The Child of Hecate

Chapter Nine - The Quest

Leo Valdez

"Just hurry up and let me out!" Hera demanded. Jason scratched his head. "Leo, can you do it?"

"I don't know." I tried not to panic. "Besides, if she's a goddess, why hasn't she busted herself out?" Hera paced furiously around her cage, cursing in Ancient Greek. "Use your brain, Leo Valdez. I picked you because you're intelligent. Once trapped, a god's power is useless. Your own father trapped me once in a golden chair. It was humiliating! I had to beg—beg him for my freedom and apologize for throwing him off Olympus."

"Sounds fair," I said. Hera gave me the godly stink-eye. "I've watched you since you were a child, son of Hephaestus, because I knew you could aid me at this moment. If anyone can find a way to destroy this abomination, it is you."

"You said you can help break Angela Marquez's curse," I said to the goddess, "Was that true?" Hera nodded, "Let me out, Leo Valdez, Let. Me. Out."

~

"I don't see why I would need sunlight." I said to Will Solace, dragging me into a wheel chair and then promptly wheeling me out on the little ramp the cabin 9 kids made for me, "My mom's the goddess of the moon, doesn't that mean moonlight works better for me?"

Will kept ignoring me to say the least. I've said a lot of insults to catch his attention but nothing it was like he was wheeling an empty wheel chair.

"Will, your hair is Barbie blonde."

"Will, you look like a poster boy for milk."

"Will, your chicken soup tastes like something prisoners make in the toilet bowl – "

I heard a gasp behind me, swivelling the chair around, "You take that back!" Will said looking extremely offended. Due to the sudden motion of my wheel chair, I threw up in the plastic bag that Lou Ellen gave me. Will apologized immediately and fixed me up before wheeling me on the camp grounds.

"I'm sorry for insulting your chicken soup, it was the best chicken soup I've ever had. I swear to the gods – "

"You need sunlight; it'll help you feel better." Will said taking me to the cabin of Demeter, "See? Just look how pretty the flowers are – "

"I'm allergic to roses, get me out of here."

"OH! Sorry." He immediately wheeled me away from that cabin and we went to the dining hall.

I did have to admit, it was really a beautiful day. The sun made the lake sparkle like sapphires, the grass is greener than it ever was, and the sweet aroma from the strawberry fields travelled all through the camp. I saw that a lot of campers were having fun. Some were sparring with swords and spears, some were rock climbing, I saw some Apollo kids playing the Lyre by the pond, the usual Hephaestus kids in the armoury... Everyone was happy.

A milkshake appeared right in front of me. I know it shouldn't have surprised me but it did, I forgot how great Camp Half-Blood is.

"When you were in Spain," Will said, sitting himself next to me, "Why did you run away?"

"Because I knew I had somewhere else to be – "

"But what about your dad?" He asked, "He could still be looking for you."

I doubt it. The only reason my father kept me because he didn't want to tarnish the good name of his high-class law firm whatever it's called... He paid a lot of money to keep my issues of running away from home and foster homes coming out to the public. I left the country and he still didn't move a muscle about it.