Layla used a towel to wipe the sweat from her forehead. A four hour long swordfighting lesson was finally over.
Despite her midnight thoughts, at that moment she couldn't help but feel like nothing had changed after their quest. She, of course, was different but the campers, the lessons, the camp, everything was the same.
Walking near the volleyball court, she spotted Jason and Piper sitting next to each other on the ground under a tree. Piper had her head on Jason's lap. Smirking widely at the soon-to-be couple, Layla passed a couple of disappointed looking Afrodite kids and went to sit next to her friends.
"Leo's got something to show us." She told them. "You coming?"
"Wouldn't miss it." Jason stood up and brushed his shorts. Then helped Piper to her feet. He didn't let go of her hand and for a moment they starred at each other. Layla behind them snickered at her lovestruck brother. Talk about third-wheeling.
Jason coughed awkwardly. "We should get going."
"Yep." Piper agreed. "Just a sec." She took something from her pocket and threw it in a fire pit nearby. Before it was completely burnt Layla could see what it was. The silver card Thalia had given her. Apparently, Piper had better plans than joining the hunt.
"Let's go." Layla said, leading them towards the forest where they agreed to meet with Leo. "We've got adventures to plan."
It took them half and hour to find the place Leo had told them to go to. They also nearly got lost a couple of times but in the end they manage to reach their destination safely. There stood Leo along with Chiron and his cabinmates from cabin 9. Behind them was a small building like a workshop, Layla had never seen before.
"Here we go." Leo said and took a deep breath as he set his hand on fire. Everybody gasped. Everyone, except Jason, Layla and Piper who already knew about his power.
"Leo!" Nyssa said. "You're a fire user!"
"Yeah, thanks." he said sarcastically. "I figured as much."
"Holy Hephaestus." Jake Mason exclaimed. "That means- it's so rare."
"There's more just wait." The huge stone door of the workshop behind Leo opened and everybody starred in awe at the building forgetting about for a moment about the boy's fire powers.
One however didn't look surprised. The white cenetaur just frowned. He looked like stuff was coming back to him. Bad stuff.
"Welcome to Bunker Nine," Leo told them "C'mon in."
Layla walked around the facility looking amazed around her. The place was huge. It had everything from blueprints and scetches to huge machines and tools she didn't recognize.
In the middle, stood the bronze dragon's head. The only thing that was left from him since they crashed in Omaha. Leo went over and touched its forehead. "I'm sorry, Festus." He said softly. "But I won't forget you." Layla put her hand on his shoulder.
"Hephaestus brought it here for you?" Jason asked. Leo jused nodded.
"But you can't repair him." Jason guessed.
"No way." Leo said. "But the head is going to be reused. Festus will be going with us."
"What do you mean?" Piper frowned.
Nyssa interrupted before he could reply. "Guys, look at this!" She was talking about a scetchbook full off complicated diagrams and blueprints. "I‘ve never seen anything like these. There are more amazing ideas here than in Daedalus's workshop. It would take a century just to prototype them all."
"Who built this place?" Jake Mason asked. "And why?"
Everybody started blurting out ideas, none of them close to the truth. Only the camp activities director stayed silent. He didn't show it but Layla was sure he knew the answers in both questions very well.
Her eyes fell into a map pinned on the wall. A map Camp Half-Blood with marked spots for triremes, catapults and traps. This could only mean one thing.
"It's a wartime command center." She said out loud. "The camp was attacked once, wasn't it?"
"In the Titan War?" Piper asked.
"No." Layla said. "There was no such thing in the war."
"Besides, that map looks really old. The date… it says 1864." Nyssa added.
"This camp has been attacked many times." Chiron said. "That map is from the last Civil War."
"Civil War…" Piper said. "You mean the American Civil War, like a hundred and fifty years ago?"
"Yes and no." Chiron replied. Like dude, stop speaking in riddles. "The two conflicts- mortal and demigod- mirrored each other. They usually do in Western history. Every civil war or revolution also marks a time when demigods also fought one another. Civil War was particularly horrible. For American mortals, it is still the bloodiest conflict of all time, even worse than their casualties in the two World Wars. For demigods, it was equally devastating. Even back then, this valley was Camp Half-Blood. There was a horrible battle in these woods lasting for days, with terrible losses on both sides."
"Both sides? You mean the camp split apart?" Leo asked.
"No." Jason answered. "He means two different groups. Camp Half-Blood was one side in the war."
"Who was the other?"
