The next few days were a complete blur as the four of us slashed and stabbed our way from Brooklyn to Manhattan. The trip shouldn't have taken more than a few hours, but with our rotten luck, we had to stop for a day after Luke was injured from an empousa's spear, which Grover treated with a whole lot of nature magic.
Although I had never visited the New York of my other Earth – I had lived in the middle of Ohio – I somehow knew the layout scarily well. It wasn't until we passed by a candy store called Sweet on America that I realized that this part of Manhattan was in the exact same set up as my own town.
I turned around, the familiar tingling lacing up and down my spine telling me that we were in danger. Annabeth and Thalia were both supporting Luke, as he had once again passed out from reopening his chest wound. Blood seeped through his shirt, staining Thalia's hands as she pressed on the wound to keep him from dying of blood loss.
"In here," Grover decided, waving towards the Sweet on America store. I would've picked a less conspicuous place, but when a bolt of lightning struck the skyscraper two blocks down, I knew that the monsters were honing in on us.
Suddenly, I remembered that Sweet on America was the candy store where Sally Jackson worked, and the meant I'd have time to warn her, too. I ran back to Luke, taking Annabeth's place by his side, and then we ran into the candy shop.
Thankfully for us, no one was in the store other than Sally, who emitted a meek yelp as we burst in through the door. "We need help," Thalia pleaded, lowering Luke onto the floor. I did the same, immediately going to work. I had loaded up on gauze from our last pharmacy visit and started wrapping Luke's wound, hoping to stop the bleeding.
"You're demigods, aren't you?" Sally questioned, sounding as if she had been sucker punched in the gut.
"Yes, and we don't have much time," Thalia replied. "There are monsters chasing after us, and our friend's been seriously hurt. Do you have anything that could help us?"
"She's a mortal," I reminded Thalia. Then, as I continued tying off the gauze, I said, "Could you please call Chiron at Camp Half-Blood and tell him that we're almost there?" I handed her the little business card Grover had given me earlier.
She paled but nodded, running to the back of the store, where I imagined the phone was. I called over Annabeth and told her to keep pressure on the wound as I pulled out a second roll of gauze, double wrapping Luke's spear wound. I cringed as I saw the edges tinged green, either from poison or infection. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out the last of my ambrosia and forced it into Luke's mouth.
"We can wait five minutes at most," I told Annabeth, Grover, and Thalia. "Take a breather, re-bandage your wounds, but be ready to move."
Grover began to nervously eat the napkins from the dispenser, eating them the same way I ate cookies, which is to say like it was his last meal. Sally came back from the back room, her face an ashy shade of gray, but she put on a brave face for us, offering us some candy while we rested.
While Annabeth and Thalia took full advantage of the free candy, I gestured for Sally to follow me away from the others. I told her that I knew about Percy, which almost made her pass out, but I assured her that he was still safe for the time being. I promised her that I would keep an eye out for him, because I knew of the danger he was in. Just because I came to change the future, didn't mean I could step in every single time someone needed danger. They still had to earn their own reputation without my involvement.
"How long does he have?" she asked, her voice wavering. "Before he's discovered?"
"Until he's twelve. And I have one more thing for you, Sally," I said, reaching into my bag, my hand closing around a little gold charm that Salina had given me in a dream last night. The charm was of a shooting star, Salina's symbol. "As long as Percy keeps this on, his demigod scent will be better hidden. Instead of having the aura of a Big Three kid, it'll weaken it to as if he were a kid of a minor god."
Sally gratefully took the little charm from me, her blue eyes glazed over with tears of joy. "This means everything to me. Thank you."
I waved her off. "This is nothing. Now you can get rid of your abusive husband and still have Percy around."
Before she could reply, another bolt of lightning struck a neighboring skyscraper, the lightning rod at top illuminating in bright fiery red, as if the metal was going to catch flame. I said my goodbye to Sally and told the others it was time to move.
I scooped Luke up into my arms bridal style, and after checking that we had everyone, ran out onto the sidewalk, Grover leading the rest of us. We ran for what felt like hours, the monsters quickly catching up to us. A couple of times, I had to hand Luke off to Annabeth while I cut down hellhounds and harpies, the both of which were more than happy to slice us into pieces with their razor sharp claws.
