¹𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒 ! - percy jackson

-002

THE NEXT MORNING THERE was a lot of excitement at breakfast.

Stella, however, was the opposite of excited. The only thing coursing through her veins was the weariness from a sleepless night spent combating an Aethiopian drakon at the ungodly hour of three in the morning.

The drakon had been spotted at the camp borders during the night. The magical boundaries had kept the monster out, but it prowled the hills, looking for weak spots in their defenses.

Kayla Knowles, one of her half-siblings, had shaken her awake, urgency etched across her features. With the information that Lee needed her help in scaring away the drakon, Stella had groggily pulled herself out of bed and pulled on some armor, joining Lee, Kayla, Michael Yew, and Will Solace as they ventured out of the cabin.

Armed with bows, they reached the borders to find the drakon relentlessly trying to penetrate the magical barrier. Lee assumed command, barking orders as they unleashed a barrage of arrows, attempting to pierce the swift drakon's defenses.

Once they had lodged a few dozen arrows in the chinks of the drakon's armor, it got the message and withdrew.

Exhausted but victorious, they returned to the cabin. Though Stella had fallen asleep as soon as they reached the cabin, the night had been restless and she seemed to wake up every half hour.

"It's still out there," Lee warned the rest of the camp during morning announcements. "Twenty arrows in its hide, and we just made it mad. The thing was thirty feet long and bright green. Its eyes—" He shuddered.

"You did well, Lee." Chiron patted him on the shoulder. "Everyone stay alert but stay calm. This has happened before."

"Aye," Quintus, their new swordsman trainer, said from the head table. "And it will happen again. More and more frequently."

The campers murmured among themselves.

Everyone knew the rumors: Luke and his army of monsters were planning an invasion of the camp.

Most of them expected it to happen this summer, but no one knew how or when. It didn't help that their attendance was down. They only had about eighty campers, a low number compared to what it was three years ago. Between now and then, some had died, some had joined Luke, and some had just disappeared.

"This is a good reason for new war games," Quintus continued, a glint in his eyes. "We'll see how you all do with that tonight."

"Yes..." Chiron said. "Well, enough announcements. Let us bless this meal and eat." He raised his goblet. "To the gods!"

The campers raised their glasses in unison, repeating the blessing.

Stella took her plate to the bronze brazier, the flickering flames casting dancing shadows across her face. She carefully scraped a portion of her food into the fire.

"Hey Dad," she whispered, her words a soft murmur against the crackling of the flames. "Thank you for helping us last night."

Her gratitude, a quiet acknowledgment of Apollo's support during the drakon attack, wasn't the only thing she wanted to share. Yet, she couldn't lay bare her heart in that moment, not with the watchful eyes of the camp around her.

Turning away from the brazier, she made her way back to the Apollo table, the scent of smoke lingering in her wake. She settled between Lee and Michael, the warmth of the fire still clinging to her skin.

"Alright, sis?" Lee asked, watching as she gulped down as much coffee as possible.

Stella groaned, exhaustion evident in the lines that briefly etched her face. "Didn't sleep much."