Esmeralda regained consciousness in the back seat of the van. She was using a jacket as a makeshift pillow and the blanket that she had had in her dad's car. It was fairly comfortable for being on a seat of a hijacked van in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, being in the middle of nowhere meant the roads weren't as well paved, so she was (literally) in for a bumpy ride.
Thalia passed her a Ziploc bag that held a solitary square of what looked like a lemon square. "Good, you're okay! I was worried."
" I feel a lot better. I still feel exhausted. Not tired though... More like, um, if I did 30 pushups. Without the pain." Essa attempted to explain.
"According to Grover, that's normal. Power exhaustion and all that."
" No. It's not power exhaustion. It's more the focus that was the problem. Not the power. " Esmeralda frowned.
"Mental? That's strange. Maybe you had an excess of power and you were just had at applying it to the task at hand. You don't see that in many demigods..." Grover drummed his fingers on the glove compartment pensively.
"My dad taught me how to control my power. He didn't stay alive long enough to teach me the focus part." Essa replied bluntly , but blinked back the tears she got when she thought about her dad
"You really are an exceptional six year old, aren't you? " Luke laughed.
Esmeralda didn't say anything. She wasn't sure how to reply to the compliment. She had a bad feeling about something, but couldn't quite place it. She ate the lemon square, gasping in delight when it tasted like strawberries and lemonade. "Yum!"
Thalia laughed, "To me, ambrosia tastes like chili. It tastes like the things that each person likes."
"My mum's cookies dipped in Koolaid. They always seem to get burnt, but they taste so good." Luke had a sad intonation in his otherwise conversational tone. "What about you Annabeth?"
" Blue cookies! " Annabeth exclaimed with enthusiasm.
"When did you have blue cookies?" asked Thalia.
" At the zoo! There was a super nice lady with a boy who was talking to the fish. She gave me a blue cookie. The boy was super nice. He had black hair and green eyes and told me my the name of my favourite otter. "
"What was the name? " Esmeralda asked.
"Brooke! It means small stream of water! " explained Annabeth.
"Anyways, Essa, how do you feel?" Grover questioned.
"Like I could smash 100 empousai!" Essa replied gleefully.
"We should be arriving at camp in about five minutes, so put all your things in your backpack." Grover announced, while peering into the distance. "Something is on the hill though... Be prepared for either a fight with a monster or all the campers gathering to welcome you. "
There was an unnerving silence that seemed to take over them. There was a beautiful forest next to a seemingly unoccupied hill. A dilapidated sign declared that the area was called 'Delphi Strawberries' and that you could 'Pick Your own Strawberries' . It looked like nobody had ever been there. At best, the last time anybody had been there was multiple decades ago.
"It's an illusion. The Mist." Grover said, seeing the sceptical faces.
According to Grover, it shielded the entire camp from mortal eyes. It also removed the demigod scents so monsters couldn't detect them. The Mist covered a mile around the camp as well, so that was why it looked like an abandoned strawberry picking attraction. There was apparently a strawberry picking service that the campers ran to pay camp bills. It was all very confusing, but Esme did her very best to retain all the information.
They entered the border and a feeling of increasing dread consumed Essa. Something bad was going to happen. They continued driving and came to a fairly steep hill. Something glittered overhead, and Esmeralda realized it was the Mist dome.
She grabbed her bag. Stuffing her book into the backpack, she unbuckled her seatbelt. Everyone else was taking their bags as well. Standing at the base of the hill, she heard a terrible sound.
Everybody spun around to see an angry horde of monsters charging at them from the forest.
"RUN!" Grover bleated. Nobody had to be told twice. Arrows, throwing knives, ninja stars, swords came flying at them. It was a wonder that no one was impaled. It seemed as if 40 different kinds weapons were flying at them at all times. Annabeth started to lag behind in her exhaustion. Luke scooped up Annabeth and kept running. Grover kept slipping in his fake feet, until he finally kicked them off and ran. Three-quarters of the way up the hill, Thalia seemed to dawn on the realization that someone would have to fight the monsters to give time for others to run.
Around that time, approximately 120 teens appeared on the border. It was around 6:00 a.m., so most campers had hastily put a few pieces of armour over their pajamas. A horse guy galloped over holding a bow and arrow.
Thalia spun around and held up her aegis in defiance. Her spear was gripped tightly in her hand. Pushing Essa behind her, she told her to run. She fought fiercely , but every single monster was attempting to harm her. dead
Time seemed to slow and yet nobody had realised that a dagger was flying towards her. It embedded in her skull and she flew back a few feet, due to the force. Esmeralda ran to check on Thalia, her magic sensing that a shield was necessary. Thalia lay motionless on the grass. No breath, no heartbeat... It was official; Thalia Grace was dead.
