Icy Heart: An Alex Greyson Story

I heard a loud stamp from the center of the dining area where Chiron was trying to get everyone’s attention. I made a mental note to ask someone about the dream thing later, though I wasn’t sure who to ask. “Attention everyone! Quiet down. I have the team lists for this afternoon’s game of capture the flag. For time’s sake I will only be listing the original camp cabins, the rest of you check with your head counselor. On team Athena, we will have Apollo, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, and Poseidon. On team Ares, there is Hades, Zeus, Hermes, Dionysus, and Demeter.”
My eyes widened, “I get it, the teams are based on the cabins for the two Olympians of war.”
Travis looked at me with his mouth full of sloppy joe. “You’re a freakin’ genius.” He said sarcastically.
“Well this is going to be a massacre.”Connor said flatly.
“Why?” I asked.
“Well, you see we have the bad team this week. Jason is out of town. Nico is oddly hesitant against the Apollo cabin. To be honest our cabin really isn’t the best in fights and we’re still better than Dionysus and Demeter. That coupled with the lack of a coherent plan, means we are going to lose hard. Clarisse is good but she isn’t that good.”
“Who’s Clarisse? And Jason? And Nico?”
“I forget that you’re new here. Clarisse is the head of the Ares cabin and therefore our battleforce. Jason and Nico were major players in the Second War with the Giants last summer. Jason is a son of Jupiter and was part of the prophecy of seven. Now he’s the Pontifex Maximus so he travels between here and Camp Jupiter to teach about the minor gods. Nico is a son of Hades and an interesting fellow. All of us owe him our lives.”
I nodded and turned back to Chiron to see he was still talking. “... and that’s why a celestial bronze Roomba is not classified as a magic weapon. Do I make myself clear Hephaestus cabin? Now everyone be sure to get ready, the games begin at 2:00.”
Chiron began to walk away, and chased after him towards the big house. I finally caught up to him to see he was muttering to himself quietly. “Oh Alex! I didn’t see you there. You’re just the demigod I was looking for. Here follow me.”
He began towards the canoeing lake. “Yeah I was talking to some of the other kids about dreams. Is it weird that I don’t have any?”
He stopped in his tracks. “You don’t have dreams?” he asked quizzically.
“Well I think I have them. Sometimes I wake up feeling happy or angry or scared but I don’t know why.”
“I know just the people to talk to about your problem. But for now I have a little something that I think you could use.”
He took a small necklace off of his neck and held it in his hands. The chain was made of small coppery links and it held a silver sword pendant about the size of a silver dollar. The sword was attached to the chain by its hilt so that the blade pointed straight downward. Chiron handed me the shining token. “This item will be of great service to you. It will come to you only when you are need. And at your darkest hour, its power will guide you. Be warned my young friend, it is a great burden to bear.”
I turned over the necklace in my hands and studied it. “This is a piece of jewelry.”
“You sound as skeptical as one of my former students. As I’m sure you know, things in our world are not always as they appear. That belonged to a demigod ages ago who learned an important lesson from this sword.”
I hung the necklace around my neck and I immediately felt the weight of the chain. It was as is if an iron rope had been laid on my shoulders. Chiron saw the look that swept across my face. “I told you. It is a great burden to those who keep it. Now you’d better hurry back to your cabin. They will be suiting up for capture the flag soon. Remember what I told you and good luck today.”

I returned to Hermes cabin to find everyone else already putting on their armour pieces and helmets. I went to my bunk and got out my borrowed torso plates- one size too large- and my dented helmet with a musty red plume. I prayed a little to my father, wherever he is, for guidance and twiddled with the sword pendant around my neck.
We all departed the Hermes cabin and met with our teammates in near Ares where Clarisse was standing in the center of a ring of campers. “Everybody listen up,” she yelled, “The plan is simple. Hermes cabin,you are on defense. Make sure nothing dumb happens to the flag. Everybody else attack. Fan out and find the flag as soon as possible. Ares cabin will hold the high ground. Everybody got it?”
Everyone nodded their heads and looked at one another. “I think she knows how bad we’re going to lose.” Connor whispered.
Both teams gathered around a small platform where Mr. D and Chiron stood waiting. Everyone was dressed in their bronze armor. Team Athena was wearing blue plumes and Ares wore red. Mr. D gave his rehearsed explanation of the think of was accidently hurting someone, someone that I shared this newfound camp camaraderie with. Clarisse gave the signal to split up and everyone scattered. I made my way to our carefully hidden flag with the rest of Hermes cabin. Robert, a smaller kid with blonde hair, eventually said what I’m sure everyone was thinking. “Why weren’t we assigned to flank or gather intel? We’re the fastest ones here. Except for Alex of course.”
“Thanks Rob” I replied snappily.
“Good point,” said Travis, “Rob, go see what you can find out about where their flag is. Meet us here in 10 minutes.”
And with that, Robert took off running into the forest at blazing speed. Then we waited. And waited. And waited. I fiddled with my pendant. Some other kids were sharpening their blades. Others just kept and ear open for danger. Nothing happened. We just sat. I heard soft padded footsteps from the north. They slowly became louder and louder as the sprinting form of Rob appeared in the trees. “ Guys... You’ll never believe it...” He said panting and out of breath.
“What? What is it?” Someone asked
“I know where the flag is. And guess who’s guarding it?”
“Just tell us.” Said Connor, exasperated.
“Hypnos and Aphrodite. Clovis and his crew are all fast asleep and all the Aphrodite kids are jus combing their hair and gossiping. Except Piper, but she’s really all alone there. I don’t know what Malcolm was thinking.”
“Well you guys are the fasted in camp,” I stated, “What if we went over there and just took it?”
The other campers seemed to mull it over for a few seconds before Connor shouted, “All in favor raise your hands”
I rose my hand. I looked around to notice literally every other Hermes kid was too. Travis grinned. “It’s settled then. Let’s go win this thing.”
And with that we outright abandoned our red flag hanging from its pole and went forth, sprinting to bring back victory for the team.
…
“Shh” Someone said.
Unseen, we all formed a ring around the campers guarding the blue flag in the forest. We had run all the way to the patch of coniferous trees northwest of Zeus’s Fist and my legs felt like Jello. Why couldn’t I have been assigned to the cabin of a reasonable walking pace? The ring slowly closed, airtight and the Aphrodite kids were still oblivious, although one beautiful Native American girl sat on a boulder looking on edge. She was sharpening her dagger blade on a whetstone. This was Piper I guessed. I noticed Rob hold his fist in the air. Then three fingers. Then two. Then one. And then we charged.

Notes