Category: Stories

by Meru S.

After the rain,

Droplets of water release their hold on the tips of leaves

To mingle with the green below,

To quench the thirst of the blades that ripple with the wind.

After the gusts,

A void of silence remains,

Haunted by the fading whistles of lingering echoes,

Waiting in tense anticipation

To be adorned and enlivened

With chirps and buzzes and warbles.

After the drear,

The clouds depart with the wind,

In meek submission to the sun,

Whose wintry gleam is like a jewel—

Cool, precious, scintillating,

Piercing down in shimmering shafts.

by Elaina David

Tapping tortures the tips to the toes, transmitting things that take time to talk through. Tingling turning to tough tarps taking turns tearing the thoughts that twitch through the thrashing tracks traced through time. To think that the tanks that take their thoughts, they think the thoughts though they tall, turn the tables, they think terror that terrible thought. Torches turn the tempest tint, they that think through the transparent throng. The thrum that thoughts they tilt the titan, the tall tree that twists the tempest to the themes that tell the tale they took. The throng the thong, the thing that takes the tame thoughts to turn them to tricky traps that thrust, that throw, that tangle the thinker’s tank.

by Emery Pugh

Chapter 14

Percy

I woke up.

My vision was blurry, and the peripheries were dark as if I was viewing the world through a binoculars.

I had no idea where I was. The walls around me were constructed of simple gray bricks with a single dull wooden door. Everything was plain.

I grasped my mind for memories – why was I here? What happened? Where was Annabeth?

Suddenly, I remembered. I’d been struck by a droplet of venom in battle. I wondered whether this was what it was like when you died. It’s quite possible that I was in the Underworld.

My fears of being in the realm of Hades disappeared as the door opened to reveal Annabeth.

“Percy!” Annabeth ran over to my bedside.

“Annabeth, I thought I was in the Underworld until I saw you.” I tried to sit up on my elbows, but my right arm was still injured. I collapsed back down.

“Ow!” I winced. “Dang, that arm still hurts.”

“It’ll take at least a few days to heal,” said another voice at the door. I recognized him as Pranjal, one of the camp’s medics. “You’re lucky that it was a small droplet of venom, and it hit your arm instead of your head, for instance. Some others were struck by much larger ones, and…”

He didn’t need to explain further. The three of us fell silent.

“So… how do we fight the siege tower?” Annabeth pondered. “Even Imperial gold won’t hold up against the venom – and that’s the strongest material we have.”

I shrugged. Pranjal didn’t have a response either.

Frank and Hazel, the praetors of New Rome, entered the room.

“Oh, thank the gods,” Hazel murmured. “You’re okay.”

Frank gave me a thumbs-up and grinned. He had some eagle feathers stuck in his hair, likely from transforming into an eagle. Other than that, the battle left him unscathed.

“I’m just as glad that you’re alright,” I said. “Any details about the fight after I went out? And speaking of that, how long was I out?”

Frank tilted his head and frowned, trying to recall the memories of earlier. “You’ve been unconcious for a few hours. About the battle, turns out the venom can only shoot at a relatively short range, and it’s pretty inaccurate. Most of the campers successfully retreated.”

“Ballistae should do the job, then,” I remarked. “It’s a ranged weapon, and we can all just stay out of range of the venom.”

“It should,” Annabeth agreed. “But the tower has some sort of magical protection, and our projectiles can’t get anywhere near it.”

The memories of the battle suddenly flooded back to me. I remembered how the ballista cannons failed to penetrate an invisible barrier. “Oh. Yeah, I remember now. That’s gonna be a problem.”

“Well,” Annabeth continued. “All magical barriers have some way to deactivate them. We’ll have to somehow sneak inside the siege tower and disable the protective magic.”

Nobody was excited about that. It was practically a suicide mission. You’d have to wade through hundreds of monsters, evade the venom, somehow find out how to turn off the magical barrier (undetected is optimal, but not possible), and get out alive.

“Those people are going to need a lot of unicorn horn shavings,” Pranjal murmured.

“Someone is going to have to do it,” I said. “It doesn’t look good, but that’s what we do, right? We do hard things.”

We do hard things sounded like an advertisement. Call us at 999-999-9999 and we’ll do all your hard things for you!

Frank sighed. “We’ll assemble a team for that soon. Camp Half-Blood contacted us a little while ago that their part of the quest team is ready to go. We’ll have to decide who we send for that quest too.”

