A New Path - Part 2

Light flickers across my face and pulls me gently back from the edge of my dreams. I open my eyes and look out the window up at the clouds. Was it all just a dream? No, that's not the desert out there. The landscape is moving too. I really am on a bus. I turn my head and see the odd little man from before sitting in the next seat snacking on something.

My stomach rumbles at the thought of food. How many hours has it been since I have eaten anything. My snacking companion seems to hear my stomach as well and holds out his bag. "Chip?" "Sure", I say and reach into the bag drawing out what looks to be a triangular red dorito. I take a bite and...clink! What the heck? I look down at the thing I just bit and see it is actually a small metallic wedge. "Is this some kinda joke?" The man looks down at the metal in my hand. "Oh, right! Wrong bag. This one if for you." He then hands me a real bag of chips that is halfway empty before grabbing the metal chip and popping it into his mouth.

I just stare at him as he continues to eat metal chip after metal chip. He looks back over after a moment and sees me just holding my bag. "Not a snack food person, eh? Don't worry, I have taken this bus before. Stop coming up soon. Nice restaurant there. Greek food. You like Greek?" I frown and answer, "Not my favorite, but better than nothing." He just stares at me for a moment as if trying to figure out if I am serious before bursting out in laughter. "Not your..favorite..." he gets out between breaths, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "You are going to fit in sooo well, kid. Not your favorite...ha!"

The bus pulls up to a run-down truckstop and any desire I have to eat just disappears. Besides the gas pumps and a self-serve car wash that doesn't look like it has been used in years, there are only three other buildings. Only one is a public restroom and I challenge anyone who passes this way to figure out which of the three it is without getting within the 5 feet needed to read the grimy signs. Yeah, it really is that bad. My travel companion rubs his hands like he just got home and says, "Hey kid, go wash up and then meet me in the restaurant. I guess it's about time I fill you in on what exactly is going on."

I find the men's room ok and take a look at myself in the cracked mirror above the sink. Wow, I just...look like hell. Without anything to really change into, I can only clean myself up. I strip off my shirt and get to work. Ever had to give yourself a sponge-bath using cheap paper towels and wall dispenser style soap? If not, be glad. It sucks, more than I can describe. At least I don't smell as bad now though. Pulling back on my shirt, I splash some water on my hair and just slick it back. I check the mirror again. Well, I won't win any beauty pageants like this, but its still an improvement.

I check out the other buildings and find one with a sign saying "Hestia's hearth. Fine greek food." Must be the place. I head inside and quickly spot a bright yellow shirt at one of the booths. I head over and slip into the seat across from my short guide. "Ah good. I hope you don't mind, kid. I ordered us a couple of salads." I raise an eyebrow and toss him a halfway sarcastic answer, "Great! Just what I am in the mood for. So, uh, while we wait...what is it you need to fill me in on?"

He motions around the room, pointing in every possible direction. "Tell me what you see, kid. Tell me what you really see." I look around lazily. "Uh, peeling wallpaper? The kitchen? A fireplace?" "Oh, c'mon kid! You can do better than than that! Focus!" He stares at me as I try again. "Ok...uh, figures in the wall paper? Ancient myths, maybe? And,uh...oh my god! That waitress! She's...." He motions for me to keep my voice down a bit. "Cute? Oh yeah. But you were probably looking at the floating act, huh? Probably didn't notice I'm a bit different either."

He gives me a light kick to the shin under the table. "Ow! What was that for?" I lean down to rub my leg and I finally see what he was talking about by different. What I had assumed was a shaggy pair of brown pants that somehow escaped being burned in the 70s is actually a furry pair of what look like goat legs. I jump back in my seat, giving him a slightly paniced stare. "What are you? What's going on?"

"Relax kid. This is probably one of the last places you will ever get to do so. The name's Barnaby and I am what most call a Satyr. The waitress over there? She's a wind spirit. Helps watch over this place, sorta like a safehouse for people like us." Not really relaxing, but at least sitting back a bit, "People like us? What do you mean by that?"

Barnaby sits forward, resting his elbows on the table and his chin on his hands with a sigh. "Look, kid. I am what you might call a talent scout. The fact that you can see things for what they really are, that means you are something special. It also means you are in serious trouble. The more you see, the more things will be able to see you too. Bad things, like the dragon in the desert. Pretty soon, even protected places like this won't keep you hidden. I have to get you somewhere where you can understand yourself better and train your natural gifts. It's your best shot."

I lean forward. "Gifts? What gifts? You trying to say I am a superhero or something?" Baranaby laughs. "Hero? Almost certainly. As to how super you are, well that depends on where your powers come from." I look down at my hands like they might start glowing or burst into flame at any moment. "Are you saying I am radioactive or something? Is there a waste dump under that trailer I was in?"

"No, no. It has to do with your parent." I give him a questioning look, still not sure where this is going. "My dad? He's a small time actor. It's not like he worked in a lab or something. What? Are you going to tell me he is an alien?" "Him? Not a chance. As normal as can be. What do you know about your mom?" I sink back into my seet in shock. "My mom? I...don't know anything. I never knew her. Left me on dad's doorstep or something."

Barnaby nods along as I talk. "Sounds about right. You will hear pretty much the same story from the others when I get you to the camp. Most of the Gods don't have much contact with their mortal kids." I can't even guess at how big my eyes must be right now, but as crazy as it all sounds, it still feels like the truth. "Gods? My mom is a...?" "Goddess? Yes. Or possibly some other type of immortal spirit. We won't know who until we get you to camp. Even then, some kids never find out. We better get going though. Bus will be leaving soon and it would be a very bad thing to miss it."

We get up to go and are handed a bag with our salads that we never got around to eating. The waitress smiles at us. "I'll just put it on your tab Mr. B. And good luck boys!" I walk out to the bus in a daze. Am I really the son of a Goddess? Who is she? What does she look like? Does she ever watch me from...whereever? As the bus rolls out to the highway again, I absentmindedly pick at my salad, lost in thoughts of what might lay ahead of me.

To be continued...