I Made a New Friend

"Hello I'm Adrian Crimson." I introduced myself to Will.

"You don't need to introduce yourself." Will said, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "What you did yesterday, it's quite obvious that by now everyone in this valley knows about you."

"Umm, Thanks." I said.

"Come let's go for a walk." he offered and I accepted the offer gladly.

We walked past the training and dining areas. We were walking towards the house of Hecate.

"Are we going to meet Hecate?" I asked him and he shook his head.

"Nah, there are few places behind that house, too." he said and I was eager to see it. Until now, I had only seen the House of Hecate, the training and dining areas, armoury, infirmary and the woods. I was eager to see more.

We walked behind the House of Hecate and the seen that fell before my eyes was magnificent.

The valley stretched into wide land and there was a glistening river flowing parallel to the field.

It was like a garden but a gazillion times more beautiful! The place was full of a sweet fragrance. Was it jasmine? I didn't know but the fragrance sure was dreamy. The garden had a boundary of sunflowers. The garden had several other flowering plants. So many that I can't even name them. But one thing was common everywhere : dandelion. These flowers were everywhere in this valley.

"Why this valley have so many dandelion?" I asked.

"Because dandelion plant is sacred to Hecate" he said.

The garden had a pond in the middle and six teenage girls were enjoying inside it's waters. They seemed very happy and also very... beautiful. Many satyrs were talking with them. Or shall I say...flirting with them.

"Who are these girls?" I asked Will. He sighed and I got the feeling that he had answered this question a thousand times.

"They're not human. They are naiads."

"Naiads?"

"Yeah, fresh water sprits. They're terrible flirts." he made a sour face as if not at all amused by the idea. "I don't get it. How can satyrs even buy that? Disgusting!" he said and I laughed out loud. Will was amusingly cute.

"This place is full of Greek creatures, Huh." I said.

"Nah, these are just a few. If you will ever start to know about Greek creatures, you will think that dying is easier than knowing them all." he said.

Then...I remembered something. Something that... Apollo and Hecate said. Will was Apollo's descendant... maybe, it can be that he knows.

"Hey, Will?" I was uncertain to ask.

"Hmm."

"What's Oracle of Delphi?" I asked him. And his brows creased into a knot. His admirable expression changed at once. This change shows only one thing : he knows about it.

"The Oracle of Delphi is the speaker of prophecies for Apollo." he said and his voice conveyed one sure thing : He was holding back something.

"So... has something happened to it." I asked. And he diverted his gaze from me.

"You know it, right?" I kept on insisting. But he was still determined not to tell me.

But I had to know the truth. From that day in the library, when I overheard my mom and Hecate talking, nobody had been honest to. Everyone is hiding something or the other from me. And this made even more determined to know the truth.

"Look, you have to tell me. I am new to all this and almost everyone is hiding something from me. Please, I am fed up from being in the dark." I honestly said. For a second, he seemed hesitant but then he turned to look at me.

"Okay. But... you have to promise me. You won't tell anyone that I told you about it." He said in a deep tone. I immediately accepted the condition.

"Sure. I swear on my life." I said to reassure him and he nodded.

"Adrian, I not the son of Apollo but I still have my dad's powers. I can sense the Oracle. Very little, yes but I can. This is a blessing very few half-bloods receive and my dad was one of them." he said, his eyes became sad and dejected. This reminded me of Isabella. She was in the same condition when she spoke of her mother.

"What happened to your dad." I hesitantly asked. And Will's face lost all it's shine. I immediately regretted asking this question. What right do I have to ask about his personal life?

"He died, even before I was born. He was sent on a quest and never came back." he said. His voice sounded broken as if he could break into tears anytime.

I was so much in daze after seeing his condition. I didn't understand what to do. Then... I remembered something. The hug that Isabella gave me when I was feeling helpless. It helped me calm myself down. So, I did the same for Will. I moved closer and hugged him.

I whispered softly, "I can't ask you to forget everything and focus on the future. I know that just can't be done. But be strong." I pulled back. I could see his eyes filled with tears that he was holding back for years. I felt sad and remembered the time when I used see my classmates coming to school with their dads. I used to ask mom about my dad and I never got an exact answer. The sorrow the pain was so much and the worst part was that I couldn't express it. I just couldn't let my mom see how broken I felt from within. Because I knew that this would break her. So, I tried to bury it down. And now, seeing Will in the same condition, I was wondering that maybe his story is somewhat same as mine.

He cried until he felt better and I was waiting patiently for him to calm down. At last, he wiped out his tears and looked at me with gratitude.

"Thank you so much. This is for the first time I have not tried to control my emotions. I am feeling very light now." he said and took a deep breath. "Adrian, I am ready to tell you everything you need to know. I want to help you." he said and I smiled widely at him.

"Okay, then the first thing that I ask of you is to be my friend." I offered and his face lit up.

We gave each other a high five.

"I am your friend, Adrian Crimson."