Over the course of the nine days, thirty-one campers died. Every night ended with the burnings of shrouds. Alex herself buried eleven close friends. Night after night, it was someone else, some other memories of friendship lost during battle.
For so long, she wanted nothing more than to prove herself on the battlefield, to live up to her parent's legacy. And now that she was here, she wanted nothing but to go back in time and punch herself in the head for being stupid and arrogant. She was quickly learning that battle was not forgiving. There were no re-do's, no water breaks, and no warmups. Fear creates mistakes, and mistakes meant that someone got hurt.
Alex saw fearlessness every battle in her mother, who worked precisely and dangerously. She made no mistakes, decades of training and experience showing up. She was once everything Alex wanted to be in a warrior, but now she understood why her parents winced when she said she wanted to see battle.
They had suffered for years to become the fighters they are today. Alex could never answer the question on why they would subject themselves to this, year after year.
Until, she could.
Ten days after the first attack, Alex and Sierra were on patrol at the Fist. With twenty other demigods on guard, it would be hard for most monsters to get a jump on the campers.
Drakons are not like most monsters.
The first motion sensor to go off was on the east side of Camp, far away from the Fist. Right as back up campers arrived to secure the scene, a motion sensor went off on the north side of Camp, near the Sound. As campers flooded to that area, a third sensor went off on the northwest corner of Camp.
By that third alarm, Alex knew exactly what was coming, but it was far too late to make a difference. Right as she called her peers into a defensive position, the motion sensor covering the area right under their feet went off. There was a moment of stillness as the alarm blared.
Then, the Fist exploded.
The drakon shot out of the now-large-enough opening in the rocks. It threw its head from side-to-side, spewing liquid from its mouth.
A few feet from Alex, a camper was hit with the liquid in the leg. He immediately started to scream in pain. From what she could see, his pants were sizzling and dissolving. She looked away when it reached his skin.
"Acid!" Alex yelled, "Everyone get cover!"
Thankfully, the exploded Fist had blasted large rocks across the battlefield, making it easy to find cover. She scrambled to get behind a rock as more acid flew over her head. Glancing at the nearby campers who had also gone for cover, she spotted Sierra. She poked her head over the rock to see that the drakon was occupied with some Ares campers before dashing over to Sierra. She crouched next to Sierra behind a boulder.
"We need to find a chink in the armor, but-" Alex started.
"-we're not going to find it running straight at the thing," Sierra finished. "We need to go around."
Alex turned to poke her head above the rock again, checking the flanks. She saw a flash of blond hair, realizing her mother had already come to the same plan. Alex crouched back down.
"Mom is already one step ahead of us. I'm going to catch up with her. Cover me?" Alex said.
Sierra grinned and nocked an arrow in her bow. "It would be my greatest honor. Come back to me, alive preferably."
Alex ignored the butterflies in her stomach and took off down the left flank. She stayed inside the tree line so she would be harder to spot, and the trees could protect her from rogue acid. She slowed her pace once she got behind the drakon's sightline. She could see her mother just a few yards from the drakon's body.
Alex looked back at the battlefield. Some Apollo campers were dragging the wounded out of the line of fire while others were scattered around the battlefield with their bows. Sierra was sending arrows at the drakon to keep it occupied. Ares campers were fighting the monster in close quarters combat. They seemed to be making up the majority of those injured, but it was amazing that any of them were still alive.
Focusing back to what was in front of her, Alex saw her mom creeping up the side of the drakon towards the head, careful to not get crushed when it moved. She had a sword in hand instead of her usual knife. Alex waved her arms above her head, and her mom finally noticed her and waved her over.
"I should have known you would have had the same plan," her mom said once Alex reached her. "A knife isn't long enough to penetrate its armor-"
They scrambled to the side when the drakon suddenly jumped to its right. Fortunately, the drakon was only attacking with its head. Had it chosen to move, it could have destroyed half of Camp by that point, but monsters are not known for being the smartest.
Her mom continued. "-so I'll go in for the kill. You stay down here and protect yourself."
"What? No!" Alex shook her head. "I can-"
"No, Alex. I will call for you if I need help. Stay in the tree line," she demanded before climbing up the armored scales of the drakon.
Alex quickly retreated to the tree line, knowing better than to argue with her mother amid battle.
Knife in hand, Alex waited. She watched her mother scale the side of the drakon, standing once she reached the top. The drakon was too occupied with the campers to notice the stumbling human on top of it. Her mother stayed low, moving slowly and with caution. Despite the drakon's sudden movements, her mother remained balanced on the monster's back.
