When we get to the limestone cliff in the forest, I turn and smile to the group nervously. Theo squeezes my hand and steps back, giving me a reassuring thumbs-up. "Here we go."
I place my hand on the door and light my fire. The Hephaestus cabin all collectively gasp.
"Leo!" Nyssa cries out. "You're a fire user!"
"Yeah, thanks." I say. "I know."
Jake Mason, who is out of his body cast, speaks next. "Holy Hephaestus. That means- it's so rare that-"
The massive stone door swings open, and everyone's mouth drops. Even Piper and Jason look stunned. The only one who isn't surprised is Chiron. He knits his eyebrows and strokes his beard worriedly, as if we're about to walk into a minefield. That makes me more nervous, but there's no turning back now. I know I'm meant to share this place.
"Welcome to Bunker Nine." I tell everyone as confidently as I can. "Come on in."
Everyone is silent as I give them a tour through the faciility. It's just as Theo and I left it, but Festus's head is sitting on the large central table, still battered and scorched.
Theo walks over to it, and I follow. She strokes the dragon's forehead, and I walk into what would have been his line of sight. "I'm sorry, Festus. But I won't forget you."
Jason puts a hand on my shoulder. "Hephaestus brought it here for you?"
I nod.
"But you can't repair him?" He guesses.
"No way." I agree. "But the head is going to be reused. Festus will be going with us."
Piper frowns. "What do you mean?"
Before I can answer, Nyssa cries out. "Guys, look at this!"
She's standing at one of the worktables, flipping through a sketchbook full of diagrams. "I've never seen anything like these. There are more ideas in here than in Daedalus's workshop. It would take a century to prototype them all."
"Why built this place?" Jake asks. "And why?"
"It's a wartime command center." Theo says nervously, looking at Chiron. "The camp was attacked once, wasn't it?"
"In the Titan War?" Piper guesses.
Nyssa shakes her head. "No, besides, that map looks really old." She nods to the battle diagram of the camp. "The date... does that say 1864?"
We all turn to Chiron. His tail swishes fretfully. "This camp has been attacked many times. That map is from the last Civil War."
We all look at each other, clearly confused.
"Civil War..." Theo notes. "You mean the American Civil War, like a hundred and fifty years ago?"
"Yes and no." Chiron says. "The two conflicts, mortal and demigod, mirrored each other, as they usually do in Western history. Look at any civil war or revolution from the fall of Rome onward, and it marks a time when demigods also fought one another. But that Civil War was particularly horrible. For American mortals, it is their bloodiest conflict of all time. Worse than their casualties in the two World Wars. For demigods, it was equally devastating. Even back then, this valley was Camp Half-Blood. There was a horrible battle in these woods lasting for days, with terrible losses on both sides."
"Both sides?" I ask. "You mean the camp split apart?"
"No." Jason speaks up. "He means two different groups. Camp Half-Blood was one side in the war."
I don't really want an answer, but I have to ask. "Who was the other?"
Chiron glances up at the tattered Bunker Nine banner, as if remembering the day it was raised. "The answer is dangerous." He warns. "It is something I swore upon the River Styx to never speak of. After the American Civil War, the gods were so horrified by the toll it took on their children, that they swore it would never happen again. The two groups were separated. The gods bent all their will, wove the Mist as tightly as they could, to make sure the enemies never remembered each other, never met on their quests, so that bloodshed could be avoided. This map is from the final dark days of 1864, the last time the two groups fought. We've had several close calls since, then. The nineteen sixties were particularly dicey. But we've managed to avoid another civil war- at least so far. Just as Theo guessed, this bunker was a command center for the Hephaestus cabin. In the last century, it has been reopened a few times, usually as a hiding place in times of great unrest. But coming here is dangerous. It stirs old memories, awakens old feuds. Even when the Titans threatened last year, I did not think it worth the risk to use this place."
Suddenly, my sense of triumph turns to guilt.
