Callie Jackson, The Redemption

Chapter XIII

Callie's POV

Waking while in mid air was pretty scary, but I was still too exhausted and hurt to even notice. I turned to look at Malcolm, who looked even more tired than I was. He didn't take his eyes off of Kat.
  "Sleep." I told him gently. "I'll watch over her." She looked even more damaged in the light.
  "Nah." He said, never taking his eyes off of her. "I can't sleep anyways. The sky messes with me. Besides, she's starting to stir." It pained me to watch him suffer so he could make sure she was alright. No matter how much they argued, he truly cared about her; about all of us. I looked behind them to where I figured Noah would be snoring, and Hestia still passed out. Instead, they were having a conversation while Noah grabbed her shoulder.
  "On three." He said. "One... Two-" and he jerked her shoulder back. She yelped in pain, and rubbed her new, in socket shoulder.
  "Callie!" He said in surprise. "Hey, since we're in Canada, do you think we could drop Hestia off?"
  "I should be able to heal there." She said, her voice as smooth as silk. "As this young child, someone should take me in, as pitiful as my appearance is at the moment."
  "Okay Hestia. Are you sure you'll be alright?" I asked.
  "Yes." She replied. "If you could, please drop me by a river, so I might be able to call upon my brother."
  "No prob." I said. I turned to Cleo. "Here we go girl." I rubbed her scales. "Go down right here." She veered down. "Not too steep okay?" Soon enough we were circling, trying to find a creek.
  "It's amazing, isn't it?" Hestia said. "How the most can hide all of these things."
  "I guess so, huh?" Noah said. "Never failing to do its job."  Cleo came to a smooth stop by the water. Noah helped her down, and climbed back on. I waved at Hestia as she crouched by the river. Cleo took off in a running start,, and we were soon back in the air.
  "We did it." I said to them. "We saved them."
  "Why would they do this?" Malcolm whispered.
  "Why would who do what Malcolm?" Noah asked.
  "Those kids. Kids I knew. Kids I grew up with; that we grew up with Noah. Why would they do this to someone? To Kat?" Tears brimmed his eyes.
  "Malcolm, no one knows." Noah said. "We just know they need to be stopped."
  "I don't understand." He said, wiping his eyes. "What did she do to deserve this? Why would demigods do this to one of their own?"
  "Malcolm I'm sorry." I said, my eyes softening. "But I don't know."
  "You don't understand Callie." He said. "My family was there. My brothers guarded her. They tried to kill her!" Tears started falling down his cheeks, and I pulled him into a tight hug. "I killed my own brothers." He whispered. Noah came and hugged him from behind, and I tried not to cry. It hurt me to see Malcolm like this. I never thought of it like that. Noah and Malcolm could have been fighting their own family; as could anyone else in this war.
  "Malcolm, you have the same blood, but they weren't your brothers. They betrayed you and everyone else. Your brothers are at camp, with Annabeth and everyone else." I told him, letting him go.  He nodded slightly, violently wiping tears off his face. His gray eyes were bloodshot from sleep deficiency and crying.
  "We just crossed into New York." Noah said.
"Thank the gods." I said. "I'm just ready to get to camp."
"Me too." Noah replied.
"Noah, d-did you know anyone there? With Typhon?" I asked quietly.
  "Yes. Several of Apollo's children, Greek and Roman, were there."
  "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dragged any of you into this." I said.
  "You didn't do this. We were chosen, remember?" He replied, trying to lighten the conversation a little.
  "It's my fault. All of this, it's my fault." I whispered. I needed to get back to camp; to talk to someone else who had started a war. The seven. Percy. I needed to talk to Percy. He would understand, wouldn't he? Everyone got quiet for a while, which I actually enjoyed. There had been too much chaos in the last few days.
  "I see it." Malcolm said, pointing. "There's the camp!"
  "We made it." I laughed. It just, seemed funny that we were actually back where we started. "We're actually at camp!"
  "Will can heal Kat!" Malcolm laughed. Noah was giggling with us, and high fiving Malcolm. Cleo circled, landing at the backside, bottom of Half Blood Hill. Noah and I slid down, and Malcolm handed us Kat. She groaned weakly as we moved her. Malcolm slid off, and I handed her to him. The gleam in his bloodshot eyes told us everything; his hopes that Kat would live had came true. I hadn't noticed how windy it had been. We walked up the hill, silencing ourselves as we walked. The sun gleamed through the tree branches as we walked through the maze of them. Finally we reached Thalia's pine, and I could see the camp. The wind whipped my hair. The sun lit us up. As soon as we reached the top, Cleo circled over us and blew fire. We stood with our heads held high, in our blood stained clothes, the scratches on our bodies. Malcolm held Kat strongly in his arms. Half the campers looked up at us, as the camp went silent. The other half came pouring out of cabins and the sword fighting arena. I saw the seven, Nico, and Will rush their way to the front. Except someone was missing. In just a moment, Noah, Malcolm, and I were running full speed towards them. A smile broke across my lips as I saw Annabeth open her arms for Malcolm. I stood, confused. There was no one to welcome me. Well, Piper wrapped me in a tight hug. But I wanted to see Percy. I grabbed Annabeth's arm.
"Where's Percy?" I panted. She had her hands clamped tightly over my shoulders, yet she still managed to pull me into a hug. A tense, not very welcoming or warm hug.
"Callie..." she started off slowly, just releasing me from the rock hard embrace.
"Annabeth, where is he?" I asked seriously, already impatient. She turned her head, her eyes looking wet.
"He's-he's not here, Callie." A voice came from the back. They stepped forward, and I realized it was Jason. He tried to pull me in a hug, but I pushed him away.
"Where. Is. He." I asked in a deadly tone. The crowd, again, was silent.
"Missing." Annabeth choked out after what seemed like forever, tears streaming from her eyes. It wasn't a complete breakdown, but it was for Annabeth. She clenched her fists, trying to act tough, but she was still in tears.
"Let me go Annabeth." I said, not realizing her hands were still on my shoulders. "Let me go!" I fumbled, trying to get out of her grip. Once I did, I ran for Cleo. I felt the tears carving through the dirt on my face, and I sniffled, Jason came after me as I got on the dragon, but Noah got me first, wrestling me down.
