Chapter 11! So, I'm pretty sure the thing that you're wondering about is Mandy. I mean, he just disappears when you just find out his true identity! Well, this chappie will bring him back, and reveal some secrets about him…
And on with the story!
"Ok people, let's move out!" Leo shouted at his workers. He studied the blueprint in his hands. "This cabin's not going to build itself! Come on! Rapido! Rapido!"
"Leo, it's only six in the morning," I said, trying to adjust my hardhat. "We're all a little tired. And we're not behind schedule or anything".
"But I don't want to get behind schedule," Leo said. "So it's best if we stay ahead. Trust me, I built a whole war ship and I got it built on time".
I didn't know exactly what he meant by that, nor did I question it. Instead I asked, "So how are we going to get it built? I mean, we're get kids, and there aren't very many of us". This was true. Only a handful of campers had volunteered to help.
"Ah, Chica, but you forget who these kids are," Leo said with a gleam in his eye. "These are some of my own siblings. We all know a thing or two about mechanics and architecture".
"Ok," I said, though still a little confused.
"Ok people," Leo shouted. "Gather round".
A half a dozen half-bloods gather around Leo and I, awaiting instructions.
"Today we begin construction on the camp's newest cabin: number twenty one, Ate".
"But who's Ate?" one camper popped up. "How can we build a cabin for her if we don't know who she is?"
Leo raised a hand for silence. "I know you're all wondering that. I don't know the answers. But Jo does".
Everyone looked to me. I gulped and nervously stepped forward. "Ate is the goddess of mischief," I said. "She's the reason for the misfortune here on earth. She's been known for her cunning and witty way, especially towards men. Her symbols are the apple, monkey, and the color amber".
Leo nodded, then turned to his siblings. "Ok, now you have the idea. It'll take a few days to build it, so I'm hoping everyone is ready for that. Jo, I'm putting you in charge of design".
I nodded.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
We worked for three days, getting the foundations in, setting up the basic structure. I didn't get to use my designs until the next week.
"So I was thinking we should make it sort of like a lair," I said. "with hidden doors everywhere, leading to different hidden rooms. I could put my pranking stuff in them, and plans".
Wow," said Nyssa, a sister of Leo's, "You really take pranking seriously".
I nodded proudly. "And there should be plenty of symbolism. All the furniture should be amber, and we have to figure out a way to put monkeys in there, oh, and apples".
"Don't worry," said Nyssa," We'll figure something out. Thanks for the blueprints".
"Sorry if they're a little vague, but designing a cabin's not as easy as it looks".
"This'll be fine," Nyssa said. "It'll be great".
Things went fine with the cabin for a while. Because most of my work was done with the cabin, I had more time to myself, which was a relief. Living with no one but my dad and Holly for most of my life, disconnected from the outside world, I was used to being alone, and realized I enjoyed the quiet. I sat on the pier by the lake and looked out into the horizon. The wind blew and I smelled the sweet scent of strawberries in the distance. I looked down into the water and saw the strangest thing. There was a girl under the water, weaving a basket with sea grass. She looked perfectly content with being underwater, and didn't show any signs of needing to come up for air. She looked up at me, smiled and waved. I waved back.
I took off my flip-flops and dipped my toes in the water. It was cool and pleasant to the touch in the hot June summer afternoon. I sighed in bliss as my troubles melted away.
"JO!" screamed a voice that shattered my bliss. I turned around to find Leo running toward me in a frantic sprint. "Jo! You've got to come!"
"What's the matter Leo?" I asked, standing up.
"There was—she—you'll have to see for yourself," he panted.
I followed Leo back to my cabin, where I bunch of campers were crowded around something. Leo and I pushed our way through, and saw that it was Nyssa. Her leg was buried under a beam that had fallen.
"What happened?" I asked.
"The beam just fell on top of her," Leo said. "All of the sudden".
"Are you sure it wasn't lose?" I asked.
"No," Leo said. "We reinforced all of them".
"It's ok guys," Nyssa said. "It's just a broken bone".
"But it doesn't make any sense," Leo said. "It shouldn't have fallen".
"What are you suggesting?"I asked.
"I don't know," Leo said. "But something definitely is not right".
There was a moment of silence. What was he talking about? It was strange, but it had to be a coincidence, right?
"Well," I said. "there's no sense thinking about it now. I'll get a kid from Ares to move the beam and someone from Apollo to fix the wound".
