Happy summer solstice and council day of the gods!
Here's the next chapter. I'm pretty exhausted from my 5k (I placed third in my age group!) so expect some errors.
Review Responses
Torrent14- Interesting idea for the pairing, but I already had a pairing planned.
Sophia. - I actually finished school before I posted last chapter, but I was trying to explain why it was late.
Lord of Death and Time- Actually Nico fell, but...
Disclaimer: All rights to respective owners.
Previously,
And before anyone could react, the monster leapt over the cliff and tumbled into the darkness. Percy could only watch in horror, while Imogene's face paled.
"NICO!" Bianca screamed, slumping in defeat.
Bianca got to her feet, running towards the cliff edge, tears silently streaming down her face. Percy's eyes widened. He would already be in trouble because he let Nico get hurt, but Bianca too? He would be Cerberus food. Plus, the twins were almost like his siblings. It hurt him almost as much as Bianca to see Nico fall.
A few of the hunters ran forward, attempting to stop Bianca from hurling herself off the cliff after her brother. With strength he didn't know she possessed, Bianca shoved the hunters back. Running to the cliff's edge, she scanned the misty ocean for any sign of her younger twin brother. The grey water churned below, but Thorn and Nico were gone. Sinking to her knees, Bianca began to sob.
Percy exchanged glances with Imogene and they walked towards the shaking form of Bianca di Angelo. Fern shot the hunters who moved towards Bianca dirty looks. In surprise, the girls in silver moved back while the siblings knelt beside their friend. Jackson put his hand on Bianca's shoulder while Fern wrapped an arm around her. He picked up his fallen sword that Nico used from the ground.
Their enemies weren't done with attacking. There was a snap-snap-snap from the helicopter—the sound of gunfire. Most of the Hunters scattered as tiny holes appeared in the snow at their feet, but the trio just sat in the snow, mourning over the fate of their friend. Artemis just looked up calmly at the helicopter.
"Mortals," She announced, "Are not allowed to witness my hunt."
She thrust out her hand, and the helicopter exploded into a flock of birds—ravens, which scattered into the night.
"Bianca?" Fern murmured.
"I'll be okay," Bianca said, trying hard not to sniffle. Jackson stood up and offered the girls his hands. They took them before walking over to where the others were.
The Hunters advanced on the campers, but stayed notably farther away from the trio. They were probably wary of them.
The lieutenant, the one with the silver circlet,stopped short when she saw Thalia. "You," She said with distaste.
"Zoe Nightshade," Thalia's voice trembled with anger. One of the hesperides, Jackson remembered. "Perfect timing, as usual."
Zoe scanned the rest of us. "Six half-bloods and a satyr, my lady."
"Yes," the younger girl said. "Some of Chiron's campers and some new half bloods, I see."
Bianca looked hollowly at Artemis. "What of Nico?"
The auburn-haired girl turned toward her. "I'm sorry, Bianca, but your brother is beyond help."
Imogene kept her arm wrapped around Bianca as the girl nodded.
"Guys," The mystery auburn girl, the daughter of Poseidon said. "I don't mean to make it sound like we are in kindergarten, but can we please go around and say our names?"
"You are correct, daughter of Poseidon," Artemis agrees, her eyes as bright and as cold as the winter moon. "I am Artemis, the goddess of the hunt."
Bianca didn't even look fazed. Jackson knew that she was just too shocked to say anything yet. For the children of Chaos, it was obviously immediately who the goddess was. They had studied Greek and Roman immortals their whole lives!
That was nothing compared to Grover, the idiotic satyr. He gasped, then knelt hastily in the snow and started yammering, "Thank you, Lady Artemis! You're so… you're so… Wow!"
"Get up, goat boy! We have other things to worry about!" Thalia sighs and grabs his ear, yanking him up. "Thalia, daughter of Zeus. The satyr is Grover."
"Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena," The blonde says.
"Jillian Donaldson, daughter of Poseidon," The auburn girl, not Artemis, says.
"Jackson Last."
"Fern Last."
It's Bianca's turn to say her name next, but she just stands there, frozen.
"My name is," She faltered and turned to Jackson and Fern. "What's going on? Who are you?" Her voice sounded on the edge of tears.
"You are a half-blood," Zoe Nightshade said. "One of thy parents was mortal. The other was an Olympian."
"Our friend is in a little shock from losing her brother," Jackson explained. "Would you mind if we explained to her in private about her parents?"
Mistake. All eyes turned towards the two siblings. "How do you know about the gods, boy?"
Artemis asked.
Percy, remember you are to say your father was the god and your mother taught you, Chaos' voice echoed in his head.
"Our father was the god. Our mother taught us about the myths," He responded.
"And the weapons?" Annabeth questioned. "One doesn't simply get a weapon at a store and learn how to perfect it."
"Our father gave them to us," Fern cut in.
Zoe opened her mouth to retort, but Thalia cut her off. "Zoe, come on. Bianca's just lost her brother, her closest family member. Give her a break and let these two explain stuff to her."
The lieutenant of the hunt's expression changed from angry to sad in a second. She went back to being angry so quickly Jackson was almost sure he had imagined it. Something about family made her sad.
"Atlanta, Jaquelyn, Sarah, head into the school and retrieve our guests belongings," Artemis commands. "Zoe, Phoebe, set up camp."
"I'll go with you to show you where our stuff is," Grover offers.
Artemis sighs. "All right, go with them, satyr."
Fern and Jackson lead Bianca away from the hunters setting up camp to a log in the woods. They are far enough away to prevent spying people from hearing, but close enough to see the bright silver tents being pitched.
"Bianca, this is going to sound crazy, but I promise if you trust us and let us explain, we'll do our best to make it easier for you," Jackson looks Bianca in the eyes.
"Your father isn't dead. He's an immortal god," Fern says simply. "Your mother was a mortal, making you and Nico demigods or half bloods."
"So Dr. Thorn and Kelli really were monsters?"
"Yes a manticore and an empousa," Fern added.
"That make sense," Bianca replied.
"That's it? No freaking out or anything?" Jackson asked astonished.
"No, I trust you guys. Nico fell off the cliff with a monster. I can't save him if I refuse to believe in the world he is stuck in," Bianca said sensibly. The three of them walked back to camp where they heard loud voices arguing.
"They need to come to camp!"
"That is not the safest option!"
"There is no other option!"
