I woke to a flash of light and a strong pair of arms wrapped around my waist. That's when I notice Tyson and Percy laughing at a polariod photo Percy must have just taken...that explains the flash if light...wait Tyson was here?
For the first time in months, I jumped from my bed waking Nico with the fast movement as I leapt into Tyson's arms.
"Sister!" He laughed as he hugged me tightly. A bit too tight
'Tyson....can't...breath!"
"Sorry, sis." He apologised sadly.
"I came in last night to find Tyson playing with Meleager...by the way don't stand of his tail. Tyson learn the hard way... it's a long story doesn't ask" Percy laughed. While Tyson shyly rubbed the back of his neck.
"I said sorry to the scary guy" he muttered to himself but I still heard him.
"Thanks for the wake-up call Jackson," Nico complained in a deep morning voice that I have to say was nothing more than adorable.
"No problem...jinx" Percy and I said in sync only to end up in a fit of laughter.
I heard Mel groan sadly. When I looked at him my heart broke he appeared to be shivering with a bandage on his tail. Okay, those two are telling me what they did to my dragon later.
I went over to rub Mel and it instantly cheered him up a little but he still seemed to be shivering so I spoke the magic words that came to me last night at dinner and him instantly because of pocket size. Placing him back on my shoulder I turned to the others who were all staring at me. It was unbearably uncomfortable so I shrugged at them and made my way to the bathroom.
After changing and getting a break from their stares I returned to find Nico storming out of the cabin as Percy and Tyson looked on confused.
"What did you do Seaweed Brains?" I sighed picking up the locket that was left with me when I was a baby at Sally's doorstep. My favourite weapon. Putting is on its waited for Percy's answer. "Well?"
"I don't know...I was talking about how to capture the flag was tonight and that Hades Apollo Athena Poseidon Demeter Iris and Hermes were on the same team. He heard that and stormed off..."Percy tailed off.
"Wait Apollo cabin is on our team...oh gods...that's not gonna be good." I realise and run to catch up with Nico.
"What's wrong?" Percy yelled after me.
"Will is a son of Apollo, you idiot!" I screamed back as the door shut behind me.
I searched all of the camp and couldn't find Nico anywhere...I couldn't just barge into his cabin and search for him...it was kinda against camp rules...though that'd never stopped me before. After an internal struggle I decided the only way to find out if Nico had already broken our promise was to check his cabin.
Hades' cabin was dark and dull almost as if the building had been plucked straight out of the underworld...which it possibly had. I wouldn't put it past Hades to just pick the same architectural design for both his children's cabin and the interior of his palace. Gothic. Black. And probably build from the bone of his enemies. That's why I loved it. It beat all the uplifting vibes that radiated off all the other cabins. Hades cabin was mysterious and I loved how different the architecture was too...hey when you start hanging around Annabeth too much and she begins to rub off on you.
Anyway, I did something crazy for me. I ran up to the building and kicked down the door to find my best friend flung out on his bed with his face buried in his pillow.
"Go away!" He muttered.
"I am not leaving until I convince you to A) partake in tonight's capture the flag and put on the facade that Will Sole has not broken your heart into dust never mind pieces. B) We beat the other team at capture the flag to show Mr I'm so hot cause I'm the son of the Sun God that we're above him and will put our team before ourself Or..... C) We pack our bags and we make that trip to see the underworld that you've always promised me. Pick." I stated standing patiently beside his double bed.
"I am not taking you to the underworld to see your mother we've talked about this." He sighed sitting up. His eyes puffy and blood shot.
"So you're going to partake in the game?" I questioned knowing my plan had worked.
"Fine.. but I'm gonna get beaten I haven't trained in months"
"Me either so let's fit in a little pregame training" I smirked knowing all too well this was going to be the most fun I'd have in months.
"Come on then...race you?"
"Oh you're on ghost king"
With that, we both ran for the door pushing and shoving each other any chance we got on the way the training arena. The place was mostly empty a handful of people in the stands watching a few of Athena kids practise their sword skills. I didn't expect the place to be as packed as it was only eight a.m.
