Chapter Five
"Wow, Laya. How did you of all people manage to get a quest? I mean, Piper is one thing, but you're, like, three years old." A snobby voice rung out from behind.
Laya closed her eyes and took a slow breath before turning around to face her half-sister, "Ilana, can you please, just for once, leave me alone? I need to pack."
The girl looked offended for a second, "We all know you're not going to make it. Your cousin can't even use a sword. Your friend is probably too stuck in his books and pretending to be smart. And that other girl, ugh, I heard she's an antisocial loner. I bet she doesn't even know the right way to hold a sword."
There was a loud thump and both Ilana and Laya turned to see Ginger, red in the ears and a book at her feet.
"That other girl's name is Jayce, and you're really one to talk about knowing how to hold a sword. I would say she has triple the brains you do, but you don't have any." She snapped, before turning red. The whole cabin was shocked. Ginger never spoke out, always followed the rules, and never insulted anyone. Not even behind their backs. Laya didn't realize how close Ginger and Jayce had gotten after...
"Ha! Looks like the mute found her voice! Think you can speak a little louder so I can hear you?" Ilana taunted.
"I-I think I'm speaking plenty loud. Besides, since you don't have a brain, the echo of my voice in your head should be plenty loud enough for you to hear." Ginger said, head up, before walking out of the cabin.
There was silence before the hysterical laughter. Laya could really see how Jayce rubbed off on Ginger. She really could.
"That brat!" Ilana growled. Seconds later, Piper walked in, obviously in the Bunker with the oil smudged on her clothing. She raised her eyebrows at the laughter.
"What's going on?" she questioned.
Before Ilana could scream her answer (20% Truth and 85% Lies), Mitchell and Lacy quickly shook their heads and Piper shrugged before leaving again.
Laya shook with silent laughter as she packed away the rest of her clothing.
Minutes after she got her suitcase closed, Grace appeared next to her, "Here," she said, holding out a glimmering gold object.
"Grace? Is this your bracelet?" Laya asked hesitantly. Grace's dad was killed in a car accident and her stepmother was killed by a hellhound, so the bracelet was her only reminiscence of her mortal family.
Grace nodded, before letting it fall into Laya's palm, "I want you to have it. You better give it back, though. When you come back." Grace said, smiling with tears in her eyes.
Laya hugged her sister before following her out of the cabin towards the Big House, her duffelbag clamped in her hands.
"Make sure to pack a healing kit! You'll need one if you want injuries to heal right. And don't forget your toothbrush." Austin said, handing his brother the said items as he packed them away into his backpack.
"Make sure you say 'hi' to dad for us." Brianna called from the doorway as she left to shoot targets. She saluted him as he did so back.
"I will." Aaron reassured.
"Who is it going on the quest with you again?" Will asked.
"Luke, Laya, and... Jayce."
"Right. Luke and Laya are your friends, I forgot. What about Jayce? A random addition that happened to have the requirements?" Austin asked, spinning in a chair at his desk.
"Uh... Yeah. I guess." Aaron said, not really knowing how to answer.
"Aw come on. Even I don't need to have Dad's sense of truth to know that that lie sucked. Come on, out with it. Ex-girlfriend?" Will questioned.
"No!" Aaron said, quickly. Definitely not.
"Sibling?" Austin asked.
"Yeah. Suure. Did I mention my little brother was an ostrich with two heads too?" Aaron answered sarcastically.
"So what?"
"She used to go to school with Laya and I, that's all." Aaron admitted.
"There's something you're not telling us." Will concluded.
"And we will figure it out."
"One way..."
"...or another..."
"You guys are weird." Aaron said, not sugar-coating it one bit.
"Yeah, yeah. Here, Kayla wanted me to give you these, give us a call from wherever the hell you are anytime, except for when we're sleeping or campfire time. Other than that, free will." Austin said, tossing his little brother a small pouch of golden drachmas.
"Tell her thanks."
"Will do."
"Bring an iPad. You might need to do research!" Izzy called from the other side of the cabin.
"I don't think it'll last the first five minutes of the trip." Luke said.
"Maybe not, then." Izzy called again.
"Always keep at least one drachma on you at all times." Malcolm emphasized.
"Yeah, yeah. Got it."
"Luke! Heads!"
Luke looked up in time to see a paperback flying his way. Only his ADHD could have caught something moving so quickly.
"Sophia?"
"Take it with you. And you better not get it damaged. I expect a report on what you think when you get halfway, and when you finish it. Or else." His half-sister threatened.
