Nina's Destiny

Fratellie Principessa Andromeda

I was on border patrol with the Ares cabin. They liked me well enough, even if their father didn't. I was talking to Mark and Sherman as we sat underneath Thalia's Pine. I looked at the tree as some brown pine needles fell onto my head. I rubbed the trunk. This tree was my cousin. Thalia, the daughter of Zeus, had been transformed into a tree when she was an inch away from death. Last summer, when I couldn't sleep at night, I would come talk to Thalia. It almost felt like she was listening. Thalia had been poisoned and was dying. That was very bad. Not only would I miss my cousin, who I had never technically met, the tree strengthened the barriers around camp that kept monsters from getting through. As it s the barriers are weak from the poison. The really strong monsters can pass through.

Mark and Sherman jumped up with the rest of their siblings. Oh no, it's the Colchis Bulls. They were bronze bulls made by Lord Hephaestus. They were the size of elephants and could breath fire. I pulled Mov from it's sheath and summoned a water whip to my left hand. Thank the gods I'm ambidextrous. Even with eleven warriors, we were losing badly. I saw a grey taxi pull up just as I managed to dent one bull. My brothers and Annabeth jumped out.

Percy and Annabeth ran up followed closely by Tyson. We resumed the fight. Percy managed to cut off one horn. Percy started to yell at Tyson to get back, but Annabeth told him not too. Tyson ran forward and I let him through the barrier. He wasn't powerful enough to make it through by himself, yet. Tyson ran forward and straight to my brother's side. The fire whipped around him and he didn't even notice. Oh yeah, cyclopes are immune to fire. Mia fratellino punched the bull and it became very dazed. After a little while more of fighting, we managed to kill the bull. I gave Tyson the head of the one he bashed and told him to melt it down and make something at the forge. He seemed thrilled to do so.

Chiron told us how he was being forced to leave because of Thalia's tree being poisoned. Lavender started saying things that would make even the toughest sailor blush. Vati slapped her upside the head and she looked up, blushing. Chiron smiled gently at her. We all started laughing. "It isn't fair," Percy said. "Why is Mr. D. punishing you, Chiron? Everyone knows you think of the campers as though they were your children. Even the ones you never got to know. That's like Mr. D. accusing you of poisoning you own flesh and blood."

"Percy, Mr. D. had to punish someone," Chiron started.

"Besides of himself," I grumbled.

Chiron sent me a look and I raised an eyebrow at him. "It is more like he is punishing me for not preventing it." I stood up and hugged the centaur I considered a second father. He was as close as I could get to one with my real dad being an Olympian and all. Don't get me wrong, I love my dad and everything, I just need someone to talk to sometimes. Chiron is that someone. Everyone else joined our hug. Chiron smiled sadly at us before leaving.

I lead Tyson to the pavilion where everyone was sitting. I held Tyson's hand as everyone stood up. I wiped the tears from my eyes. Beckendorf and Silena flashed me smiles as I stood with Tyson and Percy. Vati and Lav had run off to the Aphrodite table and Annabeth to the Athena table. "Who invited that?" someone at the Apollo cabin murmured. I sent them a death glare. He whimpered and looked down.

"Well, well if it isn't Peter and Carina Johnson. My millenium is complete."

"Percy," my brother said.

"And Cristina," I continued.

"Jackson," we said together. Tantalus glared at me from where Chiron usually sat. He was replacing my favorite centaur. I hated him from the moment I met him last week when Lav, Vati, and I arrived. Professor Snape had apparated us here. He was a grandson of Hades. That explains how the troll heart got here.

"That boy," Dionysus told Tantalus, "you need to watch him even more than you have to watch his twin."

"Ah," Tantalus said. "That one."