Maggie woke up in a cold sweat after the Camp Half Blood dream turned into a nightmare of a giant brown boar trying to kill her with black worms coming out of all over. She found herself wrapped in Kateo's coat. She had been sleeping right next to Jet, her head lain against his shoulder. The wolf barely even stirred while she got up and looked around. They were still in a forest, but she could see the lights of civilization not too far away. The sun was barely rising and she could smell a fire with something cooking on it. Looking around she finally spotted Kateo. He was sitting by a fire with a huge deer roasting on a stick while he was making what looked like pants.
Maggie had never seen Kateo without his wolf coat-cape-thing on so he looked completely different. She could see his entire neck which was thin, but fit well with his head. His back was nice and he looked smaller and less spirit-like without it on, plus Maggie could see his pretty dark hair that glinted in the golden light streaming through the branches given by the sun. He was real athletic and serious looking like his mother.
It was so hard to look away from him he had enough time to notice Maggie was staring at him. Kateo smiled playfully, "What"? "Oh nothing", Maggie blushed furiously and tried to hide it. He chuckled and went back to sewing the pants.
When he was done, he lifted the pants in the air and studied his work for errors. They looked perfect from Maggie's perspective and by the expression on his face, Kateo thought he did a good job too. "Here. I made these for you". Her eyes widened and she stared at Kateo in shock and gratitude. "For-for me? But why"? Kateo shrugged, "Just because I promised you and I don't lie or break a promise". Maggie was shocked. Not many of the people she met kept their promises like one of the Stolls promised to teach her about capture the flag, but she found herself fighting for her life against a huge group of Ares and Mars campers. That had not ended well and she hid in the forest for the entire night. Plus she could never forget... the centaurs.
Tears in her eyes, she hugged Kateo which surprised the cute demigod. "Thank you", she choked out and put them on behind a bush. Maggie was surprised to find they fit better than anything she had ever put on and they felt warm, but like nothing was there. Plus it was nicely stitched and was sure to never come off.
The three ate a breakfast of wild boar and squirrel. Maggie agreed the squirrel was very tasty, but the boar was a little rough, but it was filling. She wasn't surprised that Kateo ate three of the legs as quick as she did one while Jet just swallowed his pig whole.
Then something caught Maggie's attention, barking. They were right smack in the middle of the woods and it sounded like a neighborhood full of dogs. Kateo seemed to sense the disturbance too, putting on his his mask and standing up, the black cape covering his entire body until he looked like a wolf version of No Face from Spirited Away.
Suddenly beagles jumped out of the brush, surrounding the group and snarling. Jet stood behind Kateo and growled, making the dogs back off a little. A rifle blasted a thunderous boom they dodged an invisible object that embedded itself in a tree behind them. With that, Kateo pulled out his bow and an arrow, shooting down any beagle that tried to jump at him. Before the hunters jumped out of the brush, all of the dogs lay on the ground, pierced in the chest or decapitated.
Another gunfire pierced the forest, scaring the birds out of the trees, coming from a blonde haired hunter. Kateo lept up a tree, Jet bounded out of the way, and Maggie ducked with a yelp. The bullet ricocheted off of a stone and hit Maggie's arm. She cried out in pain and clutched her arm. Oh gods, oh gods, so much blood.
Her mind went a little fuzzy from pain and all she could see was the rapid blasting of the guns and Jet dodging what he could. Within moments the gunfires stopped and their decapitated bodies fell to the ground next to their dogs.
Through her daze, Maggie could see Kateo jump down from the tree and run to her side. Usually she would be baffled for him not breaking his leg, but her arm distracted her from logic so if Kateo was going to do something that would destroy the definition of "logic", now was the time.
Maggie could feel herself being dragged away to some place with wet dirt. Her vision cleared a little and she was able to see Kateo take out his knife and purposely cut his thumb. blood poured from his thumb as he took her arm. "Wh-What are you doing"? Maggie croaked as she watched in horror as he wiped the blood on the bullet wound. The pain melted away and the bullet wound mended itself until nothing remained except Kateo's blood.
"How did you do that", she asked when her head was cleared. Kateo was washing his thumb off in a stream, the cut healing until it was gone. Kateo didn't answer or meet her eyes he only looked sadly at his now healed thumb. The blood that had washed off in the water attracted small bugs that swarmed wherever the red liquid went, how weird.
"Kateo, there is something you aren't telling me", Maggie said sternly, like her mother whenever she wanted the truth out of her step brothers. Kateo looked like a guilty green eyed puppy, but she didn't let his helpless look her.
Finally he sighed and Maggie won the eye contact fight, "I have blood that can heal". He looked away like what Maggie did when she failed her mother at something like fighting or the Lupa thing. Now she felt really bad, she was supposed to protect Kateo, not make him feel lousy. "Don't worry about it, that isn't your craziest talent", Maggie said and put a hand on his shoulder. "There is nothing wrong with having that so don't look guilty. It could be helpful in saving people you love, I know a few people, including your father, who needed something that would heal his friends at certain times. Especially when he was in Tartarus. Scary story, I know it from front to back". That helped a little, but he was still sad. "I know, I use it sometimes like now, but only when I am near water. The problem with it is that I can't stop. One scratch and it will keep bleeding until it is healed by water or I die".
Maggie imagined her old fights with her brothers when they ganged up on her. She would come home crying and bleeding until she was dizzy, but bleeding to death never worried her. Well now she knew nothing, Kateo had to worry about it constantly, one little scratch and he could just die if he didn't notice.
"I admire you Kateo", she said, "You live your life on the edge, riding on wolves, jumping high enough to anger Zeus, and taking on Thalia who is a skilled fighter. Most people who would hide in their houses and never go outside, but you, you live your life to the fullest. You aren't afraid that death could come, you make sure your life is well lived. I want to help you on that, this entire trip, I will make your favorite. I can take you to Armstrong forest, the beach, or Yosemite Park. Doesn't that sound fun"? Kateo smiled a little. "I guess so. Could you tell me about them"? "Sure", Maggie said as they began walking.
I finally got that done. Sorry about not getting this out to you, this chapter was a real hard one to write, but I think I did ok. I am sorry it is so short, I have school and not a lot of time to do thing thing because the year started out with, "Alright welcome class. After you put away your pencils we will be starting the most complicated book report that you will ever do". Pain in the tail, I know, but I am trying with all of my other activities and my sister's volleyball. I maybe the next chapter will come sooner and be more exiting, but until then keep dreaming my friends.