Lyra
I stared, horrified at the beast in front of me. My knees started to shake and I resisted the urge to hide behind Jem. I tighten my grip on my dagger and silently curse Will under my breath. If he hadn't insisted on back up. Volunteered me to go.
"You're always talking about a way to prove yourself," he had said while packing me a bag. "Now's your chance."
I was pulled back into the present by Jem. He grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him, leveling his knife at the Cyclops. I scowled. I didn't need protecting.
"Stay here," he whispered, keeping his eyes on the monster. My scowl deepened. "I take the Cyclops. You dart around him and try to find the other Roman campers." The Cyclops watched us talk, amused. He didn't seem very concerned about the concept fighting us.
Jem slowly pulled something long and thin from his side and held it up to his face. Suddenly something small and golden flew through the air towards the Cyclops's neck. He stumbled, caught by surprise, and clamped his hand on his neck.
"What the heck was that?" I hissed in Jem's ear.
"A dart," he whispered. Before I could ask any follow up questions he dove to the left, put what I now realized was a blowgun back up to his mouth and fired another dart. This one hit the Cyclops in the chin. Sand trickled down his chest as he wrenched the dart out of his face. Cautiously I crept around the opposite side of the barn, hoping Jem's plan worked and the Cyclops kept his attention on Jem. My hope was short lived.
"Where do you think you're going," the cyclops growled. He turned and took a swipe at me. I ducked under him hand and stumbled to my feet. He raised his foot to flatten me when another dart flew across the barn and hit him in the thigh. He lurched forward missing me by an inch. Before I could comprehend how scared I was I whirled around and buried my dagger in his shin. The cyclops bellowed in pain. I ran through his legs and was met by Jem.
"What happened to the plan Porcelain?" he said angrily.
"Sorry," I mumbled, unsheathing a knife from my belt. "I'm not very good at stealth."
"I noticed," he snorted. Behind him the cyclops lurched forward.
"Duck," I yelled, taking a step back. Jem hit the deck. I grasped my knife tightly in my hand and threw it at the oncoming arm. The blade hit the monsters palm, burying itself hilt deep in his hand. The arm began to turn into dust, showering us with monster residue. Jem coughed and straightened up
"Nice work Porcelain," he said, grinning at me. The grin quickly vanished. "Lyra watch-" before he could finish what he was going to say something heavy slammed into my back, pinning me to the ground. I gasped in pain as strong fingers closed around my body. I was lifted on the ground and up to the Cyclops's face. His crooked teeth revealed themselves as he smiled hungrily.
"Let's see how much I can squeeze you before your head pops," he said, his breath making my eyes water.
His grip tightened. I gasped, trying to keep calm even though a cyclops was trying to pop me like a zit! I wriggled my legs in an attempt to free myself, but only succeeding in making the cyclops laugh. My head began to spin as it got harder and harder to breath. My vision darkened and I felt myself losing consciousness.
Suddenly the pressure around my middle vanished and I fell to the ground, landing on my left arm with a sickening crunch. My vision cleared just enough to to see Jem standing on the Cyclops's shoulder, his knife buried in its shoulder. The cyclops toppled to the ground. The force of the impact threw Jem from the monster. He sat there dazed as the Cyclops raised his leg to squash Jem flat. I pulled another knife from my belt with my good hand and as my vision returned to black I hurtled the knife at the Cyclopes.
I dreamt I was in an old farm house. The paint was peeling from the walls and the shutters slammed against the wall with each passing breeze. It was dark but I could just make out seven or eight figures crowded against the far wall. Three were in seated in chairs. The others were standing around them, whispering urgently. Suddenly one turned around and spotted me. The figure hissed and raked its claws at me, tearing my dream apart.
I woke with a start. I was on my back staring up at a rickety old barn roof. Wait, what? I shook my head as the memories flooded back into my head. I groaned and tried to sit up. A searing pain in my arm and side stopped me cold. I looked down. A large purple bruise stretched across my side from my navel to the small of my back. I winced and looked over at my arm. It was sloppily wrapped from shoulder to wrist in white gauze.
