Hey guys, gets who got the urge to write more PenJackson updates, me! And guess who gets to read them, you!
Eelong, continued
At Kasha's suggestion the group decided to build the camp in plot of land located between Leeandra and Eelong, and based off of their current location it wouldn't take long to get there. Along the way the group took time to get themselves acquainted with some of the soon-to-be campers.
"So, has anyone here ever wanted to design a building?" asked Beckendorf as all the Athena kids raised their hands excitedly.
"I think we should combined elements of traditional Greek architecture with architectural elements native to Eelong," said Kluum, a Gar son of Athena.
"I don't care about the architecture, as long as we build the armory and arena first!" said Pirra, a Gar daughter of Ares.
"Well I think it would be in everyone's best interest if we were to build the cabins first. That way we'll have roofs over our heads," said Beckendorf.
"I don't know; that bit about the arena about pretty good, don't you think?" asked Clarisse.
"Let's focus on gettin there first," said Gunny.
Before long the group had made their way to the decided spot; it had lots of wide open spaces, there were lots of fruit planets growing everywhere, and a sizable lake perfect for water activities; the dense jungle not too far from everything, and neither was the major cities of Leeandra and Black Water; in other words, it was pretty much a tropical version of the plot of land Second Camp Half-Blood had been built on. Hephaestus had made good on his promises, as there was plenty of building supplies everywhere, and the nature spirits had made good on their promises to help with the construction.
"Alright everybody, gather round. Now I know that we've got a lot of work cut out for us, but I believe we can do it; it wasn't that long ago that many of us were lost, some of us thought we'd never see this day, but here we are now, and we can, gods willing, build a better future together. Just as even the smallest of sparks can eventually become the biggest of fire, so too must our camp begin with one small step, as I symbolically lay the first foundation of not only the camp, but our new future together!" said Beckendorf to a thunder of applause and cheering.
Over the next few days everyone was hard at work on the camp; it was decided that one of the first things to be build would be the camp's own Big House, so that everyone would have shelter while the cabins were being built. There was a large tree in the center of the camp, of the exact kind that Klee used to build their home in the trees, and so it was naturally agreed on as the perfect choice for the Big House. The Hephaestus campers made quick work of designing solar collectors for the power system, while the Athena campers had the architecture and lift systems constructed fairly quickly as well, and the Aphrodite campers tackled the interior decorating (albeit, with much quarreling with the Athena campers). A few short days later, the completion of the Big House, and a few other minor projects, was cause for celebration for everyone at the camp; after dinner in the Big House, everyone gathered in the amphitheater (one of the minor projects that had been completed).
Gunny waved proudly the group of beaming campers as he took center stage, with the rest of the Travelers and acolytes (who, along with the nature spirits, formed the bulk of the camp staff) were seated close by on stage.
"Hello everybody! I hope that by know you know my name is Gunny, and I also hope you know how proud I am of each and every one of you. This here camp's come mighty far in the week or so we've been here, and I can truly say that without you none of this would be possible. Each and every one on of you are very special just the way you are, and to celebrate how far we come, while at the same time looking to the future, we're extending curfew for tonight! Now, who wants to start the sing along?"
After the Apollo campers lead everyone in the sing-alongs everyone went on to whatever late-night activates they wanted, while the staff held at meeting in the Big House.
"First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for making it here; now, the gods have provided us with a supply of food, and while it looks like enough to last we're still going to have to figure out how to supply the came with food. Also, we've been getting along well enough bathing in the lake, but I think we can all agree a shower complex is in order. Lastly of course is the cabins, we need to decide whether we're putting them on the ground or in the trees," said Beckendorf, ticking everything off on his clipboard.
"Maybe we could sell fruit, it worked at Second Camp Half-Blood," suggested Clarisse.
"There's an idea, anyone else?"
"We ask the god," said Kasha.
"Mmmh, that's a bit of a hit and miss process though."
The rumbling of thunder rumbling in the distance made everyone choose their next words more carefully.
"I would like to start by saying that Zeus is a most kind and merciful god, and perhaps, with a little nature magic, that fruit growing plan cloud work," said Boreneos.
"Very well then, meeting abjured, and if you'll excuse me I'm turning in for an early night," Beckendorf yawned.
Beckendorf made his way to the room he shared with Gunny and Boon; he couldn't have been asleep for longer than a few minutes before there was a knock at the door.