"Noah, let me go!" I screamed. "I have to find him!" He didn't reply and wrapped me in a hug. He'd gotten stronger when we aged two years, but so did I. I heard they murmurs of the other campers, how they thought I must be insane, that I was over reacting. He somehow held me until I stopped fighting and had a complete sob festival into his chest, leaned against Cleo, who was nudging us with her nose. He ran his fingers through my hair, whispering things to me, until Will came to get him.
"Noah." He breathed. "Sorry to interrupt your moment, but we need your help with Kat." Noah stood, pulling me with him.
"I want to see her." I croaked.
"Callie." Will said gently. "You can't. She's in no condition for guests."
"I'm going to see her." I said again, letting go of Noah's hand that I didn't realize I was holding.
"You can't Callie." Noah whispered, rubbing my arm. "I'm sorry."
"You aren't going to stop me." I said harshly, and ran toward the infirmary.
"Callie!" They yelled together, and ran, trying to catch me. If I hadn't had the head start, they probably would have, being how weak I was. But Noah was too, and Will wouldn't leave him. I burst through the doors to be immediately caught by a boy with light brown, messy hair.
"Hey." He sort of laughed. "Didn't they say you couldn't come in here?"
"Let me through." I said, trying to push him away. Yet he kept a tight grip on my arm.
"You're pretty frightened huh?" He tried to start a conversation. "Who are you here to see? Your boyfriend?"
"Kid, I swear to the gods–" I started.
"Why are you calling me kid? We look about the same age."
"Let go of me." I narrowed my eyes.
"No." He said. I lost my temper, and pinned him against a wall, my forearm under his chin as I unfolded Fortana.
"Listen here Buddy." I growled. "Let me through or those doctors are going to be picking up pieces of you off the floor.
"Some greeting, huh?" He tried to get off the wall. I, of course, pushed him back. "I'm Sean. And you're Poseidon's other kid, right?"
"Watch it." I snapped. "Or I'll slice you open right here. I'm not just the other kid. Now, since you've probably been here bothering everyone, where's Kat?"
"They don't allow cats here." He said. "That girl they took when that way." He pointed, with his lower arm, I had the upper part pinned down. "Down the left hall." I let him go, and stomped down the hall.
"So." He said. I jerked around.
"I didn't say you could follow me." I snapped, and kept walking.
"So what happened to that girl? She looked dead."
"Watch it pretty boy." I growled. "She's not dead. She was captured."
"By pirates?" He asked.
"By the other side, stupid. That quest that just happened? That was us."
"That was you? You looked wicked on the hill."
"That wasn't the goal. What room?"
"She's in there." He pointed through some glass.
"Oh my gods." I whispered. That girl looked nothing like the Kat that first greeted me at camp. She had machines hooked to her, and Apollo kids crowded around. Her face was suddenly swollen, and she was wrapped in bandages.
"Callie!" Noah and Will ran down the hall.
"You're in trouble." Sean grunted.
"You know your way around, huh?" Noah panted as he reached us. "You have to go. They're about to operate."
"What? No. You- you can't damage her anymore." I said.
"Callie, I have to help. She'll be safe. I won't let anything happen. I promise." I flung my arms around him.
"Thank you."
"Always." He said, and walked into the room. I started down the hall.
"You need to go to your cabin." I told him.
"You can't tell me what to do." He answered.
"I think I have some right to ask about my brother in peace. By that I mean without you."
  "Fine." He said, and stomped off the other way. I went to the big house alone, wanting to tell Chiron about everything. Chiron would be in his office, most likely listening to his throwback 60s music. I walked across the wrap around porch and practically threw the door open, right in front of Mr. D.
  "Watch it, Johnson." He snapped, not looking up from his magazine.
  "Jackson." I replied.
  "Whatever Camie." He said.
  "Callie."
  "Leave my presence!"
  "You have no idea what you're doing do you?" I asked.
  "Watch it, kid." He looked up
  "Same to you." I answered.
  "You have no idea who you're dealing with, do you?" He narrowed his eyes.
  "I do actually." I said. "The god of wine who has no powers at the moment." And I walked in. I passed the tiger that Mr. D. kept on the wall, and went the door on the left. It was cracked, and I heard people talking.
"I'm going to look for her!" A boy said.
"You can't." I heard Chiron say gently. "That was not your quest."
"They've been gone two weeks!" The boy snapped. "My sister isn't going to die!" And I walked in, because eavesdropping wasn't something I wanted to be guilty of. The boy was supposed to be dead, yet he wasn't.
"Leo." I breathed. He dropped the hammer he was holding, and wrapped his arms around me.
"You're supposed to be dead." I whispered as we released each other.
"I came back." He said, with a laughing tone. I smiled at him. It was the first time I'd felt truly happy in a long time.
"You're pretty bipolar, huh?" Said another voice. It was Sean, standing in a corner, with his arms crossed and foot up on the wall.
"I thought I'd told you to go on somewhere." I said coldly.
"You did. And this is somewhere." He answered.
"How'd you get in here anyway? You went the other way." I asked.
"Children of Hermes always have a plan b. And there's a back door." I rolled my eyes at him and turned to Chiron.
"Give me a quest." I stated firmly.
"Excuse me?" He asked.
"I'm going to find Percy. A four person quest. Give me one."
"Callie, I can not just give you a quest. I'm sorry child."
"You're pretty demanding." Sean said from the corner. I practically threw daggers at him by looks, and he raised his hands in surrender.
"Alright." I said stubbornly, and walked out, not bothering to shut the door behind me. I heard Leo stumble out behind me, and jog to catch up.
"That wasn't like you." He said flatly.
"I've changed."
"You're related to Percy. You're a demigod. You're Callie. You didn't give up that easily. What are you going to do?" He asked.
"Nothing illegal." I answered, and left him. I could tell that he was standing there dumbfounded, but I didn't care. I walked into my cabin, and plopped down on Percy's bottom bunk. Don't worry. I thought, wishing he could here me. We'll find you. Even if it's the last thing I do. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I got up, and went under Tyson's bunk, digging out a small, black backpack and a note pad. I wrote:

