Percy Jackson RP Story

Chapter 1
We’re Doomed
The Chimera roared loudly as it was shrouded with arrows and swords. It soon feel, and several campers cheered. After a few moments of cheering, the best got back up. It lashed it\'s serpent tail, taking out half of the demigod front. It pressed forward, forcing them back. There came a war cry, and all heads turned.
“Campers!” called Chiron.
Several cheered, but stopped when the others hushed them. Chiron’s voice was off, as well as his eye color.
“Meet my pet,” he continued in his powerful voice, reaching up to pet the Chimera’s snake head. It hissed, and he retreated slightly, his tail swishing.
“Echidna!” roared Chiron. Slowly, a dracaenae – no, a horrible snake-like woman slithered up behind Chiron.
“Yessss, my Lord?” she hissed.
“Control your beast,” he ordered, gesturing at the Chimera.
For a moment, she looked as though she would ignore him, but she bowed and turned to the Chimera.
“Epilambanein!” Echidna ordered it in ancient Greek.
The Chimera growled so it shook the earth. The campers turned as one to the forest and scrambled away. Only one stood his ground. In his pale hand he clutched a spear. His dark eyes shone, as though he were seeing a puppy bounding up to him. His dark hair framed his face, and he looked around sixteen years old.
“Good kitty,” he whispered soothingly to the lion’s head. The head tilted curiously, wondering why this pale freak wouldn’t run. The boy grinned dangerously and held out his hand.
“I won’t harm you,” he promised.
“What are you waiting for?!” yelled Echidna at the monster. “Eat him!”
“Oh, surely Kronos has told you enough about me for you to recognize who I am,” he complained.
“Haimon,” she murmured darkly, contempt in her voice.
“Oh, so you aren’t as stupid as you look,” Haimon smirked. The lion’s head sniffed Haimon’s hand, and the teen scritched it lightly on the nose.
“I am only joking,” he told Echidna. “I enjoy your works entirely.”
Echidna tried not to look too proud.
“Haimon!” cried a small boy. He looked about ten years old. “What are you doing?!”
“Leave, Seth,” Haimon growled. “I will come later.”
The boy paled and ran, his too-big armor clinking. He ran until he reached a secluded point, at the base of Zeus’s Fist.
“He’s not coming,” he panted to the group assembled there.
An older boy kicked a rock. It skittered several feet.
“I knew it,” he muttered.
“Ajax, shut it,” ordered a boy standing next to him. “You know everything, ok, thank you, moving on!”
Ajax smacked his brother.
“You were telling me when we started fighting that Haimon wouldn’t be retreating with us, Andy,” Ajax pointed out. Andreas opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a son of Apollo.
“Guys, come on,” Tyler said, his voice worn. “Arguing is only going to make us weaker.”
Ajax looked ready to argue that point, but a girl, Lyla, cut in.
“Tyler’s right,” she said, glaring at Ajax. “We may lose. I think we all realize whose voice we heard from Chiron.”
There was a soft, general muttering.
“Seth,” Tyler said, turning to the boy. “Tell us exactly what you heard and saw.”
Seth gave a breathless recount of all he had observed, pointing out several times how Haimon had looked happy. Another boy, older than Seth yet he looked the same, stepped up and whispered something in Seth’s ear. Seth nodded and looked up at Tyler.
“Aaron wants to go retrieve more armor,” he said. Aaron threw his hands up in frustration.
“I could’ve told him that myself!” he exclaimed.
“Go do it, don’t die, and make sure you bring more arrows,” piped in James, holding up his empty quiver. Aaron nodded once, and he and Seth disappeared in the trees.
“Was that smart?” questioned Tiberius.
Tyler shook his head.
“Right now, any move we make is stupid. It’s just tossing the dice from here on out. Gods, we need Ma…” His voice trailed off. Everybody’s heads moved to their feet, or some other random point. Cassandra stepped forward and gently patted his arm.
“Cheer up,” she advised. “I’m sure she’ll get here as soon as she hears about..” She choked. “Hears about Kronos and Chiron.”
Tyler ran a hand through his hair.
“And brings Artemis with her,” he added.
“And the Hunters, along with the Archers,” James said. “Along with Apollo.”
“We can’t forget Aphrodite,” Lyla stated, her voice slightly too loud.
“We need Zeus,” Orion piped up.
“No, we need Ares the most,” Ajax hissed. “He’s the god of war!”
“Shut up!” quipped Quinta. Silence fell for merely a minute.”Besides, we all know it’s Hephaestus who’s needed.”
Everybody started arguing again. In the distance, the Chimera roared. A fearful silence fell, all unconsciously moving closer together.
“Maybe it wasn’t because of Aaron and Seth,” Vibius suggested hopefully.
Nobody dared say word.Several fear-filled minutes later, a rustling came from the bushes to the left. Several people jumped, but relaxed when Seth came out. His hair was smoking slightly, though, and there wasn’t…
“Aaron?” Kayla asked, her voice an octave higher than usual.
“Down there,” Seth said, pointing back to where he had come from. “The Chimera spotted us, and Aaron told me to run to safety. Last I heard him, he yelled something about Marie.”
Tyler grimaced slightly. Ajax smirked at him.
“Is he stealing the glory you expected?” taunted Ajax.
“Now is not the time,” growled Tyler. “We need a plan, one that won’t fail.”
“Good luck with that,” mumbled Ambrosia.
“Thanks for volunteering,” Ty said, tossing her a notebook and pen. She scowled at him.
“Now,” he said, turning to address the whole group.”Where to begin?”




I give all credit to http://halfbloodhillrp.forumotion.net/portal.htm, with all the character and plot ideas ^^

Chapter 2

I Get a Little “Time-Tied”

{Aaron’s Point of View}

I felt Seth shivering next to me. I nudged him and put a finger to my lips to shush him. The leaves rustled just enough to catch Echidna’s attention.
“Dear,” she said, patting the Chimera. “Go look over there for me.” She pointed right at us.
I shoved Seth away.
“Go back to base,” I hissed, although our cover had already been blown. He nodded firmly and took off back to Zeus’s Fist. The Chimera roared when it heard Seth running away.
“For Marie!” I yelled, jumping out. The Chimera turned to me with a growl. I blindly slashed with my sword, and the beast didn’t even flinch.
“Kill him,” Echidna said flatly.
The Chimera’s lion head was snarling viciously. The serpent tail whipped around to get a look at what was going on. The lion’s head roared, and for a minute all I saw were teeth. Razor sharp, caked with blood and grime, smelly teeth. I also now knew what death smelled like- Chimera breath. It closed its mouth, licking its lion lips.
“Tell me,” Echidna called from somewhere behind the monster. “Have you ever felt death?”
I paused and stood for just a moment.
“No, ma’am, I haven’t,” I informed her. “And I don’t plan to anytime soon!”With that, I faked a jab at the lion’s head and dove under its belly. The serpent tail lashed about, trying to find me as the lion head roared in frustration. I looked between its hind legs and spotted Echidna.
“Tell me,” I taunted her. “How many times have you seen your baby die?”Echidna cried out loudly.
“He’s under you!” she screamed at her beast. “Eat him, you fool!”
The Chimera whimpered and turned to Echidna with big sad eyes.
“He’s right there!” she yelled, pointing at me under his belly. I grinned evilly at her. Twisting my sword around so the blade was straight up at the belly and the hilt was in my two hands, I looked straight at Echidna.
“I have a name,” I told her. “Aaron Drakkson, son of Poseidon. Never forget it.” With that, I pushed up. She screamed as the Chimera exploded in a poof of dust. Before the dust settled, however, I felt something grab onto me. I struggled and fought it until it broke my arm. I saw stars and relaxed. When the pain amounted to too much, I passed out cold.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I woke up, my arm aching, strapped to a beaten-up chair in a forest clearing. It was dimly lit by one lantern. I was still at camp, I could feel it, but nowhere near my friends. I glanced around for any signs of life.
“Ah,” a cold voice rumbled. “Our young hero awakens.”
I spat on the ground at my feet.
“I’m 14,” I informed it. “I’m not young.”
Directly to my right, there was a low cackling.
“Of course, of course,” it chuckled. The voice quickly went from cheery to dark. “Demigods have no respect.” I heard hooves clopping towards me.
“Chiron,” I growled.
He stepped out of the shadows, his golden eyes blazing with fury.
“You will not make that mistake again,” Chiron hissed. He reached down and tweaked my nose so hard that it broke. I bit my tongue to stop myself from crying out in pain. I felt blood spurt out and drip down my face.
“Chiron,” he spat disgustedly. “The name itself is for insolent fools! Don’t call me that ever again, or I will do worse than breaking your nose. I am Kronos, Titan lord of time!”
I hung my head and shook it sadly.
“Spare me the theatrics,” I pleaded impatiently. Kronos kicked out in frustration, hitting me square in the chest. I grunted, the wind knocked out of me, and the chair fell over sideways, landing on my already broken arm. I felt it snap, and realized my shoulder had just been dislocated. It was all I could do to not pass out.
“Do not speak unless spoken to,” he threatened.
I struggled to gain my breath again, and to stay conscious. I kept my eyes shut. Kronos regained control of himself again. I heard voices, but dare not move. The hushed argument went on for a few minutes. Suddenly, Kronos exclaimed “Fine!” and there was a scuttling as somebody or something ran away. Kronos sighed deeply.
“See the help I have?” he asked me softly. “Aaron Drakkson, I need you.”
I shivered when he said my name. The longing, the pain in his voice touched me.
No. I interrupted my own thoughts. He’s only trying to manipulate you. Ignore him. Think of Seth, Andy, Tyler, all my friends. Think of Marie. My eyes flashed open.
“No,” I said, my voice shaking with the pain. I cleared my throat and said more firmly, “No.” He was silent.
“Fine, I don’t need you,” Kronos hissed after a minute. “I already have enough to subdue you and more. Though you would have made another excellent spy.”
I blinked hard. The blood was still coming, and my arm felt like a million knives were coming out of it.
“You already have a spy?” I asked dumbly, trying to think straight.
He chuckled once.
“Of course,” he confirmed. “How else could I have got past that stupid magical boundary you have? She has proven invaluable to my army.”
I grunted, showing I heard him and also to relieve the pain for a moment.
Then I thought about it. Lyla was slightly too self-absorbed to even consider helping Kronos out. Ambrosia was stubborn and cruel, but she would never join Kronos. Quinta was much too young to be controlled like that. Kayla was too shy and quiet, although she had seemed more silent and to herself lately. Marie was with Artemis, and there was no way she could- or would have, for that matter- do it. Philanthia was short-tempered, yet just like Ambrosia she wouldn’t join the wrong side. That left Cassandra, but she wouldn’t join the Titan lord in his wrong-doings.
A small movement caught my eye. A tall, skinny figure knelt at Kronos’s feet. No, his, er, hooves.
“Haimon,” I muttered.
“Shut up!” roared Kronos, and he stomped on my ankle. I didn’t feel the pain from it, but a huge pop filled the clearing. I blacked out, and the last thing I saw was Haimon grinning evilly.

OoC: If you guys like this, or have read and LOVE Percy Jackson and the Olympians, please join this site: http://halfbloodhillrp.forumotion.net/portal.htm It's fun, and we would like people to join.

Chapter 3

My Eyes Glow Like a Titan’s

{Haimon’s POV}


I grinned evilly as Kronos stomped on Aaron’s ankle. Aaron’s face tightened up, and then his whole body went limp as he passed out. Kronos nudged Aaron, but there was no reaction. He grunted in satisfaction and turned back to me.
”I have a special, um,” he paused to search for the right word.”A proposition for you.”
I didn’t look up, but I asked ”Yes?” I noticed his feet shifting, and heard him mutter something in ancient Greek.
”You shall be my next host,” he said calmly.
There was a small tug on my gut, and I didn’t know whether to feel honored or scared to death. I heard beings enter the clearing. From the soft cries they made, I guessed that they were nature spirits who had just spotted Aaron’s limp body.
”Rise,” Kronos ordered me, and I stood. There were four girl figures bending to pick up Aaron.
”Don’t be gentle!” Kronos told them humorously. One of them almost fainted on the spot. I stood stock-still, trying not to show emotion just like a guard. They hurried out.
”If I were you, I would enjoy my last few moments being yourself,” Kronos told me, and he ran off into the forest. I fell to my knees, my spear clattering against a rock. I just found out I was a son of Persephone, and now I was to host a Titan lord! What must the other campers think of me? I hid my face in my hands. There was only one way to fix this, but it was way too risky.
If you want to fix your mistake, the logical part of my brain growled, then you’ll take the risk. I removed my hands and stood up. Glancing around, I caught up my spear and listened intently. When there weren’t any noises, I stepped off into the trees. I slid through them quickly and silently, having a sudden childish thought of being a spy.
This must be how shadow traveling looks and feels, I thought as I slid in and out of the shadows. I reached the creek that divided the forest. It bubbled by whisper-silent. I took a running leap across it and almost fell in backwards into the water. I caught a tree branch and pulled myself up. After catching my breath, I set off at a brisk pace for Zeus’s Fist.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After hiking for several minutes, I heard voices.
”…And we’ll come from all angles,” came Kayla’s voice.
”But they’ll hear us coming!” Seth pointed out.
I stepped out into the clearing.
”Or they might just hear all of you arguing,” I said, scowling. They all drew their weapons.
”Traitor,” James accused.
”I came here to warn you,” I said, lowering my spear.
”Warn us about what?” Andy demanded.
”Kronos wants me to be his next host, and I decided to try and fight it,” I admitted, glancing down at my feet. Their faces all softened, but Ajax still glared at me.
”How do we know you aren’t lying?” he growled. All were instantly hostile towards me again.
”You could be leading them right to us at this moment, for a sneak attack,” Lyla shot.
I looked around at all of them. They stood, ready to fight if needed, but the fear shone brightly in their eyes.
”We could take you without a sneak attack,” I said politely as possible.
They all exchanged glances, then looked at Tyler. He nodded slightly, and they lowered their weapons.
”At least we’re trying,” Cassandra muttered. ”We lost Aaron, and now everything seems so much more difficult.” They murmured in agreement, except for Orion who held his sword at my neck.
”What makes you so sure?” he said, pushing the sword closer. ”I bet we could take on your whole army and more!” Tyler shook his head at Orion.
”Don’t be stupid,” he warned.
”Besides, they don’t need me to bring them here,” I said, looking each of them in the eyes. ”There is already a spy among you.”
Several gasped. Each demigod looked at the others. However, there was one who looked upset.
”He’s mad,” Kayla said, her face red. Quinta glanced between me and Kayla.
”Why are you blushing?” she asked Kayla curiously. All looked to Kayla. Kayla looked flustered and tried to say something. After a moment, she shook her head and took off, leaving behind a stunned audience.
”If we can’t trust her, we may not be able to trust anybody,” Tiberius said, but everybody just looked at their feet.
I shook my head. I bowed low and saluted with my spear.
”I must be off,” I said, trying to sound relaxed and casual. ”Just remember that I am still fighting for you.”
Ambrosia waved half-heartedly, as everybody else sat down or comforted each other. I sighed, and ran for Kronos’s base. I had never enjoyed nature so much as I did now. I grabbed a flower and stroked it. It withered in my hands, and so I threw it in the creek.
”Haimon!!!!”
I flinched when I heard the yell, but got back to the clearing in a few minutes. Kayla stood behind Kronos looking smugged. Once I stepped into the clearing, somebody snatched my spear and yanked my arms behind my back.
”I wasn’t planning on running,” I informed Kronos coolly.
”Your trip to visit the campers showed me otherwise,” he growled. ”Knock him.”
Whoever was holding me hit me over the head with a rock. My ears ringing, I slid to the forest floor. It hadn’t knocked me out, but they didn’t know that.
”Prepare him,” I heard Kronos say. I suddenly felt dizzy, and must have passed out because the next thing I knew, I was feeling immense pain and not myself. A low cackling that was not my voice rent the air.

