❛003❜

PERCY HAD STOMPED out of the tent like a grumpy child after zoe had made her exit. ivy sighed in defeat as she watched him walk towards thalia and grover, where he no doubt was going to share what happened.

"do not fret, young one," artemis said, making ivy rip her eyes off of the son of poseidon. "he's a boy. he simply does not understand."

"if you'd let me ask, lady artemis..." ivy hesitated. "why didn't you approach me sooner? i know annabeth received a pamphlet from the hunt a while ago."

"i'm afraid i have tried to approach you before, ivy. aphrodite has gone to extensive lengths to stop me from extending my offer," the goddess said.

"oh."

"nevertheless, her efforts were futile," artemis told her. "your mother does not understand wanting more out of life than love."

ivy frowned. "love isn't affecting my decision, lady artemis. it's... i just wonder if it's really what i'm meant to be. or if i'm meant for more."

she could see the ghost of a smile on the goddess's lips. "i believe that whether you join my hunt or not... you will be a hero, ivy fitzgerald. that's what having the true spirit of a huntress is about."

the daughter of aphrodite left after that, her thoughts scattered and heart heavy.

artemis assured them that dawn was coming, even if it was colder and darker and snowier than ever. up on the hill, westover hall's windows were completely lightless. ivy wondered if the teachers had even noticed the di angelos and dr thorn were missing yet. she didn't want to be around when they did.

the hunters broke camp as quickly as they'd set it up. artemis stared into the east expectantly. thalia, grover, and percy were huddled together for warmth. bianca sat off to one side, talking with nico. ivy could tell from his gloomy face that she was explaining her decision to join the hunt.

after a moment of hesitation, ivy walked to her group of friends. there was tension between the group. grover tugged at the end of his shirt nervously. thalia sent her nod, she wasn't mad at ivy after all. percy stood stiffly, his face more brooding than ever, he looked like he was about to punch a wall.

ivy did nothing to appease the crackling of anger between herself and percy. she wasn't sure why thalia and – now percy – had against the hunters, it wasn't like they did anything to them. the brunette imagined that maybe thalia was offered to join but turned into a nasty exchange of insults, but the daughter of zeus respected that no matter her story with the hunters joining or not was ivy's choice. percy didn't take the route of maturity that thalia was in, his anger only made her angrier. by now the snow was melting a little around her feet, her body radiating enough heat for her friends to relax in it if they stood close enough. the only reason she wasn't accidentally burning people was because there wasn't any sunlight for her to maneuver unintentionally.

finally the sky began to lighten. artemis muttered, "about time. he's so-o-o lazy during the winter."

"you're, um, waiting for sunrise?" percy asked.

"for my brother. yes."

ivy wasn't looking forward to boarding the sun chariot. it wasn't like she didn't want to see apollo... but she didn't want to see apollo. she didn't want to step foot in the wretched car that she was pushed off of just a few months ago. although she wondered how they were going to fit in his tiny car.

"it's not exactly as you think," artemis said. by percy's freaked out expression, she was answering his silent questions.

"oh, okay." percy muttered. "so, it's not like he'll be pulling up in a –"

there was a sudden burst of light on the horizon. a blast of warmth.

"don't look," artemis advised. "not until he parks."

"parks?"

ivy averted her eyes, and saw that the other kids were doing the same. the light and warmth intensified until she felt her clothes melting off of her. then suddenly the light died.

she looked. the stupid red convertible maserati spyder was parked in all its glory. the snow had melted round the maserati in a perfect circle, which explained why she was now standing on green grass and her shoes were getting wet but her feet stayed dry. she made a good choice with the doc martens.

apollo got out, smiling. he the same as he did the last time she saw him. about eighteen, sandy hair and outdoorsy good looks. he wore jeans, loafers and a sleeveless t-shirt.

"wow," thalia muttered. "apollo is hot."

'he's the sun god," percy deadpanned.

ivy wrinkled her nose in disgust. apollo was basically her grandfather. "that's not what she meant."