"We're almost there!" Grover exclaimed as he led us down an empty piece of road, gently curving up and down the hillsides as if it had always been there. We ran down another slope, the biggest hill coming up right in front of us. Off in the distance, I could make out various tiny pinpoints of light, and if I was right, then those were torches.
Not even two seconds later, I heard a cry of pain and turned around to see Thalia had fallen over a tree root, clutching at her leg in agony. I gave Luke to Grover, who was finally starting to wake up. He slurred a few words, but his eyes were wide with fear as he realized what was going on.
"Die, traitor!" three old ladies screeched, diving low at us. The hag on the right scratched my arm, leaving three oozing lines on my skin.
If I had seen these three women anywhere else but here, I wouldn't have given them much thought. But their skin was a leathery gray tone and their eyes glowed as if someone had dropped a ruby into a furnace. Their claws elongated until they were as long as two rulers, and each one of them had a whip, a green glow lacing each one of them.
"Those are the Kindly Ones!" Annabeth shouted, running towards Thalia to help her up. "All three of them!"
Even though I should've been terrified, I suddenly knew why I had been transported so far back in time. Thalia wasn't going to die today, not if I could help it.
"I'll hold them off," Thalia decided, struggling to stand, yet still summoning her spear and shield anyways. "It's me they want. Get to camp!"
"No!" Luke and Annabeth shouted, lunging forward, but I held the both of them back.
"Take them," I told Grover in my most dead serious voice. He shuddered in fear. "I'll stay here with Thalia."
"Then we'll both die!" Thalia exclaimed, parrying off a blow from one of the Furies with her Aegis, causing her to scream as she put her weight on her bad ankle.
"No, we won't." I brandished my own dagger, stabbing one of the Cyclopes that had tried to get Thalia from behind. I stood back to back with Thalia, determined to give Grover enough time to drag Annabeth and Luke over the property line.
We were already tired from all of our previous attacks, and it was obvious that Thalia's hurt ankle was sapping her strength, her attacks becoming weaker and sloppier. I cursed under my breath, wishing I had my sword with me, but still slashed with my dagger, finding the chinks in some of the empousai's armor.
"Daughter of Zeus!" the Furies screamed, lashing out with their whips at us. One of the whips wrapped around my left wrist, making it feel as if I dipped my hand into a bucket of molten lava. I grunted in pain and severed the whip from the handle with my dagger, earning me some very strong curses from that Fury. "You have angered the gods! Stop fighting and surrender!"
"Don't listen to them," I told Thalia, landing a kick on a hellhound the size of a pickup truck, only making it angrier.
But Thalia was far too tired to keep fighting. She fell to her knees and dropped her weapons, her chest heaving with desperate breaths. I hadn't noticed, but it had started raining while we fought, and Thalia's black hair was plastered against her face, making her seem like a fallen angel. But now, the fight seemed to have drained from her eyes, instead all that was left was absolute terror. She was only twelve. She didn't want to die.
"Wise girl," the Fury all the way to the left said, taking the form of a weathered old lady with a black leather jacket on her. "Say hello to our master for me."
"Leave her alone, Alecto," I said, standing over Thalia as she cried. "If you want to kill her, you'll have to kill me first."
"That can be arranged," Alecto replied, scowling at me for knowing her name. She waved to her sisters, allowing for them to rush at me.
I managed to hold my own against the Furies, but every time their whips wrapped around my skin, I staggered, my strength quickly draining. "Run!" I shouted at Thalia, multiple times, keeping the rest of the monsters distracted so she could make it over the property line. If I was to die at the hands of the Furies, I would do it knowing that Thalia was going to be safe.
"Die, honey!"
"No!" Thalia screamed as Alecto brought down a pitch black dagger down towards my unprotected chest.
Instinctively, I threw my hands up over my chest, as if that would prevent the blade from piercing my skin. When I didn't feel any pain, I opened my eyes only to find that everything had suddenly stopped, including the rain. Surrounding my hands was a golden glow, and I instantly understood what had happened.
Taking advantage of the frozen battle, I stabbed the Furies and turned to run, the spell dropping instantly. I felt as if everything I had in me was sucked out by the world's most powerful vacuum. The Furies didn't even have time to curse at me before they exploded like piñata's at a kid's birthday party, spreading disarray and panic through the rest of the monster hoard.
