[David's Pov]
Finding a new weapon in Camp Half-Blood was much easier than you'd assume.
Again, if all you need is a spare, then no problem; we have those in spades.
And if you are searching for the one weapon that fits you perfectly, it's as simple as asking the Hephaestus Cabin to forge a new one.
They liked making things in general. It's what they spent most of their time on, so usually, the payment wasn't too expensive. A small chore or a drachma or two would usually do the trick.
But in my case, it was a bit more complex than I was prepared for.
"Sorry, but I can't," Nyssa Barrera said from behind her welding helmet.
Behind the plastic barrier, her eyes were fixated on the sword she was making.
"But why not?" I asked, slamming my hand down on the tool kit out of frustration.
One of the many wrenches fell to the floor with a loud clunk. Nyssa looked up from her sword with a frown.
"Sorry," I reached for the tool, but Nyssa beat me to it.
She sighed and took off the helmet. Now that I could see her face, I realized she was sympathetic rather than irritated.
"None of my other cabin mates agreed, didn't they?" She asked.
I looked around at the forge. It was inhabited mainly by Cabin 9, all of who were busying themselves on whatever they were working on.
She was right. None of them agreed to make me a sword, even when I suggested a whole month's worth of dessert. A whole month's worth, and they still declined.
"Maybe if you let us take a look at your dragon?" Nyssa suggested.
"No," I said.
Nyssa nodded as if she didn't expect any other answer. She wiped her face with a cloth and stretched her arms.
"Let's take a walk. I need something back at Cabin 9, anyway. I'll tell you why during the way."
What Nyssa told me on the way back was shocking but very obvious at the same time.
The main problem was that I still had a debt to pay Hephaestus. None of his children would help me, thereby lending his power, until I make it even between us.
"That's stupid," I grumbled. Thunder rumbled from far away, and Nyssa looked up at the sky with concern.
"You really need to watch your language," She advised, "Gods don't take humiliations well, and you already made an impression."
"I know that," I grumbled.
By now, the story of how I rebutted Athena in front of the whole council had spread throughout the entire camp.
It came with pros and cons of its own.
On the con side, besides the problem facing me right now, I was never welcomed by the Athena Cabin.
Ironically, Annabeth was the only one who tolerated my existence.
We both needed someone to listen to when we geeked over a subject we had extensive knowledge of. And as it turns out, ancient architecture and Greek mythology have a lot of crossing over each other.
We weren't close by any means, nowhere near the bond she shared with Percy (she'd glare at me whenever I brought it up) but at least she didn't wrinkle her nose when she laid eyes on me.
On the flip side, alongside my cabinmates, most of the Hermes cabin plugged me as a sign of rebellion against the gods.
Most of them were unclaimed, so they had some resentments against the gods, and even those claimed by Hermes were mostly rebellious by nature, or they had some vendetta against the gods for how they treated Luke.
Luke.
That guy seemed to be a big deal amongst the campers, but I couldn't figure out why to save my life.
Annabeth would snap whatever she held in her hand when she heard the name. Thalia would become somber and sit beside the tree of her namesake whenever the name got mentioned.
But nobody seemed to be willing to explain what exactly happened. Most of the camp was either worried for Annabeth or scared of Thalia.
"Hey, are you listening?"
A snap close to my ears jolted me out of my thoughts, and I nearly bumped into the doorframe of Cabin 9.
"Sorry, dazed off for a moment. What were you saying?"
Nyssa sighed, "In short, you need to pay up your debt to my father, or we might both get punished."
I nodded. Going back to the Junkyard wasn't exactly an exciting task.
Last time, I was ambushed by a giant wolf and a pack of huntresses, and I only managed to make it out as easily as I did because Zoë was with me.
"So what do I have to do? I can't leave the Camp until I get a quest, can I?"
"No," Nyssa agreed as she opened the door, "But you can always ask for one in the attic."
I frowned. I never knew that asking for a quest was an option.
Everyone wanted to receive a quest. It was what the Camp trained us for, and it was considered to be the utmost honor among the campers.
If they could ask for one whenever they wanted, why weren't they leaving on a quest by themselves?
"Hey," Nyssa called from inside the cabin, waking me from yet another daydream, "I'm trying to change my clothes here. Close the door and leave."
"Oh, sorry."
[Line Break]
I decided to give it a shot, mainly because I had no other options.
It wasn't like Hephaestus would suddenly pop into my dream one night, was he? If he could, he would have done that already.
