Lies [Sequel to Secrets]

Part Ten:

Part 10:

Looming overhead was the thing that Zoe dreaded the most; the climbing wall at Camp Half-Blood.

It was a large rock wall with multiple platforms, including one that spewed lava, one that rumbled and shook and one that rotated; it spun around the entire wall. All this seemed easy far away, but close up, Zoe felt sick.

There were no safety harnesses, no rope to catch you if you fell, only pure adrenaline and your powers, which startled Zoe. She had seen three Poseidon kids controlling the water in the lake while a crowd of campers gathered and watched, oohing and aahing at their skills.

But now, as Michael stood next to her, waiting to begin, she felt worried. She hated heights, and hated climbing up things without feeling safe and secure, but she supposed this was the life of a demigod. And she would just have to get used to it.

"Scared?" Michael asked, and Zoe scowled.

"No." She snapped, placing a hand on one of the grips, then jumped back in alarm as the wall shook.

"Are you sure? You can climb on my back if you want." The glint in Michael's multi-coloured eyes was enough for Zoe to turn away. She would not fall for his charming smile.

Charlie had persuaded her to be his friend. Sammy seemed nice enough, and Alex was a person who you just had to like and be friends with, no matter what. But Michael ... so far all he had done was offer her a marshmallow and a ride on his back.

"Three, two, one, GO!" Alex yelled, and everyone started climbing up one of the four sides of the climbing wall.

Zoe gripped the handle and hauled herself up, ignoring that Michael was already halfway up the first section. She focused on the rumbling and shaking of the wall, where to put her hands and feet, and definitely not on the ground steadily growing far away below her.

She made it up to the first platform the same time as Sammy. Pausing, she waited for the spinning wall to come towards her before leaping up. This time, Zoe barely noticed the spinning and just climbed. When she reached the top of the next platform, someone shouted from the top.

"Ha! I won!" Michael cried.

"Second!" Alex called.

"Third!" Charlie chimed in ten seconds later.

"Looks like it's between you and me." Sammy grinned at Zoe. "Wanna race?"

"Sure." Zoe smirked. They climbed up the same side of the wall, dodging the streaming lava and gripping the holders until their legs and arms ached.

Panting, Sammy reached up to grab the last hand holder, the other three cheering him and Zoe on, but was met by a gushing stream of lava. Zoe yelped, and her body reacted before her brain did. She shoved Sammy out of the way, but lost her footing in the process.

Holding on for dear life, Zoe tried to place her feet on the grips, but had to luck. Her arms started shaking, and then with a scream, she was suddenly falling...

...into darkness.