"little sister!" apollo called. if his teeth were any whiter he could've blinded us without the sun car. "what's up? you never call. you never write. i was getting worried!"

artemis sighed. "i'm fine, apollo. and i am not your little sister."

"hey, i was born first."

"we're twins! how many millennia do we have to argue –"

"so what's up?" he interrupted. "got the girls with you, i see. you all need some tips on archery?"

artemis gritted her teeth. "i need a favor. i have some hunting to do, alone. i need you to take my companions to camp half-blood."

"sure, sis!" then he raised his hands in a stop everything gesture. "i feel a haiku coming on."

the hunters all groaned. apparently they'd met apollo before, too. ivy was grateful she didn't have to hear a poem before getting thrown out of a car.

he cleared his throat and held up one hand dramatically.

"green grass breaks through snow.

artemis pleads for my help.

i am so cool."

he grinned, waiting for applause.

"that last line was only four syllables," ivy pointed out.

apollo turned to her with a frown. "was it, mini me?"

artemis sighed. "yes. what about i am so big-headed?"

"no, no, that's six syllables. hmm." he started muttering to himself.

zoë nightshade turned to them. "lord apollo has been going through this haiku phase ever since he visited japan. this not as bad as the time he visited limerick. if i'd had to hear one more poem that started with, there once was a goddess from sparta–"

"i've got it!" apollo announced. "i am so awesome. that's five syllables!" he bowed, looking very pleased with himself. "and now, sis. transportation for the hunters, you say? good timing. i was just about ready to roll."

"these demigods will also need a ride," artemis said, pointing to them. "some of chiron's campers."

"no problem!" apollo checked them out. '"let's see... ivy, i already noticed, good to see you again. felt the tingles, didn't you? i knew my little push would work."

"it didn't feel any tingles. your push didn't work."

apollo dismissed her with a wave of his wave. "still, your powers showed up!" he moved his gaze away from ivy. "thalia, right? i've heard all about you."

thalia blushed. "hi, lord apollo."

"zeus's girl, yes? makes you my half-sister. used to be a tree, didn't you? glad you're back. i hate it when pretty girls turn into trees. man, i remember one time –"

"brother," artemis said. "you should get going."

"oh, right." then he looked at percy, and his eyes narrowed. "percy jackson?"

the son of poseidon looked towards ivy for help, she would've helped him. but she was mad at him, so every man for himself. "yeah– i mean... yes, sir."

apollo studied him. ivy almost missed it but the god's eyes flickered to her for a split second, making her eyes narrow. the god sniffed a little distastefully.

"well!" he said at last. "we'd better load up, huh? ride only goes one way – west. and if you miss it, you miss it."

ivy had barely fit in the backseat of the maserati. how would they fit all of them in? that was the million dollar question.

"cool car," nico said.

"thanks, kid," apollo said.

"how will we all fit?" ivy asked, she bit her tongue before she made fun of the clown sized car aloud.

"oh." apollo seemed to notice the problem for the first time. "well, yeah. i hate to change out of sports-car mode, but i suppose..."

he took out his car keys and beeped the security alarm button. chirp, chirp.

for a moment, the car glowed brightly again. when the glare died, the maserati had been replaced by one of those small buses just like they used for school field trips.

"right," he said. "everybody in."

zoë ordered the hunters to start loading. she picked up her camping pack, and apollo said, "here, sweetheart. let me get that."

zoë recoiled. her eyes flashed murderously.

"brother," artemis chided. "you do not help my hunters. you do not look at, talk to, or flirt with my hunters. and you do not call them sweetheart."

apollo spread his hands. "sorry. i forgot. hey, sis, where are you off to, anyway?"

"hunting," artemis said. "it's none of your business."

"i'll find out. i see all. know all."

artemis snorted. "just drop them off, apollo. and no messing around!"