"Oh good. You're awake," I tore my gaze away from my injuries to see Jem digging through my backpack.
"What are you doing?" I gasp, struggling to prop myself up with my good arm.
"Chill out Porcelain. I ran out of gauze so I was seeing if you had any," he pulled a small sack from my page and dumped the contents onto the ground. A baggie of ambrosia, a thermos full of nectar, some gauze, and a thin sliver tube file with special healing cream tumbled out. Jem picked up the gauze and started towards me.
"You wouldn't need more gauze of you'd have used less on my arm," I said, pulling myself into a sitting position. I unwrapped the gauze around my arm and checked the damage. Nothing seemed too bad just a dislocated shoulder which Jem hadn't even put gauze over.
"Come here," I said, motioning him to come closer with my good arm. "My shoulder's dislocated. I need you to push it back into place."
"Ok," he kneeled down next to me. "How do I do that?"
"Put one hand on my upper arm," I instructed. Jem shifted into a sitting position and set his hand on my arm. I winced. "Now put the other hand on my shoulder, near my neck." I gasped in pain as Jem set his other hand on my shoulder.
"Ok," I said, trying to keep my voice level. "Now push my arm up, then back until I tell you to stop." Jem glanced at me, looking a bit nervous, then nodded.
A searing pain tore through my body as Jem forced my shoulder up. I cried out as Jem pushed it back into its socket.
"Stop," I gasped. Jem dropped my arm. The pain was quickly replaced with a dull throb. I slowly rotated my shoulder experimentally.
"You ok Porcelain?" He asked, handing me the thermos of nectar. I nodded and accepted the bottle.
A warm sensation flowed through me as I look a long drink of nectar. I smiled as the taste rested on my tongue. Hot chocolate with a dash of vanilla. My mom would make it for me every winter to keep me warm. The good feeling faded quickly as I realized how long it's been since I'd seen my mom. I set the nectar down, no longer thirsty, and turned my attention back to my injuries.
I carefully ran my fingers across my side. I winced. Two broken ribs and a bruised one.
"Hand me the silver tube please," I said to Jem. He reached over and pulled my backpack and the medical supplies closer to him. He picked up the tube and handed it to me. I twisted the cap off and squeezed some of the pale grey cream. Carefully I dabbed a little on my side.
Jem looked at me and raised an eyebrow.
"Is that gonna take long," I scowled.
"I'm sorry but broken ribs tend to take more than a few minutes to heal," I snapped. A look of concern flashed across Jem's face before it was replaced with a stubborn sort of look.
"May I remind you three legionaries are still missing?" My scowl deepened.
"It would go quicker if you actually helped me,"
"Who do you think bandaged your arm while you were unconscious,"
I gave Jem an exasperated look. He sighed.
"Fine," he grumbled. He sat back down next to me.
"Be careful," I said, handing him the tube. He took it and squeezed more cream out of it. I continued to dab some of the cream on my side as Jem spread more closer to the small of my back. A shiver ran up my spine. I froze. Slowly I turned to face Jem. He had stopped to squeeze a little more cream from the tube. He looked up, catching my eyes. I found myself staring into his eyes. Behind the hardened exterior he had a kind of dark sadness in them.
"What?" He asked. I blinked.
"Nothing," I said, looking away. I blew a stray hair away from my face and turned my attention back to my broken ribs.
When we were done I wiped my hands off on the used gauze.
"Ok stand back," I told Jem. He scooted away from me. I closed my eyes and started to hum.
The paste started glowing a faint gold. I wrinkled my brow and imagined the broken ribs mending themselves. I felt the pain lessen until it disappeared all together.
I stopped humming. The glow died and the paste turned flaky and began to fall off. I brushed away the flakes and checked the wound. I felt for any additional injuries and found none.
"Better?" Jem asked. I grinned. That was the first time I had ever used the healing correctly!
