Chapter 10
"Rick, we need to hurry. Chiron would never approve of this, so if one of the other demigods saw us..."
"I know, Anthony. We just need to be quiet."Rick then tripped over his backpack, which was laying on the floor, and hit the hardwood floor with a bang. The sound could have woken up the whole camp. Luckily, the other demigods were sound asleep and the woods that they were in were far from any cabins.
"Let's go." Rick whispered. As they left, Anthony explained their quest to Rick again.
"Thanatos said if we can bring him a weapon forged by cyclops, then he will free Skye from death. He wants a weapon forged by cyclops because cyclops make some of the best weapons and he's been having trouble with some monsters escaping Tartarus too soon. His scythe isn't as strong as it used to be. He can't get a weapon himself because he has to guard the Doors of Death."
"How hard can that be?"
"Hard."
"Oh."
"The thing is, we have to find a cyclops we can trust."
"Tyson."
"The only problem is-" Rick finished Anthony's sentence.
"No one has seen him for five years." Tyson was the most dependable and friendly cyclops in the world, but he disappeared after the war with Gaea. Ella the harpy had been miserable without him, so she decided to go and search for her beloved cyclops boyfriend after a year of waiting for his return. She hadn't been seen for nearly four years. An idea popped into Rick's head.
"I think I know who to ask."
"Who?" Anthony asked eagerly.
"Tyson's brother." Rick smiled and Anthony stared at Rick in awe.
"You don't actually mean-"
"Yes I do."
"But he lives all the way in-"
"You could fly us there in no time."
"But he's-"
"Dangerous? I know. But he might be our only chance at getting a cyclops to forge a weapon for Thanatos so he will bring back Skye." Anthony understood, but he still wasn't supporting the idea of seeing Tyson's brother.
"And, if I may ask, how do you know all this?" Rick questioned.
"I think having a child of Morpheus around is really helping me control my dreams. Last night my dad, Thanatos, spoke to me for the first time in my life. It was amazing." Rick nodded, feeling a bit left out. His mother, Hecate, still hadn't communicated with him.
"Alright Rick. I have my sword, some nectar, ambrosia, and a week's worth of food."
"Got it. I have bandages, sleeping bags, my staff, some rope, two pocket knives, and a day's worth of food."
"So we have about a week to complete this quest."
"Let's get going." Rick outstretched his arms and Anthony grabbed them, slowly lifting both of them off the ground. Anthony, who was carrying Rick, left Camp Half-Blood to complete their quest to bring Skye back to life.
Ryan and Kala reached the woods just in time to see Anthony flying away holding Rick. They both had full backpacks and their weapons. They obviously planned to be away from camp for a while.
"Ryan, go find Nico. Tell him about Anthony and Rick." Ryan nodded and ran to the Hades cabin.
As Kala waited for Ryan to return with Nico, a thought brought itself to her attention: in her vision, none of the campers were prepared for the attack that had caused their doom. Only a few demigods had their weapons and even less had their armor. Yet when the Nemean Lion and the manticore had attacked, the whole camp had dressed in full battle armor and gotten their weapons. Was this just because Kala had warned Nico? Kala wished her thoughts would go away, but they stuck like hot glue. Unfortunately, an even darker realization came to Kala as she waited alone in the woods.
Camp Half-Blood hadn't survived. The attack hadn't happened; the Lion and manticore were just a decoy attack, and they had worked. The camp thought they were safe.
But they still hadn't survived the attack that would destroy them.