Chapter Three: Avalon Gaery
"You are Apollo, right?" I asked.
He studied me. It made me nervous, but seeing how I was already there, I couldn't just walk away anymore. And being shot at was just about as good a summons from a god than anything.
"Why'd you follow me?" Apollo said casually.
"I have a picture of you with my mom," I replied, "I thought you were my dad."
"Well, you are my daughter," he said, "With the way you handled that bow earlier, I'm surprised you even have doubt in your mind about it."
My nervousness vanished. He was proud of me. "I just like being sure of things."
Apollo walked closer to me, looking at me curiously. "There's something about you I can't place that is off."
I met his gaze. "Could that be that I'm a bit too curious for my own good?"
Apollo chuckled a bit. "No, though that may be part of it," he said, "You know, I know some pretty cool things about most people, but you, you're different." Gingerly, he lifted my hand so that my palm was facing him.
"Yeah, there is definitely something about you that is off," he said again, "I don't know what, but I have a feeling we will all find out soon enough. Keep that ring with you at all times, Avalon, you never know when a rude awakening will find you."
His words made me feel uneasy, but I still managed to hold my ground. "Percy... I believe I had a dream of him last night," I said.
"Percy is almost always essential in the end, Avalon," Apollo said, "but that does not mean he must be in every plan. I mean, the kid has already been in one of the biggest prophecies made by who's oracle?" He looked triumphant as he spread his arms out. "My oracle."
I smiled. My dad was awesome.
Apollo checked his watch. "Hmm... Lord of the Skies wants to see me soon." He shrugged. "I can put it off for another question."
I heard someone shout my name behind me.
"Should I tell them about the dream?" I asked.
He shrugged. "I don't know." He flashed that dazzling smile again and took an envelope out of his pocket. "Give this to Chiron when you get to camp, will you? Tell your brothers and sisters I said hi."
Apollo started glowing. I had enough common sense to look away; I had an aching feeling I would fall to ashes if I saw Apollo's true form. I put the envelope in my pocket.
"Avalon!"
I turned, finding a red-faced Annabeth.
"What were you thinking?" she shouted, "You can't just run off like that!"
"I saw Apollo," I said calmly, "He was smiling and waving at me."
Annabeth seemed to finally see the large arrow in the side of the wall. "Did he...?"
"I think it was a test," I said, "A test to see if I was his daughter."
"Avalon, gods don't need tests to see if you're their child, they already know," Annabeth said, "And plus, Apollo knows things, he doesn't really need to ask for everything."
"That's what I was thinking," I told her, "Until he told me he couldn't read anything about me."
"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked.
"I'm a blind spot for him," I explained, "He has the gift of prophecy and future seeing and everything, but he can't see me. He needed to test me. I passed."
I walked away from her, towards where I had come. Flashes of my dream continued to come to me. I had a feeling the urgency in the way the flashes came and went meant that I should tell at least someone about it. Annabeth walked after me, silent. My head started swimming and I tripped over my feet into the nearby wall. Annabeth ran up to me and helped me stand. She paled as she looked me in the face.
"Your – your..." She pointed to her nose.
I passed my hand under my nose. It felt wet and warm, so, naturally, I looked at the blood on my fingers.
But it was golden, not red.
"H-How?" I stammered.
She shook her head. "Ichor," she mused, "Blood of immortals."
I stumbled again, wincing as a sharp pain hit my gut. Annabeth managed to keep me on my feet. A small fraction of my brain was pleading with me to tell her about my dream, but I wasn't sure yet.
Tell, whispered a voice in my head that was definitely not mine.
She looked over her shoulder and shouted, "Percy! Get over here!"
I only closed my eyes. I wasn't going to tell Annabeth. I couldn't give in to that voice. A tremor ran through my body.
"Avalon?" Annabeth said, "What's wrong?"
"He – he wants me to tell," I gasped. I knew it wouldn't hurt to tell her that.
