The Blazing Fate

Chapter Ten

Astrid wished she didn't have to keep watch near Porta-Potties. She had a really bad feeling about all of this, but she couldn't get close enough to Festus without getting burned. Astrid and Leo didn't talk about how he could climb all over the dragon.

Astrid could hear Leo muttering to himself, but she couldn't make out the words. She kept remembering the red eye on the logo inside the building. She was still shaking. Astrid was slowly losing energy and she wasn't going to be much help against anything that only has one eye.

Astrid had memories of her and Leo spending time together as Piper and Jason went on dates. They used to be so close but now... Astrid had been lying to them. Leo, especially. She didn't belong on this quest with them. Gods, she was starting to get really tired. Her feet felt stuck in the ground.

Her back was to Leo, giving him privacy to use any fire he feels necessary without her staring at him. Besides, she felt like they were still fighting. Nothing has felt the same since she got back to camp.

Astrid couldn't help but think that she missed the days at the Wilderness School. She missed the meetings with Coach Hedge. He might've been a pain, but he kept her grounded. She needed that every once in a while.

But she also missed how camp used to feel. Before Percy. Before the Titan war. Her and Connor pulling pranks, Travis joining when Katie didn't take up his attention. Those days were never coming back. And she hated it.

Astrid slipped out her dagger. There was a gold sun on the hilt. It was gold and shiny. Everything her dad stood for. He had given her the dagger as a reward for fighting so hard in the war. She kept it safe. She loved it. But she hated looking at it. It was too bright for her eyes.

Astrid heard something from the building. She turned to look at Leo, but he was focused. She knew Jason and Piper were in trouble. She didn't try and get Leo's attention. She simply walked slowly back into the building, dagger drawn, and hoping Leo gets that dragon fixed fast.

She heard Piper screaming out for her. She knew it was fake, but she went closer anyway. She didn't even have time to search before pain erupted in her head and everything went black.

----

When Astrid woke up, she couldn't really tell what was going on. There was some loud crash that managed to seep into her brain. Astrid felt super disoriented. She barely remembered what had happened. Her body was restricted, tightly, and... was she upside down? Her body hurt.

There was so much noise that she really just wanted to go back to sleep. Was she even asleep, though? Didn't she get hit on the head? Astrid's eyes shot open. Dots covered her vision for a while. But when they cleared the scene was horrible.

Well... horrible may be exaggerating. One, very large, very ugly, cyclops was staring at a seemingly unarmed Leo in absolute shock. There was yellow dust falling from the ceiling. Astrid was strapped upside down with Jason and Piper. Piper was wiggling, Jason was not.

Astrid hoped he wasn't dead.

A second later another cyclops was lumbering into the firelight with... a can of salsa? 'MA, I got the extra spicy—'

He never finished his sentence. A robotic arm whacked the cyclops in the chest. The salsa can exploded and the cyclops flew backwards. Another crane arm slammed the cyclops against the floor so hard, he exploded into dust.

The third, final cyclops grabbed the nearest crane and ripped it off its pedestal with a savage roar. 'You busted my boys! Only I get to bust my boys!'

Astrid was shocked to hear it was a women cyclops. Her head pounded. She could barely focus. The dots were coming back. Did she have a con...?

----

Astrid woke back up while Leo and Piper were getting her down from her chains. When they saw she was okay they both sighed in relief. She drank a little nectar before helping them get Jason down.

Astrid got to work immediately. Her body was screaming, and her head pounded but she was going to help. This is what made her useful. Astrid managed to trickle a little nectar into his mouth. The huge welt on his head went down a little and his color came back.

Then, Astrid focused on the concussion he had. She started humming one of the hymns she had learned at camp to ease pain. She closed her eyes and hummed while praying to her father. Praying they can get out of there.

Jason didn't wake up, but he looked ten times better by the time Astrid was done. Leo and Piper both looked more awake themselves. Astrid was drained. She felt sick and horrible. She had exerted herself far too much the past couple of hours. But they weren't done yet.

'They're forming again,' Leo said. 'Look.'

Piper stepped away from the now moving dust. 'That's not possible. Annabeth told me monsters dissipate when they're killed. They go back to Tartarus and can't return for a long time.'

'Yeah,' Astrid said. 'Unless something else is at work. We need to get out of here. Now.'