11.
Uno becomes tres
and Regina turns into a parent.
Eventually, I escaped the surrounding fogginess that followed after the dream and slowly I started regaining the use of my hands. I felt them twitch and stretch out from on top of whatever I was laying on. And, ever so slowly, I cracked my eyes open so that I could look around.
I was in the infirmary at the Big House.
Neither Chiron nor any of the Apollo kids seemed to be in the room but a weight on my stomach made me look up in confusion. There was Gale, sat contently and yet glaring at me with those intimidating red eyes. I could almost sense the annoyance radiating from the polecat for being so stupid as to lose control of my powers. The silent judgement made me shift uncomfortably and Gale stuck her claws into my skin as a response.
"She's been there the whole time," spoke a voice that sounded surprisingly soft considering who it belonged to. "Wouldn't let anyone take or move her."
My eyes scanned the room again for the source and I had to restrain a gasp when I saw Jaci just a few beds down from me. Her face was pale, and that unrelenting strength I had seen earlier had apparently vanished. Was that all because of what I did? I couldn't bring myself to look into her eyes as the guilt began to claw itself inside my stomach.
"You're awake!" exclaimed Regina from the other side of the infirmary.
At least the newly arrived demigod looked better since her ordeal. The wounds that had previously littered her skin were gone and she had a newfound aura of confidence about her that had been missing from before. "You've been out for hours and they wouldn't even tell me what happened."
I sat upwards, Gale still hanging onto my Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and gave her a weak smile. "I'm okay," I told her, reaching towards my red jacket that had been folded up on a chair beside my bed. "I just...ran out of energy I guess."
My hands grasped onto my shoes that were on the ground. I noticed a few blocks on the table as the same stuff my mom had given me when I passed out the first time. Ambrosia, I think it was called. I remembered the way it had instantly refilled me with strength and didn't hesitate in shovelling it into my mouth. The familiar taste of freshly buttered popcorn was soon prominent and I welcomed the flood of energy it brought along with it.
Although it had worked to some extent, my legs still felt shaky as I stood up. I eyed the second piece and contemplated on take it.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Jaci said and I frowned. "Demigods can have ambrosia but too much of it can be pretty lethal. Turn our bones to sand and our blood to fire, that kind of thing."
I nodded and headed towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Regina said, making me pause. "You can't leave until the Apollo kids have checked you over. That's what they said."
"I'm good, don't worry," I tried to reassure them but my wavering voice betrayed me. "I-I need to get to National City now, like right this instant. It was nice meeting you but I don't have much of a choice."
What would I take? My sword? A bow and arrows? How was I even going to get to National City in three days? It wasn't like I was old enough to buy a plane ticket and it was likely that if I told Chiron or Ash, then they wouldn't even let me go.
Jaci sat upwards, and then swung her legs over the side of her bed so she could stand up. I noticed that it took awhile for her to gather her bearings until she eventually straightened.
"What do you mean you have no choice?" she asked, stepping out into the walkway.
"She has my mom," I whimpered.
"Hecate?"
"No," I shook my head. "My adoptive mom Felicity. I had a dream that Circe was – is holding my mom captive. She wants me to find them but if I don't make it there in three days she's going to kill her."
"But it's just a dream," Regina said, trying her best to comfort me. "It isn't real and who's Circe anyway?"
"Circe is the minor goddess of magic," Jaci informed her. "A daughter of Hecate like Clara. And well the dream thing is complicated...most of what we demigods dream tends to be real memories or rather actual events taking place."
"She knew I was there," I said quietly. "Just like the empousai did."
"The empousai?" Jaci sounded horrified. "You've been dreaming about those things and Circe and you never thought to tell anyone? Not even Chiron? We've encountered a few of them whilst hunting; they seemed to be a lot more active than usual since the Titan war. They serve Hecate though, your mother, why would they even think about coming after you?"
"I think she's somehow lost control of them," I told them. "Seems like they've been following Circe instead and I think my mom – the goddess Mom I mean – already knew about it."
"She told you that?"
I shook my head and gestured to the polecat. "She sent Gale to watch over me," I said. "Probably because she knew it'd be me that went after Circe. I don't know how or why Circe even chose me in the first place or what she's even planning. But now I don't know what to do, she's got my mom – I have no other choice now."
"Then we'll go with you," Regina spoke suddenly. "We'll go with you to National City to save your mom from this Circe woman."
"I don't think that's a good idea," I shook my head vehemently. "It's me she's after so it's me she's going to get. That's it."