"Who wants you to tell what?" she asked, "Is it Apollo-"
I shook my head as the pain lessened. "It isn't Apollo," I whispered, "It's someone else, I – I don't know who."
Tell them.
I shook my head. "I can't tell, he'll find out," I said. My knees hit the ground as the pain redoubled and I grabbed the sides of my head.
"Annabeth?" It was Percy. "Avalon? What happened?"
"She just – I don't know," Annabeth said, "I think someone's trying to force something out of her."
"Avalon, do you know who it is?"
I shook my head, swallowing dryly. "No, I-" I stopped as my mind went blank and one word stayed. "Titan."
The pain subsided and I slumped in Annabeth's arms. I knew both Annabeth and Percy were pondering what I had said. I didn't even know where it had come from. I heard feet pounding towards Percy, Annabeth, and I, and what suspiciously sounded like hooves clopping on the pavement.
"What happened?" Dominic asked.
When Annabeth and Percy didn't answer, I straightened up and shook my head. "I don't know," I said, hugging my legs tightly.
"What were you saying about titans?" Annabeth asked.
I shrugged. "I don't know. The word just... came to me."
"But are you alright?" Dominic asked from next to me.
"I'm fine," I told him, leaning on the brick wall to stand up.
"You don't look fine," Derick said.
"I'm fine," I insisted, "And we really should get to Camp Half-Blood."
"What's the rush?" Derick asked, "I mean, really, what else can be out here that would want to kill us?"
"Medusa," Percy said.
"Or a band of Titans more powerful than the gods," Annabeth supplied.
"Polyphemus," Grover told him with a shiver.
"Hellhounds," I put in, "and skeleton warriors that don't die."
Percy raised an eyebrow. I shrugged.
"You never know," I told him, "We should get going."
"What did Apollo say to you?" Annabeth asked.
"Wait, she saw Apollo?" Grover bleated.
"Yeah," I said gloomily, "He's my dad. He told me to keep this with me." I held up my hand with the ring on it. "And he said there was something wrong with me. Now, can we go?"
Percy and Annabeth looked at me knowingly, while everyone else just looked apologetic. Still a little shaky, I began heading back to the street. Dominic caught up with me after a moment.
"What did he say, exactly?" he asked.
"'There is something about you that is off.'"
"It might not mean that something is wrong with you," Dominic said, "He is said to be the god of prophecy, right?"
"Yes," I said, "Dominic, I am glad you want me to be happy, but right now, I just want to get to that camp, talk to Chiron, and shoot a target with my bow. I'm not really in the mood to discuss my dad as if he is still just plain old mythology."
We managed to make our way to the streets again. Dominic started to say something, but seemed to think twice about it. We were silent for some time. The bus was about to get started again. I shook my head. Even with the knowledge that the gods were still alive, I couldn't believe Apollo's timing. I climbed back on the bus and sat down. This time, Annabeth managed to get the seat next to me.
"You bled Ichor," she hissed under her breath when the bus started up.
"You think I didn't notice?" I replied.
Annabeth hesitated before continuing. "You're immortal, that must be why," she decided.
"I wonder when that happened," I said sourly, "I'm pretty sure I've bled a few times and it came out red. Now it's gold?" I shook my head.
"The gods once allowed Percy the opportunity to become a god-" she began.
"For me, being immortal would be a curse," I growled, "I've never liked the concept of living after my friends, and then after the friends I'd make then. I couldn't do that to Dominic or Derick or Johnny or any of the people I know. I am not a goddess."
"...Who's Johnny?" Annabeth asked.
Taking a shaky breath, I brought my legs up on the seat. "Johnny is a friend of mine, and he was a cancer patient," I said quietly.
"Oh," she replied.
"Yesterday," I continued, "Johnny came in to school. He had recovered from the cancer completely. After announcing the news to the school, he was talking to me and Dom. He told me that, right before recovering, he had met a man with sandy hair and outdoorsy good looks. He said that he had healed him of his cancer. Isn't that like Apollo?"
