THE HEALER| Heroes of Olympus

Prologue (The Last Olympian PT1)

It was mid afternoon when the fight started. 

I was sitting outside the Apollo cabin with Will at my side. I had decided that I wanted to learn to be a healer like Will. He had agreed it was a good idea and was going over how it worked and the different types of special medicines we have as demigods.

 That's when some of our half-siblings armed with firebombs flew over the Ares cabin in a chariot pulled by two white pegasi. I'd never seen the chariot before, but it looked nice. Soon, the roof of the Ares cabin was burning, and naiads from the canoe lake rushed over to blow water on it.

I could see Michael looked quite happy with how things were going. He had also managed to rope Austin into the whole mess. Then the Ares campers called down a curse, and our sibling's arrows turned to rubber. The Apollo kids kept shooting at the Ares kids, but the arrows bounced off harmlessly.

Austin and Jerry ran by us being chased by an angry looking Ares kid screaming in rhymes. "Curse me, eh? I'll make you pay! I don't want to rhyme all day!"

"Not again," Will grumbled, "last time it took two weeks before the curse wore off." 

"Eliana!" Kayla called from across the field. "Get your butt over here and help me shoot down these nuisances!" 

I glanced at Will who shrugged and said, "Leave me out of this." 

I got up and dodged flying weapons until I met Kayla. She was pointing her bow towards campers on top of the cabin. I shook my arm releasing my bow from it's bracelet form. 

"Sweet bow!" Kayla said marveling at it. 

"FIRE!" I hear Michael shout from his chariot. We released our arrows at the cabin. 

"Where'd this chariot even come from?" I asked looking at its golden exterior.  

"They captured it in a raid in Philadelphia last week. Some of Lu-" She paused, "Some of Kronos' demigods were there, with that flying chariot. We seized it during the battle, but the Ares cabin led the raid. So we've been fighting about who gets it ever since."

We ducked as Michael Yew and the chariot swooped down on an Ares camper who ran past us. The Ares camper tried to stab him and cuss him out in rhyming couplets. 

I've never heard rhyming swears before but the Ares cabin sure was creative with them. 

"Is this normal for a simple argument?" I asked as another wave of Ares kids came towards us. 

Kayla shrugged. "It's surprising what happens due to simple bickering." 

The fighting didn't stop until a temporary truce was called to attend Charles Beckondorfs shroud but stayed as far away from each other as possible in the amphitheater. 

Beckendorf's shroud was made out of metal links, like chain mail. I didn't think it would burn, but the metal melted in the fire and turned to golden smoke, which rose high into the sky. The campfire flames always reflected the campers' moods, and today they burned black.

I hoped Beckendorf's spirit would end up in Elysium. Maybe he'd even choose to be reborn and try for Elysium in three different lifetimes so he could reach the Isles of the Blest. I didn't know him but from what I've been told about him, if anyone deserved it, Beckendorf did. 

The only people left at the shroud after the ceremony was a sobbing Sileena and Clarisse who tried to comfort her. 

"How is she?" Percy asked as Clarisse left after Sileena headed back to her cabin. 

"She's strong, she'll survive." Clarisse muttered. 

"You could help with that." Michael spoke up from behind Percy. Clarisse glowered at him.