Hey guys! thanks so much for all the reveiws and commemnts! I forgot 2 add this in last time but all rights go to Rick Riordan except for the characters i've made up etc.
Thank the gods its winter break so i can keep writing without having 2 do homework! (sorry if this chapter's a little long i had so many ideas)
"Proofread carefully to see if you any words out."
"What is that?" She asked pointing at my neck. I glanced down to find a simple leather chord with four clay beads strung around it. They had the strangest of designs on them. The first bead was pitch black with a sea green trident painted on it. The second had a golden fleece and the third was an intricate maze design. The last one though was the oddest of all. It had picture of the empire state building with tiny lettering written around too tiny for me to make out. It created a sense of sadness for me along with victory and hope.
"I don't know." I said sadly. Here was something that should have helped me remember something, anything. Yet all my mind drew up was a blank. I undid it from my neck and glared at it angrily. Why can't I remember?
Before Hazel could ask any more questions a large crash sounded behind us. I quickly double knotted the necklace around my neck and held out my sword at the ready.
"Guys…" Gwen said. "We should get back to camp. We do not need to pick a fight with whatever that is." She looked meaningfully at Reyna as if to say You know why. I was about to ask why, I mean they were all fully dressed in armor, but the decision was set.
Reyna sighed and said calmly, "Ok everyone back to camp where we can figure out what to do with our problem." But I saw her lips move as if to add an s to that. What other problems do they have? I wondered. "Follow," Reyna ordered. Without any choice I followed with Bobby directly in back obviously keeping an eye on me.
We kept a forced march through the slightly snowy forest. It was strange how they were all in step with each other even spread out. It was just too uncanny. I got extremely bored on the way to their camp. They marched in silence but I kept fumbling with my sword. I needed something to do. Experimentally I took the pen cap and touched it to the tip of the sword. Instantly it shrunk back into pen form. Hazel kept glaring at my necklace which made me extremely uncomfortable. After an hour of marching I couldn't take it anymore.
"So," I said feebly trying to start a conversation, "Where is your camp?"
Bobby scoffed, "You don't really think we'd bring a complete stranger to our camp. Especially one who can't remember who he is." Reyna suddenly went rigid but kept walking, stiffer now but didn't break the pace.
"So then where are we going?"
"To the Wolf House."
"What?" I asked. Bobby just smiled. We marched onward until the trees opened up to reveal a huge ruin of red and gray stones that looked scorched from a fire. It resembled a house just that the all of the wood had been burned and most turned to ashes. So it looked absolutely nothing like a house.
"What now?" I asked as they began to settle down.
"We wait," Reyna said, "I want to see what Lupa will do with this… particular demigod."
Great, I thought, I'm dead. So we waited, and waited. Then guess what we waited some more. Reyna began talking to Dakota in harsh whispers.
"You don't honestly think this is him." Dakota said a little shocked.
"Look at the facts," Reyna hissed. "Its three days after Jason disappeared and look at him." She looked towards me but I had noticed that her voice was strained when she had said Jason's name. "He matches the goddess's description perfectly."
"Ok so he's probably sixteen and he has amnesia. It's not that uncommon for demigods."
"He came from nowhere!" She insisted . "It has to be him. What's with the beads on his necklace? I only recognize two of the symbols. "The empire state building could've been from this summer but how he knew or gotten that I don't know."
"The other one," Dakota noted, "The trident. You don't think he could be…"
"I don't know. But that means…
"I don't even want to think about it."
"So Neptune…"
"What about the oath…"
"The prophecy…" They both stopped as the sudden shock of whatever this prophecy thing was.
They caught me looking and started talking in a different language that I couldn't even begin to make out. I only caught a few words like Jason and, my name. This was really frustrating. These people knew something I didn't and they weren't telling me. Something told me this wasn't the first time.
Suddenly a large crash sounded from the other side of the clearing. We all jumped to our feet. "That's not Lupa," Gwen said.
"Of course," Reyna muttered, "Just something else trying to kill us."
Out of the woods burst an old… acquaintance. A half-man, half-bull charged from the undergrowth wearing nothing but his tidy whities. It would have been hilarious had it not have been carrying a huge battle ax. Oddly enough I only felt extreme annoyance. Why can't this guy just die already! I thought. Wait a sec, already?
"Great," I muttered. "Another thing that makes absolutely no sense." Lucky for me the beast saw me, mooed, and charged. Reyna who had left her bow on the grass too far away raced for it. Gwen pulled out her sword, Bobby snarled and Hazel snatched her daggers. Because I was just so smart I did the logical thing and charged it.
I uncapped my sword as I ran feeling the balanced blade expand into my deadly weapon. Five feet away I jumped as far as I could to the left. The idiot charged right past me and didn't have time to stop before he crashed into a tree. "Ha!" I laughed. The minotaur, That's what it was called!, turned around and I could see the anger burning in his eyes. He ran towards me again but this time had his huge arms ready to catch me where ever I tried to escape. I stood firmly in place and waited until the last second then leaped straight up into the air. I executed a perfect flip and landed on its back.
It grunted in surprise and threw back its head. Thing was this thing could only go forward. I held on as it tried to throw me. It madly swung its ax trying to hit me but missed epically. It ran under a tree and I snatched the lowest branch lifting myself off its back. Even angrier now it let out another horrible moo and turned to face me. I landed neatly on my feet and waited. Fuelled by anger it was rash and attacked very sloppily. It swung its ax, missed and I jumped at my chance. With one swing of my sword he vaporized into a golden dust.
