The Heroes Of Olympus & The Surrounding Darkness
So, I gotta say again, if you have any thoughts on what should happen next in the story, don't be afraid to share them. Private message me. I'd love to hear your ideas. I'm honestly not sure where the story should go from here. I know how it'll end but I need more in the middle. More plot twists. More action. And I'm sure any ideas would be of great use to me.
Thanks for reading this far!
Jason Grace P.O.V.
When I open my eyes, I'm squatting in a tree. Literally, I'm maybe thirty feet in the air, standing on a tree branch. How I got here? I don't know. Obviously, it had something to do with the eidolons.
I realize I'm holding in my right hand a bow, and in my left I hold a quiver of arrows. And I'm wearing some sort of forest-green cloak. I shake the hood off my head. I notice the sun is setting in the distance. I should get back to camp.
A groan comes from not far away. I turn my head in every direction, looking for the source. I look around the tree and spot Nico lying on the ground. There's an arrow jutting straight out of his chest. I look at the bow and quiver in my hands. Did I do that?
I'm about to jump out of the tree and run to him when I notice the blood. I can see it, and there's a lot of it. The smell is amazing, it's so strong. It smells just like Leo's did earlier. Roses.
I don't want to attack Nico like I did with Leo. Nico's completely defenseless here. Nobody around to protect him... from me.
And what if I was the one who shot him with an arrow? How could he ever trust me again? Maybe he already saw my face and knows that I'm the one who shot him.
I hear the murmur of voices coming from somewhere below me. I lean across the branch to get a look. I see two campers, a boy and a girl, both wearing orange Camp-Half Blood tee-shirts. The boy carries a lantern and the girl carries medical supplies. They must be looking for Nico, thank gods. As they proceed in walking forward, they spot Nico lying on the dirt. "There he is!" The boy shouts.
They run to Nico's side and the girl pops her medical supply case open. She takes a good look at the arrow in Nico's side. "I don't know if I can heal this on my own." She states. "He's lost too much blood. We have to take him back to camp. Where's the walkie-talkie?" The boy unclips it from his belt and hands it to her. "Number two to base camp." She says into the microphone.
"Base camp. What's the news?" The voice in the walkie-talkie replies.
"Nico DiAngelo is severely injured. It appears an arrow was shot into his chest. His rib cage is damaged badly. We need somone to come pick him up. We'd do it but I don't want to fracture his ribs any worse."
"Copy that. Chiron is on his way with two other campers. Stay where you're at, we need your coordinates."
"We copy. Over." She hands the walkie-talkie back to the boy who clips it to his belt again. She takes some nectar from her case and feeds it to Nico, and he groans.
They sit in silence for a couple minutes, waiting for the backup to arrive. I wait in the tree, just trying to make sure they all get out of the woods safely. It's getting darker, I almost can't see the two campers or Nico from my spot in the tree. I decide to get closer.
As I jump to another tree branch, my foot slips and I fall through the air, landing on my back as I hit the hard ground. It didn't really hurt, but my bones ache. I sit up and rub my head. I look around and notice the boy and girl staring at me with wide eyes.
"Uh..." What do I say? "I just thought I'd drop in." Gods. I'm stupid.
"Who are you?" The boy asks.
I stare at him a moment, thinking of what to say. The girl seems to have already noticed me holding a bow and arrows. I hope it's too dark for them to see my face. They can't know that I shot Nico. It's not like I meant to. It was the eidolons, not me. Now what should I do?
I turn around, throw my hood over my head, and run as fast as I can. What else could I have done?
I feel the wind hitting my face as I speed along through the woods. Wait a second, what about Nico and the two kids? They barely looked like they could be fourteen, I can't just leave them alone in the woods at night. I have to go back, but I can't be seen. I immediately stop and begin running in the opposite direction.
As I run, I realize something very odd. It's like time is slowing down, but I'm still running as fast as I always have. I watch as the leaves on the trees rustle in slow-motion. I run and run until I finally reach them, and once I stop so abruptly, time begins to speed up to it's usual pace.
I stand behind a tree, peeking my head around to see the two campers and Nico's unconscious body. Instead of only the three, there are two more campers and Chiron. Nico is still unconscious, but he's been placed gentley onto Chiron's back. They're beginning to head back to camp. I follow.
About ten minutes later, I can see the lights of the camp. They're just ahead. I really hope Nico is okay. I don't know what I'd do if I found out that I killed him.