Chapter 4

I Organize the Troops

{Ambrosia’s POV}

I watched the traitor run away. My feelings were mixed as I glanced at my fellow campers. Anger that she had betrayed us. Worry that she would lead Kronos and his army to our base. Sad that it was Kayla. And just a bit of jealousy that she got to be around…
I cut off my thoughts.
”If we can’t trust her, we can’t trust anybody,” Tiberius said.
Haimon looked just as stunned as the rest of us. He bowed to us, and then saluted with his spear. Only the miserable faces of my friends stopped me from laughing at him.
”I must be off,” he said, his voice calm but his face worried. ”Just remember that I am still fighting for you.”
I lifted up my hand, wondering if he would return the favor. Haimon just turned and ran. I turned to see everybody looking at their feet, studying some object of nature, or patting each other on the back. I angrily kicked a battle helmet across the clearing. It stopped at the base of a huge pine tree.
”Betrayed and dropped by two of our best fighters and friends,” James muttered, shaking his head disbelievingly. ”I say we move our base, since they probably know where our camp is now.”
They all murmured agreement. I glared at them.
”Why are we acting so glum?” I asked sincerely. I hated the sadness and hurt that hung in the air like a dead hellhound. ”They both know it was a bad decision. Kayla will probably be back sooner or later.” I couldn’t say anything about Haimon, becoming the host of Kronos. Most people were starting to look a bit more cheerful, but then Ajax had to ruin it.
”Where are we moving?” he asked, his expression slightly annoyed. ”They have the rest of the woods; they’re using the amphitheater for battle practice along with the forges. They probably also got the stables and spooked all the pegasi, and the Strawberry Fields and beach are too exposed.”
”Shut up, we get it!” I hissed. He just smirked at me in a know-it-all way. Putting my hands on my hips, I glanced around. I suddenly realized something. I faced everybody, dreading the answer to my question.
”We never got any more weapons or armor, did we?” I asked softly.
Seth shook his head.
”Aaron and I tried out best,” he told me sadly.
”And we lost him, along with any extra armor,” Orion spat, glaring down at Seth.
”Orion, leave him alone!” Cassandra growled.
”Or what?” Orion demanded. ”You going to use your magic on me?” Cassandra extended a hand and opened her mouth to begin reciting a spell. Gritting my teeth, I decided that this had gone far enough.
”Stop it!” I yelled, but there was another more powerful voice layering mine. Everybody froze, craning their necks to look for the owner of that voice. Out of the trees stepped…a little girl.
”No need to fight,” she soothed. She wore a hood, and her mere presence seemed to warm me up. I found myself smiling slightly, and looked around at the others. They all appeared to be in a drunken stupor, but at least they finally looked happy.
”Hestia,” Andy said, snapping out of it first. The girl lowered her hood, smiling somewhat manically.
”It is not smart of you to fight amongst yourselves when Kronos is out there plotting your downfall,” she advised. I shook my head to clear it.
”Why are you here?” I snapped. She tilted her head curiously at me, her smile a bit tight.
”I was ordered not to help, but you obviously need it,” Hestia informed me calmly, her hands held behind her back.
”Then why are you?” Vibius asked, his face showing that he was slightly concerned.
Hestia paused for a moment, battling her thoughts.
”Because none of my family will,” she finally said, a hint of impatience in her voice. ”Any other questions?”
I coughed, trying not to smile.
”Yes,” I said. Hestia nodded tightly at me. ”How old are you really?” I asked to an eruption of laughter. The look she gave me was pure murder.
”Never,” she whispered angrily. ”Ask a goddess her true age. EVER!”
Behind Hestia’s back, Ajax gave me a thumbs-up. I winked at him.
”Ok, seriously,” I said, holding my hands out. ”We need to find a new base, camp, headquarters, whichever you prefer.”
Hestia took a deep, calming breath.
”The Big House is empty,” she informed us. ”There aren’t any monsters near it. We’ll have to go around the Strawberry Fields to avoid their camp.” I thought it was a good idea, and definitely the least dangerous one. It looked like everybody else agreed as well, except for one person.
”Can’t you just use your big powers to magically transport us there?” Orion asked, wiggling his fingers as he said magically. Hestia sighed deeply and rolled her eyes. They glowed eerily, causing me to shiver.
”If I used my powers,” she explained, as though to a child for the hundredth time. ”Zeus will find out and punish me eternally.”
Philanthia burst out laughing. Hestia’s eyes began glowing strongly and dangerously. I stepped back a bit, and then forced myself to stand my ground.
”You really think Zeus can see everything?” Philanthia chuckled.
”I know he sees everything,” Hestia hissed.
”Then how come he never punished me for-“
I clapped my hands and said rather loudly ”Moving on!” We all knew what Philanthia was referring to, and would rather not go back again.
”How are we heading to the Big House?” I asked, taking charge again. ”Are we going in one big group, taking partners, riding hellhounds, shadow traveling, what?”
”It might be smarter to go in pairs,” James pointed out. ”Then they can’t take us out all at once.”
”But if we go in pairs,” Tiberius piped in. ”We won’t know if the others are safe.”
”Then we take the same path,” Seth said easily. ”And go in five minute intervals.”
I shrugged, showing the plan was ok with me.
”So the path goes around the far side of the Strawberry Fields, and on to the Big House,” I told them. ”Find a partner who is similar or stronger than you in battle.”
There was a great commotion as everybody scrambled for a good partner. In the end, the partnerships were Ajax and Andreas, Tiberius and Vibius, Cassandra and James, Quinta and Seth, Orion and Philanthia, and Hestia and I.
”What about Tyler?” Quinta asked, pointing at him standing by himself. I glanced at him, wondering what we would do.
”We could go in a group of three,” I suggested, gesturing at me and Hestia. Tyler shook his head firmly.
”I can fend for myself,” he said tonelessly.
”Right,” I sighed. Looking up at the groups, I said ”I want you to go in this order; First, Orion and Philanthia. Next, Cassandra and James. Following them will be Tiberius and Vibius. Third will be Quinta and Seth. After them will be Ajax and Andy. Then Tyler, and finally Hestia and I. Any questions?” They all stood in fear, shifting their weight and glancing at their partners.
”If you run into any trouble, just stop and wait for the next pair of people,” Tyler ordered them. I nodded in silent agreement.
”After you,” I said, gesturing to Orion and Philanthia. He spat in my direction, and then they were gone.
”Somebody needs to teach that boy some respect,”Hestia muttered.
”You have no idea,” I told her, kicking dirt over it. We all stood, listening intently for any noise. Five minutes passed, and I nodded to James. Soon he and Cassandra were just another worry.
”My question is,” Ajax said, looking up from the rock he was sitting on. ”How did Kronos get to Chiron in the first place?”
”My thoughts exactly,” Andy murmured.
”Maybe it wasn’t voluntary,” suggested Quinta.
”Well obviously,” Ti pointed out. ”He was always saying how much he hated Kronos.”
”Five minutes,” I told Ti and Vibius. They both nodded and disappeared with hardly a sound. We were silent again. Tyler began pacing a couple minutes after Ti and Vi had left.
”What if somebody’s hurt and we don’t know it?” he wondered aloud, voicing our fears. I tapped my foot anxiously, the worries more pressing.
”Seth and Quinta,” I said, glancing at my watch. Just before he walked off, I grabbed his arm and turned him so that he faced me. ”Watch out for her,” I begged him. He glanced at her walking off and nodded mutely. I released Seth’s arm, and another five minutes of waiting began.
”What if we set off and everybody’s hurt or had to stop?” Andy asked. I shook my head, not wanting to know. Tyler continued pacing while I tapped my foot. Hestia sat cross-legged on the ground, gazing about in wonder as though she had never been in the woods.
Why can’t she be concerned like the rest of us? I thought angrily, but I was secretly grateful she wasn’t acting worried. Ajax stood. I checked my watch, then nodded. Andy studied me for a moment, then they too were gone. Tyler’s pacing began to get on my nerves.
”Would you knock it off?!” I finally exclaimed. ”You’re just making it worse.” Tyler turned to face me, his fight stormy.
”Watch it, Ghostie,” he growled, suddenly hostile.
I didn’t know why, but him trying to make fun of me sparked something. I stood up stiffly and approached him. After glaring at each other face-to-face for a moment, I socked him hard. Tyler stumbled back, catching himself on a branch.
”What in the name of Apollo was that for?” he demanded.
”It’s your turn,” I said curtly, holding up my watch. ”Get out of here.” Tyler stalked out, head held high. I stood, glaring after him, even once the branches stopped shaking.
”Just relax,” Hestia said, making me jump. ”It’s his problem, only time will heal his wound.”
”What wound?” I grumbled, sitting down on Ajax’s rock.
Hestia smiled mysteriously.
”Do not worry yourself,” she told me warmly. ”You will know in due time, my dear.”
I shook my head, trying to make it all make sense.
”Have you ever had a huge secret that you couldn’t tell anybody because it would affect your life and reputation forever?” she suddenly asked after several moments of silence, staring at me as though I had the answer to all her questions. I cocked my head, intrigued by her sudden mood change.
”No, why?” I asked her.
”It’s our turn,” she said, getting off the ground and looking as though she hadn’t just asked that. I tried to look at her face, but she pulled her hood up. We set off into the forest, my trying to figure out what it was that Hestia wouldn’t tell me.

Chapter 5

I Make Crowns

{Lyla’s POV}

I sat cross-legged by the creek, humming to myself as I made a lily crown. I couldn’t believe the others hadn’t come looking for me yet, but I didn’t think much about it. So far, I had made five crowns; one for James, Ajax, Orion, Ambrosia, and Cassandra. They were going to be thrilled once they had their crowns. Each little white flower sparkled in the late afternoon sunlight. I paused to admire my work. Sighing, I took up two flowers and began weaving a sixth crown. I smiled and thought of home and my mother, Aphrodite. She was the goddess of love and beauty. I couldn’t believe she would even think about spending time with Ares, though. Where was her respect? Hephaestus tried so hard to show his love, yet all Aphrodite returned was longing and pain. I looked at the lilies in my hands through blurry eyes, and dropped them once I realized they were of no use anymore. A few small tears slid down my cheeks. I sighed sadly and deeply, picking up a few more flowers. A rustling noise to my left made me look up. It was Haimon! He was striding with purpose towards the camp. I grinned widely, and decided to make him a crown as well. I began working hard; hope crept into me like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon. It was twilight when I was done with all thirteen crowns. I stood with them and began skipping in the direction of our base. It was deadly quiet, and the silence got thicker as I drew closer to the clearing. When I entered the camp, my heart skipped a beat. It was devoid of life, with almost no sign anybody had been there in five minutes. Then I figured I had the wrong clearing. After all, there were so many clearings in the Camp Half Blood forest. Setting the pile of lily crowns down, I ventured further into the clearing.
”Tyler?” I called softly, my voice timid and small. I cleared my throat and tried it again. ”Andreas? Philanthia? Tiberius?!” There was still no response. I looked up to the sky, wondering how much time we had until dark. I was startled to see a few stars twinkling in the purple sky. Where did my friends go? Of course, I probably had the wrong clearing. Suddenly, I spotted something shiny at the base of a huge tree. I raced over, and picking it up found that it was a battle helmet somebody had forgotten. It was Ambrosia’s, fashioned after her father’s Helm of Darkness. I brushed the dirt off of it and slipped it on. I immediately took it off and dropped it on the ground. It landed with an unnatural thud!, though it was too light to make such a heavy noise. I cautiously picked it up, again dropping it on the ground in surprise. It had shimmered, but not in the ”Ooh, glittery!” kind of way. It had been in the visible spectrum, only to fade out and then back in. I shook my head to clear it. It couldn’t be the real deal, maybe Hades had just given his daughter a replica as a gift. Yet a dark aura hung around this helmet, and it appeared thousands of years old. I studied it without touching it. Blinking hard, I wondered what would happen if I took it and it was the real helm. Hades would most likely kill me on the spot, in front of my family, and immediately punish me in the Underworld. Then would come the worst punishment in the history of the gods, even worse than Tantalus’s. I nudged the helmet warily with my foot, but it didn’t do anything. Taking a few deep breaths, I plucked up the courage to pick up the helmet again. I examined it, turning the helm this way and that. After another few minutes I decided it wouldn’t do anything. Besides, with Kronos and his army out there I couldn’t take any chances. I thought about where the others might be. Perhaps they had gone looking for food, but then why would they all go? Since Aaron and Seth had failed, maybe they went to go get more armor. Still gazing at the helmet, I shook my head to clear these thoughts. Wherever they were, I knew they weren’t looking for Kronos; in my opinion, that was just stupid. I blinked rapidly for a moment, washing away the remnants of awful thoughts. Slipping on the helmet, I knew there were two mysteries I needed to solve here: where my friends went, and what the deal with this helmet was.

