𝕸𝖆𝖉𝖓𝖊𝖘𝖘.
It eats at your mind when you're unaware of its existence. Infests your thoughts and hinders you before you can have a chance at counteracting it. It makes you doubt yourself, and those around you in explicable ways. Because when you can't trust yourself, then all is truly doomed.
I used to think that everyone is a little mad, that everyone held that little seed, waiting to be sprouted. But I soon realized that only a few hold that little seed of madness. Only few hold the fear that one day that seed will sprout, and thus begin the tumble into insanity.
I've held the fear since the day I was born—the fear my mother's fate would become my own, and that the flames of my life would be doused short due to my mind's failures.
"Dani! Come onnnn! If I have to drag you out of that bed so help me I will." Pollux's voice rings through the air and invades me senses as I groan, rolling my eyes as jump down from my bunk.
I crinkle my nose from the strong smell of cologne in the air, and I cough, waving my hand in front of my nose. "Gods Pollux, cologne doesn't hide your horrible BO!" I shout back as I exit the large cabin, stepping into the fresh air.
I narrow my eyes at the two boys lounging next to the cabin, shaking my head. "Your obsessant need of getting to breakfast first is infuriating." I grumble, walking ahead of them towards the dining hall.
"And your incessant need to be late to everything is equally infuriating." Pollux bites back, and I roll my eyes. Castor, as always is silent beside us—he's always been the more levelheaded twin.
He was always the one to pull Pollux back before he went too far—although that never stopped the pair from getting into a fair amount of trouble. The two were notorious for their pranks and mischief, and I half wondered if they were Hermes's son's rather than Dionysus's.
As per usual, we were the first to enter the dining pavilion, and we took our place at the table nearest Chiron and my father. We bowed our heads to our father, who just waved a hand, he hated when we were formal with him.
Chiron gave me a kind smile as I sat down, and I returned it as I took my seat. As the other campers began to file in, I averted their gazes, keeping my eyes on the goblet filled with Coke in front of me. Pollux and Castor were engaged in conversation with some kids from Apollo—but they didn't try to force me to join like they usually did.
I was thankful to still have a few more days left before the summer campers made their appearance—when the camp would be bustling with campers and there would no longer be moments of silence.
There would be no one joining our cabin, thankfully, but the bustle of the war games and the constant training has never been my cup of tea (or coke).
I look up once the Satyrs begin to file into the pavilion—and they all make a beeline for our nearly empty table. I smile when they take their seats and tried not to think about how I was more friendly with Satyrs than the rest of the campers.
Despite being at the camp since the age of 5, the situations around my arrival were widely known, much to my own chagrin. And even if that wasn't enough, the one time I lost my tight hold on my abilities, I had nearly lost the camp 10 campers.
Needless to say, most of the campers gave me a wide berth, save for the Satyrs, who worshipped me purely because of my dear father. "You know, you drink entirely too much of that."
My smile widens as one of my few friends takes a seat next to me, his curly blonde hair nearly obscuring the horns lying atop his head. "It's better than drinking actual wine." I muse, bringing the goblet back to my lips. Oliver rolls his eyes, filling his own chalice with sweat tea.
I thank the nymph who drops a plateful of fruits and eggs in front of me. As the rest of the Campers stand and made their way to the nearby burning brazier to offer parts of their meal to the god of their choosing.
Considering my father was already present, I simply stood up and walked to his table, giving him a smile as I placed an extra vine of grapes onto his plate. "Thank you, Danae. And please tell your brothers that the next time they decide to prank a cabin, to avoid Aphrodite's bunch. Their unsufferable screeching has given me a headache." I can't help but chuckle, recalling the skunk that my brothers had placed inside the aforementioned cabin yesterday.
"I doubt they'll listen to me, but I'll be sure to pass the word." I muse, and my father only sighs before waving me off.
Dionysus and I have always had a weird relationship. I was practically raised in this camp, and therefore have been one of the very few demi-gods to have a regular interaction with their godly parent. But that doesn't make it all sunshine and rainbows.
I used to feel like I always had to prove myself to him—I used to train harder than even Annabeth in order to gain his pride, and while I would love to say that I have quit the habit it would be a lie. Then there's the part of me that blames him for everything that has transpired because of the lovely little curse he decided to bestow upon my life when I was born.
Not to mention that Dionysus himself is one of the more...temperamental gods, and he's more bipolar than the weather in Florida. "Do you think someone else will get a quest this summer?" Oliver questions, and I shrug my shoulders, popping a cherry into my mouth.
