A Mortal Fool

Midnight Messages

Piper

It was finally time. Our preparations had been made, and the field trip was tomorrow night. We had said our good nights, all of us nervous. I doubted anyone was sleeping too well. A rush of anxiety flooded me. I felt the same as I had over the summer we fought Gaea, all those restless nights spent wondering.

What if we couldn't find the opal? What if the Mist disappeared? What would happen to the camp? What would happen to New Rome? Reyna would be crushed. It was everything she had worked for.

I rolled over, turning on the lights. I didn't have any way to make a rainbow, but hopefully a picture searched up on my phone would do.

"O Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, please excuse this shitty excuse for a rainbow and show me Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano." I murmured. I tossed a drachma at my phone, sighing with relief when it worked. The phone screen shimmered, displaying a very tired looking Reyna at her desk.

"Hey, Reyna? Sorry to bother you." I whispered.

She shrugged. "It's fine. I'm not doing anything important." Reyna rubbed her eyes, which were ringed with dark circles. "What's up?"

"So, we're on a quest. Again."

Reyna frowned. "And? You feel the need to tell me this because?"

I felt foolish, suddenly. But I let it slide. I told her everything. The Mist thinning, the opal, Apollo's disappearance. The crease between her brows grew deeper and deeper.

"Piper, New Rome is the most secure place in the world." she assured me. "We can easily pack it all up and move. We'll be fine. But just in case, I'll notify the border patrols that they'll need to be on further lookout." Reyna frowned. "Thank you, Piper. Now go sleep. You have a quest ahead of you."

"I could say the same to you." I laughed.

Reyna smiled, and swiped her hand across the mist, disappearing.

I felt better about it all now. Reyna was informed, and Chiron and Mr. D had everything handled already.

I switched off the lights, surrounding myself in darkness once again.

••••

In the morning, my stomach was filled with butterflies. Not the kind you got from lovesickness, but the kind you got when you were nervous.

Sure, I'd done quests before. In fact, I'd done multiple. But this was different in a way I couldn't explain. There was a dread in the air, and as we gathered around the breakfast table, I could feel it pressing into my chest. From the way the others looked, they felt no better than I did. I decided to break the silence.

"So, we all clear on the plan?" I asked. Annabeth nodded grimly. Leo, who typically had a funny quip for any situation, only ran his hands through his hair.

One thing was for sure. This quest would be one to remember.

I'm in my productive arc woo. Last few months have been kinda hard for me, academically and mentally, so bear with me as I get back on my feet. Love you all <3 If you haven't already, follow RandomWriter_101 because I love her. Feel free to leave some ideas for my story :)

Lots of love and ships, ClicheShipper