Chapter 2: Lindsey POV

Joanna shrugged. "What aren't we up to?"

I looked towards Joanna, Colin, and Percy before pointing at our friend. "Colin started it!"

"WHAT?! That is the biggest lie I've eve-"

"Colin, calm down," Percy exclaimed, his face a cross between amusement and an attempt at seriousness. Being stern wasn't really his thing.

"You guys are the rowdiest bunch this Camp has ever had with the exception of me, and my friends," Percy went on, fixing each of us with a piercing look. I couldn't help but remember all the times we went too far. "You guys need to tone it down a notch. The Apollo kids still haven't gotten over yesterday's incident."

"Hey, it's not our fault the chariot just happened to be in the way of our fire experiment!" I protested, while Colin nodded.

Joanna face-palmed herself. "You know, that's not a very good way to start a sentence, especially when we're trying to get out of a situation."

Percy chuckled. "I'll let you go again, but in all seriousness, the next time something like this happens, the camp rules are going to have to come into play."

"I didn't know this camp had rules," Joanna muttered, causing all four of us to snicker.

Percy sighed. "Okay, well, get on to bed. It's, like, past midnight."

"Yeah, yeah, we will," I exclaimed. We all waved goodbye and I started walking to the Poseidon cabin with Percy. "Hey, Percy, didn't you have plans with Annabeth tonight?" I teased, nudging him in the side.

It was too dark to tell, but I think Percy blushed. "Yeah.. about that-"

"Percy! Hurry up! The night's not going to last forever!" The voice of a teenage girl rang through the dark. Annabeth jogged up to us, her blonde hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. It bounced with each step she took, and in a moment she had caught up with us.

"Oh, hey Lindsey!" She smiled, her piercing gray eyes shining like they always did as she saw Percy. "So, Percy..." She rocked on her toes, glanced at me, and then him.

I took the hint, and told them I was tired. "I'm going to go to bed." The two wished me a good night's sleep, and I slowly walked back to my cabin. The door creaked a little as I walked in, and I was greeted by the salty air of the cabin. The cabin was invisibly separated into my space, and then Percy's space. Percy's corner was as you'd expect from a regular boy: the bed was half-made, there were various items strewn across the room. An old horn from the Minotaur (yes, the real Minotaur) Percy had killed was hanging on the wall, as well as a shield given to him by our half-brother, Tyson.

I'm afraid my corner wasn't much better. Although my bed was made, there were various items thrown about my little area: shirts, sneakers, a pair of sunglasses, pens and pieces of paper. I started cleaning my room, since I didn't have anything to do and wasn't tired yet. I folded my clothes, dropped them into the drawer, and pushed it shut. I also unlatched a little charm bracelet I was wearing and set it on the drawer.

As I was picking up the pieces of paper off the ground, I came across an old picture. Picking it up, I sat on my bed and stared at it. It was a photo from my first day at camp. Joanna was there, smiling in front of the Big House. Colin was frowning as Percy hauled him off to the infirmary, and Chiron was standing beside me, a hand placed on my shoulder. And there I was next to them, a little dusty but grinning also. I looked a little confused, but nonetheless happy. I placed the picture on my dresser. They were my family.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, staring at the little photo, I didn't notice the voice until it became more insistent.

"Lindsey! Lindsey, come here!" Colin's voice filled my head, and I looked around the cabin suspiciously. Another prank? "Okay, where are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding. Really."

"Then where are you?"

"Uh, I'm kinda stuck. Outside."

I snickered. "That much is obvious."

A slight shuffle was audible through the wall. "Nevermind that, I need help here!" He growled slightly.
I started toward the door, opening it. "What did you get stuck on, a blade of grass?" I stepped outside into the slightly chilly night air. The shadows cast by some torches nearby made it hard to see. I stared hard at the shadows. I took a breath, about to ask where my friend was.
"I'm out back." At the sound of his voice, I thought of what he might be stuck on. Probably had his shirt caught between underneath a rock or something. Obviously he was trying to scare me, again.
I started walking towards the back. "Colin, you couldn't have just cut yourself free? You have a million shirts." I stepped around the corner, and was greeted by... nothing.

I sighed. "You know I hate it when you do stuff like thi-"

There was a slight rustle behind me, accompanied by another growl, and I was knocked off my feet by what felt like a hoof. By instinct, I quickly rolled out of the way, just as another cloven hoof slammed onto the ground where I was a moment before. Jumping to my feet, I quickly ran over to a patch of grass that was slightly illuminated by the full moon shining up in the star-filled sky. The thing that had attacked me moved into the patch as well, and I quickly sized up my opponent.

It was not one of the regularly seen monsters, that much I could tell. It had the body of a stag with cloven hooves and the neck of a lion. Instead of teeth it had sharp, bony ridge. It snorted and pawed the ground, and then charged, snapping at me.
I sidestepped, reaching for my wrist. But there was nothing there. The one day I doleave my weapon in the cabin, I thought, cursing myself. The creature, having snapped its jaws on thin air, turned, reared, and kicked. I barely had enough time to jump backwards. The Leukrokottas, which I remembered now from one of my lessons, paused for a moment, opening its jaws. "Aw, come on Lindsey. Why are you being so difficult?" The voice of Colin said. Well, that was kind of disconcerting. I stared at the creature for a moment, long enough for the monster to whip its tail around and slap me in the face. And it hurt. A lot.

