Star Darlings; the Other 12

What was he really here for?

The bus ride to the Heart wasn't that bad. Except for a bit of delay to wait for a bear and her cub to cross the road, there wasn't that much that slowed them.

After what seemed like an eternity in the bus, gazing out the window at trees, doing nothing but be bored, they reached the Heart. The reason it was called the Heart is that A), it is at the centre of the forest, and b), it slightly curves downward, making all the streams and rivers dump into one giant lake at the bottom, making it look like it's a heart-pumping out blood to the forest, and thus it earned its name, the Heart of the Forest. For being called the Heart, it was a giant area, being covered by millions of plant life and having thousands upon thousands of animals at the very least. The trees cover the curve so well it looks as if it is a heart.

"Woah." Sage breathed. "I've never seen anything like this."

"Impressive," Scarlet murmured to herself.

The bus stopped at a small bus stop at the end of the road. "This is all I can go; the cabin is due east to the lake, there's a small trail leading there. Follow it, and you'll find the cabin. You can camp anyway in the Heart, although it's advised to stay near the cabin just in case anything happens." the bus driver said. "I'll see you in 2 days when I come to pick you up!"

"Bye!" Libby called as he drove away.

"He couldn't hear you Libs," Sage said.

"Does it look like I care?" Libby retorted.

"Whatever," Sage said. "Come on, let's go! EASTWARD!"

"That's South." Vega interrupted before Sage could go too far.

"THEN EASTWARD!" Sage said, going the opposite direction.

"That's North!" Vega yelled after her. "East is this way!" she points towards the lake

"Alright alright!" Sage said, blushing. "Come on!"

They walked for about an hour, viewing the giant beautiful and massive trees and the barren undergrowth.

"There are so fewer plants on the ground because the Red Dwarf Woods covered all the sun, making other plantlife hard to grow here," Vega explained.

"Alright nerd," Sage grumbled.

They foraged on, jumping over rocks and blundering through thick bushes. They found cool streams and massive rock formations. The trees towered over them like they're bugs.

"I've never seen anything like this before," Piper said, staring up into the treetops. "I've only seen these in my dreams."

They continued, stopping to see the occasional good view and getting closer and closer to the Lake, where the cabin is.

"Guys!" Nicholas yelled from the front. "There's the Lake!" Up ahead, there lay a sparkling, glowing mass of water. It wasn't the biggest, but it is the deepest. The very centre of the lake is a dark, murky area, hidden from starlight at even the brightest of nights.

"Cool!" Gemma said, snapping a photo. "This is gonna be awesome!"

"Guys look!" Percy yelled, pointing at the opposite side of the lake. There he was, standing taller than anything else, Iapetus. His reddish-brown trunk stood straight up, and the bark was weathered from age.

"Legend says the Titan Iapetus was trapped inside the tree by the stars," Vega said. "He, like all his brothers and sisters, was trapped in the ground; some turned into mountains, some left giant lakes as they turned to stardust. Iapetus was turned into a tree. The only one."

"How do you know that?" Leona asked. "If I remember correctly, you're not the kind to read books about myths and legends."

"I get bored from time to time and pick up new books like the Myths and Legends of the Titans book from the library," Vega explained. "Now, do we see the cabin from here?"