The Prophecies of Typhon: The Forbidden Quest (IN EDITING) (DISCONTINUED)

Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones, But Electric Spears Won't Kill Me

Courtney

I was quietly eating my lunch and reading my book on a cloudy Tuesday afternoon when Chiron announced that we would be playing Capture the Flag the following Wednesday. There was a buzz of excited chatter; strategies were being formed, alliances between cabins were being made. I sat silently, watching the campers move about. Most went to gather up their weapons and armor for tomorrow. I realized that those items would be helpful to have.

I stood up and began to wander around the camp aimlessly. I didn't know where Shayla had run off to, though I guessed it might be with Connor and Katie. Sydney was still in the infirmary.

I spotted a mechanical pencil lying in the grass as I wandered towards the strawberry fields; I picked it up and examined it. It was a nice pencil. The body was bright orange and it had a light blue clip and eraser slot and clicker.

I reached the strawberry fields and sat down, staring out over the camp. Campers were running around, shouting happily and playing games. It was weird to think that I knew the camp like the back of my hand; and yet, I hadn't known it existed until now. I could have very easily been hallucinating. This could all be fake. I nodded in silent agreement with myself. I was only seeing things; none of this could be real.

I sensed someone coming up the hill behind me, and I turned to face them. Sure enough, Chiron was trotting towards me. I jumped to my feet, suprised.

He smiled kindly. "May I have a quick word with you?" I nodded. I picked up the pencil as I stood, rolling it over my knuckles and twisting the end so it made a clicking noise.

"How are you doing?" Chiron asked kindly. His voice was gentle and soothing. I swallowed.

"Alright," I said. Even I noticed my voice wavering. He gave me a sad smile and placed his hand on my shoulders. His eyes drifted down to the pencil in my hands, and his eyebrows furrowed.

"Where did you get that?" he asked me, pointing at the pencil.

"I found it," I shrugged. "It was just lying in the grass."

"Can I see it?" I raised an eyebrow skeptically, but gave him the pencil. He studied it intently; reading the fine print, I suppose.

"Did you click it, by any chance?"

I shook my head. "No, why? What's so special about a mechanical pencil?"

He looked me over, studying me. Chiron motioned for me to follow him. We made our way over to the training arena. It was empty right now; everyone was either getting ready for bed or planning for Capture the Flag game tomorrow.

Chiron handed me the pencil, which I took tentatively. "I want you to click it," he instructed, standing to my side. I stared at him quizzically, wondering if this was going to end up seriously injuring me. I blew a puff of air out of my mouth and shook my head. I pressed down on the end of the pencil until I heard a click. Nothing happened for a moment. I looked at Chiron.

"Perhaps it's out of lead?" I offered. He nodded and dug around in his jacket pocket, pulling out a small container of unusually shiny pieces of lead. He pulled out a stick and handed it to me, and I quickly stuck the lead in.

"Try it now." Chiron folded his arms over his chest and watched as I clicked out a small bit of lead. Then the pencil began to change. It grew into what looked like a quarterstaff. It was at least seven centimetres taller than I was and about five and a half cetimetres in diameter. The color had changed from the original bright orange to a shiny bronze. Three leather grips -one in each end and one in the middle- looked like they'd never been touched. The ends were rounded smootly. There were engravings of birds and cows. Greek writing was on it, too. It read κεραυνός. Thunderbolt, I translated automatically. My eyes widened. I looked at Chiron, who seemed almost giddy.