CHAPTER 7
THE CAMP IS OVERTHROWN
Well at least I'll get my next shot tomorrow." said Grover, an hour after the race.
We were sitting in the amphitheater, me, Annabeth, Sarissa, Thalia, and Grover.
"You'll get your girl." said Sarissa, with a smile.
Grover's face brightened.
"I know I will! And it's going to be Rose!"
"Don't hold your breath goat boy." said a sneering voice from down below us. It was Clarisse, of course.
"What do you want?" said Grover, with a slight attitude.
"Gift," said Clarisse, coming up the sidesteps toward our row. She was holding a craved wooden pipe. Vines had been craved into the wood, giving it a kind of earthy feeling. "It's arrived with more weapons from the gods."
"But I don't have an Olympian parent." said Grover.
"It's from Pan, you nit." said Clarisse, shoving the pipe into Grover's chest. He grabbed it. She turned on her heel and stormed off.
"What's her problem?" I said.
Grover didn't hear me, but I got some good results from Annabeth and Thalia. He was too busy staring down at the pipe from Pan. He seemed sort of hypnotized and wore a dreamy expression. It wasn't until I snapped my fingers did he come out of the trace.
"Huh? Sorry." he said.
"Are you cool?" I asked.
"Y-yeah, it's just super cool I got a gift from Pan!" said Grover.
"You deserve with all of your hard work." said Sarissa.
"True," said Grover, looking down at his new gift.
The rest of the day was spent with Grover playing his pipe. He sung a soft sad song that was mixed with "So Sick" by Neyo and "Dangerously In Love" by Beyonce. I have to say, it radiated low self esteem through me whenever I heard it or was nearby. I could had even sworn the pipe glowed black when he used it.
But things looked up on the arrival of Tyson. He pulled up in a taxi on the outskirts of Camp.
Annabeth, Sarissa, and I met up with him.
"PERCY! BROTHER! ANNABETH! SARISSA!" he roared, pulling all three of us into a bone-crunching hug.
"How are you, big guy?" I asked, as I held my ribs. Don't worry, they weren't broken, yet.
"Fine," he answered, "I have been lots busy in the Forges and has helped to make several battle weapons for the Sea Guardians and Camp."
"Sea Guardians?" I said.
"The Sea Guardians that guards daddy's big castle beneath the sea." said Tyson.
"Dad's castle?" I repeated. I knew that he had an underwater pad but I never knew it was a castle.
"Yeah," Tyson said.
"You've been there?" I asked, a little annoyed, curious, and envious.
"Yes," said Tyson. "I was picked to hand deliver the weapons. It was most fun of a trip! I saw hippocampus friend, Rainbow, again. He says hi."
"What did dad say when you saw him? I hadn't talked to him sense last year." I said.
"Fine," said Tyson. "He told me to tell you all is fine and not to worry."
"Oh," I said, disappointed.
"It's wonderful to see you Tyson." said Annabeth, changing the subject by looking at my expression. "Tyson, I have so much to talk to you about."
"You do?" said Sarissa and I together.
"Yes," said Annabeth. "Me and Charles are working on a top-secret project. He's asked me to bring Tyson to the Armory as soon as you got back."
My brain exploded now. Why wasn't I in on the top-secret project? What could Tyson or Beckendorf do for Annabeth that I couldn't? Then, Tyson gets to go off to Poseidon's castle while I'm stuck in New York? This was so unfair.
"Come on," said Annabeth, taking his arm and pulling him up the hill.
Sarissa grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
"What's up with you, Percy?" she asked.
"Nothing," I lied.
"Percy, nature plays many tricks. It has so many different mood swings and glitches. But it never lies."
I didn't get her statement, but I figured she knew that I was lying. So I told her. She just smiled. Why was she smiling?
"Jealousy, envy, anger, and hatred are all the emotions that are common for a guy." said Sarissa. "It's all going to be alright. We'll come out of this. You'll come out of this. We'll make it. And none of us will die in this battle."
"Let's keep hope alive." I said.
The sun set beyond the Woods and Grover's sad tunes were now running through the Camp. I think now everybody felt it. Some of the smaller campers looked weakened and drained.
Annabeth, Tyson, and I guess Beckendorf had retreated to the Armory. They'd been in there for hours. I walked passed it several times. Sarissa and some of her sisters were busy trimming petunias and cutting weeds out of their garden near their Cabin. The Hunters, Erica Portman, and the Apollo kids were practicing with their new bows and arrows.
After about an hour later, the sad tunes of the cursed pipe (that's what I called it) had stopped and Grover had vanished completely from sight. He didn't, like, disappear from view, he went somewhere and no one could find him. It was almost time for lights out and he was nowhere to be found. We, as in me, Thalia, Annabeth, and Sarissa searched everywhere for him; the amphitheater, the dining pavilion, strawberry field, the volleyball court, the climbing wall, the arena, and the stables but Blackjack told me he hadn't seen Grover since he went off over the boundary line an hour ago.
"Why would he leave Camp?" said Sarissa, once I told them what Blackjack said.
"Grover knows better then that." said Thalia.
"Where could he be?" I said.
"Maybe he went looking for Rose." suggested Sarissa.
"Maybe not," said Thalia.
"Why not?" asked Sarissa.
"Because he's over there by my pine." said Thalia, looking pass Sarissa toward her pine tree.
I followed her gaze.
Grover was standing on top of Half-Blood Hill, playing his pipe again. The tune now was angry and evil. Something wasn't right. We ran over to the base of the hill.
"Grover!" I yelled. "What are you doing?"
Two things happened at once.
A jet of fire flew down from Thalia's tree toward someone I couldn't see. There was a flash of metal and the baby dragon I knew who guarded the tree, was no more.
Then, an unforgettable face came up on Grover's left. He had a triumphant smile over a sick and twisted face. Luke. He reached over and grabbed the Golden Fleece from the tree.
The entire Camp went black. A cold draft swept through.
"What the bloody hell is going on?" came Mr. D's voice from the Big House. Chiron had also come out. He was staring in shock at the boundary line.
Most of the campers, who had been training or scurrying back to their Cabins, had gathered around, watching, horrified at the border line. The Hunters, who glowed in the moonlight, were watching vigorously and attentive.
"Luke, put it back!" I growled.
"No," he said, simply. "Good job Grover."
"What?" said Thalia.
"Come," said Luke, over his shoulder.
The entire border was now a moving mass. Monsters and campers in Greek battle armor stood on either side of Luke and Grover. There were hellhounds, harpies, Laestrygonian Giants, some were tossing fiery dodge balls, lamias, Stymphalian Birds, circling the sky, Dracaenaes, five griffins, and several other monsters I couldn't name or remember the name from mythology.
"How dare you, boy?!" roared Mr. D.
"I dare old man," said Luke, holding up Backbiter. And then he did the unthinkable. With an amazing swipe, he cut down Thalia's tree! The tree tumbled to the ground on the opposite side the hill.
I uncapped Riptide.
Annabeth pulled out her bronze knife and Yankee's Cap.
Thalia opened Aegis and held up her spear, which crackled with electricity.
Sarissa pulled out her wand, Eidos.
I could hear several campers grabbing weapons, running to the Cabins, and waking others, while telling them that the Battle of Camp Half-Blood had finally begun.