I noticed a small window just behind me. Outside, Jormungandr’s image flashed again, and was gone as quickly as he had come.

Suddenly, the room darkened and the window shattered and was replaced with bricks. The door toppled over and more gray bricks flew in to replace it. Thousands of projections raced by on the walls, depicting scenes of monsters overrunning Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood. In another, Jormungandr rose above the camps and spat swimming pools’ worth of venom, devouring the camp in poison.

Then, I realized I was alone. Annabeth, Frank, Hazel, and Pranjal had vanished. The flashing projections had been replaced by one massive serpent on the far wall.

I reached into my jeans and thankfully found Riptide in pen form. I uncapped it and the gleaming Celestial Bronze blade shot out. It wasn’t much, and it was going to do anything to an illusions, but it gave me confidence.

The serpent laughed a deep, guttural, and cruel laugh. He whispered, Come to me. You cannot keep your precious little camp… or should I say, camps, safe.

I yelled and tried to throw Riptide at the serpent, but no sound came out. Since I was using my left arm, I threw the sword short and it clattered onto the floor.

The seas will rise and flood the earth. I can finally exit my freezing waters and enjoy warm, tropical waters. Humans, spewing gases with their factories, aid me greatly, he hissed. As a son of Poseidon, shouldn’t you be happy about this? The whole world will be your father’s realm. I will destroy Poseidon, and I will be the sole god of the sea. All land will be flooded with endless ocean – in fact, I have to thank you for that. Gaea’s power is no longer here to stop me. In return, I will let you and your girlfriend, Annabeth, roam anywhere you please. I shall protect you from the wrath of Tartarus… who has not forgotten you. Or… you can choose to fight me, and you will die in a pathetic defense of your camps against a force so powerful you cannot stop.

I’ve been tempted with many offers before. But honestly, this one was the weakest. Yeah, I like the sea, but the world shouldn’t be drowned in it. I would love roaming free with just Annabeth… but I would never let all my other friends die without me. Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter would be demolished – I would never allow that to happen.

Unfortunately, he was right about the factories – climate change caused dangerous amounts of rising sea levels. Humans were accelerating their own destruction.

One thing puzzled me, though: the wrath of Tartarus. I escaped Tartarus with Annabeth during our quest to stop Gaea and the giants… but why would he bother chasing after a mortal? I recall him remarking that he didn’t even care about the Olympians themselves.

“No! Never, slimy serpent!” I yelled. This time, my voice reverberated around the room, gaining volume with each echo.

The serpent growled with annoyance. Fool. You will be destroyed with everyone else.

The illusions disappeared, and the window and the door reappeared in their proper places. The four others reappeared in different locations in the room. Annabeth clutched her dagger with white knuckles and looked like she was ready to throw it. Frank had his bow at the ready. Hazel was in the process of summoning hundreds of millions of dollars worth of jewels. Meanwhile, Pranjal menacingly held a fork.

“You guys saw that too?” I asked. “The illusions with Jormungandr and all that?” Annabeth gave me a sharp glance. I suddenly remembered that I wasn’t supposed to say his name.

Frank nodded. “I did. He told me that he was going to destroy the world by flooding it or something. He offered to spare me, and he said I could morph into a sea creature and have the seas to myself.”

Annabeth looked shaken. “He gave me an offer similar to what the gods gave me on Mount Olympus… the serpent said he would let me design an underwater mansion for me to live in.” There was something else implied – for Percy and me to live in.

“He offered me the chance to live with my father, Pluto,” Hazel said. “I never really knew him.” She sighed, and Frank put an arm around her.

“You guys have such cool weapons. Look at mine.” Pranjal glanced at his fork. “Anyways, the serpent offered me a selection of medicines that could cure anything… something I’ve always wanted.”

“He’s offering something that each of us wants,” Annabeth noted. “Not exactly a new tactic, though, and it’s not hard to resist his deals.”

Frank nodded. “I’m not tempted at all.” The rest of us echoed what he said.

“Well… that still leaves the venom siege tower problem,” I said. “And the quest problem. And the monsters problem.”

“We’ll have a Senate meeting sometime later today or tomorrow,” Hazel’s eyes seemed distant, as if still in the illusion. “As of now, Percy, get some rest and heal up.”

by Harper Smith

I am a girl who is a witch.

No one has ever told me I am a witch but no one has had to,

for I can feel it in my chest as though it is a second heart that beats. 

I live in a world where no one is kind to witches unless they are good.

