I'll warn you now. Writing this chapter made me sad. And if you're a fan of Buddy, please don't come after me with torches and pitchforks when you figure out what I've done to the dog. That would make me even sadder.

Chapter 23:

Saving Magnar

Looking out over the dark valley that was Camp Half-Blood made Jaden's heart tug. All the boy could think about as he gazed over the ruin of the dining pavilion and one third of the forest was that Zeus really was angry. He had just gotten out of Will's car and had come up the hill with Buddy right on his heels… and this was the first image that he had seen.

Behind him, he could hear Will turn his car around and drive back home. It was clear from the fact that they had dropped him off at the road that they didn't want the King of the gods knowing that they had helped the boy even just by giving him a ride to camp. But, unless he was that angry, Jaden had the feeling that Zeus already knew.

And the first thing he discovered when he got to the top of the hill was that Zeus wasn't bluffing about him not being able to pass the border of camp. As he got closer to the camp border, the curse mark on his forehead intensified with pain. It had started out as a small annoyance, but now, as he placed his hand on the invisible barrier in front of him, the mark burned like the god of thunder was shooting thunderbolts at his head once more.

What was more was that Buddy could sense his pain and frustration. The dog would look up at Jaden and whimper at him before turning to the invisible barrier and scratching at it. And every time he scratched at the annoying thing, he would growl. Eventually, Buddy gave up trying to find a way into the camp and curled up ready to go to sleep. That was when Jaden noticed the figure coming towards them with sword drawn.

The figure was still wearing black and had a massive sword in hand – its scabbard was slung over his shoulder - but what was different was that his usual black shirt with the right sleeve ripped out had been replaced with a new, skin tight black shirt with both sleeves. He also had an orange ascot around his neck like he was ready for a picnic dinner with his girlfriend. Chiron must have had a go at him for not being on border patrol because he really did look like he was ready for a night out with his girlfriend.

" You've got to be kidding me!" The sure sound of Magnar's roar seemed to echo through Jaden's head. " He actually showed up?"

At the sound of the possible threat, Buddy stood up and began growling at the older boy.

" Easy, Buddy." Jaden whispered so that only the dog could hear him.

" Why are you here? We've been just fine without you!"

" Really? Then why is Zeus angry? And why hasn't this storm passed?"

It was easy to anger Magnar, especially when he was already angry. The twenty year old's face turned deep purple despite the dull light. What was even scarier was that the older boy's eyes seemed to glow red with hatred. Jaden had to take a deep breath in order to settle his growing fear that something bad was going to happen.

Buddy, on the other hand, only saw that his master was being threatened. Despite having been told to be quiet, he instantly began growling at the threat. He even went as far as to start barking at Magnar when, sword raised above his head, the older demigod charged towards Jaden. All Jaden saw, however, was a flash of lightning before he knew that trouble had arrived.

It seemed to take forever for the lightning flash to disappear into the night. Everything seemed to slow down in that one moment. Despite the empty horror that filled Jaden's mind at that moment, a small part of his brain wondered if the slowing time was his doing. But final checks concluded that he was in too much shock to even lift a finger.

Finally, the light faded. Magnar had stopped in his tracks and lowered his sword. Jaden, trying to figure out why that bad feeling in his stomach still wasn't going away, thought that maybe the son of Ares had somehow thought about what he was doing. That thought was torn from the younger boy's mind for two reasons; the first was that Magnar was a son of Ares and that meant that it was very difficult for them realise the truth when they're angry; the second is that the son of Ares dropped his sword and collapsed to the ground.

The glow of his massive sword showed the culprit of the son of Ares' fall.

Magnar had been shot in the back by an arrow.

At first, Jaden thought the young man had been killed before his very eyes. He could feel the colour drain from his face and his legs start to go weak. But then he noticed, if he concentrated hard enough, that Magnar was still alive, if barely. That alone gave the son of Kronos some hope that he could save him.