"Psss…you awake?" whispered Clarisse.
"I am now; what do you need?"
"Just checking in on you; you've seen really out of it lately."
"Guess I've been a little over worked. Gods, I never knew how much work it took to build a camp, and that's not even getting into running everything!" said Beckendorf.
"Here's hoping we don't turn out like Mr. D!" laughed Clarisse, but soon she stop when she saw Beckendorf wasn't laughing.
"I'm sorry, I probably would find that funnier if I wasn't so tired."
"You and me both. Listen, what do you say tomorrow we sleep in, and then we go off and do something."
"Like what?"
"Whatever you want, we could hunt something, reread Silena's journals, or you could forge stuff and I could chat with you on the side. Point is, one way or another you're taking the day off, even if I gotta drag you off to it!"
"Not so loud!" groaned Beckendorf. "Okay, but even if I said yes who could watch the campers?"
"Gunny, Kasha, Boon, and the satyrs got it covered. Now get some rest, big day tomorrow," said Clarisse, and without another word, Beckendorf was out like a light.
The next morning Beckendorf awoke feeling more rested than he could ever remember being; the next thing he knew he found Clarisse forcing a spear into his hands.
"Oh good, you're up. Get dressed, we're in for a little battle I like to call Demigods vs. Wild!" said Clarisse, a crazed look wild in her eyes.
"Oh gods, what broke into the camp? I told the satyrs and dryads we couldn't put off establishing the magical barriers…"
"Relax dude, I was talking about us! We're going on a day's trip to pit ourselves against nature, like camping, but more hardcore!"
After packing all the supplies they need to set off (at least, according to Clarisse) the two set off into the jungles surrounding the camp. The first order of business was to find a source of fresh water, which they quickly found in the form of a river, and the next task would be to find something to eat. Beckendorf tried his best to walk as quietly as possible, but it soon became clear he was just too noisy.
"Well look who talking!" objected Beckendorf.
"What do you mean?" countered Clarisse.
"You're an Ares girl, sublet's not your style!"
Clarisse sighed. "You gotta sneak up on your opponent if you want an ambush attack, and it works the same way in hunting! Just, go pick some fruit or something."
Beckendorf sighed and made his way to one of the trees the blue apple-like fruits grew on; he didn't know much about which Eelong plants were safe to eat, but he figured he could make some guesses based on what he'd seen of the food he'd eaten.
"Might want to avoid those berries unless you want a stomach ache for weeks."
Beckendorf turned around to find Kasha standing before him. "So, what brings you around?"
"Gotta make sure you and La Rue don't kill yourselves. I'd advise going for the blue fruit, the ones that grow on trees," said Kasha.
"I kind of figured, but still good to know. Just a thought, might want to…" but Beckendorf stopped when Kasha held up one of the blue turkeys.
"You were saying?"
"Never mind, think that's enough?"
"Should be plenty, let's see how La Rue's been keeping up."
Beckendorf and Kasha made their way over to the clearing where Clarisse was cleaning the body of what had possibly been a monkey, but was now too mangled to tell for sure.
"What did you do, steal a Tang's lunch?" exclaimed Kasha.
"Eh, I call it doing the butchering for me…"
"And I call it spoiling the kill! You can't just rip into them like that, you've got kill and clean it carefully or the shit and things spoils the meat!"
Clarisse snorted loudly at this. "I've been hunting before, nothing's ever happened to me!"
"Maybe we ought to listen to Kasha on this one," suggested Beckendorf, "things might be different on Eelong. I mean, you don't exactly know that bird isn't poisonous."
Clarisse jabbed her sword in the ground only inches from Beckendorf's hand. "Suppose that's an idea, care to comment on that?"
Beckendorf was completely silent while Clarisse didn't waver her glare for a moment. "I thought so."
After some initial bickering, Clarisse decided to split off from the group and trying catching fish her own, while Beckendorf and Kasha wove a net out of vines and grasses.
"Why do you put up with her?" asked Kasha as she and Beckendorf worked on the net.
"I wouldn't be here if not for her. I guess…in a way I feel I owe it to her," replied Beckendorf.
"Really if it weren't for Silena you wouldn't be here, but that's another question. I might not have known Silena as long as you, but from what I know about her, La Rue is the last person who ought to be her best friend, let alone acolyte."
"You know what they say, opposites attract."
