Here is the third edited chapter. :)
Chapter Three: Perfect Paradox
Travis and I had to sprint back to the Hermes cabin to clean up, but we didn't have much time to do anything but fix our hair and straighten up our clothes by removing leaves and whatnot. A quick look in the mirror assures me I don't look terrible. I don't look great mind you, but I look at least slightly presentable now.
Travis and I meet Theia as she is leaving her cabin and then we all head to the dining pavilion together. We arrive in no time and see that just about everyone else is already seated, each camper at the table designated for their parent's children.
Needless to say, Percy's promise from the Olympians had meant more tables had to be made, just like there had to be more cabins built. The pavilion now looks more like a labyrinth than the quiet place of eating it had been prior to the war.
Theia breaks away from our small group to go to the Apollo table while Travis and I continue our walk to the Hermes table. On our way weaving through the jumbled chaos, we pass by Argus who nods to me and upturns one corner of his mouth in a closed-mouth, nonverbal, 'Hello.'
"Hello, Argus," I smile as I walk by him and sit at the table.
Argus seems tough, and believe me, he is— he's kicked my demigod butt on multiple occasions during training— but he's not mean or anything like some campers think. In fact, he's actually pretty nice. Not to mention he would die to protect anyone here at camp, even the Hermes cabin and the campers that mock him. The former of which actually has two reasons why it's incredible that he protects them.
A.) They are a large part of the group that mocks him, and B.) Their dad, Hermes, kinda killed him a long time ago. Of course, he regenerated like all 'monsters', but there's still some bad blood there. Not that I can really blame him. I guess I wouldn't like getting killed too much either…
Anyway, other than Chiron and Annabeth, I'm really the only one who will talk to him as a person and not as the hundred-eyed security guard for the camp. Well, Theia talks to him, too, but only if I or Chiron are there. He scares her a little, though, she'd never admit that to anyone. Not even me. I can just read her really well.
As I sit down, my attention is suddenly drawn from my silent friend to the plump figure in a leopard print sweat suit working his way to the front of the pavilion. Once reaching his destination, he grimaces.
"Alright, you brats. Settle down. This is dinnertime, not a circus… Although I would gladly send all of you to one. That's where you all belong anyway…"
"Mr. D," prompts the man beside him. Well… Man isn't exactly accurate. Centaur would be the correct term; Chiron would be the specific term.
"Yes, well. While you are all stuffing your faces, don't forget to thank your parents, you ingrates."
And on that cheerful note, he storms off. I'm not being sarcastic either. For Mr. D, that was borderline jovial. I would clap for him, but I restrain myself so killer grapevines that sprout out of nothingness won't eat me.
"Yes," coughs Chiron, stepping up to where Mr. D had just given his positively rousing speech. "May you all eat well and quickly, for the Apollo cabin has been preparing a special play for you tonight."
At this, there are some shouts of joy and some frustrated sighs.
"Wonder what it'll be this time. Pride and Prejudice? I mean, seriously. Last month it was Beauty and the Beast. Talk about stupid. The Apollo kids are so gay, just like their dad," a boy snickers at the end of the Hermes table.
I turn to glare at him, trying desperately to remember his name.
"Look Marcus Antony. Unless you want to end up like your namesake, I'd shut up. One of the 'gay Apollo kids' is a close friend of mine. Not to mention that their 'gay' father and Hermes are friends so I'd just shut my mouth now if I were you, or your dad might smite you."
"I'm not scared of 'daddy'. Besides, you're one to talk," Marcus shoots back, "You don't even know who your parent is. Bet they're too ashamed to claim you."
Suddenly, my vision goes bright red and I kind of blank. The next thing I know, Marcus is K.O.'ed on the ground and Travis and Argus are leading me away. I'm not fighting them. I can't even sort through what happened in the last thirty seconds. I let them lead me into the Big House.
"I have never seen you get that mad before," Travis says as they both let go of my arms and allow me to sit down on the sofa. "Dude, your skin went red, almost glowing red, and you had this look in your eyes like… I can't even explain it. I just knew I wouldn't want to be Marcus."
At this, Chiron trots into the room. "What happened, m'dear?"
"I… I'm not sure… I don't remember… I can't… He said something and I… I just…"
My thoughts are so jumbled, I'm not even able to form a coherent sentence, and I feel like I'm going to start crying for no reason at all.
"What'd he say, Travis?" asks Argus. "You were there, obviously."
