Something is...wrong

|Chapter 16| The chapter in which everyone realises everything is going wrong, but I fail to tell you what is going on until the very end

Chris Rodriguez watched his teacher, not even trying to pretend like he was interested. The school year would be over soon enough anyway.

He tapped his pen against his paper and scratched out a note or two, a jumble of mindless words his brain could barely remember how to spell. He looked out the window and sighed. Then checked his watch.

The period was dragging on. Every second seemed to be extended, and he almost felt like he was in Kronos's army again. He fought down a shiver at the thought.

Loud footsteps could be heard outside the door, and he was turning to look when the door was kicked down. In the doorway stood a clearly frazzled Clarisse La Rue.

He leapt out of his chair, questions on his lips. What's wrong? What's going on? Why are you here? Are you okay? Are you hurt? What did the Stolls do this time, and do you need me to murder them? He couldn't get a single question out before Clarisse grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out.

He managed to halt them to a stop in the hallway, and he looked at her, absolutely incredulous. "What's going on?" he hissed.

Clarisse pulled him forward, "I'll explain in the chariot. We've gotta get back to camp."

"Oh great, the chariot, my favourite," Chris grumbled, wrenching out of her grip and choosing to run beside her.

Clarisse shot him a nasty glare, but he just smiled at her. She turned away, and Chris could see the faint dusting of red on her cheeks. He let out a laugh.

They jumped onto the chariot and the pegasi pulling it, took off almost immediately. Chris turned to his girlfriend, "You really had to bust down the door and drag me out, didn't you?" He said, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"I wasn't going to knock, I didn't have time for that." Clarisse protested, glancing at the pegasi. "We're not going to make it in time," she muttered.

"What do you mean? Clarisse, what's going on?" Chris said, panic rising in his voice.

"I'm not sure," she said. "I was in the area when Chiron IM-ed me and told me to get you and get over to Camp Half-Blood within the hour." Chris checked his watch. It was currently 10:49, meaning they had about ten minutes to travel from Phoenix, Arizona to Long Island, New York.

Chris took her hand, "We'll make it."

"I know, I know. I just can't shake the feeling like somethings wrong. Chiron seemed frantic, and him wanting us to get here as soon as possible, that's concerning." She said, running her free hand through her hair.

"It'll be fine." They sat in quiet for a few minutes as the ground below them blurred from the speed of the chariot. "Do you seriously take this chariot with you everywhere you go?"

"Possibly. What of it?" she said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Sometimes I think you love this thing more than me." He grumbled, sticking out his lower lip.

"That's not true!" she defended herself.

"You cancelled one of our dates because it broke and you had to make sure it was fixed." He told her.

"That never happened!" She cried. Chris looked at her. "Okay maybe it did happen, but it was one time."

"Yet you still prioritized a chariot over a date. Is it like your child or something?"

"Yes."

"Well congrats, when was it born?" he said dryly.

Clarisse shoved him, sticking out her tongue. Chris returned the gesture. Soon enough they were engaged in a shoving match until Clarisse lost her footing. She could have taken a plunge over the edge, but Chris grabbed her before she hit the side of the chariot.

He smiled at her, to which she gave him a death glare. "C'mon Clarisse, lighten up a-" his words died in his throat as the pegasi swooped over Camp Half-Blood, and he saw the issue.

A large crowd, some two hundred strong was slamming things against the barrier. He could see cracks in the barrier growing every time something slammed against it.

The barrier could keep everything out, but it seemed like they had managed to exploit its one weakness; if significantly battered down, the barrier would weaken and things could be let in.

Normally the only concern was monsters getting in, and they had neither the tools nor the intelligence to exploit the weakness. But this group had battering rams, grenades, hundreds of tools.

The couple met each other's eyes, horror donning on their faces. Because both of them could tell, both of them knew, the group was made of mortals.

Clarisse guided the chariot to the dining pavilion, and Chris prayed that the barrier would hold.

WE BUILD THE WALL

TO KEEP US

FREEEEEEEE