Chapter 10: I get hit by a '78 Camaro
Bump, Bump. The rain splashed against my face and I could make out the pine tree at the top of half-blood hill. Bump, Bump. "Watch after him for me, you'll know what to do." Bump. Bump. The scream that mixed with the storm passed over while I tried to steady myself on the nearby pine tree. Bump, Bump. How did I get back here? All I could remember was the whale. I was stewing inside its guts and remembered the wind blowing past my ear then waking up on a forest floor.
The day had quickly turned to a dark cloudy sky and the rain soon washed the smell of whale off my clothes. Having been underwater for awhile, walking was somewhat of trouble for me, relying on my trident as a walking stick. I stumbled my way through the forest, looking for any sign of life or a gas station. The darkness seemed to be thicker than ever tonight, making it difficult for me to see my way through the thick set of trees that lined my path. I couldn't even tell when the dirt changed to asphalt because as soon as the road was lit up, my vision went dark and I was soon caught up in a dream.
Sand. Too much sand for one's liking. My feet were stuck in place and a voice soon bellowed from the surrounding darkness. "Your father cares not for your life. He's just using you to better position his favorite pieces into place." The sand started to sink in on itself and a huge hole appeared inches in front of me, glowing in dark orange light that felt like it could burn off my skin. "Find my recruit and make the Gods pay." Then a flash of lightning brought me back to the hill.
I watched as a Satyr galloped up to a boy who was knocked out and the dim peaks of sunlight were peering through the dark clouds and once again I fell asleep. To say that it was some of my best sleep would be an understatement as I finally had a dreamless sleep. But finding myself awake on a cot in the medical tent of camp half-blood with Luke staring over wasn't the most pleasant sight to wake up to. "Welcome back, I guess we should catch you up." His voice sounded a little excited and I was shocked to see a girl standing behind him, holding a bowl of what looked like a thick pudding.
"This is Daphne, from cabin ten. She's been helping take care of you while you were passed out. Also the reason why I've been here too, took a chance and sharpened your trident." I looked over at my weapon and saw the tips glaring sharply in the light. I went to reach for it when it changed to water and formed back on my hand in its ring form. "Wow," Daphne said, shocked by my weapon. "How did I get back here? Everything seems blurry for some reason." I tried to feel for my glasses and found that they weren't on my face but still thinking about the events following up to today seemed like a distant dream. "That's kind of what everyone is talking about, that new kid killed the Minotaur and everyone has been wondering how and I was wondering if you knew since you were there."
"What new kid? All I can remember was being eaten by a whale then… It's hard. I can't seem to remember at all getting here." I sat up and found to be back to normal, health wise, but I couldn't help but feel something different in the air around the camp. "Come on, I'll walk with you back to your cabin." Luke put his hand out to help me off the cot and we walked out towards cabin three. As soon as I stepped outside the medical tent every pair of eyes instantly fell on me. Campers picking strawberries half squatted, half craned their necks as we walked by. A group of Nymphs that were chasing around some Satyr's stopped in their tracks and looked at me while the Satyr's kept galloping around them, trying to get their attention with their reed pipes.
"Why's everyone staring?" I asked, feeling like the elephant on parade. "You're the hot shot around here, everyone thinks you stole Zeus's lightning." I stopped in my tracks and looked at Luke like he was crazy. "Uhm, who thinks I stole what?" I said in a slightly higher tone than I usually sounded like. "Zeus, king of the Gods, thinks that you stole his lightning. Chiron will fill you in when he's done with the new camper." Well if that news wasn't a great welcome back present. No wonder Triton was trying to search me, he thought I stole Zeus's lightning. I've heard everyone say half-bloods have tough lives but this seemed like a little too much.
Cabin three seemed to lighten the mood a little with its sea salt smell emitting from the walls that were covered in shells. I walked inside and sat down on my lone bed that laid next to the four empty beds that sat in the cabin, not touched in forever. I couldn't help but feel like an embarrassment to Poseidon, who would want a son that crashed an underwater dance club, raised the Kraken, and was thought to be the thief of Zeus's lightning. Yeah, I'm a great son.
I thought about my mother and the nights we would spend around the bonfire, listening to whatever song was playing on the radio and roasting marshmallows over the flames. Almost every time we roasted marshmallows, one would eventually fall in and she would say, "Don't worry, it feeds the flames and helps keep us warm on this gorgeous night." I remember always looking up at the stars and seeing the smoke glaze my vision of the constellations. Orion's belt always was the easiest for me to find among the stars.
I found myself staring at the campfire near the dining pavilion while others ate and was soon joined by Luke. "You wanna talk about your quest?" He asked as he shoved food into his mouth. "I don't know, kind of seems pointless in the end." Each time the flames popped out an ember I felt like a small firework would go off in my spine, sending an uneasy chill down it. "My Dad said it was training I needed from my brother but the Oracle predicted the Kraken rising as if I was meant to do it all along." Luke just nodded along at what I was saying then spoke once he cleared his mouth of food. "The Gods tend to make stuff up to try and make us feel special. Sometimes it's better to just keep your distance." There was a coldness as Luke spoke about the Gods that didn't go unnoticed. "Have you met your father?"
