An Unexpected Request
Our Story Begins just at the end of summer two weeks before School began. The remaining campers gathered in the combat arena. They were watching over a fight. Gary was armed with his Staff.
His brown hair grew longer than it used to be. Gary was fighting a giant Scorpion. It's tail jabbed at him but Gary easily dodged it then the claws snipped at him but he jumped on its back and shot Spike of ice straight down into its back the monster wriggled around and collapsed. Chiron walked up as the monster turned to dust leaving its shell behind.
"Well done Gary!" Said Chiron handing Gary the shell which had magically turned into a Shield.
"Thanks it was a piece of cake." Said Gary taking the Shield. He Clicked the button on the handle of his staff and it retracted into it's crystal.
He and Chiron walk to the staff tent and join Dionysus and Melody who were waiting for them. They sit down at the table and Chiron pulls a leaver making a giant rope course pop out of the ground. There were twelve great wooden posts with the symbols of each of the twelve Olympian gods carved into them, then a web of cables wrapped all around them creating a ropes corse.
Gary stood and chose ten Campers at random. He chose: three Ares Boys, one Apollo Girl, Four Athena Children, Savanna, and a Hephaestus boy. They chose their weapons and climbed the posts at the top to get ready.
"I want a nice clean match..., from all of you. Once you hit the ground your knocked out of the competition." Said Gary. He turned and punched the gong starting the game.
Savanna made no hesitation as she placed three arrows on the bow at once and shot three of the Athena campers at the same time with Boxing Glove Arrows, knocking them off the ropes ten feet off the ground.
Down a little ways the three Ares boys are fighting each other with Swords. The remaining Athena Child was locked in combat with the Hephaestus Boy. Savanna and the Apollo girl were going head to head; arrows collided mid air then one arrow got lucky and caught the rope Savanna was standing on but she was quick.
She grabbed an arrow and slid down a different cable and landed on a cord perfectly safe. She then shot an arrow at one of the Ares boys. He deflected it but cut the cord he was standing on knocking himself out of the contest.
The Hephaestus guy picked up the Athena Girl and flung her into the wooden post and she slid all the way to the ground. Savanna was now Fighting the two Ares boys using her bow to block their swords.
She whacked one of them in the face with it, cutting his face with the sharpened end. In his distraction she jumped on his back kicked the other boy in the face and jumped into the air and shot an arrow at the cord making them both fall to the ground.
The Apollo Girl had the Hephaestus boy backed up against the post but Savanna Climbed above them and cut a cord and swung through the air like a monkey on a vine and kicked them both knocking them on the ground.
"Savanna Daughter of Boreas is the Winner!" Said Melody very pleased.
As Chiron was about to announce the next competition a young camper in battle armor ran into the arena. Gary and the Staff stood looking very much concerned.
"You need to get to Thalia's tree. There's someone here to talk to the Staff." Said the Girl.
"Thank you Annabeth. Everyone go to your Cabins, Gary's team to Thalia's tree." Said Chiron very loudly. Every camper left the Arena.
"Annabeth who is the visitor?" Asked Gary jokingly, walking up to her as she exited the arena and lead the group to the tree.
"You won't like it Gary." She said Quietly.
"It's not like its a Roman or anything." He begins to laugh. He looks at her face and his own smile faded telling him he was right. Without warning he makes a full on sprint to the tree. He plows past Chiron and Mr. D along with Melody and Cookie. Once the tree is in view, Gary sees a boy standing there smiling. Gary was more than Unpleased his face was blood red and filled with rage. Chiron and Dionysus are very close behind in full sprint. Sara, Melody and Cookie were right behind them and the rest of the team were just getting in the area. Savanna was running along the branches in the trees above.
"Gary STOP!" Yelled Chiron very worried about what he was going to do. Even Mr. D seemed concerned. Gary stopped dead in his tracks mere inches away from the barrier, the boy noticed Gary's angry expression and backed up. The air got extremely cold and the weather seemed to be changing from bright and sunny to dark and cloudy as if it were about to snow. Chiron walked up and said:
"I, Chiron the Hero trainer Allow you to enter camp Half-Blood..." The barrier let the boy through he and Gary did not look away from each other.
"...Now, what are you doing here young man?" continued Chiron.