When I arrived at the Big house, I was surprised to hear some voices from the inside.
One was obviously Chiron; calm, warm, and soothing. But the other voice arguing against him was one that I didn't recognize.
"There has to be a reason the dreams keep coming to me," The voice insisted, "There has to be."
"I understand that," Chiron said, "But you know the rules better than any other campers. If Oracle hasn't answered, I can't allow you to leave."
Silence settled in the Big house
"...I understand." The crestfallen voice said, and a chair scraped against the floor.
I hurriedly moved out of the way as the door opened. A huge teenager with a bulk that made Marcus look relatively thin lumbered out.
"Oh, it's you. Have you found a blacksmith yet?" He asked.
I shook my head. "No, uh..."
I snapped my fingers in frustration. I heard his name during the Head councilors meeting before I went on the quest; he was the head of Cabin 9.
"Beckendorf!" I finally remembered.
Beckendorf nodded with a slight grin as if my struggle with his name reminded him of something.
"Right on. Sorry for the trouble, you know, with you and our father..."
I nodded, "Nyssa told me about it. I was going to ask for a quest about that, actually."
Beckendorf's eyes lit up at the word quest, which was unexpected.
Out of every twelve cabins, Cabin 9 might be the one cabin not interested in quests in general.
Their honor came from what kind of tools or machinery they made and how innovative or helpful they were to all of us.
"Quest?" He asked.
He opened his mouth to say something, but whatever he was going to ask, he changed his mind before he said it.
"David? Is there a problem?" Chiron called from the inside.
"Uh, no, sir!" I called over my shoulder. "I just came to ask for a quest, if that's available?"
"I see," Chiron nodded. He didn't look surprised at all.
"You may go up to the attic and attend the Oracle. And..."
The legendary centaur raised his eyebrow when Beckendorf lumbered inside after me.
"I think I'll wait for him," He said and took a seat.
"...Very well." Chiron nodded at me to go on, so I took the stairs up to the attic.
I've taken the same pathway once before. Back then, Percy, Annabeth, and Zoë were with me.
Now that I climbed up alone, it was a lot eerier than I remembered. When I reached the trap door, it seemed as if the ominous green light from the Oracle had taken over the wallpapers.
I pulled the cord. The door swung open, and I entered the attic.
Again, this place was much more uncanny when traversing alone.
The air reeked of reptiles, which made me second-guess my fondness for the animal class.
Thick layers of dust clogged my lungs, making me cough, and the sound would echo far more than it had any right to.
Even the greek hero junks that filled the place weren't distracting enough. Still, I took the time to look over some of the more interesting ones.
One of the things that caught my attention was a giant claw. Not simply because it was reptilian but because it looked familiar.
I leaned over to read the plack. It was oddly shunted to the corner as if someone tried to hide it from sight.
Claw of the dragon Ladon
Garden of the Hesperides
By Luke C̷͕̬̫̬͎͔̀̀͂̈a̸̡̪͖̫͊͜s̷̪͎̫͊͂͠͠t̶̩͕̹͖̭̭̊̇͒̂̿̓̒̽̄͐͑͋͜͝ḛ̵̡͉͉̻͙̙̖͉̀́̽̏̒͋l̶͉̝͉̺̥̪͎͕̍̄̀́́͋̇̄͌̎̑̿̚͠l̶͔̦̻̖̹̺͇̟̦̍͌͒̈̕ą̷̧̣̰̬̖̬͚͎̩̥̪̽̾̍̉͗͆͛̋̌̾̏͜͝͠͝n̸̨̛͖͕͚̜̈́̇͗͗͛
There he was again, Luke.
Seriously, what was the deal with that guy?
I guess he was very skilled if he managed to cut off Ladon's claw, but that didn't help in any way to shine him in any better light in my book.
Not only he hurt one of my favorite dragons, if he harmed Ladon, that also meant he either didn't care or figured to save the Hesperides.
I scraped on the marker that was scribbled over his last name. The marker was old. Someone must have scratched the lame name not long after the plack was made.
Thankfully, deeper inside there was something that cheered me up—or a lack of item, in this case.
It was a small holder for a belt with a sticker that read [SUVANIOR FROM LAND OF THE AMAZONS], and a sticker above that, written more recently, read [RETURNED TO OWNER BY DAVID]
I smiled, thinking back on the memories. It was barely a month ago, but it already felt like ages had passed after I met Zoë, won a Capture the Flag game against her, and gave her the belt.
