Sorry I haven't updated, I'm sick, and, well, that's no walk in the park. And, I hurt my finger again, playing basketball. But, this time it was my middle finger. I'm such a klutz.
A/N I know there hasn't been much action, sorry 'bout that. I'll be sure to include some in this chapter. And, I know I should of done something about Oliver, it's just that all he needed was information. NOTE: He feels guilty about Terra. That's all I'll say. Thanks for reviewing!
Chapter 9
I moved my strawberry pancakes around on my plate. I looked up at the morning sky, wonder I would actually do something to help my friends. I've been doing nothing for two days. Two days! It was torture! I've asked Chiron many times, but he's always like, "Patience child, your time will come." It gets me so frustrated. I feel restless, I want action. I feel guilty sitting around moping, not being any help to my friends. I cursed myself for being so self-fish. You're not the only one going through this, Terra. Some others are worried about them, too.
I looked at all the other tables, some a bit bare, but campers were still having fun. Zack was enjoying himself at the Apollo table, along with Trey. Luna had left, she had to go home, for school and such. Hunter and I have been getting along well, she's been really nice. Cooper was distraught. And I didn't blame her, if anything happened to Luke, it would happen to her, she's been worried ever since.
I fingered my necklace, a habit by now. I started getting angry, angry that I'm not able to help. And it's my mother's fault! She's not going to let me leave camp! And it was Chiron's fault, too, he won't send me to find the missing persons. I felt myself getting hot, and knew that my anger was causing this. From the corner of my eye, I saw Zack's head snap up and turn to me. He read my emotion, and possibly felt my energy going over-drive. He gave me a look that said, Are you okay? I nodded and silently got up, avoid Chiron and anyone who would've seen me, and I sprinted to my cabin.
Hephaestus fixed it up, it looked like it did before it was burnt down. The wonders builders can...build.
I paced in my cabin and thought about what I should do. I need to save Brooklyn, Cash, Rachel, and Luke. But, how if I can't go anywhere.
I imagined a little light bulb appearing over my head as I thought of an idea. I mentally called Zack over to my cabin, a few minutes later and he was there. I explained my plan to him, he protested. But, eventually, he came though. Now, all I need was...Trey and Hunter.
~*~Time Lapse~*~
"Please?" I begged Hunter, once again.
"I don't know, it'll be breaking the rules, it wouldn't be smart-"
"Are you really going to let rules get in the way of the fate of the world?" I asked, trying to my my voice as convincing as possible.
"It's not the fate of the world-" She started.
"It will be if we don't do anyhing!" I said.
She sighed. "But, my siblings, what will they say? Won't they worry and go looking for me, just causing more danger?" She asked.
"We'll leave a note! Come one, you know I'll need Athena's smarts..." I said.
She scratched her blond hair and sighed, her shoulders sagging a bit. "Alright, only to help the fate of the world."
I smiled. "Great! Now, you know where we have to go right, it's pretty obvious, right?" I asked.
She nodded and scanned through the notebook she was holding. "The Underworld. That's our best guess. Rachel could have told Brooklyn her prophecy, Brooklyn must've gotten angry and ran into the woods, Rachel running after her. Cash probably ran after Brooklyn, too, worrying something will happen. That crack you explained to me earlier, Brooklyn might have escaped into the underworld through there. Except, Rachel and Cash fell in as well, leading them all to the Underworld and into the hands of our prime suspect; Hades." She explained.
My eyebrows furrowed and I thought about what she had said, I only thought half of that, but no doubt she was right. I opened my mouth to say something, but someone behind popped up suddenly and I jumped about a foot into the air.
"Sorry" Trey muttered and cleared his throat. "So, what's this crack you were talking about? Maybe we should check it out for any clues?" He suggested.
I nodded, thinking it was a good idea. Trey went to get Zack as Hunter and I ran ahead. I followed my foot-steps to where I saw the tree stump with the crack coming for it. I got there, to the peaceful setting. Here, there was no wind, and it was warm, only some snow had melted. I looked to where two nights ago, I was fiercely attacking Oliver. I noticed something that looked like blood and tried think it was someone else blood. Zack and Trey was behind us now, went Hunter let out a small yelp and ran to the crack. I ran next to her and crouched down.
"Is it...Is it closing?" Trey asked.
I blinked a dozen times, how is that possible? And, it was closing at great speed. I wasn't using any magic to close it.
"I think someone's trying to keep us from learning the truth." Hunter stated.
"I second your thought" Zack muttered.
I sighed and covered my face with my hands, once the crack closed, the wind picked up. That's it, it's over for the clues about the crack.
"Lets leave it at that. We should get ready for tonight, we're leaving once we're sure everyone's asleep" I said and trudged angrily though the fluffy snow.
A/N This is all happening a bit too fast, sorry. But, I really don't know how to word it. Up to this point, this was re-written 4 times with different plots...BTW, Luna left because she had to go home. Just in case you get confused, Terra already asked Trey and he accepted.
