Sam walks onto the campground, getting some weird glares and stares from the campers who are still up and preparing for the war that might be. She tries to ignore them as she looks for Ethan, Oliver, Nicole, or Chase.
"Sam?" She hears from her left.
She turns and sees Chase running over to her. A smile breaks out on her face, glad to see her friend.
"Chase, it's so good to see you." She hugs him tight. "Why is everyone preparing for war?"
"There's news that Camp Jupiter is going to attack in two days. We're preparing ourselves for war," he explains nervously. "Is that why you're here? To stop it?"
"Yeah. Well, kind of," she sighs. "I need to talk to Chiron or at least Ethan first. Him and I think that there's something more going on."
Chase smiles a tiny bit. "He's in his cabin."
He starts to lead her to the legacy cabin, where kids are constantly going in and out. Everyone just seems to be in a rush to get prepared for the war.
"If I could make a suggestion," he says, "I think that wearing an SPQR shirt to the middle of Camp Half Blood while we're preparing for a battle with that specific camp wasn't the best idea."
Sam glances down at her shirt, remembering for the first time that she has that specific one on. She pulls her jacket over it just a little closer, finally understanding the hateful looks she's been getting from Greek demigods she doesn't even know.
Arriving at the legacy cabin, Sam doesn't bother knocking before heading inside. Expecting to see Ethan where he normally is, she finds him curled up on his bed reading a book his mom was sure he would love, which at the moment is The Great Gatsby. He looks up from his book and sits up with the biggest smile on his face when he sees Sam.
"Sam! That ride took you less time than normal. You must've gotten to Arion in a hurry."
"Yeah, well. There's no time to waste from what I can see. You didn't tell me Camp Half Blood was this serious. More than they are usually, at least." The smile falls a little from Ethan's face, and Sam almost wishes she hadn't had to bring up the war.
"Ever since our last Iris message… the Ares cabin has gotten a pretty big following. They mean business."
"What about Chiron? And Mr. D? Do they agree with this?" She asks, trying to see what his fellow head counselors were thinking.
"They don't know what to think. Mr. D has been going a bit crazy with his Roman side since the news of possible war started," he replies. "The rest of the counselors are pretty split. Apollo, Demeter, and Athena cabins are against the war. Ares, Hermes, Nemesis, Nike, and possibly Aphrodite cabins are for the war. Everyone else hasn't made up their mind yet."
"What about legacies? What's going with them?" She asks.
Ethan lets out a breath before answering. "Undecided, even though I'm against it. It's hard since some of the legacies want to impress their parents or godly grandparents with battle. Meanwhile, others have a level head and know that this war isn't worth it."
"So it sounds like the majority of the campers think starting the war is a good idea," she says with a disappointed sigh. Ethan's nod only confirms her thoughts, and her mind is racked with ideas on how to convince two camps dead set on fighting that going to war is the last thing that will help their camps.
"There must be some outside force pushing everyone to see things like this," Ethan remarks. "It's too coincidental; the headaches, the confusion, seeing each other and getting messages of attacks. There has to be something else."
"Like a monster or a god," she states as her mind starts to turn. "But who or what would have motive to convince the camps that they're going to war?"
"Ares?" He shrugs. "He always like to see blood."
A horn goes off in the distance, signalling five minutes until curfew. Campers start to pour in for the night.
Sam looks at Ethan. "Maybe we should get some rest before we figure out a plan. It's late for you and you look exhausted."
"I am," he reluctantly agrees. "The Greeks aren't always about fun and games. We train pretty hard."
"Uh huh. You wouldn't survive a day of my training," she teases.
"We'll see about that," he smiles back, glad to get off topic of the war. "Any empty bed is yours for the night."
"Thanks." She turns to look for an empty bed, finding one in the back corner, perfect for her. She goes over to it and starts to unpack some of her things before getting into bed for the night.