A/N I don't own Percy Jackson
Connor and Travis were geniuses. I don't know how they did it or what they even did at first, but I definitely owed them big time.
Michael and I were called into the infirmary early the next morning, when Diane couldn't work out what was wrong with one of the hunters. Overnight, a painful rash had broken out on the hunters back, across her neck and somehow at the bottom of her feet.
The raised skin was an angry red, and was even bloody in some places from where she had scratched the skin so much that she had made herself bleed. When we got to the infirmary, she was sitting up one of the beds in the infirmary clutching a shirt to her chest, glaring at Michael and I as we walked through the doors.
"Hello, my name is Michael and this is my brother Will. We're the head councillors of the Apollo cabin," Michael introduced formally, smiling at her as we pulled on a pair of rubber gloves. "Can you tell us what the problem is exactly?"
The hunter continued to glare at us. Realising we wouldn't be getting an answer from her, Michael turned to Diane for an explanation. I tilted the hunters head to the side to get a better look at her neck as Diane explained how the rash had been there when she woke up. And she had to be carried to the infirmary, by two other hunters because the rash on her feet made it two painful to walk. And despite the pain coming from the rash, it was still really itchy which only made the pain worse when scratched. Diane then admitted to tying the oven mitts to her hands to stop her from scratching.
The hunter waited not so patiently as Michael and I peeled back the bandages Diane had placed on the rashes on her back and feet. The one on her neck was only just starting to come through.
"It looks like you've had an allergic reaction to something," Michael mussed as he looked over her back.
"I'm not allergic to anything," She snapped, yanking her chin out of my hand scowling at me.
"Are you sure about that?"
"I'm a healer myself, I think I'd know if I was allergic to something," She sighed, before reluctantly turning her head for me to apply a salve that should relieve any pain. "Besides hunters don't get ill, or have allergies. A blessing from our lady."
"Maybe you brushed against something during capture the flag," Michael suggested, taking the salve from my hands to paste a thin layer on her back. "Although I have never seen a plant cause a rash like this."
"I've already checked our records; there are barely any plants in the forest that can cause a reaction, of any kind." Diane spoke up from where she had moved on to check on other patients. "Chiron made sure of that."
"Then I can't really think of any other reason why this would happen," Michael sighed, handing me back the salve to do her feet. "Are you sure you're not allergic to anything?"
"Yes," She snapped, whipping her head around to glower at him. Then wincing as the skin on her neck pulled uncomfortably.
"Careful," I smirked, unable to hide my amusement of the situation.
"We can try sending a prayer to our father," Michael suggested, watching me as I secured the bandages on her feet. "That might clear it."
"Already tried," Diane spoke again, coming up to my shoulder. "I've tried that a lot. Whatever it is might only be able to heal on its own."
"Look it doesn't matter," Phoebe snapped, interrupted what might have been a long discussion on various remedies, pulling her shirt and shoes back on as she did. "I've got to go get ready. We leave in an hour."
She stood up from the bed against our wishes, pushing us aside as we tried to get her to sit back down. She took three steps to the door only to crumple to the ground in pain, holding her feet in agony.
"I don't think you'll be going anywhere today," I said, feeling slightly smug as I realised that this was probably the Stoll's doing.
"Just help me up," She growled. Me and Diane stepped forward to lift her back up to the bed, but as soon as I reached down to help her she moved away from me sneered. "I don't want help from you!"
Holding my hands up in surrender I stepped away from her, letting Diane guide her to the bed. Michael had disappeared into a different room where we kept out medical records, searching for the cause and hopefully a cure for the rash. Diane had barely helped the hunter onto the bed, when someone burst into the infirmary.
"Phoebe!" Zoë called, Bianca close on her heels, at least I knew the hunters name now. "What is wrong?"
"Will you keep it down," Michael scolded appearing with a thick book in his arms, fixing Zoë with a stern look.
