The Valdez side-effects

Chapter 6

Leo sits beside me in the amphitheater, holding my hand in the both of his.  Demigods chatter nervously, always casting glances around making sure there are no monsters.  I refuse to look at Leo, it's to painful.

He still thinks I don't know about the seven going on the suicide mission.  Chiron steps into the firelight and everyone quiets down.  "We have a new camper today."  He waves into the stands. "Come on down, Kara." A small girl walks down cautiously.  She dosen't look more than nine years old. 

"Holy Hera."  I whisper to Leo.  "How young do they come?" 

Leo shakes his head.  "I don't know." 

As Kara walks down the steps, a green symbol of a lightning bolt glows over her head.  Everyone stares in shock.  Children of the big three were rare.  But two of us in a less than a year was nearly unheard of. I turn and look at Jason who is sitting on the other side of me.  He frowns, his mouth open.  Chiron looks surprised as well.  All at once, all of the demigods in the amphitheater bow down to her. 

I glance up and see Mr. D looking half surprised as well.  Chiron tells us we can rise again.  "Jason Grace!"  He calls.  Jason stands up abruptly beside me.  "Will you bring Kara to the Zeus cabin once we are finished here?"

"Yes sir."  Jason says loudly.

Once that was all settled, Chiron takes on a more serious tone.  "I am sure you all know of the current events and the head counselors, Dionysus and myself have decided that it would be best if we sought out Hecate, godess of magic and Terminus,  god of borders to help our home."  Low murmurs started up again.  "Silence!  We have decided to send the seven of the last great prophecy out to complete thus quest." 

I tighten my grip on Leo's hands.  I don't want to let him go.  Not now.  Not ever.

"Leigh I need to go join the others."  Leo tries to pull his hands away from mine so he can go join the others down my Chiron's side. 

I pull back on his hands.  Tears come to my eyes.  "No.  No I can't let you." 

Leo leans down and kisses me.  "I'm not leaving yet."  He slips his hands from mine and goes down by the others. 

Nico slides in next to me and we grip eachother's hands as if our life depended on it.  Chiron dismisses us, but Nico and wait.  Chiron turns to the seven if them and whispers something.

"You must not tell anyone of the dangers.  Do you understand me?  Valdez and Jackson, no telling Leora especially. She will cause trouble." 

I freeze and turn to Nico.  "Did you hear what they just said?" I whisper. 

Nico shakes his head.  "Did you?" He asks wearily.

I turn back and nod.  "As clear as day." 

From the corner of my eye I see Nico examine me.  We sit there in silence.  Something in my head starts tingling and I whip around, catching an arrow three inches from Nico's head.  He falls back in surprise and the attetion turns to us.  

"Leigh!" Leo yells and starts running up the stairs towards me. 

I realise what I'm holding isn't an arrow and drop it.  It's a kind of black spike.  It's poison sears my palm and I wince as I see the red blisters appear all over my skin.  Suddenly I feel tge tingling in my brain again and turn to where Leo is running up the stairs towards me.  "Leo!" I scream.  I spring up and run towards him.  I tackle him down the stairs and another poisonous spike sinks into where Leo was standing.  I twist my body to sheild Leo's from the fall.  We only fall a little bit.  I don't feel any pain because adrenaline is pulsing through my body. 

I struggle to a sitting position and help Leo up.  "Are you ok?" I ask in a panic. 

Leo nods.  "Are you?  How did you know that-"

"Percy duck!" I scream. 

As soon as he ducks, a spike sails over his head.  Everyone pulls out their weapons.  My hand has gone completely numb.  The tingling in my head increases and I start to hear voices.

I need to kill di Angelo.  A hissing voice says. 

"Nico get out of there!"  I scream up to him.  Thankfully he dosen't doubt me and scrambles down the stairs and joins the rest of us.  He holds his sword and stands bedside me. 

She knew.  I need to kill her first.  The hissing voice says. 

"There!" I point towards the back of the amphitheater.  "There's something there." 

As I say that, a monster crawls out of the shadows. It's so ugly I don't even know how to describe it.  It's body is covered in matted grey fur and has a scorpion tail.  One if it's eyes is blue and the other is black. 

"Manticore."  I hear Percy say from beside me. 

Jackson.  I hear the manticore hiss in my mind.  I press the the orange stone in my necklace and my knife appears in my hand.  I step in front of Percy.  "Back off."  I say. 

The manticore fixes his missmatched eyes in me.  "Stupid move, daughter of Posiedon."  The tingling in my head spikes and I delfect a spike with my knife.

"Oh no you don't." I growl.

I deflect another spike and it sinks into the manticore's abdomen.  It howls in pain and explodes into a cloud of monster dust.  "Leigh, how did you know?" Piper asks from behind me.

I turn to face her.  I must have turned to fast because my head starts to spin and I fall backwards into Leo's arms. 

Despite the numbness in my hand, it throbs with pain.  I am vaguely aware of stumbling out of the amphitheater, supported by Leo and Nico and next thing I know I am awake in the infirmary.

The Apollo kids swarm around me, treating my poisoned hand then wrapping it in gauze.  One hands me a cup of nectar.  "Drink this." He says. 

I sip at the nectar letting the warmth spread through my limbs.  The taste of chocolate cake fills my mouth and before I know it, my head stops spinning. 

"Are you feeling better now?"  The boy whongave me the nectar asks. 

"Yes thank you." I force a smile.  "Can I go now?"

They let me go and I find everyone waiting for me outside. 

Leo helps me down the stairs.  "Are you ok?"

"Yeah.  I'm fine."  I stumble a little as I hit the ground. Leo as well as Percy catch me.  My entire face flushes.  I squirm out of their arms.  "You guys need some rest. You have a highly dangerous quest tomorrow." 

Percy shifts uneasily and Leo pulls me back towards him.  "Leigh."  He whispers.  "It's for the best."

I sigh.  "If any of you die, I swear to the gods-"

"We won't die."  Hazel says. 

I look at her and see determination in her golden eyes. 

And for a moment, I believed her.