Piper Owens, Daughter of Persephone, Supreme Ruler of Candyland, etc., etc.
So, the evening started out as planned. Will guarded the front door of the Hermes cabin, and Jill sat in a chair that was placed on top of the trap door that led into the tunnels that ran underneath the entirety of Camp Half-Blood, and the one tunnel that lead out to the nearest Wal-Mart. Nobody would be going out that way, and nobody would be entering or leaving the place without Will's notice... that is, if he could stay awake. I'm quite certain that it was waaaay past his normal bedtime, if his drooping eyelids were anything to go by.
Marley and Ethan had just arrived, and from my hiding spot directly behind Nico's enormous head, I could see there would be trouble at some point this evening. Not for me, of course, because I'm too adorable to get in trouble, but for Ethan, because Marley could tell he'd be paying much more attention to the daughters of Aphrodite (thanks to Rose), who were all dressed in short black dresses and pointy hats with glittery bows. Marley would end up kicking the crap out of him at some point. That, and Nico just wanted to punch his guts out in general.
When Marley finally decided that all hope of having any little bit of fun with that stupid cotton-headed-ninny-muggins was lost, Jace went and started talking to her, which I really appreciated, cause, you know, I was busy working on the Nico situation, and couldn't be over there giving her the pep talk best friends give each other... at least I think that's what a best friend would do... Ah, well. Movies aren't 100% accurate all the time.
"Hi, Nico!" I said, trying to sound upbeat, which, of course, I always am.
"Hi," he said, tearing a napkin up into little shreds. Uh-oh, spaghettio. He was in a foul mood. I took it upon myself to fix it.
"You sound particularly glum this evening," I commented, pulling out a chair from the table he was sitting at. "Wanna talk about it?" He shook his head vigerously.
"No. Why would I want to talk about what a lousy time I'm having, because the girl I wanted to come with likes somebody else, and the girl I actually did come with has abandoned me?" He scowled in the general direction of the dance floor, seemingly mad at the world in general. "I hate parties. And I hate this stupid costume!"
I did have to give Rose her props. Nico's Edward Scissorhands costume was nearly perfect. He was dressed in black leather and he had gloves with real scissor blades on each finger. He also wore a black wig, with tangles of hair that stuck up in every direction. And the whole Son of Hades Ultimate Shade of Pale really worked with the outfit. Rose definitely had an eye for that kind of thing.
"I'm leaving." He made to get up from his seat, but I put a hand on his shoulder and forced him back down, and you know, that surprised him. I mean, how many girls can physically force Nico to sit down? It takes a lot of strength, I tell you, and a pulled muscle, but he doesn't need to know that, does he?
"No!" I said, standing and blocking his path to the door.
"Why not?" Now he was irritated.
"Because you and Marley need to make up, stupid!" It took a lot of will power for me to refrain saying make out. He gave me an incredulous look, like he couldn't believe I was actually saying what I was saying. "You guys are supposed to be friends, preferably soul mates, but that's not important right now. Most likely, Marley had no idea that you wanted to ask her to this party. She doesn't even know you like her, Nico, and it's obvious that you do, Marley is just an idiot when it comes to stuff like that.
Nico stared at me, flabbergasted.
"Go and apologize to her. She's having a lousy time tonight, too." Nico's eyes darted over to where Marley sat in the corner of the room, putting on a great show of acting like she wasn't depressed. But I could see right through her phony act, and, apparently, so could Nico.
Nico's dark eyes, cold and distant just a moment ago, softened just a bit. "What's got her upset?" he asked, almost hesitantly, like he didn't want to know.
"Ethan's ignored her since they walked in. She's over there," I said, pointing. "Jace is with her. But he's probably annoying her right now."
He nodded in agreement, pushing past a bunch of campers to get to the other side of the room. I smiled after him. When he wanted to, he could be very sweet. Marley needed someone like him to be her friend.
Seeing as my mission was complete, I made a beeline for the food. There was some delectable chocolate cake earlier, and I hadn't gotten nearly enough of it.
Once I had stowed away six or seven slices in Tupperware containers I had stashed in my bag (I planned this sort of thing), I noticed an abnormally short person standing next to me. And even more, the abnormally short person, who shall be known as ASP in the future, was wearing something of mine that I hold very dearly in my heart. No, it's not the earings my grandma gave me for my tenth birthday, but the old ghost costume that I've had forever.
