The Pink Poodle
This night as miserable as ever.
We are right now camping in the woods, far away from the main road. The forest itself was pretty dirty, with dozens of soda cans, candy wraps, fast-food wrappers and much more trash.
We managed to get some food from Medusa's place, but we didn't actually wanted to light up a campfire, sort of afraid that more monsters return. The Furies and now Medusa, we needed a break in case we out of nowhere get attacked by someone else, or something else. The fire could be used as a signal, to tell the rest of the monsters, where we are.
We agreed to sleep in shifts, giving the fact that is night time, Percy decided to go first... but I managed to convince him to give me first shift, I would have a better time seeing them in the dark.
I watched Annabeth curl up on the blankets, she was already snoring by the time she had her head on the ground. Kajsa was also covered in a blanket, but not sleeping actually. I saw her eyes slightly opened with a slight blue glow, confirming my thought. Percy did went to sleep as well as Grover somehow, though Thomas... he stayed awake.
I stayed seated a bit outside of the circle where the others were, as I look back hearing Thomas walk to me, though trying to be silent since well... hooves.
"Can't sleep?" I asked him, seeing him nod at my question. "Yeah... don't blame you for it."
"I know. Aren't you tired?"
"Nah, the night keeps me... pumped up per say."
Thomas slightly chuckled at what I said. "Pumped... up? Are you sure you're not Son of the Night?"
What he said there confused me slightly, the night? Is there a Night God or Goddess?
"Wait... the night? Are you talking about the Moon Goddess or like... a Night God?"
"Well... technically she isn't a god."
"She?"
"Yeah. Mortals would call her, a Primordial. We call her a Protogenos. Gods rule over said thing, Protogenos are said things. Mother Night not just embodies it, she is it... the night itself. Her name is N-Y-X."
N-Y-X... Nyx. Oh I've heard that name before, I only know her cause Zeus never dared to fight her, not even face her face to face.
"I have heard of her. No I wasn't really saying the night makes me more pumped, more like the lack of sunlight and darkness. Maybe being Son of Hades and my slight connection to Hades gives me a slight power-up, like how Percy is with the water. Don't Satyrs have something similar?"
"Nah, we're per say... very minor gods, we do have a much better understanding on nature, I mean, we are Nature Spirits. Give me a pipe and I might show you nature magic."
"A... pipe?" I asked him... he did know there are two objects named pipe... or three.
He confirmed saying, "A reed pipe, I don't mean a smoking pipe."
"Yeah... I-I knew." I definitely didn't knew.
"I bet." We both heard a voice, and we turned seeing Kajsa wrapped in a blanket plus some chips in her hands. She sits between us with a tired look splashed in her face.
"You can't sleep either?" Thomas asked her which she nodded at his question. She had her legs crossed and kept eating and munching her chips. He then added, "Really wish this place wasn't so awful."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked him as he signaled to literally every trash in the ground.
"Look at all this trash, how dirty this forest is, the sky is dark, barely can see the stars." Thomas slightly looks down, though it did leave me a bit confused.
"Um, why so bummed about it?" I asked him, but Kajsa tells me why.
"Satyr are creatures connected to nature, more correctly they're nature spirits, given birth from Ouranos' blood. Nature is everything to them, especially to Pan." she told me, what she said explains why Thomas was slightly bummed.
"Oh, wait, who's Pan?"
Thomas answered, "The Satyr God of the Wild and Folk Music, currently lost."
"Lost? Why?"
"Who knows. Almost everyone thinks he's dead, hut he has left enough clues and we know that he is still alive." Thomas confirmed which I looked at Kajsa confused after.
Kajsa then said, "Lysas said that she saw Pan died in her own eyes, as most times to kill an immortal, is to simply forget them."
Thomas quickly said, "But we haven't. We Satyrs haven't forgotten Pan! This is our mission as searchers, our quest, dream, to find Pan. I was already deemed worthy by the council to find Pan but..."
I asked, "But?"
"Grover... he is literally on the edge right now." Thomas looks at Grover as well as Kajsa and I, him sleeping with Percy and Annabeth as well. "To prove that a Satyr is worthy of the license, person must successfully protect and bring a demigod to the camp."