"Do not talk to me like that boy," Zoë growled, glaring at my brother from besides Phoebe.
"I'll talk to however the hell I want when it involves my infirmary and my patients," Michael stated, standing up straighter as he levelled his eyes with Zoë. "And right now, you're disrupting my patients with your shouting and interrupting mine and my siblings work. So unless you want me to kick you out, I suggest you either shut up or speak quietly."
Diane and I held our breaths, as the two stared at each other unblinkingly. Neither one of them backing down backing down, they're faces expressionless. After two, agonizingly long minutes where no one moved, except for the odd twitch (blame the ADHD), Zoë nodded.
"Very well, I shall try to keep my voice down," She looked as though the words physically pained her.
Michael smirked, clearly happy with the result from the staring competition. Slamming the massive book shut, he turned on his heel and sauntered back into the infirmary's mini-library. Zoë moved to sit by Phoebe's side on the bed, Bianca sitting on her knees at the foot of the bed.
"Phoebe, what happened?"
"Two of your Hunters brought her in this morning," I answered automatically, beginning to put the medical equipment away.
"I was not talking to you boy," She sneered, looking at me as if I had decided to go to the bathroom on the infirmary floor.
"I've got a rash," Phoebe said bluntly.
"Oh thank the Gods it's not something serious," Zoë breathed, placing a hand on her chest as if the thought of her hunters being hurt physically hurt her. "We'll be ready to leave in an hour."
"Phoebe isn't going on the quest," Michael stated, coming back into the room.
"Excuse me?" Zoë said getting up from the bed, her voice rising slightly.
"Quietly," Michael scolded, checking over Phoebe's feet to check the damage. "The rash has made it too painful for her to walk. She barely took three steps before collapsing."
"Then give her something!" Her voice still rising
"We have, but none of our regular cures for rashes work, we'd have to make our more complicated remedies from scratch and if they don't work we'd have to do more research, I've already started looking into what could have caused this. It will take time. The most we've been able to do if paste a balm over the rash to ease the pain. Nectar and Ambrosia don't even work on it," Michael stood from Phoebe's feet, grabbing a clipboard and making a few notes on it. "We don't even know if it's contagious."
"What am I to do then? The prophecy calls for five, I cannot leave with four," Zoë growled, stepping closer to Michael. I followed cautiously behind her, in case she tried to hurt Michael.
"Excuse me?" Michael stated calmly, not looking up from the clipboard.
"Excuse me?" Zoë looked at him incredulously. "If thou are volunteering-"
"I'm not, but someone else already has," His eyes flickered over to me for a second, then looked at her pointedly.
"No." She said without hesitating, spinning around on her heels she started to walk out of the infirmary, knocking into me as she went.
"When Will goes to talk to Chiron to tell him of Phoebe's condition, do you really think he'll let you go with only four?"
She tried sending him a glare but ended up letting her worry show. Without saying goodbye to Phoebe, and not even waiting to make sure Bianca was following her, Zoe stalked out of the infirmary. Bianca quickly hurried out after her, sending me, Michael and Diane an apologetic look, throwing a goodbye over her shoulder to Phoebe.
Once the doors had swung closed behind her, Michael came to stand by my side. His eyebrows raised, looking at me expectantly.
"What?" I asked, scrunching my eyebrows together as I tried to work out what he wanted.
"Please tell me you got my hint?" He said, looking at me in exasperation.
"What hint?"
"Chiron!" I looked at him blankly for a moment, then my eyes widened in realisation.
No even pausing to thank him I shot off towards the Big House, nearly knocking Diane to the floor. And scaring the life out of a few newbies who had decided to go for a morning walk. The few older campers I passed barely lifted their heads to look at me.
When the Big House came into sight I couldn't help smirking. I definitely owed Conner and Travis now.
"I wish you all a successful quest," Chiron's voice sounded across Half-Blood Hill, drowning out the chatter coming from the camp below.
