Heyo, here we are again.

Glad, you guys liked the Capture the Flag game. I definitely enjoyed writing it. And trust me, it's just getting started.

Now onto chapter 14!

CHAPTER 14: KEEP WALKING

It was a rough day to be a member of the Red soldiers.

The only thing that happened next was the Blue team being announced as the victors whilst we walked out with our heads low. It didn't help that we could hear the others celebrating either.

"Who knew the twins could be so sneaky?"

"What'd you expect? They steal things like it's their job."

"Maybe if the Hephaestus cabin put up better defenses, they'd have a harder time," grumbled Sherman.

Jake wasn't going to let that slide. "Well maybe if the Ares cabin 'kicked more ass', which is apparently all they're good for, we wouldn't have lost."

The two cabins started giving each other mean looks and stinkeyes. I wasn't about to pick a side here, though I'd be naturally inclined to join my siblings. Thankfully, Will managed to prevent things from escalating further.

"Of course, we lost the moment Annabeth had it all figured out," Will said.

Clarisse kicked the dirt. "Ugh, all this planning and tricks and strategy. I mean I get it but it makes the game so boring. We should have settled that game with whoever was going to win that fight. Plain and simple."

"Speaking of which… where were you, Arthur?"

I didn't like the feeling of all them staring at me.

"I… uh… well– I was fighting someone and they ran away, so I chased them," I replied. "I guess I just, you know, got carried away."

That was the best I could come up with. Chiron said to speak of the incident to no one, so I tried playing it off like I was proud of it, like I chased down an enemy and finished them off. Which seemed to have been enough as everybody dismissed it, especially Clarisse and Sherman. Like they understood from shared experience.

The Blue Team walked by us, Travis and Connor still on the shoulders of their siblings chanting and laughing, having the time of their lives, obviously doing the best they can to make us feel so much better. The rest of us routinely rolled our eyes and tried looking the other way, a couple middle-fingers were thrown in the air as well.

The only civil interaction that happened was when Clarisse called out to Val. "Hey, Speedy Gonzales!"

Val immediately looked back. I could see her whole body tense up.

"Not bad!" That was it. That was all she said to her but based on Val's reaction, it meant a lot more than it seemed.

"Uh… thanks," she replied.

"To be honest though, I don't know how you can fight with that thing," Clarisse said. I guess she was talking about her rapier. "Looks more useful as a way to pick my teeth."

For a moment, Val was silent but she soon smiled back. "Maybe it will!"

Clarisse chuckled to herself. "Ballsy."

After putting away all our equipment and the campers finally started to settle down after the heated game of capture the flag, everybody went back to whatever the remainder of their schedules had. For many of us, it was using our free time to mingle around the bonfire as the week was about to end. There was a lot of tense conversation among the different cabins, as to be expected immediately after a game of Capture the Flag I suppose, and I definitely I felt a lot of silent judgment as I walked past the Hephaestus cabin.

"So, wait, hold on. Who won again?"

"I did." The two spoke in unison.

They could have said jinx but you know… they didn't.

From what I heard from others, Val had clearly won but Flip used every ounce of his willpower to keep that from becoming reality. Flip was going on about how the only reason it looked like Val had the upper hand was because the Red team was losing overall anyways, whilst Val swore on her life that she had the fight in the bag from the start. Again, I'm not really interested but they seemed content on dragging this whole conversation out.

"There he goes again about the supposed cheating," Val exclaimed. "I didn't know that guy was going to shoot at you and I definitely didn't plan it with him beforehand."

"Oh really?"

"I am many things, Philip Ganzorig, but I do not fight dirty… unlike you."

Flip gasped. "Oh we're gonna go there? Okay– how about that time during monster training?"

"Ohhhh here we go again. Seriously, Flip, grow up."

"Grow up? Me? Grow up!? I am SIX months older than you, you absolute…"

Blah, blah, blah, blah.

It was all just white noise for me; tuned out as I spaced out into my own thoughts. To be honest, I wasn't even thinking about the game anymore. Sure, it sucked that we lost but there were bigger things going on. The man in black. George's breakdown. No doubt it was connected to the nightmares. Something I've been preaching that had been plaguing the camp but no one seemed bothered to talk about it. It made me wonder; could this have something to do with the people that took Birch too? Nathaniel told me to not trust anything Chiron or whoever else said. To never trust the gods. Were they there during the battle of Manhattan too? Did they fight for the other side?

