June 2006
Kiara woke up to frantic knocking on the cabin door. The moment the person on the other side banged on the door she was awake and untangling herself from her blankets. A look around the room showed the rest of her siblings stirring from their sleep, Will's hair messy from sleep, Alessandra reaching for her bow, Sofia peering down from her bunk. Kiara stumbled past Lee, bumping her hip against the frame. Her brother got up with her following behind at a sluggish pace.
"I'm coming. Just wait one second," Kiara called, opening the door.
A frazzled Annabeth leaned against the door frame, "There's—someone—at—big house."
Kiara froze. Her mind flashed through what could have happened. No one came to Cabin seven in the middle of the night unless there was an emergency. Everyone was in their cabins, unless someone had snuck out and gotten hurt in the forest or the lake. The forest was the worst option. No one knew the full extent of the monsters there. Kiara jolted back to the issue at hand. The others were leaning out of their bed trying to listen to what Annabeth had to say. They did not need to be a part of this. She pulled Annabeth in as she sent everyone back to sleep with a glare at her more protesting siblings.
"Annabeth, how urgent is this?" Kiara gave Lee a look before focusing on the girl. "Do you know anything about what happened?"
Lee caught her message and rushed over to the medicine cabinet pulling vials and ambrosia squares out.
"I don't know. Chiron just said to get you."
Kiara nodded and picked up their emergency bag. It was lighter than normal. She opened the fireproof fabric and winced at the bare holders lining the sides. Julia had gotten burns from the climbing wall and used up an unhealthy amount of their necessities. Lee took the bag from her and started refilling it.
"There was a new camper—and Grover was unconscious!"
At her worried voice Lee looked up, clanking two vials together as he placed them in the bag.
"Lee, be careful you might have broken them." Kiara checked the glass vials and plastic-wrapped ambrosia. Annabeth kept looking back at the big house as they got ready. Satisfied the potions in the vials wouldn't mix and burn a hole through the bag and her leg, Kiara turned to the jittery girl.
"I'm ready. Tell me what else you know on the way."
Kiara thanked Lee with a look and he guided them out of the cabin. Annabeth raced a few feet ahead of Kiara. The night was bright, the moon high in the clear sky. Around the edges of camp Kiara glimpsed one of the worst storms she had seen battling the protective barrier. It was competing with the moon's light, dark and rumbling. Kiara could see the rain hammering the earth from there. Something was very wrong. Kiara just hoped it did not have anything to do with her patients.
– o – ️ – o –
"Welcome Kiara." Chiron smiled up at them from his wheelchair. "Thank you Annabeth, but I do believe it is past curfew."
Annabeth opened her mouth to refute the dismissal but a look from Chiron sent her stomping away. Kiara watched her retreating back feeling bad for the girl.
The centaur chuckled before turning to Kiara, "I am sorry for bothering you at this late hour. Grover and our new camper seem to have met an issue on their way here. I am sure your expertise on the matter may surpass mine at this point." Chiron rolled through the hallway down to the infirmary.
"Chiron, do you know what got them into their state?" Kiara's tense shoulders relaxed minutely in his calming presence. If the situation were worse he would not slow her path. With years of experience working together on keeping the campers from falling to pieces they knew how to work alongside one another. His composed tone spoke more than words about her patients' well-being.
"Well, my dear, Grover seems to have hit his head sometime on the journey, there is a sizable lump on there, and, the boy, Percy…well, we aren't sure. No one saw the event, but we did find the Minotaur's horn on the hill… Anyway, I am sure we will get the rest of the story after the boys wake up." Chiron pushed the door open to show the two boys lying on the infirmary beds.
Kiara rushed over to them, her earlier calm fading at their worn appearance. She missed her magic; she could check them over with a spell within seconds. At the thought, her magic leaped out of her tightly wrapped core. It danced on the edge of her fingers pulling at her, begging her to use it. She shook out her hands trying to lose the feeling but it clung fast. Kiara glared at them, watching the tiny sparks no one else could see twinkling up at her.
