4. We Weep For a Dragon

We ran. Lexie and I ran as fast as we could across camp, the moonlight illuminating the way. When we reached the hill, there was nothing. All that remained of the loyal dragon that guarded the Fleece and camp was a heap of dust that was being carried away by the warm breeze. Lexie gasped and buried her face into my shoulder. I felt her tears against my skin, and my heart broke for her. She had a special bond with Peleus. Whenever she got homesick, she would go sit under the towering pine that was considered her mother's tree. She said she felt close to her mother there. During the time she spent up on the hill, she'd grown fond of the guardian dragon and practically considered him her pet. There was an emotional connection between the two; a connection I can only compare to a man's love for his dog. I know I would be devastated if anything ever happened to my terrier, Iolaus.

"Alexandria," Chiron said; I hadn't even noticed him walk up to us.

Lexie blinked the tears out of her eyes and looked up at the centaur who was holding a torch for light. "He was a good dragon," she whispered.

Chiron nodded, "Yes, he was."

I looked around and noticed we had an audience. Nearly the entire camp had come up to the hill. I saw a figure pushing its way through the crowd; it was Russ.

He made his way to Lexie and took her cheeks in his hands. "Lex, I'm so sorry," he said to her.

He seemed genuinely remorseful and was considerate of Lexie's grief. I'd never seen him like that before. He showed, dare I say it, compassion…but that still didn't change my mind about him. I still didn't like him.

He wrapped his arm around her and led her away from the hill. I wanted to follow them to make sure she was going to be alright, but I knew it wasn't my place.

Chiron turned to the rest of the campers, "There's nothing that can be done tonight. We'll investigate this tragedy tomorrow morning at first light. Until then, everyone to your cabins, and get some sleep."

The campers began filing toward the cabins, but I didn't move. Chiron turned to me and said, "She'll be okay." He knew I was worried about Lexie.

I shook my head, "How could I let this happen?"

"You couldn't have known something like this would happen; none of us could," he said, and that's what bothered me. Why hadn't the Fates given me a warning, a vision or a dream, some kind of sign that this was going to happen?

"Do you think it was the Rebellion?" I asked him.

"The nymphs that witnessed the attack said they were teenagers. At first they thought they were campers, but when shots were fired, they realized it was a surprise attack. Apparently, there were nearly fifty of them. The Rebellion would be the prime suspect."

"How were they able to kill him? Mortal weapons are useless against monsters."

Chiron held out his hand. There were small nuggets of celestial bronze in his palm. I looked closer and realized they were spent bullets mushroomed from impact with their target.

"Celestial bronze ammunition," I said. "Chiron, do you know what this means? They weren't coming for us; they came specifically to kill Peleus and take the Fleece. They knew when and how to attack. The fireworks show was a perfect diversion."

I was surprised to see Chiron's sullen expression change into a slight grin. "You may look like your father, but you're becoming more and more like your mother." I wasn't exactly sure how to take that, but I think he meant it as a compliment. "She was such a smart camper," he smiled. "So perceptive."

"You and Mom were pretty close, huh?"

"Oh, yes. She came to camp when she was just a child and stayed here year-round for a long time. I grew very fond of her. If I ever had a daughter, I'd want her to be like your mother."

Chiron's trained thousands of heroes over a few millennia, and for him to single out Mom like that, it made me proud to be her son.

"Get some rest, Chase," he told me. "We'll discuss the Rebellion further tomorrow."

I nodded to the centaur then walked toward my cabin. When I finally settled into my bunk, I couldn't sleep. I stared at the wall thinking about the Rebellion, Peleus, and Lexie. I don't know when I finally dozed off, but when I did, I dreamed of Lexie.

We were sitting on the swings at school when we were only eight years old; the dream was a memory.

"I have trouble reading," she told me. "The letters get all mixed up on the paper."

"Why?" I asked.

"I got something called dys-dyslexia. When I read and write, the letters move around and mix up, and I don't understand what they mean."