Travis is quiet for a moment. He's probably surprised to actually hear Argus speak. I'd told him that he talks but he probably hadn't believed me before now.
"He said something about her being unclaimed still. That her parent was probably ashamed of her. It was something like that anyway," he answers, placing a hand on my shoulder in what I'm sure is meant to be a calming gesture.
"What did she say for him to say this?" Chiron questions.
"Well… Marcus was running his mouth. He had called the Apollo kids gay like their dad and was being stupid in general. Then she told him to shut up because Hermes and Apollo are friends and Hermes might smite him. That's when he said that he wasn't scared of dad and then the whole thing about her being unclaimed."
"I see," Chiron responds, looking thoughtful.
"He's okay, right? I didn't seriously hurt him, did I?" I say, finally returning to my senses enough to think about what happened.
If I punched him, then I could have seriously hurt him. Being nearly six foot and having a very low body fat percentage is generally a poor combination for someone on the receiving end of one of my punches, even jerks like Marcus.
"He'll be fine. But I'm not entirely convinced that you did that. On a physical plane, yes, it was you who hit him, but I don't believe it was you."
"Wh… What do you mean?" I ask, my jumbled mind not making any sense of his cryptic words.
"Marcus, called Apollo... ahem… Gay, yes?" Chiron asks glancing nervously out the window at the sky, clearly uncomfortable using 'gay' and 'Apollo' in the same sentence. Understandable. Apollo and his sister are probably the two Olympians most inclined to the idea of vindictiveness… Well… Besides maybe Zeus…. And possibly Hera…
"Yeah," Travis nods slowly, clearly as lost as I am.
"He also said he was not afraid of Hermes, correct?"
"Well… Yeah, but I don't see how that means anything…"
"What we may have just witnessed is Apollo or Hermes—or both—directly controlling a mortal."
"Why?" I manage to question.
"Marcus quite possibly offended one god and practically dared the other, his father Hermes, to do something. And so they, in all probability, did."
"Why me?"
"Most likely because you were defending them in the conflict."
"That makes sense, I guess…" Travis says as though he's not really sure if it does or not.
A moment later, everyone turns at the sound of the door opening. Two sets of footsteps are audible. One hurried set, the other more leisurely. The owner of the hurried footsteps appears in the doorway to the room first.
Theia.
Almost immediately, she's hugging me.
"Are you okay?" she yells in my ear before holding me out at arm's length.
"I punched Marcus out and you're worried if I'm okay?"
"Well, yeah. He deserved it I'm sure, but Mr. D said—"
"Yes, I'll say," reprimands Mr. D as he walks into the room, a bored look on his face.
I stand up quickly.
"Mr. D, I am so sorry. I—"
"Yes, yes. You're sorry, but I'm the one who has to fill out all the paperwork, Marina."
"Um… My name's Nakita…"
"Yes, I'm sure it is."
"Mr. D," begins Chiron, "do you know whether or not Hermes or Apollo acted through her?"
Mr. D scowls.
"Why of course they did! That Martin boy was lucky she punched him. Being so disrespectful to the gods! Bah! Apollo wanted to incinerate him right there, but Hermes intervened on his son's behalf—though Zeus knows why—and convinced him that the punishment should be less drastic. Me, I was all for Apollo incinerating him. One less brat to deal with. But, of course, Hermes dissuaded him from carrying through. Silver-tongued devil."
"So… I'm not in trouble… Am I?"
"No. I suppose not," he sighs as if upset to admit the fact, "but I don't want any more trouble out of you or you'll be cleaning out the stables with a toothbrush. Am I understood?"
"Yes, sir," I say.
"Well then… Dia, I believe you have a play to be working on, and you, Trevor, have a cabin to be supervising. Go on. Off with you hoodlums. Shoo!"
"Yes, sir," we all respond, hurrying out of the Big House and into the night air.
"That was crazy." Theia practically trills the last word.
"Yeah," I reply intelligently.
"Well, I say Marcus got what he deserved," Travis says with a nod of finality, his hair once more falling down in his face.
"What even happened?" Theia asks looking to me for the answer. "I saw you punch him, but that was about it."
"He said your whole cabin and your dad are gay," Travis volunteers for me. Knowing what this will be the catalyst of, I really want to Gibbslap him again, but I have more important things to worry about at the moment.
"He said what? So help me, he's gonna wish he had been incinerated, 'cause I'm gonna make his life the Fields of Punishment!" she exclaims as she begins to march off toward the infirmary, no doubt to follow through on her words.
