First Lie || Deception Book I ||

Stakeout Pt. 1

I ran my hand absently through Avalanche's fur as I stared up at my ceiling in my chambers on Olympus. Today was the Winter Solstice and I had woken up at the crack of dawn for no apparent reason, other than a sense of foreboding that had me checking every window, nook, and cranny inside my rooms. I had even peeked into the hallway, glanced in both directions, gone back in, checked the windows again, and did an inventory of all the weapons I was carrying and the ones that were in my rooms. I knew there was no one there, but the sense of paranoia wouldn't leave. I'd gone to the stables too to check on Blackfire, but there was nothing wrong there either so I'd gone back to my rooms and resorted to using Avalanche as a pillow.

Just then, something triggered the shadow alarm I placed around my room. "Pyrkagia," I whispered, and my celestial bronze whip appeared in my left hand. I willed my shadows to prod the person outside.

"Clari!" my mother said, exasperated. "Will you stop?"

Oops. Crap, crap, crap. "Sorry, mother!" I called. I called back my shadows, willed Pyrkagia back into a ring, and rushed to the door. Unlocking it, I saw Hecate scowling at me.

"I thought your shadows recognized my presence?"

"I know. But this morning I woke up with a sense of foreboding that set my nerves on edge. I'm kinda paranoid right now. Sorry."

"It's fine," Hecate said. "I came to tell you to get ready. The demigods from Camp Half-blood are arriving in the afternoon. You need to get ready for a long stakeout in the throne room. It's already eleven."

I groaned.

After visiting Hades in the garden, I had done my daily run across Olympus with Avalanche. Coming back, I'd been planning to go for a flight on Blackfire before my afternoon training with Athena and Artemis when Apollo found me. He told me that along with staying hidden from Chiron and the demigods from Camp Half-blood when they came for the solstice, which I did every year, this year, I also had to stay cloaked within my shadows in the throne room for the entire time to make sure that no one tried anything suspicious. He summed up (using poetry of course), I would be doing a six-hour-long stakeout in the throne room. Which, by the way, was fantastic. Especially since I would have to be on the top of the pillars the entire time.

I sighed. "Okay, mom. Tell Zeus I'll be there in fifteen minutes. I still need to eat."

Hecate nodded and left, leaving me to do my stuff.

Five minutes later, I walked out of my room looking like I was headed to war. I'd braided my golden blond hair, leaving it to hang down my back and dressed up in my shadow suit that Hecate had gotten me for my thirteenth birthday, with my night cloak hanging from my shoulders. My shadow suit was a piece of mastery. It was as black as night and stuck to me like a second skin. There was also a mask that came with it, though I wouldn't be putting it on 'till I started my stakeout. I felt extremely bad for the person that would enter the throne room tonight if they did. With the two bracelets that my mother had given me that would unsheathe to my two daggers, Skia and Fos (Shadow and Light), the necklace that Athena gave me, Akonio, the two rings on my right hand for my sword Skiatra and my whip (the silver one) Asemeniosanemo (Silverwind), the ring on my left hand for Pyrkagia (Firewind, the bronze whip), and my black backpack from Artemis, I was a living armoury.

I walked to the mess hall where the demigods would arrive this afternoon, pushed open the doors, grabbed a chocolate croissant and some pastries, and headed towards the throne room. When I arrived, all the gods except Apollo, Dionysus, and Hermes were already there. No surprise, though. Apollo was almost always late and Hermes probably had urgent messenger business to attend to. And, Dionysus would be arriving with the demigods. "Zeus," I said, bowing. "Mother."

Just then, Apollo came in through the doors, looking out of breath. "Apologies for being late," he said to Zeus, who was frowning at him. "Hermes just sent me a message saying that the campers and Chiron are coming early today. They're arriving at noon."

"Noon?" Athena said in surprise. "That's in thirty minutes!"

It was half-past eleven already?

"Clarianna," Hecate said, rushing towards me. "You get ready."

I nodded, finished my last pastry, and started to scale the pillar behind Zeus' throne. The gods and goddesses in the room started to disperse to wherever they go until only Hecate, Apollo, and Zeus were left.

"Clarianna," Zeus said. "They're staying for two days. Coming today, leaving tomorrow. You only have to stay here until they are all asleep and then you can go back to your rooms alright?"

I nodded. Satisfied, Zeus left.

"Good luck Clari," my mother said. "Be careful."

"Ok mom, see you later," I responded. Hecate nodded to me and Apollo and left too.

"So," Apollo said, smirking at me. "You're just gonna stay there for the rest of the day? Crouched above everyone like a cat?" He stopped for a moment. "Wait, you look like Catwoman up there, with that black suit and your hair in a braid." He cleared his throat. "Fake Catwoman crouched above,"

"Apollo," I interrupted before he could get to the second line of his haiku. "Please stop."

"Sure," Apollo said. "I said I'd bring you pastries right?"

I nodded, grinning. "Pastries. Twice. If anyone asks, you're feeding them to your pet cat."

"I don't have a cat!" he protested. "But okay. Good luck, I'll see you later."

"Don't forget," I called after him as he left. He waved and disappeared. Sighing, I opened my backpack and pulled out my miniature screen that showed the camera feeds throughout Olympus. From my screen, I could see almost every place in the central palace and keep an eye on the other demigods. At this moment, Chiron was walking up the main road towards the palace with Dionysus and the dozen campers following in their wake. A wave of longing washed over me, accompanied by the ever-growing sense of loneliness. Soon, I told myself. You'll finally get to go to camp soon.

Sighing to myself again, I settled against the wall and made myself comfortable, or as comfortable as one could be on a ledge barely a metre wide seven metres above the ground. I kept a careful eye on the screen and my current surroundings. This is going to be an uneventful day, I thought to myself. Ten minutes in and I already want to sleep. Little did I know how wrong I was. 

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