Took me a while, but I finally noticed Flip snapping his fingers in my ear for the past 3 seconds.

"Hey, slick, so what do you think?"

The two of them stared at me, waiting for an answer.

I blinked a few times. "Think about… what?"

"Seriously man, we were just discussing this."

I returned their blank stares with one of my own.

"Everything good?" Val asked, showing her reading face again.

"Yeah, everything's fine."

Now, Flip looked suspicious too.

Val raised her eyebrows. "Ooft, you are not good at that."

"Told you," Flip nodded.

Gods dammit. What am I doing wrong?

"Look, I just don't really think I should be–"

"Who are we going to tell?" said Flip.

"I don't–"

Then Val says, "yeah, you think we're just making friends all day, like we know everybody?"

"I just think that–"

Which Flip replies, "exactly, and even if we did, do you really think we'd just spill the beans?"

"Well, no–"

"See?" Val goes on. "Plus, if whatever you tell us does go out, you'd immediately know it was us."

Flip then adds, "Then, you can distrust us and rip into us all you want."

"I guess…"

"So, come on…"

"...just tell us."

It was like they rehearsed that. I paused for a moment, watching their impatient faces. Val was furiously tapping her leg again.

The two continued to just stare at me until I finally gave in. It was funny. When these two argue with each other, nobody wins. But when you got them to argue together, it was hard for them to lose. After some small time to gather my thoughts, I took one long breath and waited till I felt like our conversation was private enough. And despite what Chiron said, I proceeded to tell these two of all the strange things that happened during that game. What happened with the demigod who was having a breakdown, and especially about the mysterious singing figure I met. They both listened intently as I spoke and it actually felt good to air some of this out. When I really thought about it, Flip and Val were probably the people I knew the most in Camp Half-Blood. I had gotten pretty close with Sherman too, but I didn't actually spend that much physical time with him on the day-to-day. It kind of reminded me of my old friend group all the way back in L.A., down to the banter and everything.

Damn, I haven't thought about them in a while. I wonder what their reaction to all of this would be. Reg would probably want to be a demigod so bad. Which I would then tell him was a bad idea.

"Well, that's new," Flip said. "And what, he just vanished?"

"Yep."

Val crossed her arms. "Poor George."

"It's gotta be linked with the nightmares," I looked at Flip. "I'm telling you, this is something we can't just ignore. It's affecting all of us."

The two of them shifted uncomfortably.

I looked over at Val who was staring off into the near distance. "You're barely sleeping, Val."

"I'll be fine." She shrugged, like she wasn't bothered by it.

"What if you have a freak out as well?"

"I said I'll be fine." She continued smiling but looked at me with eyes that said 'drop it'.

She's hiding something… and I thought I was bad at lying.

Flip continued the conversation. "What I'm concerned about is whoever that stranger was, managed to get past the camp borders and the only way I could imagine that could happen is that he's… well, he's a half-blood."

We all pondered the possibility. It's not entirely out of the box. I've already met four who clearly weren't friendly to Camp Half-Blood, which is another detail I decided not to share with Flip and Val yet. But this one didn't seem to be an enemy. At least for now.

"Should I tell Chiron?" I asked the two of them.

"You haven't?"

"Well, I didn't really have the time."

"You might as well," Flip suggested. "He's probably the best person to tell. And with what you described, he might have an idea of who he is."

I took Flip up on his advice and decided I would go up to the Big House and speak to Chiron. It'd also be good to see what happened to George. As the three of us finished up our little private huddle and started going our separate ways, Val pulled me aside by the arm. She looked at me with her furrowed eyebrows, like she hadn't thought of anything to say and was trying to find the words. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, taking a deep breath.

"Look, Arthur, I think you're onto something, and I said I'd have your back," she said. "But I need you to stop concerning yourself with me. I'm fine, I can handle things on my own."

I tried reading her expression, looking for anything that could tell me something but she kept up a good wall.