"Really? Thanks. Will do." Luke said, fitting the book on the edge of the duffel. He knew it would only be a deadweight, but he needed something for his homesickness and the book was like a little piece of home to him.
"Remember your phone!" Daniel called from his desk. Although phones attracted monsters, they could still be incredibly helpful.
"Yep." He dropped his charger in the duffel and the phone in his jacket.
"That's all your clothes? I'm surprised." Annabeth said.
"I don't wear much. Besides, it'll be a pain to carry around anything more than this." He said, lugging it on his shoulder.
"Don't forget, always keep an eye out. Even when it's safe. You don't know how many times I've been attacked when everything looked okay." Annabeth said.
"Make sure you have guard duty when it's time to sleep. Even in hotels and inns. Not just when camping out." Malcolm said.
"Your sword's sharpened, right?"
"Always have a dagger for emergencies. A small blade is better than no blade."
"Keep an eye on your questmates."
"Make sure to take showers whenever you can, because you'll never know when you'll have one again."
"Make sure to stay clean in general. I don't care how long you're gone or how dead you look when you come back. If you walk back in here smelling like the Minotaur used you as toilet paper, I will kick your ass clear out of here and into Zeus' realm."
"And stay safe!"
"Good luck!"
And with that, Annabeth and Malcolm walked him out of the cabin.
"Wow. I never knew you had so many sharp things." Chris commented from his view on top of the quester's bunk.
"Really? I always knew." Petunia admitted.
"Don't forget to bring drachmas." Louis said, tossing her a small plastic baggie.
"Thanks." Jayce said, dropping it in her backpack.
"Don't forget to pay me back."
Jayce raised an eyebrow, "Then would you also like me to pay you back for that time you emptied a bucket of shaving cream on me, because I'm all for a warm up-"
"Never mind. It's on the house." Louis sheepishly remembered.
"Your sword all good?" Travis asked.
"Good as it gets."
"Need a dagger?" Conner questioned.
"Ye-no. I'll grab one from the shed on my way to the Big House."
"No need. Take this one." He said, passing a sharp and shiny sheathed blade to her.
"I remember last time we were somewhat involved in someone having a quest, it was Percy," Travis remembered, "It was Percy and he got Luke's winged sneakers, but we don't have another pair so we'll give you a nice an shiny pointy object that you can use to poke as many monsters as you please."
"Thanks." Jayce said, feeling the affection from her brothers and sister.
"What do you need with books?" Ernest asked, gesturing with his chin to the backpack.
"Eh." Jayce shrugged.
"You better come back, Jayce. I don't want to be the only girl in this cabin again." Petunia warned.
"What're you talking about? What about Ernest- oh wait, right, he's a guy." Causing her siblings to snicker and said questionable male to kick her in the leg.
"Our baby's all grown up!" Travis pretended to coo.
"It was only yesterday that she was drenching Apollo kids from rooftops." Connor played along.
"That was yesterday." Jayce said bluntly, but with a smile.
"Take this." Petunia folded a paper into Jayce's hand. With a flick, it was revealed to be a picture of all of them in front of the cabin. Of course, none of them were merely smiling; there were evil grins, demented smiles, and bunny ears, too.
"Thanks." Jayce found 'thanks' wasn't enough to give to her siblings.
"Remember. Come back. Alive. In one piece. Breathing. And then the next thing covering you should be us dog-piling you, not you being covered by a shroud. It doesn't work that way, Jacelynn Chang." Ernest said with all seriousness, before pulling her into a hug and noogie.
Soon, everyone was hugging her and giving her a goodbye-noogie, effectively making her hair look like a mini-tornado had stood on her head.
Jayce looked to make sure that was everybody and waved to two of the claimed-but-have-no-cabins kids. Siliva waved back and Alexandra just nodded. She ignored Anya's sneer.
"Make sure to show your questing buddies who's awesome!" Daniel called as Jayce walked out, flanked by her twin half-brothers.
Laya stood close to Aaron with Luke close-by. Jayce was definitely the loner on the quest. Not that she minded. She'd honestly rather be alone.
"See ya when you get back!" The non-questers said in unison as the four walked into the Big House, ready for the quest that might cost more than their lives.
Okay. I used a few OCs. Remember, I didn't need them made to be major. I just needed people.
Okay, so, so far I've used:
-Ilana, LuvPeaceCandy
-Brianna, Starry Sea
-Siliva, renegal42
-Alexandra, Hayley TT Showbiz
-Anya, jojoandkristinaRbamfZ