This isn't right. How did everything fall apart so fast? Moments ago, the sky was clear, the wilds were calm. Then, in an instant, the land shattered. I could feel it in the wind, in the ground—like the very soul of the world was screaming. A sickness, corrupting everything it touched. The world was dying, and I could feel it suffocating around me.

I don't even know what this is. In all my years as a seeker-eerr, potential seeker, facing monsters and horrors beyond belief, I've never felt anything so revolting. Malice? Fury? Disgust? It's like every dark, twisted thing in existence was mashed together into a black, seething sludge. It was terrifying. Blinding. But the fear rising in my chest was impossible to shake, because deep down—I recognized it.

As much as I wanted to deny it, I couldn't. This sludge, this filth… it was unmistakably human.

"Percy..." I called out, looking toward my friend, maybe the only friend I had left. His back was to me, staring at something. Was that a man? I couldn't tell. My vision twisted whenever I tried to focus on it as if the very air around its body was vibrating, distorting reality itself. I shut my eyes and ran toward my friend.

"Percy!" I grabbed his shoulders, my voice trembling. "Th-the camp's under attack! We have to get to the evacuation sites!"

Before I could say more, Percy leaped, a gust of wind throwing me back to the grass. Satyrs, we were always part of nature, and our very essence was tied to it in ways no human could ever understand. But now, the grass whispered to me, not in comfort, but in a disjointed cacophony of screams and murmurs. None of it was good. It was as if the wilds were muttering in their sleep, trapped in a terrible nightmare. The corruption was spreading, burrowing into the roots. I had to force myself to stand, ignoring their pleas.

I smelled something burning, my eyes looked in horror as flames appeared. Tiny sparks that quickly grew into an inferno, in the heart of camp. Impossible, this is camp half-blood, a safe haven for the children of Olympus. It lies in the heart of the gods' domains, they would never allow this to happen.

"Uggghhh." I snapped my head back, Chiron was smashed against the wall.

"Sir!" I ran to him, upon closer inspection, his wheelchair was broken. The left wheel broke off rolling to the side, and the back of his chair was on the floor. I tried to help him to his feet but the centaur quickly dissuaded me leaning back against the seat. I could see a subtle twitch around his eye, a slight pain I never noticed before.

"Sir, are you alright?"

"I'm… I'm fine, don't worry about me." He seeth, clenching his teeth. "Or… No, I'm fine." He propped himself up, his form magically changing. The lower half shifts into a horse as he casually walks forward. However, I did notice a slight limp in his clop.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Just an old injury. Don't worry my boy, it's nothing." Chiron gave his usually reassuring smile. I want to believe that was true. His smile stiffened when he looked towards camp, it was a subtle change, I doubt anyone could catch it if they didn't know him like I did. The softness in his eyes quickly became stern, a hardened veteran wearing the mask of a teacher. I've only seen this happen once, during my greatest blunder.

"Get to evacuation site Delta," Chiron ordered sharply, his body moving with the speed of the wind. Before I could react, he was already galloping across the grass, heading straight for the camp.

"Wait!" I shouted after him.

"Go!" he called back, pulling a bow from inside his jacket. "I'll meet you there!" With a burst of speed, he charged toward the flames, disappearing over the hill.

My heart pounded, and for a moment, I stood frozen, staring at the burning camp. The sky had darkened, thick storm clouds brewing overhead, with red lightning crackling in the distance. Was this Lord Zeus? But why would he—no, it couldn't be. There had to be something more going on, something I didn't understand.

It took me a full minute to realize what I was doing—nothing. I cursed myself for my inaction. I shouldn't be standing around—I needed to get to the evacuation site!

I ran inside to grab my bags, but as I entered, I saw Rachel lying on the floor, unconscious. Tyson the Cyclops was cradling her in his massive arms. How could I have forgotten about them? Stupid Grover—why can't you do anything right? I rushed over, kneeling beside Rachel, checking her pulse, her temperature—anything to figure out what was wrong.

"Is she alright?" Tyson whimpered, his voice trembling.

I turned, staring at the cyclops, my mind flashing back to the stories the elders told around the campfire. Stories of how cyclops would trick gullible satyrs, mimicking human voices, crying for help—only to devour them when they were lured close. I had seen it firsthand, the same hunger in a Cyclops eye as it toyed with my friends. I braced myself, expecting to see that same malice, waiting for the right moment to strike while its master was down.

But instead, I saw something entirely different. Tyson's single, brown eye was filled with tears—big, fat drops rolling down his face. His eye, soft and kind, reminded me of milk chocolate.

"Please," he sobbed, "save her."

"I... I don't..." I stammered. Come on, Grover—they taught you this at Keeper school.

I fumbled through my backpack, desperately searching for that one thing. Come on, it has to be here. My fingers finally brushed against smooth wood, and despite everything, I couldn't help but smile. I pulled it out so quickly that I spilled half my trail mix. A simple array of reeds held together by string and cloth—humble, but the number one instrument in a Keeper's arsenal. Now if only I could remember the tune.