Me, Zoë, Bianca, Grover, Thalia and Chiron were stood at the top of Half-Blood Hill about thirty minutes after breakfast. Chiron had been more than happy to let me join the quest, although I'm pretty sure he thought I had something to do with Phoebe's mysterious rash which of course wasn't true. At least not directly.
Chiron ended up convincing Zoë to stay behind a little while longer so that I could make sure I had the necessary supplies. The only way Chiron had been able to convince Zoë to allow me to join the quest was by pointing out that they had just lost their healer and having a qualified healer as part of the quest was better than everyone only having a limited knowledge of medicine, if any at all. That and he reminded her that the prophecy called for five people and I was the only one willing to volunteer on short notice.
"I hope you are all able to reach the lady Artemis as soon as possible, and without any sort of confrontation."
We all knew the last one was inevitable. There was no way we weren't going to get attacked, or kidnapped, or chased, or- well you get the point.
Nodding gratefully towards Chiron (although I think she was still resentful towards his gender) Zoë thanked Chiron for allowing her Hunters to stay within the camp and his protection.
This entire thing was getting way too formal for me. I don't remember getting this sort of reception when I left for my previous quests.
"This is great and all, but aren't we wasting time by staying here talking?" Zoë looked as if I had just dropped my pants then and there and decided to go to the bathroom.
"Tis called being polite and thanking your elders," She sneered. I raised my hands in surrender.
"I'm all for that, but seriously goddess and demigod to save. Longer we wait, more likely we'll just find they're bodies."
"My lady cannot die, she can only fade," Zoë boasted, standing up straighter where she stood. "And that is only if people were to stop believing her."
"All the more reason then."
"William –"
"Will. My name is Will." I interrupted Chiron, but he just carried on as if I hadn't said anything
"-is right. Time is of the essence. As soon as your enemy's begin to realise that you are on the move the more obstacles you will face. Better be safe than sorry."
Despite the mishap with my name I couldn't help standing up straighter, feeling smug that my teacher sided with me instead of the lieutenant of Artemis. Zoë didn't share my happiness.
"Let us leave then," She growled, bumping her shoulder into mine as she passed by.
Glaring at her back as she stomped off towards the waiting strawberry delivery van. A warm hand rested on my shoulder making me look up. Chiron looked down at me solemnly.
"I will bring her back," I promised, knowing exactly why he was looking at me sadly. "She's not dead, I know she isn't."
I took one step away from him when I heard my name being called. Turning around I saw Nico sprinting towards me, a frantic look on his face, eerily reminding me of when Luke ran after Sophia a year ago before we left for our first quest. Although I doubted that the eleven year old would cause much harm.
I waited patiently for him to catch up to me, unable to stop a grin when he stopped in front of me with his hands on his knees, panting heavily.
"How far did you run?" I asked still grinning.
"Cabin," He panted. "Needed…to talk."
"Want me to call Bianca?" I watched as he straightened himself out, his hand on his side as looking pained. Probably got a stitch from how far he'd run.
"No," He breathed squinting up at me. "I've said good bye to her, I need to talk to you."
I looked up at Chiron who nodded his head once, and turned back around to head back to the big house.
"Are you okay?"
Before he could answer a loud beep came from behind me, Zoë was sitting in the front seat of the van, hand on the horn and looking at me impatiently. Holding up a finger to say I'd be there soon I turned back to Nico and repeated the question.
"I'm fine, it's just-" He cut himself off and looked down at his feet awkwardly. "Can I ask you to do something for me?"
"Of course," I smiled at him in what I hopped was a reassuring way, when in fact I started to get worried.
"Can you look after Bianca for me? Make sure she gets back," He looked up at me with big brown eyes. My heart broke to see such a sad expression.
"Is that all?"
"Yes," He looked a little surer of himself now.
"Well then," I started, looking him dead in the eye. "I promise you, that I will do everything I can to protect your sister."