Jackson walked through a break in the silver tents and the circling wolves to find Thalia and Zoe standing a few feet apart, yelling at each other. Sparks were pulsing off Thalia, and Zoe was gripping her bow tightly. Once Bianca and Fern stepped beside Percy, the two immediately stopped fighting, but both were casting murderous glares at the other.
"Hey Bianca," Thalia said. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, it's just a lot to take in," Bianca replied, less shakier than before.
"Yeah, I know what it feels like. We came here to help you, though. You need training to survive. Dr. Thorn won't be the last monster you meet. You need to come to camp."
"Camp?" She asked.
"Camp Half-Blood," Jillian explains from her place by the fire. "It's where half-bloods learn to survive and stuff. You can join us, stay there year-round if you like."
"Yeah, what she said," Thalia agrees.
"There is another option," Zoe said.
"No, there isn't!" Thalia said. Thalia and Zoe glared at each other again. For some reason, they seriously hated each other.
"Thalia and Annabeth, I presume your answers are the same?" Artemis asked as she exits her tent. Thalia nodded stiffly. "After the wounded are treated, I would like to speak with Jillian, Fern, and Bianca. Zoe, we must talk. Walk with me."
Artemis and Zoe walk off towards the cliff. Jackson sits by a steaming mad Thalia around the fire. Annabeth kneels on the other side, bandaging Thalia's wounded shoulder from when Thorn's spike pierced.
"Why do you hate Zoe so much?" Fern asked.
Thalia sighed before looking at Annabeth. "I guess I should start from the beginning," Annabeth nodded. "All right, when I was eight, I ran away from my home in Big Cloud, California. I jumped a few trains, worked odd jobs for different people and managed to make it to Lincoln, Nebraska. My dad was guiding me, but there, Nike, who was one of my father's servants, guided me to a train that brought me to an area close to the James river. There I was saved by Annabeth and Luke, a son of Hermes, from a bunch of cyclopes and hellhounds."
"Before I met Thalia or Luke, I was living in Virginia. When I was ten, I got the message that my dad and his new family didn't want me around. I left. Luke, who was fourteen at the time, and I wandered around, making safe houses before we rescued Thalia," Annabeth continued. "The three of us were injured a few weeks later and heading towards Luke's old house. There the hunters found us. Artemis wasn't with them at the time, but Zoe, the lieutenant, offered Thalia and I places in the hunt."
"Zoe then had the nerve to say that Luke would fail us! We were family! He would never do that!" Thalia added, disgust in her voice. Jackson bit back the but didn't he betray you?
Annabeth seemed to read his mind. "Luke isn't evil. The titans have just brainwashed him. He's still good. After that incident and our visit to Luke's house, a satyr, Grover, found us. He tried leading us to camp, but we got lost and a horde of monsters caught up with us," Thalia promptly got up and walked away. "Thalia's still a bit emotional about what happened," Annabeth explained before continuing. "We tried so hard to get to camp, but they caught up. We fought hard too. Thalia was amazing, killing so many monsters at such a young age. But a fury snuck up on her and stabbed her. Before she could die though, Zeus turned her into a tree to save her life."
Jackson looked out where Thalia's silhouette stood. "How is she here now?"
Jillian looked up from where she was cleaning her long dagger. "When I was ten, my mom, Sally, got me to camp. At the time, Zeus' master bolt had been stolen, so naturally he blamed his brother's kid. Annabeth, Grover, and I went on a quest to bring it back along with saving Hades' helm of darkness. We found that Luke had stolen the bolt and betrayed us. The next summer, I traveled to camp with a friend of mine, Tyson. At the time, I didn't know he was a cyclopes. Thalia's pine tree had been poisoned, overwhelming the camp with monsters. Clarisse, a daughter of Ares, was chosen to lead another quest into the sea of monsters to save the fleece. When she left alone, Tyson, who was actually my half brother, Leo, a son of Hephaestus, Annabeth, and I snuck out of camp to help her. After retrieving the fleece and saving Grover, we returned to camp. The fleece however didn't just strengthen the camp borders, it brought Thalia back to life. She had been aging normally in the tree, so we were both the same age, twelve."
Artemis and Zoe returned to camp with Zoe looking really pissed, her arms crossed and her volcanic black eyes angry. She huffed when she saw us and stomped away from the fire to one of the tents. Artemis sighed.
"She did not take it nearly as well as I expected," Artemis looked weary. "Bianca, Jillian, and Fern, please come with me to my tent."
Fern grabbed her brother's arm. "Can my brother come too?" After the events of the day, Fern was exhausted and wanted Jackson to be there with her.
The cold silver eyes of Artemis looked over at Percy. "Fine, but if he causes any trouble..."
"With all respect, Lady Artemis, my sister and I are very close. I would not violate her trust," Jackson said politely. The goddess of the moon nodded and the four walked into her tent.
The inside of the tent was warm and comfortable. Silk rugs and pillows covered the floor. In the center, a golden brazier of fire seemed to burn without fuel or smoke. Behind the goddess, on a polished oak display stand, was her huge silver bow, carved to resemble gazelle horns. The walls were hung with animal pelts: black bear, tiger, and many others. A live deer with glittering fur and silver horns lay next to Artemis, its head resting contentedly in Artemis's lap.
"Sit down," The goddess said.
They sat across from her on the tent floor, Percy next to Bianca and Imogene. Artemis studied the girls.
"Are you surprised by my age?" She asked Jillian who was looking awed at the young goddess.
"Uh… a little."
"I could appear as a grown woman, or a blazing fire, or anything else I want, but this is what I prefer. This is the average age of my Hunters, and all young maidens for whom I am patron, before they go astray."
"Go astray?" Bianca asked.
"Grow up. Become smitten with boys. Become silly, preoccupied, insecure. Forget themselves."
"Oh."
Zoe sat down at Artemis's right. She glared at Jackson, like he was the reason all of this happen.
"You must forgive my Hunters if they do not welcome you," Artemis said to Jackson. "It is very rare that we would have boys in this camp. Boys are usually forbidden to have any contact with the Hunters. The last one to see this camp…" She looked at Zoe. "Which one was it?"
"That boy in Colorado," Zoe said. "You turned him into a jackalope."
"Ah, yes." Artemis nodded, satisfied. "I enjoy making jackalopes. Anyways, I need you guys to tell me more about what happened with the manticore and the empusae."
And so they told her, Jillian talking about the things he said in the woods, with Fern interjecting occasionally. Bianca was silent, staring sadly at the fire.
When they was done, Artemis put her hand thoughtfully on her silver bow. "I feared this was the answer."
