Right, the bad thing about saving these documents is when you reach the limit and you haven't realized and then you submit this document you spent like ten minutes typing the A/N in and then it says it can't save and it's lost.
How annoying is that?
Right, I am going to start a list of things, because I just feel like doing a list today, you know?
So, I am now writing this all again for the second time:
1. OHMYGODSOHMYGODSOHMYGODSOHMY GODS THE MARK OF ATHENA IS OUT TOMORROW! *Starts to Hyperventilate* *Gets copy of the Son of Neptune opened on the "Don't Miss The Next Addition, The Mark of Athena" page and uses it like a paper bag* *Begins to breath properly again* Whoohoo. Anyway, YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!
2. Sadly, no one has sent us a review saying what they think of the DeviantART account. If you have looked, please tell us what you think! PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE do! It would mean HEAPS. If you don't remember the name, it's OwlWingedHorses. Cat has't used it yet, so it's just my stuff at the moment - pictures from the Blackjack Tales! If you're reading this, please, before you review, look us up, have a look, and then review with what you think of it.
Sorry, you didn't have to hear that rant. Well, it was more of a whine, but anyway.
3. I am planning on putting Tempest in the next story in this series, and I plan on putting him in a position that causes quite a bit of hatred between him and Blackjack, which would add to the fact of the cover of the MoA. If I say anything about it, I will be giving away spoilers, so I can say no more than please tell me what you think of that idea.
Well, I can say that was the longest A/N I have EVER written, so yeah. If you read that, I love you.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs and my words.
Chapter 3: My View on the Chariot Races
The answer to that: the highlight was Annabeth kissing boss.
[Oh my— gods, what's your problem?!]
Yeah, it was only on the cheek, but that changed after a while. [Just stop doing that!]
Yes, you see a bunch of horses running around with a chariot. So? It's not like they can fly. I mean, if you can fly, why watch horses run? Is that even worth explaining?
So, yeah; that's why. That was quite funny—boss went completely red, and all the kids were cheering because of that—why did it take them so long to figure out that they liked each other?!
[Look, you can go agro all you want, but I do not care. You know it's true, and I refuse to say anything else but that. I never lie. What about—? No, that I won't lie about either; I just won't tell you.]
So, there I was circling the track with my buds. This time it wasn't doing the commentary—which I was really peeved about, seeing as I'm such an awesome commentator—[hey, I did one for Olympus! On you!]—but they insisted. Which they never do at all, but still, it was kind of funny to hear Opal laughing so hard she was falling around.
"Why does that kid get to go with the girl from Cabin 6?" asked Guido, looking at boss and Annabeth.
"I don't know," I said simply. "It's obvious they like each other."
Opal laughed. "Got that right!"
I hadn't asked Guido about what happened to Jade. I wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about it.
The race came to an end, and the one and only boss had won. And then there was the fact he had Annabeth on the chariot with him. She probably was the main factor that they won. [Hey, I'm sorry, but it's probably true! What the Hades, man, you have serious anger problems! I did not have depression problems, thank you very much. What the— let's just keep going, okay?]
The race ended, etc., etc. So, our group decided to have a race. Why? I still have no idea, to this day. It was just a bolt around the camp. Guido decided to do the countdown.
"Three," he said. We all crouched.
"Two."
We opened our wings.
"One."
We coiled ourselves up.
"GO!"
And we zoomed off.
Naturally, I was in the lead first; followed by Opal; followed by Porkpie and then Guido.
What I hadn't expected was to be ganged up on.
Opal poured on the speed and came neck to neck with me. Guido and Porks pressed close behind me. Opal winked, "expecting this?"
I grinned. "No, but were you expecting this?"
I poured on the speed and shot away. I could hear Guido yelling out, "WHAT?" I looked back and laughed. "Take that!"
As I looked back, a golden comet streaked by next to me and crashed into me. I had enough time to say, "Hellhound Scat," before it ploughed into me and sent me tumbling.
I smashed into the ground and went rolling. Someone was rolling with me. When we stopped, I muttered, "ouch."
I was on my back, my wings pinned under me. I looked up and saw Opal sprawled over me. She laughed, "ouch all right, Jackie."
She got to her feet. "Awkward," she muttered. I don't know why, but I laughed at that. I got to my feet to see Porkpie grinning and yelling, "I beat the mighty Blackjack!"
"Yeah, well, don't get too comfortable, Porks!"
He laughed Guido came laughing behind him.
It was good to be able to laugh with my buds again.
