The First Day in the Woods- Getting to Camp Half-Blood (5)

(Guys, I am so, so, so, so, so sorry for not posting, but here I am, I'm back!)

Wakey wakey! Sun's almost up, dawn is approaching! We need to use the daylight to the full advantage! Now, after you eat some trail mix as your simple breakfast, you need to find some healthy food. Yes, I think you should've memorized the food pyramid when the lunch ladies in elementary school shoved the colorful paper in your hand, but of course you didn't, so I'll tell you- an average human being- er, um, even half human beings- You need to consume grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, meat, and beans. You also need to do physical exercise for 60 minutes most days of the week. Phew, that's a lot of work! First, go down to the stream, and see if the water is clean. If it is, we may be able to catch fish for the meat section and cross that one out. Then, drink some nectar from your water bottle to feel some energy surging through you, and get to work! Your shelter is fine, but you know the slanted logs? Take a few out, and tease the dying fire into flames again with leaves, sticks, whatever you can find. Set some logs, wet from the river, and head out. The moisture on the logs should create enough smoke for you to easily locate your shelter later. Now, we have to go exploring! As you walk, look for some wild fruit trees. Apple trees aren't that strange, and you may find some edible nuts. Also, look for fruit shrubs- like wild strawberries, or blackberries, or perhaps if lucky, blueberries! Look around for edible plants, and maybe in some clear patched, wild rice and grain. After you collect your food, walk back to your shelter. Set it down, and grab a long, thick stick. Grab a sharp rock, or if you brought a pocket knife, use that instead. Shave the top of the stick, into a pointy spear. Perhaps, if you found some long, strong, grass or weed, you can tie some pointy rocks. Then, creep towards the river. When you see a fish, dunk your hand behind the fish, making sure it goes the right way. At the same time, jab at the water with your spear. Fish move fast, don't wait 'till you see it, or it'll be too late! There, you've got yourself a nice fish! Now, set some more logs, and let the fire burn for a while. It's better to cook over charcoal fire, it cooks the fish better. As you wait for the fire to break in the wood, gather up the other foods you gathered, and set some aside for dinner, and for lunch, which is right now. Also, cut the head off the fish, and set it aside. Cut sideways, and make sure to throw away all the scales! Find the intestines, and MAKE SURE TO DIG A HOLE IN THE GROUND AND BURY ALL BLOOD AND INTESTINES THERE, OR IT WILL ATTRACT WILD ANIMALS! OK, I expect the charcoal to be done, so stick the fish on the spear (take out the rocks first!) and hold it not too close to the fire, but not too far that it won't cook. We need to collect the oil that will drip off the fish, so hold the spear slanted, the bottom towards the ground. As oil dribbles down, collect it with a basin or something, we'll need it for many purposes later. Slowly grill the fish. When it's done cooking, cut it in half, one for now, one for later. Bite in!

See ya for dinner,
Hoon Kim, Son of Athena

Embarking on the Journey- Getting to Camp Half-Blood (4)

Now that you've said your goodbyes, blah, blah, packed, and all that, why don't we go over the most important detail of all: finding a forest or the woods. Yes, I know you would think you blend into a mortal crowd at a city, but there's one flaw in that plan: you won't find food. So, scout around. I don't really suggest Google Maps or any other online map right now, I think you're sending enough demigod waves over the internet network, and the monsters probably sensed you well enough already. Find a map, buy a map, whatever, but paper will be great. If your city or town has multiple patches of forests, try to locate on with a lake, stream, or something else. Keep the map, you might need it. Now, the official start of your journey is here! Walk to the forest you have chosen. Go in deep. I know, I do get that feeling sometimes, like someone or something is staring at me, but do not worry, it's the Hunters of Artemis, watching over a new demigod recruit. They always do. Some people say.. they're the haunts of the forests, the bad feeling you get at night, but actually, they protect demigods from monsters. More about the Hunters and other demigod/mortal groups will be fully explained in a future series, but for now, we must make camp.

