The Chloe Chronicles: The Lost Goddess

Chloe groaned as she woke up, her eyes blinking. Oh good, I'm not dead, She thought. Her head pounded on the inside, it felt as if her brain was pushing against her skull. Her arms were numb, but she could move them a tiny bit.

Chloe sat up slowly and looked around. She lay in a bed that smelled of warm cotton and morning dew. The room around her was filled with others just like it and other people. Some had cuts and bruises, others were asleep. Jars of liquid were rolled by silently on a wooden cart, a girl smiling at her warmly as she passed by.

Chloe's vision refocused on a figure beside her. She jumped, surprised at the teenager.
He had short blonde hair, and a scowl that seemed to have girls begging for his attention. He was wearing an orange shirt with a jack-o-lantern and bats flying around it. He smiled as she turned towards him and clicked a ball point pen.

"Hi, it's good to see you're awake." He said, scribbling something down onto a clipboard.

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." The boy said. "My name is Will. Will Solace."

Chloe nodded. "Okay, Will. I'm Chloe. If you wouldn't mind, tell me where I am."
The boy grinned and he helped Chloe sit up taller. She grimaced, he had touched a sore spot under her shoulder.

"You, are in the infirmary." Will said. "It's where we keep campers who are hurt or sick. It's kind of my job to heal them."

"You're a doctor?"

Will shook his head, and grinned. "Nah, you have to actually go to school for a degree like that! I get my skills from my father, the god of medicine."

Chloe did a double take. Did he just say god? Chloe stared at Will, who smiled as if it were normal.

"D-did you just say god?"

"Yeah. Everyone here, they're exactly like us."

"Us?"

"Yeah. Chloe, you are a child of a mortal and a god. More commonly known as a demigod. I'll need to make a note that you need to watch the orientation video."

I am a child of a god? There is an orientation video? Now Chloe was really confused. Or was it shock? She didn't know. What she did know is that she needed to get out of the crazy place! Chloe shook the thought from her mind and glanced over at the door of the infirmary where she saw him. The boy from her dreams, he was walking in the distance!

Chloe was so excited that she got out of the bed, but to her dismay, she fell flat on her face.

"Ow!" She squeaked, her throat felt dry, and she was pretty sure her lips were cracked.

"Careful," Will chided. "You have a few broken ribs that are still healing."

"How?"

"We're not sure. All we know is that you were found in a field of lotus flowers, during capture the flag."

"Lotus flowers?"

"Yeah! You've been the talk of the camp for the last three days! I mean, that is a sign from one particular goddess that some people don't really like..." Will rubbed his neck as if the subject was uncomfortable and Chloe let it drop. Will grabbed a glass of yellow-orange liquid like orange juice and handed it to her. Chloe looked down at the strange liquid skeptically.

"Here, drink this. It'll make you feel better."

Chloe have him a doubtful look and raised the glass to her lips. Just as she swallowed the first sip, Chloe loved it! The liquid was warm and sweet, and it helped her feel stronger. Something in the back of her mind perked up as if it had 30 cups of coffee with extra caffeine.
IT'S NECTAR! FOOD OF THE GODS! CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES AND CINNAMON!

Chloe pondered this for a moment and then glanced back at the door. The boy was gone from view and a sense of sadness came over her. Was he a friend? Was he family?

"Wha-"

"Chocolate cookies and cinnamon. That's what it tastes like. Can I go?"

"Um..yeah. Go ahead you eager beaver, but you need to come see me later. You have to fill out a camper information sheet."

Chloe nodded and stood up once more, her legs steady. She brushed off her pants, feeling a little insecure about Will watching her. As she was about to walk from the infirmary, Will grabbed her arm. She winced, but turned away so Will wouldn't notice.

"Oh hey Chloe!" Will said. "Before you go, you forgot something."