Half an hour later, the last rays of sunlight were disappearing behind Half Blood Hill. I leaped gracefully over the creek, but nearly crash-landed in a bramble bush. I glanced around fearfully, hoping nobody had heard my cry of shock. I bit my bottom lip as I slowly pulled a thorn out of my palm. Blood oozed out slowly, like thick lava from a volcano. I looked around frantically for something to wipe it off with, but the stream of blood reached my wrist before I did. Shuddering slightly, I went with the only option left to me: I sucked up the blood like a vampire. Pulling away while wincing at the taste, I saw that the cu t was no longer than my thumbnail and no deeper than a thumbtack is wide. I studied the trees and ground for some type of bandage.
Please, Aphrodite? I prayed silently, yet there was no reply. Sighing deeply, I tore off a small, unexposed part of my shirt. I tied it tightly around my palm, wincing at the sting of pain. A twig snapped to the side, and in a flash I turned, brandishing my sword. It gleamed as the last ray of sun finally disappeared over the hill. I stood still as a statue, hardly daring to breathe. I tried not to let my overactive imagination get the better of me as I waited for another movement. There was a soft rustling as something heavy was set on the ground. Unable to stop myself, I tiptoed towards the voices. I soon could make out four figures, huddled over a dark mass on the ground. One was sobbing, and its friends…no, her friends were on the verge of tears, trying to be strong for her.
”Come, Amara,” one tree spirit comforted the crying one. ”This demigod is gone, and his friends will stop at nothing to see Kronos destroyed.”
The one named Amara shook with sobs.
”He’s not done!” she wailed.
The one who had tried to comfort Amara wiped away a small tear that had escaped her long eyelashes. I racked my brains, knowing who the dark mass was. Who had we lost to Kronos again? I knew Kayla and Haimon…but who else could it be? I decided I needed a better look at his face and scrambled up a tree. Once high enough, I inched out on a small branch. Craning my neck, I still couldn’t see well enough to discern who it was. Shifting forward slightly, I heard a sharp crack! rent the air. I looked back quickly, just in time to watch some splinters fly off the base of the branch and the branch to fall. I screamed and clung tightly to the branch. It fell through the bushes and some smaller trees with tons of snaps! and breaking twigs. I few startled birds flew into the night chirping indignantly. I held strong to the branch, though it had stopped falling or moving. I kept my eyes tight shut, hoping the dryads hadn’t noticed. As soon as this thought came, I felt weight lifting easily off me. I glanced up with a weak smile. The apparent leader’s face was very plain with anger and suspicion. She and another pulled me to my feet roughly and brushed the dirt off my armor.
”Why were you in that tree?” the leader demanded.
”I recognized my friend,” I told the truth, hoping she would believe me.
”Oh,” she said in slight surprise. ”What is his name?” I crouched over his blood-caked head. The only feature that had led me to know it was my fellow camper was his hair and battle gear. His arm was bent at an odd angle, the shoulder looking like it was in the totally wrong place. His nose looked squashed flat, blood still coming out of it. His foot was bent almost backward, and he was still bound tightly to a chair. Shaking my head, I looked up at her.
”We should clean him up a bit,” I suggested. Amara nodded eagerly, but her friends looked doubtful. I suddenly realized it would be nice to call them by their names.
”Pardon me for changing the subject,” I began, and one waved for me to continue. ”May I call you by your names..?”
They all glanced at the leader and she smiled warmly at me, although she was forcing it.
”I’m Tara,” she introduced herself. Pointing at the dryad next to her, she added tonelessly, ”Claire, and Amethyst.” Tara finished by indicating the girl by Amara. ”Of course, you know Amara,” she hissed coldly. I blinked a few times, wondering why she was suddenly giving me the cold shoulder.
”Well, if we fixed him up,” I continued, gesturing lamely at the demigod on the groun. ”maybe I could tell you a name.”
”I don’t see how we are to get the blood off his face,” Claire said, staring absently at the stains.
”I have a hat here,” Amethyst informed them, picking up an old ball cap. ”We could soak it in the stream and…”
Tara’s scowl caused Amethyst’s voice to trail off.
”Go do it, then!” she shot, and Amethyst scrambled off in the direction of Zephyros Creek. Turning to Claire, Tara ordered, ”We need to set his bones, and pop his shoulder back into place.”
I shuddered in horror, deciding right then that I would never pursue a doctor’s career. Tara smirked cruelly, noticing the look on my face.
”If you think you can’t stand it, go over there and don’t watch,” she said, a bit harshly. I moved to sit on the stump she had motioned to at the edge of the clearing. Realizing the helmet was still on my head, I twisted it around so it faced backwards. Now I couldn’t see or hear anything, and I waited for what seemed like an hour. I began humming a camp song I remembered from last Friday, just to fill the silence in the dark helmet. A moment later, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned the helmet back to its regular position. Amara stood before me, looking both excited and impatient.
”Come give him a name,” she said, pulling on my arm. Her voice surprised me; it sounded like a small child’s, yet had the strength and knowledge of an adult’s. Getting to my feet, I went back to the body on the ground. Finally getting a good look at his face, I recognized him. Snapping my fingers and imagining a light bulb above my head, I exclaimed ”Aaron!” Amara jumped for joy, clapping her hands together.
”Son of Poseidon,” Tara breathed in awe. ”He has a brother, right?” she asked me curiously. I nodded, wanting to be helpful. We all stood staring at him shamelessly.
”Now what?” Amara asked, gazing at Tara with her big eyes.
”Ask the demigod!” Tara mocked. I felt my face redden, and anger filled me up like a thermometer.
”My name is Lyla,” I growled. ”And I will not tolerate you being so cruel and rude to me!”Tara scowled, a dangerous light in her eyes.
”You would think children of Aphrodite might appreciate the beauty of nature,” she accused. ”Yet none of you care about the spirits! None of you care much for anything but love!”
”More stereotypes!” I shot back. ”I am her only known daughter, or child for that matter, and here you are accusing me of something my past siblings have done! Let’s just be friends.”
Tara opened her mouth as though to shoot me down with something witty, but after a fearful silence closed it again. She seemed to be battling herself in her mind. Before Tara could say anything, Amara stepped up to me.
”I agree with you one hundred percent,” she told me, glaring slightly at Tara. Amethyst came up to Amara and put a hand on her shoulder. Tara looked on the edge of defeat, but glancing at Claire gave her new courage.
”You’re with me, right?” she asked weakly. Color rose in Claire’s cheeks, and with satisfaction I knew her decision.
”Not on this one, Tara,” Claire whispered softly. ”You know she’s right. I can tell that Lyla fully appreciates nature in all of its beauty, daughter of Aphrodite or not.”
Tara sighed deeply, the look on her face showing she knew what Claire was saying was true.
”Truce,” Tara intoned, extending her hand. I grinned and shook it.
”Right, now we’ve got this over with—“ Claire never finished her sentence. We heard a war cry, and then silence. My eyes widened to twice their normal size.
”Orion,” I muttered in awe.
”Who’s Orion?” Amethyst asked in general, but of course I was the one to answer.
”Son of Zeus,” I told them. ”And he’s in trouble. I’m out of here, bye!” I left them standing in a stunned silence, gaping after me.

OoC: Warning! Before you read on, consider the following: There is mild language in this chapter, due to the main charrie's specifications. Thank you.

Chapter 6

I Don’t Call the Goddess of Love

{Orion’s POV}
Yeah, it was going just fine until we reached the edge of the forest near the stables. Kronos had wasted no time in bringing monsters to his new home. Scowling, I looked towards the path we were supposed to take. Thanks to the enemy that were stuck outside the sealed boundary, I knew there was no way to get past the stables and on to the Strawberry Fields without getting caught. Swearing obscenely in Greek, I took the few steps back to Philanthia.
”They got everything covered,” I muttered darkly. ”No way through without a fight, or until dark.”
”We could fly,” she suggested.
”And just how do you expect us to do that?” I demanded. ”We aren’t exactly children of Hermes, you know.”
Exasperated, she pointed to something behind me. Turning to look, I saw a pegasus grazing a couple hundred feet from where we were hidden. I rolled my eyes, super irritated.
”Leave it to a girl to want to ride a pegasus,” I growled. ”Like they aren’t going to notice us! ‘Oh, it’s just a couple of those darn campers we want to get rid of, just ignore them.’ Come on, Thia, think!”
Her eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms stubbornly. Girls, I thought crossly.
”Well, what do you think we should do?” she demanded. ”Like you said, we aren’t exactly children of Hermes.”
I sat down and ran my fingers through my hair. I looked up, right to my helmet and sword. They seemed dull from all the fighting we had already done, and it was getting dark. I thought deeply about our options: We could wait for dark, or fight our way through the enemy. The choice was clear to me. Snatching up my sword and slipping on my helmet, I turned to Thia with a look of grim determination etched on my face.
”Come on,” I said, heading out.
”Are you stupid?!” Thia exclaimed. I heard her add as I walked away, ”Wait, don’t answer that.” I smirked. Surveying our path, I saw two telekhines, four dracaenae (they seemed to be a favorite of Kronos’s), a pit scorpion, and an empousae. My face lit up like a child going to Disneyland. Without looking to see if Thia was behind me, I let out a ringing battle cry. Racing out of the bushes with my sword held high, I went for the empousae first. She was closest, her flaming hair waving in the slight breeze. As my cry echoed, she turned and hissed at me.
”Demigods,” she spat, easily dodging my sword. ”Thinking it’s easy to destroy my kind! Fools! I’ll show you.”
I tried to show no emotion, yet the familiar feeling of anger filled me. The other beasts had seen this, and by now they had formed a circle around us. Standing in a defensive position, I noticed the forced relaxed stance of my enemy. She was unsure of this, but was determined to not let it show. Her face showed confidence, and her eyes were a completely different story.
”What’s wrong?” I taunted, sneering despite the fact she couldn’t see past my helmet. ”Cat got your tongue?”
Her eyes flashed dangerously for a moment, then she folded her arms over her chest and gave me the “I-Know-Something-You-Don’t” face.
”Get smart,” she advised as somebody grabbed me from behind. Due to the flipper-arm things, I could tell it was a telekhine. My helmet was yanked from my head, and a sword held close to my neck. As I was held tightly, my hands behind my back, I couldn’t turn to spit on him. I opened my mouth to make some smart-a** comment, but the sword was pressed into the right spot on my throat. The empousae and her evil friends laughed at my weak attempts to communicate. That was when I realized I still had Thia. She hadn’t followed me out, but she had to be watching this, nosy as she was. I wondered how I could signal to her. Obviously, shouting her name wasn’t an option. I tried speaking, working my mouth into random words until the empousae finally got sick of it and ordered for a loosening of the sword.
”Thia!” I gasped, sounding desperate. It was loud enough for her to hear, but longingly enough that the empousae got curious.
”Who is this ‘Thia’ you speak of?” she asked, walking forward awkwardly. Her two odd legs clunked weirdly against the ground. ”You speak her name as though you are in love.” I tried giving her the benefit of the doubt, though I was strongly disgusted at the thought.
”Don’t kill me,” I pleaded, being the best actor I could be. ”If you did, she’d be devastated!”
I swore I heard a retching noise, which was all I needed.
”Perhaps we should kill you both,” the empousae suggested. I hardly heard her, as a movement in my peripheral vision caught my eyes. I didn’t let the empousae notice my glance.
”What was your name again?” I asked her, stalling for time.
”I didn’t say,” she said, ”But if you insist, I’ll tell you. I am Kelly.”
”Oh, that’s a nice name,” I said distractedly, shifting into the perfect position. ”Hey, tell Hades that Ambrosia and I say ‘Hello’.” With that, I snaked my foot behind the ankle of the guy holding me and pulled forward, flipping him backwards as his friends moved forward. I picked up my sword as Thia let out a very distracting war cry. As the beasts turned to her, I swung my sword through them. They exploded in a poof of dust the minute the edge of my blade hit them. That took out four, leaving the scorpion, a couple of dracaenae, and the empousae. Thia proceeded to ruin the dracaenae’s day by running her through, and I the scorpion’s. I realized that no other monsters had come to their comrades’ rescue.
”So it comes to this,” the empousae snarled, glancing between Thia and I. ”You and your girlfriend have no chance against Kronos.” I flinched unwillingly, and Thia snorted.
”We’re just friends,” she informed the freaky donkey.
”In a way,” I added, daring the empousae to attack.
”You lied,” she accused me.
Shrugging, I informed her coolly, ”Only to stall. There is nothing about love between me and Thia.” I drove the sword through the empousae’s chest. She imploded, a small scream lingering. I breathed heavily, wiping sweat off my forehead. Before I could say anything to Thia, there was a brilliant flash of light and a strong, perfume-ish scent filled the air. A stunningly beautiful woman stood, her cute sundress hanging about her knees. I found myself gaping, and fixed my looks immediately.
”I heard somebody in this damned camp say love,” she said dreamily.
”You’re Aphrodite!” Thia exclaimed.
Examining her nails, it took Aphrodite a few seconds to respond.
”Yes, goddess of love right here,” she boasted, pirouetting. ”Who said love again?”
”I did!” I admitted, perking up. Thia stifled a laugh. When I looked at her indignantly, she rolled her eyes at me.
”Well, what advice did you need? I also happened to overheard the word ‘girlfriend’” Aphrodite claimed excitedly.
”He was only using it to stall his death,” Thia butted in before I had a chance to say anything.
”But why mention it at all?” Aphrodite asked, patting her hair down. ”Love is a fragile object, not to be tossed willy-nilly like that! It exists to give life meaning.” Thia’s smirk had long since been replaced by a look of pure loathing.
”We didn’t ask you to come here,” Thia spat. ”Much less for a lecture on love and what it truly means. We weren’t calling for you, you can go. End of story, period, goodbye.” Thia finished harshly, her chest heaving with the anger. Aphrodite wasn’t fazed by it.
”In case you hadn’t noticed,” Aphrodite said, once she noticed Thia was done talking, ”my boyfriend is the god of war. This-“ she gestured at Thia’s obvious signs of anger. ”—is not new or scary.”
I glanced between the murderous-looking Thia and the calm Aphrodite.
You’d better defend your friend, a voice in my head ordered.
”I think you should just get out of here,” I found myself saying. Aphrodite shrugged, and her body began to glow faintly, getting brighter.
”If you ever need help with love, just call for me,” she invited warmly. I looked away at the last second, and she was gone. Opening my eyes, I saw Thia looked like she was going to strangle somebody.
”She’s a goddess,”I began. I was going to say more, but she interrupted me.

”Thanks for the update, Captain Obvious,” Thia murmured. I was beginning to get really mad at her, so I shot back, ”You’re welcome, Lieutenant Sarcasm.” Thia only sighed.
”We’d better keep going on to the Big House,” she suggested, standing up. Thia slid her helmet on and set off around the Strawberry Fields. I followed more slowly, taking care to stay a safe distance from her at all times. The night was young, the sky was dark, and the silence was awkward. There were no monsters in sight, but due to the bonfire we could see at the amphitheater, they were probably celebrating the victory. We reached the back door of the Big House, and entered quietly.
”Keep the lights off,” Thia ordered, taking her armor off. I entered the kitchen, pulled my helmet off, set it on the table. I sat down and waited for the others to show.