Reaching the base of the drakon's head, her mother grabbed the sword with both hands and thrust it straight down through the scales. The drakon immediately reared back, obviously not enjoying the visitor on its back anymore.
As it started to flail, Alex could see her mother was in trouble. Her foot appeared to be caught in the scales. While she was still on her feet, trying to get free, Alex knew it wouldn't be long before her mother would be flying around like a rag doll with her foot caught.
So much for a call.
Alex took off, running perpendicular towards its head.
She wasn't going to be fast enough. Her mother was starting to teeter. And even if she did reach the drakon, what was she going to do?
Her body reacted before her mind. She changed her grip on the knife, holding it next to her ear. The drakon's head was facing to her right, it's eye a small target. She would have to be perfect.
Please, Apollo, let me hit this.
She threw the knife. It flew blade over handle.
Her throw was off. The blade was going to hit to the left of the eye, where it would hit the armored scales uselessly. Alex's stomach dropped.
Then, by the gods, the drakon turned its head towards Alex. The new angle was perfect. The blade embedded itself straight into the pupil, likely blinding the drakon's one eye.
But if the monster felt pain, it did not show it.
It slowly turned until it was completely facing Alex. Arrows and swords continued to hit the beast, but it did not notice. It was fixated on Alex.
She made the mistake of looking at its good eye. Her body immediately froze, the eyes of drakons causing paralysis. She would have to watch as the drakon killed her.
It slowly moved closer to her. The acid in its mouth was starting to bubble, dissolving the armor around its jaws. Its good eye was staring at her despite the other chaos of the battlefield.
Her mom was still desperately trying to pull her foot free, looking at her daughter in horror, unable to help. Her sword was missing. She was yelling Alex's name, but Alex couldn't respond. She could only watch.
The drakon was only a few yards away. It opened its mouth to eat her, maybe hit her with acid. Alex would never find out.
At the same moment, a single arrow went straight down the throat of the drakon. The monster shut its jaws in surprise. There was a low boom as the concussion arrow exploded inside of it. It reared back, finally in pain, throwing its head up high enough to look over a two-story building.
Alex felt a hand on her upper arm. The spell was broken, and she could finally move, but her muscles still felt like jello. She blindly followed the hand as it dragged her backwards away from where she was. She watched in horror as the drakon's massive head started to fall towards them, like a shoe stepping on a bug.
At the last second, the mysterious hands shoved her out of the landing zone of the head and into safety. She fell like a sack of potatoes, her legs refusing to work.
The drakon slammed its head onto the ground, causing a large plume of dirt and dust to rise. Only its green eyes were visible in the cloud. It turned its attention back to the rows of campers who were reorganized and resupplied.
More concussion arrows came flying in, as well as fire and sonic arrows. The quick and hard work of the Hephaestus cabin was paying off, giving the campers a second life. The drakon was starting to struggle under the new firepower.
The drakon opened its mouth to spew more acid only for countless arrows to fly into its mouth. Its jaws snapped shut again. When the arrows exploded, the drakon finally did as well, covering the fighting campers in yellow dust. The shimmering air was mortifyingly beautiful.
A whimper of pain shook Alex from her stupor.
There, lying on her stomach, was Sierra. She was covered in yellow dust but there were tear tracks on her face despite it.
She was the one who saved Alex.
Alex called out her name and rushed over to her. She immediately noticed Sierra's feet.
"It-It landed on my feet," Sierra stammered out. "I c-can't feel anything. How bad is it?"
Alex felt her stomach flip. "Uh, it's not that bad. Don't worry."
It was bad.
The only thing holding Sierra's feet together was her boots. Her feet were obviously dislocated, both pointing in unnatural angles away from her body. The growing red spots on her boots told Alex that each foot had at least one compound fracture.
"Just don't move, okay? You're fine, but I'm going to get help." Trying to keep her voice steady, she continued, "Do not look at your legs."
Sierra scoffed, despite her pain. "Not bad, my ass. Hurry please."
Alex ran off, calling for a medic. She stopped at every tent and makeshift infirmary, but every medic was occupied. The casualties from this attack were terribly extraordinary. She couldn't even spot Chiron. Alex looked back to Sierra, only to see her best friend looking too pale. Her boots were redder than brown.
She was running out of time.
Running over to her, Alex called out to her, "Sierra, you have to get onto my back."
"How?" Sierra pleaded.
"Roll over. And don't look." Alex helped her roll over, grimacing when Sierra screamed out in pain. She noticed Sierra's eyes glance down.
"Holy fuck."