Theia never says things just to say them. If she says them, she is convicted and has every intention of following through with her actions.
Travis and I simultaneously grab her arms, trying to restrain her. You might think that would be easy because she is only sixteen and we tower over her at just about six feet each, but no. If Theia has her mind set on something, she will not be stopped by petty height and age differences. Not to mention, the tempers of the Apollo children tend to be about like their father; in other words, they are not typically easily provoked, but once they have been… Well, let's just say it usually doesn't end well for anyone.
"Theia," I start, struggling to hold her back, "I think he's already been punished."
"Yeah, really," Travis agrees, clearly struggling as well. "Kita—Well… Not Kita, but 'god-controlled' Kita hit him pretty hard."
She seems to think about this because my arms suddenly feel a lot better and not like my shoulders are being dislocated by trying to hold back a MACK truck. After a moment, she stops dragging the two of us, stops struggling completely, and sighs in something between defeat and resignation.
"Yeah. I guess you two are right. Besides, I have a show to be helping with tonight..."
"Yeah… About that… Theia, do you think I can take a rain check?" I ask.
"Why? Is something wrong?"
"No. Just tired is all. My insomnia's been acting up again lately, but, I dunno… I guess what happened's made me tired. I might actually be able to get some sleep tonight."
"Sure. See you tomorrow morning. Night," she says, running off toward the amphitheatre.
As soon as she is out of sight, Travis turns to me.
"Do you need me to walk with you to the cabin, or do you think you're okay?" he asks clearly concerned, and I know he's thinking about my fear of the dark and of being alone.
Yes, my other completely ridiculous fear is of being alone. The shrink I used to go to during my days at the orphanage had said that this fear is probably rooted in the fact that I was abandoned and left in an orphanage without friends.
Personally, I don't see the point in trying to figure out why it is, I just know it is and that's good enough for me.
I force myself to focus and answer Travis.
"No. If you don't go supervise all of your siblings, the amphitheatre might not be standing by the time you get back from walking me to the cabin."
"Oh man! You're right! I left Connor in charge!" he exclaims, sprinting away. "Night, Kita!" he yells over his shoulder.
I shake my head, a smile gracing my face as I start toward the cabins, wondering how I ended up befriending such crazy people.
"Nakita!" comes a familiar female voice from behind me.
I turn around to look at the Big House once more. Chiron and Rachel, the new Oracle of Delphi, are walking toward me.
"I heard what happened!" Rachel exclaims. "I wish I could have seen it! That Marcus is a real jerk! Insulting Lord Apollo like that! However hard you hit him, you didn't hit him hard enough!"
"Um…"
Chiron looks apologetically at me then appears serious once more.
"Are you alright?"
"… I think so… It was kind of weird not having control and I was kinda hazy there for a little after it happened, but I'm alright now."
"Good. Well. I see that you are tired, so I will let you go get some sleep. Who knows what tomorrow might bring?"
Which is the exact wrong thing to say, of course, because Rachel's eyes start glowing an eerie shade of green and she doubles over as green smoke begins to spew from her mouth.
We both watch, stunned, as Rachel suddenly straightens and looks at me.
Only this doesn't seem like Rachel at all… And the strange, almost serpentine hissing sound certainly isn't Rachel. In fact, the only thing that seems like Rachel is that it looks like her. But this is not Rachel. This is the famed Oracle of Delphi, Speaker of Prophecies, Seer of the Future, Embracer of the Past.
I had seen this before a few times. It is a prophecy. Chiron had unintentionally triggered a prophecy.
That's just what we need…
Now, if you've never seen the Oracle spout off a prophecy, I have to say, there is nothing quite so freaky as seeing the transformation from Rachel to the Oracle. Altogether it's just creepy beyond the previous realms of what most people think creepy can possibly be. That is what it's like to get a Prophecy from the Oracle. Especially the live Oracle. In my opinion, the mummy wasn't half as creepy.
But suddenly, her glazed over eyes focus on me and she begins to speak,
"Four heroes must soon depart
To vanquish ever darkest heart
Below, one must fight and best
The blackest night or ever rest
The Keepers of Song and Art will know
As to why the heroes go
For unless fortune and health are met
All of Olympus, the world forget."
The last word is said, not in the Oracle's voice, but in Rachel's own voice, and the green light suddenly vanishes from Rachel's eyes, the green mist evaporates quickly. Too quickly. All of us notice it, even Rachel.