A good witch is a thing of legend, 

the kindly woman down the road with her healing touch,

the strange little girl in the woods who guided you home as a child,

the birds that seem to sing a little sweeter when you are sad. 

A good witch is something to be revered, to be treasured and loved as if she was your own grandmother, 

But that kind witch is often rare. 

More common is that of the hag, the moss maiden, the beldam, the crone. 

a witch of the dark parts of the forest, a witch of the night, a creature of nightmares and of song, something that is not human but is instead 

Fear, the fear of men and of children, the fear of the shadows on your wall, the fear of the night and the things it will bring, the fear of loss and of losing, 

and the secret hope inside of the chest of all women. 

Witches are vile, evil creatures, 

they told me, 

you better stay away from those woods.  

Such a 

p r e t t y  y o u n g 

      t                       

  h

i

     n 

             g

will do no good against something so evil as that. 

I am not a good witch. 

I know this because they have told me, with their eyes and their smiles and the prickly hardtightcrushing way they grip my shoulder when I speak too loudly or too much.

I have no family left, so I am an orphan. 

(they tell me this with pity in their eyes like I do not already know)

I have no husband, so I am a spinstress. 

(they tell me this with sympathy in their voice, as though talking to a child, or a very elderly woman)

I have a strange, off-color to my eyes, so I am an abnormality. 

(they do not tell me this but I hear them whisper.) 

They do not care about me or they would have offered me help,

when my father left six years ago, 

when my mom disappeared into those woods, 

when my brother was stolen by those forest creatures of the night, 

when this creature of the night was made to be all I had left, 

but yet they whisper anyway,  

as if they do care,

as if my state of being is somehow as important to them as their own child’s when they have given nothing to me that they would give their own–

It is not enough to be a witch. I must be an outsider, too. 

I have tried to be a good witch. In my younger years it was all I tried to do,

To mold myself to be better,

To dull the sharp edges of my weary heart,

To take what is broken in me and make it whole.

But I am angry, so much so that I sometimes feel I am

n 

o 

t 

h 

i 

n 

g 

except this anger, this burning hot fire in my chest.

angry at

my father, 

my mother, 

angry at those creatures and the monster sister they left me, 

angry at this town and the whole world, 

angry at myself. 

A good witch cannot be fueled by hatred, they say,

she can only bring light. 

She uses her magic only for others, 

brightening their lives at their beck and call, 

wanting nothing for herself but the smiles on their faces and filling her heart with the happiness and the full cup of others. 

I cannot be that way.

I have tried, oh I have tried, but how

can I gorge myself on the joy of my fellows if I seem to bring them none?

I cannot seem to wash away the stains of their disapproval more than I can wash myself of my sins, of the magic and rage that fester deep in my body.

Sometimes, 

the fire of that anger sparks too close to that arcane magic

and it catches,

and there is no hope of putting it out until I have let go. 

So I must, indulging the 

brilliant 

blinding 

beautiful 

magic inside me, 

freeing it so watch it spark through the air, 

dance its way upwards to the rafters,

and God it is gorgeous, 

and I finally feel free.

Sometimes, when I am feeling particularly trite,

I will allow it to blaze a stack of hay into smoke.

I am a not a good witch, 

but my magic is my own. They can never take it from me.

They have taken so much, and those who have not taken have given 

nothing all the same,

but I am my own. 

One day they will fear me. I know this to be true.

I will earn my name among the crones who burned and stole and pillaged through the night, 

the Blacked Dawn, the Faceless Woman, Lilith herself, 

I will be one of them in time, and they will all hate me, 

and use my stories to scare their children into soft sweet terrified sleep.

I will be all that (and more, more, please i want to be more) someday,

but for now–

for now I am only Melissa. 

That is the only name I know, 

and it is a name of anger and fire and impurity and imperfection,

but it is mine.

I do not have to be a good witch for it to be mine.

a sequel short story, by guest author Jonathan David

As we walk through the woods,
we try with all our might
to make memory of this beautiful night.
For we stand under the stars of the sky.
We talk til day has come,
and sun has risen.
As we walk through the woods,
I can’t help but grieve.
For it is a time of sorrow,
a time of loss,
a time of death,
a time to mourn with what’s left.
But the war is over,
the war is won.
We have battled the last battle
and we have won!
Peace has fallen,
ground is regained.
Plants regrown,
buildings rebuilt,
as we walk through the woods.
I can’t help but think about these times,
after the war, many have lost.
Many are injured,
and many are gone.
Many are stuck, in words of anger.
Others in poverty,
Still more in grief.
And I look to the stars,
for in the sky we can find the everlasting beauty,
The moon, the stars, and the planets,
All in one place.
Orian and Casspiera.
Usar and lio, and their minors.
Scorpios and teacup,
And bootes too.
Oh the wonders you can find.
Mercury and Jupiter and Venus and Mars and
Polaris and Vega and Sirius and Arcutus.