"no, no! i never mess around."

artemis rolled her eyes, then looked at them. "i will see you by winter solstice. zoë, you are in charge of the hunters. do well. do as i would do."

zoë straightened. "yes, my lady."

artemis knelt and touched the ground as if looking for tracks. when she rose, she looked troubled. "so much danger. the beast must be found."

she sprinted towards the woods and melted into the snow and shadows.

apollo turned and grinned, jangling the car keys on his finger. "so," he said. "who wants to drive?"

the hunters piled into the van. they all crammed into the back so they'd be as far away as possible from apollo and the rest of the highly infectious males. bianca sat with them, leaving her little brother to hang in the front, which seemed cold to ivy, but nico didn't seem to mind. they offered for ivy to joining them in the back, which caught her off guard, but politely declined. she didn't miss how percy's face had contorted in anger at the question.

"this is so cool!" nico said, jumping up and down in the driver's seat. "is this really the sun? i thought helios and selene were the sun and moon gods. how come sometimes it's them and sometimes it's you and artemis?"

"downsizing," apollo said. "the uh– romans started it. they couldn't afford all those temple sacrifices, so they laid off helios and selene and folded their duties into our job descriptions. my sis got the moon. i got the sun. it was pretty annoying at first, but at least i got this cool car."

"but how does it work?" nico asked. "i thought the sun was a big fiery ball of gas!"

apollo chuckled and ruffled nico's hair. "that rumor probably got started because artemis used to call me a big fiery ball of gas. seriously, kid, it depends on whether you're talking astronomy or philosophy. you want to talk astronomy? bah, what fun is that? you want to talk about how humans think about the sun? ah, now that's more interesting. they've got a lot riding on the sun... er, so to speak. it keeps them warm, grows their crops, powers engines, makes everything look, well, sunnier. this chariot is built out of human dreams about the sun, kid. it's as old as western civilization. every day, it drives across the sky from east to west, lighting up all those puny little mortal lives. the chariot is a manifestation of the sun's power, the way mortals perceive it. make sense?"

nico shook his head. "no."

"well then, just think of it as a really powerful, really dangerous solar car."

"can i drive?"

"no. too young."

"oo! oo!" grover raised his hand.

"mm, no," apollo said. "too furry."

he looked towards ivy, squinting her eyes a little. "nope, she's mad. she'll end up burning us alive in here."

not sparing percy a glance, apollo focused on thalia.

"daughter of zeus!" he said. "lord of the sky. perfect."

"oh, no." thalia shook her head. "no, thanks."

"c'mon," apollo said. "how old are you?"

thalia hesitated. "i don't know."

it was sad, but true. she'd been turned into a tree when she was thirteen, but that had been seven years ago. so she should be twenty, if you went by years. but she still felt like she was twelve. if you looked at her, though, she seemed somewhere in between. the best chiron could work out, she had kept aging while in tree form, but much more slowly.

apollo tapped his finger to his lips. "you're sixteen, almost seventeen."

"how do you know that?"

"hey, i'm the god of prophecy. i know stuff. you'll turn seventeen in about a week."

"that's my birthday! december twenty-second."

"which means you're old enough now to drive with a license!"

thalia shifted her feet nervously. "uh –"

"i know what you're going to say," apollo said. "you don't deserve an honor like driving the sun chariot."

"that's not what i was going to say."

"don't sweat it! maine to long island is a really short trip, and don't worry about what happened to the last kid i trained. you're zeus's daughter. he's not going to blast you out of the sky."

apollo laughed good-naturedly. nobody joined in.

thalia tried to protest, but apollo was absolutely not going to take no for an answer. he hit a button on the dashboard, and a sign popped up along the top of the windscreen. ivy had to read it backwards (which, for a dyslexic really isn't that different to reading forward). she was pretty sure it said warning: student driver.

"take it away!" apollo told thalia. "you're gonna be a natural!"

ivy was a bit jealous, she couldn't wait to start driving on her own. while living in texas, gabriel's mother had taught the both of them how to drive. given that gabriel was a year older, by now he had his license and was driving wherever he wanted. percy got his learner's permit a week after his fifteen birthday, annabeth got hers last summer after they got back from their quest. while ivy knew how to drive perfectly, she had missed her appointment to get hers because of being locked down in camp by chiron. even then, chiron as her legal guardian made it clear that she couldn't get herself a car with her family money until she had her license.