"But being too opposite can turn people against each other," said Kasha as she untied one of the knots.
"True, but then again their parents kind of have a thing for each other," said Beckendorf.
"Still, there got be something more than that."
"Well, Silena was there for Clarisse when she was having boy trouble, and when Chris went crazy…"
"Can say I blame the guy; I'd have gone crazy too if I knew La Rue liked me."
"Actually, Chris went crazy after he got lost exploring the Labyrinth and encountered the ghost of King Minos…it's a long story, but in the end he got better thank to Mr. D," explained Beckendorf.
"We've got plenty of time, might as well start from the beginning."
With the net some complete, Beckendorf help pass the time by recalling most of the major events he could recall from the camp he'd experienced over the years. Eventually, the two had netted enough fish, and Kasha had been brought up to speed on the happening of Second Camp Half-Blood.
"Damn, and I thought it sounded crazy enough," remarked Kasha.
"I guess, when you grow up with it all, it all seems normal," admitted Beckendorf.
"Okay, guess I can see La Rue and Silena being friends a bit better now, but still…can't get over how weird it is!"
"MST3K…it's, uh, a saying on Second Earth. It means, just go with it."
With the fish cleaned the two made their way back to the supplies, where they found Clarisse had started a fire and was roasting a fruit on a sharpened stick.
"You know, I've been thinking…maybe I let my hummus and pride get in the way of things," said Clarisse.
"It's hubris, but go on," said Beckendorf.
"I guess…look, I dragged you into this as a day off for you, so maybe we should just start over and make the most of what time we got left."
"Thank you Clarisse, that really means…oh gods! What happened to your face?"
"Oh this?" asked Clarisse as she patted the slash mark across her face. "Got into a scrap with a Tang, took it down and dragged its sorry carcass over there."
"And you didn't butch it this time! Keep that up and maybe we won't stave," said Kasha.
"Watch it Klee, or your next!"
As the sunbelt moved lower on the horizon the group roasted bits of Tang, fish, and fruit over the fire and exchanged tales of their various experiences in life.
"Gods, all the work that goes into running a camp, no wonder Mr. D's always so grumpy!" said Beckendorf.
"I say it's just him compensating for something!" laughed Clarisse.
"Speaking of, you don't think…I mean Gunny and Boon are responsible enough, right?" asked Kasha.
"I wouldn't worry too much…but then again Gunny is a one-handed old man, and responsible isn't a word one would exactly use to describe Boon but…we'll see in the morning," said Beckendorf, and that's all anyone said on that subject.
"Think so where out there Silena's looking up at us?" asked Clarisse as she gazed up at the star-filled sky.
"Quillan's in a different universe than Eelong," Kasha pointed out.
"I can wonder."
"She's thinking about us, I know it," Beckendorf mused.
"Hey, uh, Beckendorf?"
"Yeah Clarisse."
"Sorry today didn't go quite as planned, but if I had to be on another territory, setting up a new Camp Half-Blood, and…well, I'm glad it's with you," said Clarisse.
"Thanks Clarisse, and you know…maybe this is why we never do any normal camping stuff back at camp," said Beckendorf; everyone had a good laugh at the last bit.
Early the next morning the trio mounted their Zenzens made their way back to the camp. In a way, tough it had been a little crazy, the previous night had been kind of relaxing, and the group was in for pleasant surprise as they made their way into the camp to find that all the cabins had been completed. It had been decided that the cabins would be built in the trees, given the possibility of Tangs or other creatures attacking the camp, and they were much like the cabins at Second Camp Half-Blood. All the same, the camp seemed strangely quiet as they made their way within the borders.
"Where is everybody?" wondered Beckendorf aloud.
Kasha put her paw up as she listened to a faint rustling, so Clarisse heard it too, and it seemed to be coming from the cabins. Cautiously they made their way up to the cabins and the group found…that the campers were fast asleep. Though puzzled, the group soon found their answer in the form of a note on the Big House door.
"Oh look, they stayed up all night working on the cabins as a surprise for us. That was nice," said Beckendorf with a smile.
Over the next few days the Travelers and acolytes bonded with the campers, and soon before long they grew to think of them almost as much a family as the campers from Second Camp Half-Blood, and in turn the campers grew closer to one another. After a few weeks together the camp was finally completed, and a great celebration was proclaimed throughout the camp.