I clenched my locket and imagined a sword soon enough a crystalized bronze sword formed in my hand and armour covered my chest and torso. I tried to get Mel to rest on the ground but he refused to cling to my neck so much it hurt a little. Meanwhile, Nico picked a sword from a pile afraid to use his stygian iron sword in practice as its blade can do some serious damage to mortals. Unlike me, he didn't even bother with armour.
"Ready, Bone Head" I winked proud of my new nickname for him. I'd a feeling it was gonna stick.
"Always" He smirked as he made his first move which I easily dodged. With minimal effort too. I blocked the next few attempts and managed to knock him off his feet.
"Is that all you got Di Angelo?" I laughed twisting my sword in my hand getting ready for his next attack.
I didn't anticipate him swinging his legs around in order to knock me off my feet. Knocking the air from my lungs in the process. At the moment it took me to regain my breath Nico straddled me and reached for my weapon. In a moment of need, I did the only thing I could think off to distract him...
I tickled his stomach and he fell back off me allowing me to jump to my feet. We carried on our sword fight for over an hour neither one of us willing to accept defeat a crowd began to form in the stalls to watch us. In the corner of my eye, I saw Connor and Travis taking beats. For who'd win.
"Hey. Bone head wanna give them a show?" I questioned. We were both growing tired of plain combat I could tell from Nico's posture. He only smirked before plunging his sword into the ground summing an army of the dead. Now, this was going to be fun.
Two can play are this game. I summoned water from everywhere within a five-meter radius to me. The huge body of water started moving above my head making me secretly nervous. I never did like being near too much water. Hiding my fears I willed the water into the forms of weapons and used them to fight off Nico's army of the dead. As each skeleton died the weapons fighting it would turn into a puddle on the sandy ground of the arena creating patches of mud. With the remaining water, I willed it to take a new form. A gigantic triton I hurled it at the remaining skeletons penetrating them and turning them into a piles of bone on the ground. Nico and I retake our defensive stances feeling and looking physically drained from using our powers but both equally too stubborn to submit to the tiredness and lose.
I felt Mel rub off my neck as if trying to give me the strength to continue to fight and I have to say it somehow did encourage me to continue.
I move to attack Nico swinging my sword only for him to block every blow. Eventually, he swings at the level of my head I duck swinging my leg and knocking him off his feet dropping his weapon out of reach. I straddle him the way he'd done to me earlier. I raise the sword and push it into the ground beside his head. I leaned in to whisper in his ear.
"And like that you're dead" I smirked but was taken by surprise when he processed to tickle me the way I'd done earlier. Sending us into an all-out tickle war in the middle of the arena. We didn't care that people were watching us.
"Not...fair...I'm...gonna...get...you..for...this" I warned in between laughter as he out tickled me winning this battle while I'd won the actual fight.
While continuing to tickle me. He leaned in and whispered, "Karma's a bitch" before he helped me stand up both of us in a fit of laughter.
Percy and Annabeth walked up to us clapping.
"I have to say that was a good fight guys. Though I don't think tickling somebody will work in a real fight. But hey the tactic worked so I'm still impressed" Annabeth smirked. Getting praise from the daughter of Athena and possibly the best hero in camp made me feel immensely proud of myself. Things were beginning to pick up.
"If I didn't know you liked guys I'd say you two where a thing" Percy joked bumping off Nico's shoulder only for the two of us to blush.
"In your dreams Jackson....so any upcoming quests?" I laughed awkwardly trying to change the topic.
"Actually no.." Annabeth was cut off by Piper running up us screaming our names at the top of her lungs.
"Easy Piper, what's wrong?" I asked as she tried to catch her breath.
"Festus... Thalia's tree...Leo...just come on!" She tried to explain but ended up running back the way she came. Confused and somewhat frightened we ran after her all the way to half blood Hill. Standing there beside Thalia's tree was Leo Vallez looking at an unconscious girl. While Apollo campers tended to her. Festus his mechanical dragon was playing with the dragon that guards the golden fleece.
