BLURRED | Annabeth Chase

XXIX μήνυμα

μήνυμα

message

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Just like everything in the past few days, there was something horribly wrong. Drew could feel it deep within her stomach, and she had long ago learned to trust her gut.

"Something isn't right," she murmured to Clarisse, who was currently wincing as she tried to lay down on the sand.

"There's a lot of things that aren't right," the gruff girl responded, "be more specific."

If Clarisse were not severely injured, Drew would have kicked her right then. "There's something else. I can feel it."

"What's Drew being cryptic about now?" asked Cameron as he walked over to them, instantly plopping down next to Clarisse.

"Fine. See if I ever try to warn you guys again."

But there was no real bite to her words; Drew was far too exhausted to make threats, even the playful variety. Her body was impossibly sore from both fighting and her wounds that were not yet fully healed. The ambrosia that Cameron had given helped a little bit, but there was too much of her that needed healing. Drew had far too many broken parts, and all the ambrosia in the world was not going to help her.

"She thinks there's something wrong, which is the understatement of the century," Clarisse answered for Drew, ignoring the frown that Chris sent her.

"Call it a gut feeling."

"And I'm calling it bullshit," said Clarisse, her voice a little too hard to be classified as normal Clarisse. There was something wrong with her, but that was something wrong with everyone.

"So, are we trusting these guys?" asked Chris, smoothly transitioning to a topic more worthy of their attention than Clarisse's complaints.

Cameron sighed, tracing a circle in the sand. "I don't see what other choice we have. Working together seems to be the best move."

Clarisse snorted. "Right, because teamwork is our strong suit. Get over yourself; we've been hiding from the Olympians on purpose. We work best away from them."

"That's just where we ended up after the last war," Drew snapped, suddenly fed up with Clarisse. "We have the chance to go home. Don't you want that."

Despite Clarisse laying down and injured, she still looked as dangerous as ever, and Drew was glad that the other girl was unable to move with ease. "There is no home," sneered Clarisse.

Cameron's hand seemed to drift to the sword laying in the sand beside him, but his movement was interrupted. Grover Underwood was suddenly there, looking very hesitant and uncomfortable, but he was there nonetheless. "Hi, um, don't mean to interrupt, but I just came to tell you that something weird just happened."

At the end of Grover's sentence, Drew felt a sharp burn on the inside of her wrist. She yelped despite herself, and held her arm close to her chest.

Grover blinked, visibly surprised. "That's just it. How did you know?"

"Know what?" Drew removed her arm away from her chest, and stared at her wrist. A small omega sign was written there, as white as a scar.

Cameron frowned, and looked as well. He raised his wrist to reveal an identical mark. Clarisse and Chris did the same and were greeted with the same results.

"Okay, so that makes four more," said Grover uneasily, eyes darting between the demigods.

"They all have it?" said the green-eyed girl, appearing beside Grover suddenly. Drew almost jumped at her sudden presence; Drew was great at spying, but Esmerelda was unnaturally gifted.