"Hey, look. This place found him. It was meant to happen. It's a good thing." Theo defends me.
"I hope you're right." Chiron tells her solemnly.
"She is!" I insist. I pull the old drawing out of my pocket and spread it out for everyone to see. "There. Aeolus returned that to me. I drew it when I was five. That's my destiny."
Nyssa frowns. "Leo, it's a crayon drawing of a boat."
"Look." I point at the largest schematic on the bulletin board. The blueprint showing a Greek trireme. Slowly, everyone's eyes widen as they compare the two designs. Theo comes to stand next to me supportively, which I appreciate.
"That's impossible." Nyssa says. "That blueprint has to be a century old at least."
"Prophecy, unclear, flight." Jason reads from the notes on the blueprint. "It's a diagram for a flying ship. Look, that's the landing gear. And weaponry. Holy Hephaestus, rotating ballista, mounted crossbows, Celestial Bronze plating. That thing would be one spankin' hot war machine. Was it ever made?"
"Not yet." I tell them. "Look at the masthead."
There's no doubt. The figure on the masthead is the head of a very particular dragon.
"Festus." Piper says as everyone turns to look at the dragon's head sitting on the table.
"He's meant to be our masthead." I insist. "Our good luck charm. Our eyes at sea. I'm supposed to rebuild this ship. I'm going to call it the Argo II. And guys, I'll need your help."
"The Argo II." Piper smiles. "After Jason's ship."
Jason looks uncomfortable, but he nods. "Leo's right. This ship is just what we need for our journey."
"What journey?" Nyssa asks. "You just got back!"
Theo touches the old crayon drawing thoughtfully. "We've got to confront Porphyrion, the giant king. He said he would destroy the gods at their roots."
"Indeed." Chiron agrees. "Much of Rachel's great prophecy is still a mystery to me, but one thing is clear. You four- Jason, Piper, Leo, and Theo- are among the first of the eight who must take on that quest. You must confront the giants in their homeland, where they are the strongest. You must stop them before they can wake Gaea fully, before they destroy Mount Olympus."
"Um," Nyssa shifts uncomfortably. "You don't mean Manhattan, do you?"
"No." Theo's voice rings out clearly in the now silent bunker. "The original Mount Olympus. We have to sail to Greece."
It takes a few minutes for that to settle in. Then, the other Hephaestus kids start asking questions all at once. Who are the other four demigods? How long would it take to build the boat? Why doesn't everyone get to go to Greece?
"Heroes!" Chiron stomps his hoof, the sound echoing through the bunker. "All the details are not clear yet, but Theo is correct. Leo will need your help to build the Argo II. It is perhaps the greatest project Cabin Nine has ever undertaken, even greater than the bronze dragon."
"It'll take at least a year." Nyssa guesses. "Do we have that much time?"
"You have six months at most." Ciron says. "You should sail by summer solstice, when the gods' power is strongest. Besides, we evidently cannot trust the wind gods, and the summer winds are the least powerful and easiest to navigate. You dare not sail any later, or you may be too late to stop the giants. You must avoid ground travel, using only air and sea, so this vehicle is perfect. Jason, being the son of the sky god..."
His voice trails off, but I know he's thinking about his missing camper, Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon.
Jake Mason turns to me. "Well, one thing is for sure. You are now senior counselor. This is the biggest honor the cabin has ever had. Anyone object?"
No one objects. My cabinmates all smile at me, and I can almost feel the curse breaking. I look to Theo, who is smiling up at me, her eyes gleaming with pride.
"It's official then," Jake says. "You're the man."
For once, I'm speechless. Ever since my mom died, I'd spent my life on the run. Now I have a home, a family, a gorgeous girlfriend, and a job to do. As scary as it is, I'm not even a little tempted to run.
"Well," I manage to say. "If you guys elect me leader, you must be crazier than I am. So let's build a spankin' hot war machine!"
