{2} 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚 | 𝙻𝚞𝚔𝚎 𝙲𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚗

12.

Ψ 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐞 Ψ

𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧, dreaming of him.

Looking at him all I wanted to do was to be with him. Hold him, tell him I missed him so much and that I also was pissed.

But it didn't matter, I now understood what teenage heartache felt like.

I held him as I cried holding onto him but before I knew it, he stabbed me in my stomach as I looked down, red liquid covering my hands as I cried to him begging him for an answer.

But it wasn't him. It was Kronos.

***

I gasped awake as I panted looking around the cabin and groaned, rubbing my eyes, and holding my head in pain. I got up out of bed as I saw Chris in the room, but he was being distant. I wasn't sure why, but he was.

As I got dressed, I walked over to him and smiled "Hey."

Chris nodded, grabbing his stuff as I told him "So...good luck on today's games. I know you'll crush it."

He just nodded walking away as I told him "Come on Chris, last year we were all jumpy and happy. Now you won't even talk to me. What gives?" I laughed out the last bit.

That's when he turned his body to face mine as he told me "Luke isn't here anymore. We were friends by default. Just...stay out of it, please?"

I watched him leave the cabin for today's game and I frowned. I knew something had to be wrong, but I took in a few deep breaths to not let it get to me. I forced my smile like I normally did and got changed as I left the cabin.

The aim of this game is "not to kill anybody" As Tantalus put it out there. I sat by myself as one of the campers who wasn't competing, but I didn't mind. Hell, I never wanted to be possibly maimed.

I didn't find it demeaning but...I just had to go along with it. Looking around at the chariots everyone seemed to be prepared.

Clarisse and her siblings were focused on victory in their horrifying chariot filled with a bunch of weapons. I wouldn't put it past them if they "accidentally" killed something.

Chris seemed to be strategizing with his teammates, the Stoll brothers that I've walked past many times from my bed. With their old-looking chariot, I won't be surprised if they don't win. They could've renovated it maybe just a tad bit.

The punishment if you did kill someone would've been no smores for a week. Seriously?

Charles Beckendorf aka Hephaestus kid, is one of the only names from that cabin I could recall since people speak about him all the time and it's always good. He was impressive.

My head glanced over to see Annabeth and Percy arguing. I wondered what it could've been about.

"Charioteers! To your mark!" Tantalus began and I saw Percy and Tyson struggling for a while, but even then, they managed, and the races began.

I watched from afar cheering on Clarisse and Chris as I heard "Well that is just cold..."

I spun my head in the direction of the voice and saw it was Aphrodite's son.

"Sebastian..." he grinned when I said his name.

"Seems you're not cheering for your siblings." He pointed out the obvious and I just nodded.

"Not like we're one big happy family like the rest of camp." I blurted out crossing my arms.

And in that moment, we suddenly saw both Hermes and Apollo's chariots as they began running and crashed into one another. I gasped, holding my mouth as I saw Chris upset while Travis and Connor Stoll just laughed it off.