Okay, so I know I literally posted a chapter just three hours ago, but I couldn't help myself.
Reviews:
darkworkangel: Thanks so much. I couldn't help myself.
Sirius was met by Chiron on the top of the hill. The centaur was looking down and had his hand resting on Thalia's pine.
"Chiron?" Sirius asked, stepping up behind the centaur. "What's going on?"
Chiron turned his head to look at Sirius sadly. "Thalia's Pine, it's been poisoned. I haven't told Annabeth yet. I have no idea how to."
"Oh."
Sirius rested his hand on the tree and felt for its life force. It was weak, hardly a glow. The tree itself seemed to be in pain. Sirius knew instantly who had done it. Only one person could have. Luke. It killed Sirius to think that, but he knew it had to be true. Who else could have done it?
That meant this was Sirius' fault too. Just like Percy getting poisoned last year. Sirius should have turned Luke in, but he couldn't. Luke had been everything to Sirius. It was all his fault.
"I'm so sorry, Chiron." Sirius couldn't look at the centaur. He couldn't look and see the blame there. "I'm sorry."
Chiron rested his hand on Sirius' shoulder. "It's not your fault, Sirius. None of this is."
"It all is," Sirius argued. "Luke came to me before he went to Percy. He told me about his dreams from Kronos, Chiron. I got scared. Luke was the first person to ever take care of me. I didn't tell you, but I should have. This is my fault."
"No, Sirius," Chiron said. "None of this is your fault. You couldn't possibly have known how far Luke had gone. He was like an older brother to you, and you were just trying to protect him. The blame is on his shoulders, not yours."
Sirius let Chiron wrap an arm around him in a sort of half-hug. Chiron could tell him it wasn't his fault all he wanted, but Sirius knew it was. Sirius let Chiron led him down the hill. Chiron didn't stop until they reached the Hermes cabin.
"There's something else, Sirius, but I think it best if Travis and Connor tell you."
Sirius was about to ask what Chiron meant, but the centaur had already cantered off. Sighing, Sirius entered the cabin. It was empty except for Travis and Connor. Both brothers were sitting on Travis' bed together, playing with what looked like one of Sirius' old decks of Exploding Snap.
"Sirius," Connor shouted when he noticed the older boy. He sounded happy enough to see Sirius, but his voice seemed slightly subdued. "How are you?"
"Well enough," Sirius said as he flopped down on Luke's old bed. He nearly cringed at the memories. "Who stays on this bed now?"
"No one," Travis replied. "You want it?"
Sirius shrugged, but he already knew his answer. Yes. Anything to stay as close to the old Luke as possible.
"Chiron told me about Thalia's Pine. He said you guys had to tell me something else."
Travis and Connor both froze. The cards in their hands exploded at the wait. Travis spoke first.
"It's about Chris, Sirius."
"What about him?" Sirius was severely confused and worried all at the same time. Had Chris been hurt? Was he dead? Sirius didn't think he could deal with that.
"He's joined Luke," Connor said, continuing for his brother. "He left about a month ago. We thought it better to tell you in person."
Sirius didn't say anything for several long minutes. He could feel the inner turmoil inside. Chris, another friend he had thought of as a brother, not quite as close as Luke but almost, had turned traitor. Sirius didn't know how, exactly, to feel.
"How did Clarisse react?"
Sirius knew well enough how close Chris and Clarisse actually were.
"Not well," Travis admitted. "She won't talk to anyone about it. Maybe you could try. She seems to like you more than anyone else."
Sirius shook his head. "Silena should try. I won't be much help."
"Yeah, I guess," Connor said.
"Why do you feel dead?" Sirius asked the man standing in front of him.
Across the the pavilion the few campers who had arrived for dinner early burst into laughter. Sirius couldn't help the twitch of his own lips. The feelings of death coming off this man were sending shivers up and down Sirius' spine.
"Excuse me?" the man sneered at Sirius. "I am your new Activities Director. You should treat me with respect!"
"Yeah, no," Sirius replied, snorting. "Seriously, though, why do you feel like death? You even smell kind of dead." Sirius made a show of fanning the air in front of his nose. The man's scowl deepened.
"I am Tantalus," he said. "Show me some respect!"
Tantalus. The name clicked in Sirius' mind. A Greek demigod king who had tried to feed the gods cut up human flesh. Yeah, Sirius would definitely be messing with him.