"Um, excuse me, but who are you and why have you stolen my costume?" I asked. A small hand slipped out from underneath the fabric of the white sheet and pulled it off of ASP's head, or, as I should say, Jill's head. She wore a slightly frightened expression. I probably looked ready to kill.
"Hi…" Yes, definitely ready to kill.
"Jill? Aren't you supposed to be guarding the trap door? And who gave you permission to go inside my cabin? How did you even get in there? You need the password," I rambled. I was confused. That costume had been hidden away in a small cache under my bed. It had a voice activation pass word, meaning it would only open if I said the password.
"Well... It's all Will's fault, really. I didn't do anything especially bad, but he took my Jason costume and dropped it in the lava pit underneath the Rock Climbing Wall. And I didn't have anything else to wear, and I was telling Jace, and he said you had a whole bunch of cool costumes, so he took me to go look..." Jill bit her lip.
"Did it have to be this one? I've worn it every year since I was six!"
"It was the only one that fit," she explained. Curiosity filled her face. "Why didn't you wear it this year?"
"Yesterday, the Rice Krispies told me that it was time to change it up a bit. I now see that they are really just lying, stealing turd monkeys!" I huffed. I was angry! I wanted to sue! But, sadly, that would have to wait. "Quick, cover up before someone sees you."
Jill vanished underneath the white sheet, and her ghostly form drifted over to the dance floor, where someone dressed as Darth Vader whisked her away for a dance. I giggled. It would be some surprise for whoever it was when they found out she was only nine, and not just some ASP.
Then, so suddenly that I didn't have time to process it at first, the lights blew out, the glass bulbs shattering and falling to the ground. Somebody screamed, and people were running every which way. Someone plowed into me, throwing me off-balance and sending me hurtling to the floor. I was kicked at a few times, the inflictor probably thinking I was a giant bug. I must say, it hurt quite a bit. I'd have bruises on my ribcage in the morning.
When I finally made it out of the cabin, I could tell that something was wrong. For one thing, it was unseasonably cold out, cold enough for a few inches of snow to accumulate on the ground. That was one thing out of the ordinary. Another was that Rachel, our Oracle, who usually kept to herself up in her cave, painting her life away, was there.
Her hair was out of its usual ponytail, flaming locks billowing around her shoulders in the breeze. Her posture was perfect, so that she seemed regal, holding herself like a queen. Hat image, however, was torn away by her attire. She was dressed in a pair of pink flannel pajamas from Victoria's Secret, and a pair of cheap bunny slippers that you could find at Wal-Mart.
Her eyes, wide and unblinking, were alight with a creepy glow given off by the unattractive radioactive green color. But I didn't speak my opinion, because I wasn't sure that the Oracle of Delphi would appreciate that comment. And I'm not sure what kind of magic the Oracle has, but I was certain she could do some real damage if somebody made her mad enough.
She seemed to be searching for something, walking through the mass of demigods. Finally, she had found it. Will was turned away from he; he hadn't realized that she was even there. He let out a girlish squeak when she grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.
Rachel held him in a tight grip, digging her nails into his shoulders and staring at him with such an intensity that would have made a pro wrestler squeamish. The whole camp had gone silent in anticipation. They knew what Rachel's appearance meant. Her mouth opened, and green fumes wafted out. I had to remind myself that it wasn't bad breath, and that she didn't need a piece of gum.
"Failure occurs on All Hallows Eve,
The result of North's planned retrieve.
Son of Wind must follow his kin
Toward the Palace with Snow within.
Brother of four shall reveal Wind's daughter,
Only one can achieve his slaughter."
Hello, hello, hello! How many of you want to bash my head in for not updating in, like, two whole months? My guess is most of you, and I know for a fact that Banana Smoothie wants to, because she told me so. But she can't do anything about it because she doesn't live in the same city as me, anymore! But then again, she is visiting on New Year's Eve… *gulp*
So, I finally got the prophecy! And it rhymes! I'm so proud of myself. I will have you know that I've already started my next chapter, so there won't be as long of a wait. Plus, I got a laptop from Santa for Christmas, so that means I don't have to battle my brother for domination of the home computer anymore. =) YAY!
And, now that my mindless rant is out of the way, I'd appreciate it if you'd review. So, there's this really cool contraption that I just love…
CLICK IT!
\\\\\\\\\\/
\\\\\\\\\/
\\\\\\\\/
\\\\\\\/
\\\\\\/
\\\\\/
\\\\/
\\\/
\\/
\/
FELIZ NAVIDAD!