Hey readers! Really sorry about the long wait. Computers, y'know, they mess up when you need them most. K so, sorry that this chapter isn't as action-filled, but things need explaining. Once again please review. Your reviews are seriously amazing as are the reviewers! (Even if UAGANSTABRU!) A major thanks to Lemariz, you reviews always come when I least expect them, they always manage to make me happy. Do readers out there know that sometimes reviews are the sole reason writers keep writing?
Chapter 4: My Rescuer gets Scared by a Cow
When the world came back into focus, Mr D and Lion-Lady were gone. I was lying on an old thin quilt that smelt like stale saliva. The smell of smoke still lingered in the air from the night before. I felt sticky and sweaty. My wound had healed and thankfully I still had eyes.
I sat up carefully with an aching back, and looked around. I seemed to be in an impromptu infirmary. Other campers lay on tattered quilts in various places nearby, Apollo campers were walking from quilt to quilt constantly and squares of ambrosia were being passed everywhere.
I noticed a boy with jet black hair next to me. He lay sprawled over his quilt with his legs bent in ten million impossible ways. He was probably lucky he was unconscious. His legs seemed to be flattened and twisted. There were unusual, sickly, bluish, pulsing bulbs throbbing violently covering the majority of his legs. Stains from dried blood coated them. The worst part was that his kneecap hovered just above his ankle. I winced as I looked over the guy. His arm was bandaged, but otherwise seemed fine, he had tired, darkened eyes, and he had a bruise on his neck and about ten blood red towels next to him.
"Hey Nico," Kyle's voice greeted.
"Eh," I moaned, turning to find him behind me.
"Some bonfire," he said.
"Yeah," I agreed, "You heard from Savanna or Atlanta?"
"Yeah," Kyle sighed, "Seems like I was the only one who escaped with only a scratch. Atlanta's somewhere else around here recovering from a hit to the head; Savanna's helping her siblings with all the injured campers, we found her last night with that guy." Kyle gestured to the guy with the deformed legs. "He was crushed under half the Big House."
"Oh." I looked back at the guy, remembering his face scrunched up and his screams ringing through the air. "Do you know what happened with the crazy lion-lady thing?"
"No idea. Mr D brought you here said she'd hurt you and left to go "converse" with her."
"Could Mr D be more vague?"
"I really wouldn't care," Kyle snorted, "He's the worst patron in the universe, I'd rather live under the reign of Ares."
"But you love Ares," I reminded him.
"You know what I mean." Kyle picked up a handful a grass and sprinkled it over the ground, revealing just how much ash and rubble was within the handful. "Do you have any idea of who could've done this?" Kyle asked.
"You know my suspicions."
"Zane? Thought so. He seems the sort to do that. No one else would believe us. What were the last words Grover said Percy said he heard Zane say last? "Why hasn't my parent claimed me yet?" That was it. Everyone thinks he's an innocent little kid who wouldn't dare hurt anything."
"That question, "Why hasn't my parent claimed me yet?" started the second Titan war." I pointed out.
"That was "Why doesn't my parent care?" not claim," Kyle argued.
"Same thing."
"No it's not." Kyle scowled at me.
"Yeah, it's not," I agreed. I stretched my arms, blood sending a sense of small relief through them.
"Are you feeling better?" Kyle asked.
"Better than what?" I asked.
"Last night."
"When the camp was being blown to pieces, people were dying and my liver had a sword through it? No I feel way worse."
"That's stupid," Kyle replied. He inhaled through his nose and raised an eyebrow like he'd noticed something. "Can I smell wine?" he asked. I sniffed the air. It did smell a bit like alcohol, I wasn't too familiar with the stuff.
"I don't know," I answered, "Why?"
"I smell wine, like really strong, in your direction. Have you been drinking?"
"You bet," I said sarcastically.
"Just asking. I didn't think wine was allowed in camp."
"Did someone say wine?" a voice from behind us asked. We both turned to find the camp director standing above us, his eyes narrowed like they were when he handed out a punishment.
"We just," Kyle started, "Thought we could er, smell something like it."
"Your nose doesn't deceive you, I'm sorry, what's your name again?" Mr D asked.
"Kyle, sir."
"Tyler," Mr D tried, "Well sorry to break up your conversation, but I must borrow Di Angelo here for a minute."
"Why?" I asked suddenly curious.
"I need you to meet someone," Mr D explained. He turned to Kyle. "Go play your pipes or something. Di Angelo, follow me."
Mr D guided me through unfamiliar piles of rubble and ruined foundations of buildings. It hurt to see my home destroyed. Even the woods were full of small craters and broken trees. Mr D led us to a bigger crater, where someone had set up a table and three beanbags. There was a woman sitting at the table, with a bulky cow's head in place of a human one. She was rather chubby herself and had fallen into a drunken slumber on the table, snoring loudly.
Mr D forced a cough and the lady jumped awake.
"Have we met?" she asked him, looking over Mr D with empty eyes.
"Yes Hathor," Mr D said in a voice calmer and more inviting than I'd ever heard him use, "I'm Dionysus, remember?" Hathor blinked a couple of times and shook her head.
"Unless you were the one who were talkin' to me about wine, I don't know you."
"I am that person."
"Oh, you got more wine then?" she asked. A goblet filled with a rich red coloured wine sprouted from thin air. "Good, good." Hathor emptied the goblet in one gulp.
"Hathor," Mr D began, "I would like you to meet a student of mine. This is Nico. Nico say hello to Hathor."
"Uh," I tried, "Hi Hathor."
"That boy looks familiar, "Hathor said, "I think I seen 'im before."
"Probably because you were trying to kill him," Mr D stormed raising his voice to a yell, "Do you remember anything about your last moments as Sekhemet?" Hathor yawned.