I walked back to the stables. Opal trotted ahead of me. "Why are you taking so long? That's not like you?"
In truth, it was because I was thinking about Jade, and how I had failed to help in any way at all.
"I'm thinking," I said.
"Gee, what a shock," she said sarcastically.
"No, I mean . . . I'm going for a walk."
Opal cantered back. "What is it about you and the night?"
"Uh . . ." I don't know why, but I just didn't think that the Blessing of Nyx was something to calmly talk about. "I just find it . . . nice."
She scoffed. "Nice?" she rolled her eyes. "Never mind."
"Hey, at least I'm not obsessed with the sun."
I said in a friendly-bickering way, but she suddenly froze. "I . . . I mean, uh, fine. Just like you . . . I need to go lie down . . ." she turned and walked away, eyes wide. What had I done? I was just commenting on something right?
Right?
I watched her disappear into the stables quizzically. Since when did she freak about being associated with sunlight?
I shook my head. Just give her space, I thought. I walked towards the woods. I was about to step into the trees when I saw a shape move through the trees. I strained my eyes to see, and then nearly went into shock as the world seemed to go into reverse.
Well, I just got a . . . sense, I guess. I could sense that the light was coming on the trees at just that angle, I could see every single leaf—sense, sorry—and I could see the shape I was looking at; Guido. [Yeah, take that, I get awesome stuff too.]
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I willed it all away. When I opened my eyes, it was all gone. I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding. I cantered towards Guido. The night was my time of the day. I stepped aside from a bramble, jumped a log. I could just do it without realising. It was like just an automatic movement. I slowed to a trot when I got nearer to Guido. I could see the light shifting on him, outlining the side of his face. He was looking for me.
I slowed to a walk. "Hey, Guides," I said. He jumped back. I willed myself to be seen—it's amazing how easy it is to get the hang of this stuff, I tell you—and he tensed. Then he relaxed. "Don't do that, Blackjack. You scared me."
"Never! Guido—scared?"
He shot me a look. Then he seemed to slump. I knew that feeling, like everything inside you was coming apart. "You're thinking about Jade, aren't you?"
Guido looked up at the mention of her name. "Yeah. When—when I left, and found her, she said that I should've listened. She said that now that I'd come back, it would be harder to leave her. And . . . it was. It was so hard." He looked up at me. "She said that I should trust you, Blackjack."
"I thought you always did," I said. This wasn't the Guido I knew, the one that I had grown up with.
He smiled. "Yeah, I have, but anyway. She said . . . she said she loved me, as a mum, and that I was so different to when she'd gone. She wished me luck, and told me to go. She said that you were right, and that being wrong is nothing to be ashamed of."
Guido straightened up. "I guess I just needed to tell that to someone."
"Yeah," I said. "Sometimes things are just hard to keep closed up."
"Got that right," he muttered.
Guido and I walked back to the stables. When we got there, I still felt like I needed to go for a walk. Without saying anything, I willed myself not to be seen. Then I cantered off, spread my wings and launched into the sky.
I glided over to the pine tree, and realised with a shock that most of the camp had gathered there. They were all clustered around a girl sitting at the base of the tree. Her eyes were so bright I could see them from up there. She was saying something. I strained my ears.
"I am Thalia," she said. "Daughter of Zeus."
Daughter of Zeus . . . Daughter of Zeus . . . another way of saying that was to say daughter of the Sky, or daughter of the King of Olympus. And she was right there. She was meant to be dead.
I felt I knew why I had had to go for a flight. I veered away and headed back down to the stables. Thalia was back—she was alive. That just was wrong. The Golden Fleece . . .
I remembered the story; and as she died—as! As she died. She'd never died. She was alive, she always had been. Now, the Golden Fleece had split her from the tree her spirit had lived in for the past five years. She was back.
Something told me this would be interesting.
I landed at a gallop, running into the stables. I slowed to a canter, then a trot, and then at last a walk. I stopped in the centre of the aisle. I had a tingling on the back of my neck, like someone was looking at me. I turned long enough to see a faint shape of a person. This is where your journey starts, it said. I recognised it as Nyx's voice.
This is where it begins. This is where the pain starts, my Night Pegasus. Be ready.
Yay! Chapter 3 is up and done! ANother happy thing is we're nearing the end of the filler chapters! Whoohoo! Just one more . . . AND THEN WE CAN JUMP IN TO THE ACTION!
Please R&R, which means can please PLEASE look at our DeviantART. *Puppy eyes*
-Owl
(Sorry if my whining was really annoying!)