I shrugged, "Maybe you could write with at permanent marker, then the letters couldn't move around on the paper."

"I tried that. It don't work," she sighed.

"I wish there was some way I could help you read better."

"Me, too, CJ. Me, too."

The image faded into another familiar scene. It was, again, Lexie and me when we were eight, but this time we were standing near a cab outside the apartment building we used to live in.

She was wearing her strong-face, but she also looked like she could burst into tears at any second. "I'll miss you, CJ," she said.

"Do you really have to go?" I asked her. I didn't want her to go. I would've done anything to keep her from going.

She looked over her shoulder at her mother who was loading their suitcases into the trunk of the cab, "I don't wanna go, but Momma says we have to."

"Oh," I said. I didn't know what else to say; there was nothing else to say. She was leaving me…and I was helpless to stop it.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me tight, and I hugged her back. "Don't forget me, Lexie," I said.

"I won't, and we'll see each other again, someday."

"You think so?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I think so."

"Come on, Lexie," her mother said. "It's time to go."

I looked my friend in her baby-blue eyes, "I'll miss you."

She gave me a broken-hearted smile, "Bye, CJ."

"Bye, Lexie." I said, then watched my best friend climb into a cab and disappear from my life.

I opened my eyes to see the sun shining through the window, and I caught a glimpse of Jade standing in front of the mirror running a brush through her long, red hair. I sat up in my bunk and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

"Morning, CJ," Jade said when I stirred. She left out the good in good morning for obvious reasons.

"Morning," I returned. "Did you sleep alright?"

She shook her head, "Not really."

I stood and stretched, "Yeah, me either."

I looked toward the corner of cabin three at the little fountain that Jade used like Skype, and it occurred to me that I should Iris message my parents. As much as I didn't want to, I had to tell them about Peleus. They were both very fond of the dragon, and I thought they should hear the bad news from me. Jade left me alone in our cabin and told me to take my time. I took a deep breath to compose myself; who knew the death of a dragon would hit everyone so hard, even me, and I barely knew him. I tossed a drachma into the fountain and asked the goddess Iris to connect me to the Percy Jackson residence. I learned a long time ago not to ask for Mom or Dad directly unless it was a real emergency. I once IM'd Mom and caught her in the shower. Talk about awkward.

It was Sunday, so I expected them to be home, and they were. An image of them sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee and reading the Sunday paper like a pair of old empty-nesters appeared in the mist of the fountain.

"Mom, Dad," I said to get their attention.

"Chase," Dad smiled when he saw my image. "It's good to see you, son."

"It's good to see you guys, too. I miss you."

"What's wrong, CJ?" Mom asked. She could already tell I wasn't myself.

"Something's happened," I said. "Something bad."

"Are you okay?" Mom asked with worry.

"It's not me; I'm fine, Mom."

"What's happened, Chase?" Dad asked.

"Remember me telling you about the Rebellion, the militia that's out to kill demigods?"

Mom nodded, "We remember."

"They stormed Half-Blood Hill last night. They stole the Golden Fleece."

Dad furrowed his brow. "Where was Peleus?" he asked. "On vacation?"

"We were all at the beach watching the fireworks show. We didn't know it was happening. There were a lot of them, and he couldn't fight them off."

"What are saying, CJ?" Mom asked.

I took a breath, "Peleus was slain by the Rebellion last night."

Mom covered her face with her hands. Dad sat his coffee cup down and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm really sorry. I should've known something like this would happen. I should've expected it and prepared for it. I let my guard down, and Peleus paid the price. It's all my fault."

Mom raised her head from Dad's shoulder, and she looked right into my eyes. "This is not your fault," she insisted. "You can't blame yourself."

"I just feel like the Rebellion is my problem, and I should've done something to stop this."

"The Rebellion isn't just your enemy," Dad said. "They're everyone's enemy. Just because you're the child of prophecy doesn't mean you have to carry it all on your shoulders alone."