Zoe sat forward. "The scent, my lady?"
"Yes."
"What scent?" Jillian asked.
"Things are stirring that I have not hunted in millennia," Artemis murmured. "Prey so old I have nearly forgotten."
She stared at Jillian intently. "We came here tonight sensing the manticore, but he was not the one I seek. Tell me again, exactly what Dr. Thorn said."
"Um, 'I hate middle school dances.'"
"No, no. After that."
"He said somebody called the General was going to explain things to Thalia and me."
Zoe's face paled. She turned to Artemis and started to say something, but Artemis raised her hand.
"Go on, " The goddess said.
"Well, then Thorn was talking about the Great Stirring. And he said, 'Soon we shall have the most important monster of all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus,'" Jillian finished. Jackson's eyes widened. That didn't mean...
Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Fern asked him.
The ophiotaurus. He replied.
Oh my gods, this is really it. It's happening, Fern said before they dropped their mental conversation.
The goddess was so still she could've been a statue. "I've been too slow to see the signs. I must hunt this monster."
Zoe looked like she was trying very hard not to be afraid, but she nodded. "We will leave right away, my lady."
"No, Zoe. I have not changed my mind about my decision. We already talked about this. I am going alone."
"But, milady—"
"This task is too dangerous even for the Hunters. You know where I must start my search. You cannot go there with me."
"As… as you wish, my lady."
"I will find this creature," Artemis vowed. "And I shall bring it back to Olympus by winter solstice. It will be all the proof I need to convince the Council of the Gods of how much danger we are in. Zoe, I am not changing my mind. I need you to lead the Hunters back to Camp Half-Blood. You can stay there in safety until I return."
"What?" Zoe blurted out. "But, Artemis, we hate that place. The last time we stayed there—"
"Yes, I know," Artemis said. "But I'm sure Dionysus will not hold a grudge just because of a little, ah, misunderstanding. It's your right to use Cabin Eight whenever you are in need. Besides, I hear they rebuilt the cabins you burned down."
Zoe muttered something about foolish campers.
"And now there is one last decisions to make," Artemis turned to the three girls in front of her. "You are all invited to join the hunt."
Fern looked indifferent, Jillian showed an expression of astonishment, while Bianca still looked blankly at the fire.
"But," The daughter of Poseidon began. "We wouldn't get to stay at camp Halfblood and be trained by Chiron. What would we get with the hunters?"
"To begin with," Zoe said, "Immortality."
"My Hunters follow me on my adventures. They are my maidservants, my companions, my sisters-in-arms. Once they swear loyalty to me, they are indeed immortal… unless they fall in battle, which is unlikely. Or break their oath," Artemis elaborated.
"What oath?" Jillian said.
"To foreswear romantic love forever," Artemis said. "To never grow up, never get married. To be a maiden eternally."
"Like you?" Fern offered. Artemis nodded. "I decline."
"What?" Zoe was flabbergasted. "You give up a chance to serve the goddess and become immortal?"
"Yes," Fern said firmly. "The hunt is cold to males. It would draw me away from my family and my brothers. I can't live without them."
Bianca's onyx eyes left the fire to look Artemis in the silver eyes. "Then I must too refuse. It would distance me from my brother. I still have a life to live."
Eyes turn to Jillian. She looks nervous with all the pressure. "Umm," She paused. "I will also not accept. My loyalty is to the camp."
"Almost never has a girl turned down a position in the hunt. Now three have just done so," Artemis murmured. "Dawn is approaching. Zoe, break camp. You must get to Long Island quickly and safely. I shall summon a ride from my brother."
Zoe didn't look real happy about this idea, but she followed us out into the cold winter night. A pile of duffle bags sat by the fire where Thalia and Annabeth had been sitting earlier. Among them, Jackson quickly found his, Bianca's, Fern's, and Nico's. A small red heart with a green leaf was pinned onto Fern's bag. The back read.
All your stuff is inside.
- T. and E.
Thesis and Eros must be tracking their progress. Jackson hefted the bags and carried them to where his friends were standing. Wrapping his arm around his sister, Fern leaned into him as they waited for dawn.
"You didn't want to join the hunt?" Jackson asked her teasingly.
"Nah, someone needs to keep you and the other brothers in line," They smiled as they looked to the horizon. Percy's internal senses were telling him that dawn would only be a few more minutes.
Annabeth, Thalia, and Grover joined us near the cliff's edge, Grover grinning goofily with a black eye, most likely from the hunters. "What did Artemis want?" Thalia spat her name.
"She offered us places in the hunt," Jillian said.
"You didn't accept, did you?" Thalia threatened, electricity beginning to spark.
"Relax, Thals. My loyalty is to camp. Speaking of camp, the hunters are coming to camp."
Grover turned pale. "The last time the Hunters visited camp, it didn't go well."
"How'd they even show up here?" Annabeth wondered. "I mean, they just appeared out of nowhere."
"I'm glad nobody joined them," Thalia said, disgusted. "It would be all Zoe's fault. That stuck-up, no good—"
"Who can blame her?" Grover said. "Eternity with Artemis?" He heaved a big sigh.
Thalia rolled her eyes. "You satyrs. You're all in love with Artemis. Don't you get that she'll never love you back?"
"But she's so… into nature," Grover swooned.
"You're nuts," said Thalia.
"Nuts and berries," Grover said dreamily. "Yeah."
Finally the sky began to lighten. Artemis muttered, "About time. He's soooo lazy during the winter."
There was a sudden burst of light on the horizon, a blast of warmth. "Don't look," Artemis advised. "Not until he parks."
They averted their eyes, and saw that the other kids were doing the same. The light and warmth intensified. Then suddenly the light died.
A red convertible Maserati Spyder, it was so awesome it glowed. It was glowing because the metal was hot. The snow had melted around the Maserati in a perfect circle, which explained the green grass.
The driver got out, smiling. He looked about seventeen or eighteen. Apollo had sandy hair and outdoorsy good looks. His smile was bright and playful. Apollo wore jeans and loafers and a sleeveless T-shirt.
"Wow," Thalia muttered. "Apollo is hot."
"Definitely," Jillian added.
"He's the sun god," Grover said.
"That's not what we meant," They said together, sounding like twins.
"Little sister!" Apollo called. "What's up? You never call. You never write. I was getting worried!"
Artemis sighed. "I'm fine, Apollo. And I am not your little sister."
"Hey, I was born first."