I staggered backwards, pressing a hand to my face, which felt like it was on fire, and scanned the area for anything useful. Then, almost smacking myself, I looked at the stone walls of my cabin. As the creature came in for the kill, which was pretty scary, I focused on one of the seashells fixed to the gray wall. I felt a tug in my gut, and suddenly water burst forth from the little piece of shell, rocketing at the Leukrokottas. I used the method from before, and created a dome around the animal. I knew this wouldn't last for long, and, without taking my eyes of the creature, I jogged backwards, thankfully not tripping over anything, until I reached the entrance of my cabin. Still staring at the trapped Leukrokottas, I fumbled for the doorknob, opening the door.

I heard the sound of water splashing onto the ground as I entered the room, and I darted over to the dresser, snatched up my bracelet, and ran outside as the Leukrokottas rammed into the side of the cabin, making a loud thump. I pressed a little button on one of the charms, and the bracelet elongated, forming a sword. Just in time, too. As the Leukrokottas aimed another kick, its hooves coming at blinding speed, I shut my eyes and swung the sword. There was a sickening rip, and then another thud. I opened my eyes to a blast of yellow dust as the monster dissolved, leaving behind nothing but the lingering voice of my friend. I plopped myself down on the grass, my back leaning against the stone wall of the cabin.

By this time some of the campers had opened their doors to see what was going on, a few of them looking like they had just rolled off of their beds, which was probably what happened. Among them was Joanna, popping out of a shadow next to me, not looking tired at all. Colin sleepily propped open the door to his cabin, only to get dragged out of the doorway by Joanna.

"Who? What?" Colin exclaimed, as the two approached my little area. Joanna took in the sight of the yellow powder and immediately deduced what had happened. Colin was just standing there, looking like he was ready to go back to sleep.

Joanna looked at me. "You're kicking monster butt in the middle of the night and not telling me?" She said, grinning.

"Yes, I happen to have that sort of urge." I smiled back, although it hurt my face slightly.

Colin, finally grasping what happened, looked around warily. "Are there any more?"

"As far as I can tell, no, there aren't," I stated, standing up as Chiron galloped over with medical supplies.

"Is anybody hurt?" he asked worriedly.

"Well, the thing whacked me in the face with it's tail, but otherwise everything's okay." I accepted the ice pack Chiron gave to me.

"What was it, exactly?" Chiron asked, as Percy and Annabeth appeared beside him.

"I'm pretty sure it was a Leukrokottas. After all, it kept imitating Colin's voice, which is usually what Leukrokottai do."

Colin looked at me. "And you believed it?"

"No, I usually tend not to believe voices when I hear them," I retorted sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

Annabeth started pacing. "How did it get into the camp? We usually don't release Leukrokottai into the forest."

Chiron's eye darkened with worry as he apparently found some deeper meaning in this attack. "The signs..." he muttered, starting to walk back towards the Big House. Annabeth stopped pacing and followed, trailed by Percy. "Wait, what signs? Chiron, tell me what's the meaning of this." As Annabeth kept asking questions, the three of them entered the Big House, Chiron having to duck under the doorway to fit inside.
As the campers shuffled away, probably to gossip about what had happened, Joanna, Colin, and I exchanged glances. We crept towards the Big House, crouching under the windowsill. From our spots, we could faintly hear the voices of Chiron, Percy, and Annabeth.

"Child, you know that I don't like it when you push me like this. Some matters are just for adults." Chiron's voice sounded tired and weary, as if he hasn't slept for days.

"And you know that I don't like it when you keep things to yourself!" Annabeth pleaded. "You know I can handle it."

A loud thump was heard, then a muffled curse.

Chiron's voice, weary as if he had aged a few years, exclaimed, "Percy, if you're going to knock over things, please do so by the obstacle course."

"Sorry."

"Chiron, tell me. Please?" Annabeth sounded annoyed.

Chiron sighed. "Fine. But I can only tell you a little."

"Rachel came to me not long after the Titan War ended, and produced a prophecy. It spoke of a daughter of Poseidon, daughter of Hades, and son of Hermes. A relic that was lost long ago must be found by them before another force does."

This time, Percy spoke up. "And what is this 'other force?'"

"I... cannot tell you. I do believe, though, that Lindsey, Colin, and Joanna will have to watch their backs, because worse things will be after them."

There was silence. I looked towards Joanna, who was frowning as she thought. Colin was trying to restrain himself lest he burst through the door. I looked up at the sky, which for one seemed menacing. Twistin my bracelet nervously, I hoped it wouldn't stay that way.

Chiron's voice broke through our thoughts. "Annabeth, Percy, I want you two to keep a close watch on those three. Make sure they don't get themselves into any trouble."

"We will," Percy and Annabeth said in unison. There was the sound of movement, and all three of them walked outside. As they started walking back to their cabins, Joanna quickly grabbed our shirts. Since we were in the shadow of the windowsill, there was no need for us to move. We all melted into the shadows as Joanna deposited each of us into our rooms.

I had just enough time to pull on my pajamas, hop into bed, and turn the light off as the door opened and Percy walked in. I slowed my breathing, giving a slight snore so Percy would think I'm asleep.

He stopped by my bed, looking down at me as I watched him with my eyes open a tiny bit. Then he tousled my hair, walking over to his bed and climbing in since he was already in his pajamas. I smiled slightly, although after a while I turned onto my back, staring at the ceiling.

What was this relic? Was there going to be a quest? I was excited, but we don't even know where to look! What if something bad happened? What if I screwed up? What if, what if, what if? Oh well, I'll think about it more tomorrow. Right now I was so... Tired.. But wait, I can't fall... Asleep... Now...

My vision turned inky black as I nodded off.