Find a place of high ground. You should be close to water, but not next to it. The water shouldn't be at a higher ground then you either. It's hard to find a place to camp in the woods, but you will find a spot. You're not allowed to camp too close to water or have it at higher grounds because if it rains, the water could flood and you would be in big trouble- but you have to be fairly close to it in case of a forest fire, and you need to be able to access fresh water without going too far, so you won't get lost. When you find the nicest patch of land, put your backpack hanging from a tree where no animal can grab it, and get to work clearing the land. Sticks, leaves, pine cones, pine needles, anything loose. If you're having a hard time, grab a thick piece of a branch, and tie a lot of those thin-but-strong sticks. Ta-da, you have a makeshift broom! After you clear the land mostly of junk, get to work. The sun will probably set soon, it happens when you're working hard. First of all, get huge, long logs and pile them all up in a huge wall. Then, get some thinner, longer wooden logs, and lean them up neatly in a line diagonally, so you make a sort of lean-to shack. You should've picked some really long logs for the leaning ones, so you can have plenty of space inside. Now, crawl out of one of the holes on the sides, and gather some firewood, some dry grass, and tiny sticks. Also, it would be a good idea to gather some more logs, more thick this time, not as long. Put all the supplies in, and retrieve your pack you put up on the tree earlier. Toss it in, climb in after it, and pile the thick logs on both side holes, so now the wood should surround you all around, but with some air holes in the leaning wood.

With your hands, dig out some dirt out of the ground, making a circle 2 feet in diameter, 5 inches below land level. Pile the shrubs, dry grass, sticks, and paper (if you have any) into a neat pile in the center. Dig through your pack until you find the box of matches. Careful, you need it for the whole trip, and you should only user one. Match one carefully, and light the easy-lighters on fire. Quickly, pile some more sticks on. As the fire grows, feed it more, making sure it doesn't go out. Did you realize, it's dark outside? You have spent the first day of your trip successfully! I know, it would be a good idea for a sleeping bag, but that would've taken too much space, and as long as you feed the fire lots of wood, you should be fine for the night. Every first night of a demigod's trip, your godly parent will usually visit you, dropping off essentials, usually something that goes along these lines:

-Drachmas- they're the official coinage of Olympus and the demigod world!
-Mortal cash- usually US dollars, since you can't use other terms of cash inside the US anyway.
-Lumps of celestrial bronze- the magical metal of demigods. (Usually only if you're Hephaestus)
-A sword, knife, dagger, or bow and arrows. With celestrial bronze, so it can kill monsters.

That's enough of me yapping, isn't it? Just eat some bits of dried fruit or trail mix, or whatever you brought, and relax. Whoop, it's time for you to sleep! Night night, sleep well, just dream about the next day! Tomorrow, we'll be improving the campsite- we'll be staying here for a week or so, or maybe just 3-4 days, but we need to stay here for some days to gather some things that I'll talk about tomorrow.

Escape immediately- Getting to Camp Half-Blood (3)

You have been using technology a lot, lately. Escape. Whether you found your satyr protector or not. I will guarantee within 24 hours, you'll start hearing monsters. Yes, that's right- you'll start hearing them. There is a magical force, or a veil, really, modifying everything Greek mythology from sounds to sight. It's called the Mist. Hecate kids, the sons and daughters of magic, can bend the Mist to their will, and create illusions or even actual things. Yes, when they make force-fields and such, they are illusions. That will be in my upcoming series Demigod Powers and the Mist, coming shortly after this series. (Getting to Camp Half-Blood) Anyway, as you get older and you discover more and more about who you really are, the Mist boundary between the mortal and demigod world will get thinner and thinner. For most demigods, the Mist starts thinning during teen's puberty. For mortals, it may be actual puberty, but for demigods, it's the powers and strength of your godly side showing itself. Getting taller. Bigger. Stronger. More powerful. Your godly side has been pushed back by the Mist, but it is showing itself, and it starts thinning the Mist down. You're becoming "more god-like".

However, some demigods, especially powerful ones, may see this happen before the teenager age. You see, the Mist is sort of like your own personal force field, reining back your godly powers and strength, but as you grow, your godly parent might see fit that you start thinning early, and that's what happens to early bloomers- the ones that are just suddenly so strong and tall. But that is uncommon. The gods usually let their kids thin from 13-18. The Mist force field will be so weak by the time you are 18 that you won't notice any huge growth spurts, but it won't completely disappear until the early 20's. There will be tons more on how the Mist, the Thinning, and others work, and I'll explain it more again, in the Demigod Powers and the Mist series.

Anyway, once you get out of school today, head straight home. No, today is not the day for visiting Starbucks and getting a frappuccino with your friends. Walk, run, bike, ride the bus, whatever takes you the least amount of time to get home. Whatever you do today, if it's early in your school time, don't draw attention to yourself, and WATCH OUT for sudden substitutes. They're usually monsters- targeting innocent demigods. Keep low, even as you ride or walk home. When you get home, tell your mother or father, whichever parent actually stays with you, "I need to leave. Camp. Now." They will understand. The gods do care sometimes, you know. I know, I felt deserted and left alone by Athena at first, but she helped me along the way, lots of times, so I realized, family never gives up on family. Just go straight to your room. Get a portable, small backpack, but one that can load a lot of things at the same time. Here's the regular essentials you need to pack: Extra clothes, thick sweatshirts, two or three flashlights, a pack of batteries, a water bottle that can filter water (if you have one of those), a compass, a book on survival skills (if you have one), a box of matches, and anything else that you might look like it's helpful for a long trip. Now, go into your kitchen. Do you know anything that your mom cooks but never eats it herself, but food that tasted like heaven? It probably has ambrosia, the food of the gods, mixed in it. Yes, mortals can get them, but your mother/father cannot eat it or she will vaporize instantly.

