The Quest To Nowhere | Completed | PJO HOO TOA

Child Of Sea Faces Their Fancy Test

After only two hours of searching through foul smelling girly stores and finding absolutely nothing helpful, the sun was beginning to set, so we all met up again and decided to make camp for the night.

Not too far from the collection of stores was a forest. A few steps through the trees was a large clearing, with some flower patches covering the ground.

"Mm this is creative, isn't it?" I said dryly, as I unpacked my thin sleeping bag out of one of the bags Alister was carrying. "We're the classic demigod group who sleep in the woods and have a campfire. We have become the cliché, everybody."

"Oh boo hoo, miss drama queen!" Thalia rolled her eyes and lugged some sticks to the middle of our circle of sleeping bags.

Alister and Caprice were playing some rock throwing game to decide who took first watch. Alister was very bad at the game. Alister lost.

Eventually we all took a seat in our makeshift beds, and watched the crackling fire. Thalia fell asleep pretty quickly once the sky got darker so it was just Caprice, Alister and me still awake.

"You guys wouldn't happen to have marshmallows, would you?" Alister asked, tilting his head at us. "'Cause I'm really hungry."

"Yes, Alister." I told him sarcastically. "We brought marshmallows on our quest."

Then Caprice pulled out a bag of marshmallows. "Hey look!" She announced excitedly.

We spent the next hour scoffing down as many as we could get our hands on. I'm actually surprised they lasted as long as they did.

"So," Alister began, as he put a another one on a stick. "What's the deal with the beads? When can I get some?"

"You get one bead at the end of every summer." Caprice explained. "I've been at camp seven years. This year it'll be eight. They paint the most important event of the summer on the beads."

Caprice's first bead had the names of the demigods that died her first year written in Ancient Greek. Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Jackson, Leo Valdez and Frank Zhang. That's was the only bead Caprice had ever explained to me. They died at a coming home party.

Alister studied our necklaces for a second.

"Perseus. . .Percy? Like your brother, Xylee?" He asked me quietly.

I nodded. "Yeah, that's him."

"You were five. Do you remember him?"

I tugged at my necklace

"I guess so. I have the vaguest memories of him." I smiled at the thought. "He was funny. And so kind."

Caprice nodded and shifted in her bed, "Nice. And with that, I'm gonna get some shut eye. 'Night guys."' She rolled onto her side and closed her eyes.

I reached over to Alister for another marshmallow and roasted it on my stick, with a big yawn.

"You know, you're taking this whole 'Greek gods' thing very well." I mused, glancing at him momentarily.

"Is that what it seems like? I'm basically just pretending I know what you guys are talking about." He said with a laugh. "I pretty much try to mask my complete and utter confusion."

I knew it was probably not my place to ask, but I went ahead anyway, "So what happened to you on your way to camp?"

His expression darkened and he held his gaze at the fire. All you could hear was the crackling of the hearth for a good ten seconds.