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Chapter 7

I Barbecue Some Serious Demigod

{Kayla’s POV}
I sat in silence, blankly staring at the victory dancers. The guilt was tearing me apart, but I wouldn’t let it show. To my left sat Kronos using Haimon’s body. His hand was set lightly on my knee just to reassure himself that I was there. I was thoroughly disgusted, yet if I shifted he would jump to insane conclusions. I felt a hand brushing the hair from my ear, and his hot breath at my neck. It took all my willpower not to shudder.
”Time to rally the troops,” he said, and I could imagine the evil grin stretching his face. Haimon stood, his arms raised waiting for attention. All the monsters stood respectfully, eager for orders from the Master. Kronos smiled tightly, clasping his hands together.
”We had a great victory,” he called to excited shouts. Kronos fidgeted impatiently, until silence fell once again. ”However, the demigods are not ready to give up, along with my children and grandchildren up on Mount Olympus. They should already be cowering in fear, afraid to sleep at night because of us. You won’t let me down, now, will you?”
The army went crazy, and I fought the urge to clamp my hands over my ears. Once the calls went down, and one last shout of “Kronos forever!” rang out, Kronos continued his pep talk, smiling slightly.
”We have already obtained a few demigod allies,” he said, gesturing to his host and me. ”We need only to force the rest into submission, and the gods will fall. We have hit them right in the soft spot; they cannot interfere with the lives of their mortal children, whether they are on a quest or not. What would young Zeus do if we captured his son and held him at sword point? Nothing but do what I. . . what we order him to do.”
I tried hard not to attack him out of anger, out of guilt, out of pure sympathy for my friends. Dracaenae, Lastrygorian giants, empousae, and telekhines alike roared with restlessness and excitement.
”Now all we need,” Kronos said, coming to the great finish. He paused for affect, and his army waited hungrily. I bet they would have sat there for hundreds of years to hear what he was going to say. ”All we need is to find their camp and ambush them.”
Every eye turned to me, and I knew what was coming. Kronos in Haimon form was much less scary, but the power he possessed emanated from his very being, and I knew that if he had to he would force the answer out of me. I swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the lump in my throat. It was so quiet, a blind person would never have guessed there were thousands of mythological creatures crammed into the amphitheater. Haimon gently took my hand and stroked it with his thumb, a dark light gleaming behind his pupils.
No, it’s Kronos! I reminded myself.
”Kayla,” he said, and I noticed his voice was off. It sounded more like Haimon’s, and not so much Kronos’s; he realized it as well. Clearing his throat, he tried again, ”Kayla, tell me where the demigod base is and I won’t harm them.”
Don’t listen to him!! He’s lying to your face! He’s only planning to hurt them! my brain screamed, and I almost thought he could read my thoughts. I resisted the urge to laugh at his pettiness; Kronos was probably thinking of a way to torture them into getting captured right at this moment. Oh, and possibly a way to punish me if I didn’t tell him.
”I will find out,” he threatened in a soft undertone, so I was the only one who heard him. I looked around at the hungry faces of his mad army. They were all about to die needlessly, just to satisfy Kronos’s need for revenge. What was the gods’ problem?
”They’re in the clearing at the base of Zeus’s Fist,” I finally breathed, and a small cluster of monsters hurried away from the group. Kronos released my hand and turned back to his army.
”Now to reward you,” he smirked, waving a hand. A few nymphs and dryads appeared, carrying dishes with food. A couple approached Kronos and I hesitantly.
”A feast, my aquaintances,” he said, graciously taking the platter. ”Enjoy!” He took a piece of meat off his plate and ate it. Soon there was a loud chattering, as drinks were served and the monsters got high off of their supposed success. It sounded like my old school’s cafeteria. The nymph knelt in front of me, holding out her plate.
”Dinner, ma’am,” she squeaked. I lifted the burden from her hands and she took off. I cautiously picked a bit of smoked rib up, and turned it over. It looked good, not glowing green with nasty poison, and I took a bite. A burst of flavor exploded in my mouth, and the food warmed me up. The piece was gone in a few ravenous bites, and soon I was reaching for more.
”That good, huh?” Kronos asked. I jumped, having not noticed him watching me. I nodded slowly, wondering why he would ask that question.
”Remember that taste,” he advised, his golden eyes glinting dangerously. ”That is the taste of victory. Oh yeah, and fried demigod.”
I gagged and dropped the plate/ Kronos roared with laughter, and his feasting followers looked to see why he was making such a happy noise.
”You’d fall for anything,” Kronos accused. Suddenly, all the laughter and sunshine was gone. I tried not to burst into tears, with his face right there and his horrid breath and. . . just the whole thing about him being there in my face.I couldn’t believe he would do this to me! Me! Then again, this was the guy who ate his children so the prophecy wouldn’t be fulfilled.
”You need to be strong! I don’t want a co-leader with the strength and guts of a 6-year-old! If there is to be success, you must believe! Get guts, girl, and maybe then you’ll be of use to me. I clenched my jaw. Kronos glared at me for a few more moments, and then he was gone. Gradually, noise filled the amphitheater again. Feeling slow and dreamlike, I got up and exited. Something told me Kronos wouldn’t try and stop me.
I made my way towards the climbing wall, deciding to take a detour through the forest first. Tears escaped my eyelids and slid down my cheeks. I hated myself for having been the spy. Orion seemed more the type to do it, but I was the one. The image of my friends’ hurt faces burned in my mind, etched there forever. Why would I join his army? Kronos was right when he said I’d believe anything. What was my reason for joining again? Oh yeah, because I wanted to see the gods get taught a lesson. That was the most stupid, selfish, evil, narcissist reason on the face of the planet or atop Mount Olympus.
I reached a fallen log and sat on it. With my elbows on my knees and my face in my hands, I began to cry. I supposed the sky was bummed as well, because it started raining.
Wait a second. . .
If it was raining and I felt it in the camp, then our last defense was gone. We were all either doomed or dead.
Those are the same thing!
I shook my head.
I am truly going insane, I scolded myself.Arguing with myself; I have to stop and relax. Try to devise a plan, a battle strategy, one that will ensure my friends stay alive and Kronos is killed, or whatever happens to gods.
I couldn’t think straight. I knew that if Kronos didn’t kill me, guilt would. I swear I could see all hope dimming like a light bulb in the setting sun. I realized I had never watched the sun set, nor seen it rise. The clouds way off in the distance were tinted pink until finally the sun disappeared.
Please forgive me, I silently prayed to all my friends, mom, and the Olympians. The cheers from the amphitheater grew.
I have to get away.
I stood in a rush and stumbled blindly for the forest. The noise didn’t fade completely for five minutes. I ran, tears blurring my vision, crashing through trees and bushes. Finally, I was alone and surrounded by the sounds of the night. Crickets chirped, frogs croaked, and I took a shuddering breath. I glanced behind me, wondering if Kronos thought I’d be back by now.
No, he won’t care! I reprimanded myself for even thinking that. I only saw a haze of light over the trees; either nobody cared that I had left, or they were too busy partying like Olympians to notice. I turned to face forward again and began to walk. Soon, I heard voices ahead of me and slowed. I reached the clearing, a loud crack and a scream followed. Fighting the urge to give away my position, I climbed a tree quickly and quietly for a better viewpoint. My eyes ran over the forest floor beneath me: a bloody, mangled body, four dryads, a shaking tree branch, and a stunned. . . Lyla.
That’s Aaron!
Trying not to panic, I scurried down the tree. I backed away from the scene, shaking my head in disbelief, and then broke into a run.
See what you’ve done?! my thoughts screamed at one another. Aaron could be dead because you betrayed them! Proud of yourself? I most certainly was not! I crashed through the trees again; branches and thorns tore at me, warning me to stop. I had to get away, but where was I going to go without Kronos finding me?
My arms outstretched, my legs pumping hard. I was at top speed, and then I was flat on my back. The pain didn’t hit me until a second later, and it was a tsunami of it. I rubbed the back of my head where it had hit the dirt, and, once the stars cleared away, I looked up to see how big the tree I had hit was. Oh gods, it’s not a tree at all.
”Hey, I know who you are!” said a gruff voice. A hand hauled me roughly to my feet. ”Where you running off to, demigod?”
I squinted through the darkness, trying to see a face. They sounded like monsters, but who could be sure anymore?
”You have some ‘splainin’ to do,” a nasally voice informed me. I tried to keep my voice from shaking as I answered, ”Wh-what do you mean?” One of them grabbed me and held me fast.
”There weren’t no campers at Zeus’s Fist, little miss,” he spat. ”You lied to your lord, and now you’s gonna pay fer it!”
”Lied to him?” I squeaked as the fat guy’s grip tightened on me. ”They were there! May Zeus himself strike me with lightning if I’m lying, I was with them!”
”And like we’s sayin’,” he replied impatiently, ”there weren’t nobody there! We’s gonna take you to Kronos now, please don’t fight us.”
I didn’t need telling twice. The three of them followed me as I wound my way back to the amphitheater. I knew that they had been there! They must’ve changed bases to stay safe.
Great, guys. Thanks.
Then I realized they probably would think I deserved it.
We exited the woods all too soon, and then came to the party. I tried not to run into monsters as I made my way through the crowd. Beasts were falling over everywhere; they’d gotten a little too tipsy on the gods knew what. Nobody noticed us until Kronos called out, ”Well, look who came to join us again!”
My face burned, but I held my head high. His look lingered on me a moment, and then he turned to the search party that held me hostage.
”Give me some good news, boys,” Kronos boomed.
In the firelight, they paled. It’s a really odd thing to watch, telekhines going pale. They glanced at each other, obviously wishing somebody would speak up. Finally, the one with the nasally voice stepped forward, clearing his throat.
”Well, sir, we discovered that Miss Kayla here was lying when she said they’re at the base of Zeus’s Fist,” he said, his voice wavering. An awkward silence hung in the air a few minutes until Kronos finally broke it.
”Is that all you have to say?” he inquired, patient as an adult talking to a few naughty children. Nasally nodded shakily. I could easily see him trembling, and I couldn’t blame him. Who wouldn’t shake when Kronos was looking murderous?
”No camp? No demigods?” Kronos’s voice was soft and dripping with venom. Disappointment slid off each syllable, and Nasally almost passed out. He broke down into sobs, and Kronos’s gaze slid to me. ”You’re telling me that Miss Kayla here has lied to me?” He didn’t wait for a reply. ”It seems she has lost trust in everyone today. Very well. We need only track down their leader, capture him, force his little ‘army’ into doing our bidding, and continue on with our original plan.”
”Don’t harm them!” I yelled, breaking free from the telekhine that held me. Kronos slowly turned towards me again. It was all I could do to not beg him for forgiveness. He was in Haimon’s body, and I had trusted Haimon for so long before any of this was thought up. I knew he was still in that torturous body, fighting for control. Kronos did now laugh or smile. In fact, he said, ”Come with me,” and turned on his heel.
Monsters stared silently at me with no shame as I followed. They parted for him, and stayed parted in their stunned state. Have I mentioned that Greek monsters aren’t very smart? I stepped up and out of the amphitheater, determined to look brave. I checked to make sure my sword was still there, and was only a step or two behind Kronos. He led me deeper and deeper into the dark, until we were so deep in the woods that I could barely see my own hand in front of my face.
Without warning, he whirled to face me. I ran into him, and he caught me before I could fall. I looked into his eyes, and found myself unable to look away. His eyes weren’t golden anymore; they had gone back to Haimon’s dark shade. A pained expression shone on his face, and he gazed deep into my eyes, as though searching for an answer.
”Kayla,” he rasped, his voice tearing through the air. It was hurtful to listen to, and I flinched involuntarily. ”Kayla, keep fighting him for me.” And unexpectedly, he leaned forward and kissed me. It was quick, but on the lips and it threw me off guard.
After a moment, Haimon pulled back. There was new strength in his dark eyes, but they were getting lighter by the second.
”Thank you,” he said robotically, and he walked away. I stood in a daze, emotion racing through me, under Artemis’s moon.

