Mostly Normal: Magic Cannot Cure Sickness

Chapter Four: Infected

"Natalie, come on, we'll be late for evening muster," called Bea from the door. Natalie sighed and finished putting on her armor, coming out of the barracks and following her friend to the Field of Mars.

"Why do we have to do this? It wasn't even the worst prank that we have ever pulled!" Natalie complained, taking another Ibuprofen for her sore muscles. Bea shrugged and began to drag her friend closer and closer to the Field of Mars.

"Ow, you're making me hurt worse," winced Natalie, "I'm coming."

Once the duo had reached the Field of Mars, everyone was eerily quiet. "What's going on?" Bea whispered to Dimitri, who was watching after them to make sure that they didn't get in any more trouble.

"No idea," said the son of Nike with a shrug, "I had hoped we were still doing evening muster. Doesn't look too much like it."

" Senatus Populusque Romanus! We bring you horrible news from back at what some of you call home, There has been an epidemic of Orange Cough! All of you are to report back to your barracks and get a health inspection," Reyna said, her voice silencing the field even further than it already was.

Bea, Natalie, and Dimitri exchanged wide-eyed glances. An epidemic? That couldn't be good.

Frank stood up from where he sat next to Reyna. "There will be no evening muster tonight, as the health inspection takes precedence," he said, "Sorry, guys. Senatus Populusque Romanus! You can go now, this meeting is adjourned."

Natalie felt her heart race as they all filed back to the barracks. When she had left, Nia had not been feeling well, though the younger daughter of Hecate dismissed this as a stress related illness. Bea didn't look well when they walked into the barracks, and the daughter of Aphrodite had stopped just outside of the door and held her throat before vomiting on the step.

Natalie screamed and stepped backward. "Someone help!" she cried, "My friend is sick!"

Bea moved over to the side of the building and continued to retch until there was nothing left in her stomach, Natalie held her hair back and held her breath. "Get her to the sick ward!" Dimitri yelled, getting everyone inside the barracks to settle down enough to be rational.

A couple of the camp medics ran over to Bea and picked her up, rushing her away. As Natalie watched her best friend being carried away, she felt a strange loneliness that she had never felt before. She swallowed the lump that threatened to rise in her throat and dodged the puddle of vomit on the step to enter the barracks.

She lay down on her bed after removing her armor, waiting for her turn to have the health inspection done. It took an eerily long time for the barrack that the two troublemakers were staying in to be done since Bianca had just gotten sick.

An older camper named Apex walked inside Natalie's bedroom, wearing a mask that covered his nose and mouth. "Come on down from your bed," he said, "Let's get you checked quickly."

Natalie nodded and hopped off of her bed, walking over to the camper. "Is Bea okay?" she asked, worried about her friend even though she herself was not feeling well.

"She'll live," said Apex, though Natalie suspected even he wasn't sure about that. He had her open her mouth and checked her throat, then he examined her lips and temperature.

"H'm," he said, "slight fever, little orange tint, some unwelcome bacteria in your throat, I'm afraid. You have Orange Cough. Come with me, I'll have this room quarantined or something."

Natalie felt her breath pick up, if there was a chance that she could die, then she wanted to spend that time with her siblings in her home, not in a foreign camp. Apex placed a hand on her forehead and his eyes widened, Natalie's world went black and all she could feel was cold.