Last summer, Percy Jackson (the son of Poseidon his royal fishiness) was sent to find Zeus's master bolt along with Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood. Quests were given very rarely, and almost never to any first term campers.
Ever since the summer ended and Percy came back, the campers have been buzzing wondering if there would be another quest this summer—and everyone was hoping for a chance to be in it.
"Peter—"
"Percy." Oliver corrects, and I roll my eyes.
"Whatever. I doubt that with him here, any of the rest of us will be getting any kind of quest." I grumble, a small flame of jealousy lighting up in my stomach.
I've never had a true interaction with the son of Poseidon—but I couldn't deny that I was jealous when he was chosen to go on a quest. I had been here longer than anyone else at camp—and even those who have only been here a few years had more of a claim to a quest than him.
And yet just because he was the son of one of the Big Three, he was given a quest after being at camp for barely more than a week. If it weren't for Annabeth and Grover, there was no way he would have made it on his own. And yet he got to leave.
Oliver opened his mouth to say something—but whatever words that came out of his mouth were drowned by the sound of a deafening roar. The pavilion was quickly doused in silence, and my entire body tensed as I looked towards the sound.
My eyes darted to Chiron, who was already standing and looking towards the sound. Naturally, my father just kept drinking his diet coke as the rest of us waited for another sound—no one making so much as a peep.
When the second roar ripped through the air, everyone jumped up—and it didn't take long for the camp to fall into chaos.
Chiron began to shout orders, and everyone started to make a mad dash for either shelter or a weapon. The pavilion became a dense crowd as everyone attempted to leave at once, and the air was knocked from my lungs when someone elbowed me in the stomach.
I barely had time to catch my breath before I was pushed forward, and I had to duck and twist out of the way of wayward limbs in order to the get to the exit of the pavilion. My instincts kicked in first, and I started to race towards the nearest sword I could find.
Another horrifying sound shook the air, and the ground rumbled from its echo.
"How did it get into camp!?"
"What happened to the barrier!?"
If there was a list of the most horrifying monsters—this guy was definitely on it.
It was roughly the size of two cabins—and the large spikes that protruded from it back were tinged with red. It was shaped similar to a bison, with black greasy hair covering most of its face. The rest of his body was sleek and covered with hard armored scaled that glinted in the sunlight.
I immediately pull back one of the campers who makes a move to attack, shaking my head violently. "It's a Catoblepas! Its breath is poison!" I shout loudly, hoping that the other campers would be able to hear me.
"Well how the fuck do we kill it?!" The camper I had just pulled back, Clarisse, snaps back.
I purse my lips, watching as the monster lunges for a group of campers who narrowly miss its attack. Arrows fly through the air courtesy of the Apollo cabin, but none of them so much as make a dent in its armor.
I turn to look at Clarisse, pursing my lips. "You get the Ares cabin to distract it. We need to find its weak spots. But don't get too close!" I tell her quickly, and she briskly nods her head before turning towards her cabin mates, a shit eating grin on her face.
"Over here you shaggy throw rug!" She shouts loudly, waving her bronze sword in the air to get the beasts attention. I dart to the side as the bison thing turns towards Clarisse, its nostrils flaring.
My hand tightens on the sword in my hands as I keep my eyes trained on the beast, looking for any weaknesses I can find. My eyes widen when the bison rolls its neck, revealing its only patch of bare skin. "Make it turn its head!" I shout at Clarisse, hoping that she was able to hear me over the creatures' roars and the campers shouting.
I turn to look at the Apollo archers, pointing towards the Catoblepas. "Aim for its neck when it turns its head!" I tell them quickly before sprinting forward, getting closer to the animal than I had intended.
Clarisse and her cabin mates were moving and darting between the campers, making as much noise as possible in order to disorient it. I sigh in relief when it rears its head, and one of the arrows from Apollo strikes it square in the neck.
But of course this doesn't kill the damned thing, just pisses it off more.
I grimace as the bison begins to buck and kick out its legs, flipping and turning in the air towards the nearby campers. Yelps and screams break out as everyone narrowly avoids a hoof to the face.
Blood sprays from the wound, dotting the ground with red flecks as the thing continues to write and pivot in the air. I know that now, not even the Apollo cabin would be able to get a clean shot, which leaves someone needing to be dumb enough to get close enough to the poison breathing dirt rag in order to kill it.
Turns out I'm that dumb idiot.
While everyone else hurls their spears and release their arrows (which only enrage the greasy monkey more) I look for a way to get close enough to the bison without getting kicked in the face.
I grit my teeth as I move behind the monster—my sword clenched tightly in my hands and my power curling up tightly in my stomach.