Chiron wasn't the least bit suspicious throughout the day, or so we thought. That night, around three, I sneaked out of my cabin. I buttoned up my black trench coat as a strong gust of wind hit me. Maybe...maybe I can warm my self up. With fire.
I looked around for any sign of movement. I outstretched my hand and imagined a small fire on it, burning without burning me. I imagined the warmth and brightness of it. I put a bit of my anger towards it, just in case it needed emotions to heat up. I close my eyes, as if that was going to help.
"Is it me, or do you see the fire, too?" A voice said.
My eyes snapped open and I didn't even look around to see who said that. I stared at the small fire on my hand, not burning me.
"Fire" I whispered, as if I just discovered it. Trey leaned over my shoulder and stared at the fire as well.
"I guess the training over the days worked out" he commented.
I grinned and nodded, completely hypnotized.
"Zack is leaving a note for our cabin mates and Chiron" He added.
I peeled my eyes away from the fire, and just as I did, it evaporated. I frowned and looked to where a figure was running towards us.
"Okay! I'm here!" Hunter breathed.
"Great, now lets find Zack." I said and we quietly sprinted to the big house, but stopped short. Zack was there alright...talking to Chiron.
Chiron saw us and motioned us over, we walked slower, but we obeyed.
"Have a safe trip." was all he said. He looked at the necklace my mother gave me. "Don't let that get in the wrong hands."
"Aren't you going to stop us?" I asked.
"Stop what? You're not here. As far as I know, I don't even know you're leaving." He winked and walked back inside.
"That was cool of him." Hunter stated.
"Uh-huh" Trey agreed.
"Lets just go" I said and walked ahead with Zack. "What did he tell you?" I asked.
"He knows Hecate didn't want you leaving camp. But, he needs Rachel back here. And, Brooklyn and Cash need to be safe, as well as Luke." he said. He looked behind us, Trey and Hunter were talking, not paying much attention to us. Or so we thought.
"You're not doing this because of your dad, are you?" Zack whispered.
I blinked. "No. No, I'm not. I am having thoughts...that maybe he's there in the underworld...but, now I'm not so convinced. Why would they want my father?" I said nervously.
"You tried escaping to see hi. You tried going to the underworld, alone." he said. He stopped and fully faced me. "Promise me that if you see your father in the Underworld in bad condition, you won't forget our mission. Swear on the river stinx." he asked.
I thought about it. I looked back at Trey and Hunter who was watching us. I knew that I couldn't let them get hurt because of my selfish reasons. "I swear on the river stinx." I told Zack quietly and went ahead of them.
Up at Half-blood hill, Angel and another Pegasus, Ice, were waiting for us. I patted Angel and rubbed Ice's muzzle. They could withstand the cold, but not for long. I hopped on, not bothering to even glance at Zack hop on behind me. I'm not talking to him, I can't believe he made say such a swear. Trey and Hunter went on the other Pegasus. Hunter looked down nervously.
"I'm not to thrilled about flying after my last experience. Maybe we should-" Her voice got cut off by her own screaming as Ice flew directly up in the air dramatically.
Trey laughed as Ice did a full circle and headed to New York. Angel flew after Ice gracefully, not bothering to do any elaborate circle, square, or triangle.
The snow had stopped and the wind died down, seems that Zeus still wants me safe, even though him and my mom are having a quarrel. I wasn't saying anything, neither was Zack. I was upset, but I knew what he meant. If I didn't like what I saw, I would over-react and forget about them.
I glanced over at Trey and Hunter. Hunter's eyes were tightly shut and she held on to Ice like she was going to fall, I couldn't blame her. I think someone gave Ice too much sugar cubes. Trey was smiling with delight as Ice swirled in the air, he too was holding on tight, afraid to fall. He caught my eye and smiled at me. I hurriedly looked away, I could almost feel him frowning.
About an hour later, we had spotted New York City. I still hadn't spoken to Zack, and he wasn't speaking to me either. Our empathy link didn't really help that. Angel and Ice landed in an alley. I slipped off her and gave her an apple from my bag, I gave one to Ice, too.
"You did great" I muttered to Angel. Ice neighed and I assured him he did well, too. "Now, back to camp, we'll see you if we come back" I said to angel and gave her two pats.
She took a running start and flew into the sky with Ice. Hunter wobbled over to me, looking a little green.
"Can we...stay for a while?" She asked. I nodded, she sighed and sat on the floor with her face in her hands.
I stepped out the alley and looked around. The station a block away, from there we'll go from here to Virginia. I looked fro any monsters. Nope, no monsters.
"It's all clear guys." I called out. I received murmurs of okay's from them.
Trey stepped beside me and looked around. "Want to tell me what Zack meant when he made you swear?" He asked.
I looked down, then glanced back. "We're going for a walk" I called out. I didn't wait for Zack's response.
We walked, not really saying anything. After a while Trey cleared his throat. "Do you want about it?" he asked.