A groan from Grover reminded her what got her into this predicament. Kiara pushed away the tugging and focused on the unconscious boy in front of her. With a quiet prayer to her father she settled her hands over his head. Chiron was right about the 'sizable lump' it made her wince just feeling it. Humming a hymn under her breath she scanned his body. She wished she could heal him but the other boy seemed worse off. The creak of the door shutting signaled Chiron's departure. Grover only had a minor concussion and a sprained ankle, probably from falling or getting hit with something fast. The other boy was in worse shape.
Quickly, Kiara set to work. Setting their injuries before she healed them was vital or else the healing would do more damage. Dealing with her more injured patient Kiara straightened his leg and shoulder before binding them to temporary stabilizers. Without hesitation, she closed her eyes plunging deep within her soul. Slowly she left her barrier of magic and soul. It clung to her every step harder than the last until she was free and searching the dark emptiness for the one she needed to help. She moved with a thought, drifting through until she found him. A ball of blue-green strands tangled around itself, protecting the fragile bits and pieces that made up this boy. Gently Kiara tapped on one of the strands stretching outwards. She pulled it close and with a little tweaking opened a channel.
She was in a different place now. The same darkness but also new. In front of her was the boy's body, to be specific his string, wound up to show her what she needed to heal him. The strand that held his life, the one that someday would be cut by the fates, seemed to reach for her. Kiara gave a small smile at the glowing soul. It was so small but so wonderful.
Kiara focused on his leg gently tapping her finger against it, connecting to his soul. It started pulling at her own string, pulling too much, too fast. His soul wanted to heal its body, fix itself, and become whole. With a jolt, Kiara pulled back panting deeply even though she had no physical lungs or a need to breathe. She had to remind herself not to heal him with her soul alone even with the comforting feeling pulling at her bones. She had to be wary or she could lose her soul—listless and without an anchor, never even making it to Hades. Moving closer once more she pulled at his energy along with her own, humming a hymn she had never learned but always knew. Before her eyes, the glowing strands tied back together under her hand.
With a weak bond in place, Kiara stepped back—heart pumping as if she had just raced around the canoe lake. She took a step back and focused on his other injuries. The initial engagement was always the hardest for her, the soul trying to reach out and save itself, like someone drowning. It would not be aware that it was pulling her down for its safety. She eased over to his shoulder not once stopping her hymn. The tone of her song shifted as she worked on his dislocated shoulder and let her gently maneuver his joint back into place.
Pulling her presence away and reversing her path, Kiara opened her eyes to the infirmary of the big house. Resting a moment Kiara let out a heavy breath. Her fingers reached up to fiddle with her necklace as she watched his face. The pained wrinkle faded from his brow and if Kiara did not know better she would have said he was sleeping. Kiara pulled her thermos of nectar out of her medicine bag and lifted him upright; she could only do so much for his concussion or exhaustion. Rest would get him up on his feet faster than if she tried to force it. She tilted his head back and poured a thimble's worth of nectar into his mouth. As the liquor of the gods flowed through his body Kiara could feel his injuries mend. It was tempting to give him more nectar but possibly burning her patient to death was not something Kiara wanted to do. She rested him back down before moving on to Grover.
Without nectar, Kiara had to rely more on her hymns and knowledge of woodland healing. Kiara could feel exhaustion setting in, dragging on her arms, pulling her down, whispering how nice that bed looked. Working on a new body took more energy than normal but she could not stop. With the boy's injuries dealt with enough to speed up his recovery process she had to help Grover. Even if it would be hard. Even if she was tired. Even if she had only gotten four hours of sleep.
