Armageddon

Chapter 2: The Troubled Boy of Bunker 9 (Blake)

I didn't mean to piss off Melia. It was a complete accident. I just got my hands on some blue prints for these cool hover boots. I was so excited about getting back to Bunker 9 to start working on them that I didn't see her there. I figured it'd be best to just let her cool off.
Bunker 9 was a workshop far off in the woods away from camp. Leo, one of the Seven from the last great prophecy, found it and revived it. Now all the Hephaestus kids use it.
I walked inside and the smell of burning metal filled my nostrils. I loved it. Being in a workshop full of machines and grease and other mechanics. Over at his personal station was my brother Giovanni.i waved over to him.
Geo looked no different than most other Hephaestus kids. He was toned with jet black hair. His olive colored skin showed his Italian heritage. He was a taller kid, to point where I had to look up when I talked to him unless I planned on talking to his chest.
He waved me over before I could get lost in my work.
"Hey Blakey," he said with a slight Italian accent. "Dante was here earlier, looking for you."
"Where is he now?" I asked.
"I don't know. He left looking for you after that."
I nodded and walked over to my station. I'll go look for Dante later. If it was urgent, he'd come look for me here again.
I picked up an unfinished gauntlet and started tinkering with it. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do yet so I just played around with it. Maybe adding a laser. That would be cool. I picked it up and got to work.
"Whatcha working on?" a voice interrupted.
I nearly jumped out my pants when I heard him. I turned around, ready to give him a piece of my mind.
"Dante! How many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me?!" I yelled.
Dante just laughed, his curly blonde hair bouncing atop his head. You couldn't usually make them out, but just his freckles came out boldly whether he had switched from invisible to visible, and they always made him look like the happiest little camper.
"No one told you to be so easily scared," he replied laughing.
Dante was a son of Apollo and my best friend. He had the typical sandy blond hair that curled upward at the front and tanned skin. His eyes were a light blue. Unlike the other Apollo kids, however, Dante wasn't wild and cocky. He was actually kind of quiet. He had the extremely rare ability of photokinesis, the power over light. He can turn himself invisible, annoying as that is. That's how he snuck up on me just now.
"What do you want you creep?" I asked.
"Nothing. But I did see your little run in with Melia earlier. Boy did you upset her," he chuckled.
He picked up a piece of metal and started twisting it back and forth.
"It was an accident. You know how I get. I'll go apologize when she's cooled down," I told him.
Just then, the horn for dinner was sounded through the camp. Dante and I made our way to the dining pavilion. I spotted Melia sitting at the Khione table and waved. She returned a simple hand gesture that clearly told me that she was still ticked.
I sat down at the Hephaestus table with the rest of my brothers and sisters. Just as I was about to sink my teeth into a juicy hamburger, Chiron ran into the dining pavilion. He had on a serious look and a bead of sweat dripped off his worried face.
"Counselor meeting at the Big House. Now," he said urgently.
Each of the counsellors groaned, upset that they didn't get to start their dinner, and headed to the Big House. I immediately scooted over next to Dante.
"Dude, Chiron looked worried. What do you think they're talking about?" I wondered.
"I don't know," Dante replied.
There was a short silence between us.
"Wanna find out?" I asked.
"What? How?" Dante asked me.
I gave him a look that said, "You definitely know how."
"Oh. Oh no. I am not using my powers to sneak into the Big House. Chiron would kill me!"
"C'mon dude!" I pleaded. "The counsellors never tell us anything so the campers don't freak out. And Chiron looked pretty worried. Don't you wanna know what's going on?"
Dante sighed.
"Fine. If it'll shut you up, I'll go find out," he grumbled.
When he was sure the coast was clear, Dante disappeared and ran off after the counsellors to the Big House.