Reyna's arrow hit the earth a split second too late. I looked at them. Bobby's face was bright red like he couldn't believe he'd missed the action. Reyna was flushed, Hazel had her two daggers at the ready and Dakota was studying me with fierce stormy gray eyes. His eyes were so familiar but it was as if someone had put up a wall to prevent me from remembering why. It reminded me of two images one loving and kind and the other wise, disapproving and angry. I shrugged it off.
I was expecting something. Like a congratulations, or Wow but no they just looked at me as if I was some alien. I was disappointed, shouldn't this be great I just killed some monster thing. Of course not.
Gwen came up and held out her hand. "Can I see your sword for a second."
"Um, sure." I said cautiously handing it over to her callused hands.
She turned it over and ran her fingers along the double edged blade. "What type of metal is this?"
I was about to say I had no clue but surprisingly I did. "It's celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe." I shook my head. "How I know that I have no freaking clue." I sighed my day was not getting any better.
"I always thought imperial gold was the only material that could kill monsters." Then she turned it over. Etched in the side was writing. "What's this?"
I leaned over and read it, "Anaklusmos. " Then I translated, "Riptide. The current that takes one by surprise."
They all looked at me suspiciously. "Before you ask I have no idea." Gwen reluctantly handed it back and took out her own sword. She held it out comparing it to mine.
Shaking her head she said, "You are one strange half-blood Peruses."
She shielded her sword. Thankfully we were saved from more silence by a giant wolf walking out from behind the house. Oh joy! I thought miserably. The wolf was giant with chocolate red fur and dark amber eyes that seemed to bore into the very depths of your soul. She looked omniscient but also like she wanted to kill me. Not knowing if this was a enemy I gripped Riptide preparing to attack.
Reyna and the others had all bowed and I stiffly followed their example. I did not trust them but I knew when I was outnumbered.
"Percy meet Lupa."Reyna said, "Lupa…"
She was cut off by a deep growl. Lupa snarled baring her teeth at me. "You, "she spoke in a way without moving her mouth. I could tell she wanted to kill me. There was hunger in her eyes so evil and infuriated I wondered what stopped her. Reyna looked thoroughly terrified. All of them backed away. I stood my ground confused but angry. How dare she accuse me? Then again I could have done something to offend her yet I had no idea of my past.
"Do you recognize this demigod?" Reyna asked.
"Yes," She growled. She looked at the others as if just realizing they were there. "Reyna, take them back to camp. We will discuss this later."
Reyna nodded and took off in the other direction. The others were right on her heels. As soon as they were out of sight Lupa turned on me.
"How dare you come here." She snarled ferociously.
"Um… excuse me.?" I asked
If one second she was going to kill me the next she looked as if she'd die from laughter. I thought she was going to burst out laughing, the expression on her face was just too much. "So you truly do not remember." She stated it as a fact.
"Look," I said, "I have no clue who I am or how I got here. They said you could help me."
She grinned (if wolves could grin). "This is not my place to interfere."
"Can't you give me a clue?" I begged.
"You have done greater things than anyone here has ever known."
"Great clue." I muttered disappointed.
She growled. "I have an odd sort of respect for you, but if you are to be my pup you will learn to respect me." I could tell that saying that first part was killing her but I didn't press it.
"What have I done?"
"I cannot tell you. Unfortunately there is no need for me to test you. I must admit you have faced great challenges. But the hardest is yet to come. It is a shame you are not a child of Rome."
"What do you know about me?"
"Too much young pup, too much. I wish I could test you but you have proved your worth even if you do not remember. I couldn't harm you anyway unless I knew your Achilles heel." Her eyes gleamed.
"My Achilles what?"
"Oh I have told you too much Son of Poseidon. I am breaking every oath I have ever sworn but I have been warned by Juno. I will not go against her for I too have seen what will happen. I will not allow you to fail."
She began circling me, eyeing me, sizing me up. "You will not speak of this conversation to anyone."
I nodded briskly I don't think I wanted to cross this wolf. "Then come. It is time for you to come to our camp."
She spun around and pelted off into the direction that I had last seen Reyna. Without anything better to do I followed. I sprinted after her surprisingly not too far behind.
Suddenly we burst onto a highway. Highway 24 the sign said. Instead of going across the road she turned and followed along the side. More confused than ever I ran trying to keep up. A couple of horns honked and one guy leaned out of his window and yelled, "Control your dog!"
"I'm um.. trying." I called back figuring I should play along. I don't know how they couldn't see Lupa as a gigantic wolf but I didn't question it.
We raced onward and not once did she break pace until we reached the Caldecott Tunnel. She finally slowed down to a jog and went inside. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the tunnel and I saw Lupa waiting impatiently a good fifty yards down.
I speed up and saw her sitting outside a door that read "authorized personnel only." She grasped the handle in her jaws and twisted. The door opened and she padded inside just barley fitting through the door. I looked around but none of the drivers seemed to notice so I slipped inside letting the door click shut behind me. It was a simple room, more like a janitors closet. They was a silver box with a bunch of cables hanging out of it on one side. On the other side was a broom and mop. Nothing exciting.
"You will not talk to anyone unless I give you permission." She said threateningly. "You will stick to the story I give you, no one must know who you are."
"That won't be too hard," I said mostly to myself, "I don't even know who I am."
"You will learn to hole your tongue pup." Then she added, "Put away your sword for now."
I capped Riptide and watched in utter amazement as Lupa place her paw on the blank wall in front of us. The bricks began to fade away, creating a large circular opening into a brightly light dirt tunnel.
"There are many ways in and out of camp," she said. "You will learn them in time. Sadly this one will have to be temporally put out of use."
"Why?" I asked. Of course I got no answer.
She padded into the tunnel and signaled with her tail for me to follow. Without much of a choice I walked behind her. The bricks reformed behind me and I thought, There's no turning back now. I took a deep breath and walked forward.