I'M SO SORRY YOU GUYS!
I can't believe that I've left you alone for almost an entire year… but I have an explanation
My mom found out about my account, and didn't approve because she thought that it would be a distraction from school work. She changed the password and switched the emails. It was only a couple of days ago that I got it back. I typed up this chapter as fast as possible for you guys, but it's been some time since I've been back in the whole fanfic business, so updates will be slow and erratic.
I am so sorry, and I expect that half of my followers have given up on this story.
But enough of this. Let's get on to the story.
Disclaimer
Ryl POV
As I walked out of the infirmary, I glanced sideways at Katie, Annabeth, and curly headed guy. While they all looked somewhat cheerful, they had a toughened look to them, like they had been through Hades and back.
Annabeth's blonde hair was a tangled mess, and a few strands of dusty hair escaped her bouncy ponytail. The burnished gold locks seemed worn and weary with travel, even though I knew that she had been at camp the whole time. Her sun tanned skin had a tarnished glow, like she was tired and almost dead on her feet.
Her grey eyes still roiled and stormed, though, still alight with a fire that straightened her spine, and made her march forward to meet each day with determination. I admired her for it. Her jean shorts and camp t-shirt were slightly wrinkled and had a worn, faded look to them like she had slept in them the past few days.
Her face was set in a determined scowl, jaw locked tight, head held high, eyes burning straight ahead. I knew that face. After all, it was what I had seen when I looked in the mirror when I was younger.
Younger, hah.
I thought drily. As Annabeth marched on, I switched my glance to Katie.
Though her silky, caramel hair was neatly combed and pinned up, I saw that a few curly strands had escaped, and the ends of her hair were singed slightly. Her pale skin had a ghostly pallor, and her freckles stood out all the more.
She had a grim set to her face, a steely face devoid of emotion like she was afraid of showing it. When she had smiled at me, I knew that she hadn't smiled for some time; it was a twitchy, weak kind of smile. Her hands twisted nervously as she walked next to me, and I watched her pale, blank face.
She was scared, there was no other way to describe it.
Curly headed boy gently took her hands, stopping her from twisting them together. When she looked at him, he smiled faintly at her, and she relaxed a bit.
They must be boyfriend and girlfriend.
They were a cute couple, but why did I have the feeling that I already knew this? I looked at Curly head who was looking at me, and caught his eye.
Travis Stoll.
And there goes my 'everything is off' radar. How did I know his name? Maybe I knew him… from someplace.
I observed his lean figure, the round, cherubic face. While his mouth twisted up naturally into a mischievous grin, His eyes were hard, and his jaw, dusted with stubble, was set into a determined line. His unruly brown hair looked like someone had gone at it with a pair of kiddie scissors.
His hair wasn't wayward and messy like Kaze, but more of a wavy, tangled, choppy way. I mentally scanned my brain. No. There was no way I could have met him… or even seen him until today.
I glanced back at his face. He was looking quietly at Katie. Even though outside he portrayed the perfect picture of a caring boyfriend; the rock, the anchor… somehow I knew inside, he was tired and helpless… weary from everything.
How I knew that was something I would like to know.
I sighed as the doors to the infirmary opened. Annabeth paused and looked at me. I shrugged my shoulders.
"Sorry. I just can't shake the feeling that I…" Know you? Seen you before? Hate your guts for some unknown reason? Am supposed to be on your side?
"Never mind." I muttered instead, choosing to keep my secrets. Annabeth let her penetrating stare sink deeper into me, before throwing the doors wide.
The golden sun instantly hit my skin, and I soaked it up. The warmth filled my core, liquid energy flowing through my veins. I reveled in the heat.
The sky was a bright, cerulean blue with fluffy clouds, drifting by aimlessly. The lush, sweet grass whispered in my ear, and the soft, gentle breeze flowed, ruffling my hair. I put a hand to my bangs.
Everything was so…
Beautiful.
Then, I realized that there were campers watching. Watching me. The girl who made it past the camp boundaries without even having a single cut or wound. I surveyed them. I noted the nervous, acne prone boy who kept glancing over to a bulky girl with a permanent scowl, and the two boys and girl that were clustered together, away from the crowd.
"Hey." I said calmly. Instantly, the camp was abuzz with whispers.
I can just picture what they're saying.