"Yes," I answered, pulling myself to my feet. I picked up my thermos, gauze, and tube of cream and packed it back in the pullstring bag.
"You seem happy," Jem remarked. "What's that humming thing you did? Some Apollo thing?"
"Yeah," I answered absentmindedly.
"Oh," he stuck his hands in his pocket awkwardly. "I didn't know Greeks could do that."
Something about the way he said it made me feel self-conscious. I hauled the bag over my good shoulder, hoping to break the sudden tension. There was a thud, and my sketchbook slid across the floor, stopping by Jem's feet. The awkwardness I felt increased.
I winced as Jem stooped down and picked up the sketchbook.
"What's this?" He asked
"N-nothing," I stuttered. I walked quickly over to him, silently sending up multiple prayers to my dad that Jem doesn't open the book.
Surprisingly Jem doesn't even look down at the cover. Instead he just holds it out for me to take back. Cautiously I take it back.
"Thanks," I said, tucking the sketchbook back into my bag and zipping it closed.
Jem shrugged.
"We should probably get going," he said, shouldering his own bag. I nodded in agreement and followed him out the barn door.
"Do you know where we're going?" I asked. Jem stopped walking.
"No," he admitted. "But I figured we'd just check the rest of the barns until we find the other legionaries."
"They're not in a barn," I said absentmindedly.
"What makes you say that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"While I was unconscious I had a dream," I told him.
"How could you have had a dream? You weren't even unconscious for an hour,"
"I don't know," I said impatiently. "Maybe it has something to do with my dad having influence over the Oracle. Do you want to hear the dream or not?"
"Of course I want to hear the dream," he said it like it was obvious.
"Then why were you just arguing with me about why I had one?"
"Just tell me what you dreamt about," I scowled and told him about the run down farm house and shadowy figures.
"And you think that's where Marie, Shane, and Ian are?" He asked skeptically.
"I'm positive," I said.
"So where exactly is this farm house?" Jem's skepticism was really getting on my nerves. It's not like they didn't have Apollo kids at Camp Jupiter.
"About a mile and a half that way," I said, pointing to the north-east. How I knew that I wasn't sure but Will did things like that all the time. He likes to annoy me by finishing my sentences.
"And how do you know that?" Jem asked, his eyebrow raising up so far it was hidden in his hair.
"Just follow me," I huffed. I turned away from Jem and started in the direction of the farmhouse.
"So Porcelain," Jem began after a period of silence. "How were you planning on sneaking out of camp?"
I reached behind me and drew a small vial of clear liquid out of my backpack and showed it to Jem.
"What's that?" He asked.
"It's a kind of anesthesia," I said. "It's mixed with a sleeping charm so the patient will stay under and not feel any pain. I was going to see if the guards had drinks I could slip it in. The only problem is I'm not sure how long it takes to kick in. I've never used it before. But then when I went up to the tunnel I heard yelling. I went to check and I saw both guards away from their post. I ran as fast as I could to the nearest tree line. Before I realized it I was way of course. So I hailed a taxi and got a ride to Jacksonville."
"You were going to drug fellow demigods, with no previous experience?" Jem asked incredulously.
"I haven't exactly had much time to master many medical techniques," I admitted sheepishly. "I've only been at camp for a few months."
"When did you get to camp?"
"Late July," I answered. Jem stared at me, wide eyed.
"You got to camp during the Great War?" He said, astonished. I nodded feebly. "How did you get around the roman army?"
"I got there the day before they did,"
"Did you fight in the war," I hesitated before answering.
"Yes..."
"Seriously," Jem scowled. "I've been going to Camp Jupiter for six months and they let a newbie who's only been at camp for a few days fight. Ridiculous!"
"It's not as glamorous as it sounds," I mumbled bitterly.
"Proving yourself on the battle, in the midst of the action, fighting for a noble cause. What are you complaining about? I've never had that opportunity," Jem argued, a hint of bitterness in his voice.