"I...I'm here to give Dionysus this..." He reaches into his book bag and pulls out a scroll and hands it to Mr. D.
Dionysus reads it unenthusiastically then hands it to Chiron, he saw that Gary was still staring down the boy. As he did so the ground at Gary's feet started to freeze.
"What does it say?" Asked Gary outraged. Small sparks of Electricity seemed to spark from his finger tips.
Chiron skims over the paper then says "our Roman friends are requesting help from your team Gary." As he finished he slowed down.
"NO ABSOLUTELY NOT! I am not going to send any of my team to the Romans. Not after last time! I would rather Kronos himself destroy the place." He struck the tree next to the roman with a blast of lighting mixed with ice freezing and electrifying the tree. The truth is Gary and Sara had more reason than most to hate the Romans.
"Gary, you need to calm down your freezing the ground." Said Melody grabbing his raised arm. He looked down to see that the grass at his feet was covered in ice then at the tree he had just attacked. Around them snow started to pepper the ground. He lessens his anger and the ice and snow starts to melt. The Roman boy Backed up clearly frightened by the power. As Gary's anger subsided the weather returned to normal again.
"Search him, I don't trust the Romans." Said Gary calming his tone.
"Gary, come now..." Said Chiron trying to place his hand on his shoulder.
"I SAID SEARCH HIM!" Gary yelled to his team shrugging off Chiron's hand.
His team walked up to the boy and tore his bag apart looking at its contents they found some maps, a dagger and a few odds and ends.
"I guess he's okay then, why do you need my team?" Asked Gary crossing his arms.
"W..we have been having some trouble with monsters lately and need some greek help they've gotten past many of our defenses, but your team is powerful enough that we only need four of you." Said the boy looking at Gary in a pleading manor.
"Gary, if the Romans need help then we have to give it to them, I will go on this quest myself if it will reassure you." Reassured Chiron. Gary just looked at hi as if they were communicating just by their facial expressions when Gary Finally spoke:
"Fine. Savanna gather with Kelsey, Emma, and Chiron you five leave in one hour. " said Gary looking up at his sister in the trees. "Back to camp everyone." Said Chiron shuffling everyone away. Gary grabs the messenger and slams him into a tree.
"I swear to both sides of the gods greek and roman if any of them, any of them are hurt in any kind of way YOU will be the first person I hunt down. Do you understand me?"
The boy looks down at the ground, Gary grabs his neck:
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"
"Yes, I... I Do." Said the boy trembling, Gary released him the boys shirt had a powder of snow covering it. The boy gave him a cold evil look when Gary turned his back.
Gary sat at the steps of the big house with his head in his hands, Savanna walks up with her travel bag over her shoulder and her flower hair clip was in her hair.
"Sav you need to be careful Romans are tricky they are not to be trusted, if you sense even the tiniest bit of danger you run as fast as you can back to camp."
" G, your too protective just keep our home safe I've got this."
" you got it Sav, send me an Iris message once you get to Camp Jupiter okay."
"Okay." She said getting annoyed.
"You got enough Drachma, Ambarosa, and Nectar. What about cloths, and your bow is in top shape have you gotten Cookie to look at it?" Said Gary double thinking every thought he had about choosing her to go but a voice cut him off.
"Savanna my dear it's time to go darling." Said Chiron rolling up in his wheelchair.
" oh, okay by G." She skips off down the path towards the quest Bus.
"Gary might I have a word before I go?"
"Sure Chiron what's up?"
"We need to be careful on both sides, I'm afraid that with half of your team gone. The camp is undoubtably vulnerable."
"Chiron, what if Luke Attacks?"
"I trust that you will do your best to fight him off."
"But, Chiron what if this quest is a trap?"
"Then we'll worry about that when we have to."
" I'll put Melody, Friedan and Cookie on double Guard duty."
"Good, and Gary don't worry everyone will be fine."
" I know, I trust you."
"Good bye for now Gary we'll see each other again soon." They shake hands say good bye and go their separate ways.
One week passes and like Chiron suspected Luke sent several monsters to the camp but none could pass the borders of Thalia's tree. Three more days pass and there was still no word from Chiron or the others. Gary was called to the Big House by Dionysus who was uncharacteristically concerned.