Although my vision was starting to blur together, I stood defiantly over the dust that once was the Furies and glared at the monsters, as if daring them to advance. I was met with hisses and angry growls, but no one was anxious to attack a girl who had single handedly defeated the three Furies.
The rest of the monsters fled back into the forest, lightning flashes still illuminating the sky overhead. I then fell to my knees and collapsed, the last of my adrenaline leaving my body.
"Andy!" I heard someone call, but by then, I had already blacked out.
I woke up feeling as if I had gone five rounds with Mike Tyson, that's how bad everything ached. My head felt as if it was being split open, and even though all the windows in the room were covered and the lights were out, there was still too much light for me. I shut my eyes again and winced, turning to face the wall that the cot I was in was against.
"Good, you're awake," a kindly voice said softly, trying to prevent my headache from getting any worse. Somehow, I knew that this is what a hangover would feel like even though I've never had alcohol in my life.
I heard the creaking of a wheelchair being rolled in my direction, and it didn't take me too long to figure out who had just entered the room. He wheeled himself over to me and handed me a glass, helping me to hold it as I took little sips from the blue straw. The nectar tasted like the cinnamon buns Mrs. Silva made in her bakery, my favorite treat that my town had to provide. Sometimes, when practice would run really late, she'd wave me into the bakery and allow me to take all the leftover goods back to the orphanage.
By the time I had drained the glass, my head no longer pounded and I could sit up without too much trouble. However, I wasn't going to tempt fate by trying to stand up.
"Where am I?" I asked Chiron. I knew what he was going to answer, but still, I had to keep up appearances. If I told him everything I knew, he'd be forced to drag me to Olympus, and gods knows how that would play out, especially if the Fates themselves had ordained it that I was needed here.
"You're at Camp Half-Blood, my dear," he said, his brown eyes full of warmth at seeing me awake. "I am Chiron, the activity director."
I nodded and then winced, wishing I had just said something instead. Point for my being an idiot.
"That was quite the fight you were in," Chiron said in amusement. "You've been out cold for two days."
I wasn't surprised, honestly expecting to be out for at least four days. Then my hands flew to my waist, and I began to panic when I realized that both my dagger and my bag were not with me. Chiron noticed my panic and pulled something from a little pouch that was stowed under the seat. He returned my dagger and bag, saying, "I've heard these things are of great importance to you."
"They're all I have," I answered truthfully.
"What happened to your parents?"
"I don't know. I grew up in an orphanage, and after being adopted by really abusive people, I ran."
"I see," Chiron said, thoughtfully stroking his beard. I could practically see the gears turning in his head, trying to decipher who I was the child of. Hey, I'd like to know too, especially after finding out I could freeze time.
I had a sneaking suspicion as to who my parent was, but not even the Fates could be so cruel. Right? Last thing I needed was to be treated like a freak amongst demigods, returning me back to the way things had been back on my home.
"So, you know about the Greek gods?" Chiron asked timidly, as if he didn't know whether I was strong enough to handle such a conversation yet.
"Yes, I know that they're real and that they're in America because the flame of Western Civilization is burning here the brightest for the time being. I know that they have children, demigods, and this place is a safe haven for them. I know the Celestial bronze hurts monsters but won't hurt humans, and that as a demigod, I can be hurt by both mortal and godly weapons."
Chiron looked flabbergasted, clearly never meeting someone like me in the thousands of years he had been alive. He quickly hid his shock with a weak smile, trying to hide the fact that I had unnerved him.
I then stood up, sighing in relief when the world didn't go topsy-turvy. I followed Chiron out of the room and out of the house we were in – probably the Big House – leading me out to a wraparound porch that faced the camp. There were kids and satyrs playing volleyball in the sand pit, and at the same time, I saw two girls armed up to the teeth fighting each other with spears and shields. In the distance were the cabins, the weirdest assembly of buildings I've ever seen in the shape of a U around a large brazier. There was Hestia, tending silently to the flames as other campers rushed by without stopping to say hello.