"speed equals heat," apollo advised. "so start slowly, and make sure you've got good altitude before you really open her up."

thalia gripped the wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. she looked like she was going to be sick.

"what's wrong?" percy asked her.

"nothing," she said shakily. "n-nothing is wrong."

she pulled back on the wheel. it tilted and the bus lurched upwards so fast ivy fell back and crashed against something soft.

"fuck," percy groaned at the sudden hit.

"oops."

"slower!" apollo said.

"sorry!" thalia said. "i've got it under control!"

ivy managed to get to her feet, percy pulled himself off of the seat she had encrusted him in. looking out of the window, she saw a smoking ring of trees from the clearing where they'd taken off.

"thalia," percy said, "lighten up on the accelerator."

"i've got it, percy,' she said, gritting her teeth. but she kept it floored.

"loosen up," ivy told her.

"i'm loose!" thalia said. she was so stiff she looked like she was made out of plywood.

"we need to veer south for long island," apollo said. "hang a left."

thalia jerked the wheel and again threw ivy into percy, "princess, your elbow is digging into my rib," he wheezed. she retracted her elbow with an apologetic smile.

"the other left," apollo suggested.

ivy made the mistake of looking out of the window again. they were at aeroplane height now – so high the sky was starting to look black.

"ah..." apollo said, and ivy got the feeling he was forcing himself to sound calm. "a little lower, sweetheart. cape cod is freezing over."

thalia tilted the wheel. her face was chalk white, her forehead beaded with sweat. something was definitely wrong. she'd never seen her like this.

the bus pitched down and somebody screamed. she rolled her eyes when she realized it was percy. now they were heading straight towards the atlantic ocean at a thousand miles an hour, the new england coastline off to the left. and it was getting hot in the bus, even for her.

apollo had been thrown somewhere in the back of the bus, but he started climbing up the rows of seats.

"take the wheel!" grover begged him.

"no worries," apollo said. he looked plenty worried. "she just has to learn to – whoa!"

ivy saw what he was seeing. down below them was a little snow-covered new england town. at least, it used to be snow-covered. as she watched, the snow melted off the trees and the roofs and the lawns. the white steeple on a church turned brown and started to smolder. little plumes of smoke, like birthday candles, were popping up all over the town. trees and rooftops were catching fire.

"pull up!" percy yelled.

there was a wild light in thalia's eyes. she yanked back on the wheel, and ivy held on this time. as they zoomed up, she could see through the back window that the fires in the town were being snuffed out by the sudden blast of cold.

"there!" apollo pointed. "long island, dead ahead. let's slow down, dear. dead is only an expression."

thalia was thundering towards the coastline of northern long island. there was camp half-blood: the valley, the woods, the beach. ivy could see the dining pavilion and cabins and the amphitheatre.

"i'm under control," thalia muttered. "i'm under control."

they were only a few hundred metres away now. a crazy idea struck ivy, remembering the extent of her powers. during the past few months, she had discovered that light manipulation could go a bit beyond that. although she had never done it in small object and not a whole school bus, it didn't hurt to try.

"brake," ivy said.

"i can do this."

"brake!" ivy said with charmspeak.

thalia slammed her foot on the brake, and the sun bus pitched forward at a forty-five-degree angle. just when it was about to slam into the canoe lake, a burst of pink light covered the bus. instead of going through the light, the bus stopped mid air. ivy had her eyes screwed shut in concentration, gritting her teeth in effort as beads of sweat ran down her neck. manipulated the light to her will, the bus was placed on the ground next to the lake safely. ivy slumped back on her seat breathing heavily, her eyes threatening to drop shut in exhaustion. everyone on the bus turned to her in awe.