Annabeth was silent.
I buried my face in my legs. She was probably right about me being an immortal. Why else would I bleed Ichor? And that meant I would live far past anyone I knew, even my mom. Almost tentatively, Annabeth patted my back consolingly.
"I won't tell the others," she whispered, "If you want to tell them, you can."
I looked at her gratefully. "Thank you," I said.
Trees whipped past us for about an hour or so. The first rays of light started appearing when we switched buses. Dominic had seen my break down and was, obviously, concerned. His brother only said that I was over it and that was good news. Grover looked at me funny, as if thinking of a possibility that wasn't all too possible. Percy, predictably, was staying around Annabeth most of the time, no doubt trying to find out what had gone on.
"I can't tell you, Percy," Annabeth said from a few seats behind me and Dominic, "It's... personal. Really personal"
At the next stop, Annabeth was sure we had to get off and walk the rest of the way, if not take a taxi somewhere close to Half-Blood Hill. I looked at the sun, shaking my head.
"What is it?" Dominic asked. Being the first words said in who knows how long, everyone looked over.
"I know the time exactly," I told him, "It's weird."
"You know the time?" Grover asked.
"It's 6:42 and 31 seconds."
Percy checked his watch. "It is," he said.
We were silent a little longer.
"Exactly how far are we going?" Derick asked.
"Not all that far," Annabeth promised.
"Like, not all that far for a demigod that had been in training for a few years, or not all that far for people who haven't trained for being a demigod?" Derick replied.
"Just walk," Annabeth said.
No one really talked after that. After walking for a real long while, Annabeth and Percy stopped walking, pointing up at a pine tree with a dragon wrapped around its base. Something shimmered in its branches.
"Camp is right over that hill," Annabeth said, "The hill's called Half-Blood Hill. No monster can get through the borders, that's why most demigods go to Camp Half-Blood. The tree is guarded by a dragon, Peleus, so be careful when going near the boundaries."
"Do we have to walk uphill?" Derick moaned, "We must've walked at least a mile from the last bus we were in."
"I've had to run a mile just to get to the bus stop," I said, "I think we can go a little further."
We began trudging up the hill. I had a weird feeling in my stomach that was somewhere around nervousness and relief. Derick grumbled about steep climbing and fictional characters the whole way to the top. Peleus stood, shaking his mass of coppery scales. Derick and Dominic flinched away, but I managed to stand my ground.
"It's alright, Peleus," Annabeth said soothingly, but the words didn't seem to have any effect on the dragon. He only growled.
I took a step back, which was probably the worst mistake I could've made. The dragon advanced.
"Avalon, stay still," Annabeth advised as she crept forward.
I tried staying still. In fact, my muscles probably locked together. Grover bleated uncomfortably.
"They're our friends, Peleus," Annabeth continued, "Avalon, Dominic, and Derick. They're half-bloods."
The dragon seemed to waver on his decision to attack us.
"They're friendly," Annabeth promised, "They don't want to harm anyone in camp."
After what seemed like forever, Peleus stepped back and coiled around the tree again, but his yellow eyes never left my face. Annabeth quickly pushed me towards the other side of the hill. I made no protest in getting away from Peleus as fast as possible.
At the bottom of the hill, there was a mass of cabins in the shape of a Greek Omega. I counted twenty in all, and several others still under construction. A few kids were climbing a rock wall, which tended to spew lava and clash together every now and then. An open-roofed dining pavilion lined with Greek columns was on a hill overlooking the sea. Horses and pegasi were grouped around a stable, while others were being flown in the air or ridden on the ground by campers. A forest was dominating one side of camp and a strawberry field was growing on the other side. And then there was the Big House. Annabeth told us that Mr. D and Chiron, the camp directors, were probably in there.
"Who's Mr. D and Chiron?" Derick asked.
"Have you learned nothing about mythology your whole entire life?" Annabeth replied.