"I wasn't even there, Val," I told her, "and yet those memories terrify me… I've seen the toll it took on all of you. I see it right now..."

The dark circles under her eyes twitched as the lids struggled to stay open.

"If you don't want to be honest with me, fine. But be honest to someone. You don't always have to handle things on your own. I've seen enough people get hurt because they thought they could."

I felt like a part of me was saying those words to myself as well and all I could think about was my Mom, crying alone on our kitchen table. I almost choked up on that last part but thankfully she didn't notice. She stayed silent, as the hardness in her face slowly started to settle.

"It's different for everyone…" she finally said, "but thanks, Arthur."

"Hey, you've got my back, I've got yours."

That was the first time I think she gave a genuine smile. Not the ones she usually uses to get out of a conversation.

"You're a good person, Arthur." She started to walk back to her cabin. "Are you sure your dad is Ares?"

I rolled my eyes. "You know, maybe if you just talked to my siblings, you'd realize they're not so bad."

"Try telling that to everyone your siblings have talked to."

"Ha-Ha… also, how about you and Flip be nice to each other for once."

"Now, you're asking too much of me!" she yelled as she walked farther and farther away.

After isolating myself a little at the Ares cabin, I was on my way to the Big House. It would've been my first time going back there since I arrived. I was planning in my head just exactly what I would say, making sure I wasn't leaving out any crucial information.

This was something I really believed Chiron should hear. Birch, the nightmares, the rogue demigods, they could all be connected. I passed by some of the cabins and I could still hear people talking about the game.

I tried my best not to be noticed. There was a lot going on in my mind right now and I wasn't really in the mood for chit chat. That's when I made the mistake of walking by the Forge.

As I was moving past the smoke-billowing building, a group of Hephaestus campers were chatting just outside. One of them seemed to recognise me and called me over. At first, I thought if I could just keep walking they would ignore me but then they called me a second time, and a third time, and I stopped. I was hesitant about talking to them. Like I said, I was kind of in the middle of something but they kept calling me.

I guess it wouldn't do any harm. I'll just keep it quick.

I remembered some of their faces as I headed on over. I couldn't tell whether their grins were a good sign, which made me a little nervous. Once I got closer, I looked inside the window stall of the Forge and only noticed one person inside. It was hard to tell who it was with their back sitting towards me, but I managed to catch a glimpse of the roll of bandages wrapped around the right arm. His head was down, earbuds in as he seemed to be paying no attention to whatever was going on outside the Forge.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Arthur Pride, the son of Ares," the girl who called me over said in a condescending tone.

I sighed. "Hey guys, how's it going? Fun game, right? Look, I kinda need to go–"

"Fun game? Yeah it was a fun game…"

Aaand they're still talking.

"...though I specifically remember you running away for most of it."

"Alright, I didn't run, okay guys? I was just chasing someone from the blue team."

A boy mumbled in the background, "typical dumb Ares kid."

There was a little more laughter.

"You wanna say that a little louder?" I said, a little pissed at the insult.

A couple of them actually seemed to shy away a little as I said that. It was then I realized that I actually stood taller than all of them.

"As usual, you guys are just bullies," the girl rattled on, "always ruining things for the rest of us."

I can't believe I seriously have to deal with this bullshit… right now!? Out of all the times.

"We could've won that game if you guys weren't just a bunch of big idiots."

She has no right to talk about me or any of them like that.

I attempted my peaceful approach. "Look, I understand we're all pretty bummed out about the game but I really need to–"

"Oh look, he's running off again."

The more she spoke, the more I could feel my hands starting to get warm. I clenched my fist. It wasn't long until my heart rate started pumping. I could feel like Dienekes was trying to say something to me, but I wasn't listening

Okay, she needs to stop talking.

"'Ooo look at me, I'm big strong Ares, I smash'" one of them mocked.

I clenched my jaw. "Stop."

"Or what? You gonna hit me? Typical child of–"

It didn't take much for me to walk straight through their group. They tried to hold me back but it felt like wading through a swimming pool. I picked up the trash-talking girl by her shirt collar. There was a tingling sensation all over my arms. At this point, I had kind of forgotten what I was meant to be doing. All I could think of was how these guys prevented me from leaving and did nothing but insult me and my siblings.

