The Undead Heroes (The first part of The Reiteration of Olympus)

CHAPTER 16, Secrets are annoying so I come clean

DYLAN

"What's going on? You hate being around demigods, it took Ruth and I years for you to trust us."

I sighed and scratched my neck. Missy was right, it had taken me forever to trust them. I'd met them five years ago, when I was on a trip with my family to Portland. We were visiting my grandma when I got kidnapped by some Cyclopes'. I managed to get away from them but I had no idea where I was. That's when Ruth and Missy found me. I was hiding in a tree when I made eye contact with a metallic hawk. After a few seconds the hawk flew away. Not even a minute later Missy appeared on a motorcycle. I remember thinking that she looked like some sort of young adult novel hero. She told me to get on and I was terrified. There was a super cool 18 year old telling me to get on her bike and drive away with her. It seemed as if it was safer to go with her than to get eaten by Cyclopes' so I jumped on her bike and she took me to her and Ruth's warehouse. They helped me find my way back to my family and has continued to help me ever since.

"Apparently I'm part of some stupid prophecy and some horse told us to go to some mountain to look at monsters."

Even though I was super vague Missy understood me. I think it had something to do with her Venus powers but it might also have been because she knew me so well.

"Mount Katahdin?"

"Yup."

Missy thought for a second before she disappeared into her office. She yelled at me to look at something and I followed her. The office was filled with folders, binders and books about a million different subjects. She really seemed to be more of a Minerva kid than a Venus kid.

"Come look at this," she said and pointed to an open binder filled pictures. The pictures were showing hordes of monsters standing in a clearing. They looked like an army.

"These pictures are from Katahdin. One of our birds got these photos the other day." I looked closer at the pictures. It seemed as if the monster were bowing to someone, but the pictures were taken too far away to see clearly.

Huh. Seems like that old horse was right.

"We should show this to the others," I said and picked up the binder. Missy followed me downstairs where Ruth and the rest were playing cards and laughing. They seemed to be playing "Godly Poker", a game where instead of poker chips you used coins with your godly parent on them. The winner got a special weapon made by Ruth.

"Guys, look at this," I said and put down the binder on the table. Ruth looked mad about me messing up their poker game for a second but got over when she saw what the binder contained.

"What's this?" Des said, looking closely at the pictures. Missy told them the same thing she'd told me a few moments earlier.

"So Chiron was right! There really is something going on on that mountain," Silena said.

"Yup. So let's get them," I said and started walking towards the door.

"What!? Now!?" Jake exclaimed and stared at me. I stared back.

"Yeah. We know where they are so why not?" I asked. We knew where the monsters were supposed to be so why not get it over with.

"But it's dark outside." Des frowned. "Should we really go now? Isn't night-time the evil hours or something?" She looked nervous and was messing around with her ponytail. She looked really tired too. Actually, when I thought about it, every one of them looked tired. Oh for Eros's sake.

I sighed, took off my backpack and walked over to the table where they were playing poker. I pulled up a chair and stretched out my hand towards Ruth. She smiled and handed me a pair of blank coins. Now, here's the thing. The coins respond to the demigod who uses them, which means that your godly parent will appear on them. And if you were wondering, yes, this meant that Neptune would show up on my coins. Missy, Ruth, Silena and Des already knew about my dad and didn't feel threatened by the others so I might as well let them know. Plus, they seemed pretty okay with that Poseidon kid so they might be okay with me too.

Ruth handed me the coins and I let the mist around my eyes fall. My dad's face appeared on the coins and I waited for the game to start over. Missy and Ruth didn't pay any attention to it, but the others did. Des didn't care that much, she already knew about my dad after all. Jake just looked at my coins, nodded approvingly and fiddled with his own. Beckendorf stared at me for a second before looking at Silena. She just gave him a smile and he smiled back, although hesitantly. The only one who really made a big deal about it was Valdez.

"What the? Your eyes they just-? And your coins? What?" He looked so confused and I almost pitied him. I merely shrugged and flipped one of my coins in the air.

"Don't sweat it," I said. "Let's just play poker. I want a new weapon."

"Well you heard the lady," Missy said and grabbed some coins. "Time to play some poker."