"So, explain to me why you can't come in again?" I sighed and tried to ignore the throbbing pain in my head that seemed to grow more and more intense the longer the wound went without being properly treated. My head throbbed and the seedling pain on my cheek seemed to be spreading to my brain, engulfing it in a low flame.
Cherrie sighed and handed me the last bag. We were parked in front of a woodsy camp that had a big sign written in Greek. I watched in awe as the words seemed to lift off of the wood and jumble together to create a whole new phrase. 'Welcome All Half-Bloods.'
"The reason is I'm not a mythical creature, or related to the gods in any way. Only people who need protection are able to access the premises of the Camp -- it's enchanted." Cherrie looked over her shoulder once more, it seemed as if she has been doing this constantly. "Now hurry up, before something shows up to stop you." She pushed me towards the entrance.
Sighing, I pulled on my backpack and walked a couple of paces when I noticed the sound of light panting. Slowly I looked down at my feet and saw Orion pacing around my legs, following me. "Orion, go back to Cherrie. You can't come with me." I reached down and gave him a pat. Orion did as I asked.
"Good boy," I praised him, then started walking to the camp once more, feebly attempting to ignore the dull flame in my skull. This time, a small nudge on the back of my leg caused me to stop. Turning on my heel, I watched Orion follow me once more. "Orion, what are you doing?" I sighed.
Cherrie's laughter echoed from behind me. "He's loyal to you. I really doubt you'll be able to get rid of him now. You did save his life."
Bending down, I picked Orion up off of the forest floor, cradling the puppy in my arms. "Do you think they will allow him in there?"
"They don't have a policy against puppies, if that's what you mean," Cherrie nodded. "I'm sure they will let you keep him. It's not like you do much there anyway."
Nodding, I put Orion back on the ground and let him follow me. "Hey, Cherrie? Thanks for everything," I said. I realized then that I hadn't thanked Cherrie for doing everything she had done. I was still a bit skeptical about the whole 'gods' theory, but she had kept me safe, and for that I was grateful.
Cherrie returned my smile and nodded. "You're welcome."
I refused to think about how this might be the last I ever see her again, but instead ran through the invisible barrier. The aching in my brain intensified and throbbed, making my head feel as if my very brains were melting.
Falling to my knees, I bit back a scream, my teeth digging into the fleshy base of my bottom lip. I could practically feel the Fury's claws ripping through my skin again and again, over and over. With every faint sensation, a new wave of heat licked at my brain. I could feel sweat pebble my brow as I stumbled onto my feet once more. Orion started nudging me with his snout as if to ask what was wrong.
Wiping the back of my hand on my brow, I recoiled from my burning flesh. I was running an extreme fever; it was taking over. I stumbled against a thick tree and doubled over as my world spun, vomiting into the brush with a wave of nausea.
The pain continued to grow until my vision started to darken, and I felt myself losing my footing. "Hey, are you okay?" I heard a muffled voice call out to me before I blacked out completely though I saw his golden hair and concerned blue eyes.
My dreams were strange.
In them, I was staring up at the sky. It was a brilliant blue and the sun beamed down on my skin, as if caressing me softly. Nestled in the clouds was a symbol, a winged staff with two snakes wrapped around it, glistening in the sun.
I grinned and reached out my hand like I could touch the sky, but when I did the sky quivered, rippling from its beautiful hue and becoming swallowed up in cold and dark black. The sun lost its glow and it burned so brightly that it evaporated, disappearing completely from view.
But then, in the absence of light, the sky ignited with color. Contrasting against the now black nightfall, stars exploded and spread to every corner of the blanketed horizon. The colors of the stars spanned from orange to purple and red and formed the shape of a bejewelled trident. It was a beautiful display, but the most brilliant thing in the sky was the Moon.
She rose elegantly from her bed and shone down where I lay. Her glory seemed to fill my bones with humility and gracefulness, outshining the stars and putting them to shame. In that moment, the night no longer felt cold and distant, but majestic and powerful.
The night was full of mystery and adventure.
I woke with throbbing pain on my cheek.
Breathing heavily, I looked at my surroundings, not recognizing where I was. Glancing around the room, I noticed a rocking chair near a large window that overlooked what seemed to be a grass field spanning on into forever.
My heart picked up speed as I heard the floorboards beneath my bed creak with the pressure of someone standing close to me. Slowly, I turned my head to see a familiar mop of blond hair and glowing blue eyes.
"Uh, hi," He half smiled at me. The boy was only a few years older than myself, and he seemed to be rather comfortable, tucking his hands into his front jean pockets. "How are you doing?" I examined him closely, trying to figure out why the guy was so familiar. I had never held a fondness for males, and he made me shift uncomfortably in my cot.