"I'm going to put you on my back and we're going straight to the Big House. I need you stay calm and keep your heart rate as low as possible," Alex demanded.
"Y-yeah, I'm trying."
Crouching down, Alex positioned Sierra on her back in a fireman's carry as best she could before standing. While Sierra was on the lighter side, Alex grunted under the weight. What felt like hours of fighting was finally catching up to her.
But Sierra was in danger.
Alex took off towards the Big House, Sierra bouncing over her shoulders with every step. Alex could hear her crying out in pain in her ear, but there was no other way. Alex's legs had gone numb with the fear of losing her best friend.
Finally, after an eternity, the Big House came into view. There were tents and cots set up on the wrapping porch and on the surrounding grass.
Alex started to yell, "Help! She needs help! Please!"
Multiple campers came running over. "What's wrong?" one asked.
"Her feet. She can't stand," Alex replied, finally coming to a stop.
"A-Alex, I n-need…" Sierra stuttered. She was losing consciousness.
"Get her inside. We're almost out of nectar and ambrosia so we set up a surgery table in the Council Room," another camper, Rachel, said.
The two other Apollo campers helped Alex get Sierra into the house and into the Council Room. The ping pong table had been swapped out for a metal table and surgical tools.
Alex stepped back to fully look at Sierra since their dash over, while the medics started their work. She was white as a ghost and her lips her blue. Her boots and the tucked-in-pants around the boots were almost completely soaked with blood. She was trying to talk as she drifted in and out of consciousness, but an oxygen mask made her incoherent.
Alex knelt next to the table and grasped Sierra's hand. "Sierra, can you hear me?"
Sierra slowly looked over at Alex through half-closed eyes. She was, again, saying something but Alex couldn't hear over the chaos of the medical staff.
"I need you to stay alive, Sierra, please. Don't leave me yet, please!" Alex pleaded.
Suddenly, Chiron walked through the door, a box of medical supplies in hand. "Alex, you have to leave right now." He set down the box and put a surgical mask over his face.
Alex felt hands grabbed her shoulders, pulling her up and basically carrying her out of the room.
"Don't let anything happen to her, Chiron!" Alex cried out, feeling helpless. She was dropped outside the door and it was slammed shut.
/
Alex does not know exactly when her parents showed up. She must have been sitting alone in the Big House common area for hours. She had been offered food and water many times, only to reject it each time. Word had spread about Sierra's gruesome injury, and knowing their strong relationship, people eventually just left Alex alone.
Her mother was on crutches, nursing a broken ankle from her ride on the back of the drakon. She was expected to be back on her feet within a few days, thanks to the power of ambrosia. Her father was fine, obviously, but worried for both his wife and daughter. The three were sitting on a couch, Percy and Annabeth on either side of their daughter.
"Have you heard anything yet?" her dad asked gently.
Alex simply shook her head. "I don't know how long it has been." Her voice was hoarse from crying.
The family sat in silence for hours. Annabeth finally convinced her daughter to eat and drink for the first time all day. Other than that, they waited.
Finally, around seven o'clock in the evening and eight hours after the attack, the door opened, and Chiron walked out. He was obviously tired, and his shirt was bloodied.
Percy stood up first. He called out to Chiron, who walked over.
"She's stable. We managed to put her foot back together manually through surgery. The ambrosia should help the fusion of the bones," Chiron said, "However, her feet were basically shattered. We did everything we can, but she still might never walk without assistance again. Only time and physical therapy will tell." He looked at Alex. "She is sleeping right now, and I suggest that you do the same. Tomorrow will only bring another battle, and you should be well-rested and ready to fight. Our number of experienced and talented fighters is slowly diminishing." He looked at Percy and Annabeth. "We have lost contact with the gods and Camp Jupiter. It seems like something is blocking our communication from reaching them. The Empire State Building has been closed for maintenance so we cannot reach the gods for aid. We sent a team to California, but I'm afraid the help will not come fast enough."
"We're alone," her dad summarized.
Chiron nodded. "We've called in former campers for support, so be ready to see some old faces in the coming days. We will have a Council meeting tomorrow at noon, as long as no attacks occur at that time."
Annabeth nodded. Chiron said his goodbyes and departed to help others.
Alex sat deep in thought, only coming to when her parents encouraged her to return with them to the Poseidon Cabin for some peace and quiet. She followed behind them, still thinking.
When they finally arrived, her mother fell asleep almost immediately as her aging body was not used to the workload like it used to be. Alex laid awake in the bunk bed next to her parents, unable to sleep. Images of Sierra hurt flashed through her head every time she closed her eyes.
