Chapter 13

The Cave.

Percy.

Clarisse's phone dinged and she walked away. I had never known her to text her siblings about updates on fights and pranks and with Hermes cabin. It was seriously getting annoying! I began to worry her phone would go off in the middle of the battle and all of us would get killed and she'd look up and go, "Oh…they're dead…BETTER RUN!"

After five minutes, Sunny's eyes flew open and she jumped a little bit and hit Carter in the nose.

"Dude!" said Carter holding his nose, sounding hilarious.

"Sorry!" said Sunny slowly standing up hopping not to hit anyone again, "We may have extra time, but we really need to hurry!"

"What'd you see?"

"The future, I thought it was Ra, but it was Apollo. He was showing me the future if we make it in time and if we don't." she replied.

"Let's go join Bast." Said Sadie.

A little while later, we sat on a bus and ignored the tour guides safety tips. Kids, don't ignore safety tips. We're teenagers, we tend to ignore things a lot.

Anyway, I sat next to Carter. Clarisse sat next to Bast. Sadie sat with Sunny to the right of Carter and I. Sadie was actually looking through the book I gave her and Sunny was asleep.

"On grey days it sometimes weakens Sunny's power and she get tired." Carter explained.

I began to hope the sun would come out before the battle.

"So, what's Annabeth like?" Carter filled in the awkward silence.

"Smart. A great strategist. Loves architecture. Hates spiders-Athena thing. She's also great with a knife." I replied remembering all the times she'd punch me for being stupid.

"Sounds like Carter, you'd make a lovely couple." Sadie was eavesdropping and started laughing, waking Sunny up.

Carter and I rolled our eyes.

"Is Zia the same?"

"Yep. Which is why we get along so well." He replied.

"I'm expecting a wedding announcement very soon." Joked Sunny as she and Sadie laughed.

"Could you two talk about shoes and stuff?" asked Carter.

"Nah, shoes bore me." said Sunny.

"And we girls aren't that predictable! You wouldn't ask Clarisse if she'd talk about shoes would you?" asked Sadie.

"No, 'cause they'd know I'd crush them under my boot!" replied Clarisse suddenly in a Camp Half-Blood shirt again. Earlier she was wearing a black t-shirt, "Really Sunny?"

Then the rest of us were in the same outfit. Of course, Sadie and Carter and Sunny's were made of Linin and looked like normal jeans and a cotton t-shirt.

"Don't you think people will notice?" I asked.

"As far as they're concerned we were wearing this the whole time." Whispered Sunny leaning across Sadie.

"Is anyone else bored?" asked Carter.

Sunny handed me a book and I handed it to him. Carter looked like she just gave him a bomb.

"Why?" he asked.

"The Lord of the Rings is a classic. Read it!" she said as he reluctantly opened the book.

"I'm good." I said as she looked at me as if to ask if I needed one.

She handed me a book anyway. "Artemis Fowl, and no. Artemis is not a girl."

"It's such a girl's name though. Not to mention your aunt is Artemis herself!" I pointed out.

"Still a good book though. My cousin Laura recommended. She's not my real cousin, she's my mom's cousin's daughter, but I say she's my cousin."

To avoid the confusion I started reading the book. Pretty good book. I had made it to a chapter with a cliffhanger when we made it to the cave.

So we get off the bus then went into the cave. There were a lot of steps down as Sunny stared wide-eyed at the cave with amazement. Yeah…slimy wet walls and old wet smells were absolutely amazing!

We carefully let to rest of the group go in front as we stayed behind. Then we started looking for an entrance to where Annabeth was being kept.

"I can't find anything!" Carter was banging on the walls.

"There has to be something." Muttered Sunny, who seemed very focused.

"Crazy idea, but do you think she'd leave a clue?" asked Sadie.

"Like what?" Clarisse and Bast tried finding cracks revealing a door.

"I don't know, her mom's symbol was an owl. Any chance we'd find something like that?"

"That's not a bad idea," I commented. "But I don't think Annabeth would be that obvious."

"Really? 'Cause I just found a piece of paper with an owl on it." Said Sadie holding up some scrap paper. Sure enough, in red marker was an owl.

Sunny went to the spot it was and stared at the wall. She knocked on it and held her ear to it. She smiled and put her hand on a bump and a door opened.

"A tunnel." She held up her hand and fire appeared in her palm, "Who's read to face our doom?"