After setting Grover's ankle Kiara rummaged through her bag. Pulling out a comfrey and hypericum paste, she knelt by his leg. Kiara spread the paste over his ankle, humming all the while. She sent a prayer to her father before working on his concussion. Without the food of the gods and her magic, she would have to rely on her hymns and potions. She could not do more than gently nudge his soul in the direction of healing. A satyr's soul was drastically different from a demigod's. She had to be careful with each influence of his soul. One wrong move and she would make everything worse.
It would be a long night.
– o – ️ – o –
Kiara woke back in her own bed, not entirely sure how she got there. She remembered the healing, and then talking to Chiron, but nothing after. Kiara abruptly sat up. The boys. She needed to check on them. Kiara wrenched herself out of bed, banging her head on the bunk above her then tripping onto Alessandra's bed.
"Hey!" Alessandra's voice was muffled under all the blankets piled on her.
"Stop being so loud," Sofia grumbled.
"Sorry." Kiara winced, peeling herself off the bed.
Kiara's younger sister swatted her hands away before settling back under the covers. Kiara apologized one last time only to get a pillow thrown in her face.
"Hey!"
"Give me back my pillow and be quiet. Some of us like to sleep past dawn."
Kiara ignored the insult, well partially. Alessandra's pillow may have ended up on the floor. She rushed around the room throwing on clothes and checking on her siblings. Everyone was there. Everyone was fine. One or two of them were already up and heading out the door. Kiara did not know exactly why she kept checking every morning but she had to. Something pulled on her conscience, whispering warnings into her ears. Kiara knew something was about to happen. She did not know when or how but she trusted herself.
The last time she felt something similar was when they had first found Will. He had fallen from Thalia's tree on the wrong side of the border. A massive ceraste watched him as if it was waiting to pounce. He held his broken arm to his chest. Lee had to lead it away as she brought him into camp. She had known he was going to come two days before. She kept waiting for someone who was not yet there.
This time the feeling was different, she was not waiting for someone new. It felt more like she was waiting for someone to be gone. Like she could already feel the grief choking her. Kiara knew there was no point in dwelling on it. She just needed to be prepared for no matter what happened. Worrying would do her no good.
Lee dazedly blinked at her as she told him where she was going and ran out the door. A smile spread across Kiara's face at her brother's messed-up hair. She regretted that she would miss his inevitable frantic dash to the bathroom once he realized. Kiara waved at the campers that were awake this early, most of whom glared half-heartedly at her cheery disposition. The big house was even brighter in the day, its baby blue paint competing with the morning sky.
Kiara rushed past Dionysus setting up a card game on the porch, "Good morning, Mr. D Hope you win today."
The camp director just harrumphed and went back to his cards.
Kiara slowed down as she neared the doors to the infirmary. She hoped last night was a dream. That Grover had not gotten into some kind of accident with a new half-blood. But she knew the truth. Steeling herself for what was to come she pushed the door open.
And there Grover was, trying to get up out of bed.
"No! Get back down! You aren't healed yet!" Kiara pushed him back down.
He was still paler than normal, his head wrapped in bandages she would need to check.
Grover let out a sheepish grin trying to hide the desperation in his eyes, "Sorry Kiki. I just need to check on him. I'm his protector and I…"
Kiara let out a semi-exasperated sigh and helped him rearrange his bed so he could see the boy. Grover's eyes scanned his charge, muscles relaxing once Grover knew he was in one piece. Kiara knew this was his last chance. This was not allowed to go wrong.
"He had a concussion, partially torn tendon in his knee, dislocated shoulder, and extreme exhaustion," Kiara listed as she moved over to check on him.
Grover gave a pained noise at that. What little color he had regained vanished as he took stock of the unconscious boy.
Kiara moved back to his side placing a hand on his shoulder."He's going to be out for at least the next few days but I am sure he will be fine then."
Grover gave a faint nod.
"I'm going to need someone to give him daily doses of nectar-"
"I can do that." Annabeth appeared whipping off her baseball cap. Grover jumped clutching his heart as he gaped at the girl. Kiara shook her head at Annabeth, she was strangely bright-eyed for someone who had woken Kiara up in the middle of the night.
