Chapter Six

A Revelation of the Coming Night

I let out a shaky sigh of relief.

Even despite the fact that I had no idea what I was getting into with this camp, it felt good that I was being accepted. Turning around to face towards the hallway I had come from, I exited the circle of light and stepped into the darkness. I strode excitedly towards the open exit, and then realized something. Hazel had told me that the names could be placed in the camp records so that they wouldn't be forgotten, but at this rate with all the new experiences I was gaining, I was likely to quickly slip out of habit.

I faced around again and walked deliberately into the beam of sunlight. The Senate was still discussing the verdict, but when they saw me still standing there, they fell silent. Frank spoke first this time.

"You're free to go Jason."

"I know, but I have a question."

"Ask away." He smiled, and I prepared myself for an exceptionally long explanation, but all that came out was:

"Where can I find the camp records?"

Frank and Reyna looked confusedly down at me, eyebrows raised, poised for inquiry. I thought for a moment that I had asked something restricted but was swiftly proven wrong by their answer.

"Camp records? For expenses you mean?"

"No, I'm talking about where you keep track of all of the people that have attended this camp."

"I was not aware that this existed." I stared at them in utter horror.

"You mean, you don't have. . . A list of residents?" Frank and Reyna shook their heads in unison.

"But Hazel⎯⎯ she told me…"

"What did she tell you?"

"She said that I could keep the names in the records!"

"What names?"

"So I wouldn't have to remember!"

"Remember what?"

My heart was racing, and my vision blurred. Already I had begun to forget some of the names I had for so long protected. For a moment I just stood there, fuming with rage. I felt that what had happened was utter betrayal, Hazel had broken my trust. The first person I befriended had turned out to be a liar. Frank continued to press.

"Remember what?" He seemed to be legitimately concerned, but my trust had been betrayed and I did not feel like answering.

My mind seemed to fold inwards on itself, compressing until it seemed it could no longer shrink any further, and a moment of profound clarity settled upon me. It did not matter whether he cared, or if he would betray me like Hazel. All that mattered was that he needed to UNDERSTAND.

My mind focused and changed, pressing inwards once more. There was a sudden snap and my emotions, thoughts, and every single shard of consciousness shot out like an invisible beam from my head, and I felt its presence penetrate Frank and Reyna's own minds.

Their eyes shot open, and they clutched their heads. Understanding suffused their minds and I drew back, relief flooding through me as my consciousness returned to my own body. After a moment, I turned around and stormed out of the chamber.

"Jason!" Reyna yelled, but I was in no mood to listen. My eyes narrowed and I sucked in a sharp breath, my forehead suddenly aching. There was a stinging pain and I crumpled to the floor, shaking in agony. My head slammed against the cold stone floor and stars danced before my eyes.

When I could see again, Reyna and Frank stood over me, expressions worried. The pain reduced to a dull throb, but every few pulses, the sharp knife slipped in and out in a quick stab.

"Jason!"

"I'm fine." I lied, hands once more clutching at my temples.

"Did you just show us⎯⎯⎯ the kids? Dying in the street?" Frank asked.

"Yes, well at least I think I did." I choked out, sobs racking my chest each time the invisible knife penetrated my skull. The two praetors thought for a moment, then in a simultaneous realization, they looked at each other and both mouthed a silent, "Oh."

"Are those. . . Those kids that were dying, the demigods that were in the streets, are those the names you were talking about?" Reyna asked quietly. I barely registered the question, being so delirious with pain that it was hard to think straight and instead, asked one of my own.

"Why does it hurt so bad?"

"All powers come with a price. You can understand people better than even themselves, and then to lose them, that's going to hurt a lot."

"No, not that, why does my head hurt so bad?"

"Your head?"

"It feels like someone's stabbing a knife through it."

"I think you hit your head hard, that's why."

"No, it hurt before that, its why I fell down, why I hit my head."

"Well, I think its nothing our healers can't fix." She responded, nodding her head. I closed my eyes, and the darkness at the edges of my consciousness rushed over me.

The three men looked down upon the crowd of children, some only infants, some almost to adolescence. The grand, dark hall was filled to brimming with them, their whispers almost a roar in conjunction with each other. The three men were cloaked in black cloth, and each wore a silver crown upon their heads. They were speaking amongst themselves.

"There are so many. More than I had realized."

"Their parents must learn."

"Aeacus, no. We must not suspend impartial justice for sake of malice."

"It IS justice, they are half breeds, born out of sudden desire. Why should we care of their happiness? They were destined for misfortune on the day they were conceived."

"This is not right."

"Of course it isn't, the gods make too much of a habit of these affairs. They care nothing for the children they spawn."

"You cannot make accusations; you know you are in no position to do so."

"Silence Minos."

I struggled through the crowd, pushing past whispering children. I knew some of them, knew them by name, and knew the deepest secrets of their hearts. Every single child that had perished on the streets of San Francisco was here. Horrifyingly, they seemed to be among the minority of the vast number present. I assumed that the others here had suffered the same fate.

Eventually, I made it to the front of the crowd where the three men looked over the churning mass of bodies and faces. The men's gazes turned towards me and looked me up and down. The middle figure's gaunt face became filled with fright and terror as he looked at me. The two others bowed their heads in somber silence. The middle one pointed at me and cried:

"No, not you! Anyone but you!"

I woke with a start and found myself in white cot. It wasn't the coffee shop, it seemed to be a hospital room; all the patients arrayed around me in orderly rows. My head still ached from what had happened.

Was it a nightmare? Did it mean anything? Who was Aeacus, and why was he terrified by me? Why were all the children in that chamber? The questions swarmed throughout my thoughts, but I couldn't answer any of them.

After a minute, a young boy walked over and sat down in a chair next to the cot, he was a healer, as he told me when he settled into the chair.

"How are you doing?"

"Fine, I guess."

"That's good, we've been soaking your head with unicorn horn shavings to help with that nasty concussion you sustained yesterday."

"Yeah, there's still a little pain, but it's much better than yesterday." I said rubbing the back of my head.

He nodded, satisfied, and got up to leave. As he stood, he looked down at a note on the bedside table. He picked it up and handed it to me.

"I didn't read it, but you probably should. And quick, its from Reyna. It's probably important."

Turning, he strode off to check on other patients. I looked down at the note, scrawled hastily on a sheet of notebook paper. It read:

Jason, after what you showed Frank and I yesterday, I need to talk with you. What I saw has even greater implications than you might realize. The fates of demigods, humans, and gods hang in the balance. What you have seen and heard is evidence for something that could start a revolution. If word gets around… It's best if we meet in person.

We have much to talk about.

-Reyna Ramirez-Arellano