𝑺𝑶𝑳𝑰𝑽𝑨𝑮𝑨𝑵𝑻 || ʀᴇʙᴏʀɴ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴘᴊᴏ

VIII: A Warm Welcome To Camp, I Suppose

I mainly dreamt of an evil family of purple dinosaurs trying to murder me.

I woke up crying because of that traumatic dream, yes, but it was for a good reason! One of the baby dinos who was helping me got skewered!

by its own mother!

Anyway, as soon as I woke up, I saw a blond figure standing above me. He had a gentle face and a comforting smile on his face.

"So, you're finally awake."

My eyes focused further, and I soon recognized who the blond was. Luke. I did the thing most people would do in my situation.

I socked him in the face while screaming bloody murder.

It's pretty reasonable on my part if I do say so myself.

Sure, I got the dirtiest look ever from Luke, and he certainly had a bloody nose, but if you saw a future mass murderer, what would you do?

Eventually, everything settled down after I was forced to apologize by some blonde named Will Solace, and I had to literally contain my squeals after he told me his name. I must admit, I was a bit embarrassed after seeing the aftermath of my punch, but I still stand by my actions.

"I'm sorry, dude, okay?" I spoke reluctantly. "There, I said it; now explain to me where the hell I am."

"You're in the infirmary of Camp Half-Blood," Will said while pinching the bridge of his nose. "You've been asleep for a couple of days now, and Luke has been caring for you. "You should be thanking him."

I turned my head over to the poor kid, who was currently munching on a piece of ambrosia.

"Thank you... Sorry, but I forgot your name."

"It's Luke Castellan."

I sighed and rested my head on the backboard of my hospital bed. "Thank you, Luke."

"You're welcome, but..." Luke started while staring off into the distance. I wondered what he was thinking about. Probably how he's going to murder me.

"I didn't have to do much. It was strange, really."

He turned his head in my direction with a mischievous grin on his face. "It was almost as if you hadn't been hurt at all."

I just gave him a blank look and took in my surroundings further. The room I was staying in had a beautiful sun peeking through the windows, casting a warm glow across the room. The sounds of birds chirping outside the window and the soft murmur of campers and healers alike talking in hushed tones in the hallway.

I took a deep breath, inhaled the fresh air, and smiled. I felt oddly at ease in this place already. There was a feeling of comfort and warmth that seemed to seep into the walls, a feeling that seemed to be shared by all.

Despite the sense of familiarity and peace, I felt a stirring in my chest, a reminder of the uncertainty that lay ahead.

I turned to the side and noticed a Minotaur's horn on the table. It was a reminder that although I felt safe, I was also in a place of danger. Nowhere was safe, even camp.

"Oh, yeah," Luke said once more. "When you showed up here, the other boy and you had those things in your hands."

I took the horn in my hands and observed it. It was black-and-white, the base jagged from being broken off, the tip splattered with dried blood. As I looked at it, I felt the reality of what had happened sink in.

"You wouldn't let go of it; I literally had to pry it from you since it was a safety hazard."

I remembered Luke's words and recalled the incident. Dam, it was terrifying just thinking about it. I shook the memory from my head and turned to focus on Luke.