Chiron didn't look like he wanted to answer that question. "The answer is dangerous." he said at last. "It is something I swore upon the River Styx never to speak of. After the American Civil War, the gods were so horrified by the result, that they swore they would never let something similar happen again. The two groups were separated. The gods wove the Mist as tightly as they could, to make sure the enemies would never remembered each other and would never meet on their quests. This map is from the dark days of 1864, the last battle between the two groups. As Layla guessed, this bunker was a command center for the Hephaestus cabin. In the last century, it has been reopened a few times, usually as a hiding place. But coming back here is dangerous. It stirs old memories. Even when the Titans threatened last year, I did not think it worth the risk to use this place."
Leo suddenly looked ashamed. "Hey, look, this place found me. It was meant to happen. It‘s a good thing." He argued.
"I hope you‘re right." Chiron said.
"I am!" He pulled something from his pocket and spread it on the table. Everybody gathered around to see it. It was the drawing Aeolus had given him.
"There." He said proudly. "Aeolus returned that to me. I drew it when I was five. That's my destiny."
Piper, Jason and Layla exchange glances as if saying 'who is going to tell him'.
"Eh, Leo. Your destiny is a crayon drawing of a ship?" Piper asked at last.
"Look." Leo pointed at a big schematic on the wall. His cabinmates examined it. Layla wasn't good with ships, or blueprints, but she could have sworn they looked exactly the same.
"That's impossible." Nyssa gasped. "That blueprint has to be a century old at least."
Jake Mason bent over to read the notes on the corner of the schematic. "Prophecy- Unclear- Flight. It's a diagram for a flying ship. Look, that's the landing gear. And weaponry- Holy Hephaestus: rotating ballista, mounted crossbows, Celestial bronze plating. That thing would be one spankin' hot war machine. Was it ever made?"
"No. Not yet." Leo said. "Look at the masthead."
The masthead had the shape of the dragon.
"Festus." Piper guessed.
"He's meant to be our masthead." Leo agreed. "Our good luck charm, our eyes at sea."
"If you do build this ship, you should name it Argo II." Layla offered.
Leo thought about it. "That... that was actually a good idea."
"Hey! I have good ideas sometimes." Layla protested. Leo raised an eyebrow at her.
"The Argo II." Piper smiled. "After Jason's ship. I like it."
"Leo's right. That ship is just what we need for our journey." Jason said.
"What journey?" Nyssa asked. "You just got back!"
"We've got to confront Porphyrion, the giant king. He said he would destroy the gods at their roots." Piper replied.
"Indeed." Chiron agreed. "Much of Rachel's Great Prophecy is still a mystery to me, but one thing is clear. You four- Jason, Piper, Layla and Leo- are among the eight demigods who must take on that quest. You must confront the giants in their homeland, where they are strongest. You must stop them before they can wake Gaea fully, before they destroy Mount Olympus."
"Um … You don't mean Olympus in Manhattan, do you?" Nyssa said.
"No." Leo said. "The original Mount Olympus. We have to sail to Greece."
"Great!" Layla said excitedly. "I've always wanted to go to Greece."
For a moment everybody tried to process the information. However, the silence didn't last long. Soon enough, the Hephaestus campers started bombarding them with questions. Why did they have to go to Greece? Who were the other four demigods? How long would a boat take to be build?
"Heroes!" Chiron raised his hands. "All details are not clear yet, but Leo is correct. He will need your help to build the Argo II. It is perhaps the greatest project Cabin 9 has ever undertaken, even greater than the bronze dragon."
"It'll take a year at least. Do we have that much time?" Nyssa asked.
"We have six months at most." Chiron said. "You should sail by the summer solstice, when gods' power is strongest. Besides, we evidently can't trust the wind gods, and the summer winds are the least powerful and easier to navigate. You dare not sail any later, or you may be too late to stop the giants. You must avoid ground travel, using only air and sea, so this vehicle is perfect. Jason and Layla are children of the sky god, as for the sea..." Chiron didn't continue but Layla knew he was thinking about Percy.
"Well, one thing is for sure." Jake put his hands on Leo's shoulders. "You are now the senior counselor. This is the biggest honor the cabin has ever had. Any objections?"
There weren't any. Leo smiled widely and turned to look at his cabinmates who were clapping and cheering for him. Layla hugged him and congratulated him.
"Well," he said at last. "if you guys elect me for leader, you must be even crazier than I am. So let's get this sparklin' hot war machine built."