The Third Camp Trilogy: The Final War?

Chapter four: Neptuna

I sat in my tent and stared down at the ground in front of me. Everyone else was asleep, but I wasn't tired. My turn for watch would be soon.

I got up and silently went out to sit in front of the fire. Alivia was on watch and glanced at me when I sat down.

"You okay?"

I shook my head.

"What's wrong?"

I shook my head again.

"You do understand that we have to trust each other, right?" She eyed me.

"I trust you," I said quietly. "I'm just not in the mood for conversation, or food."

"Well if you don't get in that mood soon then you're going to starve."

"Oh well." I said sarcastically.

"What's up?"

"I miss him." I sighed.

"Carrie'll meet us on the road."

I shook my head and hunched my shoulders.

"Natalie's planning our stops so that we cross paths with him."

"It's not going to work." I whispered.

"If I know anything about Carrie then he'll be there. He wouldn't ditch us during a quest."

"What if he had no choice?"

"He would still meet us. He would find a way."

"...You know, I'm pretty sure, that if he meets us along the way, he'll be here for you, Max and Natalie. Not me."

"You still think he doesn't love you?"

"He doesn't. He loves Grace."

"Dude!"

"What?"

"What the heck is wrong with you?"

"Wh-what?"

"The heck is wrong with you? It's a valid question!"

"I'm not sure, but you need to have some opinion on what's wrong with me to have asked that."

"You're just— You— What's wrong with you?"

"I'm waiting for your answer to that."

"Do you know how many times Carrie could've lost his praetorship, just for talking to you?"

"So? Then he gets to spend his days like a normal camper."

"No, he doesn't. His memory gets wiped and he gets banished."

"...H-he... He does?"

"Yes, so now what the heck is wrong with you?"

"...I still don't believe he loves me. He may be putting things on risk, but... He loves Grace."

"No. He trusts Grace, there's a difference."

"But does he trust me?"

"He has to, everyone on this quest does."

"But he's not doing it out of his own free will, therefore he doesn't actually trust me."

"You need to listen more. I'm going to bed, it's your watch."

"See you in the morning. Natalie's watch is next, right?" I got up and started striding around camp.

"Yeah." Alivia yawned then disappeared into her tent.

I looked around, all seemed calm. I just hoped everything was as it seemed. I pulled out my pen and began to fiddle with the button. I turned it into a trident, then a sword, then a knife, then a spear, then back into a pen.

I looked around and began to spin the pen between my fingers. I jumped when I heard a voice.

"Wanna go for a ride, toots?"

"What?" I turned around looking for the speaker but only saw the pegasi.

"I know you can understand me, Jeff has a big mouth." Max's pegasus came forward.

"Oh. S-sorry, you just surprised me."

"That's fine toots, Max vents a lot, says you from that Long Island camp?" The pegasi spoke with a heavy New York accent.

"Yeah. I... I miss it." I hung my head.

"Well he really hates it, keeps mentioning a name—"

"Carrie?"

"No, not that name, more like Joe."

"Who's Joe?"

"No idea but he kept repeating the same sentence over and over, 'Joe shouldn't've gone with those... those...' Then he done went into some very mean words."

"He doesn't like my camp very much." I sighed.

"Not very much? Toots, you be trippin', he hate that place."

"I know." I laughed.

"So, do you want to go for a ride?"

"I don't think I can, I have to stay on watch."

"Fine Ms. Killjoy."

"I'm not a killjoy." I frowned.

"If you say so, toots."