"We're twins! How many millennia do we have to argue—"
"So what's up?" he interrupted. "Got the girls with you, I see. You all need some tips on archery?"
Artemis grit her teeth. "I need a favor. I have some hunting to do, alone. I need you to take my companions to Camp Half-Blood."
"Sure, sis!" Then he raised his hands in a stop everything gesture. "I feel a haiku coming on."
The Hunters all groaned. Apparently they'd met Apollo before. He cleared his throat and held up one hand dramatically.
"Green grass breaks through snow.
Artemis pleads for my help.
I am so cool."
He grinned at us, waiting for applause. Jackson rolls his eyes. They learned about poetry when they were little in the Void. Tartarus' haikus, which consisted of tortures from his pit, lines about sunglasses, and ending with lines about how his nieces and nephews were great, were better than Apollo's crappy ones.
"That last line was only four syllables," Artemis said.
Apollo frowned. "Was it?"
"Yes. What about I am so big-headed?"
"No, no, that's six syllables. Hmm," He started muttering to himself and counting on his fingers.
Zoe Nightshade turned to them. "Lord Apollo has been going through this haiku phase ever since he visited Japan. 'Tis not as bad as the time he visited Limerick. If I'd had to hear one more poem that started with, There once was a goddess from Sparta—"
"I've got it!" Apollo announced. "I am so awesome. That's five syllables!" He bowed, looking very pleased with himself. "And now, sis. Transportation for the Hunters, you say? Good timing. I was just about ready to roll."
"These demigods will also need a ride," Artemis said, pointing to us. "Some of Chiron's campers."
"No problem!" Apollo checked us out. "Let's see… Thalia, right? I've heard all about you."
Thalia blushed. "Hi, Lord Apollo."
"Zeus's girl, yes? Makes you my half sister. Used to be a tree, didn't you? Glad you're back. I hate it when pretty girls turn into trees. Man, I remember one time—"
"Brother," Artemis said. "You should get going."
"Oh, right," Then he looked at Jillian, and his eyes narrowed. "Jillian Donaldson?"
"Yeah. I mean… yes, sir," Jillian looked a tad annoyed that Thalia had gotten much more attention than her from such 'a hot god'.
"Well!" He said. "We'd better load up, huh? Ride only goes one way—west. And if you miss it, you miss it."
"Cool car," Grover said.
"Thanks, satyr," Apollo said.
"But how will we all fit?"
"Oh." Apollo seemed to notice the problem for the first time. "Well, yeah. I hate to change out of sports-car mode, but I suppose…"
He took out his car keys and beeped the security alarm button. Chirp, chirp. For a moment, the car glowed brightly again. When the glare died, the Maserati had been replaced by one of those Turtle Top shuttle buses like we used for school basketball games.
"Right," he said. "Everybody in."
Zoe ordered the Hunters to start loading. She picked up her camping pack, and Apollo said, "Here, sweetheart. Let me get that."
Zoe recoiled. Her eyes flashed murderously.
"Brother," Artemis chided. "You do not help my Hunters. You do not look at, talk to, or flirt with my Hunters. And you do not call them sweetheart."
Apollo spread his hands. "Sorry. I forgot. Hey, sis, where are you off to, anyway?"
"Hunting," Artemis said. "It's none of your business."
"I'll find out. I see all. Know all."
Artemis snorted. "Just drop them off, Apollo. And no messing around!"
"No, no! I never mess around."
Artemis rolled her eyes, then looked at us. "I will see you by winter solstice. Zoe, you are in charge of the Hunters. Do well. Do as I would do."
Zoe straightened. "Yes, my lady."
Artemis knelt and touched the ground as if looking for tracks. When she rose, she looked troubled. "So much danger. The beast must be found."
She sprinted toward the woods and melted into the snow and shadows.
Apollo turned and grinned, jangling the car keys on his finger. "So," he said. "Who wants to drive?"
The Hunters piled into the van. They all crammed into the back so they'd be as far away as possible from Apollo and the 'disgusting campers'.
"Who's driving?" Apollo asked.
"Oo! Oo!" Grover raised his hand.
"Mm, no," Apollo said. "Too furry," He looked past Jillian and focused on Thalia.
"Daughter of Zeus!" He said. "Lord of the sky. Perfect."
"Oh, no," Thalia shook her head. "No, thanks."
"C'mon," Apollo tapped his finger to his lips. "You're twelve, perfect age to be learning how to use the wheels.
Thalia shifted her feet nervously. "Uh—"
"I know what you're going to say," Apollo said. "You don't deserve an honor like driving the sun chariot."
"That's not what I was going to say."
"Don't sweat it! Maine to Long Island is a really short trip, and don't worry about what happened to the last kid I trained. You're Zeus's daughter. He's not going to blast you out of the sky."
Apollo laughed good-naturedly. The rest didn't join him while Jillian looked annoyed.
Thalia tried to protest, but Apollo was absolutely not going to take "no" for an answer. He hit a button on the dashboard, and a sign popped up along the top of the windshield, WARNING: STUDENT DRIVER.
"Take it away!" Apollo told Thalia. "You're gonna be a natural! Speed equals heat. So start slowly, and make sure you've got good altitude before you really open her up."
Thalia gripped the wheel so tight her knuckles turned white. She looked like she was going to be sick.
"What's wrong?" Fern asked her as the siblings plus Bianca took seat on the passenger side. Jackson, looking at Thalia's scared face, quickly made straps from the rope in his backpack as a precaution.
"Nothing," she said shakily. "N-nothing is wrong."
She pulled back on the wheel. It tilted, and the bus lurched upward so fast something heavy fell against Jackson. He pushed a moaning Grover off him. A smoking ring of trees from the clearing where the bus had lifted off.
"Slower!" Apollo said.
"Sorry!" Thalia said. "I've got it under control!"
"Thalia," Annabeth said. "Lighten up on the accelerator."
"I've got it, Annabeth," She said, gritting her teeth. But she kept it floored.
"Loosen up," Jillian told her.
"I'm loose!" Thalia said. She was so stiff she looked like she was made out of plywood.
"We need to veer south for Long Island," Apollo said. "Hang a left."
Thalia jerked the wheel and again threw Grover onto Jackson, again.
"The other left," Apollo suggested.
"Ah…" Apollo said, forcing himself to sound calm. "A little lower, sweetheart. Cape Cod is freezing over."
Thalia tilted the wheel. Her face was chalk white, her forehead beaded with sweat. The bus pitched down and somebody screamed. Now the bus were heading straight toward the Atlantic Ocean at a thousand miles an hour. And it was getting hot in the bus.