I know what you're thinking. Zeus' eagle muttered in the back of Jaden's mind. Why? Why do you want to save one of those who tormented you and bullied you so much?

" Because he was one of the first to hate me because of my fathers. And I want everyone to know that I will never be Luke Castellan or Kronos." On those words, Jaden started bashing his fist against the barrier in an attempt to get Magnar's quickly dimming senses. " Magnar! Listen to me! I can help you! I can save you!"

Magnar somehow managed to turn his head towards where Jaden was and, in the glow of his sword, it looked like he was trying to say something. Jaden imagined that he was saying something along the lines of 'How? You're just a brat.'

It was because of that thought that the boy did something he would have only done in such a situation as this. " I swear on the River Styx that I, Jaden Castellan, son of Luke Castellan and the titan king Kronos, will save you!"

Thunder boomed… and it wasn't from Zeus.

Fearing that he was too late, Jaden began pounding on the barrier. He forced every inch of him to ignore the pain in his forehead and rammed his body into the thing that kept him from his goal… his promise. At one point, he glared at the statue of the Athena Parthenos. He almost felt like he was willing the statue to wake up and pull him through the barrier and onto the other side so that he could fulfil his promise. Even Buddy was doing all he could to get through the barrier.

All of a sudden, the barrier disappeared. Not having realised what had happened, Jaden went to ram at the barrier once more. He got a shock when he stumbled through where the barrier should have been. Even Buddy looked shocked as he ran after Jaden and into Camp Half-Blood. But the dog was wise enough to stay close to his master in this strange place. He was quick to follow as, true to his word, Jaden hurried to Magnar's side.

Jaden was scared. Any moment now, he and Buddy could be struck down for entering Camp boarders. The mark on his head burned so fiercely that he was forced to close his eye from the pain. Buddy, sensing his fear and pain, whimpered and sometimes even yelped, which didn't help him feel better. If anything, he wished that the dog kept quiet so that the other campers didn't hear and come after them. But those weren't what scared him the most.

Magnar lay motionless on the hill. He didn't even breathe. In the glow of his sword, Jaden could make out that the older boy's eyes were open and staring. His last words, unheard by all expect maybe the blue brindle pitbull that hurried after its master, were what had to have been the reason for the disappearance of the barrier.

The son of Ares was dead.

" No. No, I won't let it be!" Jaden growled as he knelt next to the body of one of the camp bullies.

Jaden. There is no use. No one, not even a child of Hades, can bring back the dead. You cannot save him. Zeus' eagle sighed morosely.

" Of course a child of Hades can't bring back the dead! It's Hades job to make sure that the dead stay dead!" Above, another crash of thunder sounded as a warning from the Lord of the Underworld. Jaden ignored it and broke the arrow shaft so that it was easier for him to grab. " I'm the son of Father Time! Father Time controls time!"

You do not have the full powers of Kronos.

" Kronos is only half of what time is. He is destruction. I am the opposite. I am peace."

By this time, Jaden was ripping away Magnar's shirt to keep any more of the fabric from entering the wound. In the back of his mind, he heard the eagle continue to explain that he could do nothing for the dead demigod, but he cared nothing for what the bird said. He made a promise and he was going to keep that promise.

There was still blood surrounding the wound in Magnar's back, but most of it had been soaked in by his shirt. Jaden used what cloth he had ripped away as a rag and tried to get rid of the rest of the blood. He didn't want to think about how cold Magnar was becoming or how grey he looked, even in the bronze glow of his sword. He just wanted to get the job done.

Finally, with a sickening squelch, Jaden pulled the arrowhead out. But that was only the beginning. Just like when he had first healed Buddy back when the two had first met, he was about to do something that he had never done before. Swallowing hard and steeling his nerves, Jaden placed both hands over the open wound and focussed every ounce of his being into reversing time. He was barely aware of Buddy's barks when he closed his eyes.