"Your father's right," Mom said. "It takes a team to defeat an enemy like the Rebellion. Peleus was part of the team, and he gave his life fighting to protect you kids. He may have lost his battle, but CJ, you can honor him by winning the war."

"This is only the beginning, isn't it?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

"I'm afraid so," Mom nodded. "And I hate to tell you this, but you'll likely face even more loss of life before this is all over."

"What do I do? Tell me what to do." I desperately wanted their help.

"Chase, we can't tell you what you should do," Dad said. "You'll have to figure that out on your own, but a word of advice: take it one step, one challenge at a time."

I nodded, "Find out where they took the Fleece and get it back."

"That would be a good place to start," Mom said. "And remember, we love you, and we have faith in you."

"I love you guys, too. I'd better go. I've got a lot of work to do."

"That you do," Mom nodded. "Good luck, CJ."

"Thanks." I waved my hand through the message to disconnect us.

Some of the campers had conducted an investigation to determine what exactly happened up on that hill last night, and they came up with the same conclusion I had: the Rebellion used the fireworks show as a diversion to shoot down Peleus using celestial bronze bullets in their firearms, then stole the Fleece. But the reason they would want the Fleece was surrounded with speculation. I wasn't exactly sure why they would want it, but I assumed it was for its healing powers. Mortals can't drink nectar or eat ambrosia to heal injuries, and legacies have to be extremely careful with it; some legacies can't handle it and have severe reactions to it. The Fleece would be the perfect alternative to the food of the gods. If they planned to engage demigods, they could expect to have casualties, and this may have been their way to ensure their losses were minimal. Other campers had other theories, anything from taking it for ransom to an attempt to weaken camp's defensive borders. I wasn't too concerned with why they took it; my biggest question was where'd they take it and how were we going to get it back. I needed to come up with a plan, a strategy, but planning would have to take a back seat at that moment, because we had a shroud to burn.

Holding a memorial and burning a shroud for a monster definitely wasn't a common occurrence, but for Peleus, we made an exception. That afternoon, every single camper, nymph, satyr, and even Mr. D gathered in the amphitheatre. A copper-colored shroud that was pieced together to mimic the look of scales lay across the funeral pyre. The silk shroud was the same color the dragon was, and in the center of the shroud, a pine tree with the Golden Fleece hanging from a low branch was embroidered into the silk.

The theatre was quiet as Lexie walked over to the pyre and stared at the shroud for a moment. She turned to the crowd to say a few words about Peleus. "He was…he was a brave and loyal dragon. He never complained, and he never took a break, he just did his duty, and today we honor his many years of faithful service."

She took a torch and touched it to the shroud. A tear rolled down her cheek as she said, "Until you return, I'll miss you, my friend."

We all watched as the shroud burned and mourned the loss of our guardian dragon.

Two weeks had passed before we realized the theft of the Fleece had dire consequences. The Fleece had hung in that pine tree for nearly thirty years, and it was there for a reason. Most recovered items were just stashed away in the Big House attic, but the Fleece had a job to do. When Thalia's pine was poisoned way back when my parents were campers, the poison began to kill the tree, and consequently, the mystical barriers around the camp began to fail. My parents told me the story of their quest in the Sea of Monsters and the recovery of the Fleece, and how its extraordinary healing powers counteracted the poison, bringing the tree back to health, as well as bringing Lexie's mom back to life. Since Thalia's spirit was no longer reinforcing the mystical barriers around camp, the Fleece was used as a substitute, and it worked out great. But what no one realized until now was that the Fleece didn't completely purge the poison, it merely counteracted it. Now that the Fleece was gone and no longer counteracting the poison, the effects were the same as they were all those years ago. The tree was beginning to yellow, and the barriers around camp were weakening…the effect I'm sure the Rebellion was counting on. We had to get the Fleece back and soon. If the barrier around camp completely failed, anything or anyone could get in, including monsters and the mortal members of the Rebellion. A security breach like that could be devastating. I had to do something. I needed a quest.