"If they have learned anything about mythology," I said, "They probably just forget it."
"Who's this?" said a new voice nearby, "More new campers?"
Percy stopped to glare at a tall girl with stringy blonde hair and pig-like brown eyes. "Yes," he said, "Dominic, Derick, and Avalon."
"You wouldn't mind if I talked to them before Mr. D does, now would you?" she asked.
"Actually, I do mind, Clarisse," Percy seethed, "Now get out of here."
Clarisse put an arm around an uncomfortable looking Dominic. "I won't be long, I promise-"
That's when I snapped. I had been chased by a six foot tall, two headed rottweiler, who did attack my best friend; I was nearly killed by my father; and then I found out that a Titan was trying to find out about my dream, which was obviously not good news. On top of all that, a supposedly tame dragon tried attacking me. I twirled the ring on my finger and pulled back on the string of my bow.
"Get out of here," I snarled.
Nobody moved. They all looked shocked about the fact I had even thought to pull out my bow. A few of the other campers were looking over now also. I shot my arrow next to Clarisse's foot and pulled back on the string again. Clarisse got the message. She took her arm away from Dominic's shoulders.
"Avalon," Percy said carefully, "please, put down the bow."
Although I really didn't want to, I whispered, "No release," and the arrow disappeared. Twirling my bow, I continued to walk towards the Big House in an even bigger temper.
"Avalon!" Dominic called, "Avalon, just wait a moment!"
I continued to walk towards the Big House. Percy managed to grab my arm. I twirled around to face him.
"You really shouldn't just waltz into the Big House without being asked to," he said, "Mr. D gets really angry when people do that."
I yanked my wrist out of his hand. "Then, by all means," I hissed, "go ahead of me."
He hesitated before leading the way into the Big House.
"Chiron!" he called, "We've found a few more demigods!"
A man with brown hair and eyes and a scruffy beard rolled into the room in a wheelchair. He looked at each of us in turn.
"What are your names?" Chiron asked.
"Avalon Gaery," I said with an air of annoyance.
"Dominic Yuley."
"Derick. I'm his brother."
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," Chiron said, "I'm Chiron, and I am the activities director for around camp. I'm guessing Percy or Annabeth or Grover explained everything?"
"They didn't really need to explain after a six foot tall dog tried killing us," Derick said.
"A six foot tall-" Chiron began.
"Orthrus came and attacked us," Annabeth said, "Cerberus's brother."
"He hasn't been around since Hercules slayed him," Chiron said, "Why is he here now?"
"No idea," Percy said, "We managed to kill Orthrus, and then Avalon basically ran after Apollo-"
"Yes, yes," I said irritably, "We had a nice little chat in which he tried shooting me with his bow."
"Apollo tried shooting you with his bow?" Chiron said, "You didn't get hit? How?"
"It's a bit complicated," I told him, "But he told me he's my dad... And he gave me a message to give to you. Alone."
Everyone was quiet. I held my gaze with Chiron. "Can I speak to you alone, Sir?"
"Sure," he said, "Right this way."
He wheeled his chair into the other room. I followed him, the envelope in my pocket feeling heavier than it had before. The room had a table in the center with a bunch of chairs surrounding it. I guessed that this was the place where the cabin leaders held meetings.
"What did Lord Apollo want you to tell me?" Chiron asked.
"He didn't want me to tell you anything," I said, taking out the envelope, "He wanted me to give this to you."
Chiron opened the envelope. The letter must've been pretty short, but his hands shook ever so slightly. I leaned against the wall.
"He told me he was my dad," I said after a moment, "yet I have the feeling he told you not to trust me."
Chiron looked up, seeming a bit startled. "What if he did tell me that?"
I fiddled with the ring on my finger. "I would tell you that he's a very smart god," I replied. I only glimpsed at his confused expression before I slipped back into the other room. All of them looked up from where they had chosen to sit. Dominic and Derick were on the couch and Annabeth and Percy were facing them. Grover was nowhere to be seen, so I assumed he stepped out or something. Annabeth and Percy had been starting to explain a bit about the real world, from the looks of it.
