The Third Camp Trilogy: The Final War?

Chapter forty: Carrie

Three days until war.

I lead the group back to camp right before lunch then headed back to my cabin. Taking a moment to gaze at my memories and memorabilia covering the walls, everything from a journal of the first person to find Camp Ops (Written in Greek and Latin, both very ancient forms), all the way to a celestial bronze knife I found in— nope, not going to mention that.

So many memories.

So much pain.

So much suffering.

Well, at least we got stuff to remember it by.

"Two years in that pit, four months in a coma trying to remember how to breath and trying to heal wounds that will never be healed. All that time wasted just because of feelings." I growled to myself.

"What are you talking about?" Neptuna questioned.

"You shouldn't be here." I spun around and aimed an arrow at her throat.

"I'm used to breaking rules." She shrugged and stepped into the light.

"Rules are a lot different here than the other camps."

"Rules are rules."

"You remind me of a girl I once knew." I sighed and put away my bow.

"Really? Who?" Hope glistened in her eyes.

"No one, nevermind." I shook my head, I didn't want to open up any new wounds.

"Come on, tell me." Neptuna sat on my desk.

"Her name was Sophia, Sophia Parker."

"Was she your—"

"Yeah."

When I said this, it looked like Neptuna would growl.

"What happened to her?"

"I don't talk about it, no one does. She ended up being banished from Camp Ops. Now she lives in Michigan, unaware of anything she did."

"That's horrible." But it sounded like she was glad of this.

"Most say she got what she deserved. Wallace applauds her, wishes she had succeeded. Thank the gods she did not."

"What do you think?

"I do not know, part of me wishes that she remembered me, the other part wishes she had suffered more for what she did."

Neptuna cringed when I said "remembered me."

"What did she do?"

"We don't speak of her crimes."

"Come on, at least give me a little hint."

"No."

"Just a little?"

"No." I repeated. "Now, it is almost time for lunch, I must be going."

"See you later." She yawned, finally giving up and I headed toward the mess hall.

During lunch I instructed the children of Hephaestus and Vulcan to stay at camp and to go to their regular classes, after diner they could return to making the makeshift camp. There were a few groans at that but no one disagreed. I told the cabin leaders that if any of the children of the fire god needed to rest they were to do so.

After lunch I headed back to the makeshift camp.

"The camp must be right here, that's the only possible explanation of them disappearing." Perseus stared and felt around a completely real field.