"You know what?" I gazed into her fear-driven eyes. "Maybe I will?"

A fire burned inside of me.

Her attitude immediately dropped. A part of me felt like what I was doing was wrong, that I should just leave it alone. But another part of me urged myself to react. I couldn't just let them get away with it. I didn't even consciously think of punching her but soon my arm started to instinctively rear backwards before the door to the forge suddenly slammed open.

I heard a voice yell, "hey!"

All of a sudden, somebody forced my grip off the Hephaestus girl and stood between us. I was slightly surprised when they managed to meet my size. In fact, he was slightly bigger than I was. At first, I didn't really know how to react, then I saw that girl again, making faces at me behind the safety of this far larger person. I tried to go for her again but now she essentially had a wall that prevented me from doing so. I attempted pushing through like before but I kept getting shoved back.

"Hey man, she was in my face!" I exclaimed in frustration.

"I'm in your face"

I glared at the figure in front of me and the eyes of Emile glared back. This was the first time the two of us were truly face to face. There was no easy way to avoid each other this time. This was it. I watched him closely. He was as solid as a rock but I could tell that he was holding himself back. The only reason I was able to tell was because I knew the feeling.

"You got something you want to say to me?" The question spilled out of my mouth.

This was a bad time to do this right now. Usually, I was so cautious and anxious about it but now, I was too fired up.

He scoffed. "Save your breath."

Just like that he brushed me off like I wasn't even worth the words. That only agitated me even more.

Here I was, ready to dish it all out and yet he decided to just avoid it; to not brave up and get it over and done with.

I was left speechless. I'd much rather prefer to rip the band-aid off then peel it back slowly.

I watched him start to walk back inside. It was like he left me out to dry. I quickly felt like a fish out of water, surrounded by a select few sons and daughters of Hepheastus who wanted nothing more but let their distaste against me and my siblings be known. My hand was shaking.

"Arthur," D managed to cut through, "just… walk away."

My muscles tensed like crazy, as if they were physically fighting off what my emotions commanded them to do. It was a struggle, but I finally managed to move myself in the direction away from the forge. But the truth is, I was ready to blow and all I needed was an excuse.

"Yeah, that's right, keep walking."

"Oh boy." Those were the last words that I heard from Dienekes.

My shaking hand stopped. In an instant, my muscles relaxed like my body did one massive exhale.

Eh… good enough.

The Hephaestus girl was about to say something else but found it difficult to articulate a sentence. That tends to happen when you get socked right in the face. Everyone around me was in shock whilst I enjoyed a slight high as she stumbled backwards. My moment of satisfaction was cut short however, as I was met with a fist in return. It was a solid hit. I definitely felt it. Time seemed to slow down a little, experiencing a momentary lull as I was punched in the face. Then, like speeding up a video, the immediate pain and shock came to me. The surprise punch caused me to lose my footing. The ground was approaching fast.

But before my face met the dirt, I was hoisted back up on my feet. I looked around to see the familiar faces standing beside me. Mark and some of my other siblings had somehow found me and joined this little disagreement between the two cabins. I didn't even know where they came from, but they were here. I looked towards the demigods of Hephaestus. Emile stood in front, staring at me as he shook the blood off his knuckles. I stared back as I wiped the blood off my lips. There was a silence, a calm before the storm, as the two cabins faced off. Then…

"Get that asshole!"

All hell broke loose, as a dogfight ensued. Half-blood vs half-blood. Ares vs Hephaestus. There were no spears or swords involved. It was just a good ol fashioned royal rumble. I have no idea how, but one of the Ares kids managed to find a chair and smash it over the head of an unsuspecting victim. Meanwhile, I went straight for Emile. The two of us went head to head and without even thinking, I charged him first. We wrestled around on the ground as dirt and grass got all over our clothes. I swung at his face which was able to connect. He did not like that. He slammed his head against my nose, and shoved me off with his boot.

He got back up. I grabbed at my nose to check if it was broken. Thankfully, it wasn't but more blood dripped from my nostrils. It should have been painful but I just didn't care.