"Annabeth are you supposed to be her-"
"No one said I shouldn't," Annabeth snarked.
Kiara rolled her eyes at the tween and continued checking over the boy. Annabeth was growing more and more desperate as time went by no matter what any of them told her. Waiting at the big house every new camper arrived only to be let down when Chiron refused her yet again.
"Grover," Kiara asked, looking back at him,"Chiron told me the boy's name last night but I forgot it with everything that happened."
"His name is Percy Jackson." At her questioning glance he continued. "You know how Chiron was out during the year? Well Percy's why. I met him at Yancy Academy and his scent was so strong. He's powerful. I…um…I lost him getting off a bus but then I tracked him down. The only problem was the Minotaur found us first. We were close to camp, down the road a few miles, so his mom drove us here but then-then I don't know." He dropped his face into his hands, "I'm such a bad protector. I keep ruining everything. Percy got here without me. You didn't need me. I'm useless."
"Grover!" Annabeth protested, "You kept him safe during the year. Who knows what could have happened to him if you weren't there."
Annabeth plopped down into the chair next to his bed. They both looked over at Percy like he was the answer to their problems. Kiara had a weird feeling that would not be the last time she saw that look.
"You'll be back on your feet by the end of the day but I need you to take it easy for the next week."
Kiara's words broke the spell. Grover looked back at her, grimacing at the forced rest.
"But there is so much I have to do-"
Kiara cut in before he could go on a ramble, "If Pan's waited thousands of years he can wait one more week."
– o – ️ – o –
After giving detailed directions to Annabeth, checking and then rechecking she could deal with anything that could go wrong until she returned, Kiara rushed to start her day. The sun, higher in the sky, beamed down on camp. Sleepy campers woken by equally tired councilors trudged towards the mess hall. She weaved around groups making her way over to her siblings. She squished in between Alessandra and Lee right before the nymphs came around with platefuls of bread, fruits, and some kind of meat. Every spot on the bench was filled. Not as much as Hermes of course, no one was falling off the bench, but Apollo did seem to be competing with his brother.
"Sorry, Alessandra for earlier."
"It's not that big a deal," Alessandra said as they rose to throw their food into the hearth, "but why did you leave last night?"
They were a few steps from the hearth. Kiara was not sure if Chiron wanted to keep Percy's strange appearance secret but telling one person would not do much. Everyone within earshot was in their own world anyway, either too tired to notice(Bryan and Ha-jun) or too excited for the day(Michael and Vera).
"In a second." Kiara stepped up to the hearth and scrapped the biggest strawberry off her plate. Please watch over Percy and Grover's healing.
Kiara waited for Alessandra to finish before walking back together. Kiara leaned over to whisper to Alessandra, "There's a new camper in the infirmary."
"Really?" She passed a plateful of berries to Michael. "What was chasing them?"
"How did you know he was being chased?"
"No new camper needs medical attention the second they arrive at camp without being attacked by a monster," she replied flippantly, more focused on eating than the conversation.
"Grover said it was a Minotaur."
Alessandra shot out of her seat. "A what!"
The eyes of a hundred confused campers locked on Alessandra. Kiara's eyes accidentally met Chiron's, the centaur giving her a questioning glance. Kiara tried to look innocent but she was sure the centuries old mentor saw right through her mask. Kiara grabbed her arm and yanked her sister back down.
"Nothing to see here," Kiara announced, cheeks warming.
She hid her face behind her hands as the chatter started back up.
"Are you sure it was a Minotaur?" Alessandra whispered.
"Well he had its horn…"
"Its horn!" Alessandra made an aborted move to stand up.
"Yes, now be quiet. I don't know if Chiron wants people to know there is a new camper."
At the mention of a new camper Will and Charlotte perked up. Kiara groaned. Of course that would be the part they listened to. Charlotte opened her mouth but Kiara cut her off with a look.
"He's asleep. You can check on Percy with me later."
