There's a very IMPORTANT note at the bottom of the chapter. I mainly wrote this chapter as a filler so I could ask you some important questions regarding the future of this story!
At this moment, Percy was pitying his poor backside. He shifted in the saddle as he sat behind Will. Percy had almost lost track of how long they've been riding. Will, sensing the demigod's discomfort, glanced behind him.
"Almost there, Percy," he said.
Percy groaned. "That's what you told me an hour ago," he protested.
Halt, who heard the exchange, narrowed his eyes accusingly at Will. "You know, you were exactly like that when you were a young boy. Constantly asking me if we were at our destination. Now you see what I had to deal with."
Will grinned cheekily. "Anyhow, we're actually almost there, Percy. Look." The Ranger pointed yonder to a giant castle rising in the distance. Percy had been to Olympus before, the home of the gods, but Castle Araluen was almost just as impressive. It was a simple but massive structure, made of sturdy stone walls and turrets. He imagined an army trying to assault it, and imagined them failing.
They rode closer to the gates. Two guards clad in chainmail and plate armor stood on each side of the iron bars, and Percy could see more of them on top of the wall. The guards immediately recognized the Rangers and signaled to their comrades above to raise the gates.
A boy, who could've been no older than sixteen, held a hand out. "May I take care of your horses, sirs?"
Halt nodded, dismounting, and everyone else followed. "Thank you," Halt said as he placed Abelard's reins in the stable boy's opened hand, Will and Horace did likewise. They walked through the main room of the castle, Percy staring in awe. People bustled around; servants, citizens, guards.
They walked up a large flight of stairs, much to Percy's dismay. Finally, they reached the
top floor, where the King's chambers were. A small, almost weasel-like man sat behind a large oak desk, which Percy thought was much too large for his slight figure. The secretary looked up from his paperwork with beady eyes.
"Ah, Ranger Will, Ranger Halt, and Sir Horace. His Highness was expecting you. Come." The man gestured for them to follow and they walked through large, oak double doors. King Duncan sat behind a mahogany desk, which was littered with folders and letters. Duncan looked toward the visitors, his face ragged and tired. The secretary walked back out and quietly shut the doors.
"Your Highness? Is everything alright?" Horace asked tentatively. Duncan shook his head and sighed.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But I'm afraid we've lost three of our Rangers," he said with sorrow, averting his eyes back down to his desk.
Halt narrowed his eyes. "Lost, Your Highness?" He repeated.
Duncan nodded gravely. "Found murdered in their cabins, all consecutively. Each one was killed each day. Meralon, Daniel, and Jonathan."
The Rangers and Horace's faces turned ghostly white. Will gulped down the breakfast that threatened to come up. Duncan's gaze dropped back down to his hands, fidgeting with a plain silver ring, twisting it this way and that. The stone and dagger that Percy held felt heavy in his hands.
Finally, Halt spoke up. "Killed by whom?"
Duncan looked at Halt with empty eyes. "I wish I knew. They left no trace. I made sure that nothing was touched, because I knew you would want to investigate. I'm asking you three to get to the bottom of this."
Will's lips curved in a frown. "Your Highness, do you really think it's necessary to have all three Rangers to get involved? After all, there have been multiple murder cases in the past, and one Ranger was more than enough to handle it."
"I have a bad feeling that this is something more than a simple homicide case; beyond the power of a single man. But I wonder...Arald mentioned you having a missing apprentice. Now, I don't have as sharp a mind as you Rangers, but it seems to me that this could all be connected."
For the briefest moment, Will almost interpreted the King's words as accusation against Alyssa, saying that she was the murderer. He shook his head to dispel the dark thoughts. Not even the King would accuse his apprentice like that.
For the first time since they entered into the room, Duncan seemed to notice Percy. The King scrutinized him. "Who is this?" he questioned.
Percy felt as if the whole world was staring at him. Under the critical gaze of a King seemed intimidating, which was saying a lot considering he's saved the world multiple times, literally traveled to hell and back, and been in the presence of Olympian gods. Duncan's tone was friendly enough, and Percy didn't feel threatened, but it was a strange experience.
Before Percy could speak, Will beat him to it. "Percy Jackson, m'lord. He…," Will hesitated. Percy could see a flicker of uncertainty passing through his dark brown eyes, as if he was wondering if he should tell the truth. Thankfully, Horace dove in and saved him.
"He claims to know where Will's apprentice is...but it's not a place where we can get to. Impossible, in fact."
Duncan inclined his head. "Very well, I won't question you further. Are you sure that there's absolutely no way to find her?"
Horace shifted from foot to foot. "Not that we know of. But these murders that you've mentioned, they could very well tie in with her disappearance."
Duncan nodded slowly. There was a moment of silence. Then Duncan gestured at the door. "Thank you for coming. Let me know if you come across anything suspicious."
The three men ducked their heads in a short bow and exited the room, followed by an awe-struck Percy.
Once they were on the road again, the group - or rather, Halt - decided to head straight towards Meralon's cabin in Seacliff Fief. The cabin had an air of stiffness, as if the danger was still lurking, and Meralon's corpse lay in the middle of the floor, unmoving.
A/N: Right, this was the crappiest chapter ever, I know, but I just wrote this so I could establish some thing first. Basically, I haven't uploaded in so long because I've been working on a lot of other writing projects. I've learnt a lot, and looking back on my previous chapters just makes me cringe. I think I've improved my writing a bit, so I have a few questions that I would appreciate anyone answering.
Should I continue this story? I kind of want to rewrite this, and change a lot of it. I'll have the same concept of Alyssa coming to Camp Half-Blood, but it'll be better written and not as boring. To be honest, I had no idea where I was going with this story when I started it. I just made it up as I went, which is the worst idea ever. But from reading reviews, many people seem to like this story as it is, and I could just keep writing this if people wanted me to? Please let me know!