Scrawny guy is saying to the girl with a scowl, "Do you think she can help us? Do you think she can—"
And then the girl with a scowl will interrupt and say, "Oh, shut up (insert name here), humph, I could beat that girl with my little finger. Like she's big three material."
And then the little trio all by themselves is just consenting to glare at me venomously. I sighed. Annabeth, the kind person she is, decided to swoop in.
"Ok, guys. This is Ryl. She knows about the Greek gods, and is currently undetermined. So, Ryl, would you care to share anything to us?" Annabeth said, taking charge of the situation immediately. I grinned inwardly. I was liking this girl.
"Um, yeah, so my name is Ryl. Well, not really, but I'd prefer my real name to be anonymous. I already know how to fight, so you can go shove your beginner dummies somewhere else, and I'm 16 years old." I said.
The girl from the trio snorted. I whirled on her.
"What, you want to figure out if I can fight or not?" I demanded, my ire rising. Somehow, this girl just gave me the creeps, and the sooner she was dead, the better. Not that I would kill her. It's just an expression, of course.
Trio girl smirked smugly.
"Of course. No camper can best one of us." She gestured to the trio. I looked at them carefully. Then, I turned to Annabeth.
"Is that true?" I asked. She frowned a bit.
"Well, a few… acquaintances came by, and could beat them, but they weren't actually campers, so no, no one can beat them." (I know, I made them out to be really weak in the first fanfic, but that was just because the knights and assassins from Chaos were SUPER good. So, Samantha, Adam, and Mark the 'trio' are actually pretty good at sword fighting, and whatnot.)
I sighed.
"How tragic." Then, I calmly slid off my leather jacket, and flexed my arms. I turned to trio girl. She marched up to me. I tilted my head.
"So, what are your weapons?" I asked. She straightened.
"My sword." She replied. I raised an eyebrow.
"Of course. Then, I suppose I won't be needing these…" I slowly slid off my wristbands, and threw them to one side. Trio girl was so absorbed in watching the movement of the spiked wristbands, that she never saw what was happening next.
In one smooth move, I slammed my heel into hers, right on top of her ankle, where the foot connected to her lower leg. She yelped, and reflexively leant forwards to hold her injured foot. Pivoting on one foot, I smashed my elbow up, catching her in the chin, and throwing her several yards. She landed on her back, winded.
Before she could get up, I snapped my fingers. Silver chains erupted form the ground, chaining her in place.
The crowd of campers gasped. Trio girl struggled to get up.
"Hey! Let me up!" She yelped. I made a claw with my hand, and started to draw in my fingers to make a fist. Her chains started to constrict, tightening.
"Be quiet." I said calmly. Trio girl became quiet. I turned to the stunned crowd, and grinning Annabeth. Then, I quietly walked over, picked up my jacket and bracelets, pulled them on, and turned around.
"So… what's next?" I asked Katie.
DoubleH POV
The nerve of people these days. I mean honestly, you know, why not just waltz into my secret hideout (presuming that you knew about it all along, so it's not so secret anymore), bleed all over the stone floor (I'm not going to clean it up) and pass out right in front of us? (I kind of wish I could stab him right now)
Oh, and did I mention that this happens to be from Eta of all people? Eta, the one who pretended to be on our side, the one who secretly plotted our downfall, the one who broke Sky's hearts just because he couldn't keep his hands to himself. Eta, the one who almost killed us in the end.
I mean really, of course, I suppose I am overreacting a bit, but hey, have you seen what Eta's done?
Well, obviously not, but trust me when I say he backstabbed us hard. I still have the scar.
I gritted my teeth. Being the generous person I am, I decided to give Eta the benefit of the doubt.
"Alyss, get this…"
Scum? Traitor?
"This… ah, person, to the infirmary. SRoA, would you mind treating him? Will… no the other one… no! Oh for Chaos sake… that Will. Yes, you. Go help SRoA with treating, this… person. Kaze, Fear, Blaze? We need to talk. Alyss, come join us in the council room after helping Will and SRoA." I said calmly… albeit a bit annoyed with the Wills.
Still, I kept quiet, watched as Alyss, SRoA, and Will lugged the bloody Eta to the infirmary. I called out a parting shot
"Just so you know, I want my stone floors to be blood free when I come back in an hour!" Alyss yelled something back. Kaze blinked and looked at me.
