More Power More Hope- Book Three In The United Series

Chapter 8

Jason's POV:

I saw that big freak Setrákus Ra as I was flying to Camp Half-Blood. I went down to investigate and saw Max and another one of those Mogadorians with her. When Max was taken away by another Mogadorian, I followed them and killed that little devil the moment I got.

Max catches my eye and I rush towards her. Before she can answer me, she's knocked out on the ground.

"Oh gods," I mutter. I pick her up bridal-style and look around us. No other Mogs around. I look back down at Max and her limp body. The roots of her hair are a light red, which confuses me, but I brush it off and fly as fast as I can to Camp Half-Blood, keeping Max close to me.

Hopefully when she wakes up, she'll decide to stay.

Percy's POV:

I have no idea what's taking Jason so long to get here.

He said he'd be here to play Capture the Flag with us but he hasn't arrived yet and Chiron is already assigning teams.

That's when the crazy Roman almost crashes right into me.

Everyone yelps and back away, but I'm the first to notice who he's carrying in his arms.

Max.

"Max!" I yell and Jason softly places her on the ground. She's cut and bruised everywhere and looks awful. Leo appears right next to me and checks Max's pulse.

"What happened?" Leo asks Jason, basically ordering him to tell him.

"I'll tell you later, but right now she needs to get to the infirmary. Now," Jason replies. At that moment, Connor Stoll appears next to Leo.

"Holy Hades," he mutters under his breath. He's really close to Max. Ever since his brother, Travis Stoll, left for college, Max has been his best friend every day she was here. They'd always pull pranks on every cabin, and sometimes even on me.

"Get her to the infirmary," I order Jason softly. By now, every demigod has crowded around Max and I and everyone looks worried.

Dam is this girl popular.

Jason's POV:

I do as Percy says and carry Max bridal-style again.

I fly her to the infirmary and Will Solace and a few other Apollo kids follow me there. I don't stop flying until I hear Max lightly groan in my arms. I stop and place my feet on the ground. I softly place her on the dry grass and her half-blue, half-black eyes flutter open to meet mine.

After a few moments of silence, Max smiles weakly at me and speaks up: "It's good to see you again," I chuckle and pick her up. I walk the rest of the way to the infirmary and explain everything to Max, from how I saw Setrákus Ra to how I helped her with the Mogadorian.

"Thanks for that. I always seem to be in some kind of trouble, don't I?" She asks me and I chuckle.

"You're welcome. And, I have two questions for you. One; why is your hair turning red?" I ask her, hoping for a direct answer for once.

"It's my natural hair color. I dyed my hair black to hide from the Mogs," she answers, which takes me aback. I thought her hair was naturally black, like her dad's and Percy's. I guess I was wrong.

"Alright, number two; gods Max, what do you eat?! You have the weight of a chihuahua!" I exclaim, which is true. I bet anyone could carry her. I will force-feed her until she gains a proper weight, honestly.

Max laughs, a mix of a soft giggle and a Scottish-Irish lilt, which is confusing since she doesn't have an accent. It's a weird sound to hear from her, but comforting at the same time. I realize that the reason I'm confused is because I've never heard Max laugh before. It's a nice thing to hear. "I eat like a normal human, thank you very much," she replies.

"You know, we should have these cousin-pep-talks more often," I tell Max and she chuckles.

"Yeah, but an improvement in our little cousin-pep-talks would be having them when you're not carrying me to the infirmary," Max replies and I laugh.

"Definitely," I agree, looking at the infirmary in the distance, not too far away.

I reach the infirmary and the Apollo kids arrive shortly after. Will takes Max from my arms, thanks me, and heads inside.

I fly back to where everyone is whispering to each other eagerly, most likely talking about Max. I land next to Percy and Leo, who look worried as Hades.

"Is she okay?" Leo asks me the moment I reach the ground. I nod my head and Leo sighs in relief. Percy smiles and thanks me.

Annabeth rushes over. "I heard what happened. Is Max okay?" She asks desperately. I nod my head and Annabeth sighs in relief then races back to where she came from, probably to tell Piper, Hazel, and Reyna that Max is alright.

"Everyone! Because of an unexpected arrival, Capture the Flag will be canceled tonight! Go back to your cabins and get some sleep!" Chiron announces. There are some boos from the Ares and the Hermes cabins, but everyone soon depart from the huge group and head back to their cabins. I head to my cabin, hands shoved into my pockets.

I try my best to get some sleep that night, but I can't. The same thought blares into mind and I can't shake it off. I overheard Setrákus Ra talking about it and now it's the only thing in my head.

The Mogadorians want to experiment on Max.

Leo's POV:

I wake up early the next day and notice that I'm the very first one in my cabin awake. I quickly change into a pair of blue jeans and an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, then throw on the magical tool belt my father gave me and some gym shoes.

I race out of my cabin and automatically head to the infirmary. Hopefully Max hasn't left already.

As I'm about to enter the infirmary, an Apollo kid steps in front of me, blocking the doorway, blocking my only way to get to Max.

"Who do you want to see?" The Apollo kid asks me and I roll my eyes.

"Max," I reply like it's the most obvious thing in the world, which it really should be.

The Apollo kid shakes his head. "Sorry, Valdez. Max won't be seeing anyone. Not yet," he tells me, which sends a wave of anger rolling through me.

"Let me through," I order him. He shakes his head again.

I take one step back and hold out my hand. I summon a ball of flames and it sticks to my palm, pointing at the Apollo kid. He looks almost scared now, taking a step back from me.

"Let me through," I repeat. This time, the Apollo kid steps aside for me without a word.

I step inside the infirmary, ready to talk to Max again.

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