It is a longer prophecy than normal and it seemed to have finished, yet the Oracle itself had stopped abruptly. Usually, Rachel's transformations back to Rachel are a little longer, and the green vapors evaporate after a few moments; this time, however, they had disappeared almost before the last word was uttered and Rachel's voice had spoken the last word, not the Oracle. It was as if someone had hung up the other end of the telephone line.
"Wh… What just happened?" Rachel asks, shaking her head in an attempt to clear it and tottering as if the slightest movement will make her fall over. "I feel… weird."
Chiron grips her elbow to steady her and we exchange looks over her head, but I am the one to speak.
"That does not seem like a good sign."
"No. It does not," he frowns. "Nakita, you must go to the amphitheatre and gather the cabin leaders. Do so quietly if it is at all possible. We do not need rumors starting when we ourselves are unsure of what is happening. I will take Rachel inside and consult Mr. D."
"Right," I nod, taking one more look at the disoriented Rachel before running toward the amphitheatre, barely managing to stifle a yawn.
Tonight is going to be a long night. I can see that right now.
Unfortunately, my prediction is not disproved.
It takes a while, but I am able to successfully extract the counselors without much notice. Connor and Travis first. Then Annabeth, Percy, and Nico. Next Miranda and Pollux. Clarisse follows. Somehow, I manage to get Will Solace, child of Apollo, without any notice, despite the play. Thank the gods that he usually only works backstage. Theia, of course, is curious and says that she is coming, too. I then retrieve Nathan, child of Hephaestus. He is only counselor in the stead of Leo Valdez, who is currently out on a quest.
After the main Olympians' counselors were collected, I sent them to the Big House, then continued gathering the counselors for the minor gods' cabins. Butch, child of Iris; Marrick, child of Nemesis; Lou Ellen, child of Hecate; Aurora, child of Morpheus; Annette, child of Janus; my friend Masago, child of Thanatos; etc. etc. etc.
Somehow, I manage to get all of them to the Big House without detection… And then I realize I forgot Drew, child of Aphrodite, who is thankfully only a substitute counselor while Piper is away on the same quest as Leo. I end up having to go back to get her... I don't want to, but Chiron says it is necessary to have everyone gathered. Including her.
However, in the end, all fifty counselors are seated around the now much bigger conference table. Yes, there are way more than fifty gods and way more than fifty cabins, but not all gods have children to put in said cabins at this time.
Now, obviously, I am not a counselor. I mean, I don't even know to which cabin I belong. However, I am one of the oldest at the camp, and it was to me that the Oracle of Delphi spouted off the prophecy.
"Alright, alright. Settle down," Chiron says, but the mumblings, gossiping, and conspiracy theories continue.
"SHUT UP! CHIRON'S TRYING TO TELL US WHY WE'RE HERE!" bellows Theia, easily drowning out all the other noise in the room. Immediately, everyone's attention turns to the ancient trainer of heroes.
"Thank you, Theia. Ahem…Yes, well…" he begins. "I am sure that you are all curious as to why you are here." There he is interrupted by general murmurs of agreement until Theia glares around the table, effectively silencing them. "Just an hour ago, the Oracle delivered to Nakita a prophecy. You have all been brought here so that you may hear it and so that we may determine a course of action. Nakita?"
I feel all two hundred six eyes in the room turn to me. Yes, there are only fifty counselors, which means a hundred eyes, but Argus, Connor, Chiron, and Theia are in the room, too, and Argus counts for another hundred all by himself.
"Well… The prophecy went like this:
"Four heroes must soon depart
To vanquish ever darkest heart
Below, one must fight and best
The blackest night or ever rest
The Keepers of Song and Art will know
As to why the heroes go
For unless fortune and health are met
All of Olympus, the world forget."
"Now," says Chiron, "since the prophecy was given to Nakita, we will assume that she is one of the mentioned heroes, and the three that she chooses to go with her will be the others. Does anyone have any questions?"
"So… Does this mean Orympus in trouble again?" asks Masago with a heavy Japanese accent.
"It would appear so," Chiron answers, nodding grimly.
"So… Wait," starts Percy, clearly confused. "When it's talking about the 'darkest heart', who does it mean?"
It is Aura, child of Aeolus, who answers.
"Well, it could mean Nyx or Thanatos or Hades."
Masago frowns, "My father has nothing to do with this."
