The Third Camp

Chapter nine: Carrie

I knew I had blown my cover. I quickly prayed, picked Neptuna up in my arms, and teleported to the Poseidon cabin at Camp Half Blood. I had seen it a million times before, though it seemed different in person, when you can smell the salty sea air from the beach and hear the waves echoing from the shore. Was it just me, or did watery light shine from the bottom of the fountain in the corner?

Neptuna began to shuffle in my arms. Holding her farther away from me, I hoped she wouldn't hurt herself further, having an arrow in her arm. She frowned, still asleep. She hadn't been frowning like that when I had her closer to me. Just out of curiosity, I stopped extending my arms out and brought her to my chest. She let out a little huff of breath and let her head relax against my shoulder. I felt my face turn pink, but disregarded it and continued on with what I was here to do.

I laid Neptuna in her bed and glanced over at her sleeping brother, snoring. Neptuna looked... Well, I wasn't sure how to put it. She looked... Like a sleeping swan, as she slept. I winced myself as I removed the arrow in her shoulder. Quickly healing her, I set everything in it's rightful place, wrote a note for Neptuna, then went back home. It was always risky going to a different camp, even just for a visit, because no matter what, someone was watching.

I decided that I would go back to Camp Ops the next day. I arrived and asked Virtus to help me work on my fighting skills.

An hour later I was panting against a stone wall.

"Can we please take a break?" I panted.

"No! Do I have to remind you that you're a praetor?" Virtus yelled.

"You've already told me that over twenty times!" I argued.

"Here's what we'll do, we'll take a ten minute break then get back to work, deal?"

"Deal." I laughed.

Virtus threw me a cold water bottle.

"It's too warm in here, we should go outside."

"Yeah, some obstacles sound good, and you should put on your little praetor suit, see how it fits."

"I guess I will." I nodded. I got up, ran up three flights of stairs, then I put on jeans, a fresh Camp Ops shirt and my purple cape. Strength coursed through my body. I ran outside and saw Virtus in the middle of the pegasus field.

"What does the cape do anyway?" He asked.

"It gives strength to the weak, speed to the slow, healing to the broken."

"So... power, basically?" He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Nice."

"Let's get back to work, yes?"

"Just a few more minutes to relax."

"Alright. Set a timer."

Sitting down against the wall, I watched Virtus set a timer for seven minutes. I took a swig from my cold water bottle. While I sat, I thought back to Neptuna. She had been uncomfortable when I had held her away from me, but relaxed when she was closer. My face burned red as I remembered how she had snuggled up to my chest.

"What's wrong? Your face is scarlet." Vitus asked me.

"I'm fine. It's nothing."

"Are you sure? What is it?"

"Just... Someone."

"Ooh, does Carrie have a crush?" Virtus teased.

I frowned. Was that what this was? Was that how I felt?