Unsure, I chose not to respond and instead focused on the stinging pain.
After a minute or so, the boy scrunched up his face in an apologetic smile, realizing that I wasn't in the mood to talk. However, instead of leaving my room, he pulled up a chair by my bedside. Despite myself, I couldn't help but notice how brilliant his smile was. But, I quickly shook that thought away as he began talking.
"Sorry, my name is Luke Castellan, son of Hermes and Camp Leader. I found you when you collapsed outside of camp." Frowning, I studied his face for any signs of a lie. I had no recollection of any of this happening. Luke noticed my curiosity. "You... don't remember?"
Closing my eyes, I shook my head no. I tried to think back to the last thing I did remember.
I could remember Cherrie. I could remember Orion following me. I could remember saying goodbye. I could remember the stinging pain in my head. Then, slowly but surely, I focused on my missing memories. I was walking, then all of the sudden my face ignited in a terrible pain. Then I saw him, Luke, he was the last thing I could recall. "I remember you." I nodded my head and turned to look at him once more.
"I remember you asked me if I was okay," I spoke up for the first time, noting how my voice was hoarse with a dry throat. I swallowed, as if to quench my thirst, but it didn't help much. For the first time, I took a real glance around the room I was in and saw a small bedside table with a single glass of flat water on it.
Snatching it off the table, I took a few, greedy swallows.
Luke grinned and leaned towards me in his chair; I leant away. "You gave me a good scare. You just passed out and no one was around for half a mile, so I just picked you up and brought you here."
I stared at him, a bit baffled. "You carried me for a half mile?" I know I am not fat, but I'm not a stick either. How many people can carry a hundred and forty pound person half a mile? With the new information on the guy, I started to see him in a different light.
Luke chuckled lightly and shook his head. "Yeah, half a mile. You weren't that heavy and I'm pretty strong. You're welcome," he smirked, adding a joking muscle flex to back his claim while I watched him with a slight disbelief that he could act this coy.
Scoffing, I rolled my eyes and turned my head to the other side of the room. This guy was kind of narcissistic. Sure he was cute, but please. "Where's my dog?" I grimaced, cupping my cheek as the cut flared a bit.
"He's being taken care of by the satyrs," he off-handedly responded. "You're still in pain?" Luke pushed my chin up with his forefinger and removed Cherrie's superficial bandage to examine the damage. I flinched away from his hand and took the bandage off myself, shooting him a smart glare as I pushed his hand away, annoyed. I don't like to be touched.
With a frown, Luke muttered a curse under his breath and stood up from his chair. "That looks bad; I'll have Annabeth get you some nectar. It should heal that cleanly." Luke pointed at my cheek then headed for the door.
"Hey, ...wait," I called out to him. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about the guy, but he did help me in my time of need. I figured that accounted for a name and a curt 'thank you'. "Olive. My name is Olive." Luke grinned and opened the door.
"It's nice to meet you, Olive."
"Thanks... for, you know..."
I sat there staring at the wall for what seemed like hours. My cheek felt swollen and it hurt like hell. I didn't know how nectar would help the pain, but if there was a small chance, I was all for it. My mind traveled to thoughts of Orion, hoping he was safe with the mythical 'satyrs' that Luke mentioned.
In the silence of my room, a dark thought crossed my mind. 'I can barely take care of myself. How could I possibly take care of a puppy as well?'
Finally, the door banged open, causing me to sit up straighter in the bed. In the doorway stood a pretty girl with blazing, grey eyes and long, blonde curls that were carefully tucked back into a ponytail. She was average height, about the age of fifteen or so, and holding a glass filled with a thick liquid. Her eyes were burning with some kind of resentment but held an attitude of knowledge -- like she knew everything there was to know.
"Er, hello," I smiled at her, trying to break my current streak of being unsocial.
She did not say a word, she just stalked into my room and set the glass on a bedside table along with a small tray of, what looked like honeycomb. She glared quizzically at me once more before stalking to the door. "What is this?" I tried to get her attention as I held up the glass of liquid.
The girl breathed through her nose and turned back around to me. What surprised me was that she was wearing a smile, despite the fact that I had seemed she didn't want to talk to me. Perhaps she was having a bad morning. "Nectar, it will heal the cut. It's the food of the gods and has major healing traits. Also, the honeycomb will help you regain your strength, so you can start training."
"Oh, thanks then." I smiled lightly at her. "My name is Olive." I held out my hand for her to shake. She stared at it for a few seconds then slowly put her hand into mine and gave it a quick shake before dropping it, face easing up slightly and a more relaxed smile easing onto her face.