He brought a box over to her and held open the lid. Inside was a small tube of what looked like chap-stick, shining brightly with a golden aura. It had a pattern etched into the side that looked like waves or really fancy curls. Chloe didn't realize she was gaping until she looked back at Will who was trying ,very hard, not to laugh. Chloe closed her mouth and looked down at the floor.

"I'm sorry but that isn't mine." She muttered.

Will raised an eyebrow. "Unless there is another person here named Chloe, this weapon is very confused."

Chloe looked at Will again, giving him the same doubtful look. This time she was getting a little frustrated. She knew she shouldn't lash out at him, even after he helped her get better.
"I'm sorry...weapon? This is a tube of lip gloss." Chloe managed calmly.

Will snorted. "It's a magical item." He corrected. "It's probably a sword disguised like that so mortals won't freak out! Honestly, you act like you haven't ever seen a celestial bronze compact before."

Chloe looked down at the tube in her hands and sighed. Suddenly, out of thin air, her name was etched vertically into the side of the tube. Chloe shook her head, shocked. That wasn't there before!

Chloe quit looking at the compact and stuffed it into her pocket. The "weapon" was obviously tormenting her mind.

"Chloe are you okay?" Will asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." Chloe stared at the front door of the infirmary, hoping the mysterious boy would reappear. "Will, if you wouldn't mind, could you tell me where a certain person might be at this time of day?"

Will shrugged. "Maybe if you describe them. I know everybody here; they have to come into the infirmary sometime!"

Chloe nodded. "Um, dark hair, a little bit taller than me, not by much. He tends to wear dark clothes and he has chocolate colored eyes."

Will grinned and put his hands on his hips. "So you did see him after all huh?"

Chloe shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"The guy who brought you in, he's the one you're asking about. We thought you were passed out, but it looks like you were conscious."

Chloe rolled her eyes. Why couldn't he just get to the point. She needed to talk to this guy.
"What's his name?"

"Nico. Nico di Angelo. He should be in the dining hall right now. That's where he goes during his free time to talk to his cousins and friends."

Chloe almost sobbed at the word. Cousins. Was her family really dead? (IT'S NOT LIKE SHE CARES THAT THEY MIGHT BE ALIVE!)

What if Giagiá is still alive, Chloe thought. Would she come after me here? No, she can't!
Chloe shifted on her feet and gave Will a grateful smile. "I'll see you tomorrow..I guess."

Will nodded and showed her politely out the door, giving Chloe a glimpse of the new life this camp had to offer.



Now, if Chloe was an average teenage girl she would probably prefer to gossip, text her friends, and date cute guys; but Chloe was anything but..well average.

The boy in her dreams, who she learned was called Nico, she couldn't help but feel something towards him. Chloe had never been in love before, she barely even knew what it felt like. For the past weeks, ever since she'd dreamt of Nico, she couldn't get his eyes out of her head. The color, it seemed like his eyes were expressing his emotions. In some of her dreams they were dark and piercing and in others, they were softer but sharp in the dark.

Chloe thought about how she woke up one Saturday and decided she wanted to draw. She sketched his face into a notebook she had in her room and every dream she'd had after that, she doodled a small part of them as well. Chloe was around five when she started doodling her thoughts and feelings. Her grandmother didn't like the "creativity" it was giving her, but she left Chloe alone as she sketched.

Chloe's favorite drawing would have had to be the one of Nico sitting beside his cabin, under a willow tree. He was messing with the skull ring around his finger, staring at it wistfully as if it had an answer to a question. Chloe smiled to herself when she remembered how hard she worked to get Nico's eyebrows correct. (It was much harder when they were scrunched up.) Chloe laughed thinking about it as she walked around her new surroundings, oblivious to everything around her.

Just as Will said, she eventually came to a tall Greek styled building with picnic tables and other campers milling around inside. There were some other campers standing around outside, blocking her view.

Chloe peered behind an extremely tall blonde boy, who held a book. He had a sword attached to a belt at his waist and he was wearing armor with an owl etched into the middle. She thanked the gods once he noticed her trying to look inside.

