The Third Camp Trilogy: The Chaotic End

Chapter thirty five: Neptuna

When I came downstairs in the morning my mom already had a stack of pancakes ready for me.

I sat down and immediately started eating.

"What time did you tell Carrie to have his parents drop him off?" Mom questioned.

"We're going to pick him up."

"Oh, well you'll have to help me get there."

"It's impossible to miss."

"Why can't his parents bring him here?" She wondered.

"I didn't tell you? Huh, well, they're stationed overseas, in Iraq, I think."

"So he's home alone? No one watching him?"

"He has some... family friends with him." I assured her.

"Well he better." She waved the spatula at me. "It's just cruel to leave a child like that all alone."

"Whatever you do don't call his parents cruel in front of him."

"I won't." She nodded.

"Hey mom," Gage entered the kitchen and sat next to me. "Can I stay the night at Carrie's tonight? Pretty please?"

"If you get permission." She sighed, nodding all the same.

"Can I—"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Boys are dumb, they make dumb decisions. You will take no part in those decisions."

"Hey!" Gage argued.

"Am I wrong?" She questioned.

"Not at all." I answered for him under my breath.

He wavered for a moment. "Sadly, you're completely right." He finally sighed.

"We'll leave as soon as you're done." Mom looked to me, then set a plate in front of Gage, a tower of pancakes on top.

"Okay." I shrugged and stuffed some more into my mouth.

I couldn't wait until I saw Carrie.

After I directed my mom to Carrie's house, we finally pulled in the driveway.

Mom's mouth fell open as she drove closer. When she parked the car I pulled her toward the door.

"State your identity." Lima's voice boomed from the door.

"Lima, it's me. Open the door." I rolled my eyes.

"Oh! Neptuna!" The door burst open and Lima ushered me inside.

"Who was it?" Angita yelling from the dining room.

"Neptuna and her mother!" Lima answered.

Angita came walking in, a cup of what looked like coffee in her hand.

"Finally!" She cried. "Those boys have been messing around downstairs since dawn!" Her eyes rested on my mom. "And you must be Mrs. Chalfant. So nice to meet you, my name is Angita, and this is Lima. Virtus is downstairs and the rest of us are just scattered throughout the house."

I smirked and glanced at my mom. "You can get part of the tour while I go find Carrie."

She nodded.

"You looking for Carrie?" Chris came around the corner.

"I swear we need to get you two name tags or something." Angita sighed.

"No need, I'm the handsome one." He smirked.

"You're identical." I rolled my eyes. "And no, you're not the handsome one."

"I have the better personality."

"You definitely don't."

"Okay fine, if you have to go with the obvious answer than just look at our dog tags. I have the prison brand, he has that goody two-shoes purple one."

"Come on. You need to show me where Carrie is." I pulled Chris after me.

"Can't. Virtus kicked me out." He shrugged.

"Well if you would stop throwing weights at people then he wouldn't need to kick you out. You're just lucky Carrie has good reflexes." Angita scolded.

"Yeah, we're all so lucky that Carrie's around." He rolled his eyes. "Come on, I'll show you where he is." He motioned for me to follow him.

He lead me into the basement.

In the middle of the cavern Virtus and Carrie were fighting. Virtus with a sword and Carrie with his bow and arrows.

As they fought things would pop out of nowhere, tree branches, rocks, animals, and a lot of other things that are just... too strange to explain. I'm pretty sure Carrie jumped over a cow at one point, and also a butter churn.

"Carrie!" I called.

"Yeah?" He questioned, dodging a slice from Virtus.

"Come on!"

"What? What'd I do this time?"

"At your three!" Chris yelled.

Carrie dodged Virtus' slash on his right then rolled behind him and took him down.

"You're supposed to be getting faster, not slower." Virtus grumbled and sheathed his sword.

"I know." Carrie sighed.

"And Elymas, you've got to make the illusions more believable. Chris, I'm not even going to start on you."

"I feel so loved." Chris rolled his eyes.

"Carrie, why're you getting slower?" I questioned.

"You're here. That's why." He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Hey Nep!" Elymas waved to me.

"Hey, Gummy Bear." I nodded to him.

"Oh, c'mon, I told you to stop—"

"And I'm of higher authority, so I didn't. Now, Carrie, let's go. The Fulton County fair."

"Ah, right. See ya, Virtus, Elymas." Carrie nodded to the two people and put away his bow. He walked over.

"Carrie, at least go change... You're all sweaty from working."

"True that. Be right back, then." He went off to his room to change, and I waited downstairs.

"This place is massive!" My mom rushed over to me.

"Yeah." I shrugged.

Even though I had been here hundreds upon hundreds of times, I still hadn't seen everything.

"Where's Carrie?"

"He'll be down in a sec. He had to change, he was working out."

"Oh. Okay then." My mom blinked.