Blessings from Khaos

|Our Soulmate Is The One That Makes Life Come To Life|

Lea smiled to herself when she saw Percy's side of the cabin had shifted to accommodate Tyson. There was also now a divider in the cabin that gave her some makeshift privacy. She enjoyed it very much as she changed into camp attire.

(She was very thankful for the friendship that she had with Drew because that highlighter orange shirt was hideous. The pastel orange shirt actually brought out the different shades of green in her eyes.)

And then she made her way around the camp to look for her brother.

The camp was a lot different than what it was last summer. Less summer-campish and more militia as most of them walked grimly past and carried on with their duties-running messages, toting swords to sharpen on the grinding wheels.

It sorts of reminded her of the few military schools she had been kicked out of, and she had half the mind to check to make sure that her hair was in regulation.

Drew joined her about halfway through. "Apparently, Chiron is gone. He got fired."

"Guess this is what he meant when he said a change of management."

If anyone had asked her just hours ago how she felt about it, Lea would have smiled and said good riddance. Now, however, after the run in with the creepy new camp director who looked at her as if he wanted to devour her... well Lea preferred the pervert pony.

"Do you know why," Lea asked.

"Because of Thalia's tree," Drew said, with a nod towards the rotting tree. Lea winced as she thought about it and her heart ached for Luke – even if he was a disgusting traitor — she knew some people went crazy about their so-called soulmates so she could only guess how hard he was taking in whatever evil villain lair he was hiding in. "No one thinks he did it of course, but someone had to take the blame. Lord Zeus was infuriated, apparently. It makes those thunderstorms all the more ominous."

Lea inwardly rolled her eyes. Thunderstorms were a natural phenomenon and not an overgrown man-child throwing a hissy fit.

"Word is that some of the people in Olympos no longer trust Chiron because of his, you know, circumstances. And Mr. D had to punish someone. It was a punishment of convenience."

"What circumstances?" Lea asked.

Drew looked around almost nervously. "His, um, dad."

Lea blinked, a little confused wondering what his dad had to do with anything and then—She remembered that Chiron said that her supposed Father was his brother and the myths said nothing about Rheia dating anyone else after her husband got chopped and screwed.

His old man was Kronos?

Lea thinks she remembers something about that. Kronos was cheating on his wife and was sleeping with some nymph in his horse form and then Rheia almost found them, so he took off and the nymph gave birth sometime later and ditched the kid.

Child abandonment was just prominent in this "immortal" family, huh.

"Well, what's the poison used on the tree? Can't they just call like the gardener of gods and have them fix it up? Who's the local herbalist or herbologists? What's even the difference in that?"

"Herbologists primarily study medicinal plants while herbalists practice the use of medicinal plants for promoting healing in other people. And the best in the field aside from Lord Apollo and his healing retinue is Chiron and well..."

"Well, what?"

Drew shook her head sadly. "The poison used on Thalia's pine is something from the Underworld, Lea. Some venom even Chiron has never seen. It must have come from a monster quite deep in the pits of Tartarus."