Hello, beloved readers!
I've got a bit of writer's block :( but I will try to stick to daily updates.
Chapter dedicated to ChildOfWisdom again, I've just read her fanfic My Love for You, a total Percabeth epic! If you haven't read it... why the hell not? This is the link: .net/s/7463966/1/My_love_for_you
Oh, in answer to your questions: my drawing style is a bit like manga. I suppose it's a cross between manga and caricature, only not very good :)
Anyway, thanks all,
-Silverhand9028
Tom's POV
A great pain welled up inside my chest. Tears fell from my eyes. I saw a figure lying crumpled on the floor, bleeding, screaming for mercy. She looked up into my eyes.
It was Summer.
"Summer!" I hollered, but she didn't answer. She sobbed, which clearly hurt her deeply, and clutched her white tee, now stained a vicious red with her own blood. She gripped my arm tight, her tears splashing onto my cheek.
"Tom..." she whispered, then laid back her head on my shoulder.
I held her tight, but her eyelids began to close.
"Summer!" she slipped back against my arm, a final tear rolling down her cheek.
"Summer no, don't let go!" I whispered urgently, as her grip on my arm weakened. Her eyes closed. Her warm, intoxicating breath was no longer felt on my neck.
"SUMMER!" I screamed, "SUMMER!"
"Don't you see, Tom?" a voice rasped from behind me. I turned to see the figure of a hooded man. "Defy me and this will happen. I am your fears and hatred. I am your doom. I am the Primordial Lord of T-"
"AAAH!" I opened my eyes and sat up.
"Hey Tom," my cabin mate Alex called from the bottom bunk of the bunk bed: "Having nightmares?"
"What? Oh, uh, yeah."
I breathed out slowly. I was in the Hermes Cabin. Three days ago Chiron had assigned us on a quest to save Camp Half-Blood from a traitor. Lilly was dead certain it was Magenta, Jack and Aston. I believed her too. They'd ruined a dinner by trying to kill us. I still had lots of bruises from floor impact, and many scars from arrow damage. It had taken hours to dislodge the arrowhead in my arm.
Groggily, I sat up and tumbled out of the top bunk, aware of Alex bobbing along behind me to his iPod. I got my bag I had packed last night – I had kept it under the bed because many of my cabin mates would steal everything they could from it. I checked it in case: my clothes, my sword, my favourite Detroit Pistons cap and my flask of ambrosia. Then, beside my canteen of nectar and wallet stacked with cash and drachmas, I found my shoes. Not just any shoes, my Adidas ones that had sprouted wings during training when someone said the word 'Maia'. I glanced nervously around the cabin to see if anyone was there. It was a lovely summer's day so the cabin was barely occupied, as I had woke late. Alex was lying on the bed listening to his iPod, Katia was absent-mindedly twizzling her hair, Benji was sleeping in his bed and Jon-Paul was just tying his laces, about to leave. The usually packed cabin was empty and everyone was daydreaming. Perfect.
I plucked the shoes from the bag and whispered: "Maia."
It worked. The shoes sprouted little snow-shade feathered wings and fluttered up. I smiled, then stopped. I still didn't know how they'd floated. I didn't know who had made them fly, why they'd done it, why my shoes had been enchanted, and whether to take them or not. I swiped from the air as Katia looked in my direction, and the feathers disappeared. I held them over the bag. Should I take them or leave them...
I dropped them into the bag and zipped it up.
Big mistake...
We met up on Half-Blood Hill. The pine tree that guarded the borders stood strong, the Golden Fleece draped on it's branches and our dragon guardian Achilles sitting up, alert. The dragon's father Peleus had died many years ago, but it had left a child. Chiron insisted we call him Achilles, who in mythology was the son of the hero Peleus. Smart, huh?
I was the third one to arrive. Summer had woke just after dawn, prepared her stuff then headed down to the archery targets to practise her aim. Veronica had arrived second, dressed in a midnight black silky dress, knee-length, with her boots and armed with a new sword Eddie had forged for her.
"Did you ask him to forge me one?" she had asked Summer. She wore white jeans down to her knees, and an amber top over the top, decorated with a sequinned heart.