But the sun comes up, and the earth goes round,
And the stars stay the same.
Through the night, through the day.
Through a month, through a year.
As we walk through the woods.
A Sequel, By Guest Author Jonathan David

*please note that teacup isn’t a official constellation

by Lydia I. Martinov

Can’t think. Can’t make out an intelligible thought. Yet, at the same time, thoughts are racing. One after the other. From the back of this terrified mind to the front. Trying to compete for first place at the tip of this head. A bead of sweat rolled down this burning, horrified face. How could it calmly make its way down in a time like this? Shaky hands, but they won’t budge. Won’t move. They must find their way to the backpack, but they won’t listen. Won’t do something so simple as removing the straps off this aching back. “W-what-”. I hear a voice. Who is it? It sounds awfully familiar…”What do I do-” This should be a question. But there is no rise in pitch at the end. Not like a question. More like a statement. Only now, I remember why I recognize this voice. It came from no lips but my own. Trembling and barely able to speak. Suddenly, it was as if my very source of breath had been swept away from my body. An awful wave of nausea comes over me. This head of mine becomes light. Lighter than air. Like it could just float away. Up, free into the sky. As the pounding of my heart grows louder, like a pair of cymbals turning into a gong, it feels as if my ears are ringing. A high pitched, constant sound that implants itself into my mind. I struggle to inhale. It feels like a giant machine pushing through thousands of years of growing forest. Air pushing through to my lungs. I finally manage to inhale. Exhale. Once, twice. 

Now it’s manageable. I haven’t been breathing. I open my eyes, not even realizing that they were closed in the first place. In front of me is a massive rock, wearing moss as if it is a fashionable outfit chosen just for the spring. All around are mossy, green giants. The bark appears red underneath, but the layer of moss makes it hard to tell. The branches reach up toward the top of the canopy, made of leaves and all kinds of life. Though entranced by the beauty and tranquility of the forest, I still must remain silent, and allow my head to clear. The reason I wandered off in the first place was the beauty of the forest drawing me in, making me lose myself, with the same effect of a siren song for a few minutes…or seconds…maybe hours? I lost track. Now I can’t find the path. Perhaps my longing to capture one of the largest, most wild forests has brought me to an impossible position. A grave mistake. Though, when I heard about a beautiful place that remains untouched by man, I knew it was my duty as a journalist to photograph and share with the world the beauty of this seemingly magical place. Now, here I am, trapped in the middle of the dense, endless, lush woodland. Though my pounding heart is still clouding my ears, I have regained enough of myself to once again make decisions. I don’t know which way the path is, so I need to summon my inner knowledge from those nature documentaries.

I throw off my backpack, and my sore, aching back thanks me by reminding me of how heavy my things are. I take a look inside to double check my inventory. I have no idea how long I will remain here. A shiver runs down my spine at the very thought. I pull out my pen and notebook to document my journey, because, if this is truly happening, I should at least bring home an incredible story. I write about my current situation, and take notes of everything in my bag. I have half a liter left in my water bottle. I should probably conserve it, along with the ham and swiss sandwich and snack packs. Continuing to rummage through my bag, I find a light jacket, and…a radio? I forgot that it was there! I feel a grin take over my face, and my heart pounds harder. A tear of relief falls down my cheek as I take the radio out and open the antennae. I switch it on, and press the button to speak. “Hello?” I say. “Anyone out there?” I let go of the button, and listen. There is no voice. No static. No sound. I look at the radio, and see a flashing red light. The dead battery indicator. My tear of relief turns to a tear of disappointment and despair. I hear a whimper escape my lips, and feel my bottom lip begin to quiver. “No,” I command myself. I will not cry. I need to keep myself together, because emotions won’t get me home. I look at the sky. “The sun rises in the east, and sets in the west.” I say to myself. I should travel in one direction, and I can use the sun to guide me. I decide to walk west, because that is where the sun currently is…because it will soon set. I should walk until I find civilization, or at least a river I can follow downstream. I pick up my backpack, ignoring the cracks my back gives me in response, and begin walking. 