Apollo had been thrown somewhere in the back of the bus, but he started climbing up the rows of seats.
"Take the wheel!" Grover begged him.
"No worries," Apollo said. He looked plenty worried. "She just has to learn to—WHOA!"
Down below was a little snow-covered New England town. At least, it used to be snow-covered. The snow melted off the trees and the roofs and the lawns. The white steeple on a church turned brown and started to smolder. Little plumes of smoke, like birthday candles, were popping up all over the town. Trees and rooftops were catching fire.
"Pull up!" Grover yelled.
There was a wild light in Thalia's eyes. She yanked back on the wheel. As they zoomed up, the fires in the town were being snuffed out by the sudden blast of cold.
"There!" Apollo pointed. "Long Island, dead ahead. Let's slow down, dear. 'Dead' is only an expression."
Thalia was thundering toward the coastline of northern Long Island. There was Camp Half-Blood: the valley, the woods, the beach.
"I'm under control," Thalia muttered. "I'm under control."
A few hundred yards away now.
"Brake," Apollo said.
"I can do this."
"BRAKE!"
Thalia slammed her foot on the brake, and the sun bus pitched forward at a forty-five-degree angle, slamming into the Camp Half-Blood canoe lake with a huge FLOOOOOOSH! Steam billowed up, sending several frightened naiads scrambling out of the water with half-woven wicker baskets. The bus bobbed to the surface, along with a couple of capsized, half-melted canoes.
"Well," said Apollo with a brave smile. "You were right, my dear. You had everything under control! Let's go see if we boiled anyone important, shall we?"
Camp Half Blood looked like the old tales of Santa's north pole the last children used to read as jokes. Frost covered the chariot track and the strawberry fields. The cabins were decorated with tiny flickering lights, like Christmas lights, except they seemed to be balls of real fire. More lights glowed in the woods, and weirdest of all, a fire flickered in the attic window of the Big blue House.
"Whoa," Bianca said as she climbed off the bus. Seeing such a new place seemed to have momentarily pulled her out of her shocked phase. "Is that a climbing wall?"
"Yeah," Jillian said.
"Why is there lava pouring down it?"
"Little extra challenge. Come on. I'll introduce you guys to Chiron. Zoe, have you met—"
"I know Chiron," Zoe said stiffly. "Tell him we will be in Cabin Eight. Hunters, follow me."
"I'll show you the way," Grover offered.
"We know the way."
"Oh, really, it's no trouble. It's easy to get lost here, if you don't" He tripped over a canoe and came up still talking. "Like my old daddy goat used to say! Come on!"
Zoe rolled her eyes, she figured there was no getting rid of Grover. The Hunters shouldered their packs and their bows and headed off toward the cabins.
"Take care, sweethearts!" Apollo called after the Hunters. "Watch out for those prophecies, Thalia. I'll see you soon."
"What do you mean?"
Instead of answering, he hopped back in the bus. "Later, Thalia," he called. "And, uh, be good!"
He gave her a wicked smile, as if he knew something she didn't. Then he closed the doors and revved the engine. A red Maserati soared over the woods, glowing brighter and climbing higher until it disappeared in a ray of sunlight.
"Who's Chiron?" Bianca asked.
"The hunters don't like him," Thalia supplied cheerfully. Annabeth gave Thalia a pointed look.
A muscular African American boy was stoking the forge outside the camp armory with a smaller latino boy. Two boys were picking the lock on the camp store. A few kids who looked like they were from the Ares cabin were having a snowball fight with the wood nymphs at the edge of the forest.
The Big House was decorated with strings of red and yellow fireballs that warmed the porch but didn't seem to catch anything on fire. Inside, flames crackled in the hearth. The air smelled like hot chocolate. Two men sit at a table, playing a quiet game of hearts. One man has a chubby face, a red nose and curly hair so black, it looks purple. He has watery, blue, bloodshot eyes, like he drinks a lot. His bold tiger-striped Hawaiian shirts, neon orange running tights and purple running shoes clash horribly with his pudgy belly and cherub face. A golden laurel wreath was tilted sideways on his curly black hair, which must've meant he'd won the last hand of cards. The other man sits in a wheelchair, his hand stroking his shaggy brown bear. He wore a fuzzy sweater with a hoofprint design on it, and he had a blanket on his lap that almost hid his wheelchair completely.
The wheelchair guy, who Jackson recognizes as the Chiron, smiled when he saw us. "Annabeth! Thalia! Jillian! And?"
Annabeth smiled at him. "Bianca di Angelo, Jackson Last, and Fern Last."
Chiron breathed a sigh of relief. "You succeeded, then."
"Well…" Jillian began.
His smile melted. "What's wrong?"
"We were rescuing the half bloods when the manticore pulled Bianca's brother over the cliff," Annabeth said sadly. Fern and Jackson exchanged looks. The campers rescued them?
"Oh, dear," Mr. D said in a bored voice, "Not another one lost."
"What do you mean?" Thalia asked. "Who else is lost?"
Just then, Grover trotted into the room, grinning like crazy. He had a black eye and red lines on his face that looked like a slap mark. "The Hunters are all moved in!"
Chiron frowned. "The Hunters, eh? I see we have much to talk about. Grover, perhaps you should take our new friends to the den and show them our orientation film."
"But… Oh, right. Yes, sir."
The orientation film was so boring. It showed them the camp. Already done, three D tour with Chaos. It told them about the greek gods and monsters. Check. Jackson almost fell asleep.
"You're… you're a centaur?" Bianca asked when they returned to the room. The children of Chaos were happy to see that she was no longer blankly staring off into the distance, but her movements were still a little robotic from grief.
Chiron managed a nervous smile. "Yes, Miss di Angelo, if you please. Though, I prefer to stay in human form in this wheelchair for, ah, first encounters."
"Dionysus?" Bianca asked.
The god puffed himself up, happy to be recognized. Chiron looked relieved. There was tension in the air, like Thalia or Jillian had been getting angry.
"Jillian," Chiron said quickly, "You and Thalia go down to the cabins. Inform the campers we'll be playing capture the flag tomorrow evening."
"Capture the flag?" Thalia asked. "But we don't have enough—"
"It is a tradition," Chiron said. "A friendly match, whenever the Hunters visit."
"Yeah," Jillian muttered. "I bet it's real friendly."
Chiron jerked his head toward Mr. D. "Run along now," Chiron told them. "Annabeth, could you show Miss di Angelo and the Lasts to the Hermes cabin?"