"What-" Dominic began.
"Doesn't matter," I interrupted, "I'm pretty sure Chiron is going to think over what I told him, so..."
I noticed a guy sitting a little ways away from Annabeth, Percy, Dominic, and Derick. The man had a chubby face with watery, bloodshot, blue eyes. He wore a tiger-striped hawaiian shirt which only clashed a bit with his nearly-purple hair. Mr. D raised an eyebrow.
"You finally noticed me, now have you?" he grumbled, "The most powerful person in the room, the last to be noticed?"
"Please, excuse my lack of observance," I said sarcastically.
"Avon Geary, right?" Dionysus said in a bored monotone, "You nearly shot Carrie in the foot with your bow?"
"It's Avalon Gaery. The 'A' and 'E' are pronounced like the Latin dipthong," I said. Derick and Percy snickered. "But yeah, sure, I nearly shot Clarrise through her foot. What's it to you?"
"Avalon," Annabeth warned.
Dionysus only laughed, though. "You truly are Apollo's daughter, though you show most of his darker side."
I clenched my fists. "Bacchus – I mean, Dionysus, right?"
"Got it right on the second try," he praised, "That must be an accomplishment for you."
I was about to retort, but Annabeth stood up and quickly said, "Why don't we show all of you around camp, and show you your cabins?"
"Good idea," Percy said, catching on immediately, "Come on."
The two of them, followed by Dominic and Derick, nearly dragged me out of the door. On the porch, I shrugged them off me.
"Avalon, don't take what he says too seriously, alright?" Percy said, "Mr. D tends to try to anger campers into fights, only so that he can vaporize them."
"And you don't only show Apollo's dark side," Dominic added.
"Thanks," I muttered, "I feel so much better."
Annabeth pursed her lips as we neared the basketball court. She was probably thinking about me being immortal.
Annabeth and Percy introduced us to the kids at the basketball court, showed us the chariot track, and then walked us to the lake. A hippocampus, a sea creature with the front part of a horse and the hindquarters of a fish, came to the edge of the shore and whinnied. Percy sighed.
"Another animal tangled in a fishing net?" Annabeth guessed.
Percy only shook his head in annoyance before running and jumping into the water. Within seconds, he was lost from view.
"How can he stay down there for so long?" Derick asked after a moment.
"He is the son of Poseidon," Annabeth reminded him, "Percy can breathe and go further underwater than anyone else can. His father also made horses, so he can talk to any equestrian animals, which includes horses, pegasus, hippocampus and many other creatures."
"Cool," Derick said, looking over the edge and down at the water.
We waited about ten minutes for Percy to resurface and skid back to the shore.
"Sorry about the wait," he apologized, "Hippocampi and their annoying sense of gratitude..."
They showed us the climbing wall, which Derick seemed to think he could get at the first try. The stables were full of campers who were being helped out by the Aphrodite cabin. I've never been one to notice anyone's beauty, but I have to say, they were most likely the most well groomed campers out of the whole entire camp population. The Hephaestus cabin was spending their time in the forges making prototypes and weapons. Then we got to the cabins.
There were two at the bottom and then five on each side. At the end of the five, four other cabins spread out to make an omega symbol. One of the two at the bottom had bronze doors with a holographic feel, so it looked like thunderbolts were coming down on it. The one next to it had gracefully slim columns. I guessed Jupiter and Juno – sorry, Zeus and Hera owned those cabins. Another had a trident and a seashell over the door; that had to be Neptune, er, Poseidon's cabin, the one Percy stayed in. Sorry, I usually talk about the gods as Roman, not Greek. I'll try and keep it to Greek for now on.
