I had a pretty good time that night, everyone sitting around the fire, laughing, singing, telling jokes. It was the first time I ever felt welcome anywhere, ever. But I wasn't claimed. I was sad, maybe even a bit depressed. Conner walked up to me back in the cabin and said, "Don't sweat it man." Travis put out his hand on my shoulder and gave me a little shake, "Everybody gets claimed eventually." I went to bed early that night, and was met with more nightmares...
I was back in the purple stone cavern, the same hissing laugh echoed through the blackness. "Are you disappointed Alexander?" It said, chuckling. "No matter, with me you will receive the respect and fear you deserve." I could hear a high-pitched rumbling, like hundreds of tap shoes tapping away. Then I realized I had heard the same noise somewhere before...
It was two years ago, My Uncle and I were on vacation. We were on a Safari in Africa, driving through the dirt, feeling the smoldering sun on my shoulders and neck. But it didn't bother me, I was too busy focusing on the beautiful landscape and the distant black-and-white blur of a herd of zebras. When suddenly, BAM, the jeep jerked to a stop and the wheel was stuck in some sort of hole. I heard the same sound then, that I was hearing now. The jeep had drove straight into a pit of scorpions.
Back in the cavern, the large shadow figure appeared once again before me. It looked at me with its glowing red eyes and said, "You have two choices young demigod, you join me and together we rule, those you love will live and be treated with luxuries, or you can deny me, and you die." At that, the shadow raised his arm in a sweeping motion and the floor below me started to move. It was gently sloping down and getting steeper every second, and from the crack in the floor getting bigger and bigger, hundreds... no, thousands of scorpions emerged. I tried running but I couldn't find any traction on the now highly sloped ground.
They began to cover me, first on my feet, then my ankles, and eventually up to me knees. By now I was hanging off the edge by my arms, they continued up my legs and my torso until from chest to feet I was covered in them. I felt one on my neck and then one on my ear, and another right on my face. Soon, I was completely covered and couldn't breathe, they got in my mouth and throat, and as I was beginning to lose myself and fade away, I woke up.
I woke up and my entire body itched and burned. I opened my eyes and was met with the glistening black/green body of an insect. Another on my arm and more on my legs. I jumped up completely terrified, they were real ! (I may or may not have screamed like a girl.) Travis, Conner, and some other of the campers were literally rolling on the floor laughing. I realized that they were beetles, not scorpions. An there were only 5 of them... Needles to say, I was embarrassed. I slapped the bugs off of me and went outside the cabin, leaving the Hermes cabin laughing at me. I found a large tree near the edge of the forest and rested against it. It would've been a peaceful and beautiful night if I hadn't been too busy focusing on my nightmares.
I sat there, staring at the glistening stars. You definitely never see this in the city, especially in Los Angeles. I heard someone call my name, Conner or Travis probably. I didn't answer, eventually one of them found me and called the other over. They asked me what was wrong, they looked genuinely concerned for me. I decided not to tell them about my nightmares, I didn't want to burden anyone else with my problems. Instead, I made up some elaborate story of how I had a childhood trauma involving beetles. They believed me and tried to get me back to the cabin but I refused.
They sat down beside me, and refused to leave unless I came with them, so I did. I didn't get any sleep for awhile though.
I am ultra sorry for the wait guys. I just had two weeks of finals and the playoffs for my hockey team (We're in the finals baby!) So I haven't had much time to write, I will upload another chapter tomorrow to make up for it. Once again I'm sorry. I will give a cookie and a shoutout to anyone who can guess what the next chapter will be about. Hint: (It waves in the wind)