The Moon's Shine (PJO)

Chapter 32

Camp was a perilous place. From the unrestricted sparring in classes to the molten lava rock wall and the grumpy camp director who turned people into dolphins, it became readily apparent that one would be safer in a warzone.

Even so, the most dangerous area accessible to demigods was the forest. Despite being located in the camp borders, most people steered clear of it—because of the monsters. Dark, gloomy places seemed to attract magical creatures, which was exactly why the location was overridden. The fierce domain had become the resting place of many a demigod.

But the scary thing was that the luxuriant backwoods covered more than half of the total land of Camp Half-Blood. Meaning if an enemy broke through the barrier from the south, they could set up camp in the forest and observe the camp undetected—and then invade when the time was right.

It had been done before, and that was the biggest reason why demigods were so fearful of the forest.

Leaves crunched underneath Percy and Blue Pajama's shoes as they walked into the deadly forest through the north. Even though the sun shone brightly, the inside of the forest was canopied by trees that stretched up to touch the sky, which was precisely why the two demigods were armed with flashlights. The woods were only a bit dark—like a bedroom with only a nightlight on—but the scenery became dimmer and dimmer as the minutes passed. The darkness pressed on Percy like a blanket of coldness.

Blue Pajamas was in a particularly grumpy mood. "This forest sucks," she muttered. She paused, just as her foot would snap a twig—then stomped it into a million pieces.

"I thought you wanted to follow me," Percy said, watching her childish behavior in concern. "And don't do that again. Do you want to draw the attention of all the monsters?"

His statement cowed Blue Pajamas: she froze in step, switched off her flashlight, and followed behind Percy stealthily. It was clear that she, if a monster appeared, would allow Percy to take the brunt of the attack. Blue Pajamas lowered her voice into a whisper. "None of my siblings would allow me to go into the forest alone, but they didn't want to accompany me either, so I could do nothing except wonder what was in here—and now I wish I was still outside." A shiver of fear accompanied her words as the branches above them rustled—no doubt a monster.

"Don't worry," Percy reassured her. "As long as you listen to my directions, we'll exit in one piece." No matter how confident his words seemed, he couldn't help but tilt the flashlight up, making sure the coast was clear. 

Twigs creaked underneath his feet as Percy inevitably stepped on them. Every time it happened, the two would freeze in place, making sure no creature had heard them. A jolt of pain accompanied every freeze as Blue Pajamas dug her fingernails into him. The second we get out of this hellhole I'm going to chop off her fingers, Percy thought, only half joking. The pain kicked his adrenaline into action—only for him to find nothing in the dim light. They kept on going, however.

Something occurred to him. "What's your name?" 

"You don't know that?" Surprised, Blue Pajama let go of Percy for a second. "I thought you were looking to recruit me."

"It's . . . complicated." He couldn't simply say that an Olympian had recommended her, could he? That would portray Percy as unsure and a follower—definitely not what he wanted. 

Blue Pajama took his dodge in a different way, however. A smile grew on her face. "You're telling me that you searched for me without knowing who I was? Am I that famous?"

"Now hold on a second . . ." The situation was spiraling out of control. The last thing Percy wanted was for Blue Pajama to gain confidence; due to her perfidious nature, that would only increase the risk of a second duel request. But he gave up, not having the drive to convince her otherwise. "How about you tell me your name."