Chapter 11: We Bust Out Of Camp

I'd like to say the rest of that day went well, but then I'd be lying through my teeth. After the funeral Silena and I went to the Hermes cabin to see Luke, and also because we no longer had cabins.

"Luke, you in here?" I called.

Luke appeared next to me, "Hey Thalia, Silena." Silena blushed when he said her name. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," I said. "So, Silena are you coming with us or not?"

"I guess I should go with you guys." Selena thought for a moment. "Sure, I'll go."

"Good, we could use the extra help," Luke said.

"When are we leaving?" I asked.

Luke checked his watch. "It's ten right now, we'll leave at one."

"What about the harpies?" Silena asked. "Those things can eat our faces off."

"Oh, I took care of those." Luke muttered. "You two might want to sleep while you can, it's going to be a long night."

Silena and I didn't argue. We took an empty bunk in the corner and drifted off to sleep.

The next thing I knew Silena Jackson was leaning over me. She was trying to wake me up.

"Thalia Grace!" Silena said, her voice lower than a whisper. "Get up, we have to go."

"Where's … where's Luke?" I asked, barely awake.

"He's taking care of the harpies," she replied.

We walked out of the cabin quietly and we met Luke at the borders of camp. Quietly, he stepped out of the borders. Surprisingly a siren blared and the door to the Big House opened up. Chiron galloped out and yelled, "Get back here you accursed half-bloods!" Then he cursed in Ancient Greek. Luke took off running down Half-Blood Hill like a bullet flying out of a gun. Silena and I followed and we didn't stop until Half-Blood Hill was out of sight.

We ended up in the middle of a corn-field and we just sat there and said nothing, for a long time. Silena slept and so did Luke, but I didn't. For some reason I had the feeling a monster was coming and there wasn't really anything I could do but wait it out.

I don't remember falling asleep but I guess I did and I woke up to the sound of an earthquake. Wait a minute! This is New York, and I know for a fact that they do not have earthquakes, EVER.

Then in the dead silence, it was clear. The Dragon was back, Luke hadn't killed it. It just got tired and ran off.

I shook Luke's arm. "The Dragon's coming back!" I screamed.

He woke up quickly. "Oh my gods I knew it would eventually come back! Get Silena up, now!"

I went over to Silena and shook her arm. "Silena you have to get up!" I yelled. Nothing happened, not for a long while. Silena lay there motionless with no sign of getting up.

The dragon appeared and I was scared, gods was I scared. Scared for me, scared for and even for Silena. The dragon roared, it roared so loud I almost lost hearing in my left ear. The roar woke Silena up.

"Oh, Silena! Thank the gods you're awake!" I cried. "Come on we have to fight."

She pulled Riptide out and uncapped the ballpoint pen. It grew until it was a three-foot bronze sword. I pulled out my spear and we sprinted towards Luke and the Dragon. "Luke! You need some help?" I said.

"You bet I could," he laughed although this was no time to be laughing. I tried to stab the dragon but my spear just bounced off it's skin, which I learned was Celestial bronze.

"Luke, he's bronze! We can't fight him, he's a robot!" I screamed

"He has to have a switch, doesn't he?" Silena said.

"If he's like any other robot-monster I know his switch is right under his left foot. One of us has to go and hit the switch with our head and hope to make it out alive," Luke replied. "So, who's going in?"

"I will," Silena said. "I'll hit the switch."

"Silena, you can't you'll get killed!" I cried. Silena meant so much to me. Her and Luke were my only friends. I couldn't just let one of them die like that.

"I have to try, Thalia," she said. A tear ran down her cheek, I could tell she didn't want to do this but I knew she had to. Then she did something I will never, ever forget. She hugged me and said the most comforting words I ever heard in my entire life, "Thalia Maria Grace. You are truly my best friend in the whole entire world. These past two weeks have been the best in my life, thanks to you. I love you like a sister and I will never, ever forget you."

After she said it she ran off towards the dragon and waited for it to lift it's left foot. It did and she went under it and got crushed. I cried as the Dragon fell forward and we seen her dead body. "Thalia, I think you know what we need to do," Luke said.