"aha!" said apollo with a proud smile. "bet my little push got you to do that!"

camp half-blood was gorgeous during the winter. frost covered the chariot track and the strawberry fields. the cabins were decorated with tiny flickering lights, like christmas lights, except they seemed to be balls of real fire. more lights glowed in the woods, and a fire flickered in the attic window of the big house, where the oracle dwelt, imprisoned in an old mummified body. ivy's slightly delirious mind due to the tremendous amount of energy she just used wondered if the spirit of delphi was roasting marshmallows with the roaches.

after taking a few minutes to compose herself, ivy walked out of the bus. as her two feet touched the ground, her head pounded. she stumbled backward, her vision covered in black dots. the brunette was about to fall when a muscled arm was wrapped around her waist, pulling her up to stand on her feet.

blinking away the black dots, ivy was met with the face of a worried percy. he had his eyebrows knitted together, his sea-green eyes scanned over her, his full lips were parted slightly and– fuck. he was cute when he was worried. ivy was jolted back to reality when she remembered she was supposed to be mad at him, not thinking about how pretty he was.

"you okay, princess?" percy asked.

"i'm fine," ivy said a little snappy. she untangled herself from his hold and took a step back. the girl didn't know if she was mad at him from earlier or for being one pretty motherfucker. both seemed reasonable to her.

"whoa," nico said as he climbed off the bus. "is that a climbing wall?"

"yeah," percy said. ivy could feel his gaze burning through her.

"why is there lava pouring down it?"

"little extra challenge. come on. i'll introduce you to chiron. zoë, have you met –"

"i know chiron," zoë said stiffly. "tell him we will be in cabin eight. hunters, follow me."

"i'll show you the way," grover offered.

"we know the way."

"oh, really, it's no trouble. it's easy to get lost here, if you don't –" he tripped over a canoe and came up still talking – "like my old daddy goat used to say! come on!"

zoë rolled her eyes, but ivy guessed she figured there was no getting rid of grover. the hunters shouldered their packs and their bows and headed off towards the cabins. as bianca di angelo was leaving, she leaned over and whispered something in her brother's ear. she looked at him for an answer, but nico just scowled and turned away.

"take care, sweethearts!" apollo called after the hunters. he winked at ivy. "you did great, sweetheart. you're making all of us proud!" his face turned stony when he looked at percy. "watch out for those prophecies, percy. i'll see you soon."

"what do you mean?" the son of poseidon asked.

instead of answering, he hopped back in the bus. "later, thalia," he called. "and, uh, be good!"

he gave her a wicked smile, as if he knew something she didn't. then he closed the doors and revved the engine. ivy turned aside as the sun chariot took off in a blast of heat. when she looked back, the lake was steaming. a red maserati soared over the woods, glowing brighter and climbing higher until it disappeared in a ray of sunlight.

nico was still looking grumpy. ivy wondered what his sister had told him.

"who's chiron?" he asked. "i don't have his figurine."

"ur activities director," ivy said with a smile. "he's... well, you'll see."

"if those hunter girls don't like him," nico grumbled, "that's good enough for me. let's go."

camp was terribly empty during this time of year. most half-bloods only trained during the summer. just the year-rounders would be here – the ones who didn't have homes to go to, or would get attacked by monsters too much if they left. but from the growing rate of campers who disappeared... camp wasn't filling in as much.

ivy spotted beckendorf from the hephaestus cabin stoking the forge outside the camp armory. the stoll brothers, travis and connor, from the hermes cabin, were picking the lock on the camp store. a few kids from the ares cabin were having a snowball fight with the wood nymphs at the edge of the forest. that was about it. she knew the few of her siblings who were year-rounders were probably around but they weren't spottable at first sight. clarisse was nowhere to be seen too, ivy knew she was on a mission to... to there.

the big house was decorated with strings of red and yellow fireballs that warmed the porch but didn't seem to set anything alight. inside, flames crackled in the hearth. the air smelled like hot chocolate. mr d, the camp director, and chiron were playing a quiet game of cards in the parlour.

chiron's brown beard was shaggier for the winter. his curly hair had grown a little longer. he wasn't posing as a teacher this year, so he could afford to be casual. he wore a fuzzy sweater with a hoof-print design on it, and he had a blanket on his lap that almost hid his wheelchair completely.

he smiled when he saw them. "percy! ivy! thalia! ah, and this must be –"

"nico di angelo," ivy said. "he and his sister are half-bloods."

chiron breathed a sigh of relief. "you succeeded, then."