Around 2:00 AM, Alex heard movement from the other bed. She saw her dad sit up in the corner of her eye. He was breathing heavy and he rubbed his face tiredly. He stood and went to the bathroom, closing the door. Alex could hear him splashing water on his face.
When he came out, he was greeted by his daughter also sitting up in her bed.
She had been doing a lot of thinking since the attack, and she had come to an understanding. She kept her voice quiet.
"I understand why you went on the quest."
/
They ended up on the beach when Percy suggested they go for a walk so they would not wake Annabeth. He left a note so if she woke so she knew they went out. They sat on some boulders near the tree line.
Her father started. "I hoped you would never have to understand. But with Sierra…" He trailed off.
Alex stared at the waves, which always calmed her. "When she was lying on the table, I thought-" her voice gave out as her eyes filled with tears. She took a shaky breath as her dad put his arm around her shoulder. "I thought I killed her."
"Before I went on the quest, remember how your mom and I spent a lot of time at camp?" he asked.
Alex nodded.
"The same attacks that are occurring now were happening then too. That's why we kept you home, to keep you safe." He took a deep breath. "Well, there was one battle with hundreds of cyclops. At that point, we had been fighting for three weeks straight so our numbers were low. Annabeth and I were fighting, and we got split up. When the battle finished, no one knew where she was. I found her in a ditch an hour later, bleeding out from a stab wound and left to die."
Alex felt her stomach drop, the thought of losing her mother unimaginable.
"Somehow, the spear went straight through. It didn't cause any serious internal injuries besides bleeding, so ambrosia and a blood transfusion were able to save her." She heard her dad sniffle. "That was the closest I ever got to losing her. I knew I had to go on that quest to end it, even if that meant getting hurt." He pulled away from her to look intently at her. "I know we don't have a prophecy yet, but it will come, and it will call for Poseidon's blood. I can't make your decision for you, but the prophecy will not be complete if both of us aren't there."
"Is this what you and mom have been arguing about?"
He nodded, not seeming surprised at her eavesdropping. "Your mother is reluctant, rightfully so of course, but, in the end, we are the ones who have to walk through the Labyrinth."
"I can't keep seeing my friends die. Sierra…" Alex trailed off, staring in thought that the waves. "If these attacks are really because of us, I feel like I'm the one killing them."
"I know. I'm sorry," he whispered. "I should have ended this twelve years ago, and I'm sorry that you're dragged into this because I couldn't protect myself." His voice broke. "I would give anything to leave you behind, but it's the only way. We won't be able to stop her otherwise."
Alex sat up straighter. "Who exactly are we working against?"
Percy sighed. "Her name is Mesperyian, goddess of torture. My father apparently brutalized her and burned her with boiling water when she tried to ask him for help. She was left horribly disfigured. The Furies found her and made her immortal, forever able to bring revenge against Poseidon through his children. She had been in Tartarus for years, reforming. When your mother and I went into Tartarus years ago, she sensed me. As soon as she got out, I was her first target. At the time, you were still young enough that your scent wasn't strong enough for her to track. But she found Able too. That's why he was on the quest as well. Now, she knows who you are too." He sighed again. "You're going to find out, Alex, that this shit never ends."
Alex chuckled despite the hopeless undertone. "Well, then we might as well get started now. I've made my decision."
/
At breakfast the next morning, the Jacksons were delighted to see Rachel Elizabeth Dare come striding into the mess hall. With the blessings of the oracle, she did not look a day over eighteen years old. She greeted the family with warm hugs, having met Alex multiple times over the years.
She punched Percy's shoulder. "Thanks to you, I had an episode when trying to sell one of my art pieces! I was just trying to tell a potential buyer about which type of oil paints I used when all of a sudden, I was seeing none other than Percy Jackson walking in the dark. To say the least, I lost that buyer." She hugged him again. "I'm really happy you're home."
Her dad laughed. "Thanks, Rachel. I missed you too."
Rachel stepped back to observe the family. "So, what is going on-" She suddenly swayed on her feet and held a hand to her head.
"Rachel?" Her mom asked tentatively.
Rachel cursed. "I can't even be here for ten minutes-" Her eyes went green and she collapsed.
Percy caught her and set her down at one of the dining tables. Campers started to gather around them.
Percy looked at his daughter, and said, "Here we go."
/
Here's Part Two. Mesperyian is a made-up goddess, by the way. She's from some other story on the internet, so to whomever created her, hats off to you. I found her through Google, and then I added the Poseidon part to make her fit the story. I hope that's legal. Let me know what you think about these chapters. Sorry for the spelling errors or whatever. See y'all in six months.