Sunny walked ahead with her light and the rest of us walked behind. The walls were red, like Set's skin. I shivered every once and a while it freaked me out so much!

"Think we'll survive?" asked Sadie in a whisper, "I died once. I'd rather not repeat it even though I don't remember a bloody thing!"

"I'm sure we'll be fine. Things could be-"

"Don't say it!" Sunny silently snapped.

"Okay fine! I won't!" I replied.

"Are you okay Sunny?" asked Carter.

"Why wouldn't I?" she snapped again.

"You're snapping a lot, and you seem on edge." Carter pointed out.

Sunny turned around and tried not to incinerate anyone. "Look, I might not survive this. Even if we succeed. I-I have to choose, magician or demigod. Once that choice is made I lose my memory of the life I let go of. Either way I lose my fire and my fire is a part of my life source you could say, no fire no me. I'd just like it if you all weren't so positive."

"How long have you known?" I asked a little shocked and annoyed she didn't find it important enough to share.

"Since going to the Underworld and seeing my mom and Jordon. They told me, I've been bouncing back and forth about it."

"Just don't decide!" said Sadie.

""A life changing choice you will have to make"." She quoted the Oracle, "It has to happen. It's…it's the only way to save Annabeth."

"Why didn't you tell us?!" demanded Clarisse looking upset.

She was thinking what I was thinking, Sunny would leave her demigod life. She hated Camp Half-Blood anyway, her home was Brooklyn House and that was all there was to it!

"It's my burden to carry and mine alone." she replied stiffly, like a leader, "I know a leader must rely on others to help and must not do things on their own, but this is mine choice and it will remain that way."

She turned back around and started walking. I figured pressing her more would just make me lose my eyebrows. So me and the others stayed quiet.

As I thought, sort of, Clarisse's phone went off. How did she get any reception down there!? She checked it and continued texting.

I saw Sunny roll her eyes. "Clarisse, rescue missions mean quiet. Quiet means stop texting your boyfriend!"

Clarisse went over to Sunny and grabbed her by the collar. "I told you never to speak of it!"

"I have fire in my hand and I'm not afraid to use it." Sunny held up her ball of fire closer towards Clarisse. Clarisse but her down. "We can't be enemies here. If we're going to succeed and you guys survive then we have to work together."

Suddenly, we heard voices coming closer. Sunny took a deep breath and started doing something with her hands after putting out her fire. Then she motioned for us to back up against the wall.

"Ugh, I was sure I smelled half-bloods!" said a snake like creature.

"You bumbling idiot!" snapped Blockhead, "Your senses are getting old. I smell nothing!"

"You're not Greek Blockhead! You can't smell a half-blood!" snapped the snake as they went right past us.

Then Sunny fell to the ground and tried to catch her breath. Sadie bent down next to her.

"Man, you do a better invisibility spell than my brother!" she complimented as she helped her up.

"That wasn't an invisibility spell. It's a technique I learned with my fire." She replied still out of breath, "Still trying to get a hold of it."

"You mean you just used light to make us invisible?" asked Clarisse, "I thought only Apollo or the Titan of light Hyperion and the Titan of the sun Helios had that power."

"Photokinesis usually is, but with my fire I discovered how to do it. If this gets out around Camp Half-Blood I'll be thrown into a pit or something!"

"It won't matter if you pick Brooklyn House." I said bluntly, still annoyed at her.

She looked like she wanted to snap back, but she didn't. "We split up-a bad idea I know, but two need to rescue Annabeth and the rest need to fight Set and his monsters."

"How do we decide?" asked Carter.

I was about to say I should help Annabeth, but Sunny raised her hand to stop me.

"Set's been playing Alexander. Alexander think Set is using Annabeth as bait for Percy when really he's killing two birds with one stone-literally. Percy has to go save Annabeth and stay as far away from Set as possible.

"Sadie, you go with go with Percy. Carter, Clarisse, and Bast are with me."

"Are you sure?" asked Sadie.

Sunny took off her backpack and unzipped it, then she pulled out a tall staff like Sadie's and a boomerang which is-apparently-a wand.

"I'm sure. Now go! We can't waste time!" said Sunny running through the dark tunnel and the others right behind her.

"You ready?" I asked Sadie even though I could barely see her.

"Percy Jackson," said Sadie saying a quick spell and then there was a ball of light at the top of her staff. "I was born ready!"