The PJatO world is the masterful creation of Mr. Rick Riordan. I own nothing.
In a war, the purpose of an ambush is to lie concealed and then surprise your target with an attack. So to set things straight, technically this was not an ambush. Two giant bronze cows charging up a hill is not really secretive. But you could call it an ambush because Camp Half-blood was not the least bit ready and was definitely taken by surprise.
Katie was in the Strawberry Fields when it happened.
Luckily, Clarisse and two of her Ares siblings were on Patrol that day. You felt the beasts, and then heard them, all before you knew what was happening. Katie knelt in the dirt barefoot, bent over a young vine, trying to persuade it to grow just a bit. Vibration shook the ground. Katie had never been in an earthquake before but assumed maybe that's what it would have felt like. Her bucket of tools fell over and she jumped out of her position on the ground. Frantically, she searched for someone who knew what was happening. She spotted Riley across the field yelling something and running somewhere. She saw him pat other campers on the back and pointing to the large garden shed. Katie and Riley were supervising the Hephaestus Cabin and the Hermes Cabin with their work in the field. She saw what he was doing. Rounding up everyone like cattle. In a real battle this may have been a bad strategy but this wasn't a battle. These troops were unprepared.
Riley ran past Katie barely noticing her beyond a head nod. She didn't know where he was headed but assumed it was some sort of cabin leader thing to race into action. Katie's gaze caught the battle on top of Half-Blood Hill. Eight campers suited up in armor fought against the monsters. The first thing Katie noticed was just how big they were. They were bright bronze bulls. At least three times the size of a regular cow, horns and all, gleaming under the three o'clock sun stomped around at the crest of the hill. Red ruby eyes the size of playground balls pierced who ever met their gaze.
"KATIE!" someone yelled from her far left yelled.
Katie turned to see Jake Mason, one of whom had been working in the field with her, motioning for her to come to the shed where he was standing. But the girl was frozen. In fear? In panic? It didn't matter. She was stuck in the ground unwilling to move like the plant she had been tending to a long minute ago, unwilling to grow.
A pull on her elbow woke Katie up. It was like everything was happening in slow motion, up until that moment. She turned to follow Jake, who had run out of cover to get her. His strong hands pulled Katie along. They ran as hard and as fast as they could will their legs to go. The two reached the shed, out of breath. Jake slammed the large barn door behind them and the pair rested their backs against it.
"Why, would you just stand there?!" Jake whispered between breaths harshly.
Katie twisted to lean on her shoulder and face her savior.
"I froze. I couldn't move," her voice filled with panic. Sensing her discomfort, Jake softened his gaze and gave is friend a sympathetic smile.
"Well," he said, "you are alright now."
"Thank you," Katie told him sincerely, "for coming to get me."
Jake was about to respond with some witty line about being her hero or something cheesy beyond belief but was interrupted by Connor Stoll.
"Hey! Now, if you two will stop making gooey eyes at each other, we kind of have to get back out there." The comment made Jake furious and Katie slightly blush. Then the girl realized what they were going to do. Connor stood closest to the pair, armed with nothing but a shovel he found from the back. Behind him were four other campers, including Travis, also armed and ready to push their way through the door. They were going back out to fight. Katie spread out her arms like a bird over the wooden door.
"There is no way you guys can go out there like that!" she told them.
"C'mon, Kate," Travis walked around his brother, "let us through."
"I said NO. Clarisse was up there, which means the Ares guys followed her into fight. If you go up there, especially unprotected, you will just cause more problems for her. Not to mention you could get hurt." Travis took a step closer to Katie. He put his hand on the wall above her shoulder. "Don't you even try giving me that look. Demeter Cabin is supposed to watch you all for the hour. I am the only one left that puts me in charge none of you are leaving." Katie meant to say it to the whole group but her eyes never left Travis' face. She knew if he gave in and stayed, everyone else would follow.
"She's right, Travis," came the unexpected voice of Jake. He had been silent next to Katie for so long she forgot he was there. "You guys! Hey! Listen up!" he yelled to the rest of the group that was scattered around the shed. "We are staying here. Make yourselves comfortable."
Some members groaned. But they all agreed and dispersed. For the first time Katie saw who was all in the group. Travis, Jake, and she looked to be the oldest in the group. The rest were all under aged down to at least seven. Katie breathed a sigh of relief. She was lucky they got the group to stay put.
