Coming Home – Bella, Chiron, Open

[Deleted]

They say ‘You can’t go home again’, a clichéd saying used for so many things, the titles of books, songs, movies, really anything. It means more or less what it says, you can’t turn back the clock, you can’t look back to days past, you can relive your life. The idea behind the quote is that one must make the most of their past, look back on it and learn, life your life in the present and work for a better future. At least that is how Bella Donna had always perceived the very depressing saying. Her way of looking at it was at the very least a bit cheerier than most. That however did not help the day she had graduated from Camp Half-Blood, her home away from home. The camp had become a part of her very being, it had taught her how to live as what she was, a Demigod, a child of an ancient Greek deity and a mortal.



Some might think that having a god for a parent is cool and would make your life great but the truth of the matter really was that it only made your life hard, painful and sometimes very sad. Being a Demigod separates a kid from the norm in many ways, from the hordes of monsters that try to kill you at almost every turn to the strange powers, abilities, weakness’, stigmas etc that come along with it. In a Demigod’s life one usually must risk their lives on a quest at least once, sometimes more.



Yes being the child of a god comes with a great deal of hardship and yet there is great joy and excitement as well.



Most Demigods eventually find their way to a special place where they can live in relative safety, where they can learn to protect themselves and each other, where they can be amongst their own kind and have some semblance of a real life. That place is and ever will be Camp Half-Blood. There Demigods like Bella Donna Beaudreux have for many, many years learned to fight, to command and to follow, to understand the magical world underneath the everyday… to live. That is what she had learned here, how to live and to love life. She had come to accept what she was and her place in the grand scheme of things but all too soon it seemed time flew by. Before she knew it she had grown up into a young woman and her time as a camper was over. Oh yes she had beat the odds, she had survived many trials and tribulations, she had defeated countless monsters and had even helped keep a Titan from being resurrected. She had survived where so many had died and she could now go out into the world and live life for herself. Looking back on it though it had been sad to leave Camp Half-Blood on that last day for it felt she was truly leaving a part of herself behind that she might never know again. Bella had gone out into the world, had enrolled in college, she continued to move back and forth from Paris France to Washington DC with her father as his job required but she also took time to travel herself. She had visited many of the major cities in the US, explored ruins in Mexico and had even worked for one summer in the French Quarter of New Orleans as a waitress and artist. Monsters still harassed her quite often but her training had allowed her to fight back proficiently and stay alive even in some of the most harrowing times. She even dated a few times and though nothing came of it Bella felt richer for the chance to be a ‘normal’ young woman. Life was good and she was content but a piece of her heart always remained with the camp. From time to time she would reach out to the camp, talk with Chiron, old friends who had taken on councillor positions and fellow children of Nyx. She had not completely shut out that side of her life but it wasn’t the same not being there each summer. All the councillor positions had been taken up when she had hit 19 and her mother, Nyx Goddess of Night, had urged her to go out into the world and experience life away from camp, to know what the world abroad could provide. Experience was important and now that time had passed and she had experienced life on a broader scale she agreed.



However a day came, a warm late spring afternoon to be exact, when Bella was sitting by a fountain in Central Park, New York City. Drawing upon a page of parchment paper with a piece of charcoal she sketched out the scene before her, the beautiful fountain, the serene park with people walking by, children playing on the grass, elderly folks feeding pigeons. It was just another beautiful day and the last of a trip that had brought her to the Big Apple, the location of Mount Olympus atop the Empire State Building, the center of new Greek mythological culture. She had only been into the city itself a few times during her tenure as a camper but she had always found the vibe here so comforting despite the noise of mortal hustle and bustle. This place featured some of the best shopping in the world, the premier in theater and arts, deep history and so much more. She had come to get away from Washington while her younger half-sister Alexis, an aspiring young starlet back in France and over all spoiled rich girl, visited their father. Bella had not expected that on this day her life would change yet again. The iris message had come from camp in the rainbow shower created by the fountain. No one say or perhaps the mist, the magical fog that kept the world at large unaware of the magical, mythological world at large, did not allow them to see. Chiron her old mentor, indeed the mentor of all demigods appeared to her with his kindly smile peeking out from a yet to be trimmed winter beard. She was happy to see him, not having heard from the legendary centaur in several weeks but his words were most shocking to her. Chiron explained that her dear friend Anna Munroe had died recently, a tragic accident during a training session. Ambrosia and Nectar, the healing food of the gods, had not helped to save her. Anna had been the lead hand to hand and swordsmanship combat trainer since they had both reached the age of adulthood. Together Bella Donna and Anna had been through many great adventures and as her friends last request she had asked Chiron to make contact with Bella, to tell her what had happened and to offer her the trainer/councillor position. Though saddened and shocked by the news of her dear friends passing Bella could not say no to the offer, in her friends memory she would take up this job and to help protect, teach and mold the campers of Camp Half-Blood.



