The Jacksons (completed): Book 2 - Percy Jackson Fanfiction

~ Chapter Five: ESME

Chapter Five

ESME

I awoke in a minibus, next to Nero. He looked fine, apart from a big black contraption strapped to his left forearm. It beeped steadily, monitoring his heartbeat. He saw that I was awake now and smiled.

"Hey," he said. He pulled a red flask from his school backpack. "Try some of this. The sedation that Will gave you will wear off quicker if you drink some."

I unscrewed the lid. A golden honey-like substance glared back up at me. I tipped some in my mouth, and a sweet sickly sense filled my tastebuds.

"Strawberries and cream?" I asked.

Nero shrugged. "Tasted like gravy to me. Will says that nectar appeals differently to different people."

I nodded, not really taking it in. "Nero, what's going on?"

He replied slowly, "We're going to Camp Half-Blood, Esme."

"WHAT? But Zeus, and Rachel, they'll -"

"Thalia will be there," Nero said firmly. "And Aunt Piper is going to meet us. She's mad that Thalia led us off without telling her, but you know Piper. She'll get over it. And guess what - Thalia is the leader of a group of immortal girls who hunt monsters with Lady Artemis! How cool?"

I scowled. "The Hunters of Artemis aren't real, Nero."

Nero looked taken aback. "How did you know they were called the Hunters of Artemis?"

"Dad used to tell me stories when I was a little girl." I rested my head against my seat. "My favourite was the one about the Titan War. Children of the gods, satyrs, centaurs and the Hunters, many more... they all banded together, led by the infamous son of Poseidon, who won the war and won his girl, the daughter of Athena... the lead Titan, Kronos, was destroyed by Athena's daughter. The beautiful Hunters had sworn off boys to join their group for Lady Artemis -"

"Great," muttered Nero.

"- but they rejoiced with all the campers. Many heroes were dead, killed by Kronos' armies. The war never ended, because Kronos' mother Gaia striked. A group of seven flew a beautiful ship, crafted and built by the son of Hephaestus... the Argo II, it was called... and then, the son of Poseidon and the daughter of Athena - the lovers of the century... fell into the monstrous pit of Tartarus. The daughter of Athena died but was resurrected, and she married the son of Poseidon. Nobody knows what happened to them..."

I sighed sadly. "Except we do. They had kids, kids who will destroy the world, kids who will die. They lied to their kids, hid away from their kids, banished a whole amazing world from their kids, just to prevent a terrible fate."

Nero put his non-monitored arm around my shoulders. "Cheer up, Es," he told me. "We're not going to die. Thalia and Will and Piper have our backs."

"And that's supposed to assure me?" I snapped. "Who ARE these people, Nero? And why do you trust them so easily."

Thalia came and sat opposite us. "Esme," she said calmly, "we don't want to have to sedate you again. It wouldn't be good for your health. But Camp Half-Blood is the safest place for you and Nero. We're assigning you the best satyr we have, Grover Underwood, to protect you on your quest."

I raised my eyebrows. "Satyr?"

"Half-man, half-goat. Believe me, we've got you the best in the business. Grover is a Lord of the Wild and a perfectly qualified searcher with a licence. You can't go wrong here, guys."

"I want to see Aunt Rachel," Nero suddenly said.

Thalia and I looked at him. "Are you CRAZY?" I asked him, at the same time as Thalia grumbled, "Not worth it."