The both of us circled each other, our hands raised as the fighting occurred around us. My heart was constantly pounding against my chest. I could hear my breath muffle my ears as my eyes could only focus on my opponent in front of me. We didn't say anything. The two of us approached each other. I took a punch from him straight to the face, but again, my body kept going and I struck him back across the jaw. I swung a second time but he managed to duck and plant a quick right hook on my ribs. He quickly followed up with a rough tackle and slammed me against the outside wall of the forge, knocking the wind out of me. In an attempt to break free, I slammed my fists down on his back and kneed him in the stomach which seemed to do the trick.

It was an all out slugfest. The two of us almost matched in skill. He slightly overtook me in overall size and brute strength but I could maneuver better than he could. We exchanged blows, yet neither one of us were willing to be the first one to go down. Throughout all of this, I could no longer hear Dienekes. I couldn't tell if it was because he was drowned out by all the chaos or he simply didn't speak. It brought me back to that feeling of raw force, like when I attacked Hunter but not as intense. I didn't feel like a blind rage but I was angry. My heart felt like a diesel engine burning through gas non-stop. No thought, no process in the strike. All my mind was telling me was to simply 'hit the guy that gets in my way'.

In the middle of our fight, Emile managed to wrap around and cuff his arms around my waist and, with one great roar, tossed me over his head, effectively suplexing me through the windowed stall of the Forge.

I landed straight on my back. Now that registered some pain.

That sucked… though, I have to admit it was a good move.

Emile jumped through as I managed to stabilize myself on one knee. He wasted no time in continuing his assault. I immediately sprang at his legs, taking him down to the ground again. We wrestled each other once more until I forced my way into the higher position, to where his stomach faced the floor, and locked his arm behind his back. It was the same move I used on Hunter. I stuck him to the ground and he struggled to get back up. I thought this was it; I thought I had bested him. Until, he started to move against me, slowly pushing himself off the ground with his right arm. I could feel the strain in his voice as I did my best to keep him grounded.

Oh shit… bad Emile… BAD EMILE.

In an insane feat of strength, he resisted my lock and got back on his feet and rushed backwards with me still behind. Again, my back was struck against the wall, causing numerous tools to knock over. I still held his left arm behind his back but he gave me a nasty back-right elbow to the face causing me to lose my grip.. He turned around, going for another wide punch but I managed to block it and counter with an uppercut. The shot dazed him a little and so I didn't waste the opportunity to step up the pressure. I hit him with a flurry of quick, moderate blows, pushing him back bit by bit. Shots to both the face and the body. Then with one massive kick to the chest he fully stumbled backwards.

Ah, fuck it.

In one big suicide tackle, I rammed into the son of Hephaestus like a spear, sending us both flying forward not knowing where we were going to land. That question was answered very shortly as the two of us crashed through a wooden work bench, breaking the arts project of whichever unfortunate soul decided to place it there, and straight back onto the floor. Emile thankfully acted as some form of a cushion but I would be lying if I didn't say that the move cost me some serious bruises.

Out of breath, the both of us stumbled back onto our feet, holding onto whatever nearby support we could.

"Got something to say to me now?" I said, each word pushed through gasps of air.

"Why? Just so you can give me an apology?" the boy grunted.

I conjured as much noise in my voice as I could. "I didn't mean for it to happen!"

"I don't want to hear it!" he yelled.

I was too exhausted to speak. Having never heard him speak before, I couldn't imagine such raw emotion coming from someone who was usually silent.

"You know the first thing I heard about you was?" His voice was shaky but he still pushed it to the limit. "I heard how this 'newcomer' fended off a monster all by himself. Which was funny, because I wondered… how – if you could do all that – how could you have lost him."

A cold rush of guilt filtered up my spine. It seemed to have counteracted the rage like a wave washing over me body.

"I just didn't understand it," he chuckled to himself, looking down as if the thought was amusing. Then he looked back up towards me. "Then, during that game… I watched you run off, chasing after whoever that was in your 'bloodlust' or whatever you want to call it. You even boasted about it. That's when it all started to make sense…"

"That's not what–"

"It's in your nature!"

Those words seemed to affect me more than any other punch to the gut.

