So, got this updated :) It took some time, but I'm trying to write this with care!
Happy reading!
Clarisse
Glaring sunshine hit my face instantly as I stepped out of the rec room's door. I cursed and raised my hand to shade my eyes. It wasn't yet even six AM, and we had already had an emergency meeting since we couldn't know when that pusher named Meliza Nicoli was going to appear here with an army. Neither we knew how she was going to do that despite of our borders. Well, I think how she was going to come here wasn't the point, but how she was going regret it.
I headed toward the dining pavilion with the other counselors. Chiron had called the whole camp there to hear the instructions. We counselors were supposed to guide the campers to their positions and ready them for the battle. So, as we reached the pavilion, everyone was already there - demigods, satyrs, nymphs, naiads and all - organized in to pretty presentable lines in front of Chiron. They all were already in full armor. Chiron nodded at us as we arrived. "Clarisse, you should guide the campers from now on. Tell them our plan in general here, then you", he gestured at the other counselors, "each of you should take your own cabins and show them their positions more specifically. Where they are on guard and what should they do when the attack hits." He gave us a serious look. "I have something to do elsewhere." Before he left, he remained considering us with a concerned look on his face.
I stepped forward and the other counsellors scattered around and behind me. "So", I started in a loud voice, "listen up." I scanned the crowd ahead of me fiercely. "We don't know when they'll come, so it should be needless to say that we have to be on watch everywhere within our boundaries. That's why each cabin will get their own area, which will be on your responsibility. If the enemy appears in your area, you will call our forces there, and we'll built our defence in that very point of the camp. Clear?"
It was quiet, until a kid in the middle of the crowd opened her mouth. "But... didn't we have some awesome magic barriers keeping out the monsters and stuff?" She twittered.
"Yes. We should have. Any other stupid questions?" I said. The kid didn't say anything. Neither did anyone else.
"Okay, and for calling the others, you all will get one of these." I pulled out a flare gun from my toolbelt. "So, again, if you see an enemy army, pull the trigger and point the gun up." For example, I launched it to the sky. It bursted into green sparks a hundred feet above. "This is a Greek fire version, so it can also be used as a weapon. And, since Chiron thinks you need a reminder: Greek fire spreads easily. Be careful. If you still don't remember that's not my problem." Then I explained how to act when seeing the green fire in the sky. What kind of positions should be taken, and which way the enemy should be forced to retreat. The back-up plans an all. Well, the back-up plan was pretty simple: defend the camp with no plan or die trying. Anyway, it took only a... half an hour?
"So, Malcolm, the shield." I said lastly.
The stupid kid on my right passed me a polished bronze shield. It didn't look different from any normal shield, but it was a figment of... one of those Athena's mad scientists... no, inventors, as if it mattered. Anyway, the shield's point was, that it could show you different locations, as long as they weren't underground. It was way more handy than a regular battle map, since it showed you the turn of events. With a bit of concentration, I caused the shield to show the whole map of the camp's limits, zoomed small. "Okay, lets start. You", I shot a quick no-good-for-you-to-whine glare at Malcolm, "take your gang there", I poked my finger to the shield, which now zoomed closer to the scene between the camp's toilets and the cabins. "Your guarding range will be the toilets' surroundings", I smiled at him, "and the whole cabin area. So you should split up and patrol in every direction of it. And don't forget the tent." Our reserve base would be their tent - yeah, of course it had to have Athena's symbol on it. "Now, off you go then!" I shooed him to fade.
I sent the other counselors and their groups to their zones, and soon the whole camp was manned - and yes, I checked from the shield that everyone was in the right place. The Apollo cabin with their first-aid tent near to the armory, the Athena cabin with their tent and the rest cabins with no special equipment. I was about to head back to the rec-room which was to be our main base and where Chiron should be, but then something hit my mind: Jessica hadn't been with the rest of the Apollo cabin. The things she'd said the day before were still looming in the back of my mind. And now they were coming true - or most had already came true. Yesterday, challenging that Kayden kid, was clearly a part of that Nicoli's plan according to what she'd said in Jessica's dream, but I still couldn't make out the idea of it. How could making Kayden unable to battle today, had any reason? And if not Kayden, then had she tried to disturb Jessica's concentration? Was she supposedly so important? Was she going to take all the glory? At least that was what she was always after... Hades it could be maddening.
I noticed I was now walking toward the infirmary. Yeah... Jessica was probably there but... why had I came to look for her? To tell her to go where she should've been by now? No. She'd probably make it to the armory herself. To tell her about my suspicions and to ask her had she found out anything useful? Yes. And there was also a weird bit of... concern? No, it couldn't be. Or could it? Could I somehow be concerned of that stupid boaster? I frowned but kept going.
I stepped into the infirmary house, and yep - there she was. Asleep on her chair. I sighed and tapped her shoulder. "Jessica?"
She tensed and drew a hand on her dagger. Then she saw me. She sighed. "You."
"Yeah. So, you coming or not?"
"Coming where? Oh... Is it already...?" She lookead around and saw the light coming from the windows. "Oh."
I gave her a you-can't-be-serious -look. "You've been here since the evening?"
"Yep." She rubbed her face, still looking confused.
"Dude, we'll have to be ready to fight at any moment."
"Yeah... I'll just... my armor", she yawned, "I'll get it."
"And you slept... how many hours?"
"Don't know, I just fell asleep at..." She shrugged.
"So... should I even ask if you've got any brilliant new ideas." I wasn't sure if I should get mad or not. Somehow I felt a bit sorry for her, but her state was starting to bug me for real.
She turned to face me. "Actually, yes." She looked already more awake. Her typical, quite annoying I-got-this expression turning on.
I raised an eyebrow. "Spit it out, then."
"Do we have time?"
"Yeah, but... I think we should go to the base."