"Wow," I sighed, truly amazed at what I was seeing. The scent of strawberries drifted in the wind, creating a very pleasant feeling of being at home back in my own garden. Off in the distance glittered Long Island Sound, the sun illuminating the ocean as if someone had dumped a hundred tons of Greek fire under the waves. "It's beautiful."
"Andy!" I heard Annabeth shout before barreling into me, holding me in a tight hug. "I thought you had died!"
I ruffled Annabeth's hair, much to her disdain, earning me a kick in the shins. She then started rambling about all the amazing things she had seen at camp and how welcoming her brothers and sisters in the Athena cabin were. "They have smartboards and hundreds of books and so much graph paper!" she exclaimed, her eyes glazed over in excitement. Leave it to a daughter of Athena to be excited about graph paper.
"That's great, kiddo," I said fondly, watching as Chiron tried to stifle his laughter. "How are Thalia, Luke, and Grover doing?"
Both Chiron and Annabeth stared at me like I had grown a second head. "You fought the three Kindly Ones, at least five hellhounds, countless other monsters, nearly died, and the first thing you ask is about your friends?" Annabeth said in shock. "Unbelievable."
I felt myself blushing. "Sorry, it's a force of habit. Anyways, can I go see them?"
Annabeth turned to Chiron for his approval. He waved his hand, smiling at the both of us as Annabeth took my hand and quite literally started yanking me into the camp proper, explaining everything as we passed to the best of her ability. After all, she had only been here for two days, and I seriously doubted she knew all the mechanics of how camp ran yet.
She took me down to the arena, a large cylinder erected completely out of polished marble. Various different windows were carved into the walls, making it appear to be like the Coliseum, but it was still whole, unlike the Coliseum in Rome.
At the thought of Rome, I inwardly winced. It was way too early to reveal that the Romans existed to the campers. Speaking of which, I'd need to head over to Camp Jupiter in the coming year. If I was right, Jason would be left at the mercy of whoever the praetors are at the tender age of three.
I was broken out of my thoughts by Annabeth whistling a taxi cab whistle that would've made any New Yorker proud. I looked up and saw Luke, Thalia, and Grover walking over to me, relieved smiles on all their faces.
"Thank the gods you're alive," Luke said, giving me his first genuine smile. Inwardly, my heart lurched at the thought of him going on his quest where Ladon would mar that face of his with a faint scar.
"It's going to take more than monsters to take me down," I joked, returning the smile.
Grover then wrapped me in a hug, muttering thank you over and over again. I knew he was under strict orders to only bring back Thalia, but there was no way she was going to abandon Annabeth and Luke.
"You helped me succeed," he said, blushing all the way down to his Adam's apple. "I can't thank you enough for that. Now, I might be able to get my searcher license!"
He smiled and gave me another hug before running off to the other satyrs, probably to tell them about his recent meeting with the Council of Cloven Elders. I didn't have the heart to tell Grover that Pan was going to die, and unfortunately for him and all the satyrs, the god's name was still on the list of people that were supposed to die.
Then I turned to Thalia. She was wearing a black Death to Barbie t-shirt, navy blue jeans, and black boots. Silver chains hung from her jeans, reminding me of how scene kids used to dress in the early – oh, right, I was in the early 2000s now. Her black hair had been recently cut, giving her a very pageboy style, keeping her bangs out of her face. The eyeliner she wore made her electric blue eyes pop, and then I realized, she was struggling not to cry.
"You saved me," she said, her voice wavering and full of emotion. "I was going to die, but you saved me."
"I couldn't let you get hurt," I told her gently, raising her face to look me in the eye. "I'll always have your back, Thalia. And that goes for all of you, too," I said, pointing at Annabeth and Luke. "I'll be there when you need me."
"Speaking of which," Luke said, gesturing for us to follow him to some picnic tables that were outside the forges. "How did you know about that Cyclops lair in Brooklyn? How did you know we were there?"
"I had a dream from Hermes that told me a kid of his was in danger. I woke up and found myself in the forest next to the building," I lied, watching as a myriad of emotions flashed across Luke's face. I know he still hated his father for what happened to his mom, but hopefully, by doing this, I would help prevent him from joining Kronos.
"My dad sent you?" Luke asked incredulously. "Seriously?"
"Unless you know any other messenger god that responds to the name of Hermes, he was the one that sent me."