I hoped she returned it to whoever had the right to own it. And, she was also safe out there whatever she was doing.
I twirled the silver leaf she gave me before our departure in my pocket, then went along to face the Oracle.
After everything I've seen during the quest to save Artemis, the Oracle mummy was still one of the most unnerving things I've ever seen.
I made the mistake of looking at it closer. The bandages surrounding the mummy were raggy and torn as if a hoard of sewage rats chewed on it. If that was real, I doubted those rats died peacefully.
The part of the skin I could see was stuck to the bones, leaving literally nothing to imagine of how a human's bone is shaped.
It reminded me of one of the Fire Prevention classes back at Westover Hall. The instructor showed us a picture of the victim, who was unfortunately caught in an explosion.
This mummy looked almost identical to that. I wondered who was crazy enough to explode the Oracle.
"So, uh...Ms. Oracle? Do you have any prophecies for me, or—"
With a subtle hiss, the jaw of the Oracle snapped open. A green smoke slithered around the floor and coiled around my ankles like a snake. It headed off a few feet away and bloomed into four beings.
I used the word beings instead of people because one of them was Hephaestus. The other two were demigods I recognized—Beckendorf and Nyssa, both from the Hephaestus Cabin.
But the fourth smoky figure baffled me.
He was slightly shorter than I was, and I'm not tall by any means. His ears were pointy like an elf, and his eyes reminded me of some kids at Westover Hall who inhaled some Magic Sugar if you catch my drift.
There was certainly a theme going on here, so I would guess that he was also related to Hephaestus in some way, but then the imagery of the god himself started to speak.
The sacred number shines bright
The voice sounded nothing like the god did. I never expected to say it, but I preferred the actual god's scowlings over this one by a mile.
Next, Nyssa opened her mouth, her hallow gaze piercing my skin.
They shall reach the dead land tonight
I tried not to give the word dead too much meaning. It made sense, in a way.
The hyperactive elf boy suddenly burst his hands into flame, as if he demanded my attention as he delivered the third line.
History will rise for a second breath
And finally, in a typical Greek Prophecy fashion, the worst line was handed by Beckendorf.
Fear is fatal, embrace the death
The figures dissolved back into green smoke and slithered back into the mummy's mouth.
I stood in the attic for a long time, staring at the mummy. I wanted to ask questions, tons of them: What history will rise? What does embracing death mean? Does someone have to die on this quest?
But as badly as I wanted to ask these questions, none left the edge of my tongue. The Oracle looked more dead than ever.
My audience with the Oracle was over.
[Line Break]
Beckendorf startled me when I got back down. The imagery of him as a ghost made of green smoke was so haunting that it was jarring to see him so...colorful and fleshy.
"How did it go?" He asked.
Chiron took a sip from his cup, but the sparkling eyes made it clear that he also wanted to hear it.
I gulped a hairball stuck in my throat, "Well, I got the prophecy—"
"I knew it!"
Beckendorf was overjoyed, which made me feel worse. Chiron sighed grimly as if he was used to seeing crestfallen demigods after a visit to the Oracle.
He beckoned me to sit on a chair at the pinochle table.
"What did the Oracle say exactly?" The wise centaur asked, "This is important."
I gulped again. Chiron offered tea, but I shook my head. I wasn't sure if I wasn't going to throw up whatever I ate.
Despite my better judgment, I recited the Prophecy back, word for word. It was thankfully not long, so I managed to convey it without too many errors.
When I was done, even Beckendorf wasn't excited as before. Still, he was determined that he should go on the quest.
"I don't think that's a good idea," I said, but Beckendorf shook his head.
"I have to be on this," He insisted, "I can feel it in my bones."
"That sounds a lot like what Marcus would say," I told him, which was another way of speaking, It's a horrible idea, and you probably shouldn't do that.
Beckendorf shrugged, "Forgemaking isn't always about rules or following orders. Sometimes you have to go with your guts to make something truly remarkable."
I glanced at Chiron for help.
"You need two companions to aid in your quest," Chiron glanced at Beckendorf, "And only he can choose who goes on the quest or not."
Beckendorf opened his mouth to complain, but he closed them right after and nodded.
Chiron turned his gaze to me, "The prophecy said you will reach the destination—" He deliberately avoided using the word dead land, "—by tonight. It would be best if you leave as soon as possible. I'll tell Argus—"
"I think I'll be fine without Argus, Chiron," I said.
