Rebuilding the World

20 Last Laugh

“Can anyone explain to me now?” I asked the three of them after a full five minutes of silence.

“Ron cursed you.” Menea repeated.

“Cursed me how?”

“He played with your feelings, made everything exaggerated.” Sam explained. “Isn’t the first time really, he played that prank on several others and even on Majella too.”

“Ugh.” Majella grunted beside me, probably remembering how the curse affected her.

“So, he usually does that?”

“Don’t you worry, that’s just how Ron welcomes new campers. Though we warned him several times already because things usually doesn’t go well with exaggerated and over-reacted emotions.” Sam explained to me.

I just nodded but wondered why Ron decided to choose that as a welcome. I mean, playing with somebody else’s feelings are already bad itself, but exaggerating it? I understand that things wouldn’t go well with whoever he cursed. It’s hard to keep in control when you’re buzzing with several confusing emotions all at the same time.

“I wonder how that works.” Menea said, “Imagine all the pranks I could do with that trick!”

“Menea?!” Majella shouted, smacking Menea on the head. Sam and I laughed.

Jhon detached himself from the group of Apollo campers sitting in a circle under the shade of a large narra tree and approached us.

“Sam, Menea  is Jeritz back already? The others are asking for him.” Jhon asked with a worried tone.

“Haven’t seen him yet.” Menea answered. “Don’t worry, he’ll report to us when he gets back.”

“But he should have been back by now.” Sam said to Menea with a worried look.

“Wait, is that--?” Majella said, looking up into the sky.

I looked up too, and saw smoke rising to the clouds.

“Campfire nearby.” Sam said, standing up.

“Campfire?” Jhon asked. “Jeritz wouldn’t start a fire in the middle of the day!”

“Exactly my point.” Sam said.

Menea and Majella stood up and I followed them.

“Let’s go investigate?” Majella asked to Menea and Sam.

“We can’t just leave them here.” Sam pointed out to the whole camp and war demigods.

“We can look out for the campers.” Jhon suggested.

“Sounds good.” Majella said, nodding.

“Wait!” I stopped them from leaving.

Majella, Menea and Sam looked at me.

“You’re going just like that?” I asked them, “What if they’re a large group?! What if they’re a group of monsters that are tracing us and you three get outnumbered? We’re with the whole camp Majella! Don’t make hasty decisions! We need you!”

Majella gave me an impressed look. “Fine, if you’re worried that the three of us won’t come back” Menea snickered, “we’ll take you and a few more others. Better?”

“Sounds cool.” Sam said in agreement.

I nodded and Majella called Angelica, Janine and Anthony from the campers while Sam called for three more others from the war demigods. We were ten in all.

Majella talked to Jimuel, Carlene and En for a while and told them that we’ll be investigating where the smoke came from. The three of them will take care of the campers and the war demigods while we’re gone.