Chapter 8

I’m Definitely a Night Owl

{Tyler’s POV}
Shortly after I left base, I remembered Lyla. As I wandered through the forest, thinking deep thoughts, I realized Lyla hadn’t been there when we picked partners. She and I could’ve been a pair, and she wouldn’t be left behind! How could we have been so stupid? How could I have been so stupid? Sure it was Lyla, but we needed every hand we could get!
I hit a tree, having not been paying attention to my direction, and was immediately even angrier at myself. This was all my fault. On top of that, I had a bloody nose and throbbing hand. Ever since she had left, things had been going downhill. Curse Artemis and her Hunters. She had to persuade her daughter to join her forces, and now look where we were! I tripped over a log and lay face-down, not bothering to try getting up.
Why would I try? What was the point? Sure, camp was fun, and I got to see my dad, but sometimes life just wasn’t that great and at that point there was no reason to even try.
You’ll get to see her again.
Yeah, right. Stupid illusions.
No, seriously. The Hunters are on their way right at this moment.
My eyes flashed open as I gasped. As soon as I breathed in, I regretted it. I brushed the dirt from my mouth and face, glancing around. As I spat the taste away, I thought, Why are you helping us?
I’m not, was the reply.
Yeah, you are.
My hunters are helping you, not me.
But you’re still helping us out, if not directly!
There was no reply, but I got on my feet. Grabbing up my bow and arrows, I made my way through the trees and brambles. I whistled off-tune to myself, but no birds joined in. The forest seemed empty, and I reached the edge without any harm.
Upon exiting the forest at the section we had agreed on, I noticed small piles of dust on the ground. Now I knew why there had been that battle cry earlier; Orion must have decided that was his only option.
Through the dark, I edged around the stables, sticking to the shadows. All of Haimon’s army was throwing a victory party, which only lifted my mood. If they kept going for a while, they wouldn’t notice the Hunters arriving.
I crouched low as I ran around the Strawberry Fields. Reaching the Big House, I knocked on the door softly. There was some scuffling, a couple voices, a thunk, then—
”Who’s there?”
”It’s… At that point, I was so high on my happiness I decided to play a prank on them. ”It’s Kronos! I know you’re in there, so let me in!”
A scream, the grinding of a bolt, and a sword followed my sentence. I dodged the sword by an inch.
”If I really was Kronos,” I growled, pressing my dagger into James’s neck, ”that would have glanced off me with no effect whatsoever.”
His eyes narrowed, but he lowered his sword. He slid it into the scabbard, then shut the door behind me. The hall was dark, but erupting with noise.
”You made it alive!
”Nice counteract!
”You’re late.”
Cassandra’s impatient voice caught me off guard.
”How late?” I wondered.
”Late enough that Hestia and I got here before you,” Ambrosia murmured from the corner.
”Living room!” the goddess called, and everybody migrated towards that room. Once each demigod had a seat—whether on the floor or in a chair—we started talking business.
”Have any of you guys seen Lyla?” I inquired, praying to the gods she was safe.
”She ran into Andy and I after hearing Orion heading off to war,” Ajax grumbled, glaring coldly at me as though it were my fault. ”She said she saw Aaron, so we brought him back here. Apparently Kronos beat him up pretty bad, and Lyla’s eating in the kitchen.”
I still felt like Ajax was blaming me; he generally gave that impression.
”So everybody’s here?”
”And then some,” Hestia beamed from the hearth. I noticed a girl sitting next to her with shy eyes that matched Hestia’s.
Odd…
Silence fell as people waited for others to speak. A particularly loud holler echoed through camp. For and odd reason I couldn’t place, it reminded me of my experience out in the woods. As nonchalantly as I could, I said, ”Marie and the hunters should be arriving soon.”
This news had a greater effect than I would have though possible.
“Marie?!”
“More people to our army?”
“Immortal archers! Gods bless the day!”
“This is a miracle!”
“May Zeus bless his daughter.”
”He’s going to murder Artemis,” Hestia muttered softly. ”I’m doomed for not leaving as it is, what’s he going to do when he finds out about her?”
”She’s not coming,” I blurted out. ”Only the Hunters.”
”And that’s going to help us…how?” Ajax asked.
”They’re immortal and really good with a bow and arrow,” I explained.
”And how many are there?” he asked, knowing he had me trapped.
”Not enough,” Orion answered, smirking.
I was flustered, mad, and tired. I was not in the mood for their games.
”At least we’ll have a better chance!” I yelled. ”I’m tired of you guys being so negative! At least we have a fighting chance. Have faith in your peers! Take orders and be part of the team, or leave.” I finished by pointing at the door, breathing heavily. Ajax stood smiling, almost as thought he thought I was bluffing. Just to show him that I wasn’t, I shot at him, ”Especially hot-headed kids of Ares!”
He stood and made for me, but Hestia got in the middle.
”Stop it,” she commanded. ”Fighting will only get us nowhere.”
I wasn’t listening to her; I was thinking of all the ways I could disembowel Ajax that would hurt him tremendously.
”She’s right, Tyler,” came a soft voice from the door. I looked over, and there stood Marie. Artemis hovered at her shoulder, the rest of the huntresses behind them.
”I told you,” grinned Artemis. ”Anything to get rid of Kronos’s evil presence. Take care of them,” she added, turning to Marie and giving her a hug. She was gone in the blink of an eye after that.
I couldn’t stop staring at her; I thought she had been gone from my life forever, but here she stood. Hunters surveyed the scene with some discomfort as campers got over their shock. Ambrosia finally broke the tension by standing up and hugging Marie quickly.
”How have you been?” she questioned, hungry for a response.
”Excellent,” Marie responded. ”I’ve missed all of you, though.”
There came a small tug on my gut. Marie had missed us, and us included me.
Who are you kidding? I thought. She’s a hunter, vowed to turn her back on men for all eternity.
Ajax interrupted my thoughts.
”Tyler missed you!” he called too loudly from the other side of Hestia. I scowled at him as Marie seemed to ignore him but turn bright pink. Thalia Grace shot a nasty look at me, although I wasn’t sure why me.
”Hi Marie,” Tiberius called from by the window.
”Shh!” Seth said, but he was grinning from ear to ear.
Once everybody was filled to the brim of Marie’s well-being, I thought we should celebrate.
”Everyone to the kitchen,” I ordered, and we moved in.
Philanthia was washing some bowls, or had been. At the moment, she was squinting intently out the window.
”What is it?” Thalia demanded, pushing her way to the front and joining Thia, who shushed her.
”Kayla,” was all she replied. Cassandra moved to the window as well.
”What’s going on with Kayal?” she asked fretfully.
”She’s headed this way,” Thia said incredulously. ”You guys weren’t being the most quiet, and I’m sure she must’ve seen the fire.”
”She doesn’t have any of Haimon’s army with her, does she?” Vibius asked, stretching up on his toes.
”Woah, wait a minute,” Marie said, holding her hands up. ”Haimon’s leading the army? And Kayla’s part of it?”
Andreas shook his head and explained everything Marie had missed.
”Haimon is Kronos’s host and Kayla was a spy!?” Marie exclaimed.
”Shut up!” Cassandra hissed, flapping her hand at us.
Silence was imminent.
”She disappeared,” Thalia said, stepping back.
”Just like that?” Quinta asked, snapping her fingers to mimic the action.
Somebody knocked on the front door, and we all jumped.
”I know you guys are in there,” Kayla called.
Hestia came in.
”I would suggest you answer that,” she told me over the pounding. ”Kayla looks scared out of her wits, and that wouldn’t be her expression if Kronos ordered her here.”
I gulped and glanced at the others. A few nodded, Ajax sneered, and Marie smiled encouragingly. I drew a deep breath and walked down the hallway. I paused, my hand on the doorknob, to collect my thoughts. I unlocked the deadbolt and slowly opened the door—
”Kayla, what’re you--,”
I didn’t finish my sentence before she pulled me outside.
”I need you to listen,” she said frantically, a determined glow about her face. ”Kronos is looking for you. He thinks that by capturing you, he can blackmail the rest of the campers. Once he has them, he’s moving on to the Olympians. You have to stay hidden.”
Kayla looked deep into my eyes at this. After seeing what she wanted to, she melted away into the night. I stood there for a moment, wondering what had just happened.
”Tyler?” said James from the doorway. I stared, lost, for another second, at the spot where Kayla had been standing before.
”Tyler, come on,” James urged. ”We’re not safe out here.”
I nodded to show I heard him and turned back to the house. I shut the door and slid the deadbolt into place. Turning around, my heart skipped a beat; Marie was standing right there, looking like something was up.
”We need to talk,” she said, and I just nodded dumbly.
Marie led me to the end of the hallway, past the kitchen and the living room, into an empty room on the left. It was right under the stairs, making the ceiling sloped. I had to stoop down a little, but somehow she fit perfectly.
She slid the door shut and leaned against it, her green eyes on me, almost glaring.
”There is so much that needs to be said,” she murmured, shaking her head and still looking at me.
I stepped up and put a finger to her lips. Her eyes flashed, but I missed it.
”Let me speak first,” I asked, and she only blinked. ”I love you. I didn’t realize it until you left camp to become a hunter, and I was completely ruined. But now you’re back, and I’m able to tell you: I love you, Marie.”
The expression on her face was hard to read, so I did what I had always wanted to do. I leaned in to kiss her, not pausing for her to stop me at all. The moment our lips touched, however, she disappeared in a flash of moonlight.
I rubbed my eyes, hoping, praying that had just been my imagination. But when I looked again, she was still gone.
I flung open the door and strode down the hall. When I got to the kitchen, I asked if anybody had seen Marie. None of them knew where she was; they had seen her take me down the hallway, but hadn’t seen her leave. The Hunters looked the most ticked, since she belonged to them, but it was my fault. Her mother had taken her from us with just the snap of her fingers.

Chapter 9

Anger is Simple; Forgiveness is Not

{Marie’s POV}
My face went warm and red, but Tyler just plowed on. When he leaned in to kiss me, several thoughts went through my mind.
If I let him do it, he’d think something was going on between us. Then Mom would probably blow him to oblivion, making Apollo mad at her. After that, they’d probably get into some huge everlasting war.
And then: what about Aaron? He had always been my friend, and I had heard somewhere that he had other feelings towards me as well.
I was snapped back to reality as Tyler’s lips brushed mine; in that same instant, I was blinded by a bright white light. I couldn’t see anything, even after the light went away.
Before my eyes adjusted, I received a sharp blow right above my ear.
”What were you thinking?!”
Something heavy fell on my foot, followed by a jab in my back from what felt like the end of a bow.
”You were there for fifteen minutes!”
A whack on the top of my head, a kick in my shin.
”Can’t I trust you?”
By now, I could see dark shapes circling me; they were the white wolves of Artemis.
I groaned inwardly. I should have known my mother wouldn’t trust me at camp.
I wouldn’t believe it when Chiron told me I was the child of a goddess who had sworn to never have kids, but after a while I got used to it. People stopped staring at me weird after a while, and I made friends.
I hadn’t believed him then, but I sure do now, I thought as my mother finished her attack with an arrow in my thigh.
I cried out in agony and fell to my knees.
”You promised me,” Artemis muttered dangerously. Feeling the need to defend myself, I retorted, ”He came at me, Mom!”
There was an eerie thunk that came from right in front of me; something glinted silver on the ground in front of me. It was Artemis’s silver hunting knife.
My mind raced to come up with good excuses for myself, but all I could focus on right then was the blood and throbbing from my fresh wounds.
”You promised,” she repeated, sounding like she was trying to convince herself of something.
”I think we have…more pressing matters…than what I promised you,” I groaned, having to pause every now and then due to the pain.
It seemed almost unfair that I had to deal with this. Tyler should be the one getting in trouble or lectured about this, not me.
Yet deep inside I knew it was my fault. I could have prevented it by not going into that room alone, or even mentioning that we had to talk.
”I have already helped your friends as indirectly as possible,” Artemis said tiredly. ”So we will discuss this now, young lady.”
I flinched. She didn’t usually sound like a mother. In fact, Artemis usually just treated me like another hunter. Apparently a great sin like this deserved special treatment.
”Becoming a Hunter required you take an oath,” she began. ”Can you remember what it said?”
Of course I could! That was one of the greatest sensations I had ever felt. All of the other girls were so happy to have me join their group, and my mother shone (quite literally) with pride for nearly a week afterwards.
[color=purple]”I, Marie Spallor, vow to be a Hunter of Artemis and forever turn my back on men—“
She cut me off midsentence.
”And forever turn your back on men!” Artemis exclaimed. ”You broke a sacred oath, Marie, and merely apologizing won’t fix that.”
A sharp pain directed my attention back to my wounds, and I moaned again.
”Don’t you think this pain is enough?” I asked, starting to feel dizzy. The arrow still stuck out from about mid-thigh on my leg.
”No,” she murmured.
It was dark, almost midnight in the middle of a dark forest, and I could see her eyes clearly. They glowed like the moon, and she had a pulsating silver aura about her.
”Could you at least remove the arrow from my leg?” I asked her, blinking sweat from my eyes.
Artemis sighed and waved her hand; the arrow disappeared, but I still had a deep gash in my leg.
”Could you--?” I began, but her glare made my voice catch in my throat.
”There are several consequences to your actions,” Artemis muttered, almost like she was talking to herself. It appeared to me as though she thought about punishments all the time. Gesturing to me kneeling, she said, “These are just the beginning. I could cut you into little pieces and throw you to the wolves, I could do what the townsfolk did to poor Andromeda, or maybe I should just let Zeus deal with you, as he did me.”
She said the last part as though it were my fault I’d been born. It wasn’t like I had asked to be born to a revered goddess who swore she would never give up her virginity.
”Or perhaps,” Artemis began again, but I cut her off this time.
”Or perhaps feeling the disappointment roll off you in waves is punishment enough,” I told her, forcing myself to make eye contact.
Artemis’s eyes seemed to search mine; it reminded me of Harry Potter’s feeling of being X-rayed by Dumbledore’s own brilliant blue eyes.
”Please?” I whispered pleadingly.
There was no telling what she was thinking then. All she did was shake her head as though disgusted and walk off into the forest.
Have you ever done one small thing to lose your parents’ trust? Maybe you told them you would be home by ten, but you showed up two hours later in a car full of rowdy teens. After that, they didn’t trust you to go anywhere without them, and you never went to a part again.
All you want is for them to forgive you, but that won’t happen in the next hundred years. The guilt rips you up from the inside-out, but apologizing to them makes you feel weak and vulnerable to their actions. You just wish they would forget the whole incident and everything will be just fine.
But what do you do when one of those parents is an immortal goddess? What if she has near-unlimited power and you’re immortal as well? You’re both going to live with that the rest of your lives, and you’re probably never going to apologize. How would you get her to forgive you?
I learned the answer to that question in this one-time experience: you don’t. It is quite impossible.
Artemis wouldn’t listen if I tried. There was no point in telling her I was sorry and it wouldn’t happen again; she’d just ignore me.
I jumped as a hand rested on my shoulder. Glancing up, I saw the handsome face that I’d only been allowed to see once before: Apollo’s.
”Why are you here?” I asked skeptically.
”To help you,” he replied, his crooked smile seeming to glow in the darkness.
Removing his hand from my shoulder, Apollo moved into the forest. Naturally curious, I stood to follow him.
Let me give you this piece of advice: NEVER upset or break a promise to a goddess.
It felt as though pins and needles were sticking out of every inch of my skin. My head pounded, my bruises throbbed, and my cuts bled and stretched.
Little dots began to pop in front of my eyes, blurring my vision. I blinked hard and shook my head to clear them.
For the first time since arriving here, I noticed my surroundings. It took my brain a few more seconds to recognize the area with its small tents, big trees, and near-luminescent rocks. I could hear the crashing water of the waterfall and the babble of the stream. Owls hooted, the wolves growled, and the moon glowed brightly.
”Are you coming?” Apollo hissed, peaking out from behind a tree. ”This is too good a show to miss!”
I stretched real quickly, wincing as each cut yelled in turn. I then picked my way past the boulders and stones to stand by the sun god. He grinned at me and took my hand in his warm one. When I flinched, he laughed.
”Artemis has taught all of you well,” Apollo told me. ”I’m just doing this so we can speed things up a bit.”
I groaned loudly.
Apollo always thought everything had to be fast, whether it was walking, talking, or eating.
He turned from the clearing and began taking long strides. For each one of his steps, I had to take three just to keep up. Soon I was having trouble keeping up with him. When I almost tripped over a log, I asked him, ”Where is she?”
Apollo suddenly stopped walking. Releasing my hand, he motioned for me to stay put.
”Artemis?” he called into the gloom. I heard what sounded like a loud sniffle, then, ”What?”
I put a hand to my mouth, swearing I could feel my heart break. Artemis sounded awful, like she’d been crying.
”Are you alright?” I heard Apollo ask.
I couldn’t see them, but I heard renewed cries.
”I thought she had really changed,” Artemis whispered. ”I was so…so PROUD of her! Then she goes and…and she just blew it!”
I crept closer, my mind numb with shame. Crouching down, I pressed my back against a tree. I felt awful for eavesdropping, but Apollo was the one who had brought me here.
”Can’t you just forgive her?” he asked.
There was a disgusted (and disgusting) snort.
”And let her think she’s won? Not happening.”
”Missy,” Apollo said consolingly. I could just imagine him rubbing her back to calm her. ”Marie’s just another teenage girl. What did you expect?”
”A little more respect,” Artemis told him. ”She may be a teenage girl, but I am a major goddess! Marie is a smart kid, she knows what happens to ignorant heroes!”
There was a silence, during which I hardly dared to breath. My thoughts swirled, muddling my already befuddled mind.
”She’s growing up too fast,” Artemis whispered so that I had to strain to hear what she was saying. ”Maybe that’s why I’ve never had a kid before, because I was afraid of what would happen. I’ve always heard Athena and Aphrodite talking about how fast their children seemed to grow, but I didn’t pay much mind to it until now. I love her too much is my problem, Apollo.”
A hot tear rolled down my cheek. I didn’t think she felt that way, not after what had happened barely ten minutes ago.
”I understand, kiddo,” Apollo said.
With a jolt, I remembered that Tyler was a son of Apollo; of course he would understand.
”You should let her know,” Apollo began, but his voice trailed off.
Hearing a frantic fluttering, I glanced around the edge of the douglas fir. The messenger of the gods, Hermes, had just landed by the twins. His face was red, and he looked panicked.
”Kronos has just declared war,” he breathed. ”He has your son, Apollo. He has Tyler.”
Apollo swore loudly.
”And Zeus’s plan?” Artemis prompted.
Hermes looked sincerely apologetic.
”You know we can’t interfere, Artemis,” he said, genuinely sorry.
”Damn right, we can’t,” Apollo growled. ”That’s my son! I am not just going to let Kronos take him for a bargaining tool!”
”Apollo, calm,” Artemis soothed. ”We’ll save all the demigods, including your son. I’ll help you, for Marie.”
I winced; thanks, Mom.
I was done with Tyler. After what had happened tonight, I wasn’t about to risk it again. He just wasn’t right in the head, and most would consider him obsessed.
The only person who hadn’t lost his cool when I left was Aaron. He was who I was fighting for; my best friend and loyal teammate.

