19 days until the war.
1:25 in the afternoon was the time as I sat down at the fire. Before I came I heard Max and Natalie talking about something, I couldn't make out the words but I knew it had something to do with Carrie.
"We're going back to camp after we pack up." Natalie informed me.
"Okay." I nodded. I hoped to gods that Carrie would be there... I missed him.
"Hurry up and get packing then." Natalie gestured to my tent. I nodded and began to tear it down, my mind miles away at Camp Half Blood.
I was thinking of ways I might be able to show Percy and the others that I was okay, that I wasn't worth dying for. But if I accidentally showed anyone at Camp Ops that I was had even the slightest connection to Camp Half Blood... then I... Well, I would be killed, would I not? Any connection to the enemy in a war... Even I knew that was against the rules.
"Are you okay?" Alivia eyed me as she tore down her own tent. "You look pale."
"Yeah, I'm fine." I shook my head and continued to pack up my tent.
"You know, you've said that a lot, but it doesn't seem to be true." Alivia frowned.
"I'm fine." I repeated, not looking at her.
"Are you?" Alivia turned me around so I would look at her.
"I'm okay, Alivia." I sighed. "Can I finish packing up now?"
"...Sure." Alivia still sounded suspicious as I turned back to my half-taken-down tent.
I quickly finished taking it down and rolled it up, then looked around at the others. Natalie was tying her stuff to her pegasus's saddle, Alivia was rolling up her tent, and Max—
Max was all finished. He was sitting near Alivia, talking to her with a smile. I looked between the two and knew that they would end up a couple, one way or another.
"It feels strange, doesn't it?" Natalie suddenly appeared next to me.
"What?" I questioned, redirecting my gaze to her.
"Going back, we've gotten so close but now we have to go back to being just instructors or just regular campers."
Just a regular camper, I snorted mentally. Yeah right, a war has just been claimed in my name.
"Yeah." I laughed.
"Well, I guess soon we'll be right back together, fighting side by side."
"Right." I nodded. Then I stood and began strapping my stuff to the saddle on Jeff's back.
"Time to go?" He neighed.
"No, not yet." Natalie stroked his mane.
"Wait, you speak horse?" I gaped at her.
"Yep, when you live in the wild you have to speak to someone, right?"
"...I thought only children of Poseidon and Neptune could understand horses."
"Nope, you shouldn't classify people like that, everyone's full of surprises."
"Hmph..." I frowned.
Now I didn't feel so special for knowing how to communicate with horses.
"But only pegasi, horses don't seem to like me much." Natalie frowned.
"Are you two ready?" Max eyed us.
"As ready as I'll ever be." I harnessed my tent to Jeff
"Since you've never come to camp during war times you need to remember one thing," He came over and started to explain, "Make small movements and whatever you do, don't bring out your sword. Okay, you have to remember that or we're all dead."
"Why would I ever—"
"Trust me, you'll want too." He laughed then turned toward everyone, "Is everyone ready?"
"Yeah." We all echoed.
"Okay, let's go." He breathed, almost a worried look painted on his face.
I gazed around, it seemed everyone had the same worried and scared look on their faces, I wondered why but no answers came.
A door opened and Max stepped through, followed my the rest of us.
"Let go!" I yelled.
Someone had wrestled me to the ground, I could open my eyes just enough to see that Alivia, Max, and Natalie had all been wrestled to the ground.
"Hold her face up, I need to see if she has the marks." A voice growled and someone grabbed my face and forcefully ripped it up toward the sun.
"Looks like her." The boy holding my face growled.
"It's her."
"What are you doing? She's a camper like the rest of us." Max snarled.
"She won't be hurt... much." Someone laughed, a large hand grabbed the back of my shirt and dragged me to my feet.
"Let— Go!" I panted but the man's nails just dug deeper into my back.
"Shut her up! We don't need Carrie hearing!" A deep voice hissed and my voice died instantly, though I was still yelling for them to let me go.
They dragged me down a street and into a dark room.
"The pen," Someone spoke and the men stopped dragging me. "I've seen it in action. That's her weapon. It's in her pocket."
Whoever was speaking ripped my pen out of my pocket and put it somewhere.
"The council is ready."
The words rang in my ears.
Council.
The people pulling me along, me still screaming things that my mother would've disowned me for.
They sat me down and my voice returned.
"You son of a f—!" I yelled angrily, and wiped the blood off of my face from the cut that had formed.
"Woah, woah little missy, watch your language." A man laughed and the two men that had dragged me in tied my arms and legs to the chair.
"Let me go! Who are you?!"
"I? I'm the one asking the questions."
"Answer mine first or I won't answer any of yours."
"My name is Wallace, I'm leader of the council. Now you're going to answer my questions. What truly happened the day that Carrie apparently fought a god?"
"He did fight a god and he won." I snarled, still struggling.
"I find that very unlikely, knowing his very little skill—" As he said this I nearly hissed in fury. "So would you like to tell me the truth or continue with the story Carrie gave you? Now tell me about the day that Carrie supposedly fought a god."
I didn't respond with anything other than a growl of hatred.
"Well Wallace," Boomed Carrie from a nearby doorway, "If you wanted answers you should've just asked. You should know by now not to come after my campers."
Pure hatred flashed across Wallace's face and he spun around.
"We couldn't stop him." A boy ran in gasping for breath, panting as if he had just ran a marathon.
"Yeah, sorry about that, no one's dead but a few are knocked out. Now stop interrogating my campers, as you can hopefully understand we're at war, this is not a time to be questioning my campers, especially by force. If I get any more word of you hurting or questioning my campers then I will take action."
"Are you threatening me?" Roared Wallace.
"Good, you're catching up."
"You dare threaten me child?"
"Oh, and you've never threatened me? I would show you but it would be hours of footage."
"Can I go now?" I spoke, my voice still filled with resent.
"No! Now tell the truth or I'll force you to!" Wallace whipped around and faced me.
"Wallace, there's no need—" Carrie started.
"I am in charge here! What I say goes!"
"She belongs to my camp, that means you can't do anything to her without my permission. Release her."
The men that had tied me to the chair stepped forward and started to untie me.
"Stop it! I am in charge! Not the foolish boy!" Wallace roared at the men.
"Wallace." Carrie spoke and tossed him something. "Stop taking my campers, and give that back when you're done."
"You little—"
"Goodbye. Neptuna, come with me.