I nodded. "My father was taken away. Zack, Cash, Brooklyn and I were outside when hell hound attacked us. We defeated it, of course, but when we got inside, my father was gone. The hell hound was clearly a distraction, and hell hounds come form the underworld...so Hades might have sent it. Which means my father might be there." I explained and dreaded my next words. "Dead or alive."
Trey stayed quiet. I snuck a look at him. The street lights made a shadow go over his face, he was deep in thought. He looked at me and forced a smile, not really succeeding.
"It'll be okay. With you, mighty Terror, everything will." he said.
I grinned, rolling my eyes at mighty Terror. He held my hand squeezed it reassuringly, lingered a bit, then let go.
"Hiya." A high voice said. Trey and I stopped dead in our tracks. Zora. I glared at her, looking at her made me nauseous. She was wearing pink everything. "On a date, are we?" she giggled.
I clenched my hands, unfazed, though Trey looked down at his sneakers. "Zora" I growled. "What are your doing here?"
"You mean we." Behind her, two figures stepped up. Carlos and Oliver. I tensed at the sight of Oliver and avoided his eyes. Zora grinned, "Feeling uncomfortable, huh, Terra?" she said.
My bow and arrow appeared at my hands and I held it up in a move and I attack motion. Trey placed his hand on mine, forcing me to lower my weapon. He gave me a small nod. Not yet.
My eyes flickered to Oliver, then quickly went to Carlos. "Why are you still with them? Don't you realize Juliet killed both of you sisters?" I asked him. He said nothing, though his eyes looked glossy. I looked at Zora and narrowed my eyes at her. "Is that a zit?!" I asked.
Her hands flew to her face feeling around, Aphrodite girls are so gullible. Trey smirked. Oliver stepped in front of Zora.
"Stop playing games, Terra." He said sternly, like he was my father.
Trey stepped in front of me. "You can't tell her what to do." He growled.
I stepped from behind him and glared at Oliver. "What do you want?"
"A negotiation." he replied.
"I would never compromise with the likes of you." I said.
"Don't make me force you." he said.
"You cannot force me, touch me and I'll attack" I said, holding up my bow and I notched an arrow.
He blinked a couple times and took out a sword. I glanced upwards, I made all the street lights lit up with my magic so I could see them more clearly. In my mind, I called to Zack, even thought I hated to.
"We want you to be on our team." Carlos said stepping up.
I stepped forward, but Trey held my arm and pulled me back. Oliver flicked his black hair from his eyes and looked at Trey.
"You can't decide for her." He said.
"What makes you think she'll go with you? After all you've done to her?" Trey said coldly.
Oliver winced then looked at me. "Because we know something about her father."
I think my heart skipped a beat. My legs felt like jello and Trey held me up. "Where is he?" I asked.
Trey gave me a look. "The swear." He whispered.
I blinked. The swear, right. It would be deadly if I broke the swear. "Forget it." I told Oliver and he snapped back in surprised.
I absolutely hated Zack for making say that stupid swear! Why did I even accept?! Ugh!
"You don't want to save your father?" Carlos asked.
Two dark figures dropped from the sky, or the roof, and held dagger to Zora's, who was looking in a mirror, and Carlos. Oliver turned, surprised and took out his sword. Trey leaped up and knocked his sword away. Suddenly, I had an urge to look at the clock. It was four thirty, a.m. The train!
"Guys, the train!" I said.
"Crap" Trey muttered. He kicked Oliver on the back and Oliver fell to the ground. Hunter pushed Zora to the ground, and soon Carlos was on the ground, too.
Zack grabbed my hand, "Come one, before we miss it!" He said and all four of us started running.
Behind us, Oliver got up, helped Zora and Carlos, and they started running after us. I pushed them back with my magic and they all fell.
We ran down the stairs of the station and quickly pain the cashier for a the nine hour trip. The train just got here, and we rushed over to it, then we saw Oliver and them again. We pushed past small groups of people with suitcases and threw ourselves into the train. Just as the doors closed, Oliver got in front of them. He kicked the trained door angrily and started walking back, he turned and looked straight me. Then the train started moving. I sighed as everyone settled into the train beds. I sat on the edge of the bed.
"What did they want from you?" Hunter asked, clearly over her flying sickness.
"They wanted to recruit me." I said.
She said nothing, just nodded. I shivered suddenly feeling the cold, and yet I was very warm. I started sniffling. I shuddered and took my coat off. Zack looked up from what he was doing and looked at me, I gave him a silent thank you, he nodded, but still went over to me. I touched my head with the back of his hand and quickly took it up.
"You're burning up." he said and handed me a canteen of nectar. I drank some, turns out, godly food heals bruises and broken bones, not sore throats and a stuffy nose.
I just had to rhyme in that ending, I found it funny...Anyways, as I mentioned before, this is the forth time I wrote this, I hope you like it. I made this chapter long, because I won't be updating for a while, so consider this an early Christmas present. Speaking of Christmas, what are YOU getting??? I'm getting an iPod nano, 5th generation. So, Tell me what you're getting!! I'm really excited for X-mas =)
Please review !!