"We did it, and it's grander than ever," said Beckendorf as he gazed out at the crowd of happily dancing campers
"Yeah I know! Isn't it…Dionysus cabin, you are all officially cut off from the punch bowl!" said Boon.
"So we've got it all together, and then what?" asked Clarisse.
"I suppose…" but before Gunny could finish, a blood-curdling roar filled the camp and the music came to an abrupt halt.
A cloud of blood-red smoke formed in the center of the festivities, and out of it burst a Klee warrior clad in ancient Greek battle armor; it took everyone a minute, but soon they recognized him. He was Ares, the god of war.
"Alright punks listen up, because I'm only gonna say this once!" snarled Ares. "Olympus has been watching you all very closely, and a lot of us think things have been going well, but then there those of us who are concerned about the last time a camp was set up on Eelong!"
This revelation lead to a gasp and nervous whispering amongst the campers; the Travelers and acolytes exchanged nervous looks before Ares continued.
"Long ago there was a great trainer of heroes named Eysha; she was one of the greatest teachers of demigods in all of Halla, easily on par with Chiron of Second Camp Half-Blood. As time when on Eysha's students formed a city named Korr, a true refuge for all demigods on Eelong, but they grew cocky and thought they didn't need Eysha anymore; this lead to a civil war amongst the half-bloods of Eelong, but eventually Eysha and those who sided with her were banished from Korr, and those who remained in the city ruled it with an iron fist and increased in hubris."
"So, you want us…to find Eysha, and take back Korr?" asked Clarisse, sounding less confident that she had envisioned.
Ares' eyes turned to balls of fire as he glared angrily at Clarisse. "You know, prophecies are always useful at time like these. Here we go: Find Eysha. Go to Korr and overthrow the rules. United Korr and the camp. Now get it all done by the solstice, which is in about a week, give or take."
"Lord Ares, aren't prophecies supposed to be more mysterious?" asked one of the Apollo campers.
Ares sneered. "I will pretend I did not hear that, or I might be tempted to stomp camper asses! And as for you girl, there will be a shield waiting for you in your room, proudly carry it into battle or be carried back on it!"
With that, Ares revealed his true godly form before disappearing, as everyone looked away. When Ares was completely gone the campers looked to the staff for answers, and after a pause it was Clarisse who stepped forward.
"Campers! The gods have given us a challenge! We face impossible odds, but did we not also when we had to build this camp? We will ride to Korr on the winds of war! We will storm their city and show them our might. If you fall, know you will do so as a warrior, and that you are already in Elysium! We shall triumph on this great quest! And why? Because, We! Are! Half-Bloods!"
Clarisse's speak had stirred up the enthusiasm of the campers, but an important question remained: who would go on the quest. The camp faculty gathered together for quick-fire meeting.
"Well, who's going on the quest?" asked Kasha.
"Quest are usually done in threes, but I've noticed that sometimes they're done in numbers divisible by three. So, assuming Jason and the Argonauts is anything to go by, we can quite possibly take a large number of campers with us," said Beckendorf.
"Okay, but if all five of us go, who will watch the camp?" asked Boon.
"Leave that to us," said Boreneos.
With all the matter settled it was Beckendorf's turned to address the camp.
"As you all know, we are in need of campers for the quest given to us by the gods. If you wish to join us we welcome you, but any who do not join will not be thought a coward or uncommitted."
Before long quite a few campers had volunteered for the quest. After making arrangements to ensure the camp would run smoothly without them, the five core faculty gathered the necessary supplies, and consulted the map etched into the back of Clarisse's shield. Just as they were about to assemble the campers who had volunteered for the quest, Clarisse's acolyte ring began to glow.
"Gods! Talk about bad timing!" exclaimed Clarisse as the ring deposited another of Silena's journals.
"We can read it as we make stops along the way, but for now we ride!" said Beckendorf.
With the questers assembled the group set out on their quest to the lost city of Korr. Clarisse and Beckendorf were counting the minutes until after what seemed like an eternity, the group stopped for the night (given there hadn't been much sunlight when they started off) and unfolded Silena's latest journal.
Sorry if this seemed a little rushed, just need to set up the action. Also, I figured the gods would look different on each territory of Halla, so that explains why Ares looked like a Klee (and why Hephaestus looked like a Gar). Next chapter we'll catch up with Silena and the gang at Hogwarts as they prepare for the Quillan Games. Until next time, don't forget to review! =)