The Third Camp Trilogy: The Final War?

Chapter eleven: Neptuna

After throwing one last glare at Artemis I went into Natalie's tent and woke her up. Then I did the same to Alivia and Max.

Artemis and Carrie had disappeared so the rest of us sat in front of the fire and started eating.

I raised an apple up to my mouth but I didn't take a bite. I threw it to the ground and jumped back. The sheer surprise scared me and the apple tumbled to the ground with an arrow sticking out of it.

Everyone except me jumped up, weapons drawn, I picked up the apple and examined the arrow. A note was stuck to it.

"Wait," Natalie spoke up, "That's one of Carrie's arrows."

I slowly took the note and read the only two words on the page.

"I lost."

That was it. No goodbye. Nothing. Just those two words.

I crumpled up the note and threw it into the fire.

"I'm going for a walk." I growled, stood then walked into the forest without another word.

I went almost half a mile into the trees and started to pace back and forth across the path, my number one stress reliever. I ran a hand through my light brown hair and tried not to punch a tree.

Carrie is gone.

He doesn't remember me.

I miss him.

He probably doesn't miss me.

Artemis was kind of a jerk.

"Uhg!" I yelled and kicked at a small, young tree. It snapped in half and toppled over.

"You know, this is what the gods do. They hurt humans for fun." A voice growled.

I quickly clicked my pen and aimed it toward the voice, with one little problem. The voice was everywhere.

"Show yourself!" I yelled.

"But I already have." A man in fur stepped out of the shadows.

"Who are you?" I readied my trident and aimed it at the man's throat.

"I? I am Lycaon."

"Werewolf." I murmured under my breath.

"Very good, not many greeks know about me."

"What do you want?"

"Not much, Carrie once struck a deal with me. I stopped trying to kill campers at his camp and in return he took care of Fred."

"Fred is gone." I gazed at his sunken wolf-like eyes horrified.

Since Fred was gone had he come to kill me for revenge against Carrie?

"Yes, but he is safe." Lycaon nodded.

"So why are you here?"

"In hopes of striking a deal with you."

"I'm done with deals." I stepped back, remembering Carrie's deal with Artemis.

"I fully understand that but," He stepped toward me. "This deal is different, very different."

"How?"

"I have heard lines of the prophecy, To sea or arrow Olympus will fall, is that correct?"

"As far as I know." I stepped back once more.

"Then I will try my best to protect Carrie, but only if you make sure that happens."

"Wait, you want me to—"

"Yes. The gods have done so many cruel things, so many. All I would like to make up for the cruel things is to make them suffer."

"I'll do it. But I'm not hurting my father, or Carrie."

"Good enough for me." He crept back into the shadows, his low growling voice echoing in my mind.

I heard a distant growl, a roar. I ran back toward camp. The sound of so many claws on wood, so many monsters just beyond my reach thundered in my head.

I ran into the clearing, grabbed my backpack and yelled to the others.

"We have to get out of here, now!"

Carrie's stuff was already gone, his supplies, his backpack, his tent, everything.

"What's the rush?" Max walked over to me as I was hurriedly shoving stuff into my backpack.

But then he heard it too, everyone heard it. Something was coming and if we didn't leave soon we would all be dead.

Everyone jumped up and in less than three minutes we were jumping on our pegasi. Max reached for Carrie's pegasus.

"Leave that one here!" I yelled to him over the roar of the creature heading toward us.

"Let's go!" Natalie yelled and we all flew into the afternoon sky.

Just as we took off the trees surrounding our camp exploded. Monsters poured in from every crevice. But luckily the pegasus was fine.

"Where are we going?" I yelled to Natalie.

"Little River, Kansas!" She yelled above the wind.

"Do you know where that is?" I whispered in my pegasus' ear.

"I sure do." Jeff neighed.

"Isn't that where—" Alivia started.

"Yep." Max interrupted her.

"What?" I asked.

"That's where Max and Doleo found you." Natalie pulled up next to me.

"...Alright..." I muttered, thinking back to how they had found me.