Tyson
I hope you don't mind me borrowing the pack. I'm going to find Percy. Tell no one.

Callie

And set it on his pillow. He was at the welding area with other cyclops, but he would be back soon. I went to Percy's nightstand next. I felt guilty taking these things, but they won't say anything when I bring Percy back. If you bring him back. I said to myself. No. I can't think like that. I threw in some ambrosia, a water bottle filled about half way up with nectar, some chips I managed to rip off of Conner Stoll a couple months earlier, and a bottle of water. I prayed this would be enough. I slid the pack under an empty bunk, knowing no one will look under there, and went out of the cabin to find Noah. I supposed he was in the infirmary, being that he was 'helping in the operation,' so that's where I went. I was gentler with the door this time, being that I actually needed to talk to someone, not burst in and see someone.
  "Hello." The girl at the desk said. "I'm Lilli." Her red hair swooped around her shoulders like a fiery halo, but put her than that she looked nice.
  "Hi. I need to speak to Noah Springfield, please?" I asked politely.
  "Third floor down, room 292." She said kindly.
  "Thank you." I answered, and walked to the stairs. I went down the flights and into the hallway, and I saw him. He looked worried, scrabbling down something on a piece of paper and looking rudely into a window. I went to stand beside him.
"We have a quest." I said calmly.
"What?" He asked irritably.
"We're going to find Percy. You have to let me in there."
"Why?" He asked.
"So I can heal her. You're helping. Tonight, during lights out."
"Ok."
"We leave at midnight."

A/N
Hey my readers. To give you a little information, I wrote this at 2:00 in the morning, and I think I did pretty stinking good. It's 2865 words, But anyways. This is the last chapter in this book! The next one should be out soon. Hopefully everyone has enjoyed this series so far, and there's definitely more to come, since I have been having so much fun writing this!

Peace out Girl Scout,
Mattie Grace 💓✨