I did as I said I would, and soon Nyssa was in a cast, but she wouldn't be able to help us anymore.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
A week later something similar happened. A boy named Josh was sawing some wood when his arm got in the way. The medics said they could save it, but he would be out of commission for a while too. The same day, two kids slipped on some paint and bumped their heads and were now unconscious. A few days later, a girl named Audrey fell off a ladder and sprained an ankle. Accidents happened so frequently, people were starting to raise suspicions. Some started calling it the cursed cabin. I didn't believe that, but something was definitely up. I just didn't know what until the following week…
I was walking through the strawberry fields, when I heard a sound like a flute. It was coming from the woods. I would have ignored it if not for the fact that being ADHD, I was hopelessly curious. I cautiously crept into the forest, looking over my shoulder every so often.
The sound got closer, and I realized it didn't exactly sound like a flute. But what was it? I followed my ears, walking further into the place I wasn't supposed to venture into alone. Suddenly it stopped. I looked around. Where had it gone. Ten I heard it again, only farther away.
I walked on and on, until I heard the lunch horn in the distance. But I kept walking. I wasn't that hungry anyways. The sound got louder and louder, until I knew it was right behind that tree. I put my back against it. I suddenly was aware that there were monsters in these woods. What if I was following a monster? I slowly turned around to face the thing, and saw…nothing. That was strange. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of brown fur, and I started jogging after it. The sound of a musical instrument I couldn't quite out a name to had continued, every now and then, and I saw flashes of brown fur. I didn't see the thing clearly.
Finally I stopped. I had lost it. I looked around, trying to quiet my breathing. I listened, straining my ears for anything they could pick up. Then I smelled something. Barn animals. I turned around to see the retreating figure of…what was it? It had the legs of a goat, but the rest of its body was a man. I chased after it. Finally a climbed a tree and jumped, landing on it. It let out a low oof and we both tumbled to the ground.
I stood up and looked down at the man. He wore a green t-shirt that read, love the earth. He was bald, and had the world's largest mustache.
I realized with shock who this was. "Mandy," I said.
"Hello Jo," Mandy said, standing up.
"Mandy," I said. "You—you're a—"
"I know you must be shocked," he said.
"That's the understatement of the year".
"—But please allow me to explain".
"Oh, you'd better explain!" I said. "Explain to me what you were doing that day with the spider, and why you left me!" I felt tears in my eyes all of the sudden.
Mandy looked down at the ground. "Jo," he said. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to leave either. But it was for the best—"
"For the best?" I asked, my voice shaky.
"It wasn't the right time," Mandy said. "I was what your mother would have wanted".
"Yeah but—wait," I said. "You knew my mother?"
Mandy groaned. "I shouldn't have told you about that".
"Tell me," I demanded. "Tell me what you know about my mother".
Mandy sighed. He sat on a log. I sat beside him. He was silent for a long time, as if contemplating what to say. Finally he spoke. "I knew your mother before you were born," he said. "I was on a quest, and I was in deep trouble. I didn't know how I was goinf to survive, then she came. Your mother, that is".
"What was she like?" I asked.
"Smart," he said. "And clever. And strangely kind. She helped me out of the situation I was in with no thought of payment. I was eternally grateful, and when she mentioned she would have a child soon, I felt obligated to help her. I pledged myself to protecting you until you were ready for camp". Mandy looked at me and smiled. "You look just like her you know".
"So I've heard," I said. "But why didn't you tell me this before? I've spent all my life wondering about my mother, and when my dad died, I didn't have anyone to tell me about her".
"I couldn't," Many said. "My job as a protector satyr is to watch over you and keep you from harm until you're ready. And it only makes things worse if you know who you are".
I looked down at the ground. "But I know now. So a satyr, that what it's called. I think I remember hearing something about them in school".
Mandy chuckled. "You seem pretty calm about the fact that your gardener is half goat".
I shrugged. "I've seen weirder things at this camp".
Suddenly I heard a horn for dinner. How had time gone so fast?
"I should probably head back," I said. "I already missed lunch and people will start to wonder whether I made it through the day or not".
I got up to go, but Mandy said, "Wait". I turned.
"Take this," he said. He placed in my hand a smallish object. I looked and saw that it was a sheathed dagger.
"Your mother wanted you to have it," he said.
I held it gingerly. My mother wanted to give me this? I unsheathed it, revealing a bronze blade that gleamed brighter than anything. I could see my reflection in it, and when I looker closer, I saw an engraving. The symbols read, αταξίες.
"Ataxies," I read.
"That's the name of the blade. It is very important to history, this blade. Very sad history, but important".
"It's Greek for Mischief," I said. I sheathed the dagger, thanked Mandy, and headed back to camp. As I left the forest, I wondered when the next time I would see Mandy would be.
Pretty cool huh? But there's still more about Mandy, but that will be revealed in the next chapter. Bye bye now!