VIDEO GAMES! (p. jackson) (#1)

- six

JUNE 6, 2019

ROSE WOKE THE NEXT MORNING WITH A SICKLY FEELING IN HER STOMACH.

She sat up in bed, the feeling gnawing away at her being.

The first thing she did was find something to eat. She hunted around the cabin, trying to be quiet since her siblings were still asleep, and managed to find a granola bar and an apple. She ate them both. So much for a good breakfast.

Next was getting ready. She grabbed some clothes from the basement, cringing whenever the wood creaked under her feet. She decided layers would be best, since the temperature would probably change as they moved cities. A black short sleeved crop top, a brown zip up, and a pair of sweatpants stolen from Mitchell.

She moved into the bathroom, bringing her clothes and water bottle with her.

As she was brushing her teeth, there was a light knock at the bathroom door.

She opened it. It was Mitchell.

"You're leaving this early?" he said as she spit toothpaste into the sink. He rubbed at his eyes.

"Well, yeah. Why wouldn't we? And where are your glasses? Mom's gonna get upset."

He shrugged. "Beside table. I just thought you'd wait a bit longer, maybe until sunrise."

"Did you need something?" Rose asked as she packed her toothbrush and toothpaste into a Ziploc, which then went into her backpack.

"Figured I'd walk you out to Zeus's Fist. Silena's gonna get up too, but you and I both know she wants to visit Charlie too." He said Beckendorf's name with a high-pitched voice, mimicking the way Silena did. "And i wanted to give you this."

He opened his fist to reveal an rose quartz pendant attached to a black cord.

"It's one of Mom's crystals," he said. "Always worked for me. I forged it might give you a bit of luck."

"Thanks," Rose smiled, and fastened the necklace around her neck. "Can you... leave so I can change?"

"Shit, yeah, sorry."

Just after dawn, the quest group met at Zeus's Fist. Rose packed her backpack—thermos with nectar, water bottle, a Ziploc of ambrosia, rope, clothes, flashlights, and lots of extra batteries. She had her rings. The magic shield/wristwatch charles Beckendorf had made for her was on her wrist.

It was a scheduled to be a clear morning. The fog had burned off and the sky was blue. Campers would be having their lessons today, flying pegasi and practicing archery and scaling the lava wall. Meanwhile, Rose and her friends would be heading underground.

Juniper and Grover stood apart from the group.

Juniper had been crying again, but she was trying to
keep it together for Grover's sake. She kept fussing with his clothes, straightening his rasta cap and brushing goat fur off his shirt. Since they had no idea what they would encounter, he was dressed as a human, with the cap to hide his horns, and jeans, fake feet, and sneakers to hide his goat legs.

Chiron, Quintus, and Mrs. O'Leary stood with the other campers who'd come to wish them well— Silena, Love, Mitchell, Michael Yew, Jake Mason, Malcolm Pace, and a few others that Rose recognized but wasn't really friends with. It was nice of them to come, but there was too much activity for it to feel like a happy send-off. A couple of tents had been set up by the rocks for guard duty. Beckendorf and his siblings were working on a line of defensive spikes and trenches. Chiron had decided they needed to guard the Labyrinth exit at all times, just in case.

Rose was doing one last check on her supply pack. When Tyson and Percy came over, she frowned. "Percy, you look terrible."

"He killed the water fountain last night," Tyson confided.

"What?" she asked.

Before Percy could explain, Chiron trotted over. "Well, it appears you are ready!"

He tried to sound upbeat, but Rose could tell he was anxious.

"Hey, uh, Chiron, can I ask you a favor while I'm gone?" Percy said.

"Of course, my boy."

"Be right back, guys." He nodded toward the woods. Chiron raised an eyebrow, but he followed him out of earshot.

Love walked up to Rose, and pulled her into a tight hug. "Don't do anything stupid. I want you back alive."

She smiled. "No promises."

Silena gave her a hug as well, but didn't say goodbye, because in her words, "You're coming back. I'm not saying goodbye." It wasn't a question so much as an order.

She got hugs from a couple other people— Connor and Travis, Beckendorf, Mitchell, Lee, Lacy. The fact that everyone was acting like she was going to die was not making her feel better.

Percy returned a few minutes later, looking like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Rose's hand slipped into her pocket, where she kept the whistle Quintus gave her. Quintus was watching her carefully. He raised a hand in farewell.

"Take care," Chiron told them. "And good hunting."

They walked over to the rocks, where Tyson and Grover were waiting. Rose stared at the crack between the boulders—the entrance that was about to swallow them.

"Well," Grover said nervously, "goodbye sunshine."

"Hello rocks," Tyson agreed. And together, the five of them descended into darkness.