Chapter 10

Stupid People and Their Lifestyles

{Ajax’s POV}
Stupidity. That’s what rules our world today, sheer stupidity. There are stupid people, stupid plans, stupid ideas, stupid rules, stupid actions, and stupid people. Yes, I said it twice. It’s true. And of course, all the smart people sit at home and complain about the stupid people, but we don’t do anything about it. We’re lazy, and that’s a fact for some.
I could name several stupid people, but all I could have told you at that moment was Tyler. He was so stupid that it wasn’t even funny. He just walked out, like he could find her at this time of night with a whole army looking for demigods of any kind. She disappeared in a flash of moonlight. Can he not see what happened there!?
In my frustration, I struck out at a potted plant, and it fell to the floor. Ambrosia shot me a dangerous glance, at which I replied with a nastier one. She merely rolled her eyes and turned her back.
Hestia was trying to organize everybody, but nobody had a mind to listen to her. It was all, Oh gods, what do we do!? and What if we lose? Nobody could relax. They were agitated, their nerves shot, ADHD kicking into high gear. When I couldn’t take it any longer, all the noise, chaos, and Hestia not getting peoples’ attention, I just screamed, “SHUT UP!” There was an imminent silence. Hestia shot me a grateful glance.
“We obviously need a plan,” she said to the room, hoping to receive some ideas. Not one person had even a spark of a fire. Seeing it was hopeless, Hestia looked to the oldest people there: me, and my brother, Andy.
Dropping my arms in a show of anger, I stepped up in front of the group.
“So, we don’t know where Tyler is,” I began, earning a ton of eye rolls. “Well, excuse me for listing what we know. Or what we don’t know, for that matter. Haimon’s acting Kronos, and Kayla’s with him doing gods know what.” People gave me disgusted looks, and I raised my hands in a show of ‘Hey, it could be.’ “Marie has disappeared—“ Glares from the Hunters “—And, for all we know, the gods are just watching from above. Oh, and Aaron is practically dead.” The people were outraged with this.
“How do you know he’s dead?” demanded Seth, getting to his feet and moving forward. Somebody grabbed his arm, and I chuckled darkly, my laugh echoing ominously through the room.
“I didn’t say he was, kid, breathe,” I told him. “I just said he practically was, since he’s got so many injuries. He’s useless to us now, he’s just gonna have to sit this battle out.” Seth opened his mouth for more, but a few people shushed him. Philanthia actually hurried out, heard a moment later climbing up the stairs, undoubtedly to check on our fallen colleague.
Ambrosia shook her head.
“So that’s all we have,” she admitted plainly. Some campers looked at her funny, while the Hunters looked confused. “We don’t have anything to go on, and as long as the gods are hiding on Olympus or wherever, we have no defenses against Kronos. I don’t know about you guys, but my day’s screwed. I’m gonna end it. See ya.”
With that, she walked out the door. There was an eerie silence for a moment, then Orion shrugged.
“She’s voiced the best idea I’ve heard tonight,” he said. “I’m out, too.”
Soon, everybody was filing out to find a place to sleep for the night. I could only run my fingers through my short hair, again and again, for some reason hoping it would work. Of course, it didn’t. Nobody has magical hair.
Since everybody else had left for bed, I decided to take first watch. I fingered my sword, studying it closely. It was so scratched up, so dull. I need a new one. Just thinking that made me sad. My weapon and I had been throw all sorts of Fizzwhoop together.
Suddenly, a bright light blared in through the window. I dropped my sword with clatter, shielding my eyes. Then, our worst nightmare came true.
A booming, triumphant voice echoed through camp.
“We have your leader, demigods,” it cackled. “There’s no hope for you now. Surrender, and I might just spare your pathetic lives.”
When he was done, the light vanished. I slowly moved my hands away, shock making my movements slow. I couldn’t move anymore. That was it, any hopes of defeating him dwindling. Slumped back in a chair now, I didn’t look up as all my peers came racing in.
“Did you hear that?”
“They’ve got Tyler!”
“We’re doomed now.”
Hestia came in, her eyes slightly crazed, with that girl trailing behind her.
“We haven’t lost hope,” she told us, a hint of a smile curling her lips.
“What else do we have!?” James demanded. “We have NOTHING! Absolutely nothing left!”
The girl with Hestia glared at James.
“You do have something,” she spoke up. Everybody fell silent and watched her. When she didn’t go on, Hestia prompted her excitedly.
“What, dear?” she asked, watching us for our reactions.
“They have me,” the girl sighed. There was a silence, and then I burst out laughing.
“You?” I guffawed. “What could you possibly do to help save us?” The girl hung her head and stepped back again. Hestia shot her a sympathetic glance, then turned back to us. She opened her mouth, obviously about to say something, then closed it again. Then she opened it, having finally worked up the courage, and confided in us a deadly secret.
“This is my daughter, Autumn.”
Stunned silence. I mean, what were you supposed to say to that? Another virgin goddess has a child, and we’re supposed to be all, ‘Cool, welcome to the family!’? Zeus was having a really bad decade. I know I’d be if two of my daughters had kids when they weren’t supposed to.
“But that’s not right,” Cassandra finally voiced, breaking the ice. “You’re sworn to be a virgin. You know, never having kids?”
Hunters and campers alike murmured agreement.
“So did Artemis,” Hestia defended. “And that got you Marie. I’m just trying to help you. You’re in a tough spot, and you need all the hands you can get. What do you say?”
Looking around at everybody else, I could see the confusion and reluctance in their faces. A complete stranger, and we had already lost two of our most trusted campers. I sat forward and looked up at Hestia.
“What does she have?” I asked.
Eager for an opportunity to prove herself, Hestia motioned Autumn forward. The girl drew a long, golden sword.
“Anybody willing to challenge me?” she asked the room at random.
Seth immediately volunteered, stepping up as he unsheathed his own Celestial bronze sword. Sizing him up, Autumn smirked as she leveled her weapon. Seth mimicked her action, his face expressionless.
I could give you the details right now, such as how we were all cheering on Seth and I was about to leap in there myself, but I’m going to spare Seth the humiliation of reliving defeat. Let’s just say that Autumn was moving to quickly for our tired representative to keep up. Pathetic, in my opinion.
Just as she had pinned him to the floor with her overlong kitchen knife at his neck, Thia came back in. Her face was flushed and excited.
“He’s awake!” she bubbled.
Pandemonium ensued; everybody flooded the doorway, all of us once again excited. Hestia held us back however, with some kind of power.
“Order, people, order,” the goddess smiled. “If he’s just woken up, then it’s not good to overwhelm him. I say we go oldest to youngest.”
Orion chuckled.
“Then you’re first,” he laughed. Everybody else looked at each other, not sure what to say or do. Hestia smiled serenely at Orion.
“You go last, then, if we went by maturity level,” she commented. A chorus of Oooh!s went through the room.
From the floor, Seth made an indignant noise. Autumn, not having realized she still had him down, removed her weapon from his throat. Offering a hand, she helped Seth up. Once on his feet, he mentioned, “Aaron’s my brother, I should be first to see him.”
A general grumble followed. Hestia smiled warmly at him, gesturing out the door. He walked out, leaving us to collect our thoughts. Not that we had any real ones.
I chose this time to think about how we were all going to do. I had always had some strange thought of dying at the hands of some almighty being who wanted my blood for some heroic thing I’d done against him/her. I guess dying at the hands of Kronos was the same, as long as it was in some bloody battle to the death.
Somebody tapped my shoulder. Looking up, I saw the face of my annoying brother Andreas. As annoying as he was, he was my best friend. I could to him with anything, including insanely huge secrets such as being a spy for a Titan lord.
“What’s up?” I asked him, as though it were a normal day.
He sat on the arm of my chair and wouldn’t look at me.
“Well, since we’re screwed…” His voice trailed off.
“You’re a real optimist,” I teased him. Gods, if looks could kill, I’d’ve been dead on the spot.
“Come on, Andy,” I tried reasoning. “We can hide out here and he’ll never come.”“Ajax, be serious. Do you see any way out of this?” My brother finally looked at me, searching my eyes.
In fact, I did see a way out of this mess. Yet if I shared with him, I had to share with everybody. I didn’t wanna share just yet.
“Yeah, I do,” I admitted. “And it’s sure to work, based off of what I know so far.” Andy looked doubtful, but he could see the truth in my face. Shaking his head, he sighed.
“You, my friend, are insane,” he informed me.
Laughing, I said, “Tell me something I don’t know.”
I don’t know where it came from, but Andy began laughing. It was the kind of laugh you laugh when your nerves are on the fritz and you have trouble controlling yourself. It was the kind of laugh where people stare at you weirdly until you stop. It was the kind of laugh where people wanted to throw you in a straightjacket and lock you up. You get the kind of laugh it was? I’m sure we’ve all experienced it at some point.
As Andreas was settling down, Seth came back in and surveyed the room.
“Ajax is the oldest, right?” he asked the room at large. I nodded once, getting to my feet. As I passed Seth, I noticed he had a relieved look about him, almost like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
I climbed the stairs slowly, the sudden darkness blinding me. Once I reached the top, I followed the faint light emanating from the bedroom that Aaron was being kept in.
Entering the bedroom, I hardly recognized the person lying in the bed. His face was bruised and slightly puffed up, his whole torso and left shoulder were wrapped in bandages, and he had his right ankle propped up on pillows at the end of the bed.
All in all, he looked horrible. He’d had plenty better days. I didn’t even think he was conscious, until his eyes flashed open and he smiled at me.
“Ajax,” he rasped, recognizing me. “Thank the gods you came.”
I pulled up a chair. I then sat on the edge of it, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees.
“Why so thrilled?” I asked him curiously. “It’s just me.”
Aaron snorted, then winced.
“You’re the leader now, right?” he replied.
Shrugging, I studied his face.
“If they’re choosing by oldest, then I guess I am,” I told him. “Why do you ask?”
He made to sit up, but it obviously caused him great pain. I watched as he screwed up his face and moaned. He just lay for a few seconds, unmoving. Once it had subsided, he opened his eyes again and looked to me.
“Because I have a plan,” he told me.
I clapped my hands together in a show of mock enthusiasm. Again, he winced.
“Brilliant!” I cried. “I have one, too!”
He blinked, and his face fell.
“..Really?” he whispered apprehensively. “Let’s hear yours.”
So I told him what I had, and as the story unfurled, his face drooped even further.
“Oh…” he muttered when I’d finished. “That’s way better than what I had.”
I decided to humor him. After all, the kid had had a rough day.
“I don’t know,” I said as lightheartedly as I could. “What was your plan?”
Aaron looked down sheepishly.
“The same idea that almost got me killed,” he said so softly, I had to lean in. “Charge them, take them by surprise.”
I blinked and sat back. Seriously? That’s all he had? It was an awkward silence. He just picked at a loose string on his blanket, while I watched him. The same idea that had gotten him killed…
“Well, guess we’re going with my plan, huh?” I joked. When Aaron didn’t laugh, I stood up. “I’m going to go talk with the rest of the group about it, set up some patrols or something.”
Aaron grunted, still not looking up. As I walked to the door, I heard him call my name.
“Ajax?”
I turned back to him, my hand on the doorjamb.
“Yes?”
“Is Marie here?”
Gods, I didn’t know what to tell him. ‘Ooh, Tyler tried to kiss her, so Artemis took her back. Sorry you missed her.’ That would break his heart. Not that I cared, but his whole body was broken up.
“The Hunters are here, but Artemis kept Marie for safety,” I said carefully, thinking over my words. Aaron nodded, understanding.
“Thank you.”
I just waved a hand over my shoulder as I walked out the door.

Chapter 11

Take That! Er, As a Friend

{Autumn’s POV}
What a surprise; they were shocked my mother wasn’t a virgin any longer. I still loved her, and Zeus didn’t know (as far as we were concerned), so life was good. Well, if Kronos hadn’t ruined the world—okay, camp so far—then life would be good. Great, now I sound all retarded.
The room chattered quietly. Their friend, Aaron, son of Poseidon, had just woken from his pain-induced slumber. I felt bad for him, having been beaten to within an inch of his life, after getting kidnapped, and then his heart being broken (somebody was bound to tell him about that one daughter of Artemis). I mean, talk about a bad day.
Mother came over to me; she seemed rather proud of herself.
”I believe they all took it rather well,” she commented. My thoughts were exactly opposite, but Hestia was practically glowing with self-pleasure, I wasn’t about to ruin it.
Ajax came back into the room and waved his brother off to visit the dark upstairs.
Taking in the scene, I became depressed. Forlorn expressions, frightened whispers, and freaked nerves filled the room. I didn’t blame them; who knew if they would make it out alive? None of us had any assurances we were safe. Oh my gods, that was just… never mind. Let me just thank Captain Obvious real quickly.
An hour passed in awkward fear. Not much was said, not that there was anything to say really. I remember from my years of watching the campers interact with one another that they usually had tons to talk and gossip about, but there wasn’t anything new to be shared now, especially since nothing surpassed the incident that was going on.
Finally, everybody had gone up to visit with Aaron. Seth went up one last time, since he was Aaron’s brother. Thankfully, nobody had told him about Mar—
”NOO!!”
Panic swept through the room at first, nobody had any idea what was going on. Ajax realized what was happening, and angrily kicked a small foot rest (not really hard, but enough). Ambrosia ran to the foot of the staircase, but Andreas stopped her.
”Leave him,” he told her. She glared at him for a moment, then obeed his command.
A while later, a white-faced Seth descended. Everybody waited expectantly. His voice shaking, the Bearer of Bad News informed us, ”I told him the truth about Marie.”
There was a mixture of dirty looks, moans, and “Are you serious!?”’s thrown at him. My opinion was that if Aaron was gonna find out anyways, why not just tell him now? Seth had the smart idea.
The boy in question stared at his feet. Ajax, the unspoken-replacement leader, got up and faced the group. Clapping his hands together, we watched him gather his thoughts. Mother and I exchanged glances. I wondered what he would say to the newly-made pessimists. One deep breath later, we all found out:
”I have a plan.”
Nobody really reacted. Andreas looked like this was old news to him, but everybody else had a look of mild surprise, almost as though they were thinking, “Oh, wow, Ajax has sensical thoughts.” I know, it’s not a word, but it makes sense to me. The only problem was: what if the plan backfired and destroyed them? Aaron’s ‘plan’ had nearly killed him, surely this one had to be at least a little better.
”Hear me out,” Ajax asked of his peers. ”It could really work!”
Orion put his hand up, as though they were in school, except he didn’t wait to be called on before he spoke.
”And what if it doesn’t?” he voiced the group’s fear. ”I mean, look at Aaron; he barely made it.”
Ajax glared at Orion as Philanthia smacked him on the arm.
”For your information, Aaron was up against Kronos when he was ALMOST beaten to death,” snapped Ajax. ”So we have a fighting chance! If Aaron managed to live, and it was just him, what can we do as a group?”
Quinta piped in with her tiny voice.
”Kronos has a huge army,” she reminded everybody.
The volume of the room began rising, and nobody could gain control.
”QUIET!!!” I roared. There was almost instantaneous silence. I stepped back, feeling my face start burning from my random outburst. ”Keep going, Ajax, I wanna hear what you have in mind.”
Ajax nodded once to me, then faced the campers once more.
”So basically, we need to..” As his plan unfolded, my brain became a swirl of thoughts. There were so many things that could go wrong, but it was a pretty well-thought-out plan.
We ended with a question and comments session, and everybody quietly drifted away to the original thoughts of sleep. As Hestia dimmed the lights, I passed her to move into the kitchen.
”Good night, dear,” she smiled.
I was pretty glad to have her as my mom.

