The Pact

Chapter 8: Written Messages

Kyon POV:

I followed behind Rachel out of the Big House, but I was suddenly grabbed by the wrist and then released. I looked confused, unsure of what happened. I looked at the wrist that was pulled and saw words written in blue pen.

Meet at Peleus now

I shrugged and walked up Half-Blood Hill towards Thalia's tree. Smiling when I saw the familiar dragon, I sat down next to him, petting his cold scales on the top of his head.

"Alright, I saw that you knew a lot more than you were letting on. Tell me what you know" I looked up to see Rachel. The red-head looked casual as if she dealt with mask-wearing demigods all the time. I smiled at her and nodded.

"Well, I was pretty engrossed with Greek Myths before I knew I was a demigod" Lie "I realized while listening to the prophecy that the 'the creator' was most likely Chaos, right? According to the myths, she was the mother of Nyx and Hemera, right?" I reasoned and saw her nodding along.

"Yea, Chaos, that makes sense. What sense do you make of the collector of seasons?"

"Um, I'm not completely sure about that one" Lie, "But when you guys mentioned Percy Jackson's phases, you said he changed phases during specific months. Maybe that has something to do with it? Or maybe someone is collecting the gods of each season, so Persephone goddess of Spring, or Boreas god of Winter."

"That makes sense. Why didn't you say any of this during the meeting?"

"Well, I assumed only the counselors were the ones able to voice their opinions. I actually felt really out of place when I blurted out my question," I said in fake sheepishness. I rubbed the back of my neck and looked away from her, feigning embarrassment.

"Well, I think everyone would've been happy to hear your input. It would've given Malcolm some ideas to start pouring over" Rachel tsked and then sat on the other side of Peleus.

"So, whose god is your parent?"

"Hermes"

"I see; he's one of the more down to Earth gods. I'd take him over Zeus any day."

I chuckled at her absence of fear of Zeus even as thunder boomed in the sky. I could imagine my father either feeling touched by her favoritism or just laughing so hard Zeus has to threaten a strike of his master bolt to get him to stop.

"So, what do you normally do while waiting for a quest?" I ask, feeling a bit awkward in the silence.

"Oh, I never go on quests. Well, I went on one through the Labyrinth, but I was merely a guide. I wasn't actually supposed to be there. But I tend to see demigods trying their best to enjoy what could be their last sense of peace before a quest. You know, since once demigods leave the camp, monsters come after them and such"

I nodded; I had forgotten entirely about the monsters. I guess that would probably be issue number one on travel. Then I wondered how the group of demigods would attract monsters. My group was mostly minor gods' demigods, so I would be the one in the most danger. Nothing I can't handle, but it would put my group in jeopardy.

I wordlessly patted Peleus' muzzle as I thought, getting lost in my mind. I wonder how Equus is doing; hopefully, he's not too miserable without me there. It's only been a day, but from how frequently his emotions were changing when I was there, I can only imagine it's gotten worse since I've left.

Equus manages to lose more control of his phases than when he's with me. I chuckle to myself. I wonder how Chaos is dealing with Equus when all he wants is ice cream and to cry all day. Of course, that's terrible, but he acts like the kid he's supposed to be during those moments. Just wanting a hug, some ice cream, and to watch a movie.

I smile and feel a pang in my chest when I realize the despair that he's probably feeling and that I can't do anything from where I'm at. I bite my lip. I'm helping him by being here. Once this mission is over, Equus will be back to normal, and he will be able to live like he used to.

I see Rachel watching me out of the corner of my eye, but I don't give an indication I notice her. I close my eyes in peace as Peleus makes my hand move across his snout again. Suddenly a pair of golden eyes fill my mind, and my eyes snap open.

I take a few deep breaths, don't break down; it's fine. I breathe deeply and blink rapidly, trying to keep the tears from flowing. I bite my lip as fear, guilt, and sadness clutch my heart, making a sob crawls up my throat. I choke a bit, and a shuddery breath escapes me as I breathe through it.

I can't break down. I can't break down. I can't break down. I have to remain strong for Equus. I have to keep my head. I breathe deeply, killing whatever emotion I need to keep my mind on track. I stuff the feelings into a bottle and close it with a cork.

I won't let my memories and regrets control me; I need to get through this. I take a deep breath and look over to see Rachel with a sympathetic look on her face. I smile softly at her and wave goodbye as I walk back down into the camp.

I walk to the arena and take over a dummy. Pulling out my sword, I let the fog of instinct cloud my mind as I work. Keeping whatever emotions I failed to stuff into my bottle away. Hacking, slashing, feinting, and parrying. I continue chopping the dummy up.

"Hey!" I snap out of my daze and look around; there, I see Conner. "Hey man," I greet back. I wave once and drop my hand. He walks over and looks from my sword to the dummy.

"Dude, how long have you been using a sword? You're a pro."

"I was into sword fighting before I knew I was a demigod. I picked this sword up from the armory since normal steel doesn't work on monsters," I answer and explain the celestial bronze sword before the question pops up. I smile softly at Conner and walk past him to the water station. There I fill up a small paper cup and drink from it.

Conner comes over, and we chat for a bit, eventually getting into the topic of pranks. We both agreed, though, that no pranks were to happen the night before the quest. We shook on it just as the dinner horn sounded.

We raced to the pavilion and arrived just after Travis. I sat across from Conner after sacrificing to the gods, and we talked a bit during dinner. Travis had a faraway look in his eyes, and I decided not to ask.

After dinner, Chiron reminded us to be prepared for the upcoming quest, and then we all went to bed, forgoing the campfire for more rest.

I stared at the ceiling long after everyone had fallen asleep. I was terrified of closing my eyes and those golden eyes staring back at me. I winced as my brain reminded me of the memory that happened this afternoon with Rachel and Peleus.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to rid my embarrassment when the golden eyes flashed again. My eyes shot open. No sleep for me tonight, I thought gloomily.

I managed to half-sleep for three hours collectively over the rest of the night. Never staying awake for more than twenty minutes for fear of a nightmare.