It has been a few hours, and I can hardly move my legs. My feet are aching so much, and my back feels ready to collapse. The sun is setting, and I realize that once it gets dark, I will no longer have it to guide me. I could begin traveling in circles. My body is exhausted, and the creepers will soon begin coming out. I hear a twig snap in the distance, and I go silent. A howl. Does that mean…wolves? I can hear the “clickety-click-click” of my chattering teeth. The swishing of fabric as my knees shake in my khaki colored hiking pants. The “fight-or-flight” instinct hits me in an instant. I must find shelter. I tip-toe forward and look left and right. The uneven ground rises into a small, eroded cliff. It has a hole inside big enough for me to fit, and just deep enough to lie down. I get to work. Throwing my backpack into the hole, I grab any sticks or small logs within a fifteen foot radius. Then, I climb into the hole and build a wall at the entrance to keep out any unwanted visitors. The sun has nearly set, and the stars are somewhat visible through the canopy of leaves. I lay down, using my backpack as a pillow, and gaze through the holes between the sticks. Hearing a twig break nearby, my eyes dart toward the noise. I see a massive, yet beautiful wolf casually striding through his territory. He doesn’t appear to notice me, and I can’t take my eyes off him. I am entranced by his magnificence. So much so that I am no longer trembling. After a few minutes, my face finds my makeshift pillow, and my eyelids collapse, no longer able to handle the weight of this burden.

A rustling sound awakens me, and I feel sore, yet alert. My branch barricade seems to have fallen down, and I find myself nose to nose with…the most adorable creature I have ever laid my eyes on. Its innocent eyes are staring as if into my soul, like black beads with a story to tell. Its long, fuzzy ears are sticking straight up into the air, scouting for danger. Its curious little nose twitching to inspect mine. Suddenly, the rabbit turns its head, as it appears to have heard something, and quickly hops away. I sit up, and look around, recalling the events of the evening. The sun is up, yet hidden above the sheltering canopy. I hear a low grumbling sound. “Calm down,” I say to my stomach. It growls in response, more than ready for a big meal. I take my backpack, and look inside. Wrappers are loose and broken, and the sandwich has disappeared. I sigh deeply with disappointment. Some critters must have ransacked my scraps. Though I know nothing about finding food in the woods, I will certainly try. If  I continue my travels west, then maybe I will eventually find berries, or fruit along the way. I pick up my water bottle and shake it. Thank goodness there is still a bit of water left inside. I take a sip, throw on my backpack, and return on my path to…well…a path. After walking for about half an hour, I am disappointed to have found nothing that appears edible. Just as my heart gives up on my stomach, I see a group of mushrooms on the ground. They appear normal, given their brownish color and small size. I pick one up. It isn’t the red poisonous one, which is good. Though, on the other hand, it could be the infamous “magic mushroom” which causes hallucinations. I’m ninety percent sure that it is safe. My stomach loudly growls, desperate for any kind of meal. I close my eyes, and stuff two mushrooms into my mouth. I need more. I quickly consume another five, and put the rest in my backpack, continuing my journey. I walk for another few minutes until, suddenly, I feel really…dizzy…

Eyes. Open. Close. Too bright. The sun is here. Right in front. Intending to burn anyone and anything to a crisp. She sits up. Or rather…attempts to. Prying her overworked, confused, fighting eyes open, she sees everything. Yet…nothing? Shocked, her eyes dart around. Up. Down. Left. Right. Upside down. Zoom in. Zoom out. Through dimensions. Up to space. The colors all around are blending together. Blending. Splitting. Twisting. Unraveling. One, two, three, four, thirty-six, twelve, one-hundred fourty-two, seven. There are a few too many colors to count. Too many to exist. Too many to fathom. She stands, and steps forward, the colors dancing around her as if they’re waltzing at a ball, and she’s the guest of honor. In the distance…or an inch away…is a massive, Victorian house. Putting a wobbling, altering hand out, she reaches to feel for the handle of the front door.

Suddenly, I fall forward, landing on a polished, dark, wooden floor. The colors are no longer spinning. No longer dancing. No longer blinding. The air is calm. Silent. Now, I am able to stand up with ease. What I see makes me feel…like I am going to faint.

Stepping forward, I see a massive painting. I feel a mellow familiarity. As if my heart, itself, is locked in a warm embrace. I am at ease. Calm. As if I am under my own soft covers with a pleasantly hot drink in hand, a gorgeous day visible through the windows. Sunlight swimming around the room with a certain grace. Though…even looking directly at the painting, studying its golden, twisting vine of a frame, my eyes cannot focus. The blur of the painting persists, no matter how hard I look. I fall.