Before Luke could say anything else, a conch horn blew across the valley. Seeing that the sun was still high in the sky, I guessed that it was lunch time. Annabeth ran off to line up with the Athena cabin while Thalia, Luke, and I walked. I felt bad for Thalia, knowing that she had to sit by herself since her dad was Zeus, and I also felt bad for Luke, having to squeeze in to sit with at least twenty other kids from the Hermes cabin. And since I hadn't been claimed yet, I lined up with the Hermes cabin.
Chiron, now in his centaur form, approached the head table in the dining pavilion as someone else popped into existence at the table looking absolutely miserable. Mr. D had arrived wearing his infamous leopard print shirt, bright purple shorts, and holding a can of Diet Coke in his hand.
"Campers, I'd like to introduce you to the fourth demigod that was brought to us thanks to Grover Underwood. Rise, Andromeda…"
"Collins," I supplied before standing up.
"Right, Andromeda Collins. She defeated the three Kindly Ones so that her friends could make it to camp. Welcome, Miss Collins, to Camp Half-Blood."
I blushed at the theatrics of it all and quickly took my seat, hating the feeling of being stared at. Moments later, nymphs and dryads walked around the dining pavilion, setting a plate of smoked brisket, vegetables, and some bread in front of all the campers. Then, the tables got up one by one to the brazier, where we were supposed to offer up some of our food to our parents.
The Hermes table was the last one to walk up to the brazier, and after scraping in the juiciest part of my brisket, I found myself praying silently. Please, tell me who you are, I prayed as I walked back to my seat. I didn't even know if I had a godly father or mother for crying out loud, so I was desperately waiting to be claimed.
We ate and joked for the entire duration of lunch, and once forty-five minutes were up, Chiron dismissed us to go back to our afternoon activities. I had learned from Luke that we had sword fighting next, bringing a smile to my face. Sure, I could hold my own with a dagger, but swords were by far my favorite weapons.
I went to join the others, but before I could go, I felt a hand rest on my shoulder, holding me in place. I looked up and saw Mr. D giving me a look of disgust, probably thinking, Ew, another camper brat.
"Mr. D," I said, bowing my head in respect. By the time I was through, I was going to have many enemies, so no need in gaining any unnecessary ones. "Is something wrong?"
"If you mean other than being banished to this dreadful place, no, not really," he sighed, taking a seat on a chair of vines that suddenly wove themselves together. He then turned to a group of satyrs and ordered them to bring him some peeled grapes. The poor things nearly soiled themselves, but they bowed respectfully and disappeared, no doubt to go get the god's grapes.
"Then why have you kept me here?"
"To tell you something, Adriana."
"Andromeda."
"That's what I said! Anyhow, I came to tell you that my father has an eye on you. Thalia was not supposed to make it to camp alive, and because of you, she is here now, aging. Do you see the problem?" Dionysus said, visibly irritated, probably from being used as a messenger.
"That she's alive?" I questioned, feigning innocence even though I knew he was referring to the Great Prophecy. Thalia was currently twelve, and now that she hadn't died, she would be the child of the eldest gods that would turn sixteen. "Wouldn't Zeus want for his daughter to make it to camp safely?"
"Bah! You mortals understand nothing about the Fates and prophecy. Let's just say that by saving Thalia, you've doomed the rest of the world. Enjoy these next four years – they're all you have left."
Dionysus began to glow, and I turned away, knowing that if I looked, I'd be disintegrated. Gods of Olympus, the Fates did a great job of naming Mr. D as the god of theater, because he made that conversation more dramatic than it needed to be. At least I was aware that Zeus was watching me now, no doubt waiting to see what I would do next.
Great, now I was late for sword fighting, and better yet, I had no idea where to go. I looked around me, making sure no one was around, and pulled out The Demigod Files from my bag, flipping open to the page that held a map of Camp Half-Blood. After orienting myself, I stashed the book away and made my way to the training area, where training had already began.
"You're late," the instructor, who was the head counselor for the Hermes cabin, said, earning me some snickers from the younger kids.
"Sorry, Mr. D summoned me," I replied, picking up a few swords until I found one that felt balanced in my hand. Too balanced, actually. Looking down at the hilt, I saw Salina's shooting star insignia branded against the leather.