"Thanks, Jake," she whispered.
He chuckled, "for what? Keeping them here? It was a good idea and the right thing to do."
"You really think so?"
"Sure," Jake put his arm around Katie's shoulders in an awkward side hug. "There was no alarm sounded. So it's not serious. Therefore sending in a bunch of barely protected demigods with less than standard weapons would be a terrible idea. Anyways, it was the counselor's idea to send us here, we are just following orders."
Katie stood silently for a while thinking. Jake self-consciously winded his arm off her shoulders. The pair leaned back against the barn doors of the shed and slowly sank to the dirt covered cement ground. Ten minutes of silence. Not an uncomfortable silence. A listening silence; hearing the sounds of the battle raging outside the doors and waiting for someone to bring them news.
"You know Katie, there is something I have meant to ask you about," Jake's face was scrunched up with a slight pink tint on his cheeks.
"What's going on?" Katie asked as a curious friend. The pink on Jake's cheeks became a deeper red color.
"Well . . . I know it's a way's away, but . . . I was wondering if, I don't know, maybe if you-"
Then a knock came to the door.
"Oh, Katie-dear," the voice came, a voice she recognized, "the coast is clear. You guys can come out now."
Katie's jaw dropped. How did he get out? How could that sneaky son of Hermes slip past her when she told him to stay? How did she not see this coming?
Without thinking, Jake slid the door opened, prompting Travis to come into full view of the furious daughter of Demeter who socked him in the eye.
"I TOLD you to stay in the building!" she screamed as he fell to the ground cradling his face as one of the beautiful blue eyes swelled. Not waiting to hear what he had to say for himself, because she honestly didn't want to hear his annoying voice, Katie stormed her way through the fields.
Reaching the courtyard between the different cabins she took notice of the after-battle events taking place around her. Dryads gathered around the edge of the forest hesitant in entering their homes. Counselors made their way with armfuls of bronze colored weapons to the armory. Katie could see and smell the ash of the burned grass on the hill. It scarred the camp in shooting star arc patterns. Clusters of campers roamed around wondering where to start. Percy Jackson was easily identifiable by his inky black, disheveled hair. He looked to be dragging his feet to the Big House. Katie wasn't sure when he arrived. The Poseidon table had definitely been empty both at breakfast and lunch today. The girl was not as familiar with the boy Percy was with. Though she only saw him from behind. Unlike Percy, this boy was practically skipping, obviously thrilled with something. He was taller than the son of Poseidon by at least a head. Both of the boys were wearing the same ridiculous sky-blue shorts and tie-dye shirts that were full of burn holes it was a wonder that they still covered skin. One thing was for sure, those boys were in for nothing good entering the Big House.
The angry brown-haired girl marched though the demigods around her into Cabin Four. It was times like this that she thought of her half-sister, Jaz. She always had a way of harnessing her anger. She didn't let it get the better of her. She used it to her advantage. It was a trick she said made her a wiser warrior.
Katie sat down on the third step to the front door. The stair creaked as her weight shifted forward, her elbows resting on her knees. Her palms rested just above her eyebrows, most likely transferring the dirt that covered her forehead. She didn't know how long she sat there. All sorts of thoughts raced through her head. Katie wasn't even sure what happened or what came over her. She just reacted on instinct.
"You know," a chipper voice said, "after all these years I still laugh every time Travis comes to the Apollo cabin for help after you beat him up."
"Glad you get kick out of it," Katie looked up to see Michael Yew, her protector and friend, leaning on the porch post smiling at her. Katie wiped the grime off her face with her sleeve and smiled back at him. "Maybe one of these days he will learn not to mess with me."
"Oh, I highly doubt it. Anyways, I came with a warning for you."
Katie's face wrinkled with confusion. A warning?
Michael leaned down to where the girl sat and whispered into her ear, "He's coming this way."
Katie pulled back with surprise, her eyes wide.
"Be nice," Michael winked at her, laughed, and walked away towards his cabin.
Be nice!? Ha! Like it was possible for Katie Gardner to be to Travis Stoll when he was being an idiot? That would be a crime.
Travis right eye was bright with excitement. The other one? Well, it was dark with a purple bruise forming. His steps were light as he bounded up the stony path between the cabins. His face fell slightly when he caught Katie scrutinizing him. He skipped over as if it was purely coincidental that he found her sitting alone. Travis's curls bounced as he plopped down next to the small girl on the stair.
