "Humphrey" the gryffin, Mai grabbed her wrist) Don't let anything happen to
  him, or else...

Narrator: She didn't need to finish that sentence; Rina knew she was dead if any-
  thing happened to Natsuki on her watch—like babysitting and your reward is
  that you get to live.  Rina hopped onto "Humphrey" in between her two friends
  —Jet in the front, Larisa in the back— Then the "trois mousquettaires" looked
  at Natsuki funny.

Jet: Um, I don't think "Humphrey" can carry that much weight, no offence.

Natsuki: Don't worry; I have my own ride. (He whistled and out flew a magnificent
  ...dragon!) Hey everybody, meet Tsuki.

Narrator: Tsuki was about the size of half a school bus and she had beautiful
  metallic silver scales and shiny white wings.  Her eyes were the purest royal blue.
  She was as elegantly captivating as her namesake; Tsuki—the moon.  The trois
  mousquettaires stared in awe.

Natsuki: I can take one of you guys too; to even things out.

Larisa: (to Rina) You go; you two already know each other.

Rina: (snappily) Are you kidding? No way I'm spending two seconds with that
  arrogant fool; you go!

Larisa: Hello?  I hate flying, I'm afraid of heights and I get motion sickness.  No
  way; I am NOT flying with a stranger.

Rina: (to Jet) Okay, you go with him then.

Narrator: Before Jet could object, Larisa pushed him off and "Humphrey" took to
  the skies.  She looked at Rina and—despite her fear of heights—she was happy
  now that they had the trio back together.  Jet hopped onto Tsuki and the two
  guys took off after the girls.
    (A few hours later)
  Humphrey and Tsuki flew side-by-side.  The four half-bloods—being ADHD—
  were getting a little tired of sitting around.  Natsuki decided to spring up a con-
  versation.

Natsuki: How did your parents react to the whole 'demigod' idea?

Rina: Darn!  (She cursed to herself)

Jet: Uh oh...

Larisa: (She accidentally-on-purpose started speaking in French...probably since
  she didn't want Natsuki to understand) Nous n'avons pas appeler nos parents
  pour leurs dirent où nous sommes! [we didn't call our parents to tell them where
  we are!, trans.]

Rina: Qu'est-ce qu'on put faire?  Il n'y a pas de signal à cette altitude; comment
  peut-on téléphoner nos parents? [What can we do?  There isn't a signal at this
  altitude; how can we phone our parents?, trans.]

Jet: Vous pourriez essayer d'envoyer un IM à vos parents. [You could try sending
  an IM to your parents?, trans.] (he suggested)

Rina: Mai's nous n'avons pas l'accès à l'internet!  [But we don't have Internet
  access!, trans.]

Larisa: Good idea, Jet!  I'm going to call my mother now...Oh, Great Goddess Iris,
  please allow me to contact my mother; Karrie Jameson.

Natsuki: I have NO clue what is going on! (Irritated)

Jet: Whoever invented Iris Messages was a genius!  (A cloud of vapour began to
  form in front of Larisa/behind Rina) What are you going to say to your mom?

Larisa: I'm not so sure...(she turned to Rina) What are you going to tell your
  adoptive parents?

Rina: Something like "Hi Mom, hi Dad.  Do not worry about me; I just got attacked
  by a manticore, my my real mother, fought two criminals and now I'm on my
  way to break into a jail.  If I survive all that, I should be back home by Hallo-
  ween. (Jet and Larisa looked at her seriously, a mix of confusion and shock on
  their faces.  Then they realized she was being sarcastic) Come on, YOU know
  how much imagination my parents have; zero!  I'm just going to tell them that
  the supervisor for our field trip accidentally booked us a wrong flight and we sort
  of got sent to, say, Chicago instead and the next cheapest return flight isn't until
  the end of the month.

Jet: And what are you going to tell them about hotels?  And the other students?
  And missing school?

Rina: (she shrugged) I dunno.  I'll make up some details.

Natsuki: What is going on?  Did you forget to tell your parents?

Larisa: (she shushed them as the image of her mother came into focus.  Who was
  in the kitchen cleaning dishes) Hi mom, how are you?

Karrie Jameson: Dear, where have you been!?  We've been worried sick
  about you!

Larisa: I'm okay mom, really.  Actually, no, I'm not okay; I have some serious
  questions for you! (Everyone went quieter; Jet, Rina and Natsuki engaged in a
  quieter conversation, Larisa caught the odd word—fish sausage, apple core,
  Minecraft, bird, etc.—but she focused more on her mother)  Why didn't you tell
  me about my dad; my real dad?  And why is Amy so important?

Rina: (she quickly tapped Larisa on the shoulder) Oh, remind me to tell you some-
  thing about your sister later.

Karrie Jameson: (to her husband) Sam, I need you.  It's our daughter.  (Larisa's
  "dad" came up to the floating IM)

Sam Jameson: Oh, hey, how are you dear?

