Hi everyone, here's the next chapter...and a new character! I'm introducing my other main character here and you get a taste of what is going to happen :D
RYLAN
"Yo."
I flipped over in my bed.
"What?" I groaned. Someone tapped me on the arm.
"It's time for dinner." I peek through my eyelids. Travis stared down at me. I rubbed my eyes and rolled out of bed.
"'Kay, I'm coming," I said, yawning. I sat up and stretched. Being an undetermined kid in the Hermes cabin sucked. Especially when you're me, Rylan Keagan, an ADHD demigod boy who has dyslexia and hair that is so messy it can never stay down and is already fifteen but your mom/dad still thinks you're not important enough to be claimed. Basically, my life sucked. I mean, Camp Half-Blood is pretty cool and the Hermes guys are nice, but I didn't exactly want an overcrowded cabin as my home forever, you know what I mean? I sighed, pulled on a clean shirt and headed out of the cabin.
I burned a chicken leg in the fire and prayed. Whoever you are, please claim me. I hate being undetermined, I thought. For a second I felt like the hot sun was blazing down on my neck even though it was in the evening and I starting sweating a bit but then it was gone. Well, that was…unexpected. Then I shrugged and sat back down and finished my dinner. I was talking to Cecil about random stuff like where I got my shoes etc. when suddenly he gasped and pointed at my head. Everyone turned and stared at my head in awe. Chiron smiled. I frowned. What, I thought, did my zits suddenly all disappear. Maybe I was a child of Aphrodite. Then I realized they were looking at something above my head, not my head. I looked up just in time to see a hologram of a glowing golden arrow fading. I'm being claimed, I realized in excitement.
Chiron started clapping and all the other campers followed his lead. I blushed a bit, which I don't do a lot. Chiron had to shout above the clapping to congratulate me for being claimed. Travis smiled.
"Well," he said, "I think we know where you'll have to live from now on."
"Yeah," I said. Apollo is my dad, I kept thinking to myself. At least now my girlfriend and I are both claimed—oh yeah. I forgot to introduce her. Well her name is…
"Drew!" I called out to her. Drew walked towards me after the dinner. She smiled at me and I smiled back. She was so beautiful that I caught my breath every time I saw her. She was tall and Asian, with her dark hair in ringlets and perfect make-up. She even made the normal Camp Half-Blood shirt and jeans look glamorous. I sucked my breath in and let it out in a big whoosh right before she kissed me on the cheek. My brain melted like it always does when she kisses me.
I smiled at her and we hold hands while walking down to the campfire. We sang the usual songs and head off to our cabins. I showered and changed into a new T-shirt when I heard a knock on the door. I glanced at my new siblings and cracked open the cabin door a bit.
"Rylan," Drew whispered to me from the crack, her eyes wide.
"Drew?" I asked, surprised. It was well after curfew. Drew looked around. Then she grabbed my hand pulled me out of the Apollo cabin. Will Solace, the head counselor glanced up at me from his book. Then he shrugged. He was probably thinking, Well, new kid, I'm fine with you getting eaten by the harpies.
"What are you doing here?" I asked Drew. She reached up and pressed her lips against mine. I melted again. Drew pulled away and giggled. I brushed a lock of her dark hair away from her face.
"Well?" I said.
"Just a walk, dummy," Drew replied. "You know, just you and me." I shrugged.
"Sure," I said, "As long as we don't become harpie snacks." We held hands and walked along the beach of the island. She talked about her past and I just listened mostly, mesmerized.
Drew yawned. That woke me from my trance. "Hey," I said, "why don't we sit down for a while?" She nodded.
"You know," she said, "I've been thinking about Aphrodite's rite of passage."
"Aphrodite's writing passage?" I frowned. "What's that?"
"Aphrodite's rite of passage, sweetie. Not writing passage." Drew rolled her eyes. "Oh," I said, my face kind of red. Good thing it was dark.
"Well, Aphrodite's rite of passage is basically something a child of Aphrodite has to do in order for her to approve of us," she explained, "You have to break someone's heart to complete Aphrodite's rite of passage. Then you get approved. We all have to do it."
I realized she was talking about breaking up and I started wondering if she was breaking up with me. I looked at her through the corner of my eyes. "Are…are you breaking up with me?" I asked cautiously. Drew's eyes widened for a second then she laughed. The sound was like hearable beauty. Drew just radiated beauty. She was also very sweet.
"Oh, you worrying on that? Of course I won't do the rite of passage on you, dear! I love you," she said. I let go a breath that was pent up inside me. I didn't even realize that it was until I let it to. I smiled at her and held my hand out. She took it and we walked back to our cabins in silence.
The next morning, I woke to a lot of shouting. Will was already up, his head outside of the door. "Reyna…?" I heard him mutter to himself. He grabbed a jacket and left. I sat up, curious. Then I slipped on my shoes and ran outside too. There was a commotion outside. People were yelling and dragging three things into the magical borders of the camp. I watched them lift the three things, no, not things, three figures, into the infirmary. Will rushed into the infirmary too. I looked around and followed out of curiosity of my powers and what's going on.
Three demigods lay on separate beds. Annabeth, Jason and Piper also ran in. Annabeth gasped. Lying on the three beds were Reyna, Hazel and Frank. I remembered them from after the giant war, which was only a month ago. They visited a few days ago during their quest. Reyna coughed and blood came out of her mouth. She fixed her eyes on Annabeth and croaked: "We lost…lost…our e-eagle." in a barely audible voice. Then she closed her eyes and became unconscious. Will worked furiously. I wondered what they were attacked by. Reyna, Hazel and Frank had a lot of deep cuts and gashes all over them, some still bleeding.
Piper tapped me on the arm. I jumped.
"Hey," she said, "You're Rylan, right?" I nodded. "Apollo camper claimed yesterday?" I nodded again. "Well then, you can try healing." She gestured towards the injured Romans. Her words were so convincing I couldn't resist.. I don't think she meant to use her charmspeak, but I walked over to Frank immediately and put my hands over him. The right words came into my mind and I started chanting with Will.
After a healing session, I felt really clammy. We went to breakfast like usual and no one mentioned the Romans. Everything was going usually until suddenly Rachel stood up. She went stiff. Her eyes were wide and…completely green. Like, completely green. She opened her mouth and green mist came out. Everyone scrambled away from her and Annabeth stuttered, which she doesn't usually do.
"I-I thought the gift of the prophecy didn't work!"
Well, it did. Green mist billowed around Rachel, matching her creepy eyes.
The dove, the eagle, the legion's rage
Together shall form the Olympians' cage
History to be repeated and replayed
The peace between the two shall fade
Six demigods created from pain
One shall become Olympus's bane
One shall be a shadow passing by
And with the sea and sky
The world to be destroyed
…or revived.
Dead silence. Until the screaming started.