"Did she just say-?" He sputtered. I patted his arm. Even if your thousands of years old, it does take some time getting used to Alyss and her lovely, ah, way with words
"Yes, I do believe it has something to do with dishonoring your cow or something." I said innocently, before marching off to the council room, leaving a gaping Kaze and highly amused Blaze and Fear behind me.
Sky POV
The patented 'Montrey scowl' on my face sent every wraith swishing about, careening to all the corners, avoiding me at all costs. My cape billowed out behind me, casting shadows in the torchlight.
Dark red stains were dashed across the walls behind me, dripping from the ceiling, pooling on the ground. The chakras I was holding were also stained with the dark red. I flexed my fingers against their grip. It had been ages since I had actually held them for battle.
The sentry I was currently chasing flitted hastily from corridor to corridor, arrogantly thinking that I was currently being overwhelmed by the two other guards who were actually being sucked dry by some hungry wraiths.
Wraiths, they were vile animals. They drank life, in effect. Blood. Souls. Our essence. Once someone was sucked dry by a wraith, all that was left would be their empty shell. Inside, there would be nothing. Nothing except their bones.
I stalked down the shady hallway, light flickering here and there. Up ahead, the sentry paused for a breather, never even thinking to look back and see if I was following him. The chakras in my hands sensed the upcoming kill, and slowly began to glow.
The handles became increasingly warm, my hands melding to them. The blades on the side begin to burn with a faint purple fire. Any other person holding the chakras would have had their hands burned from the blistering heat, but with Poseidon as my father, and my acute understanding of weapons, I was able to concoct a special paste that kept my skin impervious to the effects of the flame.
The sentry ahead caught his breath, before starting for level two of the Gaea establishment. And then, he heard the click of my boots on the stone floor. With a frightened squeak, he flailed away, rushing into a random corridor. He barely made it five steps.
Snick. The two chakras slammed into his back, one for each shoulder blade. The sharp blades cut through the bone like it was butter, rendering his arms useless and possibly paralyzing him for life. He made a spluttering gasp before falling face down in the hallway.
The skin on my hands smarted slightly. I must have powered up the chakras too much. Even though I could feel blisters forming, I didn't stop to see if they were alright. Striding down the hall, I grabbed the sentry around his neck and drew him up to eye level.
"Where is he?" I demanded, my voice echoing in the empty corridor.
"I don't know!" He squeaked, trying to squirm out of my grip. I shoved him to the floor, put a booted foot on his back, reached down, and yanked out the chakras. He screamed.
"I can do this all day." I warned him, carefully, polishing off the blood to keep the metal from rusting and getting dirty. I hooked them to my belt.
"I don't know! I swear it, I don't know!" The sentry cried. I frowned. He was lying.
"Well you'd better find out in the next few seconds or you'll find yourself in Hades." I snapped irritably.
"He's gone!" The sentry squeaked, sensing that I was going to be true to my word. I frowned again.
"Gone? What do you mean by gone?" I asked.
"Gone! Mistress told the wraiths to find him! Let me go! He's gone!" The sentry sniveled. I took my booted foot off of him. Then, I took his sword from his belt, and ran it through his back.
Blaze POV (Yay! Thalia!)
I sighed as Fear, Kaze and DoubleH conversed in the council room. As much as I would love to intervene and tell them my brilliant plan that always worked, I knew that DoubleH would probably find some flaws in it.
I wasn't trying to sound whiny or mad, it was just… I've been alive for decades. I've strategized great plans that have stopped wars. I've fought battles that have saved millions of lives. Every time I came up against something, I beat it.
I mean, I even helped beat Gaea and Kronos and all those other titans and giants without all of this power and skill. And now, Gaea is rising again (does she ever get the message 'sleep for a couple more billion years?') and even though I'm backed with Chaos, the gods, Camp Half-Blood, the Roman Camp, the Chaos knights and assassins, DoubleH and her helpers, and Kaze and Fear, somehow, we haven't beaten her yet.
We should be able to stop her uprising. We've done it before when we were less experienced… so what's stopping us now?
Even though I don't want to say it, I know why. Jaffa is powerful; there's no doubt about it. She's more experienced, more powerful, more wise. There's no way that any of us could beat her, especially since she's the daughter of fire. And that's the problem.
We've held our own surprisingly well. Gaea hasn't attacked us, though she does send some minions here and there. She's searching out alliances, but doesn't seem to care that we figure out her moves. Heck, she even had Jaffa send us a video telling us that she was on Gaea's side. She didn't send Jaffa over to spy on us, or betray us, or play us.