I couldn't help myself I ran straight to my overly self-confident mechanic friend and enveloped him in a hug before leaning back and flipping him over my head. Kinda like who Annabeth did when she reunited with Percy in Camp Jupiter. We'd planned that.
"We taught you were dead never do that to us again!" I held back the tears in my eye as I helped him get off the ground
"Awh Lo siento. I promise I won't do that again but I had to save Calypso. I couldn't leave her on the island...but when we left the island she got sick I dunno if she's gonna make it." My heart broke my brother and Nico had told me how Leo met Calypso during their quest and the story broke my heart. Nearly as much as thinking he was dead. He was only at camp a short time but during those months we got really close I helped him build the Argo II despite not being part of the quest. I wanted to help.
"Percy?" Annabeth questioned bringing me out of my thoughts I see my brother staring at Calypso. I know he had a history with the goddess. Neither me or Annabeth knew much about his time of her island he didn't like to talk about it. I could tell it caused him some level guilt.
"Oh, umm..I'm fine. I'm happy you found her man. She deserved a happy ending. You need to get some food you looked starved. Come on let them take her to the infirmary they'll take good care of her." Percy smiled. I could tell he was unsure about the whole situation.
Nico and I just exchanged looks of confusion. Either things was about to get really awkward when Calypso wakes up...or things were going to be extremely sad and Leo would go into depression if the Apollo kids couldn't heal her.
Over the next 3 days, we all took shifts taking care of Leo while he refused to move from Calypso's bedside. It was sweet he didn't want to leave her to wake up in a strange place with nobody familiar. The guy was really in love. I found it adorable. I kinda wished I could find that kind of love. The kinds that's so intense you feel like you'd die without them. Kinda like what Percy has with Annabeth.
When Calypso finally woke up. I took her on a tour of the camp and ordered Leo to take a nap because his girlfriend wasn't going anywhere any time soon. We talked for hours. She was a lovely girl much more humble than any god I'd ever met which was so refreshing. Her first in counter with Percy was far less awkward than I'd first imagined she even apologised to Annabeth for keeping 'her man' from her all those years ago. There was this sense of peace at camp that I hadn't felt for years...I should've been over the moon with happiness but quite the opposite, I was more anxious. Things were too quiet. It was almost like the calm before the storm.
After dropping Calypso off at the big house where she'd be staying I walked up to the lake. It was kinda nice and tranquil. Barely anybody was here. The water nymphs were talking in the far distance. So I'd much of the lake to myself. I was trying to keep my distance and the water still made me quite nervous. I couldn't help but think about my Dad, I wanted to know more about how he met mum, why he kept her identity from me for so long. I needed more answers. I quickly began to let down my guard as I got lost in thought. Let's just say I wasn't expecting the Stoll brothers to come up behind me and push me into the lake.
Now please don't judge or anything...but I was probably the only child of Poseidon who...COULDN'T SWIM. As soon as I made contact with the water my whole
Body went into shock. I panicked and fought to try to keep myself above water but I was terrified. It was like my body was made of stone. I couldn't float. No matter how hard I tired I was being dragged under the water by my own fear. I could feel it fill my lungs. I kept trying my best to swim but I couldn't. This only caused me to have a future panic attack while slowly drowning. Eventually, My limbs grew tired and I began the sink. I fought to keep my consciousness but I could barely breathe the water was filling my lungs. I was so scared I could figure out how to breath underwater the way Percy has tired to show me. The deeper I got the harder it was to stay conscious. As I slipped away into darkness near the bed of the lake I felt somebody pull on my arm though I was certain it was my imagination. I've tried to tell everyone at camp but nobody believed that a child of Poseidon couldn't swim never mind that the same child of the sea was terrified of large bodies of water. Now, look where their arrogance got me. I nearly died...in my father's domain. That was my last thought as my world went black. I am going to die...in my father's domain.