For the first time in our fight, I let a little bit of vulnerability out. "I'm sorry."

He just laughed in my face. "You're sorry? No. I'm sorry that Birch got stuck with an arrogant prick like you!"

That vulnerability disappeared and was replaced with fire.

"You don't want to talk it out? FINE," I said. I reached for a mallet on the floor. "Let's fucking do this!"

He grabbed a socket wrench from a nearby table. "I'm right here!"

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" a voice boomed.

Everything around us seemed to have frozen.

To put it in smithing terms, it felt like my heart was quenched. The once burning fire inside was immediately drained as a cold, hollow feeling replaced it. The two of us turned away from each other only to see Chiron, who looked all disheveled. Probably breaking up all the fights outside only to see the worst of the worst happening in here. Now, I was used to calm and collected Chiron but this new level of frustration scared me. I honestly didn't know how he stopped himself from grabbing one of the nearby screwdrivers and chucking it straight at our heads.

"Chiron, I–"

With one quick movement of his finger, my mouth was kept shut.

"Mr Pride, with me." His tone was like iron.

"Kefe…" Emile spat as he just stared at me. I didn't know what he meant, but I doubt it was anything encouraging.

His head snapped at Emile. "You're next Mr Forrester."

Emile somehow still looked furious but with that one look from Chiron, he reluctantly dropped the wrench on the ground. On cue, Chiron moved to the side as Argus stepped through the door as he grabbed Emile like a parent wrangling their child.

Chiron led me as I shamefully limped my way out of the forge. The fighting had pretty much been put to a complete stop outside, now with Jake, Leo and Sherman who had arrived to douse the flames. Looks like Will and some of his siblings were summoned too to assess the damage. I watched as one of the campers walked into the forge and let out a cry of shock as they grieved over one of the many broken items in the building.

Until now, I wasn't able to see how much of damage I had caused so yeah… sorry about that.

I got non-stop looks from Hephaestus kids. Even some of the other campers, who happened to have heard the commotion. They did not look pleased. It didn't take a genius to imagine what they were thinking. The whole spectacle felt dishearteningly familiar.

Great… just couldn't keep it together could you Arthur?

I found the ticking of the clock to be the only comforting sound in Chiron's study. It very much reminded me of a principal's office with a bit of 'bond villain' on the side. There were these wild antiques decorating the walls and placed on various shelves. I also couldn't help but notice the large empty space on one of the walls that contradicted the rest of the room. It looked like something used to be there, but it clearly wasn't anymore. The desk was the centerpiece of the room, with a computer (to my surprise) and a record player which seemed very fitting. Behind the desk was a large flatscreen tv that played gods knows what. And in front of the desk stood a silent but, most probably, deadly centaur that did not look happy.

Usually, whoever speaks first loses the conversation but I didn't really see how I could win it either.

"Uh… look. I know it looked pretty bad out there but…"

He wasn't even blinking.

"... okay– no it was very bad. But I didn't mean for all of that to happen. I swear. It's just that they…"

I thought back to what actually did happen. With my mind in a much more level state, my perspective changed.

Arms crossed, he raised a single eyebrow waiting for me to finish. "They…?"

"I just didn't like what they said… about me but especially about us. I tried walking away, I really did but they kept provoking me and–"

"And so you punched a child in the face?"

"She didn't seem that young."

"You were five years her senior, Arthur."

"Oh."

The centaur furrowed his eyebrows, letting out a sigh through his nose. "I understand you might not have liked what they said and by no means am I condoning their behavior but you need to understand that we are all on the same side and we cannot settle petty disagreements with our fists."

This lecture felt oddly similar to ones in the past. "I know."

"Rash decisioning is where things can go wrong, especially for the child of a god."

"I know."

"You say that, but do you?"

The way he said it made me a little agitated. "Look, maybe you don't understand what I have to deal with."

Chiron continued to reply with that surprisingly calm but cold voice. "What? You don't think I know what anger is? You think I don't know what it feels to have your blood boil and rage enter your heart? I do not intend to downplay your emotions but I have been around for a very long time."

That wasn't the response I was expecting. Either way, I didn't feel like talking.