Ask your mother/father for the ingredients to the dish. When you spot something that looks like chunks of bread with glowing honey on it, that makes your mouth water by just looking at it, take as much as you can (all that you have) and stuff it all into a Ziploc bag. Then, open your refrigerator, and look for a drink that looks like one of the things below:
- Orange juice look-alike, but more glowing almost, and when you drink it in the morning, you feel a sudden surge of energy
- Grape juice look-alike, but almost glowing again, when you drink it, you feel a sudden surge of energy

Again, let me guess- your mom or dad never drinks a sip of them, right? Well, they're mixed with nectar, the drink of the gods. What you need to do is get the purifying water bottle, and pour all you can into it. Stuff it into your backpack. Here's an important tip: Even though you're a demigod, you're still not fully a god, so eating more than needed will vaporize you also. Be careful with the dosages. Now, you should pack a bit of food- not too much. Maybe a pack of dried fruits, some trail mix, etc. I will teach how to hunt, gather, and fish for food along the way, so you won't have to worry about food. Don't pack any money. It'll be useless when you finally decide to break your private Mist barrier completely and decide to step out into the mythological world. Some demigods go crazy, and can't tell difference between mortal things and monsters, but I'm prrettty sure you'll be fine.

Now, you're fully ready! Clothing, check. Necessities, check. Godly food, check. Food, check. Now, the departure of your fabulous journey is finally here! You'll be embarking on an exciting journey filled with lots of fresh air, hunting, training, and then, BAM, Camp Half-Blood! It will be filled with lots of amazing stuff, and I bet you're itching for it! I should tell you about it now.... it's soooo, fun and exciting, I'm itching to just tell you about it! No, yes, ahhh, sorry guys!

Until next time,
Hoon Kim, Son of Athena.

School Surroundings- Getting to Camp Half-Blood (2)

Second step: since you know your stirrings, you probably have a good grasp on who your missing parent might be. So, now, go to school. (Yes, I know, I know, but school is the best place to seek satyrs out. SAE-TERS. You'll learn about them) Almost every school down the East Coast has at least one satyr protector. A senior, more trained one if lucky, or maybe like the lot of them, a junior in-training. It doesn't matter. You just have to find them. Look through your friends first. Do they walk funny, with crutches, but can suddenly run really fast? Excused from gym? Stares at you sometimes with a tilted head? Always wearing long pants, never shorts, even in the middle of a really hot school-is-almost-out day? Has a really, really, really, unbelievable good sense of smell? I'm sure you can relate to one of those. If they apply to at least one of them, they're probably a satyr protector.

Satyr protectors are mythical... monsters- creatures, that now work for Camp Half-Blood. I mentioned this term earlier in my post. Camp Half-Blood is the only safe haven for kids like you and I. The Camp's aura itself is so strong it blocks out the smells of over 275 demigods, so no frequent monster attacks. When there is monster attacks, however, it has a magical force-field like border that keeps the bad guys out, so if you just arrive there, you have nothing to worry about, except for the occasional Titan wars, scary Quests, and chances to get beat up by Ares kids. I'm kidding dude, smile, it's good for you!

Anyway, back on topic. Hey, don't blame me, if you were an Athena kid with speed-of-lightning internet, I think you might get carried away too. Whoop, here I go again. Anyway, again, let's get back on topic brain. (Sorry, my ADHD is acting up...) So, when you find who you think the school satyr protector is, approach him. If they sensed at all that you might be a son of a god, they would've approached you first and became friends with you, but with a normal middle/junior high school of 800-1000 kids, they might have not noticed you. So, approach them, and look them squarely in the eye. Then ask this question, they fall for it all the time: "Is your daddy goat still alive?" If they truly are a satyr, they'll stumble, get wide-eyed, anything. If they're just a normal human, they'll just get confused. Find them. Quickly. Now. I will explain everything throughout your trip to Camp Half-Blood and beyond, but they will be a crucial part. They will be your map, your compass to Camp. Even with all my help, you might not make it, but most demigods do make it over the property line/barrier with a satyr's help.