"Nor does mine," Nico says, quickly coming to his father's defense.
"Well, he is ruler of the Underworld," Connor reasons as Travis elbows him in warning.
"My father has nothing to do with this," the son of Hades practically growls, his eyes flashing dangerously.
"He is the darkest heart," says Annette, " 'below' seems to point to the Underworld to me."
"Are you honestly accusing my father?" he exclaims standing up and slamming his hands down on the table. There goes the Hades family temper. "My father helped to save Olympus! Why would he endanger it now that he is getting the respect that he has wanted for so long? The respect he deserves?"
"Maybe he's not satisfied with that. Maybe he was just biding his time until he could take over," Drew volunteers.
As Nico gets a murderous look in his eyes, I quickly intervene, trying to save the camp from getting overrun by killer zombies due to Nico's anger getting out of control. His powers are still very much linked to his emotions, and he hasn't quite gotten control of either as of yet.
"Nico, no one is accusing your father," I try to soothe. "We're simply trying to sort through the prophecy. We have to look at all possible angles to this, Nico. Please, understand that."
He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, nods, and sits down. Nico and I aren't great friends, but we have a kind of understanding. He knows what it's like to be an outcast and I am one, so it gives us camaraderie. I suppose that is the best explanation of it.
"Obviously, this will get us nowhere," Annabeth says being the sensible daughter of Athena that she is.
"Really, Wise girl? I had no idea," Percy responds rolling his eyes.
"Can it, Seaweed brain."
" 'Can it'. Real funny."
"I thought so."
Chiron clears his throat loudly, getting the attention of both.
"If you two are finished?"
Percy and Annabeth fall silent and look down.
"Chiron," I begin, "you mentioned that you would consult Mr. D. Has he said anything?"
Chiron frowns, which is never a good sign. That usually means something extremely bad is just around the corner, waiting to jump out and attack us.
"Well… I informed Mr. D, but I was unable to ask him anything, because he was summoned to Olympus via Iris message."
This started the murmuring afresh. Mr. D was summoned to Olympus? And by Iris message? Whenever Mr. D had been summoned to Olympus in the past, Lord Hermes had always come to tell him.
Percy speaks up, "Maybe I can get in contact with my dad. He might know something."
Chiron shakes his head.
"No, Percy. Mr. D assured me that he will send me an Iris message as soon as he knows anything on the matter."
"So what do we do?" Travis questions. "We can't seem to interpret the prophecy without… problems, and we can't get any information."
"Well…" I sigh. "The prophecy says 'The Keepers of Song and Art will know as to why the heroes go.' The Keepers of Song and Art would be the Muses, right? Where do the Muses stay?"
"Olympus," Percy answers with certainty.
I merely nod.
"Well," Chiron says. "It appears as though you know your starting point. Now, you must choose who you wish to accompany you."
I look around the table. Percy, Annabeth, and Clarisse are all giving me anxious looks. I can tell each of them really wants to go, but somehow, I know this is not their quest.
I continue my scan around the table. Travis. Connor. Will. Annette. Masago. Theia. Nico. Aurora. Marrick. Butch. Pollux. Aura. So many familiar faces. Some of them friends. This quest could be very dangerous. The line, 'Below, one must fight and best, The blackest night or ever rest' echoes in my mind. Someone will face a life or death situation. Someone might not come back.
And yet, strangely, I know who needs to go. As much as I hate it, I know who needs to go. Without doubt or question.
"Well, Chiron… I want—"
Unfortunately, I am interrupted as a door is slammed open and two people walk into the room: Victoria Declan and Ava.
"Alright. What's going on? I was looking for Clarisse and I couldn't find her. Now I find all of you in here… It's not another end of the world is it?" Victoria asks, clearly not all that worried about it.
Victoria, only three years younger than Clarisse, is a daughter of Ares. She served alongside all of us in the second Titan war, and is therefore a veteran of the camp.
She and I get along well enough, but sometimes, she hates me. I don't know why. I guess children of Ares have to hate everyone and everything at some point. Thankfully, though, today she seems to be okay with me.
"Well, Victoria," starts Chiron, "we are unsure as of yet. Nakita was going to tell us who would accompany her on her quest."
"What quest?" Ava questions, her big blue eyes curious.
"The one she just got. Duh," Drew says, a sadistic gleam in her eyes.
Ava shrinks a little. A few of the Aphrodite girls are always picking on her. Especially Drew. She takes extra joy in doing so.