Chapter 12

2nd Best

{Andreas’s POV}
I am not a morning person, not at all. So when Hestia came into where we were sleeping and began opening windows (which I don’t understand, since we’re supposed to be hiding), I rolled onto my face and tried to go back to sleep. Then, just like you see those moms in movies or on T.V., she walked around clapping her hands and calling to us to wake up.
Let’s get something straight here: I hate anybody who ruins my sleeping schedule. Excuse me if I ran around camp all of yesterday wearing ten pounds of gear, but I’m tired! It can’t even be past 8, and we were up past midnight. This was not nearly enough sleep.
Feeling over my head for another pillow from the couch, I received a stinging pain in my hand. Definitely awake now, I sat up to see Ajax glaring at me.
”What was that!?” I demanded, showing him my hand, which I could now see had a small cut on the palm.
”You try sleeping with somebody’s hand in your face,” he growled back. I took the pillow I had been using for my head and swung at him, whacking him in the face. Ajax threw a punch, which I deftly dodged. Before he could try anything worse, I was on my feet and maneuvering my way through the obstacle-course of people waking up. Into the kitchen, and I found—
”Aaron!?”
The kid himself was sitting at the table, eating, while Seth watched him both excitedly and anxiously. They both glanced up. A noise behind me caused me to automatically shield myself. It was Ajax, with a pillow raised over his head, poised to strike, but he froze when he saw who was at the table. Then, he was Mr. Friendly.
Pulling a chair away from the table, Ajax sat on the other side of Aaron. I stood there, utterly dumbfounded. Something was wrong with my brother; he was the guy who, every time we saw Aaron, would make some snide remark about how obsessed that kid was with Marie, and how useless it was to be the son of the water god, when we both knew it was far greater than being kids of Ares.
Snapping back to reality, there came a wonderful smell. Following my nose, I found breakfast: a pile of eggs and toast. However, before I could take any for myself, Cassandra came from nowhere and smacked my hand with her food-covered spatula (just let me say, ew).
”We have to be careful with everybody’s food,” she explained, ”as we have no more.”
Just then, Miss Sunshine herself came into the room.
”Cassandra, I can fix that!” Hestia said brightly, sweeping over to where the food sat on plates.
The four of us at the table exchanged mingled glances of confusion and excitement. After all, it’s not every day you get to see a god/goddess use magical powers.
Yet, of course, something came along to ruin it in the form of my dad. In a flash of bright white light, in which we were all temporarily blinded, Ares himself appeared in the kitchen. Suddenly, I was feeling claustrophobic.
Once all he had seen were stunned looks, the god of war looked at Ajax.
”Hey!” he rasped, sounding like a smoker. Normally, he sounded like a. . . Well, take your idea of a bad biker and multiply it by 8, 10 if you aren’t his kid. But he was trying to keep his voice below a sonic boom.
Again, I stood there dumbfounded. I mean, everybody always preferred Ajax over me, since he was older and people got to know him before I came along, but I wasn’t invisible. Even my own father ignored me, though. I was just quieter, less out-spoken than my older brother.
Ajax, being the brown-noser he is, gave my dad the fakest grin I have ever seen in my life.
”Hey Dad,” he said. Pfft, I could have said something better. Unfortunately, a commotion in the hallway distracted everyone before I could.
Another surprised stepped into the already packed kitchen. Aaron merely raised an eyebrow before returning to his interrupted meal; Seth just gaped, open-mouthed, between Ares and the new arrival; Hestia’s smile seemed rather strained; Ajax was pretty amused; Cassandra just kind of stood there.
After surveying the room, Athena placed herself in the last vacant chair.
”I told you to wait,” she shot at Ares. His scarred face twisted into something like a grin.
”I did,” he told her, with the air of someone doing something incredibly evil.
”I meant for more than a minute,” she snapped.
By now, everybody was up and at ‘em, standing in the doorway, watching the entertainment. I felt as though circus music should have been playing. We were all watching the argument in a ping-pong-viewing motion, heads bobbing back and forth.
Ares shook his head.
”We’re here now, so let’s get to it!” he said, clapping his hands as he got straight to the point.
Hestia finally spoke up.
”Get to what?” she asked. ”You know that as gods, you can’t interfere with what’s going on with the campers’ lives, especially when it involves other Greek legends!”
The two Olympians exchanged amused looks.
”Zeus told us that as long as we did all but tell them what exactly to do, and didn’t use our powers for anything, we were in the clear,” Athena explained, a smile playing around her mouth.
Hestia shrugged.
”They do need help,” she commented, not so subtly looking at Aaron.
Adults pitying kids and teenagers are not cool, most definitely when it involves embarrassing them in front of friends or something like that. But this time, it was okay. Only because we would most likely die, without them right now.
”So what’s your plan?” Ajax questioned.
”We need the top 3 to 5 leaders from the demigods to come with us, so we can give them ‘hints’,” Ares told us.
Immediately, there was an eruption of voices as everyone tried to put in how great of a leader they were. Luckily, we had Hestia.
”I believe Ajax, Aaron, Ambrosia, and Andreas are the best,” she announced, somehow keeping her voice at a normal, indoor volume, but making herself heard above the clamor.
There were groans; I, however, was frozen for the third time. Me, a leader? Strange. . .
”Okay, upstairs then, folks!” Athena said, reminding me of a librarian. Except she was looser, less strict. She was wearing jeans and a nice shirt, with her brown hair pulled up into a loose ponytail, leaving strands to frame her face. Woah, snap out of it, Andy. She’s a goddess, you’re a kid, moving on.
Aaron, Ajax, Ambrosia, and I traipsed upstairs, following Athena and Ares. Curiosity filled the air around our small group (wow, that was cheesy, but true). Passing the room Aaron had been in, we went to a room at the end of the hallway.
You know in horror movies, the dark eerily silent hallway that ends in an even creepier, shadowed door that you’re afraid of, because you don’t know what’s behind it? That’s what it kinda felt like. Ares grasped the doorknob, making it look puny in his gargantuan hand, and opened the door.
Talk about disappointing endings. The least that could have happened was having a skeleton pop out at us, or see a giant spider crawling across the floor. The scariest object in the room was an old table that looked like it would collapse at the slightest touch.
Flicking on the light, Ambrosia smiled.
”This feels more like home,” she sighed.
I helped Aaron onto the broken sofa, then took the scene in for myself.
Rickety chairs surrounded the scary table in the center-left of the room, while a destroyed T.V. set with the afore-mentioned sofa took the whole right side of the room. Various garb from the past few years lay around on the floor, collecting dust.
Ares and Athena remained standing, waiting for us to take the chairs, which we did. Then we sat expectantly.
There was an insanely awkward silence. I mean, I wondered if they had thought this through before they came here, because they just kind of stood there, doing absolutely nothing.
”Soo, do you have a plan for us, or what?” Ambrosia finally spoke up.
”No, actually, we just wanted to hear what you guys were planning on doing,” Athena said, suddenly becoming the impatiently waiting one.
Ajax stood up and shared his plan. The gods were quiet for a moment, using some sort of mythical intelligence thing to communicate with each other about their thoughts. Then, the strangest thing happened.
[color=red]”That’s an excellent plan,”[color] Ares congratulated Ajax. ”And you have every little detail planned, so nothing can go wrong?”
”Yessir,” Ajax told him. ”If we lose this battle, we might as well hang ourselves.” Ambrosia and Aaron seemed to agree with this. I wasn’t so sure, though.
”But what if Kayla gives up?” I openly questioned. ”I mean, she decided to join Kronos, what guarantee do we have that she’ll be on our side?”
”You’re kidding, right?” Ambrosia asked me. I shrugged, and she continued. ”You didn’t see what she said to Tyler, did you?”
How the heck was I supposed to know what she had told him?! I’m not a lip reader, and besides, she had pulled the guy outside and was whispering to him.
”No, I didn’t see it,” I snapped. ”If you’re so good, what’d she say?”
There were smirks, and Ambrosia explained, ”She told him that she was on our side, no matter what happened.”
I just shrugged, not looking them in the eyes. So what did I care if they knew something I didn’t? It didn’t make a difference to me.
After an awkward pause, somebody came into the room. We realized, after a moments’ confusion, that it was only Cassandra. Her face was flushed, and she was grinning from ear to ear.
”Marie’s back!”

Chapter 13

Let’s Figure This Out


{Aaron’s POV}
Paaaaaaaain. I felt the pain. That’s pretty much all I felt. I also felt anger, lots and lots of anger. Towards Tyler, towards the gods, but mostly towards myself.
I was angry with myself for having gotten into this mess. With all these bandages and wounds, it was basically impossible to do anything, and I couldn’t walk on my own. Mainly because my bone had been crushed, but hey. Good thing we had the ambrosia to help out.
We were upstairs in a room I didn’t know existed; it was Ajax, Andy, Ambrosia, Athena, Ares, and I, discussing battle plans. Well, not really, since we already had one, but we were smoothing over the rougher details of it. Anywho, while we were talking (or Ajax and Ares were talking, the rest of us were looking on), Cassandra burst in, looking super excited.
”Marie’s back!” she exclaimed, then rushed back out of the room. All the others started rushing out, and I was stuck on the couch.
”Uh, guys?!” I called, but nobody could hear me. There was too much commotion downstairs for them to hear me. ”HELLOOO?!” Still no response. My head slumped back on the arm of the couch. Great. I haven’t seen her in what feels like ages, and now I can’t.
Wait a second. . . I could go downstairs myself! I had the railing to help me down the stairs, and from that point, everybody could hear me. Swinging my feet over, I placed them gingerly on the floor. I winced at the pain in my ankle. Using the back of the couch, I managed to make it almost to the doorway, watching my steps the whole time, mainly only using my right foot to hop.
Just then, I heard something that made me fall over and cry out.
”Aaron?” Marie said in surprise. I did as I just said, and she ran over to me. ”Are you alright?” she asked anxiously, helping me sit up.
I forgot her eyes. How could I forget her eyes? They were so deep, and so bright.
”Aaron, are you going to answer me?” she chuckled.
Snapping out of it, I did answer her.
”Sorry,” I apologized. ”Just haven’t seen you in forever, that’s all. I’m a little surprised your mom let you come back, even after. . Yeah.”
She looked down at her hands folded in her lap.
”She and I had a. . talk, I guess you could call it,” Marie mumbled.
We sat there in silence for a moment. I was trying to convince myself to say something to her, something that wouldn’t sound stupid, or make me sound like Tyler, or anything that might get her in trouble. Finally, I did.
”Marie,” I said. ”Can we talk?”
She got to her feet.
”Last time a boy said that to me, this happened.” She lifted up her shorts to reveal a horrible cut in her thigh. She pulled her shorts back down. ”I just don’t want it to happen again. But, I know you wouldn’t let it happen.” There was something sincere in her voice, and the way she smiled down at me.
Marie held out her hand.
”Come on, let’s get you somewhere comfortable,” she said. I took her hand, and she helped me to my feet. From there, she put my arm around her shoulders and led me over to the couch again. Once I was seated, Marie sat next to me.
”So, what’s up?” she asked.
Man, where to start? Marie, I love you! She’d run out of that room and be gone before I could continue. I opened my mouth several times, stared at me hands, looked at her, then went back to staring at my hands. After a few awkward moments, she burst out, ”So it’s true!”
Okay, confusion moment. Say what? I had no clue what she was talking about.
”What?” I asked her. Marie looked embarrassed.
”Well, back before this whole mess got started—“ she gestured to me in my bandages –”Somebody told me that. . Ah, well, that you like me.” It was her turn to look in awkwardness at her hands.
”Oh,” was all I could muster. I mean, what are you supposed to say to somebody when they tell you a rumor you know to be true? Gods, I just admitted that. Might as well say it to her face now. ”Well, it’s true.”
There are always shows on the television that have people with their good and bad side, portrayed as an angel and devil on either shoulder, fighting each other. That’s kind of what it was like for me at that moment, except it was only the angel, and it was cheering it\'s head off.
”Oh,” she murmured, her face turning red. Gosh, she was so cute. ”Well, what if I said I liked you back?”
Woah! Wait one second here! Did she seriously just say that?! My face must have looked like my thoughts, because Marie said, ”Yeah, crazy, I know.”
”No, no it’s not crazy,” I told her, lifting up her chin. She slowly looked into my eyes. ”It’s wonderful. I mean, I always thought you liked Tyler, since he’s so crazy for you.”
Marie chuckled.
”Well, that’s the thing,” she said. ”You’re not insane crazy, you’re just quiet about it. I guess that’s what I like most, is that. . . You’re not obsessed.”
I gave her a smile, a knowing smile.
”I completely understand,” I whispered, leaning in.
I will not go into details of what happened next. All I’m going to say is that no other guy has ever felt as happy as I did right then, and that it was the best first kiss I ever had.
When we had pulled away, she was grinning from ear to ear.
”Look at that,” she commented, glancing around. ”Either my mom isn’t watching closely enough, or she doesn’t mind.”
I couldn’t speak. I was almost literally on Cloud Nine right there.
”We should probably go downstairs,” Marie said, snapping me out of my daze.
”Yeah,” I agreed.
She helped me down the stairs, the same way she had helped me over to the couch in that room. Man, who knew anybody could feel this way? I was in heaven. She must have noticed, because she shook her head and laughed at me.
”Here he is!” Ajax cried when we had descended the stairs. ”We were beginning to get worried!”
”Well, you guys left me upstairs, with no way to get downstairs,” I shot at him, my anger coming back (I still hadn’t forgotten the past few minutes, though). Ajax threw his hands up in and I’m-innocent-don’t-look-at-me way. Marie set me down in a chair in the living room, then she sat on the arm of it.
”So, what were you two doing up there?” Orion teased. I was about to say something mean to him, but Marie cut in.
”Having a good discussion,” she informed him coolly.
”With your lips, I bet,” he snickered.
”Yes, actually,” Marie snapped. ”I assume that you speak with your lips as well?”
A loud “Oooo!” went through the room, as it often does when somebody gets dissed. I laughed; it felt really good. Orion just glared.
”I’m pretty sure you guys were still kissing, though,” he snarled.
Ambrosia stepped in.
”And I’m pretty sure that just last night, you were saying that she was in love with Tyler,” she snapped at Orion.
The guy looked more and more pissed as the conversation went on.
”Come on, they were up there for a long time!” he whined, wanting everybody to tease Marie and I with him.
I shrugged.
”We might have been,” I taunted. ”But you can’t prove it wrong or right, so you have no point in making fun of us.”
Marie looked down at me with a wicked grin on her face.
”He will now,” she smiled, as she leaned down.
We kissed in front of everybody. I am a happy guy.