They say ‘You can’t go home again’… but as Bella Donna Beaudreux now stood at the very peak of Half-Blood Hill beside the famous Thailia Tree where the Golden Fleece hung, as she stared out at the camp below, the familiar scene of her happiest moments, as she waited for Chiron to meet her this warm summer day she knew unequivocally that she had indeed come home and that life would start anew, better than ever. Bella would mourn the passing of her dear friend and take her place, she would accept a position of great importance to the camp and honorably follow the path she had always wanted to, as a teacher of new heroes.

[Chiron]

Slowly the older man made his way up the hill to meet Bella. "It is good to see you again Miss. Bourdreaux. And may I be the first to say welcome back to Camp." The mentor slowly made his way to lead the girl to the big house. "I'm sorry that such a tragedy has lead to you returning to us but I can think of no one better suited for this position." he said calmly, his centaur legs making the strive easy but thousand of years of life will make even immortal bones weary. "Do you have any questions or anything for me dear? It has been quite some time since your time in camp."

[Deleted]

Bella smiled as she saw Chiron ascend the hill to meet her in all of his Centaur glory. He could have come in his usual mortal disguise as a man in a wheelchair but this was the Chiron she had always known best and looked up to as her mentor. She could feel her heart leap for joy at seeing his wizened face, the lines deep and familiar, the color of his hair and beard vibrant showing that though ever tortured as he was with all the losses of centuries he was at least for the moment not overly burdened with grief or stress. She had noticed that whenever something truly epic and disastrous happened, or when a demigod who had trained under him recently died he seemed to age for a time, his outward appearance denoting the pain or stress he was feeling. At the moment he looked hale and hearty, or as much as a centuries old Centaur could. “Master Chiron…” She bowed her head respectfully the moment he spoke her name. She had known him long enough not to be so formal of course but this was the first time she had seen him in so long it only felt right and proper to address him thusly at least once. “I have missed you and camp very much.” She looked out from the hill again at the entirety of Camp Half-Blood marveling at how truly beautiful and timeless it seemed. She was glad to be home… No… She was ecstatic…



She followed him down the hill in silence her bag, an old black leather suitcase hanging in one hand and a overly large cat cage in the other. Inside the cage her sparti pet, an undead Sabretooth Tiger kitten called Jasmine snored away lightly. They descended into the valley. She passed by all of the old recognizable spots though very few faces remained from her time as a camper. She had only been gone a few years and though many of the younger campers, those who had come in the last few years of her time here were still around those of her age were few and far between. She wondered if Anna had been the last of their ‘class’ to remain as a councilor and if so she also had to wonder where the rest of her friends had gone. She didn’t voice any of this though as they approached and entered the Big House. Setting her things down by the door she followed Chiron into his office and took a seat on the couch that sat just under the living mounted leopard head known as Seymore. It growled at her expectantly the moment its green eyes met hers. “It’s good to see you too fella but sorry I didn’t bring any snausages…” She remembered that leopard head which Mr. D had brought to life loved to eat, especially snausages and cheezie puffs. She always wondered where the food went, he was only a head, but that was a mystery that had never been revealed. The leopard head grumbled and sniffed indignantly that it had not been brought treats, this made Bella laugh though the laugh died a bit as Chiron mentioned the sad circumstances that had brought her here. “Anna was a good friend and one of the best fighters I ever knew. She taught me a great deal of what I know. She won’t be forgotten and I can only do my best to fill her shoes. Somehow I bet it will be hard for the campers to accept someone other than a child of Ares or Athena as the head combat instructeur… They will learn quick though that I know what I am doing. This has been my dream for a very long time as you know.” She nodded to Chiron for this was true. Though her thick French accent was full of sadness over the loss of her friend it also held hope that she would prove worthy of her friends confidence. She wanted to be just like him, to attain a legendary status as a trainer of heroes, perhaps even be gifted immortality like him to continue to train heroes for all time. She knew well enough that with such a gift came a lot of pain, she had seen it in Chiron every time a hero under his training died but there would always be need for heroes and thus there was always a need for someone to teach said heroes.



“What is the state of affairs at the moment Chiron? I have only kept in the loop through iris messages so I am not up to date on the goings on with the camp. Are things well here? Peaceful and all that?” She asked in return for his offer to answer any questions. “Also who is in charge at the moment?” She looked up to the stuffed living head then back down to Chiron. “Monsieur D still around?” At the sound of a loud yet young roar, a noise that made the floor actually rattle Bella Leaned down and opened the cat cage allowing the bulldog sized tiger kitten out. Jasmine padded onto the hard wood floors of the Big House and sniffed the air cautiously. The first thing she looked to was the leopard head on the wall and as their eyes met they both growled at one another menacingly (though in Jasmine’s case menacing in her kitten form was cute). “Hey now… None of that you two.” She spoke sternly to both Jasmine and Seymore. The growling continued until Bella leaned down and picked the sabertooth tiger kitten up into her lap. “Pardon…” She apologized to Chiron as she stroked the kittens head. “How many campers do we have right now?”


