Ares' Staff of War

Chapter 14-Maps, Hunter, and Amelia

Why does everything have to go wrong on our first day? Well, technically its not our first day, but it is our first day being productive. I better go back to the others. I slowly, but surely get up and get my crutches. I always thought that ambrosia instantly healed something up but I guess it don't.

I slowly head back to where civilization is. "I'm back," I say to them.

"We really missed you," Hunter jokes.

I laugh quietly. "Is Raphael doing any better?"

"Yeah. While you were still gone, he was grunting a little," Amelia says without taking her eyes off of Raphael.

"That's good!" I say.

"Its all my fault," I hear her mutter.

"No it wasn't! Amelia, it was not you're fault!" I say. She looks up at me with tears in her eyes.

"You wouldn't understand," she says quietly and gets up and leaves.

"Don't go far!" I say quickly, hoping she heard me.

"Carmen. Hunter?" a small voice whispered. I look over at Raphael and see his eyes are slightly open.

"Raphael! You're awake!" I say loudly, trying to go as fast as I can on these crutches. I go too fast and I fall, but I push trough the pain. Hunter and I reach Raphael at the same time.

"Amelia!" I call. "He's awake Amelia!"

She comes rushing back and drops at his side.

"What happened?" he asks, sitting up with the help of Hunter.

"The monster, a Crottoca, attacked you and made a gash on your forehead," I explain to him. He reaches up to his head and feels the bandage.

"That explains why my head feels tighter," he says.

I laugh. So does Amelia and Hunter. "Back to your old self," I say.

Hunter nods. "Do you think you can walk?" I ask him.

"I don't know. Let me try," he says and stands up and almost falls on Amelia. By almost falls, he accidentally sits on her lap. She and him both blush and she pushes him off her.

"I'm so sorry, Amelia!" Raphael says.

"Its fine. I know you are wobbly," she says. He tries to stand up again and he doesn't fall.

He starts to walk and trips on nearly everything. Every time he trips, Hunter is right there to steady him. I would've done it but my leg is broken. Hunter whispers something in his ear and Raphael laughs loud.

"What'd you say?" I ask Hunter.

"Oh, nothing," he says with a twinkle in his eyes.

"It is something," I say.

"Nope," he says.

"Yes it is something!" I say. We both go back and forth for a while saying yes's and no's.

"OK guys! Stop fighting!" Amelia says smiling.

"Fine," I say with a smile.

I sit on a tree stump and look at the map. Hunter and Amelia crowd around me to see the map. "So, I think we're here," I say pointing to a spot on the map.

"No, I thought we were here," Amelia says.

"I don't know," I say.

"Here let me take a look at it," Hunter says and grabs the map.

He looks at it for a minute and says, "We are here."

I look at it and see a little forest icon. "Oh yeah, we are," I say. How didn't I see it?
*****
I stuff some ambrosia in my mouth and eat it. Hunter told me to take a little before bed each night so my leg can heal quicker. I lay down next to Amelia and close my eyes.
*****
"Are you Carmen Jackson?" a dude asks me.

I nod, not knowing who it is or where I'm at. "You have to go to the Dead River. There will be a house there where you need to meet someone," the dude says.

"What?" I say, confused.

The man nods and disappears.
*****
I jolt awake because of a noise. Crack. The noise comes again. I stand up with my crutches and walk forward a little bit. I look down and don't see Amelia anywhere. "Amelia!" I say quietly.

"Amelia," I say her name louder. Something taps my shoulder and I turn around as quickly as I can on crutches.

"I'm sorry!" Amelia says. "I only left to go to the bathroom."

"Its fine," I say, exhaling.

"You were actually worried about me?" she asks, surprise written on her face.

"Yeah I was," I say. "Why?"

"My mom doesn't care about me at all. She goes out with a different man each night and doesn't come back until morning with different clothes on," she whispers.

"Oh my gods," I say.

"That's why I'm glad that I went to Camp Half-Blood," she says.

I put my arm around her shoulder (that's really hard to do when you have crutches) and say, "I'm glad you came to Camp as well."

She smiles but it soon disappears. "What's the matter?" I ask her.

"You won't understand," she says.

I shrug and go back to my "bed". Its really just moss and my pillow. I close my eyes but sleep doesn't come. I am starting to really like my Aunt Amelia.