"Once" Luke said, looking like he wanted to change the topic. "Tried to send me on a quest as well and it didn't go well. Tried to make me feel like it was a success but instead it got quests banned for a while around here."
"Try having your God of a brother beating you within an inch of your life for smashing his dance club." I said, trying to lighten the mood a little. "What?" Luke said in shock. "Yeah, wouldn't listen to me so I smashed down the walls." Luke laughed a little too hard for my liking but it was nice seeing someone laugh.
Soon a centaur with a bright white stallion behind came galping up to Luke and I. "Well this must be Ian Lincoln, son of Poseidon. I'm sorry I wasn't here for your arrival but I'm glad you've made it back from your quest in one piece. I'm Chiron, the activities director for the camp." He gave me a gracious bow and I stood and bowed in respect. "I sure hope Triton trained you well, we have some things that we need to talk about." A distant rumble of thunder roared across the valley and waves could be heard rising and crashing in the distance. "Yeah, I can tell." I said a little too sarcastically. "Maybe nothing, a good night's rest that all of us could benefit from!" He said at the sky a little too loud, disrupting some of the campers' dinner. "I'm sorry, it has been what the mortals called, one of those days. I suggest that we all get a good night's rest and talk after capture the flag tomorrow, it should be a fun time." Chiron then galloped away, heading towards the big house as the other campers came down to start singing some campfire songs.
The Apollo cabin led the singing with the camp half-blood anthem and it instantly made me get up from my seat and head over to my cabin, rather than be reminded of the underwater dance club. I guess from being knocked out and having been asleep for what seemed like a day, sleep didn't want to come to me. I could only stare at the walls while I sat in my bed and just deal with my emotions. I thought back on my first day at camp and talking with Hesita. The thing she told me to remember, A Giant and A Titan walk into a bar, the God ducked, a joke that just seems to make no sense. And why of all things did I need to remember that? I thought about Mira on the beach and her fears of the Gods accusing me had come true. My eyes were just about to shut when a loud explosion of something filled the valley. I walked out of my cabin to see some of the Ares's campers walking back to their cabin soaking wet.
The next morning was like every other- except that I hadn't woken up on a beach or underwater for the first time in a while- breakfast was served with fresh fruit and apple juice. Everyone was staring over at the Hermes table and muttering something to themselves and I could see Annabeth over at the Athena table staring daggers at a boy with dark hair and green eyes that seemed lost in sunlight. I tried my best at attempting to eat some food but my stomach didn't seem to want any. Capture the flag wasn't going to start til after lunch and no one had told me what to do in the meantime, so I decided to try my luck against any monster in the woods.
During my walk to the forest, I remember the last time I was fighting in there with Luke and the Stoll twins, when my leg started to shake a little remembering the wolf's teeth in my leg. I did feel a little more confident in myself since having trained with Triton but with how the way things have been going, it would be best to keep up with my fighting skills.
"Hey Ian! Wait a second!" I turned around to see who was calling me and saw Luke hurrying along towards me. "Where are you going?" He asked while looking at the water bottle I was carrying. "To the woods," I added, "was going to try and train with whatever monster I could find."
"Why do that when you can train against the best swordsman in the camp." He grinned at me and unsheathed his sword while giving it a twirl with his wrist. "I don't wanna be rude but I might have an unfair advantage." I said and was a little embarrassed.
"Why's that?" Luke asked.
"Well, I was trained by my Godly brother and I imagine you didn't have to fight a Kraken."
"No on the Kraken, but I can hold up my own."
"Don't say I didn't warn you."
I let my ring transform into its trident form and took my battle stance in the middle of the pathway. Luke followed suit with his stance and went in for the first attack. I blocked this first attack and noticed the power behind his thrust. I tried to deflect his blade off my trident but his footing wouldn't budge. I planted my trident on the ground and pivoted around his stance and went for a jab at his back. Luke turned around faster than I could strike and blocked my jab with his sword, getting a slice in, on my shirt.
"Hey! I liked this shirt!"
"Should've worn a better shirt." Luke joked back at me while blocking every strike I threw at him.
It took me a while to notice the crowd that had formed a circle around us, awed by our blocking skills and holding on to their seats as Luke put a new slice on my shirt. There seemed to be no end in sight for our fight until I noticed the amount of sweat that Luke was producing. I could feel a small turn in my gut and knew what to do. It almost felt like running my hand through the wind of an open car window as I noticed Luke's sweat moved down and puddle around his feet. I went in for a jab only for it to be blocked but when Luke moved to attack me he slipped on the newly formed puddle and fell to the ground, giving me the upper hand. My victory was short lived however when the sound of horse hoofs approached us.
"Well, I hope that wraps things up here." Chiron had made his way through the crowd and was now standing at the sight of me, pinning down Luke.
