The Legacy

Chapter 6: The Return to Camp

*A/N: I rewrote part of Wills POV (in the prev. chapter) You don't need to re read it- its explained here: just thought I'd let you know*

Zoe's POV:

Dam! I hate lifts. They make me feel icky- I can't really explain it. My mum thinks I'm claustrophobic. My Dad normally holds my hand, so as we start our descent, I grab onto to first person I see. I look up and see its Nico. He bends down, and wraps me in a hug, and whispers "Hey, what's wrong- are you okay?" I shake my head, and answer him "I hate lifts- they're horrible, and make my tummy feel weird. I'm a bit claustrophobic, my mum says!"

Then, he does something I didn't expect. He picks me up, and I lean my head into his shoulder- then he begins to rub my back. I feel safe with him; and the fact that he is a son of Hades doesn't make a difference.
My dad always liked Nico- just didn't realise that Nico had a crush on him- and now I can see why. I think the whole Ghost King thing is just a façade; and now he's starting to let it fall down, slowly.

The next thing I know, I'm being lifted into a van. It's the same one that I came to New York in, and I see that Argus is sitting in the front. Next to him is Leo Valdez, and they are having a hushed conversation. "Leo sits in the front because he gets car sick." Will answers my question before I even think of asking it "Now, pick a seat, Miss Jackson!" He says in a cheery tone.
I sit down in the seat closest to me. The van has 2 rows of seating, both facing inward. There are 5 seats on each side; meaning that the van can take 12 people altogether. I look either side of me, and to my left is Hazel; and to my right is Nico. Frank and Will sit on the other side- 2 seats separating them.

I feel the van start to move, and Hazel can probably sense that I'm uncomfortable, so she grabs my hand and squeezes it. "So..." Frank attempts to start a conversation "Zoe, do you have ADHD, or dyslexia? Where were you and your parent hiding? Or maybe we should talk about what kind of weapons we fight with? I dunno..."

"Jeez Shifty, what was that?!" Leo laughs, and I follow suit, before asking his questions "I have ADHD, not dyslexia though. And I fight with a dagger or a sword, depends on the circumstance" He laughs- not noticing that I ignored one of his questions. "That's cool. Yeah, it's obvious now that your Annabeth's kid. You've got Percy's sass. I think Tommy would like to meet you. I've told him stories about your parents before." Hazel nods, and Leo adds "So would Olivia and Max, they think your parents are legends!"

My confused expression must have shown "Max and Olivia are Leo and Calypso's twins" Will explained "And Tommy is Hazel and Frank's Son" "Thanks," I muttered.

A few minutes of silence later, Argus called "Alrighty, you silent sissys, we're here! Gods, that awkward silence was killing me!" He laughs, and we all open the door, and get out of the van. Argus drives off, and we begin to walk up to Thalia's tree.

Frank's POV:

We were here. Camp Halfblood. It was kind of my second home- away from Camp Jupiter, of course. We walked down to the dining pavilion; and the moment we were in view of the campers- I noticed Zoe's attitude change. She let go of Nico's hand, and held her head up high, her walk was full of confidence- but I could tell it was a façade. I wonder why she felt the need to pretend. Then, I saw Jason and Piper waving us over to the Veterans' Table.

I think that cabin was the best addition to the camp- next to the Infirmary. It's by far the biggest cabin, and Hecate did some magic that made it bigger on the inside, than it seemed on the outside. It houses around 60 campers, and Each bed can be customised thanks to a bit of help from the Iris cabin, and one of the muses.

Once we had sat down, I saw Chiron walk over to Zoe- who was sitting at the Poseidon table, and gesture to the front. At first Zoe kept shaking her head, but after about a minute of hushed conversation, the kid followed Chiron up to his table. This attracted some attention, mostly from the older campers. I guess the younger kids (Tommy, Max and Olivia included) thought it was normal.

"Demigods!" the sound of Chiron's voice caused immediate silence, apart from a few whispers "We must prepare for a rescue mission." The Centaur continued "To help this young hero find her parents. After that, we must assume the worst," Zoe flinched "that an army of monsters will attack camp! You must be wondering why, after all it is just 2 demigods. I can explain, just by introducing my friend here," He gestured to Zoe, who immediately began to walk away, but Chiron grabbed her shoulders, and whispered something in her ear
"This," Chiron went on, "Is Zoe. Zoe Jackson! And it is the Olympians' wishes that we help find her parents."

There was uproar!

Chiron's POV:

I was not expecting the reaction I received. The Ares cabin were glaring at Zoe, I could tell from her body language, so I wasn't surprised when she began to walk away. But I grabbed her shoulder, and whispered "This is the best way to win the Demigods' support. Trust me, they will like you!"

That calmed her down, but once I announced her identity, the comments coming from the Hermes and Ares Cabins weren't exactly pleasant. They started yelling things like

"No way!"
"She isn't a Jackson!"
"She isn't related to those heroes! Look at her!"
"She's weak!"
"Pathetic"

Only most of them were a bit more distasteful. I stood there, shocked at the ferocity of the campers. Until one of the Ares Camper, Lewis Fraser, ran up onto the stage and attempted to attack the girl.

It didn't end well.

Lewis grabbed her shirt, but Zoe pulled out a pen, uncapped it, and succeeded in pinning the boy to the ground. Water was now swirling around them, and she cut Lewis' arm with the blade. Wait, it couldn't be... was it Anaklusmos, the legendary sword also known as Riptide.

"Okay!" Zoe yelled to the campers, all of whom were now focused on her "This," she twirled the sword "Is Ανακλουσμός (Anaklusmos), I think most of you know of it!" Nods came from most of the campers "Good." The water began to fade away "I am a Jackson; I am certainly not weak; and I do not appreciate being questioned! I need help finding my parents, and I don't care how many of you I have to fight to do it!"

She capped Riptide, slipped it back into her pocket, and whispered something into Lewis' ear. I only just caught it "Don't question me, scum of Ares!" The boy ran off in fear, and I noticed blood seeping through one of Zoe's sleeves.

"We don't do that here Miss Jackson" I drew back the attention of the campers "And how on-"

"I will explain in due time" she interrupted. Gasps were heard from across the pavilion as Zoe continued "But for now, I am going to need a little bit of..." She collapsed!

Zoe's POV:

The last thing I remember, I was bleeding- I could feel it. I'd cut across Chiron, and was about to ask for some nectar- but then I fell!
I saw Will and Chiron run over to me- along with some other Apollo campers- but then everything went black!