Camp Half Blood Brooklyn Novels & Stories

##Chapter 10: Cassidy Book One: Stay "This is going to be so much fun! Thanks again for coming with me tonight." Snuggling into her jacket, Brooklyn bounces excitedly on the bleacher seat as her gaze tracks the hockey players skating by the Plexiglas that surrounds the ice. "That's him, number fifty-five." A dreamy look fills her large green eyes. As she sighs, her warm breath escapes into the frigid air of the rink. I roll my eyes even though she isn't paying me the slightest bit of attention.

For a while we were on a dirt lane through the woods, then miles and miles of trees, interspersed with the occasional mansion. The first thing Damon said to me when we departed was, "The Stationary is about a two-hour ride. It's what we call the training camps." About 100 Half-Bloods reside there." "There's only 100 half-bloods?" I barely made it out.

Vincent took a deep breath, then rubbed his face with both hands. "I need blood." Vincent groaned involuntarily. He only realized this a few seconds later after Zach and Kyron, who were eating, stared at him. Vincent looked down and cleared his throat softly. "Be careful when you talk like that in front of Kyron and other people," warned Zach. Vincent nodded, then took his fork and touched his food without appetite. "Where do you get blood?" Zach asked while feeding Kyron, who was punching his table happily. "In a clinic in Brooklyn," Vincent answered lazily.

I wonder if they would spit at my boots if not for the ring of royal guard at my back. At a crossroads, a small group of children stands beside a makeshift shrine, the kind built by survivors who cannot afford stone. Candles gutter in the wind, their wax pooling into a single, yellowed mass. The oldest girl holds a sign: Daughter of the Sun, Bring Us Peace. She wears her hair in a single, severe braid. Her eyes track me as I pass. I look back at her, just for a heartbeat, and see that her fingers are stained with ink, the sign freshly made.

I dried my tears and kept quiet as the Enforcers drove me to the Blood Pack territory. We arrived at the packhouse, and the driver drove to the back. There were two doors at the back. One read 'Bloods only' and the other read, 'Service only'. we went through the 'service only' door. The place stunk. It was musty dark, and old. "This is the service quarters." one of the men told me. The place was very unkept. I was ushered to a room that had three bunk beds and six dressers. The room stunk of piss, and I wanted to vomit.

"You know it's a trap right?" "Obviously. But If we don't, he'll kill Alessia who I doubt is even alive." "Ryan, we just have to." "Then we better get going. The only blood bank in New York isn't on land. At the least not the land you're used to." Ryan said after giving a sigh. "What do you mean by it isn't on land?" I asked in bewilderment. "The only vampyre blood bank is not in the city. It's in a coven." he took a pause before he continued. "That it's beneath the Statue of Liberty." Ryan added putting me and my mom in shock. "The Statue of Liberty???"

That evening, the doorbell rang. I opened the door. Caelan stood outside holding a suitcase. “Claire. Can I stay here?” “No.” I started to close the door. A hand blocked it. Then my landlords suddenly appeared behind me. “Claire.” My landlady looked completely serious. “Half-blood pregnancies are already unstable.” “It’s better if the father stays nearby.” I looked at them. “He’s a vampire prince. Not an obstetrician.” My landlord nodded solemnly. “He can still be a driver. You should think about the baby.”

It splattered across his face like war paint. The second man was shaking now. He stared at his companion's body as it lay twisted, steaming slightly from the silver that had burned in the wounds. “I-I’ll talk,” he croaked. Eric approached slowly. “Names. Locations. Everything.” “There’s... there’s a camp,” he stammered. “North of Blackpine Temple. Hidden beneath the mountain lake. They’re calling it The Cradle. Vincent,he’s gathering blood mages. Rogues. Shadow wolves.”

I dropped my bags dramatically beside the bed I claimed, then flopped down onto the mattress with a sigh worthy of a telenovela finale. Sure, I still couldn't believe my parents had dumped me here, but hey, there's no way in hell I'm getting converted. If anything, I'll be the one converting everyone else. By the time I'm done, this whole camp will be a pride parade. All for one, one for all, gay and fabulous. I raised both hands in the air and flipped off the ceiling. "Fuck you, Conversion Camp!" I shouted. Then I started throwing random middle fingers at the walls, at the floor, at the lampshade. Is this what they call the revenge of the gay?

Blade stands up and says, “I’ll see if there’s anything else I can discover with her.” I murmur, “Thank you.” He walks out of the office and I groan as the door shuts behind him. I need to speak to our father over this new addition and I’m not sure how well that will go over. Our father, Julian Ambrose, is very… old school. He worked hard in keeping our blood line pure to guarantee the best and most powerful vampires. He thinks that’s the way everyone should do. He’s not going to be happy about a half-blood staying here. Especially because I think she has potential.