"Sorry, am I in your way?" He asked, smiling. Chloe noticed he looked around her age, maybe slightly older. His eyes crinkled a tiny bit at the corners and they bagged slightly. Was he staying up all night too? The boy had an athletic tan, and Chloe could see the outline of his muscles through his shirt.

Chloe smiled back, blushing slightly. "Oh no, your fine." Chloe cursed silently. Why did I have to use such a flirty tone? "I'm just looking for someone I might know."

The boy grinned. "I'm Andrew, son of Athena. You must be new here. Tell me, what's your name?"

"Uh, I'm Chloe."

Andrew smiled again. "Nice to meet you. That's a lovely name by the way."

Chloe blushed again but then she saw a wave of black hair and clothes that snapped her back to reality. She licked her lips, she was so close.

"Well it's nice to meet you Andrew. I should go though, I might lose my friend."

Andrew nodded and smiled at her as she walked away. Chloe bit her lip, she was still looking at him. When she turned back around she crashed right into one of the white marble pillars.
Andrew rushed to her side, and helped her off the ground. He grasped her arm gently as if a Chloe was a porcelain doll.

"Are you alright?" He asked, laughing slightly.

"Yes.." Chloe said, rubbing her forehead. "I can be a little clumsy at times."

"A little? I feel bad..you almost cracked your head open while looking at me." Andrew said, resting his hand on her shoulder. He stared at Chloe again, his grey eyes sending a chill down her spine. Chloe hated herself when she turned away, turning towards the mess.

"Oh..I'm sorry..I uh-should go.." She muttered quickly.

Chloe hurried into the back of the dining hall and stopped by a pillar. She glanced behind her, Andrew had not followed her. She turned her attention back to Nico, whom she was currently spying on. It was him. He was actually here!

Nico sat at a table with another boy and a girl who sat beside him. Nico wore the same jacket she saw in her dreams and he was twisting the skull ring around his finger. His mouth was curled downward into a frown, and his arms flexed underneath his jacket.

Chloe bit her lip and then came out from behind the pillar. This was the moment she had been waiting for all morning. Was it going to go the way she expected? Nico looked up from his table and saw her, his eyes connecting with hers. Chloe was tempted to smile but then he got up quickly from his table causing his friends to be confused.

"Nico? What are you doing?" The boy said, turning around. He had dark wavy hair, and an athletic tan like Andrew. He was wearing an orange t-shirt, then again, most of the people around Chloe were.

Nico hurried towards Chloe and grabbed her arm, ushering her to a corner of the mess.
"What are you doing here?!" He asked and Chloe winced. His tone was hard and demanding like her giagiá's.

"I-"

"You..you were supposed to be dead."

Chloe shook her head, getting a little angry. "Well I'm not, obviously." She snapped. "Can you explain to me why you thought I was dead?"

Nico looked at the ground not meeting her eyes. He muttered. "I saw you, lying still in a field of lotus flowers. You weren't breathing."

"You mean you found me in a field of Lotus flowers?"

"Who told you that!"

"Will in the infirmary, I saw you."

"Anáthema moíra!" Nico hissed. Chloe cocked her head to the side. Did he just curse in Greek? How did I even know that was Greek? You're a demigod genius, that's why!

Nico grabbed her arms, breaking her daze. "When?" He asked, his face inches from hers. "When did you see me?!"

"Why did you bring me here if you didn't want to see me?" Chloe said, wriggling from his grip. She glared at him. "If it is so bad that I even want to talk to you, why did you bring me here?"

Nico shook his head and tried to walk away but Chloe grabbed his arm. Nico's eyes whipped up to her gaze, as if he was shocked she was touching him.

"I deserve answers Nico." Chloe said, her eyes softening from the harsh glare. Nico tugged his hand away from hers and nodded. He led her to a picnic table and they sat down. Nico called over another camper who rushed away to get two Diet Cokes.

