Suppertime as always was like feeding time at the zoo, I sat down quietly next to Alice, who was talking to the Stoll brothers, I poked her shoulder, causing her to jump, she turned to me and grinned ear to ear, "Janet," she exclaimed wrapping me in a crushing hug.
"Alice, can't, breath," I gasped, everyone laughed at us, she released me blushing furiously, "it's only been two and a half weeks, it's not like I've been gone for months."
"Sorry," she mumbled.
"Good see you again Janet," Luke said smiling at me, Annabeth was right the smile did not reach his blue eyes, which were angry and sad at the same time.
"And you Luke, how are you?"
His smile faltered a bit, "oh, fine, a bit tired, but that's to be expected after sword practice."
The rest of supper was full of laughter and happiness, I said my hellos to the new campers, including a new half-sister called Lou Ellen who older than me by three years. I then greeted the Stoll brother, reviving the old Clifford joke, which confused all the new campers, and made the older campers laugh, everyone talked for a while as we ate our food, then came the sing along, where we got the flames to dance a golden dance.
"I've missed it here," I said to Alice as we made our way back to the cabin.
"Me too, I've missed everyone, do you remember in the troll room I was going to say something?"
"Yeah?"
"I've remembered what it was."
"What is it?"
"Well for a long time, I've wanted to say," I suddenly felt dizzy as a large amount of magic was released in the woods, I stumbled, and collapsed to one knee, "Janet, are you okay?"
"Yeah, something happened in the woods," I said getting to my feet and running to the woods, once inside I followed the lingering traces of magic, I did not know any magic that felt like that, when I reached the spot where the traces were the strongest I found a blackened circle three paces wide.
"What is it?" Alice asked.
"A failed spell, I have no idea what kind, but whatever it is, it's not good," next Drake and Luke arrived, they stumbled into the clearing Dake had a look around.
"You felt it as well?" My elusive half-brother asked, I nodded.
"Someone tried a spell and it looks like it failed."
"Unless their aim was to make a large scorch mark," Alice said, sitting on a fallen log.
"Did any of you see anything?" I asked turning to the dryads who were tending their trees.
"Yes," one old ash tree said, "a hunched, hooded figure, he walked into the clearing and drew symbols on the ground that hurt to look at, then he started chanting, when he stopped, the symbols exploded he cursed and ran off, I never saw his face."
"Thank you," I said turning to Drake, "we have to identify the symbols, I'll go talk to Chiron, you see if you can find anything," Drake nodded solemnly, I turned and walked off with Alice close behind.
When I told Chiron what had happened he seemed to age twenty years over the course of the story, "that sounds like titan magic, which is worrying, because only titans and their servants know how to use it."
"It would seem our would-be mage doesn't really know what they're doing, or the spell wouldn't have failed," I said.
"Or they were trying something beyond their power," Alice muttered darkly.
"We do not tell anyone," I said, "we don't want panic."
Just then, Travis rushed in, "Chiron, Lou Ellen has collapsed, we were walking along, then she looked at the woods, gasped and collapsed."
"Take her to the infirmary. You two should go to sleep," with that he wheeled himself out the room, he left and went to bed.
It was soon the last week of summer, there had been no repeats of the incident in the woods, and Lou Ellen soon recovered, it was late in the afternoon when a similar, all be it weaker, feeling came over me. I ran towards the source, it was part of the creek, there I found Percy, his hand swollen and oozing, he was crawling weakly towards the creek, I half dragged him into the creek, knowing the water should heal him, it did not, "help please," he croaked.
"Stay in there Percy," I pulled him up.
"Luke, did it, Kronos rising," he collapsed into sleep, he would die before I could carry him, or could portkey, in my desperation I tried to apparate back to the big house. I soon felt a sensation of being pushed down a small rubber tube, then it stopped as we had arrived on the porch, with all limbs intact, Chiron dropped his cards when he saw us.
"Get him to the infirmary," I dragged Percy into the sick room and hauled him onto the table, Chiron galloped in, "get Michael Yew, I'll need his help," I nodded and rushed off to find him. Five minutes later I returned with the Apollo head camper who immediately set to work, "leave us Janet," I nodded and left as Annabeth arrived.
"What happened, I heard you suddenly appeared on the front porch with an unconscious Percy."
"Something attacked him in the woods, something venomous."
Annabeth frowned, "there's nothing venomous in the woods, what was it? Also what about Luke, some campers said they went off together to slay monsters in the woods," I clicked by fingers, causing sparks to fly out.
"Now it fits," I said, Annabeth frowned, "before he passed out, Percy said Luke did it, I thought he was delirious, but he might not, he might have thought he would die."
Annabeth paled, "are you sure about this? It doesn't sound like Luke."
"Not pre-quest Luke, but look at it this way, Percy and Luke go into the woods, Percy is found alone and poisoned, where's Luke? Then you also have the flying shoes given to your quest by a bitter Luke, who has said multiple times he doesn't want to help the gods, but by giving you the shoes is helping the gods. Finally, the shoes meant for Percy, but worn by Grover, would have dragged Percy, with the Master Bolt into the Pit, and Grover was only saved by his fake feet."
Annabeth started tearing up, "you're wrong," she ran off. A few minutes later, Lou Ellen was brought in by some Demeter campers who found her passed out on the edge of the woods; she had fainted again whilst walking by herself near the woods.