"Oh, right," Annabeth replied as Jillian and Thalia left. "Come on guys."
Outside of the Big House, they paused before looking over the camp. Over at the basketball court, a few of the Hunters were shooting hoops. One of them was arguing with a guy from the Ares cabin. Thalia and Jillian stood just off, looking like they had just been arguing too.
Annabeth sighed. "Those two are almost unbeatable when they worked together, but getting them to do so is the hard part," She walked over to the girls, Jackson, Fern, and Bianca trailing behind her.
"Hey Annabeth," Thalia said as the blonde approached.
"Hey guys," She replied.
"Annabeth, we were just talking about who should be team captain for capture the flag," Jillian added.
"Who all is here and eligible?" Annabeth questioned.
"I am, Jillian is too, Katie Gardner, Clarisse isn't, she's on some mission, you are, Lee Fletcher isn't a year rounder, but Michael Yew has been head for long enough. Beckendorf and Silena are both here, plus the Stolls. That's it," Thalia summed up.
"Can anyone be a team captain?" Fern asked.
Jillian's green eyes narrowed. "I guess, but it's always a tradition that cabin counselors were the captains. You guys aren't even claimed yet."
"I'll be team captain if that's all right with you two," Annabeth says. They nod. "Can you guys go around and tell everybody? Remind them that all cabin counselors will come to the Athena cabin tomorrow afternoon for a meeting to plan our strategy."
The two walk off towards the cabins, but fighting breaks out on the basketball court. After a furious game of rock paper scissors, Thalia trudged off toward the court, where the Ares camper and the Hunter were trying to kill each other with a sword and a basketball.
The cabins were an odd collection of buildings, Jackson had to admit. By themselves, they would have looked fine, but putting an old fashioned temple with a small factory? Or a house make of plants with a bloody building with explosions going off? Not good. Cabins one and two, as Annabeth pointed out, were for Zeus and Hera. Zeus' cabin is marble building looking like a mausoleum, with heavy columns. The big bronze double doors are polished in such a way to provide a 'holographic' effect of lightning bolts passing across. As they pass by, Jackson can hear it thundering. Bianca flinches.
"Thalia's cabin," Annabeth says.
Hera's cabin is marble, formal-looking building, graceful with slim columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. It is done in a similar way to her husband, Zeus' cabin. However Hera's cabin is more graceful, having slimmer columns with pomegranates and flowers around them. The walls also have images of peacocks carved on them, as well as the doors.
Next to Zeus' cabin is a long, low building with windows facing the ocean. The cabin is made from rough sea stone, pieces of coral and seashell embedded into the outside walls, and a trident with a big bronze number 3 over the door. Jackson inhales deeply as a sea breeze flows by them.
"Poseidon. Jillian's cabin," Annabeth stated as they passed by.
Cabins four and five are interesting. Demeter's looks like an organic dream with flowers, tomatoes, fruits, and flowers growing neatly while the roof is made out of real grass. The plants are enchanted, Annabeth explains, to not die in the cold or heat. Ares' cabin is light brown and bloody red with barbed wire on the roof.
Annabeth stops proudly in front of Athena's cabin. The walls were a simple grey with an owl over the doorway. Cabins seven and eight glow like the sun and moon for Apollo and Artemis. They steer as far away as possible from the hunters in cabin eight.
Cabin nine, the factory cabin, sits next to what looks like a come to life doll house. All of the curtains match the house perfectly. Finally, they reach cabin eleven, Hermes.
As they stand on the worn wooden porch, Annabeth explains the acceptance policy of Hermes. "Normally, you can only live in the cabin of your godly parent, but Hermes is the exception. He welcomes all travelers, even minor gods children or the unclaimed. In the summer, it's super crowded. But now..." She trailed off.
Jackson and Fern peeked inside. A few kids sit on the floor, beds, or chairs. From the numerous bunkbeds, Jackson can tell that a lot of kids stay here other times. It's the largest group of kids they have seen since they got to camp, asides from the hunters, but no more than ten sit around now.
"Travis? Connor?" Annabeth called into the dark cabin.
"Did someone call my name?" A pale face with elfish features and a sarcastic grin pops over the bunk bed nearest to them.
"Hey Connor, where is Travis?" Annabeth asked.
The boy, Connor shrugged. "Probably off trying to suck faces with Katie Gardner."
Annabeth rolled her eyes and sighed. "He never learns, does he?" Connor shook his head, before Annabeth introduced the siblings and Bianca. Connor shows them some empty bunk beds before leaving to go pull a prank on someone named Drew, whoever that is.
As the sun began to set, a conch horn blew, signalling it was time for dinner. Jackson lined up with the other Hermes campers and headed to the mess hall. The torches and braziers kept the outdoor pavilion warm, tables covered in table cloths of the god's color, silver for Artemis, sky blue for Zeus. Annabeth was heading to her table when Jillian caught her arm. Jackson leaned in to listen from his spot at the Hermes table.
"Listen, I was talking to Tyson through an iris message and he told me some pretty serious stuff. Oceanus is rising and Aigaios is continuously attacking dad's palace," Jillian paused, debating what she was going to say next. "He also said the Princess Andromeda was heading down to Panama."
Annabeth's grey eyes widen. She was obviously calculating something and didn't like the answer she had gotten. "But why would he do that? Unless..."
Jackson thought to his geography he had learned. Panama was famous for the canal that provided an easy connection of the two oceans, Pacific and Atlantic. If he remembered Jillian's story correctly, Luke had been recruiting half bloods and monsters on the east coast. If he was going to Panama, he wanted to get to the west coast.
"Ladies," Chiron said, giving them a pointed look. Jillian took a seat at the Poseidon table alone while Annabeth hurried to sit with her siblings. Thalia slid to the end of the Zeus table so that she could talk to Jillian who was at the table next to her.
The barbecue, pizza, and soda were delicious, but Jackson couldn't keep his mind off the upcoming war, the threat of the bad boat, Nico's fall, and the bad feeling that kept poking him. Fern didn't seem to feel like eating either. She prodded her food around with her fork, preoccupied with her thoughts. Bianca was the same way. He could tell by the look in her eyes, she was thinking about how much Nico would have loved this place.
The only table that really seemed to be having a good time was the Artemis table. The Hunters drank and ate and laughed like one big happy family. Zoe sat at the head like she was the mama. She didn't laugh as much as the others, but she did smile from time to time. Her silver lieutenant's band glittered in the dark braids of her hair. She looked a lot nicer when she smiled. Atlanta and the girl who picked a fight with the Ares kid on the basketball court were arm wrestling.