All I can do is glare at the obnoxious girl.
I can't stand her 'I'm-prettier-than-you-so-you-are-dirt-beneath-my-very-overly-manicured-feet' attitude. It irks me more than any of the other irksome habits the Aphrodite girls choose to possess. And they do choose to possess them, because not all of them are like that. Not even most of them, but the few that are try to make up for the lack of it in their siblings.
"Really, Drew? We had, like, no idea," Victoria replies imitating Drew and then rolling her eyes disgustedly.
As humorous as I find this, I know it will escalate so once more I plan to step in when the most hilarious thing happens.
"Girls, girls," starts Connor in the most flaming-est fashion designer voice in the history of ever. "You all have to stop fighting. It's just not pretty when pretty people fight. Why can't we all just get along?"
Everyone, and I mean everyone, turns to look at him.
"Connor?" says Ava worriedly. "... Are you alright?"
"Course I'm okay, silly! I just wish we could all be friends," he smiles, continuing his charade before getting a mischievous look in his eye.
This makes me extraordinarily nervous. Connor getting that look is never a good sign.
He grins like the Cheshire cat, which is even more alarming, before throwing his arms around the two people sitting on either side of him—an unfortunate Travis and an unsuspecting Annette. He then continues on to bellow in a voice that is probably making Apollo want to die:
"Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends?" and swaying side-to-side, forcing Annie and Travis to do the same.
At this point, everyone is laughing. Even Chiron and Argus are trying to restrain laughter.
Connor, for as long as I've known him, has always had the uncanny ability to make everyone laugh, no matter how grave the situation. And, as a knot unties in the pit of my stomach, I realize Connor probably knew that we all needed a laugh, if only for a moment.
"Alright, alright. Settle down," Chiron says, coughing in such a way as to cover a renegade laugh. "Yes well. Thank you for that… interesting input, Connor. But I'm afraid that we must return to the matter at hand. Nakita, do you have an answer as to who will make this journey with you?"
"I do, Chiron."
"Please share with us then so that they may prepare for the journey."
"Well… I need Theia, Travis, and…" I hesitate a moment, my eyes scanning the faces of my friends. I know what I have to do, but… It doesn't make it any easier to leave them behind. I know how much the five of them want to be the final one. Annie. Connor. Erin. Victoria. Ava. It will be hard to leave them, but my decision has been made for me. "And… it doesn't seem to me like anyone else here should go with me."
Everyone looks at me, puzzled, but it is Chiron who speaks.
"The prophecy says four."
"I know that, but no one else in here can go with me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. No one else. I don't know why it says four, but I have this feeling in my gut that those are the only ones who can come with me."
"Very well. I am concerned about this, but I trust your judgment. Travis. Theia. Do you accept?"
"Hades yeah I do," Theia nods, probably excited for her first big quest.
Chiron flinches at her carelessly slinging around the lord of the Underworld's name, then looks to Travis, and I turn away so that I won't have to see the look that passes between Travis and Connor.
They do everything together. They aren't twins, but they are so close it is scary. They can finish each other's sentences, and they can talk without a word. This quest will split up the two of them. Connor can't come, and Travis—I force myself to follow through with the thought— might not come back. Connor will have to stay here at camp, not knowing.
But I can't second guess myself. My gut has told me who I will need, and I cannot ignore that. Ignoring your instincts can get you, and everyone else, killed.
I refuse to turn and look, but I hear Travis sigh.
"Yeah. I do."
"Good. Then this meeting is adjourned. I implore you, counselors, to not speak of this to anyone else. We know so little of what is going on, and we do not need to start a panic. Normally, I would not condone lying, but, under the circumstances, if anyone asks you what was discussed here tonight, say we were voting on whether or not to have a chariot race. The vote resulted in a 'no'. Nothing more is to be discussed with the other campers. Am I understood?"
There is a chorus of agreement followed by the shuffling of feet as everyone except Travis, Theia, and I file out. As soon as the last counselor has left, Chiron turns to us.
"Nakita, Theia, Travis. Gather your things together and then get some rest. Tomorrow, you will leave. I will see you off at the border, and Argus will drive you to Olympus."
We nod our understanding, and he dismisses us.
After Theia breaks off to go to her cabin, it is a silent walk back to ours between Travis and me.
Under the circumstances, I'm not sure what to say. I'm not sure if he is mad at me or just trying to come to grips with leaving Connor here and going on the quest. Either way, he doesn't seem all that inclined to speak to me either.