Larisa: (she ranted in a rage) Fine, other than the fact that we got attacked by
  two manticores, flew to New York with a sun god (who's hot, might I add), got
  a lecture from my real dad on dating (not that the first one wasn't enough), met
  my psycho-mermaid half-brother and now I'm getting motion sickness riding
  in the back of a gryffin named "Humphrey" on the way to break my boyfriend
  out of jail!

Sam: ... Say what now?  Your boyfriend's in jail (what did he do)!? They finally
  took you to Camp Half-Blood? (Larisa nodded) And now I suppose you're on
  a quest?

Larisa: Well, actually, we were issued a quest, told not to go on it, then snuck out
  at night.  Chiron should figure out where we are (I don't doubt that blabber
  mouth Damian will tell him where we went).

Sam: (to his wife) You heard that; Larisa's just on a quest.  That's one less daughter
  to worry about.

Larisa: Wait, where's Amy?  And why is everyone talking about her and acting like she's the Queen or something?

Sam: Larisa dear, do you know about rainbows? (She rolled her eyes) Do you know
  what they stand for?

Larisa: Um, ponies?  Like Rainbow Dash from My Little Pony: Friendship is
  Magic.

Sam: (he chuckled) Well, yes and no.  It also symbolizes uniqueness, individuality,
  creativity and imagination.

Larisa: So what are you saying?

Sam: I'm saying that the kind of powers she possesses extend farther than you can
  imagine.

Larisa: Wait, what?  I don't understand!  What— (the IM faded) Darn, what did
  he mean?

Rina: Larisa, do you suppose he meant that her powers are drawn from her imagi-
  nation?  'Cause that would be very dangerous in the wrong hands!

Larisa: Yeah, but why would you say that?

Rina: (blatantly) Because Mai and I saw her getting chased by two middle-aged
  men from ancient history were supposedly killed by Apollo...or they committed
  suicide, but—

Larisa: (she stood up, furious, eyes hot red) WHAT!?  Who was chasing my sister?
  (She began to walk off) No one touches my sister, not on my watch—WAAAA-
  AAAAAH!!!!

Narrator: Larisa accidentally walked off "Humphrey's" back.  Luckily, the gryffin
  caught ear her in his talons.

Strange wise male voice: Such a silly Daughter of Poseidon.  She should learn to
  watch her step. (Jet and Rina were the only people who could hear him)

Jet: Who said that?

Rina: I don't know, but...whoever's there, I have a bracelet and I'm not afraid to
  use it!

Natsuki: What are you talking about?

Larisa: (still in Humphrey's talons) I don't hear anything.

Strange male voice: (to Jet and Rina; the only people who could hear him) I am
  your gryffin, the Egyptian symbol of the sun god.  That is why I can communi-
  cate with you two; you're the only ones who can hear me. (Jet shot a confused
  look at Rina)

Rina: (she spoke casually, like it was something you'd say on a daily basis) Oh,
  yeah, I forgot to mention; I am a Daughter of Amaterasu, the Shinto goddess of
  the sun, and I'm also a legacy of Athena.

Jet: I see...

Humphrey: (he continued before anyone else could react) ...And my name is not
  Humphrey.

Jet: Then what should we call you?  Eagle paws?  Lion wing?  Eagleion?  Feathers?

Humphrey: I will tell you in time; for now you may continue calling me Humphrey
  (unless someone wants to actually take the time to read my name tag—the amu-
  let around my neck).

Larisa: Who are you talking to? (Her stomach churned uncomfortably) Let me up
  please!  I'm afraid of heights and I think I'm gonna be sick!

Rina: Humphrey, could you move Larisa to the right a bit please?  I think I can
  pull her up from there.

Natsuki: Wait!?  You're talking to the gryffin?

Jet: Yeah, so?

Larisa: (as Rina pulled her back up)  Gee, now I feel excluded.  That is such a
  weird power!

Rina: Oh, so you manipulating water, Jet practically being Robin Hood and Greek
  and Japanese gods being real isn't weird but talking to a gryffin is?

Larisa: (she laughed) Okay, okay! (Her eyes turned the same green as her father's
  once again) So...are either of you going to contact your parents yet?

Rina: How do you suppose my parents would react to seeing my head floating in
  mid-air?

Larisa: (sarcastically) They'd treat it like it was the most normal thing in the world.
  JK, they'd probably faint.

Rina: I'll phone them when we land.

Larisa: (to Jet) What about you?

Jet: Oh, well, I don't need to call my mom...actually, I CAN'T call her...

Larisa: What do you mean, CAN'T? Just borrow one of our phones.

Jet: No, literally, I can't.

All three demigods: Why not!?

Jet: Oh, right!  I forgot to tell you; me and my brothers have been staying with my
  older sister Katelyn; my mom's been missing since September 14th.