"So . . ." Travis taped his fingers across his dirty knees.
Katie stared at him incredulously. She propped her elbow up on her knee and leaned forward onto her hand waiting for him to continue.
"Do you ever think that maybe one of these days I will stop bruising all together because I am just that familiar with your punches?"
Katie's glare shifted. Her look seemed to say "are you kidding me?" She had to resist the urge to laugh at such an idiotic statement. Was this really all he had? His humor? That's how he was going to make things better? Distract her with ignorance. Katie's thoughts stopped her from saying anything for a while. Travis smirked at her.
Abruptly, Katie stood up and stomped into through the cabin door behind her.
"Get out of here, Stoll," she mumbled loudly. Katie pushed the door behind her with an excessive amount of force. She stood in the middle of her cabin with her arms crossed waiting for the slam sound. It didn't come.
Turning around, Katie saw Travis standing in the doorway blocking the way. He never would give up when he needed to.
"I know you are mad at me for leaving," he started.
"I'm not mad at you," she interjected, lying to both him and to herself.
He didn't take the bait, "Sure you're not," Travis answered sarcastically. "You don't have to lie to me. I know your secret and it's alright. Worrying about my safe-"
"What secret?" Katie exclaimed. It must have been a really good secret of hers if she didn't know it herself.
"The one where you are madly in love with me, obviously. Duh! Keep up, K." He lightly grasped her shoulders and shook her as if it would all make sense with the wakeup call.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down there. Madly in love? It's the opposite, really. Oh my gods!" Katie put both of her hand on her head. She raked them through her hair and spun around pacing the cabin. "What on earth would make you think that?" she turned on him.
"Let's see. Number one, I'm hunky. Who wouldn't love me? Number two, you seem to like to abuse me. Number three, the same as number one, I'm beautiful. God-like you could say. Number four, I can make even the goody-two-shoes Katie Gardner break the rules for me. And as you have, it has to mean something."
"What are you talking about, Stoll? Breaking the rules doesn't sound like something I would do?" Katie's brain raced to discover the meaning behind his words. Nothing surfaced. The sly grin on Travis's face told her that he knew that she had come up empty.
"Give up yet?"
"No," Katie snipped. She would never give into Travis Stoll.
"Wanna clue?"
"Get out."
She was irritated with him beyond belief. If this continued, nothing good would come his way. Katie stepped forward, hand in front of her, ready to shove the boy out the door. Maybe she pushed a little harder than she should of. But that was just a matter of opinion. Travis flew out the door backward and stumbled down the stairs until finally falling off the porch.
He seemed unfazed by the act. He stood up from the ground wiping his hands on the back of his shorts. Katie positioned herself on the top step, hands on her hips.
"You know, you should be thanking me," Travis pointed at her.
Katie snorted. "Ha! Why would I do that?"
"So, you don't know about Jake, then?" A devious smile played on his lips.
Katie crossed her arms. "No," she said. "What about Jake?"
Travis put his hands in his pockets and turned, "oh nothing."
The small girl's fists clenched. "TRAVIS-"
"Katie!" It was Riley who shouted. Katie hadn't seen him since before the attack. He was jogging down from the big house when he came to an abrupt stop about twenty feet before the cabin. It was obvious he had seen the ordeal between Katie and Travis. His red bandana matted down the sweat drenched brown hair across his forehead. "What's going on?" he asked. Riley walked forward to take the spot where Travis had just been standing. Katie looked past him, just over his shoulder, to the retreating figure of the Stoll boy.
"I'm sorry," Katie apologized. "He just makes me so . . ." she couldn't find the words.
"So . . . why was he in the cabin with you?" Riley raised an eyebrow at her. Katie couldn't tell if he was angry or not. There was a weird sheen of sweat across his cheek that distorted the figures. Was it a scowl or a smile? "You know that's against the rules for two people from different cabins to be alone in the same cabin?"
"No-no!" Katie took in a breath. That's what he was talking about! That stupid little son of a- "UGH!" Katie screamed storming back into the cabin. "I'm going to kill him!" she reached her bed, which was the closest to the door on the left side. At the end of her bed was a faded green army trunk. She opened it. Hidden under a layer of sweaters was Dunamis. The hilt of the dagger in her hand was comforting. Katie turned, ready to make a point, but Riley stood above her.
The older boy grabbed the wrist of the hand that held the dagger. "What do you think you are doing?"