We reach the still empty cabin and pack, throwing stuff in our waterproof backpacks. By the time I'm halfway packed, Connor walks in—ignoring me—and goes directly over to his big brother.
They both begin to talk in whispers and I know that they're both upset. I can't help but wonder if they're giving me down the road right now.
I can't blame them for it either.
Without a word or glance at either of the two brothers, I put my newly packed bag on the floor, lie down on my bed, and try to catch some sleep. Somewhere in the back of my mind I know, though, that just like when the Lelaps—the dog that was destined to catch everything it chased—was set upon the Teumessian fox who was destined to never be caught, there would be a paradox. No matter how tired I am that I should sleep, I won't be able to at all. A perfect paradox if ever there was one.
Hours passed and just as I'd thought, sleep decidedly avoided me all night, and now as I finally give up on ever sleeping, it is three thirty. Everyone else is still sound asleep and the cabin is dark. Super dark and I have to force myself to breathe.
Sometimes, having a fear of the dark isn't so bad… Mostly when it's daytime and bright outside… But other times—namely in the night and early hours of the morning—having such a phobia can be… inconvenient. Very inconvenient.
I take a few deep breaths to keep myself calm and then sit up, my eyes slowly adjusting if only a little to the blackness. I turn, slipping out from under the nice warm covers, and my bare feet meet the cold of the worn wooden flooring. Needless to say, I quickly pull my feet back up on the bed, reach down where my shoes are, and haul them up on the bed, too.
After I've put on my sandals, I set my feet to the ground once more. I listen for a few moments, assuring myself that no one is awake before I quietly stand, pull on my jacket, fasten my watch to my wrist, and begin to tiptoe towards the door.
Just as I'm passing Travis' bunk, I trip over a shoe. One of Travis' shoes.
Hearing the noise, Travis sits bolt upright in the bed, his pocket knife in hand, and I scowl at the shoe.
Stupid shoe. Stupid lack of night vision.
He looks into the dark drowsily at first, but then he seems to focus in on me and becomes more alert.
"What are you doing up?" he whispers, rubbing his eyes.
"I can't sleep. I'm going out for some air."
"What time is it?"
I look down at my watch and then back up at him.
"Three forty."
"The harpies will eat you."
I smirk devilishly into the darkness, a smirk worthy of Travis himself.
"The harpies and I have… an agreement."
"What kind of… Never mind. It's probably not legal. I don't need to know," he responds, shaking his head.
I raise an eyebrow at him, and a retort about Hermes children and laws is on the tip of my tongue but I refrain and say nothing more on the matter.
"Well, I'm going outside," I state, not leaving room for argument. I'm still not quite sure if he's mad at me or not.
"Alright. As long as you won't get eaten in the early morning of your first big quest," he replies, a bit of an edge to the last few words.
"Ha ha," I answer drily as I begin to move more carefully towards the door, deciding to quietly scoot my feet rather than lift them entirely.
Just as I've opened the door and am about to step out, I hear his voice once more, only this time, much closer as his hand grips my shoulder.
"Will they eat me if I'm with you?"
"They shouldn't."
"That's comforting…" he sighs. "Oh well. I'm coming outside with you."
"Don't you need to get some sleep?"
Even in the darkness, I can almost feel the tenseness in the air.
"I think we need to talk more than I need to sleep."
I knew it. He is mad at me.
He's going outside so that he can yell at least a little bit louder without waking the others up. Seven years of friendship and this is how it ends. He'll yell a little and then he'll never talk to me again. One less person that will care when there are already so few…
I close my eyes briefly and then nod before stepping out into the cool night air.
For a moment, I just breathe in the smell of pine and the dew already gathering on the ground in anticipation of morning, mirroring my own anticipation for such an important morning.
I know that I may not come back from this quest. 'There one must fight and best, The blackest night or ever rest.' That fragment alone gives me reason enough to shiver, but the rest isn't exactly heartwarming either.
I snap out of it only as Travis steps outside, closing the door behind him. Another shiver runs down my spine, and I quickly walk over to the tree and start to climb it, easily becoming level to the roof in no time. One step and I'm on the timbers that seem as though they shouldn't be able to hold my weight.
The first time I had decided to climb up here, I remember I had been terrified that I would fall through, but I've been up here so many times since that day, I don't even think about it anymore. This rooftop is my sanctuary for thought and peace, however fleeting.
