Hi readers of this story. The vote for who wins King/Queen of Olympus is still going on, a week from 5/8/13. Leave who you want to win in the reviews. Um let's see oh yea, hope you guys like angsty Ash. This chapter adds a lot to the plot. I own almost nothing but some books and a tail. (Don't ask) Love reviews and suggestions.
Something yanking at my arm woke me up. As did the sounds of screams. "Luna! Wake the snaps up!" Ash was pulling my arm. I flicked my eyes open and stood up. In front of me, was a giant fire ball. The Camp is on fire, was my first thought. "We gotta move Luna! They set the fields and forest on fire." Ash grabbed my hand and ran down towards the beach. Well, at least my stuff is safe, I stumbled after Ash, the strawberries vines clutching at my ankles.
"WAIT!" I cried, stopping in the middle of the fields. "The forest? All the nymphs and satyrs? We have to help!" I turned and ran to the forest.
"Luna no!" Ash tackled me to the ground. "No. If they were in there, then they are dead. It started in the middle of the forest. We have to save ourselves." Ash told me, his breath hot next to my ear. Tears stripped my cheeks. All those nymphs and satyrs, dead. Anger tore a huge cave in my belly. I stood and marched to the beach, Ash now stumbling.
"Where are - oh there they are." Chiron snapped, his hooves snapping the sand. I nodded at him. All around me, people were crying and coughing. A half burned tree nymph cried on the shoulder of a water nymph, who was trying to heal the wood girl. A satyr boy was wailing over the body of a satyr girl, his head bowed. More tears dribbled out of my eyes. Ash wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close.
It took three hours to put out the fires. By that time, the whole forest and half the fields had been burned to nothing. We all stood, flabbergasted and numb, looking at our once gorgeous fields and green forest. Somewhere from the crowd, the Song of Sorrow started up. It swept through the crowd, our voices ringing. We grabbed hands and sang as loud and long as we all could, our tears staining the ground, our voices pleading the world to grow back. In the end. we sang through that song five times before we broke down. One by one, we fell to the ground, sobs shaking our shoulders. Our safe heaven had been attacked, taking sweet souls with it's heat and cruelty. This would not go un-avenged.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Chiron shouted over the cries, his own face covered in tear tracks. "We will find and punish the, bastard, that did this." He told us, cheers rang up. "They will be punished for the blow they delivered to our hearts. The poor, sweet souls they took from our Camp." Shouts rang, cried being replaced with calls for justice. Sadness becoming the fuel for anger and rage. "A vigil for the lost ones will be held tonight. We will sing and recall their lives. We will replant and recover." He gave a nod and walked away sadly.
"Grina? Have you seen Grina?" A small, flower nymph girl cried, running through the crowd. She was just a child. "Grina! Where are you?" She cried, tears pooling. "Grina? C'mon." She broke down, hard sobs racking her tiny frame. "m-Momma!" She wailed. Suddenly. it hit all of us standing around her. Some of them lost parents, children, loved ones. The tears and cries started again. Song for a Lost Child started neat me, it went in a large circle around the girl. We made a circle for her, to cry in and to scream. We sang and cried for her.
Chiron called us up to the bonfire pit. We walked up in a large wave, clinging to one another. I grasped Ash's hand tight. Chiron read the names of the lost. Fifty, fifty nymphs and satyrs killed. The rest burned and/or had their hearts ripped out. We all suffered at this. Chiron told us that we could stand out here all night.
So we did. We sang and cried till our voices were hoarse and or eyes were dry. We made to noon. Chiron said that was the longest vigil ever held at Camp. Later in the day, the nymphs and satyrs went to the forest to hold their own vigil. We heard their songs of pain, it made us cry even more.
The next day, we all set to work. Searching for anything in the forest and fields that could be evidence. They clean group hadn't been through yet. Everywhere in the forest were the charred remains of bodies. Some poised like they were running. A couple made all of us break down. It was a larger one thrown over a smaller one, as if the protect the child. A few pairs were kissing or holding hands. This made me cling to Ash even more. We didn't find anything but more sadness and tears.
"We will start back up next week with our normal life." Chiron told us at dinner that night. Muteness answered him. I sat with Ash and Joey. I leaned on Ash's shoulder, barely picking at my food.
"Luna, what's wrong?" Ash muttered to me, concern twisting in his words.
"Why would someone do that?" I asked him, toying with a curly fry. Ash sighed and shrugged.
"I have no idea but don't worry, they will pay." He gritted his teeth, anger clouded his voice. I just hoped he was right.
Sorry if I made you cry. I cried as I wrote this.