Caitlyn stared at the picture in her hands. It was old and weathered at the edges. She smiled at the memory of when it was taken. A moment later she heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs and a second later a head peeked around the door. “What's that mom?” her son, Noah asked. “It's a picture of me and my friends from camp. I don't think I was much older than you.” Caitlyn said, holding out the photo for her son to see. “Who are these people and why haven't you mentioned them before?” Noah asked after seeing the picture. “Well, we kind of just grew apart. Charlie-” Caitlyn said, pointing to the boy with curly hair on the right side, “still works at that camp that we were at. And Bea-” she said pointing at the girl on the left, “moved away for college and we all got caught up in our adult lives.” “Why can't we go to camp?” Noah said, not quite ready to give up on this yet. “I guess we could…” Caitlyn said slowly, “but I'm not sure if you're quite ready for it yet.” “Lexi, we're going to camp!” Noah said, running downstairs to where his sister was sprawled on the couch, struggling through her summer reading. “We are?” Lexi looked up at their mom for confirmation. “That's not exactly what I said…” Caitlyn began but when she saw Noah's pleading expression, she gave in. “Pack a backpack, we will go for the weekend.” Both kids ran to their rooms to pack a bag. A minute later, they reemerged, backpacks slung over their shoulders. “Ready?” *** Once they had reached the turnoff to camp, she pulled over and turned around to face her kids. “I should probably tell you this before we get there so you are somewhat prepared but… this isn't an ordinary camp. This camp is specifically designed for people like me; demigods.” “Wait… demigods, like those stories you told us when we were little? Those aren't true, they're just ancient explanations for things that they didn't understand yet.” Lexi said, looking at her mom like she had gone insane. “I know it's hard to believe, but it's all true. All Greek gods and monsters are still alive and well, and the gods still need demigods to go on their quests and fight monsters for them.” “I want proof.” said Lexi, still disbelieving. Her mom said nothing and instead grabbed hold of the necklace that she always wore. Caitlyn closed her eyes for a second and a moment later she held a bow and arrows out for her children to see. “Whoa mom, that's so cool!” Noah said his eyes lighting up as he reached for the bow. “Please be careful with that.” Caitlyn said as she turned back around and continued on her way. Lexi stared at the bow her brother held, still a little unsure what to make of this. *** They parked the car and began to walk up the hill. Soon, they had reached the top of the hill where a huge pine tree stood, towering over everything. Behind it they could see a huge house that seemed to be important because that is where Caitlyn was headed. On the porch stood a centar, and when they neared him he smiled warmly and said, “Welcome home Caitlyn, and welcome Noah and Lexi, legacies of Apollo.” *** As the family gazed out over the camp, they realized that this summer would be a summer of new beginnings and of repairing old bonds.