When they had finished eating, Chiron made the customary toast to the gods and formally welcomed the Hunters of Artemis. The clapping was pretty half hearted. Then he announced the "good will" capture-the-flag game for tomorrow night, which got a lot better reception.
Afterward, everyone trailed back to the cabins for an early, winter lights out. Jackson was tired from being up for a day and a half but he'd been in worse. Soon he fell asleep to nightmares.
Nico struggled up a dark hill shrouded in fog. Old broken Greek columns of black marble were scattered around, as though something had blasted a huge building to ruins.
"Thorn!" Nico cried. "Where are you? Why did you bring me here?" He scrambled over a section of broken wall and came to the crest of the hill and gasped.
There was Bianca. And she was in pain. That didn't make any sense. Bianca was at camp.
She was crumpled on the rocky ground, trying to rise. The blackness seemed to be thicker around her, fog swirling hungrily. Her clothes were in tatters and her face was scratched and drenched with sweat.
"Nico!" She called. "Help me! Please!"
Jackson wanted to cry out: It's trap Nico! Stop! But his voice wasn't working. Nico ran forward.
Then the darkness above Bianca began to crumble, like a cavern roof in an earthquake. Huge chunks of black rock began falling. Nico rushed in just as a crack appeared, and the whole ceiling dropped. He held it somehow—tons of rock. He kept it from collapsing on him and Bianca just with his own strength. It was impossible. He shouldn't have been able to do that.
Bianca rolled free, gasping. Her face began to change until an empusae appeared, one that had taken on Bianca's features. "Good, little demigod. You will have to do until the second package gets here."
His dream shifted to the underworld. An angry Hades paced in front of his throne with an amused looking Thanatos standing to the side. Hades noticed Jackson and turned to him.
"You!" He said stepping off the raised dais where his throne sat towards Jackson. "You first let my son be taken by the enemy. Then you took my daughter, the prophecy child to the Olympian camp. You have failed your mission."
Thanatos tried to step forward to defend his cousin, but Jackson held up his hand. "I am deeply sorry my lord, Nico was like a brother to me. But I know where he is now and how we can save him. No excuse I will tell you will bring back your son, but I ask you to listen first.
Hades sighed and gestured with his hand to go on. Jackson explained about the monsters and how the campers had attempted to rescue them. Their rescue for the campers, the hunter's interference, and Nico saving Fern were all told to Hades as the Lord of the Dead paced the throne room.
"Nico is currently on Mount Othrys, holding the sky. There's going to be a quest soon, I can feel it. My sister and I will go, we will save Nico, I promise. Your son sacrificed himself to save my sister. I will do whatever it takes to get him back, even if it kills me. As a true sign that I am sorry, I offer you my axe, my most trusted weapon," Jackson holds out his axe to Hades.
For a long moment, Hades stares at the axe. Slowly, he closes Jackson's open fingers around the weapon handle. "You proved yourself to me by protecting my children for this long. You will need your most trusted weapon to get my son back. I'm giving you another chance. Do not fail me."
Before he could nod in reply, the dream faded.
The next day went by in a blur. Jackson informed Fern of their new challenge before telling Bianca that Nico was still alive. The daughter of Hades looked relieved, but she was still upset that he had fallen in the first place. She was blaming herself for it, but the children of Chaos tried to distract her with a stygian iron weapon that Jackson had found under his pillow, obviously from Hades and for Bianca.
The blade was a long dagger, almost a sword at two feet long. Bianca was good with it, really good. They couldn't tell her where they had gotten it or her father yet, but Bianca was glad to have a weapon that finally worked for her.
Zoe Nightshade looked pretty upset at dinner that night. She kept glancing resentfully at Chiron, like she couldn't believe he was making her do this. The other Hunters didn't look too happy, either. Unlike last night, they weren't laughing or joking around. They just huddled together in the dining pavilion, whispering nervously to each other as they strapped on their armor. Some of them even looked like they'd been crying. As he passed by to sacrifice food for Chaos, he heard one girl ask, "Who will lead the hunt if Lady Artemis is lost?" Zoe shushed the girl and glared at Jackson.
Soon it was time for capture the flag. Jackson and Fern used the mist to cover up the fact that their armor and weapons were made of strange metals. On their team, there was Beckendorf, the african american son of Hephaestus, and two other Hephaestus guys, a few from the Ares cabin, Apollo's children, the children of Demeter, the Stoll brothers and a few other unclaimed from Hermes cabin, and a few Aphrodite kids. Everyone seemed shocked that Aphrodite wanted to play. Jackson guessed they were the gossip of the camp, not the fighters.
Chiron's hoof thundered on the pavilion floor.
"Heroes!" he called. "You know the rules! The creek is the boundary line. Blue team—Camp Half-Blood—shall take the west woods. Hunters of Artemis—red team—shall take the east woods. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. No intentional maiming, please! All magic items are allowed. To your positions!"
Annabeth said, "Blue team! Follow me!"
They cheered and followed. Annabeth had the team set the flag at the top of Zeus's Fist. It's this cluster of boulders in the middle of the west woods that, if you look at it just the right way, looks like a huge fist sticking out of the ground. If you look at it from any other side, it looks like a pile of enormous deer droppings. It was a good place to hide the flag, not the best ever, but a pretty good choice. The top boulder was twenty feet tall and really hard to climb, so the flag was clearly visible, like the rules said it had to be, and it didn't matter that the guards weren't allowed to stand within ten yards of it.
"We'll send out a decoy to the left," Annabeth told the team. "Silena, you lead that."
"Got it!"
"Take Laurel and Jason. They're good runners. Make a wide arc around the Hunters, attract as many as you can. I'll take the main raiding party around to the right and catch them by surprise."
"That won't work," Jackson said.
All eyes turned to look at him. Fern stepped up. "He's right. If you lead a team around the right, that will leave the middle wide open. If you lead down the middle, the hunters can swarm the middle attackers.
Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "I suppose you've got a better plan?"
"Yes," Jackson said with certainty. "Silena's distraction team and your team need to be equal in size. They will distract the flanks while a smaller team rushes in to get the flag. The Hephaestus kids need to set more traps around the boulders."
Everybody glanced at Annabeth. After a long pause, she spoke up. "And what if it fails?"