I wake up on the ground, a pounding pain in my head. In an attempt to open my eyes, I see a bright light above, and close them again. Slowly, I manage to sit up, confused. My out-of-body experience has left me puzzled. I inhale deeply through my dry throat. Thirstier than I have ever been, I reach for my water bottle. It is completely empty. I will never allow another mushroom to touch my lips. It was an atrocious mistake. Behind me, I notice something that washes away the remaining feeling of fright, replacing it with relief. A small, clear river, with a width of about 5 feet, rushes on its course through the trees, racing below the shine of the sun, partly visible between the leaves. I open my water bottle, and lower it into the stream. Then, I lift it up to my lips, and take a big, slow sip, followed by a series of quick chugs and gulps, fighting to empty the entire container. Yet not fully cleared, my excruciating headache mostly subsides. I regain enough strength to stand. Though still aching, I manage to walk, continuing my journey. Now that I have found a river, although accidentally, I may continue my journey downstream. Hopefully, I will succeed in finding signs of civilization before the end. My mind still does not feel like itself. I am unsure of the experience I had within the past half hour…or few hours. I have no idea how long my mind was taken over. I pause to write about this in my notebook. It may be of use to read about it again later on to better make sense of what happened. Putting my notebook away, I resume my journey.

After about 3 hours of walking, I see a clearly man-made line of wooden stakes in the ground. I run. Faster. Faster. Faster. Until I see a campground of some sort full of small buildings. Where there are buildings, there are people. Tears flow out of my eyes, and down my cheeks as I burst into a sprint. My mind is racing. I was so afraid of what would become of this. So scared without knowing what to do, or how long I would remain beneath the canopy of the trees, being a house-guest in the den of a resentful wolf, protecting its territory. I am free from the indecision of what to consume. Free of once again falling under the curse of the waltzing colors.

by Emery Pugh

Chapter 13

Godric

I thought I wouldn’t be able to sleep that night – but I was wrong. I passed out as soon as I laid down, not even changed into my pajamas.

For the first time in years, I had a solid night’s sleep. No demigod dreams or visions. I guess the Fates finally gave me a break.

I woke up naturally as the sun’s rays shone through the cabin window. Springing out of bed, I started packing a small bag for the quest – I had a small Celestial Bronze dagger, some matches, a book, a watch, and dozens of snack bars.

I took a glance back at my cabin as I walked outside, hoping it wouldn’t be the last time I see it.

The warm light of dawn filled the valley as I strolled towards Thalia’s pine tree with the Golden Fleece (which helps protect the camp through its powerful magic). We’re all supposed to meet here before our departure to Charleston, South Carolina, where we would meet the other part of the team from Camp Jupiter.

Sanderson and Andromeda arrived a few minutes later. The air was grim and nobody said a word.

A thought nagged me at the back of my mind. It was a flashback to the horrors of my last quest. I gritted my teeth and pushed the thought away.

Based on the look Sanderson gave me, he was thinking the same thing. We held our gaze for a few moments, but it felt like an eternity. In time-lapse, we both re-experienced the previous quest.

My eyes stung as I tore my eyes away. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This quest won’t be like the last one. But even as I said it, I knew I was lying to myself. Was it really going to be different?

Hector was the last one to arrive, by thirty minutes. Nobody blamed him for that – he was a new camper, and he was already having a potential death sentence handed to him.

Beside him were two satyrs, chattering nervously. I caught snippets of their conversation – they were trying to help Hector perceive this new weird world of gods and monsters.

My vocal cords felt like they were glued together with adhesive. I forced them apart. “Are we all ready?”

Sanderson and Andromeda nodded. Hector gave me a shy glance. Garret and Hedge quieted down and stood to attention.

I nudged my chin in the direction of a white van with the design of Camp Half-Blood on it – strawberries. We’d sell the strawberries that grew in the fields in New York City to earn our funding. The vans were often repurposed, though, for quests.

We climbed inside. The driver was already waiting for us in the front seat. I took my place directly behind the driver with Sanderson and Andromeda to my right, and Hector and the two satyrs behind us.

“To Grand Central Terminal, New York City,” I instructed the driver. With a skid, we were off.

