The Third Camp

Chapter thirty seven: Carrie

As I shot arrow after arrow I started to hear voices. The voices of my life. All the people that ever told me to be someone I wasn't.

Then I realised something.

I don't know who I really am. Even as a little kid I was raised as a military child, I spent my open time doing pushups just to get out of my mind the fact that one or both of my parents may never see me again.

I was raised by the gods, I grew up a loner, always knowing that I was a son of Apollo.

I spent almost every summer of my life at Camp Ops. Being laughed at because my parent was one of the weakest gods. For some unknown reason even the children of Iris were treated better than me.

I let out a growl. I heard something behind me and I spun around.

Natalie let out a small yelp and put up a shield.

"Oh..." I relaxed my arms and pointed my bow back down at the floor. "It's just you."

"Are... Are you okay?" Natalie sounded scared.

"I'm fine. Why?"

"You... Y-you're crying."

My eyes widened as I realized she was right. Tears had made a track down my face. I hastily wiped them away and shook my head.

"I'm fine."

"No you aren't. You didn't come to dinner so I brought you some." She tossed me an apple.

"I'm fine, but can you do me a favor?"

"Anything." She blurted out.

"Go down stairs, in my desk there's a notepad. Bring it to me."

Natalie ran as fast as she could and in thirty seconds she handed me the notepad.

"Would you like to sit?" I motioned toward one of the couches. She sat down awkwardly.

I gazed down at the notepad and grabbed a pencil from one of the dummies where a sword was supposed to go then I sat down on the couch that was facing her's.

"Do you want me to give someone a note?" Natalie asked, eying the notepad.

"No," I laughed. "This isn't that sort of notepad."

I slowly started to draw a yellow orchid. When I was done I peeled it off the page and handed it to Natalie.

She put it behind her ear.

"You need to watch out, council is watching your every move." She warned me, though I couldn't take her seriously with a flower behind her ear.

"It's fine, I can handle council." I leaned back and started drawing again, this time a dog tag.

"You can't handle them when they get angry, you know that."

"Don't worry."

"I am worrying Carrie! You could not only lose your praetorship but you might be banished!"

"It's fine." I sighed.

"No it's not! People are starting to disappear around you! First Grace and now Fred. People are starting to thing that you are killing off the people that challenge your praetorship!" She got up and started yelling.

"That's not true."

"If you get banished think of all the people! Alivia would no longer be a healer! Over half of the staff would be dead, we've ticked off the gods enough!"

"I know."

"Think of everyone!" She yelled then put her face in her hands.

I got up and embraced her.

"I do." I breathed.

"If you leave, I'll kill you bro."

"I know bro." I laughed.

"...Why were you crying?" She asked quietly.

"I..." I wanted to tell her. I wanted to tell her that I hated myself for making Neptuna cry. That I hated myself for letting myself feel emotion. For letting Neptuna see these emotions. But what would she say? "It's a long story..."

"We have all night. I've never seen you cry before, and I'm worried."

I took a deep breath and went to sit where I could face her.

"I'm having... Some issues." I struggled to find the right explanation.

"I've noticed that." She mumbled sarcastically.

"It's.... I don't know how to say it."

"Just say it how it is."

I took a deep breath and squeezed my eyes shut.

"I can't."

"Yes you can, no one's stopping you."

"I can't." I spoke louder, firmer.

"Well if you aren't going to tell me then we need to talk about the prophecy."

"Okay." I nodded.

Natalie walked over to the dry erase board, picked up a marker, and started to write,

"An evil force threatens them all,

To sea or arrow Olympus will fall,

The Centaur, the arrow and war's daughter shall meet

But one of them will get feat,

All out war shall destroy the land

Five shall go to the place of sand

Though only one will return

They shall make the water churn,

Only one group shall survive,

One leader may not come back alive."

I walked over and picked up another marker. Making an arrow from the third line, I wrote at the end of the line, "Understood"

Then, for the next half hour, Natalie and I discussed the prophecy.

After Natalie had gone back to her cabin, I got in bed. Laying down, I stared up at the ceiling of my room.

Neptuna, my mind called out to no one. Forgive me. I'm so, so sorry. Will you ever speak to me again?

And with those thoughts, I drifted off to restless sleep and dreams of my own suffering.

In the morning, I opened my eyes and sighed. I mentally went over my schedule and groaned.

I had to teach archery for Neptuna's cabin today.

I still had an hour before breakfast so I slowly made my way out of bed, threw on my normal jeans, Camp Ops shirt, and Praetor cape, then I strode toward the Mess Hall.

I sat in my seat at the head table and looked around, unconsciously looking for Neptuna. I soon spotted her, alone, at a table far in the corner. She was poking at a plate of blue pancakes and looking like she had never felt emotion before. Her face looked frozen in the sunlight. I refused to look at her any longer, it hurt too much.

Someone that I didn't recognize strode over to me and handed me a note.

"Summons from the Council: 0800." The note read.

My heart dropped. Grace was the only person that watched over me and she was also great friends with most of the council people.

She was also missing.

Just my luck. The only good news was that I didn't have to teach Neptuna's cabin anymore.