"You can blame me. The hunters aren't like other opponents you've faced before. They are fast, quiet, and smart. You need to vary your strategy."
"All right then. Thalia, you will lead the left flank team. Take five people with you. Jillian, you take five more and attack the right side. Beckendorf, Leo, Katie, Stolls, make some traps so it's hard for the hunters to get to the boulder. I'll be a top a tree, looking for weak spots," Turning to Jackson, Annabeth continued. "I guess you will be going down the center."
He nodded. "Bianca and Fern will come with me."
Many campers murmured dissent at this. "My sister and I are a team, we can work together well. I have known Bianca longer than I have known any of you, I would know how she thinks. Being claimed doesn't affect your brain strategy or your skills."
The blue team broke into their smaller groups. The horn sounded, and the game began.
Jillian's group disappeared into the woods on the right at the same time Thalia's went to the left. Jackson gave them a few seconds before the trio headed down towards the creek.
"We'll try to be as silent and as stealthy as we can until the hunters raise the alarm. Then it's all about speed," Fern murmured.
They jumped across the cold creek and continued through the woods moving swiftly. On either side of them, they could hear fighting, but no one attacked them. Soon they reached a clearing with the silver flag in the center, no guards around it. Jackson paused, his senses scanning the area. The flag is a bright silver, too bright. He reached out in the moisture in the air to find that the flag was a mirage.
A thud came from the ground behind them. Zoe Nightshade stood there, bow drawn. "Good to see thee has finally found the flag," She spat. Bianca was inching closer to the false flag. Jackson knew Fern could sense the false flag. Find the real flag while I distract her, he sent through their mental connection.
Drawing his axe, Zoe took this as a sign of attack and fired three arrows swiftly. Easily, he chopped them in half, then in half again. The huntress narrowed her eyes before charging him, firing arrows before pulling out her knifes. Jackson parried away her strikes, rolling away to disengage her.
Zoe hook her arm onto a strong branch and swung herself up. That's when Jackson noticed the other flag. This flag was a dim silver and woven into the branches. Fern saw it the same moment her did. She ran the base of the nearest tree before running up the trunk. Zoe realized her predicament and yelled. She dropped out of the tree with ease, launching herself at Jackson. He ducked and swung his axe, disarming her of one of her knifes. Unfortunately for him, Zoe yanked another knife out of her boot. Great.
"Bianca, go! I'll cover your back!" Fern yelled once she had grabbed the flag, throwing it to Bianca. Zoe's eyes widened. She could chase down the flag now, but turning her back on Jackson would be fatal. If she stayed to fight him, the campers would win. Her attacks on Jackson increased intensity, but still she could not land a blow. When one of her knifes clipped a little too far to the left, Jackson spun his axe around, grabbing onto the blade. He swung the shaft into the back of her knees, knocking her to the ground. Seeing his chance, he sprinted after his sister and Bianca. Zoe got to her feet, but Jackson was already far off. Drawing her bow, she sprinted after them.
Fern was busy protecting Bianca from the hunters that were swarming them. She knocked two away with her staff while drawing a knife and pinning the girl to a tree by her armor straps. Bianca had out her long blade and was slashing at any hunter that attacked her front side. While Fern was occupied on the right, a group of hunters shot arrows to Bianca's left. Jackson put on a burst of speed and chopped the arrows to pieces. He sent his axe whirling at the surprised hunters, knocking them out with the handle, as maiming wasn't allowed. The axe spun back to his hand as Bianca dashed the last few yards to the creek. She plunged into the cold water, cringing a little, and crossed to the other side.
The campers cheered as both sides converged on the creek. Chiron appeared out of the woods, looking cheerful.
"The Campers win!" Chiron announced with pleasure. Then he muttered, "Breaking the hunters' fifty five winning streak."
The hunters glared sourly at the campers. Jackson noticed the team that was attempting to take their flag had been only been a few hundred yards from the creek. He saw the girl carrying the camper's flag at her side, looking glum.
"Good game," He told her, holding out his hand.
She looked at him oddly, her rainbow eyes watching his hand like it was a snake. Finally she reached out and shook the hand. "You too."
"Are you a daughter of Iris?" He asked.
The girl nodded her light haired head. "How could you tell?"
"I noticed the flag was a mirage, so someone with powers over deception or colors had to be in the hunters, and your eyes are multicolored," He didn't say that he had seen pictures of Iris and saw the likeness.
"You figured out the flag trick?" She asked. "By the way, my name is Cleona."
"Jackson," He raised his hand and some water floated over to them. "I used the moisture to sense that the flag was a mirage. Rainbows have water in them."
He had done it so subconsciously that he didn't even realize he was using his powers over water. Mistake. Chiron was watching him oddly, but something behind Jackson and Cleona caught his eye.
Someone… something was approaching. It was shrouded in a murky green mist, but as it got closer, the campers and Hunters gasped.
"This is impossible," Chiron said. I'd never heard him sound so nervous. "It… she has never left the attic. Never."
And yet, the withered mummy that held the Oracle shuffled forward until she stood in the center of the group. Mist curled around their feet, turning the snow a sickly shade of green.
Nobody dared to even move. Then her voice hissed inside his head. Apparently everyone could hear it, because several clutched their hands over the ears.
I am the spirit of Delphi, The voice said. Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python.
The Oracle regarded everyone with its cold, dead eyes. Then she turned unmistakably toward Bianca di Angelo. Approach, Seeker, and ask.
Bianca swallowed. "What must I do to save my brother?"
The Oracle's mouth opened, and green mist poured out. I saw the vague image of a mountain, and a boy standing at the barren peak. It was Nico, and he was weakly holding up the sky. He was kneeling and it looked like he was in pain. The Oracle spoke:
Six shall go west to the captured in chains,
One shall be taken in the land without rain,
Seeker, two siblings, lightning, owl, and huntress,
Shall be chased by something worse than death.
The bane of Olympus shows the trail,
Campers and Hunters combined prevail,
The Titan's curse must one withstand,
And one's fate shall be decided by a family hand.
Then the mist swirled and retreated like a great green serpent into the mummy's mouth. The Oracle sat down on a rock and became as still as a statue, as if she might sit by this creek for a hundred years.
How was it? I hoped you enjoyed reading it.
The part with Cleona was just to explain the flag. Remember this is NOT Percy x OC. Percy is paired with a canon character that I have already chosen. But the story is more about siblingship than romance.
For those who have read both Storm Rising and this, which story should get an update next?
Remember to review!
Thanks!
~Snow Wolfe6631~