___________________________________________________________________________________

The atmosphere started out terse – nobody said a word. Gradually, though, it loosened up. Sanderson and I exchanged jokes while Andromeda laughed at them. Even Hector and the satyrs threw in a few good ones.

I grabbed a snack bar from my backpack and slowly munched on it, pondering the quest. I didn’t know anyone from the Roman side of the quest team. Would we all get along? And would there be conflict as to who would lead the quest? I was only the head of the Greek side – the Romans probably chose someone to represent them too.

I sighed. As a son of Zeus, I had high expectations held to me. Being the quest leader wasn’t anything special – it only loaded more burden onto my shoulders. If the quest failed, I’d be mostly to blame.

Just like last time, that little voice in my head whispered.

Shut up, I told it. It’s going to be different.

Thankfully, the voice said nothing more.

“Godric?” Sanderson tapped me on the shoulder. “Are you okay? You’re sending electric sparks everywhere.”

I blinked, startled out of my daze of thoughts. The remaining chunk of the protein bar dropped into my lap.

“Oh… I’m alright. Sorry about that,” I replied sheepishly. “I got distracted.”

Sanderson seemed to understand my thoughts. We rarely needed to exchange words – our minds were almost like one.

The van trundled to a halt. We had arrived at our destination.

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Grand Central Terminal was one of the largest train stations in the world. It’s also one of the most packed.

We said our goodbyes and thanks to the driver, who proceeded to set up a strawberry stand with a sign reading, As the summer season ends, get the last of the fresh strawberries!

Nobody seemed to pay us any attention as we zig-zagged through the crowd. I clutched my ticket in one hand and a protein bar in the other.

The train whistled. We were just in time to board it.

Handing our tickets to the conductor, he let us pass through and we settled in the third to last car. The closer to the dining car, the better.

We took the same seating arrangement as in the van just as the train rumbled, and we started our half-day journey to Charleston, South Carolina.

I prayed that the train ride would be smooth. I received an answer from the seat in front of me. Grrrr.

by Emery Pugh

Chapter 11

Percy

The serpent disappeared as soon as I set my eyes upon it. I blinked to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. Time returned to normal speed.

Everyone rushed out of the meeting room and scrambled to assemble themselves into a fighting formation. I continued to stare at the spot where the serpent was. No one else appeared to see it. It must have been an illusion.

Across the Little Tiber, a massive siege tower was surrounded by a horde of hundreds of monsters. On top of the siege tower was another weapon – a snake made from Imperial gold, hissing and spitting out a green liquid, presumably venom. The tower could cause no end of trouble for us.

I had no time to dwell on the serpent issue.

I felt someone touch my shoulder. It was Annabeth.

“Are you going to fight?” she asked me.

I turned to face her and looked her in the eyes. “I thought this… was all over. I thought we were finally going to live a normal life together. As much as I want to avoid the chaos of demigod life, I can’t not fight for this camp. This is my home, just as much as Camp Half-Blood.”

She nodded and remained silent. I knew what her decision was without even asking her. That determined look said it all.

We both bolted for our rooms, which was where our weapons were. I uncovered my sword, in pen form, in a pocket of a spare set of jeans.

Outside, I found the legion fully assembled. I located the Fifth Cohort, the cohort I was once in, and positioned myself at the left flank.

The monsters across the Little Tiber gathered in clusters to cross the river into camp. The legion separated into its five cohorts, heading off to defend different weak points in Camp Jupiter’s defenses.

Dozens of massive, dark masses – hellhounds – jumped into the river and made a mad dash to our side. Water was my specialty – it was my job to stop them.

I concentrated and closed my eyes. Whirlpools swirled around the monsters, slowly sucking them down. They panicked and thrashed, but to no avail. A pit slowly formed in my gut – I willed a tidal wave to rise two stories into the air. The hellhounds were thrown into the air with the wave, yelping and waving their paws. (Their yelps, though, were like cannon blasts. Hellhounds are nothing like little puppies.) The wave/hellhound gang slammed into the siege tower, but to my disappointment, the tower was unshaken.

Ballistae cannons fired from the inner camp onto the siege tower and the monsters. I watched the cannonballs reach its apex and arc down, but they hit an invisible barrier and exploded midair.

Annabeth was studying the architecture of the siege tower – looking for weak points. “Percy, target the spot right above the doorway arch.”

I nodded with determination and focused all my energy on the water. These monsters were attacking the camp – my home. I would not let them do this. The pulling sensation in my gut increased, but I hardly noticed it. These monsters were after my friends and I – something I would not tolerate.

