GOING UNDER
Elsie
"How did we get stuck with guard duty?" Thomas complains from high in a tree. He has some of the worst ADHD a demigod could have- only made worse by the fact that he's a son of Hermes, god of thieves. His fingers are extremely sticky, and he has the largest collection of stolen items in Cabin 11. He rivals even the trickster twins Connor and Travis Stoll, his half brothers. Guard duty is not his favorite.
"You know why, Thomas." I sigh. Sometimes, being a child of Athena is hard when others didn't think. "You just had to go and steal Rachel's tripod. What did you think that would get you? It was funny watching Rachel get mad at you, though. Who knew paint could be dangerous?"
I could remember Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Oracle of Delphi, armed with a paintball gun, chasing Thomas through the camp; she chased him to Zeus's Fist, where a nearby child of Demeter grew some vines to trap him. After being pelted by round after round of paintballs, he finally conceded, and gave her back her tripod. Chiron had given him guard duty for a month because of it.
"Yeah, but why do I have to be stuck here, while everybody else is doing chariot races?"
"Because you're an idiot. Think about that before you pull another stunt, moron."
I turn my head, looking out over Half-Blood Hill, when I spot a flash of purple in the forest on the other side of the barrier. I freeze, and look closer.
Across the clearing, a copse of trees stood, and between them stood three Roman demigods, in armor, scoping out the camp. They couldn't see over the hill, so they could only see Thalia's pine tree, Peleus the guard dragon, and the tops of the trees beyond it.
If there were scouts, that meant they were looking for points of entry. That meant they were planning invasion routes. Not good.
I dig a golden drachma out of my pocket, along with a prism. I catch the sunlight in the prism, and a rainbow appears. I toss the coin in, saying, "Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering. Show me Chiron, please."
A shimmering oblong shape forms in the air in front of me, showing Chiron, standing at the archery fields. He looks a little surprised, but grows serious.
"Is something wrong?" he asks.
"Across from Thalia's pine tree is a group of Roman scouts. What should we do?" I look back over my shoulder. They were still there- they seemed to be arguing with each other. One kept pointing to the camp, another pointing away. I turn back to Chiron.
"Do what you think is best. Question them if possible. Do not by any means allow them to cross the barrier. It will allow them to pass, being demigods. Keep them from our camp, Elsie."
I nod, and wave my hand through the image.
"Thomas!" I call. The sudden noise scares him, and he falls from his tree with a yelp. He comes running, yelling, "What? What?"
I point to the scouts across the field, and his eyes find where my gaze lands. He sees, and understanding slides onto his features. We exchange glances, and nod. We set off together, after telling the other guard what's going on.
The kid looks skeptical. Probably only fourteen, his armor hanging loose on his bony frame, he looks like he drew the short stick for his cabin. Thomas tries to talk to him, but I yank him past the kid, telling him, "If we're not back in half an hour, go get Chiron."
Thomas, being dragged, protests. "You didn't have to be so mean to him. Remember what I was like the first time we met?"
I smack him on the back of the head. "You stole my wallet, my belt and my helmet, you idiot. You're lucky my entire cabin didn't hang you by your toes over a pit of Greek fire."
He rubs the back of his head, laughter in his eyes. "Jeez, you Athena kids are so cruel."
"Not cruel, just smart. And our revenge is always sweet." I smile at him, twirling my dagger. He pretends to edge away, but the crack of a stick stops us both dead.
Our eyes meet, and melt into the forest. I hear voices, and a few moments later, the Roman scouts stumble into the clearing we had been standing in. They step into the light, and I see them close up.
Two guys and a girl, all dressed in purple shirts, jeans and armor, each with their own weapons. Their arms flash, and I can see their tattoos- the word SPQR, the symbol of their parents, and lines for their years of service to the legion. The smaller forms are much easier to make out. A daughter of Apollo and a son of Bacchus, both with five years of service.
The other guy is clearly senior. He stands over the others, talking down to them. He points over the girl's shoulder, and I can see his tattoo. Two crossed spears, over seven lines. A huge broadsword is sheathed across his back. Great, a son of Mars, with seven years under his belt, and a big sword. This was going to be so much fun.
I tap Thomas on the shoulder. He turns to face me, and I raise my dagger, grinning evilly. His eyes widen, but a smile splits his face. He nods, and slips away, circling around the clearing. I climb the closest tree, angling myself towards the clearing.
When he's directly across from me, he reflects the sunlight off the surface of his lighter. (Where it came from, I have no idea. I don't ask questions like that anymore.)
According to plan, one of the demigods sees it. It turned out to be the girl this time- it works every time.
She signals to the others, and moves towards the bush. The son of Bacchus had continued pacing near me, slowly getting closer. Bad for him, I think.
When he stops to see what's going on, he's only a few feet below me. The girl is almost to Thomas.
He catches my eyes through the foliage, and I nod. It all happens quickly from there.
Just as the Roman girl reaches Thomas' hiding spot, he jumps out at her, dagger at the ready. He grabs her around the waist as she screams and tries to run away. He holds her against him, laying his knife against her throat. Fear flashes across her face as Thomas whispers in her ear.
At the same time, I launch myself from my tree, landing on the son of Bacchus. He turns his head at the rustling of the leaves, just in time to see me flying at him. He yells, but the force of my impact knocks the breath from him. He lands on his back, panting, as I pop up, recovering quickly. I straddle him, holding the point of my knife to his throat.
"Move, and you won't like how this ends," I whisper menacingly to the kid under me.
They all stop dead. Our captives both pant heavily, while the son of Mars stands apart from us. His eyes are wide, completely caught off guard.
I smile. This works every time. They play right into our hands.
"Now, I get the feeling you guys know what we are. Am I right?" I project my voice, letting it echo around the clearing.
Nods from all three scouts.
"Now, it's such a shame that we don't know any of you. Care to make introductions? How about you, wine boy?" I look down at him.
He tries to move, cutting himself on my blade. I press it more forcefully against his neck. "I told you not to move. Now, what's your name?"
"M-Milo."
"Milo, who are your friends?"
"That's Tessa, and he's Neal. We're no one important, I swear."
"No one important, hm? Well, if you're not that important, I guess we can just get rid of you now." I raise my arm, knife aimed for the boy, Milo's, jugular. I bring it down. Just before it hits, the girl breaks.
"No, no! We're just scouts! Oh my gods, no! We were just told to look for the big pine tree!" Tessa shrieks, trying to break free of her captor's arms. Thomas tightens his hold, and she stops moving, giving up. Her head lolls back onto his shoulder, all the fight draining from her.
"Wow, then you must really be not important. Scouts? And for all your years of service? What a shame." I rock back on my heels, pointing my dagger at the kid's face. "If you move, this will end up somewhere very unpleasant."
He shakes his head fervently, holding his hands up, stammering, "I won't, I won't."
"Now, is there anyone here who can fight, or are they scared?" I look over my shoulder at Neal.
"You wanna go, little girl?" He draws his sword, swinging it though the air.
"Oh, no, no, no. Not out here in the open." I hold my arms wide, bowing low. "I would never fight when the odds aren't in my favor. The wisdom of Athena is never given without merit."
When I rise, I wink at him. "Catch me if you can."
I smile, and run into the forest as fast as I can.
