𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 - L. VALDEZ

FESTUS THE HAPPY DRAGON

[NAME]

FESTUS THE HAPPY DRAGON

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I didn't stick around much after Piper got her makeover. Sure, it was amazing and all—She's somehow got even prettier, a feat I thought impossible—but I had my own issues to deal with, starting with contacting Camp.

I quickly snuck out to the woods, my hand already gripping the familiar shell, glancing around to make sure no one was near. Once I was satisfied, I sat down on the ground and flipped it open, water already pooling from my fingers to activate the device.

A mist flickered to life, distorted images and fragments of sound flowing its way through the other end. I furrowed my brows, "Reyna?" I whispered urgently, my voice barely audible over the crackling static. I shook the shell slightly. "Virgil? Beatriz?" I tried again, each name carried a weight of desperation. I saw the faint outline of three figures, and they seemed to whip their heads around towards me.

"—[Name]—?!?" A voice cut in, sounding dazed and robotic. "Is—ou—??!!" Someone lunged for the shell, yet more static came up.

"No no no," I whispered frantically, smacking the hard exterior to see if I could fix the static. My heart was pounding. Breathing frantic. This couldn't be happening, I needed to talk with them, let them know I was alive, I was okay. That I found Jason. Unfortunately, it seemed to do the opposite, and instead of images, it was just a gray, blank fog.

"Are you kidding me??" I hissed through gritted teeth, followed by a bunch of other words that would most definitely result in a punishment. I smacked the stupid shell in a pathetic attempt to get it back to life. I was angry, angry at myself. It's a damn shell from my fathers domain, yet I couldn't even get it to work, how pathetic was that? I was angry, and I wasn't. I wasn't a child of Hephaestus, adept at fixing gadgets with a mere touch. And this shell didn't rely on mechanical cogs, it worked on the water I produced from my hand, and even that didn't work.

Suddenly, I saw a blur of color race through the woods, catching my attention. My instincts kicked in, and I was suddenly very aware of where I was in the woods, far from the cabins. Easy prey.

I sucked in a breath through my teeth, shoving away my emotions and wiping my face clean, preparing for a battle should that come. I felt my hand creep up to my necklace, and I ran towards the direction the blur went, pocketing the useless shell.

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It turned out to be Leo.

I sighed, running after him as he trudged into the darkness of the woods, probably about to get himself into some big trouble. I could tell he was deep in thought as he barely noticed I was behind him. He kept his head down and was mumbling like crazy, holding what seemed to be a flashlight in his hand.