"Oh Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, show me Chiron, at the Big House." Sasha said, and the image in the mist altered and shifted as she tossed in the golden drachma. She could see the rec room in the big house, everyone gathered around a ping-pong table. Leo, Nico, Jonathan, Garrett, Annabeth, Percy, Piper, and several other campers. And along with them…
"Uhm, why is Drew allowed in there and I'm not?" Sasha asked indignantly, and Ryan snickered.
"'Cause you're a child" Ryan teased, and Sasha flicked his ear.
"Shut up. If you and your big head have forgotten, I'm older than you. Idiot." She shot, and he rolled his eyes.
"Two minutes! You are two minutes older than me!" He hissed, and she glared at her twin.
"Whatever."
"Shhhh! Both of you. Or the rest of them will hear you!" someone said through the IM, and the two bickering siblings turned to see Nico glaring at them. He was seated on the right side of Chiron, and had apparently been able to notice Sasha and Ryan before him, or anyone else.
"Nico," Sasha whispered, "you don't mind us spying on the meeting?"
Nico shrugged. "Naw, It's stupid you guys aren't allowed to be here. Hey Ryan." He said, nodding to Sasha's brother. He returned the nod.
"Sup."
"Shh, it's starting," Jonathan hissed, and Sasha realized that he knew they were watching in too. She smiled gratefully to the son of Apollo, who grinned back to her before turning to face Chiron, along with everyone else at the table.
"Demigods, I've gathered you all here so urgently due to the fact that, well, I'll allow Garrett to explain." Chiron said, motioning for Jonathan's brother to stand and speak. Garrett stood, a fierce expression on his face.
"We discovered a boy outside the borders of camp earlier. Not a normal boy, either. He could see through the mist, and he was trying to get in. We don't know what to make of him, but we're pretty sure that he's a demigod." Garrett gestured to the other corner of the room, where one of Jonathan's and his brothers stood. The son of Apollo had blonde hair and emerald eyes, and he seemed to be struggling to keep an object restrained to a chair in front of him. The boy in the chair's head was down, so Sasha couldn't get a clear view of his face. He was thin, unbelievably so, as if he hadn't had a good meal in years. Sasha immediately pitied him. She doubted that he could be so dangerous that he had to be kept bound in such a weak state, and she suspected that the restraints were harming him. She resisted the urge to tell everyone to release him, knowing that if she uttered one peep someone would cut off the connection. She turned to look at Nico at the edge of the picture, and he looked just as annoyed as Sasha felt.
"Nico," she whispered, and the son of Hades turned to look at her, "how can they keep him like this?" She asked, and Ryan nodded.
"Isn't that a bit…um….abusive? The kid looks close to death to me." Ryan said.
"I know. There must be some reason they have him bound so tightly, or else Chiron wouldn't allow them to do this. Hell, Garrett himself wouldn't do this." Nico whispered, shaking his head. He turned to look back at the boy in the corner, just as Sasha and her brother did.
"Child, raise your head." Chiron ordered, and the boy in the chair growled.
"Oh for the love of Zeus," Clarisse muttered, "I'll make the twerp lift his head." The boy in the chair remained in the same position, unmoved.
"Let me go. Please. I swear I won't come back, and I'll leave you alone. I was only looking for shelter from the Gods' wrath. Please." He croaked, his voice hoarse. For reasons unknown to Sasha, the voice made her heart stop with fear. She struggled to recall why it might make her react so strongly, but her mind couldn't grasp why.
"Who are you?" Annabeth asked, her eyebrows furrowed.
"I'm the offspring of an immortal, just like the rest of you. It's funny, though. None of you seem to be restrained." He spat, still not looking up.
"None of us weren't allowed inside camp. Who sired you?" Annabeth questioned, and the boy sneered.
"You act as if I'd really tell you. After you've chained me up? Please. You people were supposed to protect demigods, and yet I'm bound to a chair. As if I'd trust you."
"If you cooperate with us, boy, we will cooperate with you." Chiron said diplomatically, and the boy laughed bitterly, his form shaking with the effort.
"Chiron, this is ridiculous. This boy looks way too powerless to pose any threat to us anyways." Percy said, obviously uncomfortable with the boy's restraints as well.
