More Power More Hope- Book Three In The United Series

Chapter 1

I no longer have my original glass sword since Ivan shattered it, so now I use a Celestial bronze sword, like Percy's, but it can't transform into a pen.

I rummage through the last drawer until I feel my chest, untouched. I never thought about opening it until now. I pull it out, close the drawer, and set my chest on my bed. I sigh and place my hands on the locks. I'm the only one who can open it.

But it doesn't click open.

I search for my symbol and see it carved onto the lid. This is my chest.

I push a bit harder, thinking that it will open, but it doesn't.

A Loric chest can only open if the Cêpan and Garde both press their hands on the locks. If the Cêpan is dead, then the Garde can open it by him or herself.

The only other reason that my chest isn't opening is if my Cêpan is alive.

Conrad is alive.

Percy's POV:

I hear someone call my name as I'm sword-fighting Jason. It brings bad, eidolon-induced memories to us both, but, tough.

I turn around and see Max running towards me. I smile at her but that quickly fades as Jason trips me with his sword. I fall on my side and grunt in pain.

"I win," Jason tells me, smirking. I slightly smile and get up, dusting myself off.

"Screw you, Jason," I respond and Jason laughs as I head to Max. She looks excited and nervous at the same time.

"Hey, what's up?" I ask her, turning Riptide back into a small ballpoint pen.

"I have to leave," Max answers nonchalantly.

I drop Riptide in shock. She's leaving?

"What, why?" I ask.

"My Cêpan is still alive!" Max exclaims excitedly. She explained to me what Cêpans are when she told us all about the Garde. 

I just stare at her in shock and amazement. She's going back to the Garde? Just like that?

"O-Okay. Wow. You go find your Cêpan. I'll tell everyone else," I tell Max and she looks a bit concerned and is about to say something else when I turn back to Jason, breaking the news to him, and Jason frowns. He's always had a liking for Max since she can fly, like him. They love to drop water balloons, or sometimes balloons filled with shaving cream, on people from above an take long flies around the camp with each other.

At the campfire, Chiron tells all the other campers that Max is leaving and a lot are disappointed. Max is basically famous in camp since she's a Loric and all. 

"Where's Max now?" I hear Clarisse la Rue, a daughter of Ares- and my arch-enemy here at camp- ask from the group of Ares kids. Even Clarisse found herself liking Max, especially when Max informed Clarisse that Max can use a gun and was taught to use one when she was seven years old, which I found shocking at first. I mean, who teaches a seven year old how to use a gun?

"She's packing in the Poseidon cabin. I would like her closest friends to say their final goodbyes before she leaves for who knows how long," Chiron answers and points to my cabin. A handful of demigods stand up and start walking to my cabin until Chiron forces everyone to sit back down.

"I mean the ones that met her first." Chiron's eyes flicker from me to the other demigods of the Prophecy of the Seven. Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel, Frank, Annabeth, and I get up and I lead them to my cabin.

I'm on the doorstep but right on cue, Max swings the door open, a black backpack slung over her shoulder. She looks surprised to see me and the others here, but she smiles. This moment reminds me of the night Max and I made our deal that we'd help each other with our quests, Max's first day here at camp.

I then hear footsteps running behind us. I turn around and see Clarisse, Nico, and Reyna rushing towards us. They're also very close to Max, so it makes sense that they were allowed to come say goodbye to her.

We all say our goodbyes to Max (Leo's being the most awkward goodbye I've ever seen), and she hugs me the longest.

"I'll miss you, Max," I tell her, breaking from our hug. Surprisingly, she's still wearing her orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. That's a difference between this night and the night Max first came to camp. Another is Max's personality. She's confident about leaving now, yet she's sad.

"I'll come back," responds and I raise an eyebrow at her.

"I promise," she adds and without another word, she's gone.

My sister is continuing her quest, the quest she was born to do.

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This is the first chapter of book three in the United series! I hope you guys enjoyed it, and trust me, way more things than leaving Camp Half-Blood will be happening to Max. So anyways, peace out!