So what was the point of the video? In my opinion, it did more harm than good to Gaea. And even if we did know that Jaffa was on the other side, she hadn't done any damage yet. I'd expect Gaea to immediately start sending her out to destroy our more powerful allies so that we'd be weakened. But they weren't. So… if they weren't using Jaffa, is Jaffa on our side, or is she on Gaea's side… or was the video a fluke?
What's more, something was wrong. Something was completely and utterly wrong. I knew that Gaea and Nyx (Nyx in particular) were excellent planners. And something is completely and utterly out of proportion. How is it that the other side manages to stop us despite our growth in force and skill, especially since they haven't grown in numbers other than Jaffa, who hasn't been used yet? Something was missing to this puzzle, and it was all I could do to keep from banging my head on the wall.
I was Thalia Grace, one of the most powerful people in the world. I was the wielder of lightning, the best darn strategist you've ever seen, and the most cunning if you count out Fear. So how was it that I was being duped? Duped by my own game and skill.
Somehow, out there in the big world, there was someone to be feared. Someone who could manipulate the pawns, and twist everything into their favor. Someone who somehow managed to steal my game. My game where I was king. My game where I moved the pawns, and planned out the moves, and knew every single freaking detail until I could play the game with my eyes closed.
There was a reason why I was named the best strategist in the world.
And I knew that that someone out there… or those people out there who could manage to wrest my game away from me and use my moves to somehow slip it away from my grasp without me knowing until it was too late… were to be feared. And I hate to admit it, but I was very scared then. Very.
My thoughts were interrupted by Alyss. She walked in, her face tight.
"Eta's awake. And he says that Gaea is currently planning a full attack on Camp Half-Blood."
Ryl POV
I basked in the sun as Katie and Annabeth led me on my tour of Camp Half-Blood. It seemed so… happy, but there was the air of sadness. While the trees swayed merrily in the air, their leaves drooped, and I didn't see any dryads being chased by satyrs. The lake was crystal clear and blue, but when I saw the naiads, they darted away, peeking up fearfully. They weren't making any baskets.
The fresh grass and strawberry plants seemed healthy and glowing, but there were occasional scorch marks here and there. I pursed my lips.
"The armory is over there, let's go see what the Hephaestus and Vulcan kids are making." Annabeth said. Katie nodded, and they both dragged me over. The iron doorway was glowing with an internal fire, heated red hot by the fire inside the forges.
When we went inside, we were greeted by a thin boy with black curly hair slicked back with grease. A pair of goggles rested on his head, and his face was blackened with soot except for two circles on his eyes where the goggles must have rested. He had on a sooty Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, and a tool belt. In one hand, he wielded a wrench, and in the other, he had a screw driver. (I know that Leo is one of the Chaos knights, but I decided that he would stay behind at camp to oversee some stuff and help train people)
"Annabeth! Katie! Pleasure to see you!" He exclaimed, a mischievous smile quirking his lips.
"Leo." Katie said, waving. Leo waved back, yelled something at a passing boy and then turned his attention to me. He snatched a metal engine from the top of a table… wait that wasn't there before… before calling at us,
"Who's the new girl? New meat?" He asked, looking at me inquisitively. I answered back.
"Yeah… just woke up after passing out a couple of days ago." He blinked, set down the falcon automan he had just finished making out of the engine, and started over.
"So you're the new girl. Hmm… are you Hephaestus or Vulcan or—"
"She's undetermined." Annabeth interrupted. Leo nodded, satisfied with the answer.
"Well, that's a relief, wouldn't want to date my sister or something." He said happily, before a burst of flames caught this attention. Hurrying off to go see the problem, he waved goodbye.
"Is he always this blunt about dating people?" I asked amused. Annabeth sighed.
"Yeah; he's a bit of a sucker for all sorts of girls. Anyways, this is the armory. We should probably get outside, it's burning hot in here." She muttered, wiping sweat from her brow.
Surprised, I turned to Katie and saw that she too was sweating. I put a hand to my head. My skin was slightly cool, but near room temperature. No sweat was to be found.
"Yeah, ok." As we all started out of the armory, I turned back just in time to see a glass jar. Inside it was a glowing light… and suddenly, I remembered something.
The fate of the world is in her hands,
The daughter of fire's final stand.
