Chapter 10:

We flew higher and higher until the cars looked like mini versions of themselves. I looked down at the breathtaking view, but I barely noticed the amazing view from here.

"Man, I wish I had my own pegasus. I could get used to this view all day," Rachel says. "Don't you guys agree?"

I couldn't hear her. I was too busy trying to figure out my dreams. My mind was racing, and my eyes were squinted with concentration. What if Michael was the figure from my dreams? The thought terrified me. Michael didn't seem bad. Maybe I was imagining things. Maybe the dream didn't mean anything.

"Carly?" Percy asked. "You okay? You seem distracted. You almost fell off your pegasus." Rachel was looking at me with concern and some of the eighth graders below me were looking up with fear that I was going to drop on top of them.

I sighed quietly, trying to hide my confusion behind a happy smile. "Yeah, just can't believe the view."

Sarah and Percy were still worried, but I brushed aside their concerns and brought their attention away from me by saying with a smirk, "Want to have a pegasi race?"

I watched as the reaction to my question circulated around the demigods. Some were excited, some were terrified, and some were indifferent. I laughed at some of the terrified expressions, because they just looked so hilarious.

Hannah, Rachel's sister, looked more excited than anything. She went around trying to convince everyone that it was a great idea, and her sister was as excited as her pegasus, Ruby.

"That's a great idea! Let's do it!" Michael exclaimed as he rode off quickly on his brown pegasi Torrent to the designated starting point, which was about twenty meters ahead.

All of the competitors were aware of the rules. If you started before the go you were disqualified, the end point was at Camp Half-Blood, and no pushing or shoving off course. I leaned over on Lily Anne, and when Sarah yelled the go, I burst off as quick as I could, trying to keep ahead of the competition. I took a left towards the camp, thinking I was pulling ahead, but then behind me I saw Michael and Rachel's pegasi come up behind me. I started to whisper in Lilly Anne's ear, "Come on girl, push it, we can make it." And then, I saw the camp.

At first it looked like a normal seaboard camp, with canoes and cabins. But then as you got closer, you saw the crazy side of it with the lava rock wall, the nymphs and satyrs running around, the cabins with the perks of their gods and goddesses, and the monsters romping through the forest. The whole view of everything that was contained inside the camp was stunning.

I aimed downward towards the camp, feeling the air ruffle my brown frizzy hair. I was like a comet breaking the atmosphere, not afraid of hitting the ground too hard. I saw the campers gather in the mess hall below, pointing to the sky, watching me fly towards them. I saw the ground get closer and closer faster and faster, until my pegasus spread her wings and landed on the ground as gentle as a feather. Michael and Rachel landed right after me, but I didn't notice. I was the victor.

All of the demigods eventually landed on the mess hall, including the group that Annabeth led, and by then, it was around six o'clock, which meant an hour till dinner.

"I don't know about all of y'all, but I am starving. Where is some food?!" I went around moaning.

All of the others felt the same way. You could tell by the cranky faces, the bloodshot eyes from lack of sleep, and the flushed faces. Percy laughed at all of our faces, because apparently when you're starving and tired you look absolutely hilarious.

"Percy, where's Chiron? We might want to talk to him now that we're here," Rachel said quietly.

"That's right," Percy said quickly. "Ok, um, Connor, Travis, why don't you take these three," gesturing to me, Michael, and Rachel, "to the Big House to meet Chiron and Mr. D."