"I know her," she said.
"You are her," Mr D growled.
"She was the one he was talking to, before lightning man kicked me out, gets a wee bit blurry before that."
"Last night," Mr D continued, "You were trying to kill this fine pupil and drink his blood."
"And you brought out wine?" Hathor asked.
"Is that what I'm covered in?" I asked, instantly feeling dirty. Mr D nodded at Hathor and me.
"She was told to kill 'im... I think."
"By whom?" Mr D inquired.
"One o' my friends." Hathor yawned again and her head began slipping sideways.
"Where is this friend?" Mr D asked giving Hathor a scolding look. Hathor chose that moment to fall off the table. "HATHOR!" Mr D scolded, causing Hathor to jerk awake, "Get up you drunken cow! Answer my question or you will be punished." Mr D glared at Hathor, purple fire flickering through his eyes. Hathor smiled at Mr D and snorted with laughter. I exchanged a confused glance with Mr D.
"This friend is everywhere," Hathor said, still choking on laughter, "My friend is every time, I think 'ee said that anyway. He's a god; you can't hope to beat him." Hathor continued laughing.
Mr D clenched his hands into fists and sent one at Hathor's face. Hathor placed a hand delicately on her cheek.
"Pain," she mumbled, "Dionysus is a god?"
"Yes idiot," Mr D growled, "I am a god. What is your friend's name?" Hathor had to think about that question for a while.
"Zan, I think," Hathor replied. I felt my heart stop. Was this "Zan" guy the same person as Zane? Everything made too much sense, like a thousand piece puzzle just coming together too easily, as if it were an accident.
"Zan," Mr D repeated, "I know of no such god from your era."
"You know o' no one from my time," Hathor spat, "The Titans did though." Mr D straightened up.
"What happened?" he inquired. Hathor smiled, her face seemed to shrink down into a more human-like one. She traced the edge of her goblet with her finger.
"The Titans, your fathers, Egypt was in a time of peril, fighting against ourselves rather than against our expanding enemies. There was one Titan, Rheia, who noticed this. She didn't want gods competing for power over the world, so she gathered her siblings and friends and brought them to us for war. If they were trying to establish peace it didn't come across as that. The Titans burned homes, destroyed many undeserving souls and..." Hathor stopped herself, "There are some things I must keep from curious minds." Mr D's purple face turned as white as snow.
"You mean exile?" he asked, his eyes wide and his hands shaking. Hathor gave him a menacing glare.
"That wine has worn off," she decided, "I will see you again, and I will have allies." Her whole form turned a golden yellow colour and crumbled into dust only to be blown away by the wind.
I stared at the spot Hathor had disappeared from. Mr D still looked terrified. I felt a bit worried for the guy, Mr D was never patient, never willing to give away some of his wine and never scared. There had to be something wrong.
"Mr D?" I asked.
"Y-y-y-yes," Mr D stuttered.
"Who was that exactly? And how are they related to the lady who tried to kill me?" I looked at Mr D expectantly, he gave me no response. "Do you need to speak to someone?" I asked him, feeling really awkward. Mr D nodded slightly.
"Chiron," he whispered his voice wavering, "I need to talk to Chiron." Mr D waved a hand and the table and beanbags evaporated, it seemed a shame they'd come of no real use.
Mr D strode clumsily next to me. If gods could faint, I think Mr D would've. I guided him back through the destroyed forest, trying to gain as little notice from other campers as possible. To admit, I felt embarrassed for Mr D.
"Are you ok," I asked him in barely a whisper. He didn't respond. I took it that he was not ok. I continued heading towards the wreckage of the cabins. It seemed like most campers had taken refuge there. Chiron was talking to a group of campers in hushed voices. Everyone seemed tense. I walked out from the trees while Dionysus drifted nervously towards the corner of the area. I approached Chiron, he saw me when he finished saying something about some "Theo" guy.
"Nico," Chiron greeted, "Good to see you up again."
"You too sir," I replied, "Uh, um. Mr D took me to talk to some Hathor chick and then Mr D got freaked out by something and-"
"Freaked out by what exactly?" Chiron asked.
"He asked about some exile thing and lost it. He said he wants to talk to you." I tried to explain. Chiron just looked more confused.
"Well I will speak with Dionysus, and figure out what is bothering him." Chiron trotted over to Mr D and was immediately locked in intense conversation. They spoke in hushed voices to prevent eavesdroppers and looked either angry or worried for most of the time. I didn't like watching them talk like that; they'd only spoken that way when discussing the Olympians going silent because of the threat of a giant war, and before Kronos attacked camp through the labyrinth. Reminders of those days really didn't comfort me.
Mr D soon looked much less scared, but there was still that look of alarm in his eyes. Chiron came back to me.
"He's fine," Chiron explained, "Dionysus believes in superstitions Ares has told him, the attack last night is what he uses as proof."
"So nothing's up?" I clarified.
"Except that we have to rebuild the camp, and figure out what Zane hoped to achieve with his attack."
"Z- Ow!" I groaned as my calf muscles seized up suddenly. That oath was sure working for Zane. "Who did it?" I retried.
"Zane," Chiron answered, "He spoke to me and gave me a remote and a choice. To destroy the camp then and there or have it tear itself apart spontaneously. Of course, I thought it would be better to try to give some kind of warning before the attack." A spark of hope went through me. Zane was coming out of the dark, becoming a more obvious threat. No one could ignore him much longer.
Eat that Time-Face! Hahahahaha! So you readers! If my calculations are correct, I should get one review per 16 hits. Please keep reviewing! (Or start, you many people out there who haven't.) I'll keep writing, and I promise the next chapter will come much faster than this one has. And I hope everyone's prepared for some weirdness because the next chapter is where things get intense...
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