Then, something moves in the bushes to my left. A large, gray squirrel jumps out, munching on an acorn. It has a small cut on it's back. I smell the blood but it doesn't smell like my friend's blood did. The squirrel's blood smells... like maple, very sweet.
I notice my mouth watering. I know that I'm a vampire now, and it's been a while since I've eaten anything, but I can't deprive myself to sucking the blood of this poor squirrel. It's cruel and heartless. But what else is there to do? I'm starving.
No, I will not drink the blood of an innocent squirrel. Though it is just a squirrel, I won't take it's life just to feed myself dinner. I'll figure something else out.
I keep walking towards camp. I realize that my bow and arrows, which I still don't know where they came from, are still being clutched in my hands. My knuckles hurt, so I strap the quiver behind my back and hook my bow to it.
As I walk, I trip over a tree limb and fall flat on my face. Why am I such a klutz today?
Chiron and the others must have heard me. "Who's there?" Chirons demands. He canters over and finds me sprawled on the ground, spitting a clump of dirt out of my mouth. "Jason, is that you?" He asks.
I have no choice but to answer as he hovers over me. "Yes, sir."
"Well, get up. We need to get back to the camp now." He orders.
I stand but find myself very weak. I take a step forward but my knees buckle and I collapse. I'm exhausted and hungry. I feel so drained, but I need to keep going to get back to camp. These woods aren't safe at night... even for a vampire.
As I try to stand again, but fail, Chiron reaches down and grabs the back of my cloak, lifting me into the air and onto his back. I sit behind Nico, who is still passed out and the arrow remains in his side. The arrow must've been there for at least a half hour.
"Jason," Chiron says, "how long has it been since you've eaten?"
"At least a good twenty-four hours." I answer.
"On a scale of one to ten, one being 'not very much' and ten being 'extremely' ...how hungry are you now?"
I think for a moment. "At least a nine. Maybe nine and a half."
"Hmmm, we'd better find you something to eat. I think the Apollo cabin may have a potion that will satisfy your thirst, rather than having you drink blood."
I'd try anything over drinking animal's blood. I just need to have it now, before I go on another frenzy and attack some random person. And it probably isn't a very good idea for me to be sitting next to Nico where I can smell his blood so clearly. It still smells so fresh. Juicy. Appetizing.
No, I cannot drink my friend's blood. Keep your mind focused on something else.
"Chiron, do you think I'll ever be human again?" I ask.
Two of the campers walking beside us gasp and one asks, "What are you?" I ignore the question. I would think they would've caught on by now due to Chiron telling me moments ago that he'll find a potion rather than having me drink blood.
"With no doubt in my mind, I know that you will find a way to become human again. You're an extraordinary demigod. The son of Zues, in fact. I know that Percy will be cured too. You'll work together, along with the rest of your team. I know you can find a cure."
That cheers me up. "But what if there is no cure?"
He chuckles quietly. "There is, and you'll find it."
Then, everything seems to happen at once.
The first thing I know: I'm not on Chiron's back anymore. There's a sack over my head. I'm being dragged away by my arms. I hear Chiron shout a curse as my new captors, or possibly past from earlier today, pull me far from my camp director.
Next thing I know, someone punches me hard in the gut, which doesn't help my hunger situation. Then, they hit me on the back of the head. Everything starts to go fuzzy, but not from the eidolons again. Usually when the eidolons take over, everything gets fuzzy, but this is different. And I know why.
They didn't hit me on the back of the head, they stabbed me with something. Not a knife, but it numbly feels like a needle. Maybe a shot. They may have injected a dose of some sort of antibiotic. The world begins to go hazy. Everything- sounds, feeling, sight -it all goes away.
The last thing I think of is Piper. These goons might have her too. She may have already experience everything that I am now, or she may in the future. She could be lost in the woods, for all I know. Whatever the case, I just hope she's safe.
I hope she's okay.
A/N I'm really sorry that this chapter went kinda slow. I tried to end it on a suspenseful note. Hopefully got you readers on the edge of your seats. What happens next you ask? I don't know. Really, I just wing this story as it goes on. I still gotta figure out what's happening with Jason myself. Hahah. I have a few ideas though. I think you're gonna like it. I hope so, anyways. Well, please review and I hope you enjoyed it! I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can. :)