The Wheel Of Time

We all sat together in the library long after Chiron had left to sleep.

Annabeth and Elizabeth were bent over the desk with maps all around and papers with scribbled notes. Percy sat at the couch with a notebook, and had been writing what looked like the longest packing list of all time. David had is nose in a book about Greek traditions and when I walked behind his chair to put a book away I saw the chapter heading was 'War and Battle Strategy.' He seemed to be studying defense and intrusion.

I sat at the small table in the back of the room and looked at several maps. I Volunteered to find us transport. As Hermes son, I kind of felt responsible to get us there safely. Anything I could do to help I would. I realize now that I still felt guilt over the last war; and I was trying desperately to make up for it.

I looked at the map of America. I knew we couldn't head to the airport, because of Percy and Elizabeth, being Poseidon's children and all. But there might still be a way to fly. I went to the land line down the hall and came back smiling.

Everyone in the room seemed to have been talking several minutes earlier, But I was still riding on my good luck.

"Well, I have a way of getting to Europe." I said sitting down. Elizabeth looked at me like I was crazy.

"We're taking the Argo II, aren't we?" She asked looking to Annabeth.

"Leo had to take apart the rudder and main mast again. It won't be fixed until tomorrow night at the earliest. Luke what were you saying?" Annabeth responded, turning towards me.

"There is a HID TransPort in New Jersey. Their planes, boats, and cars are demigod proof. Short of the Argo, It is the safest and fastest way of getting there." I said, leaning forward.
"The only thing I can't find is a boat to get us to the Port."

Elizabeth smiled.

"I can figure something out." Her smile faded as she continued. "When we get there, we have to follow the same path as those before, like the prophecy said. I am not sure how it works yet, but there is no way to stray from it. Where does the plane land?" She asked, shocking me. I didn't know if I should tell them right out that there was only a plane, and I had assumed that she would think we were going by sea.

“We land in Rome first and then Athens, quick layover so that we don’t attract too much attention. It’s going to be hard, considering there are about two hundred demigods flocking to the same place.” I said.

Percy looked confused.

“Why are there a pack of demigods heading for mount Olympus?” He asked.

“The Kronius Festival is on the summer solstice.” Annabeth said. Percy tilted his head smiling.

“And the Kronius festival is?”

“An Ancient Greek summer solstice festival for the god of agriculture at the time, Cronus. Unfortunately that is only one of the two festivals going on, and it’s the smaller one.
“The other is the Festival of the Gods. Early demigods created it on the summer solstice to thank their Godly Parents for letting them survive another year. The solstice also marks the beginning of the Greek year… Sorry.” She said and grinned at Percy.

“Okay. Well we should pack parachutes.” Elizabeth said.

“Why?” David asked. I could tell that she wasn’t joking, but he seemed dubious.

“We have to start in France. If the flight takes us all the way through to Italy, something will happen to make us stop. I don’t really want to think on all the possibilities in a plane.” She said, visibly shuddering as I watched.

“Okay, so it’s settled. It’s a ‘show up and go’ thing, so if we get there on time, We should be taking off less than ten minutes later.” I said. I watched Percy shake slightly and Elizabeth closed her eyes, but then the moment passed.

All of us stood and walked toward the cabins. A wandering Harpy giggled as she saw us and wandered closer; But Percy waved a hand and said, “Not this time, Capisey.” She looked annoyed but flew back towards the camp store muttering something about ‘late-night snack.’

We all went our separate ways after we passed the first statue, and each of us walked to their cabin. Except Percy, who walked with Annabeth to her cabin first, before turning around and walking back across the clearing to his own cabin.

I stepped lightly over to the second row of beds and sat down slowly on the bottom bunk. For several moments I just sat there, worrying over this quest. Then I realized that it was a little too quiet in the room; several of my siblings snored, and there was nothing now.

“Go back to sleep, guys.” I said out loud, not really worried about waking anyone. I heard a chorus of ‘ugh’ and several groans to go with it. But everyone rolled over and lay down again.

“I tell you in the morning.” I said, and smiled as I heard several ‘yes!’s.

It took me a second to realize that the Stolls were standing at the end of my bed.

“What do you want?”

“Were you with a girl?” Travis asked and I could hear people holding there breathe.

“I was with Annabeth and Percy. Go to bed. I need to sleep.” I said, and the Stolls turned around and walked away. But not before Connor says, “As if you could sleep.”

Those words made me stop. I lay down, but didn’t fall asleep. I hadn’t thought the dreams were that much of an issue. They weren’t nightmares, but I never woke up rested anymore. I always felt tired now, but physically I was fine, I couldn’t even say I yawned a lot. I just felt drained.

According to Chiron, it made sense if I had come back the way he thought I did, I had ascended the same steps that Percy had used to get to the Styx. I had traveled several miles upward by staircase. And I was still, after a week, getting over it.

I still had dreams of running up the staircase, the light at the top not getting any closer, not getting any brighter.

The feeling of hopelessness settles over me and the shadows seem to grow behind me. Then I’m falling through darkness, Pitch black, and I know where I am falling to.

Kronos pulls me into Tartaurus, whispering, his voice like a snake slithering in the shadows, coming again and again to strike me. I feel my body burning and in a flash of light I fall on to the floor.

I open my eyes a sliver and find Percy and Annabeth leaning over me. They say something I can’t hear. I feel cold, wet. And it seems to be raining. My lungs hurt, like I have been coughing. No, I am choking.

