Chapter 11
Addy woke to the bright sunlight of the middle of the day. Sonny may not have been the best of guys, in fact, she down right hated him, but he certainly knew what he was doing when he set out to heal someone. Her chest, which had definitely had a few broken bones the night before, was merely a dull throb now. If any fractures were left in her ribs, she suspected that they were hairline. Granted, she also suspected that he had molested her after she had passed out while he was still in the room.
She was pretty sure she was going to live, though she hated what she had promised Sonny to secure her life. She would rather die than do anything with him. But she pained at the thought of what it would put Izzy through if she died. That was why she was still alive... for Izzy.
As the day progressed, Apollo campers came in and out of the room, each spending some time chanting to heal her. Until her ribs were healed. The cuts on her back. Her arm. Even the youngest of them, who didn't know exactly how to heal came in, with someone older, and began to learn and practice.
"Why is the entire Apollo cabin coming in to heal you?" Sloan asked sometime around dinner. By this time, she was able to sit up, and he had brought her a bowl of soup.
Addy shrugged, a bit painfully still, pretending she didn't know. "Maybe they're just good people," she said. "I honestly thought you had something to do with it."
"By the time I had gotten around to asking them, they had already set a schedule," Sloan said. He sat in a chair next to her, but he only stayed there for a few minutes before he had stood and leaned against the wall next to the window. "For some reason, I thought it might be Sonny's doing."
"Then Izzy must have asked," Addy said, knowing for a fact that Izzy had asked. She also knew that Sonny turned her down. She stopped eating her soup. "I really don't like her spending time with him. Do you think you can convince Sirius to ask her out?"
"Not unless someone will convince her to say yes first," Sloan said. "As far as I can tell, he's into her. But he doesn't want to be disappointed if she turns him down."
"I really would if she would listen to me," Addy said, spinning her spoon in the soup. "But, I don't think she will. She's got her mind set on the idea that Sonny is into her."
"Yeah, well, so to Leiko and Eri," Sloan said. He looked at Addy for a few moments. "I've got to get to dinner." He pointed at her soup. "Eat, okay?"
Addy nodded and lifted a spoonful to her mouth.
"I hear she's doing better?" Trixie said to a very downtrodden Izzy.
"Yeah," Izzy said, though she had spent the majority of her day in her bed. She had managed to visit Addy before dinner, having left just as Sloan came in with a bowl of soup for Addy. "She'll live. I seriously thought she was going to die yesterday."
"Well, the Apollo campers have been going in and out all day to help heal her," Trixie said.
Izzy's eyes lit up. "They have been?" she asked. She looked around, trying to spot Sonny, certain that he'd be looking in her direction, an apologetic look in his blue eyes. But he was in the corner with Eri, his nose in her ear and his hands on her hips as he was whispering to her... or possibly lightly kissing her ear. It was hard to tell with her hair in his face.
Izzy's eyes traveled down. "I personally think Sloan convinced the Apollo campers," Trixie said, before taking a bite of her chicken.
"You really think so?" Izzy asked.
"Well, he is falling for her," Trixie said. "As much as neither of them will admit. I think she's falling for him as well."
Izzy forked a piece of her chicken. "Maybe I should thank him, then," she said before putting it into her mouth.
"Why?" Trixie asked. "It's not like it's your life."
"It's my sister," Izzy said. "I don't know where I'd be without her." Her eyes were down again. "I mean, I've only know her for a year, but she's my best friend already."
"I kind of understand," Trixie said. "I mean, I have how many siblings... but the only one I care about, I mean really care a lot about is my brother Jimmy."
"Who?" Izzy asked.
"My little brother," Trixie said. "Half brother, on my mother's side. He's mortal."
"Oh, I didn't know," Izzy said.
"Well, I didn't mention him," Trixie said. "Anyway, he's not exactly a best friend, cause he's only eight, but still."
Izzy smiled a little at Trixie. The girl was really helping her to feel better. Even if it was a little weird that she was technically Izzy's aunt. Still, most of the kids in Cabin eleven felt more like siblings at this point. Not like siblings the way Addy was, but the way all of the technical siblings through an immortal parents felt.
When Izzy notice Sloan walk into the dining pavilion, she approached. "You know, I could hug you," she said to him with a wide smile.
He tilted his head. "Why?" he asked as he slowly stopped walking to his own table.
"Because of what you did for Addy," Izzy said, her eyes shining brightly.
"You mean, stopping the manticore from killing her?" Sloan asked. "I wasn't in time, really. She nearly died anyway."
"No, for convincing the Apollo campers to go and heal her," she said.
Sloan blinked a few times. "That wasn't me," he said. "In fact, I was under the impression that it was you that had gotten Sonny to send them in."
Izzy shook her head. "When I tried to plead with him, he said he wouldn't do anything."
Sloan narrowed his eyes. "Well, if it wasn't you, and it wasn't me..." he spotted Lux walking out of the pavilion. he grabbed Izzy's arm and dragged her along to follow him. "A word, Lux," he said, catching the Apollo camper not far out of the building.
Lux turned to them. "Yeah?" he asked.