Swallowing back tears, Esmeralda came to the sickening conclusion that she wasn't only sad, she was mad. Anger filled her. Anger towards the monsters that had killed one of her best friends. Anger that Thalia's dad couldn't have been bothered to help... Her hair turned crimson red. Magic crackles and sparked under her skin. Music seemed to come from nowhere.
They send me away to find them a fortune
A chest filled with diamonds and gold
The house was awake, the shadows and monsters
The hallways, they echoed and groaned
Esmeralda place her hands on Thalia's body and willed her spirit to grow into a plant. Thalia started glowing like a firefly.
I sat alone, in bed 'til the morning
I'm crying, "They're coming for me"
The song was chosen because Esmeralda had terrible nightmares. These monsters were nightmares. Teardrops fell onto Thalia's limp body. They shone like little diamonds.
And I tried to hold these secrets inside me
My mind's like a deadly disease
I'm bigger than my body
I'm colder than this home
I'm meaner than my demons
I'm bigger than these bones
Esmeralda watched in wonder as her magic turned Thalia's spirit into a tree. The roots burrowed underground and a massive trunk came sprouting from the ground. Green needles grew on branches like small icicles.
And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me"
I can't help this awful energy
Goddamn right, you should be scared of me
Who is in control?
Campers came wielding swords. They were trying to get Esmeralda away from the monsters. But she wouldn't. She would not budge from her spot near the enormous pine tree. She had to make Thalia's sacrifice worth it. She struggled to get away from the campers that tried to drag her into the safe monster-proof zone.
I paced around for hours on empty
I jumped at the slightest of sounds
And I couldn't stand the person inside me
I turned all the mirrors around
By some miracle she broke free. The monsters were held at bay with her shield of pulsing purple energy, but it was getting difficult to keep up.
And I'm bigger than my body
And I'm colder than this home
I'm meaner than my demons
I'm bigger than these bones
She raised her arms to lift the monsters up in the air. Her shield cracked and her magic went and enveloped them, making it impossible for them to move.
And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me"
I can't help this awful energy
Goddamn right, you should be scared of me
Who is in control?
She started levitating. Wings spread out, she used her magic to lift them higher and higher off the ground. Her hair made a glowing halo as it took on the crackling magic.
And I'm well acquainted
With villains that live in my head
They beg me to write them
So they'll never die when I'm dead
And I've grown familiar
With villains that live in my head
They beg me to write them
So I'll never die when I'm dead
(When I'm dead)
The monsters were forced to relinquish their weaponry as it swirled into a cloud above her head. Weapons from the campers joined the enormous cloud.
'Cause I'm bigger than my body
And I'm colder than this home
I'm meaner than my demons
I'm bigger than these bones
And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me"
I can't help this awful energy
Goddamn right, you should be scared of me
Who is in control?
Weapons attacked the monsters until they were annihilated. The grass was coated in what seemed to be a solid inch of monster dust.
And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me"
I can't help this awful energy
Goddamn right, you should be scared of me
Who is in control?
Esmeralda glowed so bright it hurt to look. Her sneakers turned into black lace up ballet flats. Her leggings turned into a full length tulle skirt. The shirt she had been wearing was now fitted black velvet top. Small silver stars adorned the skirt, hiding between the folds. She now had silver star earrings. Her ears had not been pierced before this, so that was a shock. The most surprising this was, however, the fact she was wearing a sparkly star tiara.
And all the kids cried out ("please stop, you're scaring me")
I can't help (this awful energy)
Goddamn right (you should be scared of me)
Who is in control?
It was safe to say that everyone was speechless. She plummeted to the ground like a fallen angel. Chiron spoke first.
"All hail Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus. Θα σας λείψει. Είθε να σας παραχωρηθεί το Elysium για τη γενναιότητα και την αφοσίωσή σας στους θεούς του Ολύμπου. Αναπαύσου εν ειρήνη." He paused, but continued with the translation of what he had just said. "You will be missed. May you be granted Elysium for your bravery and loyalty to the gods of Olympus. Rest in peace."
"All hail Princess Esmeralda Anna Cassandra Grey of the Void, daughter of Chaos, and the sole heir to the throne to the Void." Chiron said in wonder.
All was quiet save for one voice at the front of the throng. It was the voice of Luke Castallen.
"Holy shit."
Please note that none of the songs in this book will be mine, unless said otherwise. I took the Greek part from Google translate, so it will probably be wrong, butttt...