I can’t breathe, and the blackness of an ocean settles above me. I drift slowly downward, unable to kick, to swim to the unreachable surface. A hand grabs mine, and pulls me up. I break the surface and still can’t breathe, can’t breathe…can’t breathe…can’t … breathe…

“Luke!” I hear and sit bolt upright, effectively hitting the top of my head on the bunk above me.

“Ah! Skatá! Ti sto Ádi̱?̱!” I say. Then I stop. I was speaking Greek… Good to know I still remember that.

“Good to know You remember almost everything.” I hear. I look up and find Percy and Annabeth standing next to the bed. I grin.

“I’d say excuse my French, but…” I said, and got the two of them to laugh.

“You need to get up. And pack, we’ll be gone in 20 minutes. We’ll grab you some breakfast.” Percy whispered, his smile changing infinitesimally, now just a little sadder.

“Be there in ten.” I whisper back, just now noticing that my siblings are still asleep. Hopefully. Percy and Annabeth nodded, and walked lightly out again. The sky was just beginning to turn light grey. Sunrise in less than an hour.

I got up and got dressed in a pair of jeans, and a plain navy blue tee-shirt with a pair of sneakers. Then I grabbed a spare backpack. We all had like three of them, as they were perfect for hiding pranking supplies on the go.

I stuffed a couple changes of clothes, my pouch of drachmas, spare knife, and some miscellaneous supplies. As I stood and began to walk out of the cabin, I realized that again there was not the right amount of people asleep, the breathing was all wrong.

“I thought you were going to tell us about it in the morning?” I heard from Cammie, in the bunk closest to the door.

I turned, walked toward her, and sat on the edge of her bed. She like all of us, had a pointed nose and a glint in her eye, warning you not to get too close; but she was the youngest. Wavy blonde, hair blue eyes, adorable and deadly with a sling-shot. No matter how hard I wanted to, I couldn’t tell her one of the dozen or so Lies I told myself I might use.


“I’ve been requested for a quest. I’ll be back soon. It’s not something too big, so I should be fine. Okay?” I asked her she nodded and grinned a little; but she still looked worried. I looked around the room.

They all looked worried.

They all knew that any quest was dangerous. And I had just gotten back. For some of these guys I was just a legend that the other kids talked about. But for the rest, I was an older brother that they were getting back. Though, technically at 19 years old, I was now physically younger than a lot of them.

I nodded to Connor and Travis, metaphorically passing the torch back to them, again. They would take care of our siblings, just like they had been doing. Though hopefully this time, I would come back.

I walked out of my cabin towards the dinning pavilion. It had only taken about five minutes to get out of the cabin, and I thought I was going to be there early. But as I closed in on the steps I could see two people talking. They looked related almost.

It was Percy, and someone else; a man, slightly younger than Percy, with black hair and olive skin. I hid behind a rather tall bush and listened.

“I don’t know what it is,” the man was saying, “I can’t really describe it. He just seems wrong.” He looked comfortable with Percy; they must have known each other well.

“Try to, Nico. It’s too late to change the quest, but if he isn’t who he is supposed to be—”

“No.” Nico said, cutting him off, “He is Luke Castellan; That I am sure of. I just can’t pinpoint whether or not he is alive.” I wanted to gasp but instead I stopped breathing all together. But Nico was still talking. I started to listen.

“—seems like he’s undecided. Sure he’s breathing and he has a heartbeat. It’s the soul I am confused about. That’s what I can see. But it seems almost detached. Like he was patched back together… Like he… is trying to find a reason to stay put.” Nico stopped, and I heard a sigh.

“Annabeth was his only family for a long time. Now she doesn’t… need him anymore. He might not really have a reason. Second day back the only thing he would talk to me about was how he needed to apologize to everyone. He seems really confused; almost scared. I don’t want him getting hurt again.” Percy stopped then and I heard a sigh again.

“Well, you have your answer. Luke Castellan is who he says he is. Or at least who you think he is. I don’t really think he knows anymore.” Nico said. I heard footsteps getting closer, and backed up as quietly as I could. I watched as Nico passed, and waited. Then I walked out and up to the pavilion. Percy had sat down at the closest table, which happened to be mine.

“Hey.” I said, trying to sound normal. I don’t think it worked very well. Percy looked at me like he was trying to understand an unknown word in his second language.

“I thought I was grabbing you some breakfast.” He said, smiling. But it didn't quite reach his eyes. He had this look behind his eyes, like he was weary, in pain, and worried. It didn't feel hostile though; he was not worried about me, but for me. I hoped that this continued. That he might still trust me.

“I got packed faster than I anticipated.” He nodded. He picked a paper bag off of the table and walked down the steps.

“To the van, then? Annabeth was checking on Liz, and waking David up. They should be there already.” I nodded but wasn’t really hearing his words; Just listening to his voice. He sounded broken and hurting. I realized that he hadn’t talked much about anything after I died except the camp and the two camps meeting again. What had he been through?

Whatever it was, he had been pasted back together a patch work, missing small pieces here and there. But I could also see a lot of good; those little holes patched up and filled with other things, like Annabeth and the camp.
I had hope again. That I would find her. That my reason was more this the little picture, but a real person. She was out there and closer than I thought. I just didn't know it yet.

Notes

Sorry this took so long, I just really wanted this all to be one chapter and for it to be good for you guys.
Thanks so much!
~LCCabin3