Demeter's kids were walking in and out of a cabin with grass for the roof. Rock music blared from a crude red cabin with a boar's head over the door. By the way barbed wire lined the roof, I could tell it was for Ares's kids. A grey building had an owl design over the door, which was the sacred animal of Athena. A silver cabin looked like it had been deserted for several years. Knowing my mythology, I recognized the parallels between the color of the moon's rays and the color Artemis was mostly recognized with. I nearly mistook a cabin as a factory before glancing at a wooden house with a blue roof, pillars, checkerboard deck, and grey walls. The one with smoke coming out of it was obviously Hephaestus's cabin, while the one drowned in perfume was most definitely Aphrodite's. A brown cabin had paint peeling off of it. Seeing how I could see, even from this distance, how overflowing the cabin was, I could tell it was Hermes's. Another was lined with grape vines and I couldn't help but think of Dionysus. Then I saw the one that was obviously the cabin for Apollo's kids. I had a feeling it was golden, but with the sunlight reflecting off it's sides and roof, I wasn't sure where the sun's rays started and the gold began. I heard Derick whistle next to me.
"Someone got creative, didn't they?" he said.
Percy followed my gaze, putting his hand up when he looked at the Apollo cabin. "How can you stand to gaze at that cabin?" he asked.
"Why do you think Artemis called her brother a big, fiery ball of gas?" I countered.
"Good point," Percy said.
"The Hermes cabin is down there," Annabeth said, pointing down at the cabin with brown walls, "That's where you two are going, until it is determined exactly who's your godly parent. Meanwhile, Avalon will be in the Apollo cabin, the one you can barely look at. Percy, you can take Derick and Dominic."
He nodded and they walked off.
"As soon as I get into that cabin," I told Annabeth, "I'm checking my backpack. I have a feeling Derick pulled out a few water bottles and I just didn't realize."
"I think the two of them are Hermes's sons," Annabeth said, "If what you say is true, they're going to get along just fine with the rest of their cabin."
Making it to the Apollo cabin, Annabeth knocked on the door while shielding her eyes with her other hand. I resisted the urge to gasp when the door was answered.
The kid had the same surfer-athletic body many people had noted me for having. He even had the same sandy, sun-kissed hair I had. He was also very tall, he could've been six-foot easy. Slung over his shoulder was a bow and a quiver.
"Hey, Annabeth," he said, then noticed me, "Oh, I heard there was a newcomer. Is this her? Why is she here not at the Hermes cabin?"
"Avalon Gaery," I said, "I managed to chase down Apollo. He told me I was his daughter."
He raised his eyebrows as he shook my hand. "Will Solace. Cabin counselor."
I nodded my head. "Nice to meet you."
"Right back at you," he said.
"Don't let her out of your sight," Annabeth advised, "I have a feeling she might get in even more trouble with the Ares cabin."
"I can protect myself," I said, "And the last time I got away from you, I ran through a street and chased a god. It's not all that bad, is it?"
Will looked at Annabeth. "I'll try keeping her in my sights. Well, anyways, come on in, Avalon, make yourself comfortable."
Inside, things were a bit less bright. It looked like a regular, everyday inside of a home. It was crowded, with people still rolled up in sleeping bags on the ground. I did my best not to step on anyone as I was brought to a free space and given my own sleeping bag. A few of my half-brothers and -sisters had fitted their bows and quivers to the wall. Lyres, guitars, violin cases, anything music related was strewn around the rooms. First aid kits were placed here and there, with more advanced, less used equipment scattered under the bunks and on dressers.
"It isn't much," Will whispered, "but we tend to get by."
"If anything, I'll adjust," I said.
"I was just heading out to the Archery Range," Will said, "You want to come?"
"Sure," I said, putting my stuff down and navigating my way back out of the cabin.
"I couldn't help but notice you have a quiver, but no bow," Will told me.
I twirled my ring and was instantly holding a bow. "I have a bow," I said, "There was a cache of half-blood weaponry under my house back in Upper East Side, Manhattan. The two other demigods I came with, Dominic and Derick Yuley, along with myself, took a weapon or two for safe keeping on the way over here. I took this bow. I later found out I could twirl it-" I did so. "-and I'd be wearing a ring."
