Started With A Dare - A POTHENA STORY ✔

I 'Reunite' With My Suspiscious Allies

POSEIDON'S POV

  As I followed Circe along the meticulously decorated concrete path, I was in complete shock. I barely heard Circe's voice heading towards me, probably asking me some normal questions to make herself more trustworthy, not knowing Athena and I both knew what was behind that face of extravagant make-up. I was still thinking about how I saw Wilbur moments ago. Why was my possibly very own son on Circe's island? He should be at Camp Half-Blood for the whole summer, and according to the camp rules Percy told me, he wasn't going to be happily welcomed when he returned with the other boys.

  As I looked up from my thoughts, I immediately recognised the path Athena and I saw from the lifeguard's seat and I knew exactly where she was leading me.

  Towards Wilbur, Tristan and Elijah.

  "Boys! I have a new friend for you to meet," she exclaimed excitedly and a bit too loudly as I reached their side. "Say hello to...what is your name, boy?"

  "Uhm..." I was about to tell them when I remembered that having the same name as the missing sea god of the big three gave me no advantage. "Peter. The name's Peter."

  "Hello, Peter," Wilbur greeted slowly, a sceptical eyebrow raised. He probably wondered what I was doing there and why I lied about my name, but I could ask him the same first question so he stayed silent. His minions behind him nodded to me as well and I nodded back bitterly, shooting Circe an anxious glance.

  "I'm glad you're getting along! Today, boys, you will be having your amazing treatment together." She made it sound so much like we were in an Utopia of perfect beauty treatments and the fluffiest hotel beds. "Come here, I have a special section of mirrors for you to view your transformation and I'm sure you boys will love it."

  The way she said transformation was filled with so much evil and distaste that it made my insides turn. I turned to the boys as Circe was behind me and quickly mouthed, 'it's a trap'.

  Wilbur gave me a relaxed shrug and told me to turn back with his eyes. Resisting a groan out loud for my failed attempt, I did as his eyes commanded to prevent suspicion from Circe.

"Okay, boys, here we are!"

The room looked very fishy to me. (ARGH! Pun not intended!) It was the most marvellously decorated room I had ever seen, with patterns of waves on the glass and a chandelier with beautiful crystal seashells hanging from it. It looked like the smaller verison of a sea-themed ballroom fit for a queen's palace. It was round with a large collection of premuim quality mirrors, most of them decorated in the same sea-themed way. There was a drawn curtain on the right that seemed to hide quite a large portion of the room, but I could barely make out a shelf and a bit of metal from the top of the curtain. "Alright, who wants to go first?"

Circe's sentence turned our attention to her. All 4 of us kept silent and tried avoiding her gaze. "No volunteers?" Circe tapped her chin. "Well, then, how about this young man with dark hair right here?"

Circe gestured towards Wilbur and me. I shuddered as her icy cold eyes studied me with clear annoyance. It disappeared almost immediately after I discovered it. "Son," Circe said as she approached us and put a hand on Wilbur's shoulder, "How about you follow me behind the curtain so that I can work my magic? You boys can take a rest on those sofas on the left.

I turned to the left and saw the portion of the room that I didn't pay as much attention to. A pearl blue sofa sat in front of the glass window, looking like the best quality sofa I had ever encountered.

  I looked back to see Wilbur and Circe but they were gone. Only Tristan and Elijah stood next to me, dumbfounded, as if they were still processing what was happening.

  I glanced at them and they turned their attention to me with questioning looks. I didn't want to sit on Circe's sofa but my body was exhausted and the seats looked comfier than they should. I led the boys to it and gave it a testing shove with my pen. Glad that it wasn't turning into a guinea pig, I hesitantly sat down. Nothing.

  Tristan and Elijah sat on either side of me after discovering that it was safe. I could hear faint ruffling behind the curtain that Circe and Wilbur probably were, but otherwise it was awkward silence between us. Finally, I decided to question the two.

  "Guys," I said, looking left and right, "what are you doing outside of camp?"

  Tristan shifted in his seat uncomfortably as Elijah played with his fingers nervously. Eventually, Tristan snapped back. "What are you doing outside of camp?"

  "Athena and I were issued a quest, but that's not important. I don't recall Chiron announcing that you three were going on a quest."

  "Well...we are." Elijah was fidgeting an awful lot and any idiot could tell that he was lying just by his tone, but I decided to make sure.

  "Alright then. What's your prophecy?" I demanded, a hint of triumph in my voice. Surely they couldn't answer to that.

  There was silence for a moment. A very long moment. Tristan finally opened his mouth to reply, but Circe drew open the curtain before he had the chance to say anything.

  "Hello, boys! I have taken Wilbur to the room where all our male customers relax in. I'm pretty sure he's having a great time right now. Who's next?"

  As the curtain was slightly open, I saw what the metal was - some sort of guinea pig cage. I only saw half of it, though, and as it was quite far from my position, I couldn't tell if anything was inside.

  Circe frowned when still no one replied to her. How could anyone have the confidence to be next right after Wilbur's disappearance? Walking into whatever was behind those curtains was like walking on thin ice.

  "No volunteers still? Wilbur must be missing you fellows. Peter, dear, how about you come along?"