The Third Camp Trilogy: The Final War?

Chapter sixteen: Neptuna

"You aren't much of a fighter, are you?" I eyed Alivia as she continued to attack the tree.

"Not really but Carrie taught me a few moves." She straightened up.

"Okay then, let's fight."

"What? No way. You would beat me in a millisecond." She stepped back in either fear or worry.

"I'll go easy on you, we'll go in slow motion."

She eyed me for a few moments then slowly nodded, "Fine, but please go easy!"

"I will, I will." I laughed then clicked my pen until I had my trident appeared in my hand.

"Okay." She gripped the hilt of her blade.

I swung my trident at her head. She immediately ducked and hooked her sword in my hand causing the trident to slip and fall onto the forest floor.

"That was awesome!" I exclaimed and reached down to pick up my trident.

"That's all I know." She sighed and leaned onto her sword and eyed me, "You weren't originally from Camp Ops, were you?"

"Uh, I—" I started but she cut me off.

"That's not a fighting move we learn at camp so who are you, a spy? Or just a traitor?" She straightened up and readied her sword at my throat.

"What? Neither!" I stared at the blade that was almost touching my neck.

"Well then what are you? If you're from a different camp, what are you doing at Camp Ops?"

I had my arms up in surrender, trying to back up, but my back was pressed into a tree. The sleeve of my sweatshirt rolled down a bit and revealed the wraps I had kept over my SPQR tattoo.

"What are those?" Alivia snapped as she quickly tore my sleeve down.

"Wraps!" I yanked my arm away.

"What are they hiding?" She ripped the wraps from my forearm and I winced as my tattoo came into view.

"You... You're from Camp Jupiter?" Alivia whispered, stepping back as if I were some sort of monster that had betrayed her.

"No," I said quietly. "I'm from Camp Half-Blood. One of the gods wiped my memory and sent me to Camp Ops, and I've got no idea why. I got my memory back in Nevada. Please, I promise I don't want to hurt any of you."

"If you're from Camp Half-Blood, why do you have the mark of the Roman camp?"

"Because I did something heroic there, I think. I can't remember. It doesn't matter. All I want to do right now is help on the quest and get Carrie to remember me as his g—"

"Why? Why do you want Carrie to remember you? It's not like you actually love him, do you? You just came here to spy on him, then betray him, didn't you?"

"No! Gods, no! I love him!"

"Oh please, you probably just wanted to get close to him so that when the battle between the camps come you could kill him without anyone knowing."

"I wouldn't—"

"Cut the pegasus crap, it's all just an act!"

"No it's not! I swear!"

"How'd you do it? A serum? The mist?" She dug her blade closer to my throat with every word.

Her eyes were gleaming with pure hatred. If there were to be a fight between the camps and everyone at Camp Ops was like this then I wasn't sure if Camp Jupiter or Camp Half Blood even stood a chance.

"Nothing!"

"Get out." She spoke at a whisper then grabbed me by my shirt and pushed me into the tree. "Leave. Go. Never come back to camp again. Traitor. Get out. Go and report what you've seen to your little wimps at Camp Half blood." She threw me onto the ground, "It's always the strongest bonds that get broken."

"Well hello there." Someone spoke.

A teenage boy was leaning against a nearby tree with a bow and quiver over his shoulder. He had pure messy blonde hair (I almost wished he was Carrie...) and sadly I knew him.

Apollo.

"Are you a spy too? One of her little friends coming to save her?" Alivia spun on him but he just smiled.

"You owe me one for this." He threw a glance at me and waved a hand at Alivia.

She fell backwards, her eyes closed.

"When she wakes up she won't remember that little chat."

"Why are you helping me?" I demanded, pulling myself up and brushing the dirt off of my clothes.

"Do I need an excuse?" He crossed his arms.

"Yes." I mirrored his action.

"Then I won't give you one."

"You should be helping your son, not us." I glared at him.

He didn't answer, instead he just fiddled with his bow.

"You know what? You should be ashamed of yourself."

The god looked taken aback, "What?"

"Yeah. You should be helping Carrie, or at least on Olympus sticking up for him, not in the middle of nowhere helping us. And you should at least acknowledge what he's done for you, what he's done in your name!"

"Don't tell me—"

"No! I will tell you! For his whole life—"

"I know!" Apollo yelled, looking angry and sad, "I know! Now goodbye, demigod, before I shoot you!" He bellowed and disappeared in a shimmer of sunlight.

"What in the name of Hera was that noise?" Natalie came running up to me and the unconscious Alivia as I tugged my sleeve down to hide my tattoo..

"Nothing." I sighed and pulled Alivia up into a standing position against me.

"Here, I'll help. What happened to Alivia?" Natalie took her other arm and pulled her up.

"She must've ran into... a tree or something." I made up on the spot, my mind on what Apollo had said, or more on what he hadn't said.

When I referred to Carrie as his son he never made eye contact.

Was he ashamed that the best archer, maybe ever, was his son?

"Huh." Natalie looked from me to Alivia then back again, I feared that she knew that I was lying.

Once we got back to our makeshift camp Natalie and I sat Alivia down next to the fire.

"I can take first watch." I broke the silence.

"Okay, we're leaving once the sun rises, there's less of a chance for an attack then." Max nodded.

"Sounds good." Natalie stared at the fire.