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Translation:

instructeur - instructor

Monsieur – Mister

Pardon - Sorry

[Chiron]

To her bow, Chiron waved it off. He may be immortal but he was no god, he deserved no such greeting. "Come Ms. Boudreaux there is no need for such formalities." he said with a smile across his face. As polite as ever, He smiled at the younger girl and patted her shoulder comforting. "You were dearly missed as well dear. And I and the entire camp welcome you back."

As the two entered the big house, Chiron placed his magical blanket once again over him, turning his legs back to their wheelchair form. It was easier to move around in, he silently strode to the other side of the main room, grabbing two cups and pouring them both a glass of hot chocolate to fight off the late fall air. As she spoke of Anna he simply nodded, setting the cup for her on the coffee table along with a coaster as she stood by Seymore. "Anna's death has not been taken lightly and is being investigated still." That was all he had to say about her death for now though, if his theories were right she would not be the last death for a while. "The campers will take sometime to get use to you being their instructor but I have faith that they will grow to love you just as we all have."

"Camp is currently undergoing some strange happenings. Lots of things that the gods have to yet to explain. Dionysus hasn't be at camp for quite some time, he was summoned back to Olympus for the time being so we are on our own here." He was careful with the next words. "Peaceful hopefully. Since the attack a few years ago all has been quiet but quiet does not mean peace." He calmly took a sip of his drink as the girl took care of her pets. "It is no problem dear. And as for campers it is around 60, we have many coming and going currently though so the number may fluctuate. You won't be teaching them all at the same time though. Most of our campers currently are older and are in the advance class."

[Deleted]

Bella sipped at the Hot Chocolate offered her by her mentor and though he shrugged off the formalities as unnecessary she could not help but give the ancient trainer of heroes all the respect he was due. She wanted to be just like Chiron minus the horsey bits. The life he lead was hard and painful with a great deal of loss and disappointment but intermixed with that was a legacy that could be read in the stars, a history of training the greatest heroes of history and helping secure continued existence for humanity and civilization. More than anything Bella Donna hoped to aspire to such greatness and come to a point where she knew she had done something worthwhile with her life.



He expressed his happiness that she was back and went on to acknowledge her concerns about being accepted as the new combat instructor for the camp. It would take all of the campers, all that did not already know her from the past which seemed to be most, time to adjust to her. She could not however help but chuckle a bit sarcastically as Chiron expressed that they would come to love her. “If they come to love me then I am not doing my job.” She smirked though only half-jokingly. “I am not going to go easy on them Chiron. I spent a great deal of time around the Children of Ares when I was young because ils me contestèes . Under normal circumstances I might have leaned towards astronomy/astrology or magic like most Children of Nyx but I chose combat. I learned more from the constant training of Ares and Athena children than I did from the instructors we had when I was younger. Because I worked so hard, because I proved myself the Children of Ares, who generally don’t get alone with anyone, accepted me the epitome of an outcast. I want to help make these kids heroes… all of them… to be the best they can be since the days of Percy Jackson or even the days of Achilles. To do that I need to train them hard and constamment les inciter à se perfectionner.” She paused and placed her cup on her knees while she stared into the eyes of her mentor. She hoped he understood she was not at all insulting his efforts to mold Demi-Gods, for he was the master and always would be, but she needed to prove she could be as good. “I wont be a monstre… Not like so many of my brothers and sisters become. They let the darkness that is a true part of us inside them, they let it corrupt them and make them into things worse than the monsters we demigods fight almost every day of our lives. How better to prove I can overcome that dark side of my mother’s legacy than to train la prochaine generation of great heroes?”



She sighed and sipped her chocolate again, lightly blowing on it to cool it down as she let her little speech hang between them for a moment. She listened intently as Chiron explained as best he could why Mister D was not at the camp and the strange happenings going on. This worried her. She did not like the idea that something unexplained was brewing up again, especially with the death of her best friend having happened so recently. It seemed too convenient and it was certainly going to be something she would keep her eyes and ears open to. Chiron moved on to explain there were about 60 campers. To this Bella frowned. That was a very low number in comparison to past years and that most were out in the field for one reason or another was not normal. She didn’t expect to teach them all of course but she hoped to get to know them all or at least most during her time here. Older or younger the campers needed to get used to her being around and know that she was someone they could turn to in any situation. She did not however argue the fact that she was good enough to train the beginners, intermediate and advanced classes. In her eyes she was but Chiron was wiser, older and more experienced. She would accept his ruling on this. “I’ll begin tomorrow afternoon if that is ok. I don’t get up till after noon usually…” She smiled a bit tiredly as it was early in the morning and she was not at all a morning person… the reason was a bit obvious. “I will maybe start slow if that’s ok. Put up a sign up sheet for people to sign on for one on one classes so I can assess campers who take their combat training seriously on an individual basis. When I have a core set of campers who I know I can count on to help lead in overall training I will start larger classes.”


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Translate:

ils me contestèes – They challenged me

constamment les inciter à se perfectionner. - constantly challenge them to better themselves

monster-monster

la prochaine generation – the next generation