The Third Camp Trilogy: The Final War?

Chapter twenty six: Neptuna

19 days until the war.

"Can we please take a break?" I panted.

"It's only been five minutes!" Carrie argued and lifted his bow again.

"And you've shot at least 70 arrows!" I complained.

"Well, we should do this again tomorrow, you seem to be getting the hang of it, though you still need work." He gazed at the forty arrows that were lodged in the tree.

"Sure, but I have to get back to my cabin, it's almost time for diner."

"Bye." He nodded as I climbed back up the mountain toward my cabin.

Diner was fun, the only thing these kids seem to talk about is battle strategies. The children of Hephaestus weren't there, neither were the children of Vulcan.

After dinner I headed back to my cabin and everyone started getting ready for bed.

"Bright and early tomorrow morning." Doleo announced.

"Great." I murmured and laid down.

As the light magically started to dim I gazed out longingly to the world around me.

The trees were still. Everything was normal, but one thing was strange, the light in the praetor cabin was still on and a figure slipped out of a window. I waited until I heard only silence and I slowly got up and snuck out.

The figure was Carrie taking his normal walk.

Max had told me that no one was quiet enough, I would prove him wrong by following Carrie without him knowing.

Carrie had already looked back at least 20 times before he started climbing the mountain.

Where was he going that he had to make sure that he wasn't followed? Well, I better follow him just to find out.

He went past the mountain into a wooded area. My foot narrowly missed snapping a twig and I breathed a sigh of relief when I stopped over it, still silently.

"It doesn't make sence." Carrie murmured and turned back toward the tree he was facing.

"Taking a little midnight stroll are we, praetor?" A rough voice spoke from a few tree away from me.

I jumped and gazed at the new face. The face looked familiar, but I wasn't sure where from.

"I knew someone was following me, who sent you?" Carrie stepped toward the man.

"No one sent me."

"Then no one will be disappointed if you leave." He pulled out his bow.

"I do not wish to know your secrets, I only wish to see if what Artemis says is the truth."

"It is the truth but for other reasons that we shall not discuss." Carrie's fingers were clamped onto his bowstring.

"I think we should—"

"No, we shouldn't." Carrie suddenly had his bow drawn and aimed at the man. "Now if you would like to leave before you do something you will regret later than I wouldn't disagree."

The man drew a staff, the staff with two snakes coiling around it.

"Think about it, Carrie, this is a very bad idea." The man clutched his staff.

"It was a very bad idea to come here, this is my camp. If Zeus sent you—"

"Zeus didn't send me!" He retorted.

"Then tell him to stop having things attack me. If he want's me dead he should do it himself."

"He tried to kill you, now would you understand that he didn't send me?"

"Well, you haven't attacked me yet so I guess not." He slowly lowered his bow.

"There isn't much left to say so, goodbye. See you after the war." The man disappeared in a poof of golden dust.

Carrie sighed, raised his bow yet again and shot the tree.

"What am I missing?" He breathed. "Oh gods, it's wearing off." Carrie ran his hands up his arms, as he did so his arms shimmered and turned a sickly white.

Scars were covering his arms. I let in a sharp intake of breath and Carrie jolted up.

"Who's there? Show yourself." He aimed his bow at the tree I was hiding behind then suddenly, he lowered his bow.

I relaxed a little, he probably forgot that I was even there. He sat down against the tree.

"You shouldn't've come here, Courtney. You should be asleep, like the rest of the camp."

I froze. How did he know I was there? Why did he call me Courtney instead of Neptuna? Did he remember me?

"You can come out now, I won't hurt you." Carrie sighed and I walked out. I sat down next to him.

It was almost like 'the good old days', when he remembered me...

"So, why are you out so late?" Carrie questioned as he tried to hide his arms, though it was apparent that I had already seen the scars.

"I wanted to see what you were doing." I looked down at my hands folded in my lap.

"Curiosity killed the cat. You should go back to your cabin, before Doleo finds that you're missing."

"Where did you get the scars?"

"Many things." Carrie spoke as if the conversation was over, that was all he was going to tell me.

I stood and started walking away, before I got very far I stopped dead in my steps and slowly turned back toward Carrie. Carrie was still sitting there, playing with his bow.

"Why do you come here?" I questioned.

"You should go to bed, Neptuna. You'll need your sleep for tomorrow."

"I'm not leaving until you tell me." I crossed my arms.

"You know, I've met warlords that are less stubborn than you."

"In my mind, that's a compliment."

"Fine. It's because the power of Artemis and Apollo is extremely strong here. The moon lights this area, so does the sun, hunters like this place and a lot of their sacred animals like to sleep here." He nodded toward a bear and wolf sleeping peacefully, almost protectively around the small forest creatures.

"Good night." I smiled, still amazed at how the animals that would normally be foes were sleeping next to each other, it truly was breathtaking.

"'Night." Carrie spoke as I continued to walk away.