"well..."

his smile melted. "what's wrong? and where is annabeth?"

"oh, dear," mr d said in a bored voice. "not another one lost."

ivy had been trying not to pay attention to mr d, but he was kind of hard to ignore in his neon-orange leopard-skin warm-up suit and his purple running shoes. (like mr d had ever run a day in his immortal life.) a golden laurel wreath was tilted sideways on his curly black hair, which must've meant he'd won the last hand of cards.

"what do you mean?" thalia asked. "who else is lost?"

just then, grover trotted into the room, grinning like crazy. he had a black eye and red lines on his face that looked like a slap mark. "the hunters are all moved in!"

chiron frowned. "the hunters, eh? i see we have much to talk about." he glanced at nico. "grover, perhaps you should take our young friend to the den and show him our orientation film."

"but... oh, right. yes, sir."

"orientation film?" nico asked. "is it g or pg? 'cause bianca is kinda strict –"

"it's pg-13," grover said.

"cool!" nico happily followed him out of the room.

"now," chiron said to ivy, thalia and percy, "perhaps you two should sit down and tell us the whole story."

when they were done, chiron turned to mr d. "we should launch a search for annabeth immediately."

"i'll go," the three demigods said simultaneously.

mr d sniffed. "certainly not!"

ivy, percy, and thalia both started complaining, but mr d held up his hand. he had that purplish angry fire in his eyes that usually meant something bad and godly was going to happen if they didn't shut up.

"from what you have told me," mr d said, "we have broken even on this escapade. Ww have, ah, regrettably lost annie bell –"

"annabeth," ivy snapped. she's been at camp since she was eight, and still mr d pretended not to know her name.

"yes, yes," he said. "and you procured a small annoying boy to replace her. so i see no point risking further half-bloods on a ridiculous rescue. the possibility is very great that this annie girl is dead."

ivy wanted to strangle mr d. usually, she found him funny but right now she didn't want to hear a word that came out of his mouth. it wasn't fair zeus had sent him here to dry out as camp director for a hundred years. it was meant to be a punishment for mr d's bad behavior on olympus, but it ended up being a punishment for all of them.

"annabeth may be alive," chiron said, but ivy could tell he was having trouble sounding upbeat. he'd practically raised annabeth all those years she was a year-round camper – much like herself – before she'd given living with her dad and stepmom a second try. "she's very bright. if... if our enemies have her, she will try to play for time. she may even pretend to cooperate."

"that's right," thalia said. "luke would want her alive."

"in which case," said mr d, "i'm afraid she will have to be smart enough to escape on her own."

ivy's cerulean blue eyes darken. she gripped at the armrest of her chair so tightly her knuckles turned white. involuntarily, the light bent at her command, turning pink. it wrapped itself in the leg of her chair as a replacement for dionysus neck, the wood sizzled at the rising temperature of the light.

"ivy," chiron warned, but it wasn't her he needed to worry about. at least, not at the moment.

"you're glad to lose another camper," percy said from his seat. "you'd like it if we all disappeared."

mr d stifled a yawn. "you have a point?"

"yeah," percy growled, standing up from his seat slowly. "just because you were sent here as a punishment doesn't mean you have to be a lazy fuck! this is your civilization, too. maybe you could try helping out a little!"

for a second, there was no sound except the crackle the wood on ivy's chair as she burned through it. the light reflected in mr d's eyes, giving him a sinister look. he opened his mouth to say something – probably a curse that would blast me to smithereens – when nico burst into the room, followed by grover.

"so cool!" nico yelled, holding his hands out to chiron. "you're... you're a centaur!"

chiron managed a nervous smile. "yes, mr di angelo, if you please. though, i prefer to stay in human form in this wheelchair for, ah, first encounters."

"and, whoa!" he looked at mr d. "you're the wine dude? no way!"

at the comment, ivy had to stifle a laugh. it was enough for her anger to loosen up, the pink light melting into its usual state. although she could feel her chair wonky by having a weak leg.

mr d turned his eyes away from me and gave nico a look of loathing. "the wine dude?"