Will continued to stare at the ring. "I heard you nearly shot Clarrise in the foot earlier," he said, "That true?"
"Yes," I said.
"Why'd you do that?" he asked, "I mean, Clarrise is a daughter of Ares. She and her cabin-mates can do some pretty serious damage."
"If you were chased by a six foot tall, two headed rottweiler, who threw your best friend twenty feet into a brick wall, and then you chased after the guy you think was your father, only to be shot at by the one god who might actually hit you, wouldn't you be a tad bit on edge by the time some idiot had the nerve to walk up to you and ask those around you if they could show your head to the toilet?"
"I suppose I see where you're coming from."
The Archery Range wasn't in much use this early in the morning. I twirled my ring again.
"Did you run out of arrows when attacking that two headed rottweiler?" Will asked, taking an arrow out of his quiver.
"No," I told him, pulling on the string of my bow. He stared as the arrow appeared on the string. "It's magic."
"It's just not everyday you see things like that in camp."
I aimed at the target and shot the arrow. The arrow met its mark. Will shot his arrow. He, too, managed to get a bullseye.
"I don't suppose there's a piano in all this camp?" I said, pulling on the string of my bow again.
Twang.
"Chiron might have one in the Big House. He always liked classical music." Twang. "Why?"
"There's a piece of music I've been trying to get better at playing." Twang. "I could never get my mother to buy a piano. Of course, me always cursing in Italian seemed to get on her nerve after about the tenth time of me messing up on violin, so I guess having one instrument in the house is enough for her."
"You speak Italian?" Twang.
"One of my step-fathers could speak it." Twang. "I had to learn it."
Twang. "You speak any other languages?"
"I know a bit of Latin." Twang. "Learned about it in school. I don't have dyslexia, so it was pretty easy to learn."
"I wonder why they don't teach Greek in schools."
"Maybe they think it would be too hard on the students or something."
He laughed. "Yeah. Too hard."
There was a low whistle from behind me. Caught by surprise, I spun around, putting my knife to Derick's throat. His hands shot up. I put my knife away.
"My gods, Derick," I said, "Don't do that to me."
"Bit paranoid, now are you?" Derick replied, "Maybe you shouldn't be carrying that knife around."
Will hadn't even put his bow down. "She has good instincts," he said. Twang. "The names Will, Will Solace."
Finally putting down his bow, he held out his hand.
Derick shook hands with him. "Derick Yuley." He looked between the two of us. "You two look so-"
"We're relatives," both of us said. Glancing at each other, Will continued. "My father's Apollo, her father is Apollo. Most of us look the same as the other, at least with the hair and eyes."
Derick nodded, though he didn't look completely reassured. He looked back over at the targets we'd been shooting at. "Both of you have some pretty good aim," he said.
"Moving targets would be better," Will said, "I've been trying to get some Hephaestus kids to make a few automatons that would stop running around once hit in a certain area or something, so I think that's going to be solved in a week or two."
"Still, both of you sliced through all your other arrows," Derick said, "I could never do anything like that."
The sound of horses hooves echoed nearby.
"Chiron's coming," I told the two of them, "I think he wants to talk to me. Alone."
Both of them looked over.
"Why would he want to talk to you alone?" Will asked.
I shot my arrow. "He has his reasons."
"Could it be about what you-"
"Derick, you aren't supposed to talk about that," I said quickly, "But yes, he probably does want to talk about that."
"Good morning, young heroes," Chiron said in an upbeat voice, "Would you mind if I borrow Avalon for a moment?"
"Nah, it's fine," Will said, pulling Derick away from the Archery Range.
I pulled back on my bow.
"You said that if Apollo told me not to trust you," Chiron said, "that he would be smart for saying so. Why?"
I let loose my arrow. "I've met Apollo already," I told him, "He's the god of prophecy for one thing. For another..."