"To tell Chiron?"
"Yeah, and anyway, I should already be there, watching this shield."
Jessica eyed the shield, then shrugged. "Fine."
We went to the rec-room, where Chiron was, and Jessica told us her news. About how that Hecate's brat, Cara, had told her that Nicoli was in Nyx's service and they were going to use some kind of spell against us. And Jessica would have to break the spell somehow. Well, that would explain Nicoli's act yesterday, but it still sounded pretty... absurd. I mean.. glowing Jessica running through the baddies, making their little magic tricks fall away? Yeah, why not? I raised an eyebrow at her. "So, the plan is...?"
She frowned. "How am I supposed to know?"
"Well, your the one with those almighty, yet unknown magical powers, shouldn't you know?"
Before Jessica could lose her cool, Chiron stepped in. "Girls. If it really is the Black blessing... That teory of a child of Apollo breaking it is our only chance. That ability... as you said, it is very rare. The last child of Apollo with the power lived in the 1300 century." He gave a weighting look at Jessica. "But according to our enemy's acts, it seems that they believe us having a chance to beat them... Which they tried to blot out yesterday. So the power is either in Kayden or in you, Jessica."
Jessica bit her lip, like trying to think. She didn't seem too enthusiastic about possibly having such a power. It really wasn't like her. She was always talking big and begging for a beat up. Sure it was always hard, if someone you cared about got hurt, but... Well, I couldn't beat her up if she was like that. Gods how annoying it was.
Jessica pulled out her sword and handed it to Chiron. "I got this from Apollo, could it have something to do with the power?"
Chiron studied the weapon. To me, it could've been a bit less shiny, but otherwise, it didn't look too bad. And it was golden, which was Apollo's color and everything... "IliachtÃda, a sun beam...", he mumbled, reading the name from the hilt. "It could be a sign, or then it's just symbolist. I can't be-..." He was interrupted by a green flash on the surface of the bronze shield which was laying on the table for us to keep track of. We all turned at it right away, waiting to see some enemies, but there were none. I zoomed to the point where the flash had been, and saw the Aphrodite cabin giggling and pointing at the fading green light and one of the girls who was jiggling her flare gun through the air, also giggling.
I cursed in a way that made Chiron give me a certain look. "What? Just... Arrgghh!" How could they even be such bitches? What was even the idea of putting them into a battle? All they could do was gossip and do their little make ups which really wouldn't help them in the middle of an enemy army. And if something didn't help you in the middle of an enemy army, it was no use. Looking pretty? Oh, c'mon. wake up!
Jessica sighed and shook her head. "The first, and most likely the last time in my life, I have to agree with you, Clarisse."
Then an other green light flashed on the shield, and this one came from the shore. My eyes widened as I saw the scene: from the water line, a row of monsters stepped out from the thin air. And by a row, I mean that there were monsters all the way across the right side of the shield's scene. Tiny dots which were our camper's, backed up, forming their own line. The monsters stepped out from the sea, and behind them came the next line.
I jumped on my feet, pulling out my sword together with Jessica. Then we rushed out of the door.
-LINE BREAK-
As we got to the shore, the situation didn't look too good. Some other campers had arrived, but at least half of our forces were still somewhere else - probably thanks to the stupid Aphrodite's brats. We quickly scanned the battle, looking for campers that needed help most badly. Sad to say, but there were simply too many of those. So, we just splitted up and attacked the first enemy wave, Chiron shooting arrows behind us with unfailing aim.
A laistrygon was just about to stab a kid who had his back turned to it - slash! One laitrygon less left. An empousa plunged toward me, teeth bared - I kicked it in the chest so hard it became monster dust before even hitting the ground. I wheeled around, hitting my elbow into a snake woman's face. Then I easily finished it with my sword. Through the other noises of the battle, I caught a scream that got my attention. I looked to the left, and saw a little girl on the ground, a huge hellhound bended over her, ready to eat her. I pulled a dagger from my belt and threw it at the hellhound's lap. A drift of monster dust fell on the kid, but otherwise she seemed to be fine. I continued the battle. I slayed tens of monsters, but more and more seemed to appear from the waterline, patching up the front line.
Once, I noticed I had cut down all the monsters near to me, and I was standing alone in the only monster-free spot along the shore. Then a new enemy wave hit me, so I didn't have any time to take a breathe. Not that I needed it. I was fine with fighting. I punched a snake woman in the nose - which they kind of doesn't have but whatever. Then another of those tried to trap me with it's net. I grasped the fringe of the net, tossing it over the monster itself, then kicked it away. I let out a battlecry, slashing my sword through three snakewomen at once, then stabbed it in the chest of a laistrygon. These monsters definitely were no match for me. Well, that didn't really surprise me.
"Stay in the line! Don't let them get through!" I shouted, as the monsters rolled forward, surely trying to get to the camp. The campers around me kept the defence up, but more monsters were coming from the sea... The sea! I pulled out a flare gun from my belt and pointed it to the water line, where the monsters were somehow appearing. I pulled the trigger. Green flames bursted through the monsters. "The flare guns!" I yelled. "Point to the waterline were their coming from!" Other green fires were shot to the water, which was now bright green, since the Greek fire could also burn in the water. The monsters, which had been rolling to us by their superiority, couldn't now pass the water line.
As I looked at the monsters which were now collapsing in the green flames, it actually looked like we were suddenly just about to win. But being a daughter of Ares, I new this was a bit too easy. And I was right. Probably needless to add 'as always.' Anyway, suddenly the whole world turned black, like someone had just switched off the lights. And yeah, many campers shouted something like that. But I was pretty sure that wasn't what had happened. Much more likely, it was the Black blessing.
Hope you liked, and thanks for reading!
Rewievs are loved as always ;)
-Patroness of Athens