"So you succeeded?" I ask him, as Kajsa looks at me smiling.
"He brought me." I looked shocked after what she said... Thomas brought Kajsa to the camp? That's... wow.
"You're kidding. Really?"
Thomas nodded with a smirk. "Yeah, they allowed me to look for you, but Grover... Percy was his second shot, and he needed to succeed completely... meant also bringing Sally Jackson alive, cause he already failed to bring a demigod once back."
"Oh, right. Who did he... fail to bring back?" I asked a bit worried, as Thomas shook his head... he was not gonna tell me.
"That is not my secret to say. Grover will tell you one day." I sighed, I wasn't gonna fight for it, not my place to tell, as I slightly lean back... just to fall in the dirt, back first.
"So... um, snakes?" I asked, and Thomas knew to who it was, Kajsa tensed after that, as she looked down slightly ashamed.
"Um, I don't know what you're talking about-" Kajsa tried to dodge the question, as Thomas looked at her and then me... both of us smiling at each other... oh I will love this.
"Sure? You weren't clenching into Y/N, asking to cover the snake head of Medusa." Thomas said playfully as Kajsa was going from embarrassed to annoyed.
Kajsa stated slightly angry, "Okay, fine! I hate snakes, they're visually so... atrocious."
"They're not that bad." I told her.
Kajsa shook her head with a pout and denying the statement.
"Not that bad? Those wicked eyes, large fangs, rough skin, it feels like touching someone's ugly and undone nails." Kajsa did a disgusted look, well... I'm not surprised she hates snakes for the looks... probably has to do that he is Daughter of Aphrodite.
"So is that like your... fatal flaw, per say?" I asked her, as she shook.
"No, is a fear I developed myself, but it is sort of connected to my... heritage. I actually don't possess the normal fatal flaw my brothers and sister have, you can say that is my own fatal flaw, but like my heritage one? Then no."
"And have you... ever met Aphrodite?" I asked her, which leaves her slightly confused, as well as Thomas.
"That's... quite the random question, but... no I actually haven't, why?"
"Don't you feel angry or sad that... you have never met your own mother? That she technically hasn't... focused on your well being?"
"I..." Kajsa sigh after that, I could tell she was trying to think her own words. "I do feel slightly angered, she has sent me flowers, gifts and notes but... I have never seen my mother, face to face. Dad technically raised me as an only parent, he did fall in love with someone else, I can say that my relationship with my step mom ain't the best but is... better than with my mother's."
Kajsa looked at me, I think she could tell why I asked her. "You asked because you're gonna meet your father for the first time, right?"
I nodded at her question. "Mom's dead, and father's the one who probably has her soul. I don't know how dad's dealing with this, I don't even want to know how awful he must feel. Now I have to meet my biological father for the first time, and I can't just feel okay with all this. He abandoned mom, abandoned me and... I don't know how to confront him."
Thomas said, "I'll admit, if I have to meet my parent knowing he never decided to check on me, I would kick his ass."
"Gee, thanks for the optimism." I told him slightly annoyed, as I return to look forward. "If you guys want to sleep, then go, I'll keep watch."
"Are you sure?" Kajsa asked as I nodded... maybe I did need some time alone, plus I need them to rest.
"Yeah." I looked back, seeing Thomas hesitate but he does get up.
"Well, probably will see sleeping when I take watch, so good night." Thomas said as he walked away, Kajsa also slightly getting up, just to put a hand in my shoulder... I definitely started to blush again.
"You can always talk to us if you want, okay?"
"Yeah, thanks." I said to her, as she smiled but then walked away, back to sleep. I look forward once more, with legs crossed, also sometimes looking around... I wonder how things would've been if all of this was just a dream.
"What a waste."
I woke up to that voice, I stayed watching for a while, after my turn was over, I went to sleep... but... I'm not in a forest anymore. I was in a desert... with nothing close to me or even any buildings or objects around me, it was night still but... no stars.
I quickly got up, looking around with confusion hitting me. I look then to my left... but there was still no one.
"Mmm, yes. Weak, young... and fragile, but so much untapped potential."
"What the?" I heard that voice, it was a cold voice, yet so... demanding in a sense, it felt ancient.