I put down my bow. "Has Annabeth explained what happened after my talk with Apollo?"
The centaur shook his head. "Why would you ask?"
I looked away and pulled on the string of my bow again. "I believe a Titan was trying to get me to tell Annabeth about a dream I had the other night." Twang. "I don't know why he wanted to know about it, but he was putting me through a lot of pain to hear only a few sentences." Twang. "It was only when Percy came and asked me who it was that my mind went blank with only one word in my mind. That word was 'Titan'."
"What was it the Titan wanted?" Chiron asked slowly.
"I can't tell you," I told him, "If I say it, he can hear it. That's why you shouldn't trust me. I'm a liability. And if the titans are already coming at us again, this early, they have us when we're down in numbers. Many people died in the last war, right? Many of the titans' people died as well, but they are starting up early. Why do you think they'd do that?"
Chiron clopped uneasily. "You don't think they had a back up plan?"
"Kronos-" Even in this peaceful land for all demigods, things became cooler and more sinister with that one word. "-always has a back up plan, at least, that's what I hear."
He was quiet.
"This is not good news," Chiron said after a moment.
"No, it is not good news," I agreed, "It's horrible news."
I twirled my bow around my fingers, instantly seeing a golden ring on my finger. A prickling pain started behind my eyes. I tried ignoring it.
"If what you say is true, and what you say is heard by the Titan, whoever that may be," he said, "be careful with what you say."
I nodded, absently rubbing my eye with the heel of my hand. "I've been keeping the fact in mind."
"Even so, be more cautious than you have been," Chiron advised, "If you have to, I would start writing rather than talking."
"It's a good idea," I said, "but everyone here is dyslexic. They won't be able to read my handwriting."
"They aren't completely hopeless," Chiron said, "They can decipher it."
"Maybe I can write in Greek or something," I mused.
"You probably can."
I yawned. "I should probably catch up on my sleep. I'll see you around, I guess."
I walked away, back towards the cabins. I had a feeling Derick was finding something to steal while his brother was either being looked at by one of my siblings or just sleeping. Some more of the kids in my cabin were waking up. They blearily said hi, barely noticing how I was new. Almost as soon as I hit my makeshift bed, I fell asleep.
I hate it when I have dreams. Most of them are really vivid, for one thing. For another, they always came true. When I fell asleep in my cabin, I had a dream.
I was in a place with a roof so high I could barely make out the stalactites on the ceiling. In front of me, dangerously close, was a chasm bigger than a city block. I could hear wind whistling in my ears, I could smell things I shouldn't've even known about, like the smell of blood and rotting corpses, but I couldn't move. My feet weighed a million tons.
Your punishment was decided long ago, laughed a voice from deep inside the chasm. It wasn't gravely, but it was old and like a whisper.
I wanted to ask about what the person was talking about, but I couldn't find my voice.
Try, puny hero, try to fulfill your own wishes. Making you immortal was only one thing I could do from down here. What do you think I can do when I'm back on the surface again?
I was angry. Whoever it was had made me immortal. They had taken away my mortality to make me suffer through living passed my friends and family. I could move my fingers.
No, no. None of that, now.
The ground shook and I was thrown to my hands and knees. I could move again. Scuttling away from the edge, the piece of ground I had been on just a moment before broke off from the mainland and fell into the chasm.
Very good, brother. This was a new voice. It sounded like knives scraping against each other. She might be of use.
The two voices laughed together and I sat bolt upright.
Dominic had been shaking my shoulder. He jumped back when I sat up.
"Hey, it's time for dinner," he said.
I stood up. "Cool," I told him, "I'll be there in a moment."
"... Alright." He looked a bit unsure, but he left the cabin.
When he was safely away from the cabin, I sat down on one of the elevated beds. So I was immortal. A few Titan brothers were cooking up a plan for me. I ran a hand through my hair, breathing deeply. Then I stood up and walked over to the dining pavilion.