Chapter I

289 7 13
                                    

Callie's POV




"My what?" I asked, squeezing Noah's hand even tighter, just to know this was reality. He winced, but did not break the group. So I did.
"Your quest, children." Chiron said. "Callie, you're leader. You will leave in the morning."
"The morning?" Kat said. "We need to leave now!"
  "Come on Callie." Percy muttered. I walked away with him.
  "Land beyond the gods?" I whispered to myself. Apparently, Percy had heard me.
  "Alaska." He said a little breathlessly. "No powers. No blessings. No help. Mortal."
  "How do you know?" I asked.
  "I might have fought a couple battles there. Saved the day of course." He said smirking. I rolled my eyes and grinned. My idiot hero brother.  He opened the door to the cabin and I went inside. I grabbed a backpack and started stuffing stuff inside. Camp shirts, food, and water. A threw a bottle of nectar in, and stuffed a ziplock bag with in it ambrosia in my pocket. Just in case. I looked out the window. The sun was setting. So it was about 7:00.
"Come on." Percy said. "Will has burgers at the volley ball court."
"Alright." I said, following him outside.
"Percy?" I said, walking beside him. "What will mom think? I just saw her for the first time in months." My voice cracked. "Maybe I shouldn't go..."
"You have to. Callie, you'll do great. Besides, greatness was thrust upon you."
"Yeah." I mumbled. "And I cracked under the pressure. I got myself killed."
"I've told you not to talk like that." He said gently. "Besides, you got out of Tartarus. By yourself. No help. I couldn't have done that when I was twelve." I took a deep breath.
"Ok." I said. We walked beside the sand, where, on the volleyball court, the Hermes kids were playing the Ares. We picked up a burger a piece, Percy walked over to the seven's table, and I plopped down with Malcolm. He was shaking horribly.
"Hey." I said. "Calm down. We'll be alright."
"You will be. I'm nothing but brains. I'm not as strong as Annabeth, or as strategic as Cody, or–"
"Are you kidding me?" I asked. "Did you not here yourself out there earlier? You were amazing."
"I guess, but I didn't even have pants on! I don't truthfully know how I lost them, I just fell and.."
"Hey." Noah grumbled. He threw down a plate with fries and plopped down beside me. Kat did the same on the other side. She was wearing a red bandana and Camp shirt, I thought the bandana looked like Rosie the riveter's. She was also shaking.
  "What kind off headband is that?" Malcolm asked.
  "The kind that, when I hit you with it, it'll leave whip marks." Kat said back to him calmly. We then ate in silence, until the seven piped up. Annabeth was the first to speak.
  "As an offering to the next chosen group, the seven, Reyna, and Nico would like to give them permission to use the Argo II." Leo spat out his drink.
  "My ship?! When did I say they could use my ship?"
  "A second ago when we were talking about this." Annabeth snapped at him.
  "I did no such thing!" He said back. She rolled her eyes, then again stared intently at us.
  "No thanks." I said back. Kat's jaw dropped in surprise and disapproval. "We'll be alright. Really."
Leo looked relieved, apparently not wanting four twelve year olds in charge of his precious ship. Noticing it was dark, Chiron let the Apollo kids take lead and do the camp fire. I sat in silence, listening to Noah and his siblings sing. At about midnight, Chiron called lights out. Percy and I walked back. I took a deep breath. Tomorrow. My first quest, mine. No the seven. Not Percy's. Mine. I climbed into bed.
  "Callie?" Percy asked after about fifteen minutes.
  "Mhm?" I mumbled.
  "I have your camp necklace. The one that we got this year. With the bead." He got up and handed it to me. It had a fiery backround and the two camp shirts merged as one. "You probably won't want this, but here. It's my first camp bead. With a triton." He sat it in my hand. "It's my good luck charm, I guess." I shoved it in my pocket. 
  "Thanks Perce." I said, hugging him. I lied back down from my sitting position. Slowly and restlessly, I drifted into slumber.

  I saw nothing. Blackness. Yet I heard screaming. My head was aching, as were my legs. My surrounding were shaking, bouncing. I let out another scream.

  Percy had shouted in Ancient Greek was the reason I awoke. I climbed out of my bunk and sat on the edge of his.
  "Nightmare?" I asked, wiping the sleep out of my eyes.
  "Yeah." He said, doing the same. He was breathing hard and slow.
"About what?" I asked.
"Tartarus. Mom. You. Your quest. Just a bunch of stuff." He said. "You need some sleep. I'll be alright." I climbed back into bed. I lay looking up at the ceiling. I wonder what mom was doing. Probably worrying. After a while, when I heard Percy's snores, I sat up. My feet hit the floor. I changed into a camp shirt and jean shorts. I slowly opened the door. I crept across camp in mere silence and darkness. Where should I go? I turned in circles. The woods. I started to hobble to them. Once in, I realized how huge they were. They surrounded me. I continued to walk. The crickets chirped. I heard the rustling of harpies. Finally, I walked across Zeus' fist. I leaned against the Rock and slowly slid down into a sitting position. I gazed up at the stars. The girl with the bow. Zoé Nightshade. Percy had told me about her. She was a huntress, Atlas' daughter. A star shot from her constellation bow. I sighed.
"Hey." Said a voice behind me. I jumped back and formed Fortana in my hand. It was Noah.
  "Don't do that." I said, a little breathlessly.
  "Do what?" He asked.
  "Sneak up behind me." I said, sitting back down.
  "Sorry." He replied, looking up at the stars. "You nervous too?"
  "Yeah." I said. "Why are you out here?"
  "Just looking. Thinking. You?"
  "Same as you." I stood up. "We might as well get back to camp." He got up and we started walking. I stopped and held out an arm to stop him. It hit him hard in the chest.
  "Hey, what are you-" he stopped. He heard the rustling too. Back in the woods. Deeper.
  "It's probably nothing. Just a harpy. Come on." He said, pushing my arm down.
  "Alright." I said. "Yeah, right, I- I was just being stupid." We started walking again. Silently, we trudged in the trickle of rain out of the woods and into the camp.
  "I guess I'll see you in the morning then." He said. I looked around. There was something by the center of camp.
  "Wait. Come here." I said, jogging over to it. It was a red piece of fabric with white dots.
  "Kat's headband." He said breathlessly.
  "We have to go. Now" I told him with a serious tone.
  "What– why? We don't have supplies and–"
  "Kat's in trouble. Let's go get Malcolm." I shoved the headband in my pocket and followed Noah, running across camp to cabin six.


  A/N
Aye, third book! This one might not be as long, but I think it will be the best. This is the first time I get to right freely, all the things made up from me. Well, besides a couple scenes in the last book. I hope you enjoy. I think this going to be my favorite. Vote and Comment. Bye!💕👑🤘🏻

Callie Jackson, The Redemption Where stories live. Discover now