"dionysus, right? oh, wow! i've got your figurine."

"my figurine."

"in my game, mythomagic. and a holo foil card, too! and even though you've only got like five hundred attack points and everybody thinks you're the lamest god card, i totally think your powers are sweet!"

"ah." mr d seemed truly perplexed, which probably saved my life. "well, that's... gratifying."

"percy," chiron said quickly, "you and thalia go down to the cabins. inform the campers we'll be playing capture the flag tomorrow evening."

"capture the flag?" percy asked. "but we don't have enough –"

"it is a tradition," ivy said. "a friendly match, whenever the hunters visit."

"yeah," thalia muttered. "i bet it's real friendly."

chiron jerked his head towards mr d, who was still frowning as nico talked about how many defence points all the gods had in his game. "ivy, you're staying out of the game. it's a wonder you're not dropping on the spot from exhaustion after using so much of you're powers. run along now," chiron told them.

ivy gaped, she had never played against the hunters. "what– no!"

"oh, right," thalia interrupted. "come on, guys."

the daughter of zeus hauled percy and ivy out of the big house before dionysus could remember that he wanted to kill percy.

"you've already got ares on your bad side," thalia reminded percy as they trudged towards the cabins. "you need another immortal enemy?"

ivy shook her head. "keep it at this rate, seaweed brain. you'll be turned into a dolphin before you even lose your virginity."

percy rolled his eyes at her, ignoring her comment, he said, "i'm sorry. i couldn't help it. it's just so unfair."

they stopped by the armory and looked out across the valley, towards the top of half-blood hill. her pine tree was still there, the golden fleece glittering in its lowest branch. the tree's magic still protected the borders of camp, but it no longer used thalia's spirit for power.

ivy stifled a yawn. she turned to back look at her friends and thalia was staring off at the distance. percy was giving her a pointed look. "what?" she asked.

"go take a nap, fitzy," percy said. "i'm not carrying you if you drop dead."

she crossed her arms over her chest, huffing. "i'm fine. everybody need to stop acting like i'm going to die from a mosquito bite."

"i will drag you to your cabin."

"i thought you said you wouldn't carry me."

thalia hit both of them over the head, muttering. "dumb and dumber in the flesh." she turned to ivy, "if you're not going to sleep at least go rest in your cabin."

"but–"

"go," thalia said, glaring at her.

ivy glared back for a few seconds before crumpling under her glare. thalia was scary when she wanted to be.

"fine," the daughter of aphrodite dropped her glare with a sigh. "just wake me up for dinner, i'm craving chocolate." she began to walk away from the cousins towards her cabin.

"when does the princess not crave chocolate?" percy asked loudly so she would be able to hear.

the brunette flipped him off.

when she arrived at her cabin, it looked as pristine as always. for a second, she thought the cabin was empty when she heard a loud giggle coming from the bathroom.

ivy dropped her tote bag at the end of her bed and took her shoes off on her way to the bathroom door at the end of the cabin. her bare feet patted across the cold floor. a part of her wished the cold affected her like it used to. thinking the giggles came from the twins in mid shenanigan, she opened the door carelessly.

instant regret.

tobias was leaning against the sink counter. a boy who she didn't recognize was kissing him furiously. tobias was halfway into taking the boy's shirt off.

"gross!" ivy exclaimed, covering her virgin eyes.

the boy sprang five feet up in the air. tobias looked unbothered, if anything just annoyed that ivy interrupted him from getting laid. for the third time in a month.

everyone at camp was feeling the weight of kronos's awakening. losing friends and siblings to a twisted titan definitely gave nasty blows on one's mental state. and everyone had different coping mechanisms, ivy respected that, but she didn't need to know her brother found his favorite comfort between someone's legs.