I turn just in time to help Travis onto the roof and we both sit down, our legs dangling over the side.
For what seems like hours but I know are only minutes, we sit in silence.
Part of me wants to maintain this quiet, stall the inevitable for just a little longer. Maybe long enough to fool myself into thinking that someone else isn't really going to leave me… But the other part of me, the sensible part, has to know, has to get it over with quickly. One quick stab to the heart rather than a more painful one later that breaks all the illusions.
"Travis. Are you mad at me?"
It's a simple question, but it's one that has so much riding on it.
He closes his eyes and sighs. He doesn't say anything for so long that I almost take it as confirmation, but then he sighs again and turns to look at me, the limited amount of light from the lanterns that are still lit catching his brown eyes.
"Kita, I'm not mad at you," he answers simply.
And for a split second, I'm not sure what to say. He's not?
"You're not?"
"No."
"Were you?"
"Earlier when you first said that Connor wouldn't go? Yeah, I was."
I'm so confused. I was expecting yelling. At the very least a little bit of anger, but he actually seems… regretful. Not angry in the slightest.
"So why aren't you now?"
Another sigh, "Because I know that you know what you're doing. Friendship is about trust and I just had to remind myself of that. And I'm sorry that I acted like that. One thing about children of Hermes is that we tend to find fault where there is none—or there is very little—and we overreact to it. We all learned that first hand with Luke, and I don't want to go down that path. Especially not over something silly like this. I trust you. You would've let Connor go if you thought he could… And in the end, I think I may have more of a problem being away from him than he will with me."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It's just… I've always been there to look out for him... I've always been there and suddenly…"
"You won't be there to protect him if he needs it."
"Exactly. It's just a little weird… But he knows what he's doing. He's nineteen now. He can take care of himself."
Once more silence falls for only a moment before my thoughts must be spoken.
"I think we all learned to take care of ourselves after the war. Everyone had to grow up. No one can stay a kid forever. Some people grow up faster than others by themselves. Others don't ever have the choice of being a kid. They have to grow up fast to survive. There were a lot of people who did a lot of growing up in the war," I say darkly.
As I remember all of my fallen friends, I look toward the direction of the wall that all the campers—despite their prejudices towards one another—banded together to make. On the wall is listed all the names of those who had fallen. Every last one. Silena Beauregard. Michael Yew. Lee Fletcher. Luke Castellan. All of them.
"Yeah…"
There's another long silence, but this time it's different. Comfortable. Almost serene as we stare out at the silent camp.
So much has changed. Just last year, the camp was a battlefield. A warzone. A burial ground. Our fellow campers, some friends, were dying, killed by war and hate.
Now, as I look out from my place on the roof, it's so different. It's back to what it was before the war. A refuge. A safe haven. A home.
Maybe not much longer.
The thought makes me wince, but I know it's true. The prophecy had made it clear that the success or failure of the quest would decide the fate of Olympus itself. Camp Half-blood? It will get caught in the cross-fire just like it always has, and heroes will step forward to protect it and Olympus like they always have. A never-ending cycle of danger, bloodshed, peace, danger, bloodshed, peace. The life of a demigod. Is that all we are meant for? Is that all we are destined to do in our lives?
Travis and I, we are old for demigods. He's twenty two and I'm almost twenty one. My supposed birthday will be this month. March 15th. The Ides of March. The death date of a very famous demigod. What if it is mine, too? Life will move on and the cycle will continue. Nothing changed. Absolutely nothing.
A sudden yawn breaks me from my philosophical musings and I turn to look at its source.
"Travis."
"Hm?" he replies, looking at me with sleepy brown eyes dangerously close to shutting.
I can't help but smile.
"Go get some sleep."
"Okay," he replies, standing. He grips a tree limb and is about to start climbing down, but he stops and turns back to me. "Aren't you gonna try to sleep some more, too? Who knows the next time you'll get the chance."
"Maybe," I lie, "but I'm going to sit up here a little while longer."
"Mm'kay."
And with that almost unintelligible response, he starts his climb down the tree. I listen intently, trying to discern if he makes it down okay and the soft creak of worn-out hinges a few moments later assures me he has.
Almost immediately, I stretch out on the roof and look into the endless sky, allowing my mind to wander aimlessly as I start to mentally prepare myself for the unknown of later today.
That one has gone through some major changes in what goes on and what is said. A lot changed.
Well, hope you guys like it and I'd love to hear from you.
~Kanae~