Oh, that sneaky goddess!
This was the same sword she had me train with back home, a blade she had claimed was made specifically for me. It was the same three-foot long blade that felt perfect in my hand, the only exception being that it was now made of Celestial bronze rather than mortal steel.
"As punishment," the camper continued, ignoring my other comment completely, "you will spar with me, Andromeda."
"Oh, snap!" a kid from the sidelines shouted, but one look from me quickly shut them up.
"One, my name is Andy, not Andromeda. And two, I will gladly spar with you…"
"Noah," he supplied.
I gave him a terse nod before taking my bag off and handing it to Luke, reminding him that he was not to open it under any circumstances. After Luke promised he wouldn't open my bag, I stepped up to the raised platform and took my stance. On a silent agreement, the two of us lunged forward, our blades meeting in the middle.
Noah snarled at me, taking the offensive and pressing me hard. In a stupid move on my part, I sheathed my sword on my back and decided I would take this boy with my bare hands. I heard some gasping from the crowd, but as Noah made a deadly swipe for my head, I ducked and tackled him, sending the both of sprawling to the floor.
In his sudden daze, I slammed my foot down on the wrist holding his blade, causing for him to scream in pain. I wrenched Noah's sword out of his hand and pressed the tip against his throat, saying, "Dead," loud and clear so that my voice echoed around the arena in the silence.
After begrudgingly yielding, I helped Noah back to his feet. I then called for Luke to toss me my bag, and I pulled out some more gauze, wrapping Noah's wrist up. I wasn't sure if I had sprained or broken it, but I told him to get it checked out by an Apollo kid anyways.
"That was uncalled for," Noah grumbled under his breath, sheathing his sword at his waist.
"In real life, you don't have honorable fights," I reminded him, pressing the button at the bottom of my sword's hilt, allowing it to collapse into a tiny golden charm. Again, that was all Salina, choosing to give her gifts out in the form of charms that ended up on bracelets. "You asked for a spar, and that is what I gave you. If you wanted something more specific, you should've asked."
The rest of the Hermes cabin watched me with wide eyes, as if they were terrified Noah was going to skewer me for talking back to him. Noah said some unflattering words in Ancient Greek, before handing over training to me, saying he was going to get Howard Rodriguez from the Apollo cabin to check out his wrist.
For the rest of the time we had at the arena, I taught the Hermes kids one of my personal favorite moves that Salina had taught me: a backhand attack that forced your opponent to drop their weapon.
I split up the cabin into partners, and after realizing I'd paired everyone up except for Luke, I had him train with me. By the time the Ares cabin showed up for their training, we were all coated in sweat from the heat.
"What's next for our activities?" I asked Luke, pouring a bottle of water over my head, feeling strength surge back into my limbs.
My blood instantly ran cold.
Oh, no.
"We have Ancient Greek now," Luke scowled, like he'd rather spend the rest of the day sparring with me than have to learn how to conjugate Ancient Greek verbs. "Hey, are you okay? You look kinda pale."
"I'm fine," I lied, wiping the residual water off my face before picking up my bag and slinging it over my shoulder again. "Just got a little light-headed from the heat."
Luke didn't look convinced, but he shrugged and followed the rest of his cabin, running over to talk with two boys who looked like identical twins. If it wasn't for the fact that one was taller, I would've never been able to tell the difference between them. Oh, the Stoll brothers, I realized, smiling to myself as Luke bonded with them.
After a painfully long Ancient Greek class – don't get me wrong, I love to learn, but I dare you to sit still for three hours while being taught a dead language while dealing with ADHD – I went to hit the showers, my clothes stinking from training earlier.
On my way to the showers, I heard a girl laugh behind me. "Well, well, well. What do we have here? A newbie!"
I turned around, half-expecting to see Clarisse, but knew that that made no sense as she couldn't have been older than eight or nine at the moment. This girl was easily five foot eight, her biceps bulging underneath her XXL Camp Half-Blood shirt. Her eyes were a muddy brown and her hair was a mess of black on her head. I guessed that she was around my age, fifteen or sixteen, but by the way she held herself like a warrior, she could've easily passed off for at least twenty.
"Leave her alone, Holly!" someone from the Athena cabin shouted.
