I woke up with a scream. I had another nightmare, this time about the war.
"Sophie look out!" Annabeth called.
But I was too late.
A knife pierced through my gut and I collapsed to the ground. "Sophie!" Carter called. "Sophie!" His voice sounded so close and so far at the same one as I felt myself dying. Just before I lost all consciousness the sky turned red and Gaea cackled loudly.
Suddenly my door flew open revealing a worried Carter. He sighed in relief. "I thought someone attacked you." He said as he shut the door behind him. I sniffled and wiped away some stray tears. "I'm fine. Just a bad dream."
He sat next to me and pulled me into a tight hug. I snuggled into his chest and breathed in his fresh scent. For some reason he always smelled so good. "You wanna talk about it?" He asked.
I now knew better than to lie to him about my feelings so I told him the truth. "It was the war, and I got hurt. I was terrified. I am terrified. I'm so scared Carter. I thought I was ready for this but I'm not." I sobbed.
"Hey, hey, hey, calm down. We're all a little scared, but I'm confident we'll win. You wanna know why?" He asked.
"Why?" I managed to say.
"We've got you. And with you, and Brooklyn House, and your friends working as a team, we'll be unstoppable. Now stop crying you're making me sad."
I laughed. "Thank you Carter."
"Anytime, Sophie. Anytime."
We lay together in silence until he sighed. "I should probably go back to my room." He said. He started to get back up but I found the courage to grab his wrist.
"Carter." I said softly. "Don't leave."
We stared at each other for a few seconds before he spoke. "I won't."
I moved over and he slid in next to me. I didn't know where this confidence was coming from, but I found myself snuggling back into his chest. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer towards him.
I fell back asleep almost immediately.
__________
I woke up at 7 the next morning with Carter's arm still wrapped around me. He was snoring softly, but his face was so peaceful.
I slowly slid out from his grasp and went to go take a shower. 10 minutes later I was out and changed into my camp shirt and jeans with my blue green converse. Those shoes were so worn out but I'd been using them since I came to camp.
Once I had pulled my hair into its usual pony tail, it was 7:30. "Sophie." Carter muttered sleepily. "Morning." I told him softly.
"What time is it?" He asked.
"7:30. We should go upstairs if we're said to arrive around 8." I replied.
"Alright. Where are we gonna keep the ship anyway?"
"Down by the coast. The war will be at the Acropolis." I explained. We stayed silent for a moment. "Thank you for staying with me last night." I told him.
He nodded. "Like I said. Anytime. I'm gonna go to my room to get ready." He said.
"Alright. See you out there." I tell him. He gives me a curt wave and walks out.
I walked upstairs and saw that a lot of the kids were already up.
"Hey Walt. Status report?" I asked as I peeked into the control room.
"Reaching our destination in 15 minutes. Protective charms are covering the boat and we should be safe from any nearby monsters." He replied.
"You're a life saver Walt." I sighed in relief. Now I didn't have too much to worry about. "No prob Soph." He replied.
I sat down on the rail and watched the sea below me. I just needed to get tomorrow over with, then I could decide to go back to Olympus or not.
After a few minutes of just relaxing by myself, I felt a presence beside me. "I can sense your nervousness." Kaia said beside me. I chuckled. "That obvious?" I asked. She nodded. "Are you excited to see your friends?"
"Yeah." I replied. "I miss them."
"Well looks like not for long. Is that their ship?" She asked. I looked to where she was pointing and I gasped.
There in all its glory, stood the Argo II.
It seemed like an eternity, but we landed the ship next to theirs. I immediately jumped onto the Argo's deck. I ran down below deck and to the meeting room as fast as I could, knowing that my friends would be there. I threw the door open, panting for breath.
The seven turned to face me, and their eyes widened.
"I'm home." I said breathlessly.
"Oh my gods." Percy sighed as he engulfed me in a bone crushing hug. "I'm so sorry Percy." I cried into his shoulder. "Hey we're together now don't be so hard on yourself." He said into my shoulder.
"I'm so happy you're okay." I sniffled as we pulled away. He wiped the tears from my face with his thumbs. "Same thing with you. What were you thinking just leaving? And where have you been?" He asked sternly.
"I promise I'll explain later but first I just need to hug everyone." I laughed.
"I missed you Soph." Annabeth said as we hugged tightly. "I missed you more trust me." I replied. We both laughed and I moved on to Piper and Jason and hugged them both. "Good to have you back Sophie." Jason said. "We were all pretty lost without you." Piper added.
Then I hugged Frank and Hazel. "We're glad your safe Sophie." Frank said with a smile. I smiled back at them. "Group hug!" Piper exclaimed. We laughed and all hugged tightly.
Suddenly the door burst open. "Guys I think Sophie-" Leo started.
We all pulled away from the hug and me and Leo stared at each other. He looked relieve but terrified at the same time. "You're okay." He said. I nodded and gave him a tight smile. "Well, I think I should finally give you an explanation to where I've been and what I've been up to." I said.
I lead them back up to deck where Brooklyn House was waiting on the other boat. "Camp Half-Blood, meet Brooklyn House." I said hesitantly. Carter and Sadie stood next to each other in front of everyone else.
"You brought kids as our backup?" Hazel asked in confusion. "Not just any kids. Egyptian kids. I've been training them to fight like us. That's why I was gone for so long." I explained.
"Carter? How did she find you?" Percy asked. Carter shrugged and smiled. "I don't know."
I smiled at him and turned back to My friends. "They really are powerful kids. It's amazing what they can do. And I'm sorry for leaving with no explanation." I said.
"No worries Sophie. Its clear you were just trying to help." Annabeth assured me. I smiled at my friends, happiness bubbling inside me. "Well what are you guys waiting for? C'mon over here so we can all meet you." Percy told Brooklyn House.
I felt the Egyptians relax a little bit, knowing that my friends weren't as uptight as I was. [Hey, at least I can admit that I am pretty strict]
After at least half an hour, Brookyln House and the 7 were already super close. Now we were eating lunch and preparing at the same time. As for me, I was standing by the rail of the Argo, remembering what it was like before I left.
"Nice work Soph, you've done good." Percy said as he threw an arm around me. "Thanks Perc...You know I'll never forgive myself for what I did to you and Annabeth. Percy sighed. "Stop blaming yourself for that. Cause I know deep down you knew it was the right thing to do no matter what me and Annabeth went through." He told me.
I leaned my head on his shoulder. "I can't stop blaming myself for it though. When Nico told me that you guys were safe, I don't think I had ever been happier I my life." I admitted.
He kissed my forehead lightly. "Stop thinking about it. We're finally together and nothing will pull us apart ever again."
I savored that moment with my brother, thinking he was right.
But oh,
How wrong he was.
____________
MWHAHAHAHAH CLIFFHANGER
Ok so I am so upset this book is gonna end soon but I'm trying to update and write as much as possible to make up for when I didn't during the school year. I'm working on the third book already guys so don't worry; it will be coming out soon.
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LOVE Y'ALL
~Grace