The two of them loved to meet the new campers whether that meant messing or helping them Kiara never knew. They gave her identical grins and turned to whisper among themselves. Kiara felt like she should be more worried but her grumbling stomach took precedence over the future chaos the two would start.
– o – ️ – o –
The rest of breakfast passed fast other than the occasional argument at one of the tables. At the end of the meal Kiara grabbed hold of Will and Charlotte before the two could run off. She heard them scheming over a bowl of yogurt and knew someone would end up cursed in the next hour if she let them run free. Ignoring their grumbles she dragged them over to where Lee and Aelius were waiting for her. Her brothers were snickering watching her wrangle their youngest siblings.
Kiara let go of Will and Charlotte and they fell to the ground, "If you don't listen to me now I'm not taking you to the Big House. We need to go to the archery range."
Will perked up at the mention of the archery range. They scrambled to their feet, a faux-innocent smile and a genuine one shining up at her. Kiara knew it was just a matter of time until they escaped but she took this win. Kiara sighed and strode past the laughing boys.
"Hurry up. We are going to be late," Kiara called over her shoulder and her siblings.
They wandered through camp until they reached the archery range. Only half the campers that were signed up were waiting, the others were nowhere to be seen. Lee stepped up calling their attention and started splitting the crowd into groups. He took the beginners and Aelius took the advanced. Kiara waved her hand above her head and the remaining campers.
"The rest of you are with me." She waited until they made their way over to her before continuing, "Today we are going to fletch arrows. I'll go through an example one time and then you guys can try. If you have any problems, ask me, Will or Lottie."
A half hour after they started Kiara was glad she signed up for that day. Watching her brother struggle though teaching was hilarious. Lee eye kept twitching whenever a camper gripped their bow wrong or tried to collect their arrows before they were given the all-clear. He was not the best with the newbies. Kiara was still somewhat amazed he signed up for it that day. Kiara tried smothering a laugh, not feeling very guilty making fun of her brother. Every so often he would turn to her and give her a Do-these-idiots-not-hear-me? look. Aelius' group seemed to being doing better but that was expected.
Kiara's group were sitting at a table off to the side far enough that they were not in danger of being hit by a stray shot. There were six of them, most from Cabin ten. After Kiara's first example they worked on their own, gossiping about camp and the outside world all the while. It was hard for Kiara to overhear their conversations even while mediating Will and Charlotte. The eight-year-old messed up every arrow that got close to her hands, most of which came from Will. The little gremlin waited until the moment Will put the arrow down before snatching it and taking it apart. He looked close to tears after she broke one Will spent three minutes on. Will loved helping out with archery lessons and Kiara did not want Charlotte to ruin it for him even if she was enjoying herself. She dragged Charlotte over to the side and sat between them. Charlotte gave her a glare but a young child had nothing on the others who had glared at Kiara before. With the children's clamor out of the way the Aphrodite kids' gossip flowed to her.
"Did you see the sky last night? I almost thought it wouldn't pass around us," Christopher asked Drew, fiddling with a feather.
"I heard it too. Nothing has gotten that close in ages."
"What do you think is going on?"
The whispers continued through the lesson. It flowed into the rest of the day. The quiet mumble. The soft question. The storm was gone from the sky but not from the minds of the campers. The feeling Kiara had kept growing. It ran up her arms and down her back. It stole her breath and hollowed her chest. Something was going to happen, and she had a strange feeling the new boy would be part of it.
Hi everyone! So I want to show what Kiara did during the Lighting Thief and get her character more solid. I am going to pause for Act 2 and focus on this. I am not sure how many chapters this will be but I am hoping the chapters will be longer like 2,000+ words. Things might be a little confusing or repetitive if you've read the other act first because I'll be trying to fix some things but after I finish this Act I will go back and edit everything.
Any questions are welcome. If you liked this chapter, please consider giving it a comment or favorite. Thanks for reading!
- Natalie