"So much anger, hate to him. I've felt it too, yes... you are his son, a grudge. You would be an excellent warrior, you will do if the boy doesn't."
Boy? Was he talking about me? No... he was talking TO me... but this... boy... he was talking about someone else.
"Your reasons are justified, to hate your father, he abandoned you, the gods will hate you, they will kill you, but with my help, the gods will know their place."
The gods? This... voice, whoever it was, demanding and cold, he was offering... this was an offer for greater power.
"Help me rise, boy. Allow me to heal your pain, to strike against the deathless gods."
I felt something in my hands, the sands got into my feet, like some kind of quicksand. I tried to move quickly, but I couldn't get out, this was some kind of nightmare.
I looked forward, seeing a sandstorm being created in front of me, and the sand quickly going in my direction, as I look away and cover myself.
I then felt something shaking me, well... more like someone.
I quickly woke up again, but this time I was back in the forest, I saw who was the person waking me up, seeing Annabeth.
"Finally," Annabeth said, "the dead boy finally rises."
I could hear my own breath, how I was panting. That dream... it felt so real, I've never had something similar to this, not even close.
"You okay?" Annabeth asked as I get up slowly, nodding.
I said, "Yeah... just a dream, I guess."
"We Half-Bloods get dozens of those, they can mean a lot." she walked grabbing something from her spot. "Eat up, breakfast time."
She threw me some chips, similar to those that Kajsa ate, I looked around, and I saw Percy a bit shaken, I don't know why but... he was a bit shaken while eating some chips too.
I was about to ask him if something was wrong, until Annabeth talked again. "Forgot to mention, Grover went exploring, and even found a friend."
Percy and I looked, seeing Grover seated cross-legged on a blanket with a dirty pink... animal... was that a dog? Kajsa was playing with it too, until the dog yapped at Percy suspiciously. "No, he's not."
Percy blinked. "Are you... talking to that thing?"
The dog growled.
"This thing," Grover warned, "is our ticket west. Be nice to him."
"Is that a pink poodle?" I asked as Percy throws another question.
"You can talk to animals?"
Grover ignored our question, especially Percy's... something was odd between them. "Percy, Y/N, meet Gladiola. Gladiola, Percy and Y/N."
"Um... hi? How do you say hi to a dog?" I asked in a bit of confusion, I was genuinely curious.
Kajsa answered, "Just, say hi."
Percy stared at Annabeth, figuring she'd crack up at this practical joke they were playing on him, but she looked deadly serious.
I said, "Percy, say hi to the dog."
"I'm not saying hello to a pink poodle." he said. "Forget it."
"Percy,' Annabeth said. "I said hello to the poodle, Kajsa and Thomas did too, and you saw Y/N do it. You say hello to the poodle."
The poodle growled at Percy again, leaving Percy to say hi to the poodle.
Grover explained that he'd come across Gladiola in the woods and they'd struck up a conversation. The poodle had run away from a rich local family, who'd posted a $200 reward for his return. Gladiola didn't really want to go back to his family, but he was willing to if it meant helping Grover.
I said, "I kinda feel bad that she is willing to return just for us."
"Me too." Annabeth said with arms crossed, until we heard bushes moving and looked, seeing Thomas pop out from it. He has a few leaves in his hair as he shook it.
"What were you doing?" I asked him as he answered.
"Taking care of the trash, it was too many." he said with actually, a small amount of pride.
"Back to the important thing. So we turn in Gladiola," Annabeth explained in her best strategy voice, "we get money and we buy tickets to Los Angeles. Simple."
"Yeah, simple, if we even know who is the real owner." I said annoyed. "Plus we can't go on bus, it will take too long and we can be attacked."
"Agreed." Annabeth surprisingly agreed.
"Then we go on train." Thomas said as I look where he pointed, seeing some train tracks as I slightly smile.
Annabeth said, "There's an Amtrack station half a mile that way. According to Gladiola, the westbound train leaves at noon."
First chapter of 2024 and 10th chapter is here everyone, yeah I'm trying to be much mote casual here and quick since college starts again in the 22nd. I'm feeling in a very good mood so if any of you have a question about the story, or the character, etc, you guys are free to ask, consider this a mini Q&A.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, vote for it and later.