"No, Seaweed Brain. The bonds are totally necessary." Annabeth said, glaring at the boy. "You know I heard somebody nearly toppled Olympus recently, and everyone wants his head on a stake. Do you have any idea who might have been responsible for that?" The daughter of Athena shot accusingly at the boy, who finally raised his head, fear in his eyes. Sasha froze, numb with the realization of who that boy was.
"Someone almost toppled Olympus?" He asked, horrified. Annabeth nodded sternly, continuing to glower at the boy. He seemed to slump down in his chair with absolute horror.
"I don't know. I don't know I swear." He said, his voice shaking, his eyes darting around the room.
"Kill him." Sasha whispered, her eyes wide with fear. Nico, her brother, and Jonathan all turned to her, confused.
"He looks completely innocent and harmless to me," Jonathan whispered, and Sasha shook her head violently.
"Chiron, I think we should take off the bonds." Percy recommended, and Garrett shrugged, motioning to his brother to remove the bonds. The son of Apollo brought out a knife and cut through the swords easily, catching the boy in the chair as he fell.
"No. Tie him back up." Sasha said, and Jonathan shot her a look telling her to shut up. She bit hardly on her bottom lip but stayed silent. The boy balanced himself eventually, so he was standing, leaning against the ping-pong table. He smiled viciously at the crowd of demigods gathered, and immediately a sword was pointed at his throat. Annabeth glowered at him from the other end of the blade.
"There. Now it's time for you to start answering some questions, got it?" She said, and the boy nodded, smiling at her, a slightly amused smile plastered to his face.
"Who are you, and what do you want?"
"My name is Charbel Chelala. I stumbled upon your camp by accident the first time I came across it, but now I seek refuge."
Percy raised an eyebrow and tilted his chin up. "When did you first come across camp?"
"Uh….what's today?" the boy asked, concentration plastered on his face, eyebrows furrowed.
"Monday." Percy said, and Charbel rolled his eyes.
"Gee, that's extremely helpful, considering that it's Monday every week." He replied sarcastically, and Percy's mouth straightened into a thin line.
"December 13." Annabeth said, and Charbel nodded.
"Year?"
"Excuse me?"
"What year is it?"
"That's odd. Why don't you know what year it is?"
"Why don't you tell me?"
"Because I don't trust you."
"Then I won't tell you anything."
Annabeth gave out an indignant cry of frustration and slammed her knife into the table. Clarisse stood up and grabbed Charbel by his shirt and lifted him up so he was dangling a few inches off the ground.
"Listen here maggot, we don't care about your comfort. When did you first come to camp?" She growled, and the boy sneered.
"July 7, 2017." He responded, and everyone grew silent.
"My birthday." Ryan whispered, and Nico's head whipped so he was looking at the two twins through the IM, startled.
"He first discovered camp on you and Sasha's birthday?" He asked, startled, and Sasha nodded numbly.
"That's impossible," Leo said to Chiron, "We're in the year 2012, and there's no way that moron could have built a time machine before me!"
"But wait, you guys, that's Sasha's and Ryan's birthday." Nico informed the council, and Percy raised an eyebrow.
"July 7?"
"Yeah. But doesn't that seem slightly off? Like, what is this kid planning?" Nico accused, glaring at Charbel.
"This kid," the boy shot, "happens to be older than you, son of Hades, so watch your mouth. And as for my plan, I just want to get as far away from all you stupid, self-conceited half-wits as soon as I possibly can."
"How'd you know his parentage?" Travis, a son of Hermes who had an identical twin brother, asked.
"He's wearing a shirt with a dancing skeleton on it. His sense of humor is just as off as his father's." The boy muttered, and Nico glared at him.
"How could you know my dad?"
"Please. He kidnapped a woman and forced her to marry him. I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years you did the same."
"I'm officially going to kill him." Nico growled, standing up from his chair. Jonathan grabbed a hold of one of his arms to restrain him, but struggled greatly with the task.
"Nico—not—worth it!"
Sasha blushed, strangely embarrassed by the idea of Nico getting married. She swore she could see his cheeks redden, but it might have simply been distortion in the connection. Nico sat back down in his seat, and Sasha could see him glowering at Charbel through locks of his silky black hair.
"How could you possibly have created a time machine before me?" Leo asked, incredulous, and Charbel turned to him.
"It wasn't a time machine, idiot."
"Well what else could it have been?!"
"Oh you're all hopelessly stupid. I'm the son of KRONOS."