"Why is your cabin helping to heal Addy?" Sloan asked. Izzy looked at him with wide eyes.
Lux lifted an eyebrow. "Sonny's head, so when he gives an order, we follow."
Izzy's eyes brightened. "So it was Sonny!"
"Yeah," Lux said. "I guess he made some kind of deal with her."
"Her?" Izzy asked slowly, her excitement stopping, remembering what Char had said the day before. "As in Addy?"
Lux nodded, causing Sloan's eyes to get dark. "He's been into her since the beach bonfire. You know, the Aphrodite blessing. I personally thought that it would end once the blessing did, but for some reason he still wants her."
Izzy's eyes grew wide and began to water. She was about to turn toward the Big House to get Addy to deny it, but Sloan was already marching there. She turned back to Lux. "Are you sure you're not confusing her with me?" she asked, hopefully.
Lux shook his head. "I don't think he really likes you much at all," Lux said. "The words I keep hearing regarding you in that subject are needy and desperate."
"No idea!" Sloan yelled, barging into the room Addy was in. Within a moment, an arrow was pointed between his eyes by Jemma. Apparently, Addy had been a little more honest with Jemma than she had been with Sloan of Izzy as Addy was apparently crying.
"One more step and not even your father will be able to save you," Jemma warned, keeping her string pulled taut.
"It's okay, Jemma," Addy said, wiping under her eyes with a tissue. "Let him in."
Sloan marched up to Addy. "You lied to me," he said, crossing his arms.
"Well, what was I supposed to say?" Addy asked. "Yeah, I'm gonna hook up with the guy my sister likes for my life? I know exactly how you feel about him, so I was trying to spare your feelings."
"If you cared about my feelings you wouldn't be doing this," Sloan snapped. "He's using you, Addy."
"You think I don't know that?" Addy asked. "But, maybe, I don't want to die." She frowned and looked away. "You might have saved me immediately, but overall, it was his healing that saved my life."
"Addy, you don't have to go through with it," Sloan said, still seething underneath, but trying to be gentler.
"I'd be going back on a deal," Addy said, lifting a tissue to her eyes. "I'm a Stoll, and we never go back on a deal."
"I suggested that she take to Oath," Jemma said.
"I don't want to do that either," Addy said. She looked at Sloan. "I really... really don't want to do what he has planned. His 'fun.'" She used finger quotes.
Sloan cocked his head. "Can you remember exactly what he said?" he asked.
"Well he didn't really need to spell it out," Addy said. "I know exactly what he has in mind. But, it's kind of fuzzy. I mean, I was kind of in a lot of pain and going in and out of consciousness."
"Addy, try to remember," Sloan said. "Did he give any actual activities?"
"Clearing in the woods," Addy said. "Alone for some fun. No one needs to know."
Sloan smirked and leaned back. "He said no one needs to know, but at least one person already does," he said. "That means he's broken his end."
"He told someone!" Addy snapped.
"Anyway," Jemma put in, "if he only used the word fun, I'm sure there are at least a few activities that you both think are fun that are, in no way, what he had in mind."
"He told someone!" Addy repeated, louder. "I'm gonna kill him." She slid off the bed, hobbling in a lot of pain toward the door. Sloan, however, stopped her. He picked her up, and even though she struggled in his arms, he easily put her back in the bed. As it appeared that she was going to try to get up again, he crawled on the bed and pinned her down. "Get off me, Sloan. I can't kill him if you won't let me."
"You can't," Sloan said. "He'd kill you in a heartbeat if you tried." He grabbed her flailing arms, and held both her wrists in one hand above her head. With his other hand, he held her head still, her face pointed at him. "And you're too weak right now to try. Addy, listen to me."
"I don't care how, but I will kill him," Addy said.
"Addison, calm down," Sloan said. However, she wasn't calming down, though she didn't have nearly as much ability to move. So, Sloan did the only thing he could think to get her to stop wiggling. He bent forward and kissed her.
Addy stopped moving at once. She was stock still, her eyes wide as Sloan pressed his lips to hers. After a few still moments, Sloan pulled back and looked at her. "Calm down," he said slowly. "Or you're going to get yourself hurt, again. And I don't want to see that." He released her arms and then crawled off the bed, leaving her stunned. He pointed at the bowl of soup he had brought earlier, noting it was still barely touched. "Eat."
Addy began reaching for the soup, shocked from the kiss. However before her hands could reach it, a loud siren began ringing through the air. Addy was immediately aware again, and she looked at Sloan. "What's that?" she asked.
"Addy, stay here," he said. "That's the warning siren."
"Meaning?" Addy asked.
"Monsters have crossed the boarder," he said. "I have to go. Jemma, stay here and protect Addy."
"Sloan, wait," Addy said, crawling out of bed after him as he walked to the door.
"Whoa, get back in that bed because I am not kissing you to shut you up," Jemma said to Addy. Sloan, however stopped in the door, hearing his name.
"Addy, stay here," Sloan said. "You're already weak, and you could get hurt again, or worse out there."
"I will, but, be careful," Addy said. She reached out for him and took his hand. And then she stepped closer to him and lightly pressed her lips to his. Sloan held her gently for a moment, returning the pressure before releasing her. When she pulled back, he smiled at her and then was gone a moment later.