Every child of Dionysus has some small gift with plants. Pollux was always better than me or Castor, but if I'm lucky, I might be able to conjure up a vine or two strong enough to hold the stupid thing in place long enough for me to act.
Two thick vines sprout from the ground next to my feet, and I focus the majority of my energy on forcing them to grow longer. Their height quickly rises above my head, and I ignore the tension growing in my limbs and the sweat beading on my brow as I cast the vines forward.
One of them wraps tightly around the bison's mouth—closing it tightly in order to stop the poison from sprouting from its mouth.
The second vine reaches towards the back of the bison and wraps tightly around the beast's hind leg, tying him to the ground. I move quickly before either of the vines could break swinging my sword in a circle as I dart forward.
My body is filled to the brim with adrenaline and nerves as I aim my blade at the crook of the monster's neck. Unfortunately, the stupid thing moves at the last second—the vines that were once holding him in place snapping.
My blade gets caught in between two plates of the beasts armored body, and like the stupid fucking idiot I am, I decide that hanging on is a better choice than letting go.
"Shit, shit, shit!" I screech as my body swings with the movement of the overgrown goat, and the other campers scramble back, their eyes wide.
"Language Ms. Price!" I grind my teeth at Chiron's comment, one hand reaching out to grip ahold of one of the spikes atop the Catoblepas.
"Would you prefer 'I'm gonna fucking die?!" I shout back, using whatever is left of my strength to haul myself onto the monster.
My body flies back against the spike as the beast bucks—my hands gripping its greasy hair in a death grip. Holding onto its mane with one hand, I reach down, gripping onto my sword that was still lodged into the side of the monstrosity.
I yank out the sword in a fluid motion, and don't hesitate before reaching forward and shoving its tip as deep into the things neck as I can. The monster screams in agony, and it bucks again. The power from the movement sends me flying forward, and I scream as I'm flung into the air.
The breath is efficiently knocked out of me as I collide with the unforgiving ground, and I instantly notice the flaring pain coming from my ankle. The Catoblepas lets out another roar, and I twist my body around to watch as it's body dissolves into dust.
The only thing left behind is a single one of its armored plates, and I stay on the ground as Clarisse walks over to it, gingerly picking it up with her hands. When she walks back over to me, she offers me a hand.
I give her a weird look before accepting her hand—and it's only then that I realize how silent the camp was. My face heats as I notice the number of eyes on me, and as Clarisse pulls me to my feet, their eyes follow me.
Clarisse raises my hand into the air with her own, brandishing the armor plate that had once belonged to the Catoblepas. The campers gathered around us begin to clap and cheer.
My whole body is tense as Clarisse grins widely, looking around at the cheering campers. The praise only made me more awkward than I usually was, and I just knew that my face was bright red with embarrassment.
"How did the thing get into camp?" I hiss to Clarisse, and she just shrugs her shoulders, as if she could care less.
I grind my teeth in frustration, wanting everyone to just shut up for a second and think. "The tree!"
I don't know who shouts, but the words make everyone stop in their celebration and turn towards the entrance to camp.
Clarisse instantly drops her hand, her eyes going wide as we slowly move towards the barrier that protects the camp. The pain in my ankle completely vanishes from my mind as we move towards the front of the camp, where both Chiron and my father are huddled in front of Thalia's tree.
It was the first time I have ever seen anything close to a grave look on my father's face, and it was scaring the shit out of me. "Father? Chiron what happened? How did that thing get through the barrier?" My questions go unanswered, and my eyes travel to the spot on the tree that Chiron and my father were looking at.
My breath stalls in my throat when I see the damage that had been done. The bark was burned and turning black, and already, the leaves on the trees were turning yellow, and fear seeped into the air at the scene.
I remember the year before Thalia made her sacrifice—the year before the barrier went up that protected our camp. Monster attacks occurred every other day, and as a small 5-year-old, all I could do was hide in my cabin in fear.
"How did this happen?" Clarisse demands, worry plain on her face as she looks towards Chiron.
Chiron winces, and he shares a serious look with Dionysus, who sighs before rolling his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah." He grumbles, and without another word, the god disappears into a cloud of purple, the scent of grapes heavy in their air with his disappearance.
"Flaming Hades, what is going on?!" I exclaim, and Chiron purses his lips, his eyes drifting over the crowd of campers.
"Poison. The tree was poisoned."
Eeeek! This book is finally getting published and I'm so excited for people to read this (Even if no one does I don't care because I've been having so much fun writing this)
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(3033 words)