▃▃▃ ᴅᴏɴᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ʜᴇʀ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴏꜰ ɪɴɴᴏᴄᴇɴᴄᴇ ꜰᴏᴏʟ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱʜᴇ ɪꜱ ꜰᴜʟʟ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ᴋɪɴᴅ ᴏꜰ ʙᴀᴅ-ᴊ ɪʀᴏɴ ᴡᴏʀᴅ
▃▃ ʙᴏᴏᴋ 1 ▃▃ In which the only daughter of Persephone sneaks on a quest to see the world for the first time since she's been at camp. The daughter of wisdom...
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𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⭑ ‧₊˚ ⋅ જ⁀➴๋࣭ ⭑๋࣭ ⭑
ᴊᴀɴᴜᴀʀʏ ²⁶ᴛʜ, ²⁰⁰¹
My eyes sparkled with excitement as I cradled the tiny bunny I had found near the edge of the forest. Its soft fur tickled my fingers, and I giggled, my seven-year-old heart swelling with joy. I had always wanted a pet, and now I had one.
I ran to find Lysander, my protector and mentor. Lysander, tall and strong at twelve, was practicing his swordsmanship when I approached.
"Lysander! Look what I found!" I exclaimed, holding up the bunny for him to see. Other campers looked over at us.
Lysander's eyes widened, and he quickly ushered me to a secluded spot. "Elara, you have to keep it hidden," he whispered urgently. "If the harpies find out, they'll take it away. They don't allow pets here."
My face fell, but I nodded solemnly. "I'll keep him safe," I promised, clutching the bunny closer.
The next morning, I awoke to an empty spot where the bunny had slept. Panic surged through me, and I ran to find Luke, the one person I knew could help.
"Luke! My bunny is missing!" I cried, tears welling up in my eyes.
Luke, the caring person he was, put a comforting arm around me. "Don't worry, Lara. We'll find it," he assured me.
We searched the camp high and low, asking everyone if they had seen the bunny. Finally, we made our way to the kitchens. As we peeked inside, my heart stopped. The harpies were there, and they were skinning a bunny.
My stomach churned, and I turned away, vomiting from the sight. Luke knelt beside me, his expression serious.
"Elara, I'm so sorry," Luke said, placing a comforting hand on me.
I wiped my mouth, tears streaming down my face. "They... they eat innocent animals?"
Luke nodded solemnly. "Yeah, they do. It's how they get the meat for our meals."
My tears flowed freely now, and I made a decision that day. "I won't eat them anymore," I declared through my sobs. "I'll be vegan. I won't hurt any more animals."
Luke just nodded, showing his silent support for my decision.
ᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴛ
They were crossing the Potomac when they spotted the helicopter. It was a sleek, black military model just like the one they had seen at Westover Hall. And it was coming straight toward them.
"They know the van." Percy said. "We have to ditch it."
Zoe swerved into the fast lane. The helicopter was gaining.