"I'm going to go give Stoll what he deserves," she blatantly told him.
"No," he notified her, "You're not."
"Now is not the time to be starting trouble, Katie." It was the first time Katie ever thought he sounded like he was an actual leader, most of the time it was the two of them so they could get away with some mistakes in judgment. "Camp was attacked this morning. We know the border has been compromised we don't need to make a bigger mess out of today. Dinner's in thirty."
Riley sauntered off to the bathroom to get washed up. In a ball of frustration Katie let out her anger by jamming her dagger into the nightstand next to her bed. She got the tip in before she thought better of herself. Riley was right. It was pointless to cause more trouble. Katie took Riley's absence as a chance to change her clothes out of the sweaty t-shirt ensemble she wore in the heat of the day.
She pondered what Travis had said to her before. The rule breaking was clear though it slipped her mind during the moments leading up to it. What she was stuck on, however, was what he was saying about Jake. He said he had saved her from him. But what about him? He wasn't going to hurt her. He wanted to talk to her. What could the harm be there?
"Katie?" a hand flew in front of her face. It was Riley again. Washed up and ready to go. "You okay? You were staring at the ground."
Katie shook the thoughts out of her mind. "Yeah. Let's get going."
On cue, the conch horn sounded for dinner.
The sun was setting, creating a golden glow around the camp. Katie and Riley filed into the dinning pavilion behind the other cabins.
Ares cabin was already there. Sitting in a tight bunch, still wearing their weapons, armor and sweat from the battle. Clarisse looked utterly pleased with herself. The sandy-haired Athena cabin was talking in quiet whispers amongst each other. Annabeth had visible lines of tears cutting down her cheeks like wax on a candle. It was obvious she was trying to wash them away with the back of her hand but it had only made her face redder with friction.
The other cabins followed in behind them. The last in was Percy. He was still wearing his scorched gym clothed but it wasn't his fashion choices that ceased the conversation. It was who he was with. The bit Katie saw before, the one Percy was headed into the big house with, he wasn't a half-blood at all. He was a Cyclops.
Heads turned in their direction. The mumbling and murmurs of insults were as loud as the battle not an hour prior.
The pair headed up to the long head table at the front of the hall. The table usually reserved for higher ranking officials of the camp, Mr. D, and Chiron had a new and unpleasant guest. Katie knew that Chirons last day would be soon, but she hadn't realized it was today. His seat should have been vacant. But it wasn't. Instead the place was so rudely taken by the gray, spidery like body of the criminal Tantalus. Oh did he make the young girls skin crawl. The contrast of the orange prison jumpsuit and stringy white hair was enough to set anyone off.
Katie watched as Tyson was taken by a nymph around the back side of the table. She saw how Mr. D and Tantalus eyed him and smiled cynically. It was disgusting. Poor Percy slumped back to his table alone.
"This is going to be a long summer if I have to look at that every day," Riley murmured to Katie during announcements. He glared daggers at the head table. It was easy to see that he was uncomfortable with the new activity director. "He doesn't care. And this place is going to turn into a mad house."
"And now come changes," the criminal gleamed joyfully. "We are reinstituting the chariot races!"
Disbelief colored the gasps of campers. Tantalus continued as some Apollo kid shouted out facts. Clarisse even objected. Katie sat there quietly wondering if the world really was going to end. She was lost for a moment. Then, "I can't believe he is doing this," Riley said, bringing her back to life.
Katie listened again, "Cyclopes have a reputation for being bloodthirsty monsters with a very small brain capacity." She couldn't take it anymore. Calling the boy a monster. It was obvious he was youthful. And if the rumors were true he had saved the camp today. Here, now, Tantalus was talking about locking him up in the stables. He was the monster. He was the one who didn't belong here.
Then something astonishing happened. What had taken some campers weeks, sometimes months, if ever, Tyson a! Claimed, by the family of the very boy who had befriended him, Poseidon.
Needless to say, no one was in a sing-along mood at the campfire. The camp had been attacked and was being washed away by the death of a tree Katie could not save. The leader had left and was replaced by a monster; a monster had come in to camp but had been harmless. Yet Katie sat there around the small glow of the bonfire still pondering what a stupid boy had told her earlier in the day.
"Are you alright?" Riley asked her.
"You were right." She breathed and looked up to the boy sitting next to her. Her brother. "It's going to be a long summer."