"I empathize with you, Arthur, but there are ways and you will learn them."

"I kno–" I caught myself. "I understand."

Another moment of silence passed until it started to feel uncomfortable.

I began to stand up. "Can I go now?"

"No. There's more I need to tell you."

"I swear I underst–"

"I'm not talking about that. Granted, the current timing isn't exactly appropriate but this is too large to ignore."

I was taken aback. Chiron's serious attitude remained the same but there seemed to be a shift in his posture.

"The incident during the game today…"

It was like my whole body perked up. I sat up with almost perfect posture as I was suddenly interested in the unexpected turn. Thanks to all the chaos that happened about 10 minutes ago, I had totally forgotten about my intended visit to the Big House.

Well, I did eventually end up in the Big House just for the wrong reason.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about that," I admitted. Everything I wanted to say started pouring out of my mouth. "I don't know how but I think that's what happened with George, the nightmares, Birch. It all has to be tangled together somehow. I'm telling you, sir. I know there's a lot going on right now and there's a freaking avengers level threat or whatever happening and you're probably just going to tell me to leave it alo–"

He swiftly raised his hand which made me silent once more.

With no change in his face, he says, "I think you're right."

Again, another unexpected turn.

"Really? Like, everything I just said; you believe it?"

"Just… hear what I have to say."

"Right. Sorry."

He took a deep breath before continuing. "I do believe you are onto something. You're a bright boy, Arthur, but don't think you are the only one paying attention. We are no strangers to wild occurrences and I would be lying if I said that today was the first time one of our campers became… emotionally compromised."

"That's one way to put it," I chuckled.

He waited for me to finish.

"However, this situation is by far different in comparison. From your first day here, when you told me about the demigods that attacked you, I began to look into it with Will. Thanks to communication with a… close associate of ours, we have a connection to the outside world. Now, despite already being occupied with other important matters, he was gracious enough to give us information that would help us greatly."

"What did you learn?"

"Turns out, those rogue demigods may be a part of something bigger. This is where I need you to listen." Chiron cleared his throat as I was all-ears. "Now, after the Second Titan War, the demigods that fought for Kronos suffered terrible losses. During the aftermath, a few were pardoned and allowed to return to Camp whilst the rest refused in a rather bitter fashion and chose to live in the outside world. Yet, it seems that some still hold a grudge."

My eyes grew wide. "Are we talking about some sort of invasion? Or a rebellion?"

"Not exactly," he replied. "From what we know, there isn't enough to pose a real threat. Many demigods that live outside these borders tend to do so on their own, with no desire to involve themselves with Olympian or Camp affairs. Hence, why they leave in the first place. What is concerning, is the four that took Birch."

"What would they need Birch for?"

"Satyr's have a remarkable sense in tracking half-bloods and monster's alike..."

"Which means…?"

"...which means in the hands of an organized group of bitter, fanatic demigods, no matter how small, can present many dangers to the Camp and its inhabitants."

This didn't sound so good.

"In regards to the nightmares…"

Oh, right there's more.

"...some of the minor gods, especially those that allied with Kronos during the war, still don't take much of a liking towards the Olympian rule. Our associate has told us, through various connections in the Underworld, that it would be wise to assume that these demigods may not be alone. Considering the visions that haunt our campers in the middle of the night, it's very likely the goddess of nightmares herself, Melinoe, whether directly or not, is fanning the flames."

"But why?"

"You take away a warrior's weapon, they still have their fists. You take away their spirit, they lose the ability to fight. Whether it's to simply act out against the Gods or something much more connected, we do not know. Either way, it is a problem. "

This whole thing just blew up to some massive proportions. I knew something weird was going on but I wasn't expecting this.

"Why are you telling me all this?" I asked the centaur.

He turned back toward his desk and began to trace his fingers along the edges. "As much as this is troublesome. I cannot ignore the already coming danger that lies ahead. Things are set in motion. Terrible things are soon to come to pass. I teach my students lessons of war but I wish they never have to use them…"

I couldn't see his face but it was like a shadow had passed over.

"...yet war always finds them in the end. Nevertheless we must be ready. I simply do not have the time nor the resources to split our goals. Why am I telling you this, you ask? Because you're all I have."