"No," Jaci said firmly. "She's going to get all three of us."
My mouth dropped open. "I don't understand you," I said, shaking my head. "A couple of hours ago you were hating my guts and now you want to help me fight a goddess?"
"What you did to me...changed my perspectives on things."
"You're not coming. I'm going alone."
"And how to you plan on getting to National City - which is on the other side of the country should I remind you – without no money or even a plane ticket? It's not as if you can just walk there since that'll take a lot more than twenty-four hours," Jaci crossed her arms. "And if you try to leave without us I can just tell Chiron and the others what you're up to. Can't we, Gina?"
"Yup," the girl nodded. "Then you'll have no choice."
"'Gina'?" I gaped at them. "What are you best buds now? And what other idea do you suggest?"
The corners of the huntress's mouth twitched into a smile. "Zeus' Fist, where you found Regina. There's an entrance near there to the Labyrinth, if we navigate it right it should take us to California in no time."
"Labyrinth? What Labyrinth? Like the Minotaur Labyrinth? Won't we get eaten in there?"
"There's a few monsters and stuff but we should be fine – the hunters have used it several times to travel quickly across the country," Jaci explained. "It stretches underneath this whole world, always moving and changing. Daedalus was the name of the guy who created it. He destroyed it but then it was brought back again during the second Giant war. We can use it."
I still wasn't convinced. "How are we supposed to navigate something that's always changing? If you mess this up my mother could be killed."
Jaci's eyes narrowed like she was annoyed and I was surprisingly glad to see the display of emotion on her face. That meant I hadn't scarred her too badly that her former self was gone completely. "I know what I'm doing," she told me. "I might've only been a hunter for a few months, but I've learned a fair bit. The Labyrinth is your only reasonable choice anyway – you can't exactly walk across America in three days."
She was right and of course I knew it but this Labyrinth sounded like a place I wouldn't want to particularly visit often. Or ever, if I was being honest.
"What about Regina?" I said, my shoulders slumping in defeat.
They both looked confused. "What about Regina?"
"You've only juts arrived at camp, you don't even know who your godly parent is. You haven't gone into a single training session, how are we going to keep you safe?" I replied. "I don't want to put you in danger because of my...family problems."
"Jaci will keep me safe," Regina replied as if it was a matter-of-fact. "And you will. You did it the last time."
"You're not going to persuade me or her otherwise," Jaci lifted an eyebrow. "Besides, three is a sacred number. There are usually three people on a quest."
"Well, technically there'd be four of us."
"How?"
I gestured down to Gale who had seemingly tightened her grip on my t-shirt during this whole conversation. "Gale used to be human but she became a servant for Hecate," I told them. "That makes her the fourth companion, right?"
Jaci suddenly looked uneasy and eyed the stubborn polecat. "Can't you leave her here?"
Gale hissed and dug her claws deeper into my skin.
"That's a no," I yelped in pain. "If I leave her here, she'll just follow me anyway. Hecate's orders to stick with me I guess, has to obey them even if it's made my life miserable these past few days. Anyway, what's wrong with four? Three's an odd number, I don't like odd numbers."
"It's just..." Jaci hesitated. "-Usually when there's more than three, it doesn't end well."
"I didn't think that this would end 'well' anyway."
"Touché."
*~PJ~*
After a little more convincing from both Jaci and Regina combined (they were quite the persuasive duo), we began to plan out who we were going to get to the Labyrinth entrance at Zeus' Fist. I still needed to get Augury and Jaci was adamant to retrieve her bow and arrows, alongside some other supplies that would help keep us alive whilst we were down there.
We also had to get a weapon for Regina since she kind of lost her dagger back when I rescued her from the myrmekes and I didn't quite fancy retrieving it from their nest.
This meant that we had to make three separate stops to the armoury, Cabin Twenty and Cabin Eight without being spotted by anyone. No pressure. Just another reason to add to my list of doubts as to why this was a terrible idea. But then again, what choice did I have?
Jaci opened the infirmary door ajar just to make sure the coast was clear before we sprinted towards the armoury. "I think everyone is at the pavilion for dinner," she told us. "There shouldn't be anyone around."
"You mean you hope there's nobody around."
She turned around and glared. "Well what do you suggest smart-mouth?"
"Oh I-don't-know, I could maybe use the Mist to hide us from view?" I retorted. "Even if there are a few stay demigods hanging around, they won't spot us then."
"Are you sure?" she replied, bitterly. "Last time you used magic, you lost control."