"Annabeth." She forced another grin. "Look, I have other wards to tend to so I'll leave you now." And with that, she stormed out of my room.
Luke came in a second later. "Hey, I'm back." He grinned and sat down next to me once more. "Why don't you eat." He said in more of a command than a question.
"Where am I?" I asked as I picked up the cup full of the purple gloop. I gave it a small sniff and shrugged, it didn't smell that bad. I put my lips to the glass to take a sip when I noticed that Luke was watching me very intently.
He noticed that I had caught him staring and he looked away. "Sorry, it just interests me about what your reaction to it will be. And this is the infirmary, usually, we put the injured in a large room with multiple people so the nurses can tend to them quicker, but since you started to glow...well, we thought it best if you were by yourself; just incase."
Again with the glowing. I had no idea what that even meant to me. Sighing, I shrugged my shoulders and sipped the liquid. Instantly a warm tomato and basil taste flooded my mouth. With horror, I spat the poison out of my mouth and started coughing hard.
Instantly, Luke stood up and helped me sit up straight so I could catch my breath. "What happened?" Luke asked me as soon as my breathing regulated. I shook my head and handed him back the purple slush.
"I don't want any, thank you," I whispered and shook the shivers from my body. That taste...it could not have been an accident. It tasted just like she used to make it.
Luke sighed and handed it back to me. He frowned and sat back down. "You have to drink it, it is the only way you'll heal properly."
I shook my head repeatedly. "No." I crossed my arms and turned my head the other direction. I knew that I seemed like a baby, but he did not understand. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. This has been the second most emotional couple of days of my life.
The floor boards creaked as Luke got to his feet. "Look, I really don't want to do this, but if you won't drink it..." I quickly snapped my head in his direction, what was he getting at? In a blink of an eye, I was out of my bed and in the air.
"W-what are you doing?!" I yelled at the maniac and kicked him in the gut. He seemed unfazed and threw me over his shoulder. "Put me down." I hissed in his ear. I felt a sudden wave of nausea hit me, it was obviously too soon for me to be out of bed.
"Hmmm, how about no?" He chuckled and jumped up and down. That ass! He knew I was nauseous!
I closed my eyes tight and tried to think about happier thoughts, like...me ripping his head off. Yeah, that was happier. "Please put me down?" Maybe if I asked nicely...
"Nope." Luke continued to hop up and down. "If you drink the nectar I will." Luke stopped his hopping and waited for my reply.
"Never." I crossed my arms stubbornly.
Luke just shrugged and started to hop once more. I opened my mouth to tell him that I caved, when the door burst open. Suddenly, Luke stopped jumping around and we were both frozen in awkward positions.
Standing at the door was a burning Annabeth. She looked as if someone had spat in her face and then slapped her. Annabeth swallowed, and gave me the most deadliest glare she could muster before giving Luke one last hurt look and leaving.
"Can you put me down?" I whispered. Taking note that Luke still hadn't moved.
Luke cleared his throat and put me back in my bed. He handed me the drink and gave it a pointed look. "Please just drink it."
Glaring at the purple slush, I crammed my eyes closed and took a deep breath. Putting the glass to my lips I tried to chug the whole tall glass before it could touch my taste buds. But, it didn't happen, instead, the spaghetti taste took over my senses.
I was back in my mom's kitchen, it was my fifth birthday and my mom was making me something special for dinner. It was my favorite. Spaghetti and meatballs-she always made the best pasta, but something about this dish made it my favorite. We sat down and ate it together, just me and her. It was one of the happiest times of my life.
I felt a thumb on my cheek, and it took me from my memory. I opened my eyes to see Luke brushing away a shed tear. I cleared my throat, embarrassed. "Sorry." I took a deep breath and suddenly I felt my strength return to me. Almost instantly my cheek felt 125% better.
"I'll leave you to get some sleep." Luke nodded at me and gave me a small smile before heading out. I didn't even realize how tired I was until my head hit the pillow and I was out.
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8/10/15 A/N: NOTHING PAST THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN EDITED; IGNORE THE COMMENTS THAT SAY 'edited' THESE ARE LIES!
Please note, if you like the way the story has played out so far: i.e. the writing style and the flow, I beg you to realize that this is the way the sequel is written -- but not all of the 1st book. The first book I wrote over 4 years ago, and it needs a lot of work, please bare with me. I have developed a lot as a writer, but back then I was not good.
I'm not being modest here; I apologize for all of this book -- basically...
lots of love, jess