Three days until war.
As I explained how each battle strategy would work, something didn't feel correct.
Suddenly everyone around me collapsed, I ended up catching Doleo and Tyler and set them nicely on the floor.
"What in the name of Hades and Pluto is going on?" I gazed at the unconscious cabin leaders and immortals.
Of course, no one answered me. Why would they? They were unconscious.
I immediately brought out my bow and scanned the area around everyone. If something had attacked them and caused them to go unconscious them I would find it and make sure it didn't hurt them further.
Mere moments later I decided that if it was a monster that attacked them then it was gone by now. I put away my bow and crouched down next to Juventas and started to try and shake her awake.
She groaned in pain and slowly sat up.
"Are you okay?" I took her hand and helped her up.
"Just a little headache." She mumbled and everyone else started to stir.
"What was that?" I questioned.
"A message." Juventas spoke, hands clutching her head though her eyes were wide and swimming with fear.
"About what? And why didn't it affect me?"
"It didn't affect you?" Doleo eyed me.
"Not even in the slightest." I shook my head. "I'm going to go make sure no one's hurt."
With that I jogged out of my cabin and started running from class to class making sure no one got hurt.
I must say, fighting class was hilarious. Since they were fighting at the time of the black out the fighters ended up on top of each other. I was forced to use most of my willpower to suppress the urge to laugh.
"Is everyone fine?" Juventas questioned me once I got back to my cabin.
"So far, most of them are still passed out though, but they should be fine."
"Are we just going to ignore the fact that you—" Sebastian started but Doleo put her hand over his mouth before he could continue.
"That I what?" I motioned for Doleo to release him.
"That you—"
"Have a great strategy that we should all listen to how it would work against the other camps." Doleo glared at him.
"Oh good gods." Juventas grumbled motioning out the window. "Here comes Ricky."
"Is everyone okay in here?" He poked his head in the door.
"Everyone's fine." I sighed.
When he heard my voice he jumped a mile high.
"Okay, what in the name of Hades happened when you guys were blacked out?" I questioned.
Why was everyone acting so strangely?
"I'll explain it to you once this meeting is over." Juventas massaged her head.
"Thank the gods!" I exclaimed. "Now, can we get back to work?" I motioned to the map.
They nodded and we approached the table.
Thank the gods that meeting was over, it was seriously ticking me off that almost everyone kept glancing at me as if I were about to explode.
"Tell me what the Hades happened when you guys were knocked out." I growled and fell into my chair, she took a seat across from me.
"There was a voice..." She murmured.
"What did it say?"
"'Your praetor has until midnight on June 20th to return what he has unrightfully stolen from Zeus. If he does not do so by the deadline then part of Zeus' soul shall latch onto your praetor's and he shall be killed. You have been warned.' That's what it said, word for word."
"'Unrightfully stolen'" I quoted. "What did I— oh gods!" My eyes widened in horror.
"What? What did you steal?"
"I have to go do something." I jumped up and walked as fast as I could toward to the prison without looking suspicious.
"What brings you here, praetor?" Poena questioned.
"I'm here to see a prisoner."
"May I ask the cause?"
"Answers." I nodded and entered the dark, stone prison. "Request to speak to prisoner 1138." I spoke to the skeleton.
"Request accepted, he will be brought into the meeting room immediately." The hollow voice echoed around the prison walls.
"Do not tell him anything." I ordered.
I entered the pitch black meeting room and sat down, waiting for one of our most famous prisoners to enter.
His blue eyes sulken, though full of well-hidden terror, his short blonde hair was lifeless. The boy was deathly thin and needed support from the wall to actually sit down across from me.
"Can you turn on a light or something?" He croaked at me.
"Sure." I snapped my fingers and the light above up illuminated the room.
"What do you want?"
"I would like to give you a chance."
"Why? I've been stuck in this hell hole for—"
"Annabeth Chase." I spoke.
He went silent, I allowed him a moment for her name to sink in and waited for his response.
His sullen eyes morphed from hidden terror to full out anger. He jumped up, clutched my shirt collar then slammed me against the wall.
"What did you do to her?" He growled.
I laughed. "Nothing, yet."
The adrenalin rush wore off and his legs gave out under him and I helped him back to his seat. "Are you done now?" I questioned and sat back in my seat.
"Don't touch Annabeth or I'll—"
"Choose your next words very carefully." I warned him.
Not to my surprise, his voice died in his throat.
"That's what I thought. Now, just to get you caught up, they recently announced war on this camp. Not to mention they still don't know that you are alive. I will try my best to lower the body count. But I can promise you two things, if Annabeth survives the battle then I will allow her and Thalia Grace to visit you."
"The second thing?" He eyed me.
"I will allow you to go back to being a camper at Camp Half Blood, if you, Thalia Grace, and Annabeth Chase all agree that you should."
"What's the catch?"
"You wear chains, you won't notice them and you won't feel them, though if your 'other side' seems to peek through them I will be able to activate them and bring you back here."
"Why are you helping me?" He questioned.
"I have my reasons."
"What are they?"
"I know what it feels like to lose someone close. Goodbye Luke Castellan, I will see you in a few days, possibly with your old friends."
"This might be too much to ask but it's worth a try—"
"Yes, I will tell the guards to allow you more food." I nodded, wrapped his arm around my neck then helped him back to his cell.
I left without another word.
"All finished praetor?" Poena nodded to me.
"Yes. I would like to request that prisoner 1138 get more food each meal, he seems deathly thin, and make sure that someone slips him a sword, Backbiter to be precise."
"The reason?"
"I would like to see what he would do. Wait a day and allow a trusted prisoner slip it to him after breakfast."
"I'll see what I can do." She nodded and disappeared into the prison.
Good thing she's true to her word.