Izzy had taken to hiding on her bunk crying after having heard what Lux had to say. And, after crying too many tears, she took to playing with her new sword, and then her old sword her mother had given her. He new one was bigger, heavier, but it could also cause a lot more damage.
When the siren went off, she nearly fell out of her bed. She was out of the cabin in record time to see what was happening. Expecting it to be yet another sort of game she didn't know about, she was surprised to see monsters... dozens of them. Crawling through the camp.
Before she could stop herself, she went charging, sword in both hands, and stabbed the nearest of the monsters deep in the flank. She immediately realized it was a mistake as she didn't kill it, and instead simply angered it.
Within moments, however, others were rushing out, into the battle as well. Izzy left the shorter of the two sword in the monster, as she couldn't really handle two at a time, and held her sword ready to kill it. It growled, and she was glad that it couldn't talk because those were the worst.
Izzy was stopped short when she noticed that a monster was heading into the Big House. She looked at the battle, and then used her speed to go after the one closest to Addy.
By the time she arrived at the Big House, she found Jemma unconscious on the ground, but breathing. She moved the Huntress out of the hallway, onto a couch, and then continued into the house. And then she heard Addy yell.
Izzy sprinted through the house and up the first flight of stairs, coming face-to-face with the monster. She had green scales along her whole body, the bottom half of a dragon, and the top half of a woman, though with snakes for hair. She immediately closed her eyes and swung blindly.
"Izzy, stop," she heard Addy gasp, before she heard a yelled. She stopped swinging. "It's not Medusa," Addy said, though she sounded to be in pain.
Izzy opened one eye, and noticed that instead of stabbing the monster, she had sliced Addy's arm open, as if her sister wasn't already in pain and danger. She turned to the monster. "Put my sister down," Izzy ordered.
"Oh, certainly," the monster said. "As soon as I have my scimitars." The monster lifted Addy a little higher. "At which point I will slice her neck."
Izzy looked at Addy. "Seriously, what did you do to piss her off?" she asked Addy.
"Me?" Addy asked. "You're the one that was swinging your sword about. I only shot an arrow at her. It barely skimmed her waist."
"It hit my favorite head," the monster shouted, indicating to her belt of animal heads.
"Who are you, anyway?" Izzy asked as Addy flailed about, before kicking at the monster. She seemed to barely realize what was happening.
"Seriously, are Half-Bloods that uneducated these days?" she asked, seemingly merely annoyed. "I'm Kampe."
"So, the snake-hair, who had it first?" Addy asked, giving up her struggles.
"Excuse me?"
"Because everyone associates it with Medusa," Addy said. "Clearly, she must have worn it better than you or something."
Kampe was clearly becoming irritated with Addy. "I am eons older than that stone-creating hag!"
"And it shows," Addy added. At that, Kampe slammed Addy into the wall so hard that it created an Addy-shaped dent. Addy was nearly knocked out.
"How dare you insult me, you insolent brat," Kampe yelled. Izzy took her opening. She jumped forward and shoved her sword into Kampe's belly. Her scream sliced through the camp, though she wasn't dead yet. Izzy knew, however, that she had to finish the job of Kampe would no doubt kill both of them. She used all her muscle to slice her sword up, through it was hard. Kampe didn't give her the chance to finish as she back-handed Izzy, first sending her into a wall before she stumbled down the stair.
"Izzy!" Addy yelled.
"Let her down!" Jemma yelled, arriving at the bottom of the stairs, bruised, but her arrow trained on Kampe.
"Then catch!" Kampe yelled, releasing Addy. Addy dropped, landing on her still broken leg with a loud scream, which she turned into a cringe of pain a moment later. She grabbed onto the rail to prevent from rolling down the stairs herself. Jemma began shooting arrow after arrow, but Kampe was blocking with her arms.
Addy knew that Kampe had been trying to get into the attic, and now she knew why. Kampe wanted some scimitars, which Addy only knew what those were because of video games. As Kampe was occupied with Jemma, Addy crawled past her and then went down the hall to the staircase to the attic.
It was dusty and creepy there, with artifacts from all sorts of Greek battles. Unluckily, they weren't marked. But it didn't actually take Addy long to find a pair of scimitars, though they were bent out of shape. She wasn't about to give them to Kampe, but figured they had to be special if she wanted them. Addy grabbed one, and then crept back down. Kampe was laughing, having somehow gotten ahold of Jemma. She was literally squeezing the life out of the girl. Addy ran and sliced at Kampe, figuring that it was her best hope of getting her. The blade sliced right where she turned more human than dragon, where the scales were the weakest. She screamed again, this time louder, before turning to Addy.
"You dare use my own weapon against me!" she shrieked. However, before she could even take a step toward the shaking Addy, her hand began to shrivel. And then her opposite shoulder. She screamed even louder as different parts of her began to shrivel, and then slowly turned to dust. Addy slumped to the ground, once all of Kampe was gone.
Why are monsters attacking Camp Half-Blood? How are they able to cross the border? Review to find out more.