"i see you're back from your field trip, sis," tobias said casually.

the flustered boy – who now ivy recognize from the demeter cabin – looked like he wanted to be buried alive.

she wondered when people were going to stop falling for tobias's sweet talk. he had a different partner every two weeks, he doesn't do it intentionally, but he breaks hearts as easily as he breathes. he gets interestested, he dates, he loses interest, he breaks their heart. it was a vicious cycle tobias was stuck in ever since ethan's betrayal. the brunette had asked tobias if he had felt something more than friendship for ethan, he had denied, and she actually believed him. only because she could tell when he lied, really. but the lose of his closest friendship did hurt him.

ivy rubbed her face tiredly, she couldn't do this right now. she turned on heel, going straight for her bed. "don't mind me. i'm going to take a nap, so don't wake me up or i'll chop off that unicorn hair of yours, tobie."

tobias's laugh ran through the cabin. "you like my hair too much for that!"

"i can like it as a wig, too!"

the bathroom door was shut, ivy doubted they would get on with whatever they were doing with her in the cabin. ivy grabbed her tote bag and took out all the items, putting them back where they belong. she took off all of her accessories, reaching in her nightstand, her eyes caught a framed photo.

she reached for the frame and held in in her lap. it had been a gift from annabeth. the picture in question was of the first summer they spent at camp together. they were holding each other in a tight embrace, grinning wildly at the camera. that entire summer the two have been inseparable, two little devils running around camp without break.

tears threatened the spill from her blue eyes. she was going to find annabeth. that went without question. ivy placed the photo back in place, curling up in her bed. she finally allowed her exhaustion to sip in.

ivy fucking hated dreaming.

annabeth was on a dark hillside, shrouded in fog. it almost seemed like the underworld, because ivy immediately felt claustrophobic and she couldn't see the sky above – just a close heavy darkness, as if she were in a cave.

annabeth struggled up the hill. old broken greek columns of black marble were scattered around, as though something had blasted a huge building to ruins.

"thorn!" annabeth cried. "where are you? why did you bring me here?" she scrambled over a section of broken wall and came to the crest of the hill.

she gasped.

there was luke. and he was in pain.

he was crumpled on the rocky ground, trying to rise. the blackness seemed to be thicker around him, fog swirling hungrily. his clothes were in tatters and his face was scratched and drenched with sweat.

"annabeth!" he called. "help me! please!'

she ran forward.

ivy tried to cry out: he's a traitor! don't fucking trust him!

but her voice didn't work in the dream.

annabeth had tears in her eyes. she reached down like she wanted to touch luke's face, but at the last second she hesitated.

"What happened?" she asked.

"they left me here," luke groaned. "please. it's killing me."

ivy couldn't see what was wrong with him. he seemed to be struggling against some invisible curse, as though the fog were squeezing him to death.

"why should i trust you?" annabeth asked. her voice was filled with hurt.

"you shouldn't," luke said. "i've been terrible to you. but, if you don't help me, i'll die."

then die you piece of shit, ivy wanted to scream. luke had tried to kill them in cold blood too many times. he didn't deserve anything from annabeth.

then the darkness above luke began to crumble, like a cavern roof in an earthquake. huge chunks of black rock began falling. annabeth rushed in just as a crack appeared, and the whole ceiling dropped. she held it somehow – tons of rock. she kept it from collapsing on her and luke just with her own strength. it was impossible. she shouldn't have been able to do that.

luke rolled free, gasping. "thanks," he managed.

"help me hold it," annabeth groaned.

luke caught his breath. his face was covered in grime and sweat. he rose unsteadily.

"i knew i could count on you." he began to walk away as the trembling blackness threatened to crush annabeth.

"help me!" she pleaded.

"oh, don't worry," luke said. "your help is on the way. it's all part of the plan. in the meantime, try not to die."

the ceiling of darkness began to crumble more, pushing annabeth against the ground.

ivy sat bolt upright in bed, clawing at the sheets. there was no sound in the cabin except for the soft snores coming from her sleeping siblings. the clock on her nightstand read just after midnight. nobody had woken her up the whole day.

it had only been a dream, but she was sure of two things: annabeth was in terrible danger. and luke was responsible.

a speaks!

on the fence ab this chapter tbh but whatever
pre trauma nico is the cutest
percy doesn't have feelings for annabeth btw but he does care for her a lot so yeah clearing it up bc i hate love triangles they should be banned

thoughts???