Chiron frowned, confused momentarily, but then he nodded, "I see. Your dragon will be the faster choice, indeed.
In that case, I suggest you go packing, David."
This time, I didn't gather too much attention from anyone as I got ready for the quest.
Apparently, my debt against Hephaestus has also spread around like a rumor; it wasn't like I tried to hide my mechanical arm, anyway.
So everyone expected I'd have to leave on that sooner or later.
Most of the Ares Cabin was more irritated that I failed to get back the flag from Athena. And even if no one admitted it, we were slightly worried for Clarisse—who was gone for three weeks now.
"Try not to embarrass your cabin a second time," Sherman said as he threw a duffle bag filled with spicey nachos.
It was his way of saying, "Have a safe trip!"
Trust me; my cabinmates can be far, far mean if they want to.
"Where is Skaw, by the way?" I asked, swinging the duffle bag over my back.
They all murmured and glanced at each other, but nobody knew where my dragon had gone. The last anyone saw was her taking a nap in her nest.
"Maybe she's hitting on Peleus again," One of the girls called.
I forced a chuckle as the whole cabin laughed.
Ever since she made herself comfortable, Skaw had been spending a concerningly lot of time around Peleus. The most horrifying part was that Peles seemed to like Skaw as well.
I'm more than happy if Skaw makes another friend, but I didn't have to wake up one day and find out that Skaw laid an egg.
Thankfully, a brief glance at Thalia's tree was all I needed to check whether Skaw was there.
She had grown an extra 3 feet or so during her stay at camp, and it was hard to miss her wherever she may be.
I decided to check on the forges again. It was the one other place where she'd be able to get a large amount of metal she could chew on or some gallon's worth of leftover grease and oil.
And indeed, Skaw was out at the entrance of the forges. Beckendorf was dumping a small cart truck filled with burnt metal, which Skaw feasted upon.
"Sorry for the trouble," I said.
Beckendorf shrugged, "We can't recycle brunt materials anyway."
He thunked on one of the scales. Skaw shuddered on the spot and creaked her jaw.
"It's a real mystery how she grows by consuming metal," He said.
"She grows from eating metal?" I asked.
"Take a look."
I looked up at Skaw. She was swallowing the last scraps from the wheel cart. Beckendorf quickly snatched away the cart before she ate that too, and Skaw started to change.
The metal body glowed red like a furnace. It let out a column of black smoke, then started rattling as if a washing machine activated inside her stomach.
And as I watched, Skaw's neck elongated. Her wings expanded. When the rattling stopped, Skaw had indeed grown an inch or two.
"Does all Automatons do that?" I asked in awe.
Beckendorf shook his head, "Quite the opposite. Automatons are meant to be the opposite of a living being. They don't grow or change as Skaw does.
We used to have a bronze dragon at Camp as well, but that didn't grow or act humanely like this.
That's one of the reasons why we want to give her an inspection; it's very...alive."
Skaw creaked her jaw and tried to rub her head into my chest. I pat her over the head as she growled softly.
I wondered if she felt my hand stroking her because my metal arm couldn't feel anything. To be honest, if she could feel it, I'd be a tad bit jealous.
Beckendorf put the wheeling cart next to the wall and approached me. I knew what he wanted to ask, so I tried to decline it.
"Look, Beckendorf—"
Beckendorf raised his hand and cut me off.
"I know the Oracle's vision spooked you out. I won't pander anymore if you are sure you don't want me on the quest.
But I've been having the same exact dream for days now, and I'm sure it has something to do with the Junkyard.
Also, I'd really, really like to check out my father's place, even if it's a trash yard. Hephaestus isn't the most familial father..."
Beckendorf looked up at the sky like many campers did. But nothing happened, and he looked back down with a sigh.
I tried to be less sympathetic, but I couldn't. Even the claimed campers were disappointed in their godly parents in one way or another.
Heck, Ares only showed up twice in my life, and he was considered one of the more interactive parents out of the whole Olympians.
Most of the campers never got to meet their parents. The only sign they ever got was the small symbol that appeared over their heads sometime before.
It felt worse because I'd met Hephaestus in person. He even gave me a metal arm, a dragon, and a quest—I wondered how many Hephaestus kids would want any of the three.
"...Alright," I said.
Beckendorf broke into a smile, "Thanks, man! You're a lifesaver!"