"We weren't fighting it was just-" Chiron cut off my words with his own. "You don't need to explain, I know a friendly duel when I see one but you both should save your energy for the game today."
I put out a hand to help Luke back to his feet and noticed Annabeth standing far off away from the crowd ignoring some boy that was talking to her. "That means she wants to talk to you" I jumped a little when Luke broke my light of sight with his words. "Am I that unapproachable?" I said jokingly, as I walked towards the gazing statue that was Annabeth.
"Glad to see you've made it back in one piece." I shrugged my shoulders at Annabeth's words and gave a nod to the boy standing beside her.
Lunch did nothing but add noise over Annabeth and I's conversation. "A second Atlantis and you raised the Kraken while also banishing it, then was thrown from the underwater kingdom only to end up in the middle of Percy's predicament?" I nodded back as this had confirmed the last two days apparently. "So you're the son of Poseidon?" Percy said looking at me like I was made of water, well, tech- nevermind.
"Yeah and being targeted as public enemy number one with the Gods right now, so don't look so envious." A loud horn ended our lunch and Annabeth said, "It's time for capture the flag, Percy follow me, you're with us. See you on the field Ian." Everyone apparently knew where to go but I stood around like a dog with a tale tuck between its legs. "I take it no one has asked you to join their team." A gruff feminine voice from behind me, caused me to jump a little and I turned to see one of the Ares campers from the other night that turned up soaking wet to bed. "I didn't know I needed to ask, I thought maybe it's predetermined by odds verses evens or maybe the old pick one by one til somebody gets picked last." She didn't seem impressed by me and just grunted a little before speaking again "Have you seen that new kid? Pancy or something?"
"Percy?" I said, holding back a chuckle at the mistaken name.
"Yeah, well he caused us some trouble last night and would appreciate somebody to watch our flag while my squad flanks the little oaf and teaches him what we're made of."
"Okay… I'll watch the flag." I said putting plenty of space between my words to make sure I wouldn't come across as rude.
So there I was, standing guard by a crimson red flag with a Greek helmet symbol on it, when the loud cries of all the campers broke out at the start of battle. Both front lines clashed together as each camper took their respective counterpart and engaged in battle, each trying to pry through to steal the other team's flag. One kid threw a glass jar that looked like it contained lava high up in the air that a stray arrow made contact with it, bursting it open, and rained down small piles of fire onto campers heads. Another camper went around bopping the smaller campers on their heads, knocking them to the ground. If there were any strategy planned for this game, it would have gone out the window when the start of battle was called, as each camper seemed to be on their own vendetta.
My orders were pretty strict, to stay by the flag and let no one take it, and that was my plan until Luke came running up the hill right towards me. Now, I know what I just what my orders were but try staying put when a fully armored halfblood is charging straight at you with his sword armed to plunge and all I have managed to do was stand by the flag with my trident not in form. Of course I dodge, how would I have known he was bluffing with his strike and was grabbing the flag instead. I may have bested Luke in our duel earlier but he was definitely a faster runner than I.
This wasn't my strongest moment, trotting after Luke, only to trip over a fallen tree and roll myself down the hill onto the beach where the other team was cheering on Luke for capturing our flag. "You had one job!" The Ares girl was standing above me with her boot ready to stomp on my face when the familiar sound of a waterfall broke through the cheers. "He has been claimed!" I heard Chiron say from some distance away. Finally getting to my feet I saw the new kid Percy standing in the nearby body of water, sporting a brand new symbol of Poseidon above his head. "Well, I can say firmly that this wasn't how I expected today to go." My sarcastic comment was ignored by a loud howl from the opposite end of the beach. "Someone hand me a bow, Archers nook your arrows."
"Is that a hell hound?"somebody said pointing down the beach.
"It's heading for Percy!"
One moment I was standing on the edge of the woods near the beach and then the next I was standing next to Percy in the water, trident in hand. "Wait, how did I get here?" I said stupidly, "How did you do that?" Percy said, looking at me like I was a two horned rhino.
Woof. Percy was pinned to the ground faster than anyone could have reacted, then a giant wave swallowed Percy, the hellhound and me.
We were spat out back on the beach with the hellhound no longer with us and I had a feeling the blame was about to be shifted onto Percy and I.
AN: Well, finally got around to finish editing this chapter and getting it to a point that it seemed done to me. With the duel with Luke and CTF being close together I cut them down to make it flow better. Dialogue in this chapter was kind of a miss for me but hopefully will get better as the story goes. I happy with how the story is going pace wise and I believe I have marked down the errors I have found rereading my story a couple time, including messing up the ring color in the first half, but I will get around to fixing that when the main story is finished. Just started the Trial of Apollo books and just been blown away by the story so far and what the first book has done with camp.
AN2:Thanks to anyone who is keeping up with this story, I kind of left it in the dust with the holidays and other ideas taking over but I'm back in the groove of writing. Thx- Weazy