Daughter of fire… Daughter of fire…
I shook my head. What was wrong with me? I kept getting these weird visions. I sighed, and followed Annabeth and Katie out of the armory.
Something was about to happen. Something bad. Something very, very, very bad. I sighed again, and looked out to the camp border.
The daughter of fire's final stand.
DoubleH POV
Today is not a good day. I thought to myself wearily. First, we get the message that Jaffa is not on our side. To be more specific, she's currently going against us, and is probably brainwashed by Gaea. The fact that Jaffa was able to be turned to Gaea's side is scary. To know that Gaea has that much power.
And then, of course, Eta just happens across my 'secret' hideout. Apparently, Gaea was trying to kill him to get rid of loose ends. Apparently, she believed that he would be a wild card. Or maybe, he's just lying… like he had been before.
And of course, he sends us out on the possibly fake quest that Camp Half Blood was going to be under attack. Of course he does. So that while I'm away, he can possibly wreak havoc and discover all my hidden secrets.
Of course.
Or maybe, he's telling the truth, and maybe I could possibly be late, and Camp Half Blood will be in ruins when I arrive.
And of course, there's always the scene where Eta really is on our side, but then has a change of heart, decides to go psycho, and kills everyone at the hideout.
Of course.
Normally, I could easily pin down a person. If they were on our side… or not, or even if they could possibly be volatile enough to have a change of heart. But Eta… he's a slippery snake. I guess Gaea was right, if he was telling the truth.
Eta is a wildcard.
But there's no time to think about this. I have to get my bearings and go see if Camp Half Blood needs help. And if they don't, Eta's going to find out just how far I can drop kick someone.
I arrived at Camp Half blood, sliding off my shadow horse (A.N remember how DoubleH has all these cool shadow powers) and jogged into the borders. Immediately campers surrounded me, probably mistaking my silver cloak for that of Jaffa… unless they remembered me.
Annabeth came running up with Katie Gardner and another girl I didn't recognize in tow. The girl blinked when she saw me, but her facial features remained emotionless.
"DoubleH! I'm so glad you could visit!" Annabeth chirped. I smiled.
"Annabeth, nice to see you to. I have… news. If it's true, then Camp Half Blood is in bad shape." I said seriously, watching her sunny face fall. The new girl ran her fingers through her hair, pushing her bangs out of her face.
She was pretty, that much I could see. Tall, slender with a rather lean figure, she seemed more catlike and sleek instead of curvy. So that ruled out Aphrodite. She seemed like a good fighter, but wasn't very muscular, so she couldn't be Ares. Maybe she was a daughter of Hermes… or maybe a daughter of Demeter.
Still, she cut an imposing figure. She noticed me observing her, shifted a bit on her worn combat boots, and fingered her spiked bracelets. I looked at the metal. It was… unlike anything I had ever seen. If Jaffa was here… or Sky…
They were our best bet when it came to unknown substances. Sky because she had a natural affinity to weapons. Poison, unknown metal that could possibly be dangerous… you name it. She had a name for it, and within minutes, would be able to figure out everything there was to know about it.
And Jaffa because she had… interesting relations with unknown forces.
Annabeth must have sensed that the new girl and I were sizing each other up, because she burst into our little glare down.
"Hey, DoubleH, this is Ryl. Ryl, meet DoubleH. She's kind of a part of the Chaos knights that I've told you about. Leo's one of them too, but he stayed in Camp Half blood since we needed some help around. DoubleH, Ryl is one of the few new demigods that have made it across the camp border… and she was pretty much unscathed as well."
Ryl smiled at me, and relaxed when she heard I was part of the Chaos knights. She probably thought that I was some kind of possessed camper that could be evil.
Her face, previously guarded and stony, had opened up into a grin. Her eyes… were strangely innocent looking… It was like seeing a trapped soul. I mean, you know how peoples say that the eyes are the window to your soul and all that… and to me, it looked like Ryl's soul was a bit too young for someone as old as her.
There was something off about her. And I was going to find out why.
Man.
This sucked.
I'm so very sorry to everyone. I will try to update as soon as possible, but as I said, it will be difficult. Exams are coming up (ugh) and I need to study big time.
Review and tell me what you think will happen. I have a special treat for the person who guesses most accurately
Thank you to all who will continue to read this
AND ALSO: I just recently reviewed this story as a guest explaining that I would never be back on this account, but since my mom gave it back, please ignore the review