"Oh and there it is," I exclaimed. "I was wondering when it would show itself."
"What the Hades are you talking about?"
"You hate me," I told her. "You've always hated me from the moment we met and I admit, I made it worse with the whole spirits thing and I'm sorry but if you hadn't started hounding me then I wouldn't have lost control in the first place!"
"Oh, so now it's my fault?"
"You know it is," I snapped. "That's why you're helping. Not out of kindness but because you feel guilty because you know you were in the wrong."
Jaci looked like she was about to argue when Regina stepped in between us with a firm expression painted across her face.
"Would you two just shut-up and stop wasting time," she chided us and for a moment, both of us were taken aback. I had always pictured the girl as the shy type but now that she had gotten a little more comfortable, her personality was starting to show. "Clara, do that Mist thing you were talking about and let's go before they come back. Now."
And then she stormed out of the infirmary.
Me and Jaci stared at each other.
"You started it, moron," she mumbled and followed Regina out the door.
"I'm not the moron," I hissed from behind her, trying to keep my voice low so that Regina wouldn't overhear our continued bickering. "If anyone is a moron, then it's you."
The huntress scoffed.
We reached the front entrance of the Big House and Regina turned to look at me, her hands on her hips gave her an aura of authority that left me and Jaci meekly staring at the floor. "Do the Mist thing," she instructed firmly. "Then we run to the armoury."
I had to restrain myself from saying 'yes miss' in reply.
Despite the energy I had lost from accidentally summoning a hoard of spirits (emphasis on accidentally), I still found myself just about managing to command the Mist to conceal the three of us from view. Well four if you were counting Gale who had now moved to her favourite perch on my shoulder.
I watched as Jaci and Regina blinked out of existence and then blindly reached out until I had a hold of both their shoulders. "Okay, now we walk."
"No," Jaci countered. "Now we run."
"Shut up, you know what I meant."
I felt a foot stamp on my own and I bit my tongue to stop myself from yelping. I could practically sense the sly smirk on Jaci's face as we began to run.
We quickly passed the forces that were (as Jaci predicted) empty since most of the campers had headed towards the pavilion for dinner. And in no time at all we reached the armoury. It was a large metal shed slotted just to the side of the Athena Cabin so I took extra care in making sure the Mist kept up its concealment until we were safely inside.
The place was full to the brim with swords, clubs, spears and...shotguns. I took that as the norm. Why not have shotguns at a summer camp for demigods?
Regina looked around for a few seconds before heading to a dory that was leaning against the far wall of the shed. And when I mean dory, I don't mean that Dory from Finding Nemo. This dory was a lot more deadly. A spear that had two pointed ends, one slightly bigger than the other. I had seen an Ares kid fight with it during a combat lesson and it made me glad I hadn't been their fighting partner.
She grinned at us as she twirled it around in her hand. The sight made me slightly unsettled. I was worried that she might accidentally poke her eye out with it or something.
After Regina assured us that was what she wanted, we decided to split up in order to save time. I would head to the Hecate Cabin to retrieve Augury while Jaci went over to the Artemis Cabin. Regina decided to stay with me and she gasped at the sight of my cabin. I felt slightly proud that she was amazed by it and then the horrid feeling that I could possibly never see it again soon swiftly replaced it.
I told Regina to stay outside whilst I went to grab Augury from where I had left it and packed my backpack. I know I could've just chosen another weapon from the armoury like Regina had, but for some reason I almost couldn't bear the thought of not having it with me.
It was a comfort to have it sheathed at my side and I brushed my fingers against the handle.
Even though I have to be the most useless owner it's ever had, I got the feeling that it didn't mind. But that's the most absurd thing I've ever thought. My sword wasn't alive, it didn't breathe or talk or do anything other than what I make it do.
Then again, in a world like is this, anything is pretty much possible. Isn't it?
I shook my head, swung my bag onto my back and rushed out of the Hecate Cabin to where Regina and Jaci were waiting. Jaci had her bow and quiver strapped to her back; I could see a dagger tucked into a sheath by her waist. The silver circlet, the symbol of Artemis I had seen her wearing before during capture the flag was back on her head.
"You took your time," she said. Surprisingly I didn't detect any irritation in her tone this time. She seemed shaky, like something happened when she went into Cabin Eight. "We should hurry."
I nodded. As tempting as it was to ask the huntress what was wrong, I didn't think she'd appreciate the sentiment. Without a second thought, we headed towards the woods.
