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Leo's POV
We mutually decided to free Wondergirl first. By which I mean, we mutually decided that Robin's mini-Batglare was terrifying. So we freed Wondergirl first.
The process of de-goldifying was long and painful, especially since most of the former statues were too disoriented to work. Even Emma had to pitch in once or twice. When we got to Travis, however, I suddenly had a terrifying realization I should've had an hour ago.
Ya see, I'm dead. At least, I was dead, but then I came back to life in a long story involving magic bottles, metal dragons and true love. But to the majority of the world, I've been dead since last August. I know, I know, I should go back to Camp for a tear-filled reunion. You're not the first person to say that. I've got the same spiel from Emma, from Calypso, even from my Dad (personally, I think he just wants me to move out and get a job). Truth is, I'm kinda scared to return. Does that make any sense to you? Doesn't make much to me either.
But I wasn't ready to confront my fears today, so as everyone gathered back in the main hall, I quietly snuck into a coat room to listen.
And I was there, trying not to choke on old-coat must when the Wondergirl gave an important little piece of information that completely shocked the demigod world.
Cassie's POV
"What do you mean you're a child of Zeus?!' Emma cried above the dim of chattering voices.
"Exactly what I said I mean! I don't understand! Why can't Zeus have kids? Di- Wonder Woman's a child of Zeus!" I cried in indignation.
The noise factor in the room was rising. The rest of the kids had just spent days terrified in captivity, and all it would take for them to start rioting was one piece of bad news. The presence of super-heroes wasn't calming them at all. If anything, it was creating even more confusion.
Emma, meanwhile, was busy not answering my question. "Oh God..." she muttered. She pushed pass the crowd to where Tim and that boy, Travis were trying to calm the crowd. She and him (Travis) had a heated exchange complete with hand gestures and swearing so loud I could hear across the room, before she angrily got out her phone and he went back to attempted crowd-control.
Blue Beetle walked up to me in a state of complete confusion (I could relate).
"Que chingados! What the hell is going on?" he cried. I shrugged. He saw that Emma was taking a call. "Where's Leo?"
"Leo?" I asked.
"Leo, the short Hispanic kid, the one who wouldn't shut up. Where is he?" Rather than wait for answer, wandered off to continue searching.
The noise of the crowd grew, to defeating levels. Everywhere people were talking, or shrieking, or crying or something. From the few conversations we'd had in the dungeon, most of these kids didn't even know what demigods were. I couldn't even begin to imagine the panic they were going through. But that didn't excuse all the noise!
"OMIGOD WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"
"WAAAAAA! I WANT MY MOMMY!"
"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!"
"RISE UP, MY COMRADES! THE REVOLUTION IS NOW!" A new noise began to filter through the room, a sort of toneless beep. It started low and soft, but grew louder and louder and higher and higher until it felt like my ears were bleeding. The entire room went silent as we glared at the culprit. It was Robin, holding down on a little button I recognized as a sonic device.
"Do I have your attention?" He asked calmly. No one spoke. "Good. Now, we are going to fix this, but I need you all to stay calm. Now will someone please tell me where Leo Valdez is?!"
Emma, still holding her phone, visibly paled.
Emma's POV
I knew I was doomed. From the rippling gasps through the room, to Travis's accusing stare, to Chiron's bewildered and indignant "What?" on the speaker phone. I was in so, so much trouble. I was in up the creek in a leaking canoe moving towards a water trouble.
And here came the source of all my trouble, creeping out of the coat closet sporting a s***-eating grin a mile wide.
He made his way through the crowd gamely, waving to the shocked people around him like a rose bowl queen, while everyone stared silently. Except for Chiron, who was still on the phone, demanding what in the blazes was going on. In response, I hung up on him. Honestly, I couldn't think of anything else to do.
"Travis, buddy! How you been man?" he said as he reached us, giving giving him (Travis) finger guns. He turned to Robin.
"So, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation to what is going on here-"
"There better be." Robin growled. I resisted the urge to face palm.
"Well, ya see, it all begins about a half year ago..." as Leo recounted his life story I tried to tiptoe away, far from the awkward stares of the watching crowd. Unfortunately, Travis noticed, and gave me a confused and disapproving eyebrow raise. I cringed and stayed right where I was.
"So, then Emma comes to Yellowstone to get Ariadne's string for" He barely stopped himself from revealing exactly why I wanted it (long story, not one I feel like sharing) "And we meet, and make her swear on Styx not to tell anyone at Camp about me, oh, speaking of which you're released from your vow Emma..." Thunder rumbled in the sky, like Zeus was looking down upon us. And laughing.
Leo continued on with his tender tale of TMI as Travis pulled me to the side to talk.
"So, that's what happened on your trip out west?" I nodded.
"Please, Travis, I am so, so sorry for not telling you but I mean, it was a Styx Swear. Not like I can just brush one of those off. Hey look, we're in a giant, gold covered mansion and nobodies paying us any 's have some jolly good fun, brother dear." I slipped into a faux-British accent and held my hand in a gesture of peace.
"Certainly sister dear, come, let us explore our surroundings." He took my hand like a true gentlemen, and we skipped merrily down the hall, whistling the Monty Python money song all the way.
Blue's POV
When I was a little kid, every Friday my whole family would gather on the couch after dinner and watch old episodes of the Twilight Zone. I guess all that strangeness prepared me for becoming a superhero.
But nothing, no Twilight zone, or anything else, could prepare me for the strangeness, the weirdness, the pure mente joder that was the demigod world! The more Leo went on and 'explained' things to the crowd the more freaked out I became. These people were insane! I mean, who but an insane person would get turned into gold by a man with donkey ears, come back fine, then casually explain that they were back from the dead or head off with their brother to rob said donkey man's house?!
You may think I'm overreacting a bit. Clearly, you have never been standing where I was.
Robin began to speak to the crowd before him, which was getting right back to panicking, telling them to calm down, that they were all going to take a bus to Camp Half-Blood in the morning, but for now they should clean themselves up and settle down for the night. There were about 30 or so kids, most of them barely even teenagers yet. I felt bad for them. For me, at least, this would be over, and I could erase these memories from my head. They'd have to deal with this for the rest of their lives.
Robin pulled me and Cassie to the side.
"There's something going on here, something a lot larger than we think." he began, pacing as he did. "We don't know why these kids were taken or where they were going. Sold on the black market, probably, but to whom? And that investor Midas mentioned? Could very well be the Light."
"You think this is like when the Reach was kidnapping runaways?" Cassie responded. I involuntarily shuddered at the thought.
"Maybe... I'm going to do a little digging tonight, see what I can find."
"I'll help." Wondergirl volunteered.
Robin shook his head. "You've just been chained to a wall for 36 hours. You need sleep. Blue, go find Emma and Travis, update them on what's going on, and try to pull them out of their... crime spree." He said those last words with disgust.
I started to walk away, but Robin called to me one last time. "And get some rest too. You look like your heads about to explode." Yea, judging from the amount of mind-f***ery going on, I wouldn't be too surprised if it did.
The Robin is wrong. Chances of cranial combustion are only 3% as of this moment.
Fantastic.
Sorry I've been taking so long between updates, but hey, do you know what will make me write faster? A Review, Favorite or Follow! Like HarelleraH and Kaltie. They know what I'm talking about.
Signing off,
Sage Nicholson