All my rage exploded from the river and crashed with tremendous force into the siege tower, right on the weak spot. I let out a primal scream, mostly from the pain in my gut. You try controlling a whole river, and you’ll be able to empathize with me.

The tower shook dangerously, swaying from side to side. The monsters tittered nervously and backed away.

And of course that’s when the venom-spitting snake started going nuts.

Did I mention that I have an intense hatred towards snakes? I’ve seen way too many – normal ones, snakes with 7 heads, massive serpents, and now a metal venom-spitting figurehead atop a tower.

Venom droplets sprayed everywhere. Campers crouched behind cover, but it did little – the venom melted even the Imperial gold shields and swords like butter in a hot pan. They had to get more distance to be safe.

“Get back!” I yelled. “Get behind cover, and get as far away as possible!”

“Everyone, follow me!” Frank held up his half-melted shield in front of his face.

An intense pain jolted up my right arm. I felt like it was being slowly sawed off at a point somewhere between my shoulder and elbow.

Only one word can describe than pain: a pure feeling of ow.

I looked in horror at my arm, which was now turning a green-ish purple. A venom droplet had struck me.

Within a few seconds, I probably cursed more than in the rest of my life. Hey, I couldn’t help it.

I uttered another primal scream, but this one was from pain. Then everything went black.

Chapter 12

Hector

I was, naturally, a little stunned. The son of Zeus (what was his name again?) just randomly selected me for the quest. I barely even knew what a quest was, and I didn’t know the guy.

The camp was silent. Chiron trotted over to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

“Congrats, Hector,” Chiron said, trying to have an encouraging tone. But it sounded like he was leading me to my grave. “Going on a quest is an honor.”

I gave a weak attempt at a timid smile. “Um, thanks.”

Walking back to my seat, I felt the eyes of the entire camp on me. I strained to not stare back at them and yell, What? Stop staring!

“Choose two more quest partners, Godric,” Chiron beckoned to him to continue.

Sanderson raised his hand. “I’ll be going.” He whispered something in Godric’s ear, who nodded.

Can I choose the other quest member? It echoed around the dining pavilion, but nobody else seemed to notice.

Suddenly, I realized why – at school, I’d even sometimes hear whispers across a noisy cafeteria. It was one of my powers as a demigod. Honestly, I didn’t know how extra good hearing could help much, but okay.

Sanderson’s gaze drifted over to a girl at the Iris table – who I presumed was his girlfriend. The girl smiled and stood up.

“I’ll go with Sanderson,” she said, putting an arm around him.

Chiron cleared his throat. “Alright, Andromeda. We have our quest team assembled. Get ready to depart next morning.”

___________________________________________________________________________________

Chiron called me to come over to the Big House that evening.

If you don’t know, the Big House is just a house that Chiron and some of the other camp leaders live in, and where stuff is stored.

I walked across the camp and climbed the stairs to the porch, where Chiron (in wheelchair form with his centaur lower body magically compacted) was sipping a lemonade. He gestured for me to take a seat.

“Hector… I need to tell you a few things about your quest.” Chiron drooped his head.

I held my breath, waiting.

“Quests…” Chiron took a deep breath. “Are very, very dangerous. I must stress the perils you will face. Hades chose to claim you at that moment because he wants you on the quest, and I won’t dispute that, but I feel guilty if I don’t give you a chance to back out.”

I swallowed. I barely even knew what was going on, or even what being a son of Hades meant – I’d never even met the guy. Garret and Hedge the mad whacker did their best to explain everything, but little made any sense.

A thousand and one questions ran through my mind. Would the camp make fun of me for chickening out? Would I die on this quest? Why are strawberries red?

Despite being new, the camp already felt like home. The Hades cabin wasn’t all that comfortable, and the last son of Hades who lived in there was off on a different dangerous quest. I made up my mind.

“I… I don’t know,” I admitted. “I barely know what’s going on. But I’m sure this camp is and was a home to many, and I’m willing to defend it.”

Chiron nodded gravely and made an attempt at a smile. “That’s the spirit of a hero. Good luck out there, Hector, and may the gods be with you.”

“Thanks,” I said weakly as I stood up to leave.

“Oh, and one more thing.” Chiron interrupted. “Usually at least one satyr accompanies the quest team… how would you like your old friend to go along?”

My heart leapt. “You mean… Garret?” Chiron nodded.

I grinned. Maybe this quest wouldn’t be so lonely after all.