Charmolypi

Chapter 123

The next morning, everybody was buzzing about the chariot race, though they kept glancing nervously toward the sky like they expected to see Stymphalian birds gathering. Thea, who was in charge of security if something were to happen, stood beside Lux at the bottom of the stadium. Luckily for them, none did. It was a beautiful summer day with blue sky and plenty of sunshine. The camp had started to look the way it should look: the meadows were green and lush; the white columns gleamed on the Greek buildings; dryads played happily in the woods.

Despite standing far away from Percy and Annabeth, Thea could see how much Percy was overthinking the letter he had received the previous night. The prominent dark circles under his eyes made it clear that he had been up all-night thinking about his father's warning. Even though she was not the one that received the warning, Thea knew that something big was on the verge of happening. Something that would derail the course of action until further notice. All they could do at that point was wait for that thing to happen.

"Hopefully it's not a disaster like the last race," Remus said, chewing on his nail before he shook his head. "Never mind, I forgot that Tantalus isn't there anymore."

As the pair drove onto the track, Percy couldn't help but admire the work Tyson and Thea had done on the Athena cabin. The carriage gleamed with bronze reinforcements. The wheels were realigned with magical suspension, so the chariot glided with hardly a bump. The rigging for the horses was perfectly balanced that they turned at the slightest tug of the reins.

"Bloody hell that's a nice ride!" Gideon exclaimed, practically drooling over the chariot.

"Imagine trotting down Diagon Alley in that ride," Fabian whistled at the thought.

Tyson had also made two javelins, each with three buttons on the shaft. The fist button primed the javelin to explode on impact, releasing razor wire that would tangle and shred the opponent's wheels. The second button produced a blunt bronze spearhead designed to knock a driver out of his carriage. The third button brought up a grappling hook that could be used to lock onto the enemy's chariot or push it away. Tyson told them that they were originally Thea's designs, but Tyson made them less harmful. Percy was a bit terrified, but Annabeth just shrugged, knowing that it wasn't uncommon things for Thea.

"That girl is too violent," one of the Minister's advisors whispered in his ear. When Minerva looked to see who spoke, she noticed that it was one the suspected followers of Voldemort.

"You're being too dramatic," the minister waved him off. The man looked shocked at the statement from the minister, making it obvious that whispering in his ear would not work in their favor.

"Here," Tyson said to Percy, just before the race began.

He handed Percy a wristwatch. The watch wasn't anything special, it was a normal white and silver watch with a black leather strap. It took him a moment, but his eyes widened in realization. This watch was what he was tinkering with the entire summer.

"That's adorable," Molly said smiling, looking at her grinning brothers.

Sirius and James smiled at one another, knowing what it was like to have that sibling bond.

"Thanks, man." Percy put it on and found it was surprisingly light and comfortable.

"Didn't finish in time for the trip," Tyson mumbled. "Sorry, sorry."

"Hey, man. No big deal."

"If you need protection in race," he advised, "hit the button."

"Ah, okay." Percy didn't see how keeping time was going to help a whole lot, but he was touched that Tyson was concerned. "And, hey, um, Tyson ..." He looked at Percy. "I wanted to say, well ..." Percy tried to explain that he was sorry for the way he acted at the beginning of summer, but it was harder than he thought.