Warning, this capter is going to be boring. I'm lacking inspiration (even though I've got hundreds of reads and more votes and comments than I thought I waould ever get, thanks so much guys!) so this chapter isn't going to be great :(
I warned you!
Of course, I caught pneumonia.
Hey, I've only got myself to blame, right? What kind of idiot jumps into a freezing-cold lake in the middle of November? Me.
I woke up the morning after the lake incident with my chest feeling like it was about to explode. I sat up and started coughing and spluttering. I sank back down into my bed feeling suddenly breathless.
Katie, our head counselor, took one look at me and sent Sarah to get Chiron.
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I've never been to the camp hospital ecept for when I come to visit another camper.
Two of my half-brothers carried me to there on a stretcher wrapped in a blanket. My head had started throbbing.
I remember a camper form the Apollo cabin standing over me. I could hear Chiron asking questions. Ambrosia. Necter.
I could feel my heat beating fast and faint. Drenched in sweat, shivering.
I was aware of everyone rushing around, but it was like watching a silent black and white movie in slow motion.
I could see Chiron's worried face. Some of my brothers and sisters from Demeter cabin. Medics from Apollo cabin.
But everything was slowly growing dimmer.
And then the dreams began.
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*Dream*
I am running through the forest. It's late, almost dark, but I can see a light flickering somewhere through the trees in front of me. I keep running. Something is pulling me towards the light like a magnet.
I burst into a clearing and saw Leo. He had his back to me.
"Leo!" my dream-self shouted.
Slowly, he turned to see me and a smile spred across his face. He ran towards me, I ran to him...
...but then he ran through me as if I was made of smoke.
Time seemed to slow down.
I turned to watch as he ran to a figure standing at the edge of the clearing, partly hidden by shadows.
I saw her move towards him, saw then embrace.
Still with his arms wrapped around her waist, he draws back and studies her face.
After a pause, she puts her arms around his neck and kisses him.
"You had your chance." Nemesis' voice echoes around the clearing.
Then I feel the ground give way beneath my feet and I was falling through space.
*Dream Ends*
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"We've given her all the Ambrsia we can without her burning up."
"Then why isn't she better yet?"
"I don't know! Pnemonia affects different people differently."
" £&^!*%($ all that crap science stuff, we're demi-gods! Why can't you heal her?"
"I don't know! I'm only mortal! Maybe she just has a waek inume system?"
"Fix her!"
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*Dream*
Sunlight was pouring in through the open windows. I breathed in the warn smell of honeysuckle and sighed, another beautiful warm day.
There was a knock on the cabin door.
"Come in." I said lazily.
Hazel peered around the door.
"Are you ready yet? The others are about to leave!"
Of course! The trip to the beach! Chiron was allowing a small group of us to leave camp for the day so we could go on a well earned holiday to the beach.
I swung my self out of bed and smiled at Hazel.
"Give me two minutes."
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Hazel and I jogged up Half-Blood Hill to Thalia's tree where two people stood waiting: Hazel's boyfriend, Will Solace, and Leo.
Will scooped Hazel up into his arms and swung her around before gently lowering her to the ground.
"You're late." he teased.
"It was Summer's fault!" Hazel winked at me.
She'd changed so much since she'd started dating Will, Hazel was so much more confident, happy, secure. A few months ago she would never had said that in case I was offended, we tease each other all the time now, she's my best friend, apart from Leo, but that's different...
"Come on," Will said, taking Hazel's hand and dragging her back into camp. "The others already left in the van, I said the four of us would catch them up on pegasi."
They ran back towards the stables leaving Leo and I alone for a few seconds.
Leo wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead.
"You, look be-autiful!"
I similed, my red/brown hair was pulled back in a loose pony-tail, I was wearing a simple green blouse over my swimming costume. I'd thought long and hard about whether to wear make-up or not, and in the end decided not to bother. I'm not that time of girl, and Leo always says that I don't need to bother with make-up because I'm 'already beautiful'!
"Come on, I'll race you to the stables!" I spun around and ran toward the camp with Leo running behind me.
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We were soaring through the sky on the back of a cream pegasus. Leo sat in front, me behind with my arms wrapped tight aroung Leo's waist to stop me falling off.
Hazel and Will flew on ahead of us leading the way. Over Half-Blood Hill and along the road until we hit the coast, then we'd fly along the coast until we reached a secret cove that Percy used to go to with his mum when he was little.
Suddenly our pegasus swerved to the left and began to fly inland.
"Leo!" I yelled, trying to make myself heard over the sound of the pegasus' beating wings, "We're going the wrong way!"
Maybe he didn't hear me, maybe he ignored me, any-how, we kept flying inland.
Suddenly our pegasus nose-dived towards the trees of a dense forest below us. The pegasus swooped down through the upper branches of the trees and landed smoothly on the moss-covered floor of the forest.
Leo jumped down off the pegasus and began to walk away through the trees.
"Leo!" I lept of the pegasus who promptly ttok off again and flew away, and ran after Leo."Leo, wait!"
He knelt down on the grass, I ran to his side.
"Leo! Are you ok?"
He stood up holding a creamy-whit iris (flower). He tucked it behind my ear and smiled, looking satisfied.
"Leo, the pegasus is gone, we're lost! Why did the pegasus suddenly change course? Why-"
Leo pressed a fingure to my lips.
"Do you have a map I could borrow?"
I frowned.
"No, why?"
"'cause I just got lost in your eyes."
He gently brushed my cheak and I walked forwards into a kiss that lasted for a thousand years.
*Dream Ends*
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"Still no improvement?"
"No Mr. Chiron sir."
"Hmm, I wonder why the Ambrosia hasn't started to work yet..."
"I'm not sure, it's almost like her body isn't even trying to resist the infection. She's been out for a week and a half now and there are still no signs that her body's trying to fight back."
"Can we risk giving her any more Ambrosia?"
"Not sure, but it mightn't do much good anyway, it's like she's lost the will to life."
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*Dream*
Chiron looked troubled as he walked out of the camp infirmary he began to make his way towards the archery targets where a group of young campers were waiting for a lesson.
Someone ran up to him.
"Um, Chiron?"
It was Leo.
"Yes?" Chiron glanced to where the campers were waiting for their lesson. "This had better be quick Leo."
"Um, yeah, it's about Summer, how is she?"
"Not very well I'm afraid."
"Could I, um, go and see her maybe?"
"I think it's a bit of a waste of time right now, she's not, er, conscious at the minute."
"But couldn't I-"
"No, Leo." Chiron said gently, "There's no point."
He turned and trotted towards the archery targets.
*Dream Ends*
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I may only have been a dream, but it gave me hope.
For the first time in two weeks, I opened my eyes.