"How about not," Sirius said, a cheeky grin stretched across his face. "You see, my dad kind of owns you."
"The son of Thanatos," Tantalus sneered. "I'd be careful if I were you."
Sirius just rolled his eyes. The dead guy could go jump in a volcano for all he cared. Everyone who was supposed to be dead would end up in the Underworld permanently. It was only a matter of time. Sirius walked away to sit down next to Travis and Connor. The rest of the Hermes cabin had always given him a wide berth.
"There's something coming, soldiers!" Clarisse shouted.
Sirius jumped to his feet and groaned at what he saw. Just great. Metal bulls. How exactly were they supposed to kill these things? Sirius' hand jumped to the pendant he always had hanging around his neck and summoned Skia from it. This would be fun.
"Charge!" Clarisse shouted.
Charge they did. Sirius rushed forwards with the members of the Ares cabin that were stationed around the tree. With Thalia's Pine dying, the magic border around camp were dying. One of the two bulls that had shown up ran at Sirius, and the demigod managed to jump to the side just in time to avoid being burned to a crisp by the hot metal of the bull. Sirius slashed Skia at the bull's hind leg and ripped into the bronze hide. It did nothing to slow the metal creature down. For all his efforts, Sirius got an awful burn on his arm.
"Clarisse!" Sirius shouted. "What's the plan?"
"Border patrol to me!" Clarisse yelled back.
"Dammit," Sirius cursed.
The bulls were inside the borders now. Sirius looked behind him to make sure there were no monsters behind him. Three figures were running up the hill. Sirius easily recognized Percy's messy, black hair, and Annabeth's ponytail, but the third figure Sirius didn't recognize. Was that a baby cyclops?
Sirius didn't have time to ponder on it. He charged at the bulls, deflecting one's horn from skewering Clarisse in the back. She nodded her thanks at him. Percy and Annabeth had joined the fight. Percy was yelling at the baby cyclops to stand back. Did Percy not realize they could really use a cyclops' help right about now? None of them could get close enough to the bulls to really finish the things off.
"I, Annabeth Chase, give you permission to enter camp!" Sirius was just close enough to hear Annabeth speak.
The cyclopes wasted no time in running to Percy's aid. It took the bull by its horn and crushed it as if it were a tin can. Percy stared at the cyclops as if he'd never seen the thing before. Sirius wondered if Percy had been fooled by the Mist into thinking the cyclops was just a normal mortal. Clarisse had finished off the other bull by ramming her electric spear straight into it.
"You—ruin—everything!" Clarisse yelled at Percy, marching over to him. "I had it under control!"
Sirius nearly scoffed at that. They most certainly had not had everything under control.
"Good to see you to, Clarisse," Annabeth said, rolling his eyes.
"Argh!" Clarisse screamed. "Don't ever, EVER try saving me again!"
"Clarisse," Annabeth said, "you've got wounded campers."
That sobered her up. Sirius knew as well as anyone that Clarisse cared deeply about the soldiers under her command.
"I'll be back," she growled, then trudged off to assess the damage.
Sirius walked up to Percy and Annabeth. He pulled Percy into a tight hug and even gave one to Annabeth.
"You two sure were a sight for sore eyes," he said with a tight grimace. "I think I have at least a second degree burn from when I got too close to one of those things." Sirius twisted his arm to show Annabeth and Percy the angry red mark. He turned to the cyclops. "Hello, thanks for the help back there. The name's Sirius Black."
Sirius held out his hand, and the cyclops gripped it tightly, shaking Sirius' hand enthusiastically. Sirius had a feeling he would grow to like the cyclops a whole lot.
"Tyson," the cyclops said enthusiastically. "I'm Percy's friend!"
"Yeah, me too," Sirius said. The cyclops smiled widely at him.
Sirius nearly started laughing at Percy's following conversation with the cyclops. It turned out that, no, Percy hadn't known his friend, Tyson, was a cyclops. Sirius shook his head as he made his way to the infirmary. Will Solace was the only one in there. Sirius liked the son of Apollo well enough. He had never judged Sirius for being a son of Thanatos. The nine-year old was just happy that Sirius didn't treat him like he knew nothing. Will was perfectly happy to treat Sirius' burns.