The Quest To Nowhere | Completed | PJO HOO TOA

There Is the Option Of Sunburn

I watched The anvil and hammer symbol float above Alisters head. He's a son of Hephaestus. God of blacksmiths and fire.

''Oh my gods, Alister!'' I exclaimed excitedly.

He looked surprised. Like he didn't excpect to be claimed at all. But I saw a look deep in his eyes. Anger.

All of us get it when we're claimed. We're angry for being ignored. Angry for going unnoticed till convenient for the gods. It's completly normal.

All of the sudden it was very warm where I was standing. The heat was coming of his hands.

''Alister, what's-''

He looked to his hands then clenched them, making the heated glow disappear.

''I uh. . .I have to go.'' And he ran away without another word.

Once he's gone the excitement created by him being claimed was gone, and everyone went back to the singalong

''Is he okay?'' Caprice asked me.

''Something's up.'' I told her dramatically. ''And I intend to find out what.''

One of the Hephaestus kids comes up to us.

''Hey Kieran.'' I welcomed.

When I first got to camp I had a crush on Kieran. Whenever anyone brung it I would get super embarrassed. It only lasted a month.

''Hey!'' Kieran said with a smile. ''So the little guy is my brother, huh?''

I nodded.

''He's a little small for a Hephaestus kid. Oh well, he'll muscle up when he's older.''

''Yeah I suppose. . .Oh and uh, don't bring up his mom and sister when you speak with him okay?" I said.

Kieran gave me a confused look. ''Uh, sure. Well it was great talking to you, girls'' We were offered a smile then were left as a group of satyrs called Kieran over. ''See ya.''

''Bye!'' Caprice and I called.

Caprice repeatedly nudged her shoulder with mine.

''Kieran and Xylee.'' She giggled, throwing her head back.

''Oh shut it.'' I rolled my eyes at her. ''I've been here what, two years? And that crush lasted a month.''

She laughed and patted me on the back.

''It's okay Xylee, denial is the first step. But don't worry about it, the Aphrodite cabin ship you with someone else.'' She smiled and wiggled her eyebrows up and down.

''Ship? As in OTP and stuff? How about we tell them i'm twelve shall we? Yep sounds good.''

''Well everyone shipped Percabeth and they were twelve." She pointed out, with a tilt of her head.

I rolled my eyes.

''Don't bring Percy into this. You're starting to sound like Aphrodite herself.''

''Sorry, sorry.''

She didn't sound very sorry. I was kind of annoyed that she didn't tell me who the camp was pairing me with, but then again it was probably for the best that I didn't know.

''We have things to talk about, anyway.'' I told her, trying to change the subject.

We talked about the quest for a while.

''Well, it's normally three for a quest, but for your prophesy you said four.'' I told her.

''So you've chosen two already, but we need one more. . ."

''My dreams have been weird. . ."

Once I brought up the dreams her expression changed. She looked almost scared.

"What kind of dreams?" She whispered.

"Darkness, Alister and I in a cave and. . .Medusa." I whispered. The whispering probably wasn't helping with her level of fear.

She fell back with a start and everybody stared at her. She just glared at them.

When she got back on the amphitheater seats we were sitting on she just stared at me.

"Caprice, we've faced harder monsters." I pointed out.

"No, you faced harder monsters. The worst thing I've faced is an angry unfed harpy!" She whispered. "I don't know if I should come on this quest, Xylee. I sure can't fight Medusa."

For all I knew, that might not have even been true. Caprice and I had been best friends since a traumatic event that occurred when I was ten and two years later I was still pretty much in the dark about Caprice's past. There was a big chunk of her life she would never even talk about.

Nonetheless, I was a loving, supporting friend. I gently placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Percy could. And I've been told he was a complete numbskull at times." I told her.  "he didn't have much training, but you have a lot. I believe you could do a better job than him."

I know it was probably stupid. Comparing one of the most powerful demigods ever to someone else would make a normal person feel inferior. But luckily for me it made her smile.

Later demigods were in their cabins. All except two. Alister and me. Curfew was in a little over half an hour.

I looked all over camp for him.

"Idiot. Idiot, stupid." I muttered, grounding my teeth. "Control your tantrums."

I finally found him sitting on the dock by the lake.

"Okay, what's going on with you?" I asked him, with crossed arms.

"I thought I'd feel relieved" He said. "I thought getting claimed would make me happy."

"Look, we all know what your going through and this is norma-"

Before I finish his hands glow a bright red, sort of like boiling hot iron, making me distracted and causing me to shut up.

"No, no you don't." He barked, looking at the river angrily.

"Your hands, Alister." I pointed out quietly.

He looked at his hand.

"Not again. . ." He murmured to himself. The light disappeared again.

I talked with him and he calmed down.

"So uh. . .wanna go swimming?" He asked me awkwardly. Or maybe he wasn't being awkward, but I suddenly felt embarrassed.

I just stared at him.

Speak, Xylee, damn it, I thought.

"I. . .I um. . .don't."

"Oh. You're. . .Afraid of water? Really? "

All I could do was nod. I didn't understand how he could actually realize my fear, but that was my understanding. Though it's not exactly possible to get that from 'I- um - don't'. I don't think anyone is that perceptive.

"Oh. So you were planning on letting me drown the other day?" He asked, making light of the situation, which I appreciated.

"Yeah actually." I said bitterly.

I started stomping away with my hands clenched by my sides, but in my amazingness I remembered I should not let him get eaten by harpies. It's probably somewhere in the How To Friend handbook.

''Alister.'' I called, without turning around. ''I know you need time to accept what's happening to you, but if you don't get to your cabin within ten minutes, you'll be the harpies hot'n'spicy dinner.''

I heard him chuckle to himself.

''I'm hot 'n' spicy huh?" He mused.

Suddenly I felt myself turn red.

''It was a pun on your - Goodnight Alister!'' And with that I trudged back to my cabin.