Blaze of Glory - a PJO fanfiction

16. Dam

Forget Me Too - mgk

I've never gone skiing in my life.

So I suppose it was just my luck that when we finally stopped, it was in a tiny skiing town somewhere in the mountains of New Mexico. I didn't even know they got snow down here, I'd only ever lived in New England.

At this point though, I wouldn't complain about something cold. I'd been working the engine nonstop for hours at this point, I think it'd been about 7 or 8 hours across 15 hundred miles. I was pretty sure that I could burst into flames at any second.

"Damn, Krys," Xavier said, grabbing my hand to help me out of the helicopter. "You're hot." My head shot up.

"Excuse me?" I asked. Xavier looked confused for a moment, before his eyes widened and he started to nervously chuckle.

"No, Krys," he said. "I don't mean it like that, I mean like you're burning up. Are you sure you're okay?" he asked. I nodded, though I felt like shit.

"Yep," I said. "Imma just lay here for a moment." I flopped backwards into the snow, and it started to steam. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of not spontaneously combusting. "Oh, and Xavier?" I opened my eyes to make sure he was listening. "Don't make the Spartoi fight, they can be killed by each other." I closed my eyes again as if I hadn't just dropped a rather large piece of information on him.

He sighed, used to this by now. "Okay Krys..." he said. "I can probably do that." I laid in the snow for another 30 seconds, before hopping to my feet. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. Looking over, I realized it was Thalia.

"Let's go!" I yelled. "All soldiers, stand ready!" I hit Xavier lightly on the shoulder. "Order them after her," I told him, pointing towards Thalia, who was running away.

"Why?" he asked. I groaned. Not this again.

"Because I said so?" I ordered. "Quickly, or we'll lose her!" He crossed his arms.

"At ease, soldiers," he told them. "I'm not doing anything until you tell me who that is, and why we're after her. You can't order me to do anything, they follow me."

"Because that's one of the campers on the quest!" I yelled as Thalia rounded a corner out of sight. "This is why you don't question my orders! She got away!"

"Find Percy Jackson," he told the Spartoi. "Dismissed." Immediately the skeleton warriors started off towards where Thalia had run. We followed behind the Spartoi, not speaking. I grabbed Xavier's arm, letting the Spartoi go ahead of us.

"Yes?" Xavier asked. "Do you need something?"

"You publicly embarrassed me!" I yelled. "Not just in front of my soldiers, but also in front of the helicopter crew! I am your superior officer, and I expect to be treated with the respect I deserve! I've been doing this shit since I was 6 years old! I know what I'm doing, and it's very hard to convince the soldiers to trust me when you don't!" He stared at me with fear in his eyes. "What? Nothing to say for yourself?"

"You're burning me," Xavier whispered. I looked down, I was still holding his arm, and my hand felt hot.

"Shit," I said, pulling my hand away immediately. I held my hands over my mouth, horrified. "I'm so sorry. Oh fuck... I'm sorry. Are you okay?" I took a step forward to see how bad it was, but he stepped back, cradling his arm.

"Let's go," he said. "Wouldn't wanna disobey your orders." He walked off, leaving me behind. I stood there for a minute, just staring into space, before I shook my head and followed after him. I made it to the edge of town, where I saw Xavier watching what I assumed was a battle. I watched as Bianca stabbed a Spartos, and it burst into flames, dying. As I gaped at the death of the skeleton warrior, a giant boar charged out of the woods and slammed into the Spartoi, sending them flying in pieces. I snapped out of it, pulling out my daggers and charging into the fight.