"Oh, the irony," I muttered under my breath, my hands curling into fists at my side.
"Shut up, bird for brains!" Holly hollered, causing for the little girl who had tried to defend me to cringe and walk away.
"What do you want with me?" I asked, taking the heat away from the little girl, drawing Holly's attention back to me. Fitting that the biggest bully at my school would now be the daughter of the biggest bully amongst the Olympians.
"We have a welcoming ritual for newbies," Holly sneered, some of her sisters running up to join the fun. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth glaring at Holly, leaving me wondering if she had done this to them too.
Her hand clamped around my neck like a vice, and she began dragging me towards the bathrooms. Oh, great, I thought as I allowed myself to be dragged across the commons area like a rag doll. So this is where Clarisse learned of this tradition.
"Ha! Powerful enough to defeat three Kindly Ones my butt!" Holly laughed, her sisters joining in with her ugly laughter.
As she kicked open the stall and tried to lower my head into the toilet, I felt a painful tugging in my gut. Instead of the toilets exploding as they had done with Percy, I looked down only to see myself fading into Holly's shadow until I was completely gone.
For a few terrifying seconds, I heard the voices of the dead scream as they rushed past. I kept my eyes shut until I felt my feet back on solid ground. When I opened my eyes, I was standing next to the brazier in the commons area, being spit out of Hestia's shadow like day old gum.
My knees wobbled from shock, and once I realized what had happened, I swore under my breath. First, I thought I understood, but now, I was more confused than ever. What the heck was going on with me?
I bowed to Lady Hestia, apologizing if I had frightened her by my sudden appearance. She gave me a warm smile and brushed off my apology, telling me that there was no need to apologize for something that was an accident. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that I thought that Hestia was watching me as I walked towards my friend, Holly shouting from the bathrooms.
"How the Hades did you escape Holly?" Thalia asked, looking at me shock.
"I genuinely I have no idea," I said, staring down at my hands, reassuring myself that I had come out of the shadows with all of me intact. Okay, so first I froze time, then I felt stronger after soaking myself, and now I shadow-traveled. All that was missing was for my hands to spark and I'd thoroughly be screwed.
Holly came running towards me, her sword in her hands, her face contorted into one of pure anger. I sighed and drew my sword by touching the sword charm that now dangled from a simply gold chain I had picked up from the forges earlier, preparing to counter the daughter of Ares' attack.
"You might want to back away," I told my friends. "This is going to get ugly."
I didn't move from my spot, waiting for Holly to engage. That way, if things went south, I wouldn't be blamed as she had started the fight. She swung down with both hands in a deadly downward arc, but I rolled out of the way and blocked another swing with my sword, an ugly clashing sound filling the air.
I had to hand it to her, Holly was very apt with her sword, forcing me to stay on the defensive for a while. But she made her deadly mistake when she overextended on a lunge, and I kicked her feet out from underneath her. She still tried to fight, struggling to her feet, but I held my sword like a bat and hit her blade right at the hilt, forcing her to let go or have her hand cut off.
Once her sword spiraled away from her, far out of her grasp, I pointed my sword down at her chest for three seconds. Then, I sheathed my sword and held a hand out to Holly. As much as I disliked her, she had fought honorably, and therefore, I would treat her with respect.
Holly didn't appreciate the gesture, shoving my hand away and getting up on her own accord, glaring at me the entire time. Like a wounded dog, although she wasn't hurt, she walked away, stopping only to pick up her discarded sword.
"You have made an enemy of the Ares cabin, girl," Holly seethed.
I shrugged. Could've been worse.
I then realized that we had drawn a crowd, and it wasn't until I told the campers to scram that they fled like terrified ants that had just gotten water poured on top of them. The only ones to stay by my side were Thalia, Annabeth, and Luke.
"Are you sure that was the best idea?" Annabeth asked, resting her hands on her hips.
"I wasn't going to get a swirly today, kid," I said, giving her a side hug. "Trust me, I'm not afraid of the Ares kids."
"They're going to kill you during capture the flag," Luke pointed out, gesturing over to where Noah and Howard were talking about making an alliance for tomorrow's game.
"I'd like to see them try. Now, I'm going to go take my shower. See you guys later."