Hours later a drawn Chiron left the infirmary, Michael was remaining with Percy for a while, just in case, "he's stabilised, it's in the Gods hands now," Chiron said solemnly, "I want to know how you found him, what were you doing in the woods?"
"I felt the weird titan magic again and ran towards it, there, in the woods by the creek, I found Percy crawling towards the water, I helped him in and before he passed out he said that Luke did it," Chiron aged forty years within an instant.
"Are you sure he wasn't delirious?" Chiron asked, probably hoping that I would agree.
"I don't know, it fits, I mean if you think about it, on the quest, the shoes that Luke gave to Percy tried to drag him into the Pit and they would have succeeded if anyone except Grover was wearing them."
Chiron stroked his beard and nodded sadly, "I see, was there anything else?"
"Yes, Percy said the Lord of Time was rising," Chiron paled even further and shrank back into the chair.
"I hope that was delirium talking."
"What did attack Percy?"
"I think it was a pit scorpion, it has all the markings of one of their attacks," I frowned.
"They don't cause delirium, just pain so intense it prevents one from entering any kind of delirium."
"I know, but I can hope, get some sleep Janet."
"Very well, goodnight Chiron," I stood and left.
Alice was waiting for me when I get back to the cabin, she was sitting on the step and frowning, "where did you go?" She shouted, "I turn around and you've vanished, I looked all over, not a word of goodbye," she quietened down and almost whispered the next sentence, "I was scared," she sounded scared and close to tears.
"I'm okay, I felt something in the woods again, so I ran off to check, Percy was attacked,"I gasped.
"Oh no, is he alright?" I bit my bottom lip.
"He's stable in the infirmary, he's lucky, if he had been anything other than a son of Poseidon he'd be dead, the water saved him."
"What was it?"
"Pit scorpion, most venomous magical creature in the known world, the worst part is that it was summoned in, this was a purposeful attack."
"Who would do something like this? I mean, Percy's such a nice guy."
I smiled weakly, "ah, has Alice got a crush?" Alice glared at me, if looks could kill...
"Even if I did, I think I'd have to fight Annabeth for him, and I don't want to do that," I started laughing and pulled my friend into a hug.
"I am just pulling your leg," I said releasing her, "anyway, we should be off to bed, the harpies will be out soon."
"Oh, right," Alice said a bit flustered, "is it that time already?"
Percy did not wake up the next day, he did not wake the next day either, or the next, finally on the fourth day he stirred, Chiron sent Michael to get Annabeth and I. When we arrived, Argus the many-eyed security guard was in the corner, a silent sentinel, Annabeth picked up a wash-cloth and dabbed at Percy's forehead, Percy's eyes slowly opened, "here we are again," he said smiling weakly.
"You idiot," she said, although the statement was without malice, "you were swollen and oozing when Janet got you back here, if it weren't for Chiron's magic and Michael being the Son of Apollo."
"Now, now," Chiron said wheeling himself over, "Percy's constitution deserves some of the credit, how do you feel?"
"Like my insides have been frozen and then microwaved."
"How would you know what that feels like?" I asked, Percy smiled.
"Who did this to you?"
'"Luke," he said taking a sip of nectar from a cup on the night-stand, "we went out into the woods to hunt the monsters,. Luke brought some cola, we couldn't find any monsters, so we sat by the creek and drank the cola, Luke ranted and ranted and ranted, he admitted to stealing the Master Bolt and the Helm of Shadows, he talked about talking Ares into helping him, he summoned the hell-hound, he sabotaged the shoes, worst of all, he's working with Kronos," the room darkened and the sky rumbled, we all glared at him.
"Told you so," I muttered.
"I can't believe Luke," Annabeth cut herself off and frowned in thought, when she then started talking she sounded close to tears, "yes, yes, I can believe it. May the Gods curse him... He was never the same after his quest," I nodded angrily.
"This must be reported to Olympus," Chiron murmured, "I will leave at once."
"Luke is out there..." Percy started.
"No," I cut him off, he looked surprised, "you are not finishing that train of thought, Luke is running around with Titan magic, a titan's backing and, you know, the fact he's the best swordsman this camp has seen in at least forty years. He also has a head start and can't be found by tracking spells, it would be better to talk to the Gods and the Aurors."
"The who?"
"No, not The Who, they're a bit busy, Aurors, they are the magical police, if anyone can find Luke it'll be the Aurors."
"The Gods won't talk about Chronos," the room darkened and thunder rumbled, we all glared at him," Zeus declared the matter closed," he struggled to rise.
"Percy, Janet's right, I know this is hard, but you must not rush out in vengeance, you are not ready," Percy slumped.
"Chiron, your prophecy, from the Oracle, it was about Chronos (thunder thunder) wasn't it? Was I in it? And Annabeth?"
"Percy, it's not my place," Chiron said glancing upward, waiting for thunder.
"You've been ordered not to talk to me about it, haven't you?"
"It's not just you, I've been bugging him to tell me for two years now," I said.
Chiron nodded sadly, "you will be a great hero, child. I will do my best to prepare you, but if I'm right about the path ahead of you," he was cut off by a boom of thunder, "all right, fine," he shouted. Chiron sighed, "the gods have their reasons Percy, knowing too much of your future is never a good thing."
"We can't just sit back and do nothing," Percy grumbled.
"We aren't, the Aurors will be asked to look for him, they will find him Percy," I said before leaving the room, I had to prepare for the next day, we were returning to England for year two at Hogwarts.