Chapter 14

I Feel Like a Monster

{Haimon’s POV}
Early morning. That’s all my personal brain registered, but Kronos’s took in so much more, and it was simpler and less painful to allow him to control me. And it was painful, trying to fight it. It wasn’t just a simple pain, like from a cut or maybe a blister, or even a big pain, like breaking your arm or dislocating your shoulder. It was an aching pain, like when you’ve worked out hard and your muscles are sore for days. An intense workout that causes your muscles to ache, but it just doesn’t stop. Every time I move, it throbs.
I tried (as myself) to remember what had occurred the night before. All I could remember, though, was eating, cheering, and loud noises. Oh, and we managed to capture Tyler.
You might be wondering how this happened. I will tell you, but it’s from Kronos.
It was shortly after I had gotten back from the whole thingy with Kayla. Kronos had managed to gain control again, and was mentally beating me. Kayla followed me in shortly afterwards, and Kronos growled. I managed to hold him back; it was like holding back an angry dog on a leash. A Rottweiler.
So I was sitting in my own corner of my mind, watching the only channel I got: Kronos-vision. At the moment, he was snacking on some ribs and discussing plans with his ‘top officers’, occasionally throwing a glare at Kayla (sigh).
Then, there was a sudden hush in the amphitheater. This caught my attention from dozing off. Everybody was looking at the same thing: Tyler.
My immediate thought was, Stupid! What are you doing?! You’re gonna get killed! My next thought was, AHHHHHH!! as Kronos forced me down.
I felt my mouth lift up in an evil grin. Personally, I love grinning evilly. It makes me feel powerful, as if I know something that nobody else in the world does. But this guy’s version of evil grin was maniacal, just creepy.
”What brings you here?” he practically purred (Creeeeeperr!)
Tyler stepped slowly down the benches. His deadpan attitude commanded attention from all who were watching. The expression on his (yes, I’ll admit it) normally handsome face was dark, filled with. . Not hopelessness, but more like give-upness.
He came to a halt about ten feet in front of me/Kronos.
”I heard you wanted me,” he said simply. ”So I came.”
Kronos chuckled darkly.
”Need we tie you up?” he asked Tyler. ”Or will you come quietly?”
”Tie me up,” Tyler intoned. “Don’t tie me up, it doesn’t matter to me anymore. I could be in a coma right now, on the verge of death, and I wouldn’t care.”
Kronos tilted my head to the side, giving me a clear view of Tyler. He looked horrible. His skin was pale, his face gaunt, his eyes sunken, and his hair unkempt. In basic language, he looked like \"Shiznit\".
I watched my master’s thoughts flash through his section of mind (we had divided it up when he took over. He got his 95%, and I got my 5. Even Steven.) Right now, he was thinking deeply about. . . OH GODS, NO!
Shut up! flashed the reader board.
I’m sorry, I murmured back.
”Tyler,” Kronos said, sounding like somebody deep in thought, which he was, if you count thinking about weapons real thoughts. ”What if you joined my army?”
This caught my old comrade’s attention. He looked up, some light in his eyes.
”But don’t you have enough?” he asked, gesturing to Kronos himself (or me, however you want to think about it) and Kayla.
”You would think that, and I can understand,” Kronos sighed, as though he were in a dire situation, where only Tyler could help him. ”But see, they don’t have the information or smarts that you do.” If looks could kill, Kayla would have killed Kronos right then. Or me. However you want to look at it. I doubt she would have killed me though, so. . . Okay, death glares again. Those are not cool.
”You know things that neither Kayla nor Haimon know.”
Tyler seemed to consider this for a moment.
”NO! I managed to shout. I guess I have to have strong feelings to gain any control over anything. And, alas, I was beaten down for my efforts. What a cruel world.
”So, Tyler, what are you thinking?” Kronos tried to smooth over the awkward moment.
Gods, Tyler, don’t do this. Our poor friends already have enough mouse dung to deal with, don’t turn over, too.
”I could,” he said slowly, obviously still mulling over some ideas. ”How would I be treated? And what do I get in return for helping you?”
”Oh, you are a smart negotiator, my friend,” Kronos snickered. ”You would get to help me lead. And you will be treated like a god yourself, far greater than your father, or even your father’s father.”
Tyler began to get a weird glint in his eye, as though thinking about being greater than the king of the gods was a fantastic thought. Okay, I’m not going to lie, it isn’t a bad one, but there is only so far that you can go.
”I’ll do it,” he agreed. STUPID. PEOPLE. DON’T. DESERVE. TO. LIVE. I’d beat him myself if I weren’t being controlled by a psycho maniac from the pits of Tartarus. He held out his hand to shake, and the two did. The deed was done.
”Good,” Kronos said, on the verge of cackling. I managed to hold him back from scaring Tyler away. No evil cackles for you! ”The first thing we have to discuss is plans. What were your demigod partners planning on doing?”
Tyler suddenly looked uncomfortable.
”Umm, well, I actually left before they got to any plan discussing at all,” he admitted, looking at his feet. There was an uproarious laughter from the monsters assembled. I felt Kronos trying to hold back his temper, forcing a small smile.
”I thought you already knew something, Tyler.” He cut off his sentence angrily.
The poor kid looked lost.
”It must have been a miscommunication, then, because I never said anything about knowing what they were planning,” he told the Titan lord. When Kronos’s anger started becoming heated (almost literally), Tyler apologized.
”I’m sorry, my Lord, but I do not know what they have in mind,” he mumbled, bowing. ”I can help you, however, come up with a failsafe plan to fight theirs. They have very little, we have tons.”
Kronos considered this.
He’s riiiight, I thought extra loudly, just to make sure he could hear me.
”Fine,” Kronos growled out loud. ”Let’s get down to planning. Kayla! Come over here!’ he barked, and Kayla scampered over. ”Like Tyler mentioned before, we have strength in numbers.”
Since I could view any portion of Kronos’s vision I chose, I watched Kayla carefully. She looked frightened, but relaxed. She didn’t know how little control I had over Kronos. There she was, knowing I was fighting him, but not knowing that I wasn’t, if you can make sense of that.

The next morning, I awoke before Kronos. Man, that meant I would have more power today! Usually, if I was up before the Lord of Time, then I had a better chance of fighting him than if he woke before I did. And, I got extra time to be myself before he woke up. Like they say, ‘the early bird catches the worm!’
I got up, went over, and shook Kayla awake. She jolted upright, then shrank away.
”Kayla, it’s me,” I whispered. Her eyes softened, and she smiled.
”Haimon, I don’t know if we can pull this off,” she told me.
I shook my head and sat next to her.
”I think we have a fighting chance,” I encouraged. ”I mean, there has to be some way that the gods can interfere. There’s no way that they have to be forced to just sit on the sidelines and watch the world be destroyed.”
Kayla sighed deeply. Something in my mind twitched.
”Be warned, I may switch to Kronos mode any minute,” I muttered, looking at my hands. As I stared, one of her hands slid into one of mine.
”We’ll find a way,” she told me. ”I just know it.”
I smiled at her. Now I felt a great stirring in my mind.
”Here he comes,” I grumbled, stepping away from Kayla. ”I’m sorry.”
Kronos came back, in full power. Before I could stop him, he back-handed Kayla across the face.
”NO!”
Kayla held her cheek in her hand. When she moved it, I saw a cut across her cheekbone. I never wanted this to happen! How could Kronos?!
”You are a traitor,” Kronos spat at her. He kicked her feet away from him. ”Your campers don’t want you back, and you are of no use to me. You might as well leave. I would go into hiding, and never be found. Go. Now.”
Scrambling to her feet, Kayla began to stumble away. I managed to reach out a hand, and say, ”Stay, Kayla!” But Kronos took over again and turned away. Now who knew where we stood in this war.

Chapter 15



Oh Goody, We’re Gonna Die

{Ambrosia's POV}
Alright, I’m all for happy couples and such, but when they’re openly being grotesque and making out in front of everybody, it’s disgusting. I’m sorry, yes, Marie is my friend, and I knew she and Aaron would get together some day, but not like this! And yeah, Orion deserved to be taught a lesson. He’s an annoying kid with an over-inflated ego, much like Ajax, but seriously? It just makes things awkward, and causes me to feel emotions that I didn’t know I had.
Anyways, so Ajax and I were sitting in the kitchen, playing a card game. Don’t bother asking what game, it wasn’t important. What was important was that he was cheating, and not admitting to his failure.
”I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he smirked, leaning back leisurely in his chair, holding up his hands to prove he didn’t have any cards hidden.
I rounded the table, drawing my dagger as I went. The son of Ares scrambled out of his seat.
”Woah, there’s no need for that.”
Laughing cruelly, I advanced, holding the knife in an offensive positioning.
”Oh, there’s need for it alright,” I snarled.
”Brosia, come on,” he pleaded, eyeing the weapon warily. It was somewhat satisfying to see the worry in his eyes. Maybe there was some need in me somewhere that had to be filled, the need to be in a position of power, and here I was.
”Don’t cheat,” I ordered. Ajax’s look got deadly, like he was suddenly mad.
”I’m not cheating!’ he insisted. Out turned his sleeves, his pockets, he even shook out his armor. Nothing came out. Still, I held up my black dagger. ”Does this face look like it’s cheating?” As he said it, his lower lip came out in a pout, and he opened his eyes wide. In a matter of seconds, I had my knife at his throat and him against the wall.
”I don’t take kindly to cheaters,” I snarled, my nose inches from Ajax’s own.
Angrily, he pushed me off of him. Looked like his dad’s genes were kicking in. The boy’s eyes were tiny fires, burning in what looked like the pits of heck.
”It’s just a card game!” he yelled. ”There! Here’s the card you needed! Happy?!’ From his sleeve, he produced the one card I would have won the game with. It was my turn to be angry.
”No,” came from my mouth, sounding weak, so I repeated it louder. ”No, Ajax, I’m not satisfied. You insisted you weren’t cheating, but look, you were! What is this that I can’t trust my own peers?” I stood there for a long minute, glaring deep into his flaming pits of defiance, then just let out a harsh breath of air in exasperation. Then I left the kitchen.
As I made my way into the living room where we had discussed what we knew last night, I heard Aaron’s angry voice.
”I want to fight! I’m perfectly fine, you have to let me out there!” he was saying. Marie was trying to keep him in the chair, but he was much stronger than her. Soon, the eldest son of Poseidon was on his feet. For a horrible second, he wobbled on his injured ankle, and looked about ready to fall over. His girlfriend held out her arms, but he shoved them away.
”Oh my gods, Aaron, you’re being stupid!” she cried, holding her hands out to her sides in a what-are-you-doing sort of way. He glared at her.
”I’m trying to get better,” he told her. Marie shook her head, tossing her black hair around her head in an angry whirlwind.
”Fine,” she growled, storming towards the door. When she saw me, her body stiffened. ”How long have you been there?” she asked me quietly.
Looking at my feet, I answered, ”Long enough.”
”Stupid world!” And the Hunter was gone. I’m still not quite sure what magic she was working, but she must have been angry enough to do something big.
Stepping softly, I walked in to where Aaron was shakily walking.
”You know she really cares about you,” I told him. Slowly, he turned himself to face me.
”I can take care of myself,” he insisted, but I could hear the hurt in his voice. Shrugging, I sat on the hearth. Yet, of course, Hestia popped up, ruining our lovely conversation. Kindly, she looked between Aaron and I.
”Have you noticed that you keep arguing among yourselves?” she asked sincerely. Without me realizing it, Aaron fell over, fortunately onto a foot rest, unfortunately landing on his bad shoulder/arm, and it made a horrible cracking sound. However, he merely flinched and mumbled, ”I’m okay” before waving to Hestia to continue speaking.
”You and Ajax, that little skirmish was painful to watch,” the goddess told me. And to Aaron: ”Then you and Marie. You two are in love, you shouldn’t be arguing at all. It’s showing the mistrust that’s wedging itself deeper into your hearts. All of you demigods need to work together.”
I stared hard at my hands in my lap. I definitely didn’t want to admit it, but she was right. We were getting a little distrusting with each other.
”Oh, is Ambrosia being a tattletale?”
Disbelievingly, I looked up to see Ajax standing in the doorway, his arms folded, staring at me like so many of my teachers have done before. Immediately, without thinking, I got to my feet. Then I realized that I was Exhibit A for Hestia’s point. So I sat down.
”Shove it, Ajax,” Aaron shot at him.
The eldest son of Ares stepped around the furniture, then seated himself right next to Aaron.
”Why so mean?” he asked, sounding like he was serious. All he received was a look of contempt.
You know that feeling you get when something weird is about to happen? I started getting that, and when I did, all the other campers started coming into the room, as if somebody had told them to see what was happening there. They all looked confused, too, like they were being controlled. I looked to Hestia, and she had her eyes closed, but she was smiling serenely as she heard my peers entering.
Quinta sat next to me.
”What’s going on?” she whispered. My response was to shrug. I honestly had no idea.
Once we had everybody placed somewhere in the room, Hestia stood up, opening her eyes.
”I’m so sorry to disturb whatever all of you were doing,” she apologized, holding her hands clasped in front of her chest. She almost looked like a nun teaching a group of children.
There were mumbled “It’s okay’s” and “It wasn’t important’s”. So the goddess continued.
”Now, we need to all talk.” The way she said ‘talk’ made her sound like my mother whenever I did something wrong, and was in trouble, except why would we be in trouble? Oh, wait. .
”About what?” James interrupted.
”The trust issues that have been happening,” I found myself saying. Surprised looks were on most faces, so I stood up. ”Lately, we’ve been arguing more and more amongst ourselves. In fact, not 20 minutes ago, Ajax and I had a. . dispute, as did Aaron and Marie.”
I noticed Aaron flinch when I said this, and that’s when I scanned the room and saw Marie hadn’t come in. Maybe she was immune to strong god-like powers, but whatever the reason, she had managed to stay away. Pushing it to the back of my mind (stupid of me), I kept talking.
” Come on guys. Right outside the front door, we have an army of monsters. Now, I know there really aren’t that many of us, but we can take them. Just think about it. If we have something to hold on to, some friends to live for, people we trust, then we can do it. Otherwise, we’re a lost cause.”
I sat down. Now, if you had seen the looks on everybody’s faces, you’d think I had just announced a death or something morbid like that.
But then, the focus wasn’t on me. A hush so sudden fell on the room that I looked up from staring at my hands again. In the doorway stood a person that I’d only ever heard about: Rachel Dare, the Oracle. She was very old, but her hair still had a red hint to it. She wore a flowery dress that ended around her ankles, and a sweater that apparently kept her warm. And on her feet, she had no shoes. I guess she preferred going barefoot.
The mouthpiece of Apollo caught everyone’s undivided attention. When reflected on, I suppose this was what we had all been waiting for, was a prophecy to tell us what would happen. Expectantly, the demigods waited.
All of a sudden, the room got dark, and all anybody could see was the glowing eyes of Rachel. From her mouth came her voice, raspy and creepy, layered over several times like there were three people speaking.


Oh, the thoughts running through my head. Such as “Who the Hades would die?” and “Why should we not trust anybody?” with the most important “Arguments will stop efforts to try must mean something about what we’re discussing.” Gods, I almost forgot. My favorite thought from the prophecy:
All could be lost, or all could be spared.