Chloe suddenly felt ill, and a wave of nausea threatened to overcome her. Chloe started shaking and she couldn't help but stare at Nico. A bead of sweat ran down her cheek. She had experienced this feeling before. It was right before she had a large "dream". Chloe clutched her stomach and winced with pain.

"Chloe, are you alright?" Nico asked, rising up from his side of the table and pressing his hand to her forehead. "Zeus, you're burning up." He said. "I'm taking you back to the infirmary."

The world seemed to slow down. Nico's voice sounded like it was fading away. Chloe squinted, the room around her was getting fuzzy.

"Chloe? Chloe, look at me!" Nico said, holding her head in between his hands.

It seemed to disappear, and that was when she saw a beach. It was dark and the waves crashed softly against the sand. A beautiful white horse galloped out of the water onto the sand where a tree was planted. An owl sat quietly on the branch, facing away from her. The owl turned its head slowly and stared at her with pleading eyes. Both of the animals seemed to plead with her.

"Choose me!"

"No, choose me!"

Chloe was confused. She'd had crazy dreams before but this was ridiculous. Her vision started getting fuzzy again and then it cleared up.

Chloe saw a quaint yellow ceiling and the wall was decorated with pictures. A desk was pushed over near the wall, as if the person preferred standing. Book shelves lined the other side of the room with a window, showing the outside clearly. Chloe had to admit this person had a fantastic view.

"It's nice to see you're awake." Chloe did a double take. She turned and found Nico, sitting at the foot of the futon she laid on. He had unzipped his jacket, showing off a black shirt with the word NO in bold white. His jeans were ripped in some places and Chloe noticed he had something bulging in his pocket.

"Where am I?" Chloe croaked.

"You're in the big house." Nico said, running a hand through his sloppy hair. "I brought you up here so we could talk alone."

Chloe nodded and sat up. Nico stood up and sat beside her, his eyes filled with concern.

"What's in your pocket?" Chloe asked.

Nico raised an eyebrow and then realized what Chloe meant. "Oh..you dropped your compact when you fainted." He took the silver tube from his pocket and placed the cold metal into Chloe's hand. When his fingers brushed lightly against her, Chloe could have sworn her skin prickled.

"You wanted to know why I brought you here." Nico said, sitting beside her silently on the futon.

"Yes." Chloe said.

"Before I explain, can you tell me about how you've been sleeping lately?"

Chloe shrugged. "To be honest, not that well. Of course I never sleep great..but, I..have kind of been dreaming of..."
Chloe stopped herself, expecting the worst. She thought he would blow up like a time bomb and attack her. Can I trust him? Will Nico di Angelo hurt me?

"Well?" Nico said, getting impatient. "What have you been dreaming of?"

"I don't think-"

"You don't trust me do you?"

Chloe looked at the floor and nodded. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "How can I trust a person I don't even know?"

"You know me somehow!" Nico snapped, standing up. He sighed loudly and pinched his nose, then turned back to Chloe, his expression softening. "Don't lie to me. I know what you have been dreaming of..I...I saw it."

"What do you mean..you saw it?"

"I saw you, sketching me. There is only one way both of us know each other. You obviously know me enough that you know what I look like-"

"That's why you brought me here, isn't it?" Chloe said, getting angry. "You're the one who killed my family!"

Nico scowled. "How dare you! I brought you here because you needed help! I'm no murderer!"

Chloe nodded silently, she had been proven right.
"I have been dreaming of you for the last couple weeks." She said flatly. "You have been dreaming of me. Someone is obviously messing with us both, and we're not going to find out who if we keep yelling at each other and letting our tempers get the best of us."

Nico sighed. "You're right." He muttered. "I never thought...I thought I would never see you again. One thing is clear now, about what we have to do."

"What's that?"

"I start from the begininng," Nico said, and he leaned against the door. "Then maybe you can tell me why my mother wanted me to protect you."

Notes