He clapped me on the back in gratitude and said he'd get ready as soon as possible. We promised to meet at the borderline of the Camp in two hours.
"Come on, Skaw," I nudged her to get her to move along.
Skaw sneezed, letting two streaks of black smoke from her nostrils, then trotted after me.
Now all I had to do was find a third member. I wasn't sure who to ask. Perhaps I could ask about the Hermes Cabin, especially since the quest was about thieves.
I made up my mind and was heading toward Cabin 11 when suddenly, Skaw screeched loudly and reared up, blowing fire into the air.
I tried my best to train her not to blow fire in the Camp perimeters, but as much as Skaw seemed to like me, she was not good at following more strict guidelines.
I looked up, expecting a flock of birds that flew a bit too low for my dragon's liking, but instead found a giant shadow hurdling down to the ground.
"Hey, whoa! Pull up! Up!"
A black pegasus with bloodshot eyes landed seconds before he crashed his nose into the ground.
"That was way too close," The jockey on the horse's back sighed.
"Let's try that again sometime, Shadowloo, alright?" She pat the pegasus on the mane and slipped down the side.
Only then did Silena Beauregard realize I was standing 3 feet or so away next to a very angry metal dragon.
"David!" She gasped, "Are you alright? You could have been trampled!"
She tried to run up to me, but Skaw snapped at her. The black pegasus, named Shadowloo, neighed and snorted.
"Skaw, no. Bad girl."
"Scre?" Skaw tilted her head.
I didn't know if it was an actual feature or my interpretation, but her ruby eyes seemed to shimmer more brightly.
"I'm fine. Skaw...warned me beforehand, I guess."
Her intention was likely more about trying to take down whatever threat was approaching than warning me, but all ends that end well.
Still, Silena tried to apologize.
"Shadowloo is one of the newer pegasi in the stable," She explained, "He gets impatient being kept inside, so I usually take him outside..."
She went on to explain how vital stress-relieving is when taking care of a flock pegasi, but I couldn't entirely focus on her words.
In my defense, most cabinmates had trouble not getting distracted by Silena whenever she passed you.
It wasn't like she was a tryhard either.
Unlike most of the Aphrodite Cabin—most well represented by another girl named...Drew, was it?—her beauty felt natural.
She didn't try to look nice. She just was.
In a way, she the closest representation of her mother, Aphrodite. Even if the goddess didn't reject makeups.
"David?"
I blinked. Silena was waving her hand in front of my eyes.
"You just...stared into a void for a moment there," She stated, "Is there something on your mind?"
"Yeah, kind of."
I explained to her about my quest and needing a third member and how I wasn't sure who I'd bring along.
Silena nodded, seemed to mull over briefly, then said, "Can I tag along? I know I won't be helpful in a fight, but..."
I frowned, "Why would you want to come to a Junkyard? Uh, no offense."
"None taken," Silena assured and let out a big sigh, "Truth be told, I've been running into some troubles with Annabeth lately."
"Really?" I asked, surprised.
Silena nodded, "I thought it might be better if I put some distance between us.
I hoped her returning to school would do that, but apparently, she postponed her return for a few weeks. So, this sounds like an apt opportunity.
Besides, if Charlie is coming..."
Silena didn't finish her sentence, twirling her finger around her hair.
"Who's Charlie?" I asked.
Silena blinked, "Oh, I meant Beckendorf," she said, "So, may I join?"
No one would be mad that Silena joined their travel group, and I doubt Beckendorf would be an exception.
There was still more than an hour left, so I told her where and when we promised to meet. Silena winked as a goodbye and headed to the stable with the pegasus.
I might've felt giddier at the wink if not for the sudden imagery of Zoë popped into my head.
As attractive as Silena was, they were hardly any similarities between them.
"Come on, Skaw. Let's wait for everyone under the tree."
"Scree~"
Skaw was delighted to see Peleus and followed behind.
On my walk to the tree, I pulled out the silver leaf and tried to play some simple tunes.
It was still hard, but I was getting there.
Well, this ended up being longer than I thought.
Maybe I could've put the first 1000 words into the previous chapter...
Oh well.
I am liking this more casual approach to writing more and more. It's so nice having a large breathing room instead of trying to follow certain plot points.
Next chapter, the new members fly to the Junkyard! There, they meet some old faces and some new faces?
Stay tuned!
I hope you had a fun time reading,
and I'll see you all next chapter!
Ta ta~