Every Keeper is required to memorize the song of healing. It's part of the final exam during initiation, one I barely passed. Come on, Grover, you know this. I took a deep breath, but instead of the melody, my mind was stuck on that old Hilary Duff song. Why, out of all the times, did it have to be now!? Wait… I remember now, I used this song as a measuring tool, the chorus had the same notes as the healing song. How did it go again?

"Change your life, change your clothes… Keep your jeans, old black hat." I speeded through the lyrics. "Not today, not today, not today." I hummed the tune getting a weird eye from Tyson. "If it's over, let it go and come tomorrow it will seem. So yesterday, so yesterday, I'm just a bird that's already flown away. I got it!"

I quickly piped out the song, maybe I was going a bit fast. Getting the right notes is the first half, the rest, I channeled the mist through my hands, to the reeds and into my music. Music itself is an old magic, it's said that the great mother sang life into existence, in one of the tales. It's very difficult and depends on the musical talent of the individual, something I lack. Music is one-errr, is one of the many things I suck at. My music instructor said I had the talent of an Aethiopian trying to be vegan, which is Satyr for not very good. But he also said practice makes perfect and I haven't practiced in a very long time.

I prayed to the wild god that I got this right. I could feel something, magic was in the air, I could smell flowers blooming, the scent of the grass and the feeling of spring. This was a song of renewal, the healing of the Earth, the awakening of the season. When the last tune was done, my eyes opened to Rachel, she was still unconscious.

"Did it work?" The cyclops answered.

"Give it a few moments." I said back, yet I didn't know if that was true. Music is a very delicate magic, that you could easily hit or miss even if you did get the notes right. And knowing me, I must have messed up somewhere.

The last of the sparkles left and still nothing.

"I… I thought…" I really am the worst keeper, I will never become a seeker. I'll never find Pan. It's just like with, Thalia… "I'm sorry Tyson. I couldn't-"

"Your doubt is counter productive Grover Underwood." Rachels eye's opened to meet mine, an emerald green tainted in amethyst.

"Rae!" Tyson grabbed the girl into his arms, hugging her so tight I thought she would pop. The cyclops was crying tears of joy, that Rachel rubbed away with her sleeve. She gently combed his hair, and whispered calming words. I've never seen her look so serene.

"I… I did it! My song worked!"

"No." Rachel said back.

What?

"Your attempt at authority was ineffective, as I am currently operating at ninety-six percent functionality. However, it did provide the mana required to disengage from the simulations." She stated flatly, signaling Tyson to release her. The girl stood, adjusting her blazer with stiff, robotic precision. Her movements were mechanical, her face utterly expressionless, like a statue frozen in a state of indifference.

There was something deeply unsettling about her, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It all made sense when she mentioned she wasn't human—a homunculus, she said. If this is what they are, I'd be more than happy to never meet another.

Even before I knew her, she smelled different. Not like monsters, or the gods, the only word I could think of is alien. Humans, with their cities and machines, still smelled part of nature—connected to the world. But this girl? She was detached, as if she existed outside of it. It wasn't a good feeling, but it wasn't exactly bad either. I just can't tell.

"The stars tell me… We have to go." She walks to the front door.

"Wait!" I stood up after her. "The camps under attack, we have to get to the evacuation sites!"

"I know. I've seen it." Her voice sounded regretful, she felt more human. Her scent shifted from one scale to another.

"They've attacked the land itself. Deactivating its defenses, spreading their poison. We have to stop this."

Her words left me dumb, this camp was my home and I would gladly defend it. But I never thought I would see the day that would happen. This is completely out of my comfort zone, I'm not a warrior, I'm not even a competent keeper; the pine tragedy proved that. Yet even with all of that, I can't just do nothing.

"But the evacuation, Chiron said…" Her eyes, they looked so determined, does she have a plan? "What, what can we do?"

"We reactivate the bounded field. Tyson!" The girl ran out the door and the cyclops grabbed me by the torso.

"Wha!? Aahhhhh!" I screamed as the bigger boy smashed through the door. Rachel was on the grass staring in the distance.

"Ty-Tyson?! Put me down!" This is my worst nightmare, is he going to eat me!? I tried to pry myself away but he was just too strong. Gods, it's so tight I can barely breathe. I stopped when he started petting my head.

"There there bunny." Tyson replied with a disjointed voice.

"Can you-ugghh. Put me down!"

"Grover Underwood." Rachel was still looking at the distance, I looked to her direction and that's when I realized.

Oh gods…

"Can you play your song again?"

"Yee…" I clutch my reeds tighter in my hands. "Yeah?"

"Then we're off." Rachel ran to Tysons back, she hopped on his hand and latched around the cyclops neck.

"Wait! You can't just go there! It's sacred! The Council of Cloven Elders will have my—yaaahhh!" Tyson jumped, and vertigo hit me immediately. The wind whipped through my hair, my ears popped. It wasn't just one jump—it was several, rapid and disorienting. Up, down, up again. If this keeps up, I'm going to lose my breakfast. If we're heading where I think we are, this could ruin my chance of ever becoming a Seeker—or worse, get me killed. Honestly, if I had to choose, I'd probably take the latter.

Maybe it's for the best, though. I've been meaning to go for a long time, but the guilt always stops me. After all, it's my fault she turned into a tree.