"No, he must have been being nice."
"Hmm... but why? He must have a reason."
"Maybe he likes you."
"Oh come on Summer, he barely knows me!"
"Veronica, you never know when someone likes you, you-" Summer stopped and glanced at me from beneath a strand of her sunshine-coloured bangs. "I... erm..."
Veronica nudged her and both girls started giggling, leaving me dumbfounded. They do that a lot.
Toby arrived next, his black curly hair fallen down in front of his face. He wore a leopard-print jacket, mimicking his father's symbol: a leopard-skin. He had a claret t-shirt and grey jeans. His favourite short sword was in his belt as always, and he was drinking a kool-aid. "Hey guys," he said, dropping his bag at his feet. "Where are Lilly and Leon?"
"I don't know," I shrugged.
"Did you hear?" Summer was grinning like a Cheshire Cat. "Leon asked Lilly to the Fireworks!"
"Summer!" Veronica elbowed her in the ribs, exasperated. "You're not meant to tell them that bit!"
Summer giggled: "No, they announced it – like, publicly!"
"Aww!"
I gasped, and Toby made a sound that sounded like grinning, gasping, laughing and gagging. "That's... cute?" he squeaked.
Summer laughed – I like Summer's laugh, like little wind-chimes tinkling in the midsummer breeze. I saw Leon running up the hill, Lilly behind him. Leon wore a leather jacket, crimson t-shirt and cargo trousers (A/N Pants, whatever) and his black hair had been spiked up. Lilly was dressed more delicately, in skinny jeans, a short-cut belly top and denim jacket over the top.
"How many bags have you got?" inquired Veronica, as Lilly struggled up with five huge handbags.
"Just a few," Lilly smiled, "a girl can never be too prepared!"
Veronica laughed as Chiron cantered up the hill.
"Campers!" he greeted us.
I looked up at his warm smile. "I must wish you the best on this quest. I've been thinking about the prophecy: firstly, the throne of steel. I'm not sure what this could entail but it could be the Throne of Hephaestus on Mount Olympus – that's made of steel, bronze and iron. But... apart from that, I'm not sure. The bow of moonlight could involve Artemis, the archer goddess of the moon. The arrows of love – I was thinking Eros. He's the God of Love, he has arrows that enchant people's loving ways."
"Awesome, what about the 'helm of shadows'?" asked Veronica.
"Hades' weapon is a helm of darkness and invisibility."
"Ew, trip to the Underground. Great." Lilly shuddered.
Chiron nodded: "That may be so. It also mentioned Hades' debtor."
"Who?"
Chiron pondered: "I cannot be sure. But you must discover yourselves – though I must warn you, the Oracle's messages usually have double meanings."
As we said our goodbyes, a shadow of doubt slithered into my mind. I remembered my dream – the hooded man who radiated darkness, and what he was going to say to me. Before I had woken up, he was about to tell me something – he said he was the 'primordial Lord of T-' then I had awakened. I knew 'Primordial' meant he was an old God who had been there at the beginning, and usually an embodiment of something. But what? What did the T stand for? Only one word haunted my mind.
Time.
That wasn't the only part of the dream that would haunt me. I looked at Summer: she was chatting to Chiron about what kind of monsters we could face. Even in a conversation as dismal as that, she had a shining smile on her face. I... I liked her. She wasn't as pretty as Lilly. She wasn't as smart as Veronica. She wasn't as skilled as Magenta. I didn't know what I felt about her in terms of love, but...
…to me, she was perfect. I couldn't bare the thought of her dying. She was funny and pretty and unique. I loved her cute maze of freckles and shimmering smile. Even her weird little laugh made me feel epic.
She turned to me, and smiled up at me.
I felt determination and passion inside me. She may not think of me as a lover, but I would never let anything happen to her.
That was my aim, at least.
And this is the story of how I failed.
Ah, I love leaving cliffhangers!
Are you scared for Summer? Don't worry, I'll put her picture up tomorrow hopefully? I've done her and Tom – who would you like up first, leave it in the review.
Thanks for reading guys,
-Silverhand9028