What are you doing, son of Kronos? The raspy sound of an old woman asked.

Jaden turned around to find that he was no longer on Half-blood Hill, trying to resurrect Magnar Forza. Instead, he found himself in his grandparent's living room. He was facing the bay window that his grandparents had… and sitting on the lounge that padded the window were three old ladies, each with a set of knitting needles.

All three of them looked older than the oldest woman that Jaden had ever seen and they were paler too, but thankfully not as pale as Magnar was at that moment. They wore white scarves and shawls over silver hair and white cotton dresses. The lady in the middle of the trio also had a rather large basket sitting on her lap with two different coloured wools resting inside. One of the colours was electric-blue, the other was a dove-blue… and the electric blue wool looked like it was running out.

" Who are you and what are you doing in my grandparents' house?" Jaden asked, now on his guard. If there was one thing that Camp Half-Blood had taught him, it was that appearances meant nothing to immortals and monsters alike.

I think you know of us. The old woman to the left said in a matter-of-fact tone.

As for why we are in you grandparents' house, maybe you could tell us? This is your own creation, after all. The woman on the right added.

Do not tempt us, son of Kronos, for that is a very dangerous thing. The middle woman warned.

" I'm not tempting you… whatever that means. I'm just trying to save someone's life!" Jaden snapped, remembering that he was in the middle of saving Magnar's life.

Ah, but to save one life, you must lose another. The woman to the left said.

Are you willing to make that sacrifice? The woman on the right asked.

" I swore on the River Styx that I would save Magnar Forza! And I don't back out of my promises!"

Then you have already chosen your sacrifice. The middle woman sighed.

That was when the woman on the left made the discovery that Jaden had made earlier. Sisters, I am running out of thread for this one.

Confused, the other two women turned to the woman on the left. To be honest, Jaden was starting to wonder why none of the old women had noticed the predicament sooner. He was actually tempted to tell them that their wool was running out, albeit when he was ready to leave the place that he had somehow forced himself into. Since when did he become such a naughty boy?

Perhaps the boy knows how to fix this problem. Jaden snapped to attention at the voice, only to find all three women looking at him once more.

" Excuse me?" He asked dumbly.

My sister is running out of thread. The middle woman reminded him. You obviously have a way to solve this problem otherwise you would not have come to this place. I have the thread, but it seems, in my old age, that I have forgotten what to do. And my sisters here have also forgotten. It seems that you are the only one who can do something about this situation.

And please try not to break the thread. The woman to the right begged.

Almost immediately, Jaden had an idea – one that didn't include using anything but the wool in front of him. " May I please take the wool from the basket?" He asked.

Unfortunately, the thread must not be moved from the basket. The left woman replied. But you may come forward.

Jaden did as he was told and stepped towards the three women. Even before he reached them (he didn't realise how far away he was from them) he could feel power radiating off them like heat from a fire. And the second he felt that power, he knew that they could, quite possibly, mean trouble for him. But, unfortunately, in order to cook, one must have fire.

It was as he was carefully tying the two ends of wool to each other - strand by strand - that he heard it. What made it worse was that it was familiar to his ears. It was the sound a dog made when it was in pain. Deep inside him, he could feel something slowly fading out of him like it was dying… something important.

Too late, he realised what he had done.

Eyes stinging, Jaden finished his job and stood up, but he did not raise his head from looking at his feet.

" There. You should have plenty of wool – I mean, thread now. Can I go now?" He grumbled.

There is something interesting on the Television. One of the old women explained. If you help us by turning it on for us, then you may leave. But only once the deed is done.

Jaden thought that his deed was already done, but he shrugged his shoulders and turned around. A heavy feeling in his legs made him drag his feet over to the television that sat facing the corner of the room and turn it on. The only station was a black and grey fuzz that made no sense whatsoever to him. He had no idea that he was being sucked into the television.

All he could see was the happy, smiling face of Buddy.