It took me a second to register. "...me?"

"From what I can tell, you were the only person to catch on to what was happening. I believe you give an open perspective to an otherwise biased history. Most importantly, you seem to understand something that many of the others find it difficult to realize."

"What's that?"

"That monsters are more than just horns and sharp teeth. They are the things we regret, the things we fear."

Hunter's bloodied face flashed in my mind.

"We all carry monsters, Arthur… and you can't kill them all."

He continued, a more withered expression in the way he spoke. "Each and every one of you is a life I'm responsible for, a life that matters. I know some of the things you have to go through. Things no mortal should have to bear let alone a child. It's something I always wished to address but it's just one problem after the other…"

The rest of that sentence was muttered under his breath.

"I also know you've been 'itching' to rescue our dear friend, Birch. I, for one, do not intend to leave him to whatever unfortunate circumstance the Fates have planned. We save who we can, Arthur. Consider this your chance."

If I had any doubts before, it didn't matter now because there was no way I was going to give that chance up.

This time the both of us are coming home.

I probably failed at hiding my sudden enthusiastic determination as Chiron looked at me with an approving nod. I think he knew my answer.

He glanced at the clock that still ticked on endlessly. "We'll pick this up tomorrow, after your punishment…"

"Wait, my punishment?" I stared at him, a little confused.

"What, you assumed you'd just start a fight, destroy Camp property and walk free without any consequences?"

"...maybe?"

"Tomorrow morning, you won't be going to your scheduled classes but instead, you are going to clean up the mess you made at the Forge and you'll be doing it with Emile."

I immediately jumped up to protest but it quickly became wasted words. I lowered my head in defeat.

Dammit, I had sparring in the morning tomorrow.

"Yes, sir." I grumbled and for the first time in this conversation I think I saw him smile.

I slowly stood up from my chair, still unsure if I was completely free to go until Chiron sauntered back behind his desk, taking out some reading glasses from his pocket as he scanned the pieces of paper in front of him. Making my way towards the door, I took in the atmosphere of the master study once more before finding myself studying that empty space among the antique-decorated walls.

"What happened there?" I asked out of curiosity.

It took a moment for Chiron to pinpoint where I was looking but when he did, he expressed some disappointment.

"Ah, that," he said. "I'm sure you heard something had been stolen from my study earlier this week."

Oh yeah.

"It meant quite a deal to me. A spear, but a special one at that. It belonged to one of my old students. You would probably know him well… Achilles."

I stood there, frozen in amazement. Even if you didn't read up on your greek mythology, everybody knows Achilles.

"You taught Achilles?" I said.

That seemed to have brought a little nostalgic joy to the old centaur. "Why, he was one of my best students…" -Then that joy disappeared- "... but war found him."

I didn't have to ask any further questions. I knew the story. The Trojan War was among many of the great conflicts in human history. I guess in half-blood history too.

My eyes continued to stare at the empty space. "Is this all it is, sir?"

Chiron raised his eyebrow.

"Is this all there is to the life of a demigod? War? Death? Survival? It can't be, right? There has to be something that makes all of it mean something."

He gave a tired smile. "I like to think so, Arthur."

A little more awkward silence filled the room. "I suggest you get some rest, Mr Pride. You have an early start tomorrow…"

Don't remind me.

"... was there anything else you'd like to discuss?"

"How's George doing?"

"Safely under my care. I'll get Will to take a look tomorrow as well."

"Well, that's good."

"Anything else?"

I thought back to the visage of the mysterious figure sitting on the log. I couldn't forget the sound of that whetstone grazing against that steel. I had planned to tell Chiron about it but now I wasn't too sure. The wise centaur looked more tired than usual and his plate seemed full enough. I'll probably get a better chance tomorrow after I've slept on it.

"No, don't think so," I replied.

He focused his eyes a little. He could probably tell something was up. Though, I think his exhaustion was starting to influence him a little. Instead, the two of us exchanged a simple nod and I began heading towards the door.

"And Arthur…" My hand touched the handle of the door. "... remember what I said."

I looked at his face one last time before I left the Big House, leaving with more questions than answers.