"Death is what I'm complaining about," I spat. "Watching half-blood after half-blood fall to the ground, covered in blood. Being a child of Apollo and knowing you should help but you can barely keep yourself alive let alone help the fallen. Watching you best friend die inches from you and not being able to use the only thing that could possible save her life because they gave it to you that morning without any explanation. Watching her being buried with the rest of the casualties, knowing you could've saved her if you only wouldn't tried a little harder!" I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to keep tears from pouring down my face and failing miserably.
Jem took a slow step forward and awkwardly patted my shoulder. I shrugged him off, wishing I had the courage and strength to punch him in the face. He shouldn't talk like that about thinks he doesn't understand.
"Look, Porcelain. I'm the son of Bellona. The son of war. And I don't know what that means to Greeks, but to Romans, it means that you're expected to be a warrior. In Rome, war is all about the glory. Never about the loss," He sighs. "So sometimes, we forget that the loss exists."
"You don't forget after you've experienced it," I mumbled, wiping away the tears.
"Of course you don't," He agrees. "I wouldn't know, but it doesn't take a genius to know that. Which kind of makes me an idiot." He laughed awkwardly.
"You're not an idiot," I said, pulling wet strands of hair away from my face. "Your actually really smart. You're just inexperienced."
"Says the teenager who was going to drug someone with untested medicine," he teased. I rolled my eyes.
"Let's change the subject," I suggested. "Where did you live before camp?"
"Virginia," he answered vaguely. "Just me, my dad, and my grandma."
"What's your family like?"
"Just an average family I guess," Still vague. "How's yours?"
"I live with my mom in Rhode Island," I said. "She's ridiculously over protective but I know she means well."
"Sounds like the opposite of my dad," He said dryly. I frowned
"Why? What's you dad like?" Jem shrugged.
"Distant. He would have probably forgotten to feed me when I was a kid if it wasn't for my Gram," He absentmindedly kicked at the dirt. "It's not that he didn't like me. He's just not a father."
I took a small step in Jem's direction.
"I'm sorry," I murmured. He jerked away, noticing my movement.
"Don't be. I had my Gram, and that's all I needed," He said tightly, closing off again.
"Well what's she like?" I asked, hoping Jem's grandma wasn't as touchy of a subject.
"She was a grandma," He said. "She baked, and she knitted, and she sang lullabies. Not much to her."
"Was?" I thought for a moment. "Did something happen to her?" I asked in a very small voice.
Jem was quiet for a moment. "I should scout ahead for a bit," he said finally.
"Hold on," I stopped him just before he was about to sprint off. "Jem is everything ok?"
"You're not the only one who knows about death, Porcelain," he said in a thick voice.
"Jem," I whispered softly.
"I think we're getting close to something," Jem said stiffly, pointing to a small broken down house not far from us. "Is that the house you saw in your dream?" I nodded, a feeling of dread filling me.
"I'm not sure-" Suddenly I was flying through the air. A searing pain tore through my shoulder and I was yanked in the opposite direction. I was suddenly back on my feet, Jem's hand firmly holding my elbow.
"Are you ok?" Jem asked. I glanced behind me. What an idiot. I'd tripped over a tree root.
"I'm fine," I tried to pull my arm out of his grasp but stopped when it send shooting pains across my chest. "On second thought give me a minute," I mumbled, leaning gently on the tree behind me.
"Ok," Jem let go of my arm. "I'll go scout the place out."
"Jem you really shouldn't go in there alone," I said, carefully rotating my shoulder.
"I'll be fine Porcelain," he said, a hint of frustration in his voice. Without even giving me time to reply he turned around and started jogging towards the farmhouse.
I scowled at his quickly receding back and pulled my thermos of nectar from my backpack and took a sip. Almost instantly the pain vanished. I rotated my shoulder to get rid of any lasting soreness and put my nectar away.
Suddenly a sharp pain awoke in my temple. Something bad was about to happen. Something really bad.
I shouldered my backpack and took off running towards the farmhouse and towards Jem.