Champions: A New Age

Elyse.

previously on Champions: A New Age:

Zeus broke the silence. "As lovely as that speech was, Lunar still hasn't asked to cancel. We have fifteen- no, ten seconds before she goes. So-" he directed his focus to Lunar, "if you decide to change your mind, now would be the time to do it. Five seconds."

Everyone's hearts seemed to beat right along with each passing second.

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump.

Lunar stood there, frozen in place. Her expression, clearly conflicted, kept twisting and changing. Her mouth opened as if she was ready to say something, but closed again.

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~cont

Ba-

"Wait!"

Zeus severed the milky white connection, and set his gaze on Lunar, expecting her to say something.

Lunar looked at all of them, a determined look set on her face. "Listen. I still...I still hate all of you. Well," she glanced at Rasi, "...most of you. But if this dark being destroys the Earth, I gotta say, that would kinda suck." Lunar paused, hesitating. "I'll play your stupid game. I'm in."

Artemis nodded, the corners of her mouth just barely hinting a smile. "Good. Let us begin."

Lunar walked up to Artemis's throne- a simple chair made of what Frost thought was pure silver, with a faint glow radiating off of the smooth surfaces. Lunar placed her hands atop Artemis's and took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

As Lunar repeated the oath, the light shone like the chair. A silver light that slipped through the cracks of their fingers and spilled onto the floor like moonlight. A mere shadow of what Frost's light had been, but somehow enchanting. Calming. Like a breeze rippling through a silent wood at night, creatures unseen darting in between the trees.

When she opened her eyes, Frost noticed that Lunar looked as if she had somehow changed. Like she had shed a small part of that hot-tempered attitude that she always displayed.

Zeus began to speak. "Now that you have all accepted the oath, you will begin your training at Camp Half-Blood tomorrow morning, at the crack of dawn. For today, all of you should get some rest. I'm sure you are all exhausted. Your head counselors will take you to your respective cabins so you can get all set up. They will meet you at the tree-the large pine tree standing at the top of the hill. I'm almost certain you can't miss it." Zeus paused for a moment, his eyes far away. Then he snapped back to reality. "There is normally a magical border protecting the camp borders from monsters and mortals, but your blessings gave you the ability to cross into camp. Does anyone have any questions before we send you?"

All of them shook their heads.

"Good. We wish you luck on your journeys, Champions."

Zeus snapped his fingers, opening a swirling void beneath their feet. They fell into the gap, which was swirling with stars and flashes of lightning. Frost barely had time to yell in alarm before the void swallowed his consciousness whole, throwing his mind into the inky darkness.

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When he came to, Frost was lying in a warm field of grass. He could smell a sweet scent wafting from his left, but he couldn't put a name to it. He sat up and tried to clear the fogginess from his head. Why was he here? Where was he? Who was he?

Then the memories came back. He was just on...Mount Olympus. And this must be Camp Half-Blood. But where was the camp?

Around him, Frost noticed other bodies beginning to stir. They sat up one by one, shaking their heads and rubbing their temples.

"Is it just me, or do you guys smell...strawberries?" Elyse asked.

Rasi sniffed the air. "That's strawberries, all right."

Cammie rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Zappy Guy said something about a...pine tree?"

All of them scanned their surroundings, searching for a tree.

Frost spotted a tall, thick pine sticking out from a grassy hill. "I...I think that's it."

Lunar blew a stray strand of hair out of her face. "I don't see anything behind it except endless strawberry fields. Are you sure that's the one?"

Rasi shrugged. "Zeus did say there was a magical border. Maybe we could try walking past it. Who knows, maybe something will appear."

The six muttered their agreement and trudged up the hill towards the tree.

Cammie was the first to pass the border. As soon as he crossed the line on which the tree stood, the air rippled around him and he vanished. The others looked at each other in astonishment. Suddenly, they heard Cammie's voice echo from what seemed to be thin air. "GUYS! COME LOOK COME LOOK COME LOOK! YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS! IT'S SOOO COOL!"

Frost pushed his way through the border, and the transformation of the landscape was stunning. One second, he was looking at a never-ending field of strawberries, a gentle breeze rippling the tiny green leaves. The next second, he saw a large summer camp, filled with bustling teenagers and other creatures he couldn't name. Frost saw a small group of teens riding bareback on what seemed to be winged horses, others shooting arrows at straw targets, and some sparring each other with slim, sharp swords and real heavy bronze armor. A giant rock wall near the back randomly shook and poured lava from the crevices, and Frost watched in fascination as one girl, who looked a couple years younger than him, scaled the wall with grace and ease. Other kids were swimming repetitive laps in a crystal clear lake. To the left, Frost could see a medium-sized forest lining the border. He thought he saw creatures scuttling on the damp, muddy forest floor, then decided it was just his imagination. In the center of the camp, there was a columned area with neat, long rows of tables and chairs. Next to it sat a large three-story house, its faded, peeling walls painted sky blue. Multiple cabins were arranged in odd positions that appeared as if they had originally been in a U-shape, but more had been added and cluttered up the space. Shouts, laughter, and the sharp, metallic ringing of swords filled the air. A large sunset cast its warm rays across the ground, bathing the camp in soft, golden light.

Frost took a sharp intake of breath. "Wow. It's...beautiful."

Someone jabbed him in the lower ribs. He looked down to see Rose, who he had almost forgotten was there. "Right? I told you guys! It's great, isn't it?" she piped.

Frost heard someone cough from near the pine tree. He turned around and saw six teenagers, who all appeared to be older than the other campers. One of them tossed her wavy blond hair, and fixed her intense, gray-eyed gaze on the six. "Right. I'm Annabeth, daughter of Athena."

Someone behind her snickered. "Annie, do you always have to introduce yourself so formally? I mean, these guys just got here. Isn't it a bit too early to scare 'em off?"

Annabeth shot a cold glare at the guy who had spoken, and he immediately zipped it. She muttered something with the word Connor in it and sighed. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. The place where gods dump their kids for free babysitting."

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